Nan Yue joined the street idlers, and the three of them squatted by the road to discuss the matter.
"Hiss..."
Instead of being worried after hearing the explanation, Zhu Xi Ning looked at her with admiration.
"A-Nan, you're too strong. You've lived so long with that thing inside your body!"
Nan Yue: ...Something felt slightly off about that.
Fortunately, Gu Xiang Kai was a bit more reliable, his brow furrowed as he chewed on a cigarette butt as if pondering some profound subject.
"If that's a possibility, we must keep it a secret."
"Everyone avoids that stuff like the plague. They even station heavy guards around it. After all, it's what destroyed the world."
"If they find out you have that inside you, they might throw you out just to ensure the safety of the current city states."
Gu Xiang Kai thought about the twisted and bizarre nature of humanity he had seen in the mission worlds and added, "Or they might use you for research."
Nan Yue grew even more troubled, feeling like her worry lines were starting to show.
Zhu Xi Ning thought for a moment. "Anyway, there are so many awakened abilities. Who knows what's what? Just say it's your ability from now on. Who would question it?"
That was actually a good idea.
Nan Yue relaxed a bit. In the end, it came down to the same point: as long as she was strong enough—whether against that thing or in the world of scavengers—no one would be able to threaten her.
The three street idlers reached an agreement amidst the strange looks from passersby.
"Let's go find a hotel."
They weren't going to rent or buy a house here. The hotels in this city were concentrated in the city center to separate long-term residents from short-term ones, ensuring the living environment and security of the permanent residents to some extent.
The hotel here was very similar to the one Nan Yue had stayed in for a night at Blooming Media Company. The lobby was filled with the scent of high-end incense as soon as they entered. The greeters were polite and courteous, recommending a suite after asking about their situation.
After all, teams usually stayed together.
Gu Xiang Kai and Zhu Xi Ning had lived in capsule compartments before and had never seen such a high-end room.
The suite had three bedrooms, each with its own bathroom. Outside was a large living room, and the space was filled with various small, exquisite green plants.
Gu Xiang Kai and Zhu Xi Ning made a fuss as they toured the place. Then, one went to shower while the other studied the hotel's room service menu.
By the time Nan Yue finished her shower and came out, the living room was packed with food.
"A-Nan, come eat! This is a specialty of the red city state. I ordered it to try. They say it's called hot pot."
Nan Yue sat down curiously. "Why didn't you order something from the Green City State?"
Zhu Xi Ning's face fell. "Everything in the Green City State is vegetarian."
The three of them studied the instructions for the hot pot. Basically, they just had to put everything into the pot and wait for it to boil.
The hotel provided service for this, but the three felt uncomfortable with an outsider present, so they did it themselves.
At first, Zhu Xi Ning insisted on strictly following the suggested cooking times for each ingredient, scolding Gu Xiang Kai more times than she could count.
But eventually, she gave up and happily fished things out of the pot.
Nan Yue added a bit of everything to her dipping sauce, then frowned as she picked out the stuff called cilantro.
"I can't eat this."
Gu Xiang Kai took a bite but couldn't really tell what the big deal was, so he dumped the rest of the cilantro into his own bowl.
The three opened a few bottles of beer that had come with the hot pot. Gu Xiang Kai loved it as soon as he took a sip; he felt it wasn't very strong, but the taste was good.
The meal lasted until late into the night, leaving all three of them with bright red lips.
Zhu Xi Ning, her eyes full of tears from the spice, fought Gu Xiang Kai for food. Nan Yue sniffed the scent on her clothes and sighed.
That shower was a waste.
After they finished eating, the hotel staff came up to clean up the mess and freshen the air. The three took another shower and went to their respective rooms to sleep.
By the time Nan Yue woke up, it was already the morning of their third day in the Green City State.
She sat on the bed in a daze. The curtains were already open, and it was foggy outside. The simulated sky hadn't fully brightened yet.
However, there were already pedestrians heading out, and cars were on the streets.
Nan Yue watched the men and women in suits walking briskly and felt it was a bit funny yet also a bit sad.
Perhaps if she stayed here for a long time, she would also want to try finding a job.
In a way, purifying the world had started to feel like a part-time job.
Soft voices drifted in from outside. When Nan Yue went out, she found Zhu Xi Ning and Gu Xiang Kai researching the differences between the various color city states.
Seeing Nan Yue wake up, their stiff movements became much more natural.
"A-Nan, there are so many things here we've never seen before."
Zhu Xi Ning turned up the volume, and a gentle female voice began an introduction on the TV that covered half a wall.
"The Green City State has prepared three cinemas for you. Here, you can watch films collected from the mission worlds, as well as films produced by scavengers who work as part-time actors in the real world."
"The library on the east side of the city is part of a mobile chain from the higher city states. It contains all the knowledge, records, and introductions regarding the mission worlds. You can learn about those worlds before they were distorted there."
"The Green City State is committed to helping you maintain good living habits and mental well-being. The psychological counseling and relaxation facilities here are the best among the color city states."
...The introduction was long, and Nan Yue was quite interested in all of it.
She remembered what she had said before. "Let's all go for regular psychological counseling from now on."
Although the three of them had very stable mental stability for different reasons, she felt it was necessary.
Having seen many cases where unstable mental stability led to suicide or even affected others, she felt it was important to take it seriously.
Now that they had plenty of points, there was no need to be stingy.
The three of them ate breakfast and were dragged along by Zhu Xi Ning to shop all morning. They bought quite a few things, and after the hotel staff took their purchases back, the three finally reached their real destination for the day.
The psychological clinic.
It was called a psychological clinic, but Nan Yue felt it looked more like a small greenhouse garden.
It was a three-story white building by the roadside with tasteful green decorations and massive floor-to-ceiling glass. One couldn't see the interior, only the reflection of the surrounding greenery.
She wasn't sure if it was an illusion, but just looking at it made her feel much more relaxed.
The receptionist was a gentle girl who softly asked the three to register. Soon, doctors came to lead them away.
However, no one came out to get Nan Yue for a while.
After waiting for about five minutes, a tall man stood before her.
He was an exceptionally handsome man with slightly long, brownish hair. A few strands of bangs hung over his forehead, not looking messy but rather relaxed.
The man wore a pair of black-framed glasses, which softened his eyes that might have otherwise seemed sharp due to their narrow shape.
His features were deep-set, with a straight nose and thin lips. Perhaps each feature on its own might have seemed aggressive, but the man's gentle and gentlemanly aura made one feel he was strangely trustworthy.
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