Chapter Twenty-One: The Lonely Land

“Brother Cao, with your ability to defeat a level-three corpse on your own, you’ll have plenty of opportunities once you return to the settlement. You might even land a position with excellent benefits. The best life in the settlement belongs to the supervisors with official duties, then comes the scavengers, and finally the common folk,” Huo Bing looked at me and suddenly began telling me about the settlement.

Such hierarchical divisions and preferential treatment aren’t uncommon. Every enterprise and institution in the old era operated this way, and in the ruined era, it’s become even more pronounced. In the settlement, while people enjoy protection, they must contribute in return—those who contribute the most receive the best benefits, while the rest are left to toil in everyday drudgery.

“So, what kind of position do you think I could manage?” My gaze remained fixed ahead; after all, the wilderness was far from safe.

Huo Bing genuinely considered the question and replied, “I think... Brother Cao, you could try being a scavenger team leader.”

I waved my hand, cutting her off. “Besides that, I really have no interest in leading a team right now. Compared to group action, I much prefer traveling alone.”

“Regardless, your treatment won’t be bad when you return with me! But honestly, Brother Cao, you’re really quite scruffy. I haven’t met anyone as unkempt as you in ages,” Huo Bing pursed her lips and teased me.

Hey! It’s not like I don’t want to tidy myself up—there just aren’t any conditions for it!

“Just wait—once we’re back, I’ll take a bath and shave, and I guarantee you’ll be amazed!” I chuckled, not willing to let her underestimate me in terms of appearance and charisma.

That’s hardly the style of a professional executioner.

I realized that since coming to the ruined era, I’ve let myself go more and more. If I didn’t run into a living person to talk to soon, I was afraid I’d become downright neurotic.

An hour later.

Although the noise-reduced armored vehicle’s speed was much diminished, fifty kilometers in an hour was still easily achieved. Under normal circumstances, you wouldn’t dare drive so freely—it’s too dark and gloomy. Fortunately, I’m not limited by that.

Driving felt smooth and easy. Suddenly, I realized my unique vision could land me a job as a driver here in the ruined era—surely I’d never starve.

“Miss Huo, are you sure you haven’t led us astray?” I jumped off the vehicle with Fourth Master, staring in bewilderment at the deserted clearing before us.

This was supposed to be a settlement? Not a single building in sight—just a circle of high-voltage wire fencing, and nothing but emptiness inside.

Huo Bing also got out, smiled at me with a hint of mystery, then walked toward the fenced area, which looked like a mesh iron gate.

A notable detail: there were many fallen corpses scattered around. Judging by the numbers, at least two hundred had been cleared out.

I watched as Huo Bing approached the gate, waving to a nearby tree. Only then did I notice a surveillance camera hidden among the leaves.

Within seconds, the iron gate responded and opened automatically, wide enough for a vehicle to pass through. After we drove inside, it closed again, and sparks suddenly crackled atop it.

This thing was truly a high-voltage electric gate—any fool who touched it would be fried on the spot.

Corpses wouldn’t die from the electricity, but they’d be paralyzed, losing the ability to move. If the voltage was strong enough, it could outright destroy them.

Once we drove in, I saw that beneath the “empty” field there was a slope leading to a subterranean entrance guarded by a hydraulic door of unknown thickness.

By my estimate, not even artillery shells could pierce it.

Clearly, this was an abandoned military base or an old air raid shelter.

“Hey! Miss Huo, you folks really know how to pick a spot. If I’m not mistaken, this must be a deserted air raid shelter? With its defenses, even corpses can’t get in—not to mention fiends, they wouldn’t have a chance,” I marveled as I examined the hydraulic door.

This could truly be considered the best place to survive in the ruined era.

Judging by the high-voltage grid outside, there was definitely power running through the place—the living conditions must be quite good.

A deep, rumbling sound echoed as the main door swung open, and a middle-aged man in casual clothes rushed out, tightly embracing Huo Bing. Both man and woman were choked with emotion.

Could this man be the girl’s lover? His bearing suggested he was someone of status, almost certainly part of the settlement’s management.

No wonder Tong Jia hadn’t dared touch her before—only when desperate did he try to strip her. So she had powerful backing.

“Dad, let me introduce you. This is Cao Fusheng, Brother Cao—the man who saved my life,” Huo Bing clung to the man’s arm.

I listened to the low moans coming from nearby. If I could hear them, they couldn’t be more than twenty or thirty meters away.

“Though it’s safe inside the electric wall, this isn’t the best place for conversation. Let’s head in and talk more,” I smiled at the middle-aged man and hopped back into the car, driving inside.

“Alright!”

Fourth Master, ever loyal, refused to leave my side—he hopped into the car ahead of me, afraid I’d get lost without him.

Only after entering this so-called Solitary Settlement was I truly stunned.

Inside was a miniature community for personal living: basketball courts, soccer fields, parking lots, even a supermarket—everything you could need.

Even the narrow tunnels of the air raid shelter had been widened into somewhat constricted streets. Compared to this, the ZM City I’d lived in before was nothing—let alone my old safe house.

Through Huo Tian’s introduction, I learned the settlement was divided into three residential zones.

The top section was for the high-ranking residents, with full water and power supplies. The middle area housed those with special contributions, like scavenger team members and valuable technical experts. The lowest level was for ordinary citizens—their water and power were supplied on a schedule, and their living conditions were less than those above.

Still, it was much better than risking being eaten outside. There had been no major problems so far, and life here was incomparably superior to the dangerous wilderness.

In such a large settlement, water and electricity weren’t limitless—most of the time, usage was rationed, and unnecessary power-consuming facilities were shut down. Even the electric fence was only activated when corpses gathered in large numbers.

Moreover, Huo Bing’s father wasn’t just any high-ranking official—he was the president of the Solitary Settlement, a bona fide tycoon from the old era.

That surprised me. I hadn’t expected Huo Bing to have such a background, but seeing her delicate demeanor, it made sense she’d once been a pampered heiress.

“I hardly know how to thank you enough. Normally, the settlement wouldn’t accept outsiders lightly—it requires strict screening. But since you saved my daughter, Fusheng, we’ll waive that. I’ll arrange a room for you so you can rest and get yourself together,” Huo Tian led me to the mid-level tunnel and opened one of the doors.

I glanced inside; the atmosphere was a bit heavy, but overall, it was quite decent. “Thank you, Brother Huo. I’ll gladly accept your hospitality.”

Huo Tian patted my shoulder and left with Huo Bing, who winked at me on her way out.

Clearly, the girl had spoken well of me to her father.

About half an hour passed.

After my bath, I felt light and refreshed—a comfort so profound I was nearly asleep. If I counted, it had been almost two months since I last washed.

I wondered how I had managed, and no wonder Huo Bing said I was scruffy—it was true.

“Knock, knock, knock...”