Chapter 891: Chapter 888: "White Snow in the City (Part 1)
Along the way, Su Ming’an walked and became increasingly aware of the pain and poverty of this world.
Many vagrants lay by the roadside, lying on straw mats like opium addicts of ancient times, chewing shriveled yellow tobacco, staring blankly at the sky.
Sleepless bodies lay under the bridge, frozen to death for days, their hair floating like water plants by the river. Their bodies had been stripped bare, naked and shriveled, even their clothes were stripped away without dignity.
As soon as they saw stray dogs and cats, people driven by hunger would rush at them, hacking desperately with machetes, short swords, and hoes, just to eat a little meat.
When someone fell, people would circle like vultures pecking at carrion, frantically snatching any item from the corpse.
But upon seeing the strong soldiers, people would scurry like rats into dark places, fearing being killed by these plunderers.
Constantly living in fear, constantly freezing and starving, constantly without hope.
The hell of humanity, the hell of hunger, a breeding ground for greed and ugliness, an intense desire for survival. Parents and children eating each other, siblings betraying each other, selling bodies. The strong bullying the weak, the weak turning their blades to the weaker.
—What Su Ming’an witnessed was this hellish scene.
He had heard about some historical sieges but had never seen such shocking cruelty firsthand. Now they were directly presented before his eyes.
Just walking with Li Mingyue for more than ten minutes, he saw three looting incidents. He finally understood why Su Luoluo insisted on picking him up from school the previous day. Because in places out of his sight, the environment was truly dangerous.
He had just received a call from Su Luoluo, saying she’d go home first.
"I want to explain things clearly to Dad," Su Luoluo said over the phone.
"Call me if there’s danger," Su Ming’an knew it was unlikely, as gamblers are hard to persuade. But this was Su Luoluo’s decision, and he wouldn’t stop her.
After hanging up, Su Ming’an glanced back, seeing Lv Shu silently following behind.
Arriving at the next distribution point, hungry and cold people immediately surrounded them.
"Thank you! Thank you!"
"Thanks for the Church’s grace!"
In front of the clergy, people behaved like obedient children, waiting in line for Li Mingyue to distribute food, instantly shedding their previous ugliness when robbing others.
In extremely harsh environments, faith played a role in "admonishing" people, making them hold reverence for evil.
Each person received two pieces of bread, a bottle of water, and a piece of cloth as their entire relief. The strong survived, the weak perished. It was like a survival of the fittest in an arena.
Seeing little girls as young as three or four queuing for bread, Su Ming’an tentatively asked Li Mingyue, "Godfather, you’re strong, why don’t you take people out of this city? Or just directly kill that Exotic Species?"
Li Mingyue sorted the bread bags in his hand and glanced at him.
Su Ming’an noticed that during the distribution of these relief supplies, Li Mingyue didn’t appear as lifeless as before; Li Mingyue was truly showing mercy and bestowing grace on these people. Compared to the otherworldly State Preceptor Li Mingyue in "Louyue Nation," this modern Li Mingyue seemed more lively.
"Even leaving here, they still have nowhere to go, only to become refugees," Li Mingyue gazed at these people lowering their heads, eating bread.
These people were dirty all over, randomly found a flat ground by the ruins to sit and eat, rarely looking up at the sky.
"Humanity has already lost nearly eighty percent of its land, the survival space is severely compressed by the Black Mist, everywhere is the same pain. Resources will only be supplied to people at the top. Without knowledge, without technology, without family background, anywhere they go, they’re refugees." Li Mingyue said plainly, "At least this city is their home, here they still have fields and jobs, some can still sustain themselves with their hands—even if this city seems like a prison, in reality, for the poor, the world is a prison everywhere."
Su Ming’an looked into the distance.
There were some fields and factories in the city, located on the outskirts. Due to the proximity to the outskirts’ military, the order wasn’t too chaotic.
Those were places people with skills and backgrounds could go. But the relief areas he and Li Mingyue walked through were the most chaotic, where these people had no background, barely scraping by.
"As for the Exotic Species, I can’t capture its whereabouts. If there’s an opportunity, I’ll kill it, only then can this city be liberated," Li Mingyue said, "Come on, follow me inside and take a look."
