Chapter 330 - 326: Subway

Following Wang Shaojie, Zhang Wenda made his way toward the deepest part of the pool. The water was quite deep now. They had clearly reached the deep-water zone he had mentioned.

Other people began to appear nearby. Although they all deliberately kept their distance and moved as silently as ghosts, at least they didn’t flee the moment they saw one another.

Apparently, even under the rule of the Dark Forest, a place for safe trade was something everyone needed.

Although food was scarce, these people weren’t dressed in rags. Their clothing was varied, representing a wide range of styles.

The one thing they had in common was that they all had their faces covered with various items, clearly to avoid revealing their identities in such a dangerous environment.

Seeing this, Zhang Wenda thought for a moment. With a slight shake of his head, it instantly transformed into that of a rabbit, hiding his true face beneath it.

’When you don’t have a clear picture of things, following the majority is never a bad idea.’

After walking for about thirty minutes, they finally arrived at a water slide. There, Zhang Wenda saw the so-called free trade area.

It was a vast, empty swimming pool. To the left was a tiled promenade several hundred meters wide, upon which sat the enormous, rust-streaked frame of a subway car.

Zhang Wenda noticed quite a few people carrying goods in and out. This was clearly the trading post.

Seeing so many people, Zhang Wenda couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief. ’Thank goodness. Thank goodness most people are still alive. At least I won’t have to face this empty, apocalyptic world all by myself.’

However, before entering the trading subway, Zhang Wenda noticed several armed individuals guarding the entrance. A basket was placed beside them, and they were collecting an "entrance fee" from each person entering the market.

Currency had clearly long since lost its value here. In its place were daily necessities like fuel, cloth, and food. Zhang Wenda watched for a moment and figured out that the entrance fee just had to be worth more than half a meal.

When their turn came, just as Zhang Wenda was about to get something out, he saw Wang Shaojie, with a pained expression, pull a small flavor packet from a pack of instant noodles out of his pocket and hand it over.

After confirming the packet was rich in oil and hadn’t spoiled, the man’s eyes lit up. He glanced at the two of them and immediately waved them through.

Once inside the subway car, Zhang Wenda found that the seats had been scraped clean and eaten, leaving only the bare metal frames. Everyone was sitting on the sheet metal, holding the items they wished to trade.

If you were interested in someone’s wares, you would sit down across from them and speak in hushed tones.

Most of it was food—unidentifiable meats and plants—but there were other things as well, such as various weapons and blue energy bars.

Zhang Wenda glanced toward the armed men at the subway car’s entrance and asked Wang Shaojie, "What’s the name of the organization that controls this area?"

"I heard they’re a splinter group from the Big Circle. But they’re small, only a few hundred people, and they only operate in this area. That’s why they’re called the Small Circle."

"The Small Circle? What a stupid name." Zhang Wenda was rendered speechless by the moniker.

Wang Shaojie continued his explanation, "Don’t be put off by the high fees. They come with benefits. As long as you’re here, all trades are under their protection. Anyone who dares to scam, sell fake goods, or use threats of violence will be attacked by them. This is one of the few places in Area 2 that actually has rules."

Zhang Wenda pointed to a person squatting on the floor nearby who wasn’t displaying any goods. "What’s that guy selling?"

"See the writing in front of them? Those types usually sell information. People like that generally have valuable intel. In a place like this, information can be sold for a price too."

Hearing this, Zhang Wenda frowned. "Doesn’t that mean everyone is just hoarding useful information? Just to sell it for a profit?"

’This isn’t a good thing for the current situation,’ he thought. ’A severe lack of information flow would seriously hinder human cooperation. Simple information silos could fragment people into countless small groups.’

’Everyone is just trying to survive on their own, not even thinking about how to fundamentally change this appallingly bad situation.’

’But on second thought,’ Zhang Wenda mused, ’that’s too harsh. If most people can’t even secure their next meal, they don’t have the spare energy to worry about such things.’

’Besides, this system is actually beneficial for me right now. Being able to trade goods for information is extremely convenient, especially since I’m completely in the dark at the moment.’

"Shaojie, if I want to know about all the areas humanity has explored so far, and the current breakdown of factions, who should I talk to?"

"You can talk to me." A gravelly voice spoke up from behind Zhang Wenda.

When Zhang Wenda turned around, he saw an old man in simple clothes leading a few members of the Small Circle toward him. The old man was carrying a birdcage, and inside it, a tiny airplane was circling endlessly.

Judging from the looks of awe on the faces of those around them, Zhang Wenda immediately guessed that if this man wasn’t the leader of the Small Circle, he was at least one of its top members.

"My rabbit-headed friend, it seems you’ve only recently escaped your predicament, have you not? I have the information you seek, and I would be more than happy to trade for it."

Zhang Wenda sized him up and asked curiously, "I doubt you’re kind enough to just give it to me for free, are you?"

"Heh heh. Let’s walk a bit farther. There are too many people here. It’s not a good place to talk." The old man gestured toward the far end of the subway car.

’With my strength, I have no reason to be afraid of this group.’ With that thought, Zhang Wenda started walking.

At the far end of the subway, a brightly lit car appeared before Zhang Wenda. Its interior hadn’t been eaten clean; some of the decorations and a few seats were still intact.

As Zhang Wenda stepped inside, several people who had been resting stood up and shot hostile glares his way. Wang Shaojie, who was not as mentally tough, turned pale at the intimidating display.

"All of you, out. This is my guest." As the old man spoke, the hostile glares vanished.

Once the two of them were seated, Zhang Wenda looked at the man again. "What do you want?"

"Hahaha, relax. We don’t need anything you’re carrying. You want information, and we’re willing to trade you information for information."

Then, Zhang Wenda watched as the old man pulled the instant noodle flavor packet from his pocket and tossed it lightly in his hand.

"We’re very interested to know where you found this... and how much more of it there is."