The formation of the neutral zone wasn't a matter of chance; it was a consequence of order being maintained by someone.
In the ruined city, the slums and the wealthy district were in opposition, as were the androids and humans. Constant conflict between them meant that neither side could possibly maintain order here.
Therefore, the chosen ones were unrestrained in this place. Of course, aside from the skirmishes between the chosen ones themselves, they could also be killed by the native inhabitants.
Bai Ye advanced, passing through uninhabited areas until a large expanse of barbed wire appeared ahead.
Signs like "Caution," "No Entry," and "Please Check for Bacteria Carriers" hung on the barbed wire. Some signs and even parts of the wire were stained with blood.
However, there was no one guarding it.
Beyond the barbed wire lay the slums.
The streets here were still dilapidated, and the ground and the outer walls of the buildings were covered in numerous cracks, giving them a precarious appearance.
But signs of life began to emerge.
Men in tank tops squatted in street corners, chewing on something unknown.
In the windows of buildings in the distance, a woman, holding a child in one arm, used the other to hang a clothesline outside the window to dry clothes.
The aroma of food made from mutated creatures wafted from some pushcarts.
Most of it was barbecue, teppanyaki, or soup.
The ingredients used were not of the best quality, being the scraps from the corpses of mutated creatures.
After all, the truly delicious parts were sent to the wealthy district. Even in the slums, there were some, but they were in restaurants, and ordinary people couldn't afford them.
Bai Ye's appearance drew some glances, but not many.
The people here were indifferent, but indifference was normal. After all, it was already difficult enough to survive, so who had the energy to care about others?
Bai Ye, riding his motorcycle, rummaged through his memories and soon found a dilapidated alley.
The walls within the alley were adorned with a messy tangle of electrical wires, some worn-out awnings, and a pile of haphazard illegal structures.
At the entrance of the alley, a flickering sign read: Hunting Ground.
Bai Ye parked his motorcycle at the alley entrance, then walked in, quickly arriving at a metal door and knocking.
A small window on the metal door opened, and a pair of eyes scrutinized Bai Ye.
"Eating, one of us."
The other person didn't speak but opened the metal door, letting Bai Ye in.
This was a restaurant, but not an ordinary one.
It provided some better ingredients and offered processing services, as this was a gathering place for hunters.
Both androids and humans frequented it. Besides filling their stomachs, it served a very important purpose: exchanging intelligence and information.
This intelligence pertained to the border situation and also to the wealthy district.
This was because the hunting ground was secretly established by androids who opposed the wealthy district, serving as one of their strongholds.
Of course, this was something most people didn't know.
After entering, Bai Ye walked inside and handed the plastic bag he was holding to the man beside him.
"Make it however you want, just make it delicious," Bai Ye said with a smile. "The leftovers are yours."
This was an unspoken rule; the leftovers were the cost of the meal.
The other party was clearly satisfied with Bai Ye's understanding of the rules and nodded, gesturing for Bai Ye to sit wherever he pleased.
The dimly lit restaurant had about a dozen tables and a five-seat bar.
Bai Ye sat at the bar and looked around.
Bai Ye was searching for his target.
But he wasn't sure if his target would definitely appear.
This was normal. Even with the memories of his past life, some things weren't set in stone. Life was always full of unexpected events.
Any choice, any action, could change the future.
Just like the route Bai Ye was taking now was different from his past life.
In his past life, Bai Ye wouldn't have had the ability to enter the ruined city when the world battlefield was only in its mid-stage.
But as Bai Ye was thinking, a scruffy man suddenly came to the bar and sat down.
The man's face was somewhat dirty, and his hands were covered in grime. A large gun was slung over his back, its design somewhat peculiar, but it had slots for energy cells, indicating it was an energy weapon.
Several uniquely shaped grenades hung from his belt, along with a worn-out machete.
Bai Ye narrowed his eyes. Had his target appeared just like that?
"Allen, you can't just come and go from my place like this," the owner said, wiping a glass and glancing at the man. "You'll scare my customers."
"Damn it, I know all your customers, I won't scare them," Allen whispered. "Boss, those crystals have changed again."
"Are you starting again?" the owner rolled his eyes. "Nobody cares about that stuff."
Allen insisted, "This is important. It's a new discovery. It's possible those mutated creatures are related to the crystals I found, or maybe the Rhine Company has some new conspiracy."
The owner said impatiently, "So what? I only care about how my restaurant business is doing. Nobody wants to exchange your information. And if you're not eating, get out of here."
"Give me a grilled meat rice," Allen said helplessly, then took out a cloth bag. "And my information is very useful. If you don't believe me, I'll show you something incredible."
As Allen spoke, he opened the cloth bag and poured out some purplish-pink crystal powder.
Soon, Allen arranged the powder into a circle on the table.
Allen said, "May I borrow a cup?"
The owner reluctantly handed the cup to Allen.
Allen placed the cup in the center of the powder and slowly rotated it.
Suddenly, a faint halo appeared on the crystal powder.
The halo reflected onto the cup, displaying marvelous colors, appearing semi-transparent, or perhaps like a seven-colored halo.
Allen seemed to be searching for some revelation, or perhaps like an ancient gypsy performing a divination, rotating the cup and tilting it slightly, searching for an angle.
Then...
Suddenly, a beam of light enveloped the cup. Immediately after, the cup, enveloped in the light, strangely vanished without a trace.
At the same moment the cup disappeared, the surrounding halo also gradually dimmed, and the crystal powder returned to normal.
Allen exclaimed excitedly, "See? Do you believe me now? Those crystals are not simple. This is not ordinary stuff; it's very mysterious and valuable."
The owner remained silent for a moment, then said, "Remember to pay me for the cup."
Allen: "..."