Su Ming’an retracted his gaze, in front of him was a rundown tavern. The fact that the tavern could operate in such a chaotic place suggested the tavern owner’s strength wasn’t bad.
Li Mingyue lifted the curtain, what came into view was the old iron-red tables and chairs, a burly bald middle-aged man was sitting behind the bar, the tavern owner.
"Dad, there’s a guest." Upon hearing the curtain glass clashing sound, a girl emerged from the back room. Her black hair draped over her back, with a bright red butterfly hairpin, her features were delicate, her face rosy, wearing a JK skirt. Being able to wear a short skirt in such a chaotic area implied she was well protected.
"Someone’s actually here during the daytime..." The bald middle-aged man looked up and saw Li Mingyue in a white robe.
In the dim and dirty tavern, Li Mingyue, all in white, was like an Immortal, extremely conspicuous.
"Li Mingyue? You actually came to a place like mine," the bald middle-aged man said familiarly.
Li Mingyue asked, "Tell me, did Yuxuan come into town to select people before?"
Su Ming’an turned his head; he hadn’t heard of the name "Yuxuan."
The bald man nodded, "Yes, he entrusted me because I have a big crowd here, to help look out for any newcomers. You know, joining the City Guardian Department is really dangerous, always facing dangerous anomalies, might as well join the military for a meal. These days... nobody has it easy."
Li Mingyue looked at Su Ming’an, "The City Guardian Department is recruiting, if you’re interested, you can intern."
Before Su Ming’an could speak, the bald man interrupted in surprise, "Li Mingyue, you’re this kid’s godfather, right? He’s just come of age, and you want to push him to the City Guardian Department? Do you know how dangerous it is?"
Hearing this, Su Ming’an checked his wristwatch: The City Guardian Department, one of the four major forces, has branches in every city, is a lawful and good organization, the most righteous among the four major forces.
The Holy Alliance Army belongs to the Church, only cares about Deities, doesn’t care about people’s lives, burning people at the drop of a hat. The Human Self-Rescue Alliance wants to oppose Deities wholeheartedly, acting unscrupulously, accepting gray neutral figures. The Old Day Church is pure antisocial elements, even cooperating with some Exotic Species, massacring ordinary people on a large scale. Only the City Guardian Department is an orderly organization closely connected with the military, with a strong sense of social responsibility.
The City Guardian Department actively ventures into dangerous areas, tests the Instant Death Rule, eliminates lurking "anomalies," protects harmed people.
The military fights the Black Mist on the front lines, bravely killing the enemy. The City Guardian Department protects the city in the rear. With front and back supporting each other, human civilization didn’t collapse.
"Is there a problem?" Li Mingyue said plainly.
"Of course there is! This morning Teacher Xia was here drinking, with a happy look, your kid must have good talent. In a few days there’s the college entrance exam, after getting into North Qing University, what job can’t you choose after graduation? Civil jobs in big cities, positions in the Union Government, civil servant jobs in independent cities, aren’t they all up for grabs?" The bald man’s face was full of confusion, "Now people just want a stable life, wishing to huddle inside the city for life, and yet you want to push him into danger?"
The City Guardian Department is even more dangerous than the front lines, with a team of three or four people, roaming city streets and alleys at night, unable to return to the main team in case of danger. The mortality rate is as high as 60%.
For this reason, fewer and fewer newcomers have joined in recent years, people prefer safe clerical jobs when filling out applications, those who want to fight prefer the front lines, and very few choose the City Guardian Department.
Li Mingyue’s expression didn’t change:
"If I really sought comfort, I wouldn’t stay in this city for long."
The bald man was silent.
Li Mingyue was powerful, with no reason to stay in this abandoned city. But for some unknown reason, Li Mingyue didn’t leave. The bald tavern owner could only guess that maybe Li Mingyue wanted to protect the residents of these cities.
"That’s why..." The bald man took a puff of his cigarette, his small mustache twitched, "I never understood the courage of you idealists."
Su Ming’an heard the system prompt:
...
"Ding-dong!"
[You have engaged with the "City Guardian Department" storyline in advance.]
[Participating in the "internship at the City Guardian Department" is the fourth segment of your main quest, which can now be engaged with in advance.]
