Chapter 1096: Scarface Youth's Experiences (End)

The young man with the scar stood in front of his bed, looking at the sheets that were so smooth without a single wrinkle. He felt a little helpless, neither standing nor sitting, for fear of ruining the beauty in front of him.

At this moment, a slightly hoarse voice suddenly came from the side: "New here?"

The scarred young man turned around and saw a middle-aged man in his forties sitting on the lower bunk next to him. He had a tired look on his face, but his eyes were still clear and he was looking at him friendly.

"Yeah." The scarred young man nodded, maintaining basic vigilance, but the other party's attitude made him relax a little.

"My name is Lao Chen. I came in a day earlier than you." The man smiled and patted the bed board beside him, motioning him to sit down. "Don't be nervous. The rules here are a bit strict, but it's ten thousand times safer than outside."

The scarred young man hesitated for a moment, but finally sat down, but he was very careful, as if the thing under his butt was not a bed but a balloon that would burst if touched.

The middle-aged man who called himself Lao Chen seemed to be a talkative person, or perhaps he was feeling suffocated in this quarantine area. His tone was very enthusiastic and he had a familiar feeling:

"See those two guys with guns at the door? There's a strict rule in the quarantine area: no one is allowed to wander around the camp, and that means you can't just visit other dormitories."

"You are absolutely not allowed to leave this dormitory without permission. Even to pee, you have to report to the dorm head and get approval. You must go out in pairs, and there is a time limit. If you run out after the time limit or after lights out..."

When mentioning this, Lao Chen subconsciously lowered his voice, with a bit of awe:

"Once you're caught, the consequences are severe. I heard the first time you're caught, you'll be sentenced to 30 days of forced labor. They'll be assigned to do the hardest, most strenuous physical work, like building city walls, repairing airports, or clearing rubble. It's the kind that's going to wear you out."

The scarred young man listened silently, not taking it seriously. He thought it was just a broken arm or leg, a real loss of skin...

It seems that I have come to the right place this time. Except for a very few, most of the gathering places I have been to in the past believe in using severe punishments in troubled times, and some are even no less dangerous than concentration camps.

"It has to be an official gathering place!" the scarred young man sighed inwardly.

Seeing the scarred young man's worried look, Lao Chen thought he was frightened by what he said, so he quickly changed the subject and comforted him:

"But don't worry too much. As long as you follow the rules, no one will make things difficult for you. After the three-day quarantine period, you will be assigned work."

When talking about work, Lao Chen's tone became more positive:

"Everyone will get a list of almost all the jobs available in the gathering place. You can choose one, but you can't refuse. We don't support idlers here!"

"But some easier and more technical positions have fewer vacancies, and if there are too many applicants, they still have to be interviewed."

"Here in Gucheng Lake, we distribute work according to work. The more you work, the more you earn. Work points can be exchanged for food and daily necessities, and you can even save them up and buy 'luxury goods' like cigarettes."

"If you want to achieve success and stand out, you can try to join the army. The gathering place is recruiting soldiers on a long-term basis!"

"join the army?"

Hearing this, the scarred young man's heart moved, and the figure of the heavily armored warrior sitting on the Bobcat all-terrain vehicle, who looked like a humanoid mecha, instantly appeared in his mind, and his heart couldn't help but beat faster.

He couldn't help but ask, "Are they recruiting soldiers who wear powerful armor?"

He gestured with his hands, trying to describe Du Wu's amazing form.

Old Chen was stunned for a moment, then laughed and shook his head: "Hey, you are quite ambitious! You set your sights on the best right from the start? That's not something we ordinary people can even dream of!"

He leaned closer, his voice lowered, filled with mystery and envy. "The kind you're talking about are called 'Crystal Energy Warriors'! I heard they're the top soldiers in the Central Plains War Zone, picked from the very best! That piece of metal they have is called an 'exoskeleton', it's incredibly valuable, ordinary soldiers like us wouldn't even be allowed to touch it!"

"Forget about the 'Crystal Energy Warriors'; even those who can become regular soldiers in the Zhongzhou War Zone must be incredibly lucky!

"The only ones we can report now are the ordinary city defense troops." Old Chen pointed to the soldiers on duty outside, wearing ordinary training uniforms:

"That's what they do, but even so, the pay is much better than doing ordinary work! At least they have enough food and clothes, they have guns and ammunition, and they don't have to worry about being bullied."

After hearing this, the light that had just ignited in the eyes of the scarred young man dimmed, and an indescribable disappointment surged in his heart.

It turns out that the power that was like a divine weapon descending from the sky was so far away from him.

He imagined that joining the army would be to become a strong man like Du Wu who looked down on everything, rather than just being an ordinary soldier who looked similar to the previous garrison regiment.

Seeing the somewhat lost expression on Scar's face, Lao Chen patted his shoulder and comforted him:

"Don't be so ambitious, young man! Being able to safely serve as a city defense soldier is a blessing that many people in this world would rather pray for!"

"At least he's in the military system. Who knows what the future holds? Maybe they'll recruit people from the city defense forces."

As he was speaking, a whistle sounded outside, and the staff shouted, "Dinner is ready! Each dormitory should come out in order to receive their meals! Keep quiet!"

Hearing the meal was served, Old Chen, who had been boiling chicken soup just a moment before, jumped up and, like a spring, trotted out, dragging the scarred young man with him. "Let's go eat! I'll show you what human food is like. The food here will definitely make you swallow your tongue!"

The scarred young man followed the crowd out of the dormitory, looked at the people queuing up in an orderly manner to get their meals, smelled the long-lost aroma of food wafting in the air, and recalled what Lao Chen said. The disappointment in his heart was gradually replaced by a complex sense of security.

Even if I can't become that top existence, being able to survive in this orderly place where I can have enough food to eat seems... already pretty good.

As for the future, as Lao Chen said, who can say for sure?

He touched the clean and soft cotton clothes on his body, and for the first time he felt that the sky at the end of the world seemed to be really brighter.