...
The two walked out of the tavern, and Su Ming’an brushed off the scent of alcohol from his body. It seems that engaging with the City Guardian Department is part of the main quest, only brought forward by Li Mingyue.
"Wensheng. You will pass the college entrance exam without a doubt, and during this time, you can take on a part-time job at the City Guardian Department," Li Mingyue said.
Su Ming’an nodded.
——He is the deputy director of the City Guardian Department, and yet he has to participate in the City Guardian Department internship.
——He is the first of the Dream Patrol Family and also a high school student.
There is always a sense of "I" not being "me," where the ordinary and the strange fuse together. He is an existence at the pinnacle of human civilization, yet also a regular student about to intern. It feels like the two identities are harmoniously converging.
Afterwards, Su Ming’an and Li Mingyue went to twelve fixed locations in the city to distribute relief supplies.
Several locations left a strong impression on Su Ming’an.
In the house where an old grandpa and grandma lived, an old radio played an ancient tune, singing intermittently.
"Who is it?"
"Hey, it’s the church! Old man, come out quickly!"
When Su Ming’an knocked on the door, this elderly couple felt embarrassed to take the relief supplies without compensation. They exchanged an antique for food and even offered Su Ming’an lodging if he ever found himself in difficulty.
Even after Su Ming’an left, the old couple waited at the door, watching him go.
...
"Who’s knocking? What do you want?"
In the room with a mother and a little boy. When Su Ming’an knocked, the mother cautiously opened the door a crack and exchanged a sweater for food.
Su Ming’an said goodbye to her, and inside the room, a little boy peeked at him curiously.
...
"You’re... from the church?" View the correct content at
In the park, two wandering girls holding musical instruments were living there. As Su Ming’an approached, the girls said they knew some routes. If Su Ming’an could provide them with instruments, they could share information about these routes.
As Su Ming’an left, they played a tune of "Farewell" for him, serving as a token of gratitude for the food he gave them.
...
"Do you need help?"
A group of relatively kind soldiers lived on the city’s outskirts. As Su Ming’an approached, the soldiers said if he could provide enough money, they could help him smuggle out of the city and leave this place completely.
The system prompts continuously rang:
...
[Favorability (Old Couple): 50+5 points!]
[You have acquired Antique*1, and you have gained the right to lodge.]
...
[Favorability (Mother and Little Boy): 30+5 points!]
[You have acquired the opportunity to trade (convert fabric scraps into clothes). Collect scrap fabric and gold coins; you can come here to gain certain quality of finished garments.]
...
[Favorability (Wandering Girl Band): 30+5 points!]
[You have acquired information on (precious routes), and you can exchange instruments for more route information to explore more high-quality items.]
...
[Favorability (Kind Soldiers on the Outer Circle): 40+5 points!]
[You have acquired Dark Bread*1, Rather Murky Water*1, and you have learned the conditions for (leaving the city).]
...
Along the way, Su Ming’an increasingly detected an interesting feeling.
——A sense of a game.
It’s like exploring a map in an apocalyptic survival game, where the player can choose daily travel destinations, each with different gains.
Visiting the old couple’s house can yield their collected antiques, and if a rare antique is found, it can garner more money in the trading market.
Visiting the mother with the little boy allows for exchanging fabric scraps for finished clothing.
Visiting the wandering girls in the park allows trading for route information using musical instruments.
Visiting the city’s edge provides some free relief from soldiers. Plus, this site seems like an end-game ultimate quest. By providing the soldiers with enough money or resources, one can smuggle out and leave the city.
Besides, there are other locations like the disarrayed hospital, an orphanage housing children, a youth’s garden for growing flowers, a convenience store with periodically stocked air drops, a large tobacco factory, and more. Twelve locations in total, each triggering events.
Of course, although it resembles a game, the freedom is very high. If Su Ming’an lacked conscience, he could kill the helpless old couple and directly acquire all the antiques in their house. He could also use violence to coerce the wandering girls, threatening them to directly reveal route information.
He had always thought Dream Patrol was full of gameplay, and now he realized that the world he inhabited also carried a certain game-like quality.
However, it’s not so much that this is like a game, but rather that Zhai Xing itself is like a game.