Exiled!? Ha! I have An Infinite Space-Chapter 83: WELCOME TO THE BARREN LANDS

The journey continued immediately... this time there was no way the head guard was going to give us even a second to rest... and honestly, I don’t blame him.

The sooner he realizes we are the main characters, the better for him.

I looked behind me and saw Bai Ming walking as she held her children... Han Fuji was beside her and they looked like a cute couple.

Was I really shipping them both?

"Face front so you won’t trip," Fu Sheng muttered, but I faced him instead.

"If I trip... my husband will carry me in his arms... what’s so bad about that?"

He looked at me and shook his head. "You really find every form of word to use for your teasing..."

"Haha... you actually have a point... I’m very good at that. I should even write a book."

I raised my two hands in the air, trying to imagine the name of the book.

"I’ll call it... 999 ways to tease your husband," I declared with a wide grin.

"Then where did the remaining one go?" Fu Sheng asked, raising his brows.

"Ha... that one is for me. I don’t want anyone knowing my secret way of teasing my husband."

"If you say so..." Fu Sheng just smiled.

I grabbed his arm and glued my body to him while we walked in sync.

From behind us... I could already hear the grumbles and jealousy coming from some people.

"Look at them... acting so shameless... look at the grandson you are so proud of, old man... that woman has him wrapped around her little finger," Grandma Fu sneered.

"You talk and judge them now, but there was once a time before we got married... you were the talk of the town. Or have you forgotten that?" Grandpa Fu said with a laugh.

Flushing, Grandma Fu flared up. 𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂

"Talk of the town? Of course I was... after all, I was so beautiful. It was your privilege to have married me."

He shook his head and ended it there, not wanting to embarrass her in front of her own children.

But the real ones knew that Grandma Fu would have remained unmarried for the rest of her life because of the many bad things said about her.

He knew she wasn’t like that and married her despite everything they said, because he knew she wasn’t as bad as they claimed.

Fast-forward till now, she is still as spicy as she was 50 years ago.

---

We walked and walked until our legs became numb. I didn’t even know when they told us to stop until I bumped my head on Fu Sheng’s broad shoulders.

"We have arrived... you all should form a straight line. We will be entering soon."

The head guard announced, and people immediately started forming a straight line.

I stretched my head to see what was in front of me.

Around us were still a bunch of forest bushes, but in front of us was a huge gate.

So huge... just like the gate to another city.

The head guard had gone to meet the men guarding the gate, and after one or two chats... they came back to us with a commanding expression.

"Now... once the gate opens, you will enter slowly and accordingly..."

Immediately he finished talking, his six men divided themselves into groups and stood on both sides of us.

Some men came out from inside the huge gate and joined his men... now there were up to 20 guards around us.

"What’s with all these guards... are we going in for a ceremony or what?" Fu Li muttered.

"We are about to enter the barren lands... once we enter, escaping will become very hard. So anyone who wants to escape, this is the only chance they have. That’s why they are being more guarded."

"Ah... I see."

The gate then opened wider, and there was a table in front of us.

"Step forward and come sign your names one by one."

No one spoke as the line continued to move forward. Everyone stepped carefully, one after another, keeping their heads down and their voices low.

When it was our turn, we walked forward with the rest. The guard in front of the table pointed at the book without even looking at us.

"Press your thumb," he said.

We did as told. We dipped our fingers into the ink, pressed our thumbs beside our names, and then moved aside quietly to let the next people come forward. No one delayed. No one dared to ask questions.

Everything felt too quiet.

Then suddenly, the calm broke.

Two men pushed out of the line and started running.

"Run!" one of them shouted as they rushed forward.

The crowd reacted at once.

"They are escaping!"

But they did not get far.

"Catch them!" a guard shouted.

The guards moved quickly and blocked their path within seconds. One of the men tried to fight back, but a guard stepped forward and struck him down without hesitation. The man fell to the ground immediately and did not move again.

The second man froze when he saw what happened.

"Please! I won’t run again!" he shouted in fear.

But it was already too late.

Two guards grabbed him tightly.

"Too late," one of them said coldly.

They dragged him away as he struggled and shouted.

"Let me go! Please!"

His voice grew weaker as they pulled him farther away, until it finally disappeared.

The crowd became completely silent again.

No one dared to speak.

No one dared to move.

The head guard stepped forward slowly and looked at everyone.

"Did you all see that?" he asked.

No one answered.

His eyes moved across the crowd before he spoke again.

"Anyone who tries to escape will end like him," he said.

His voice was calm, but cold.

"Here, your life means nothing."

He paused briefly before continuing.

"Whether you live or die... it does not matter."

Then he added,

"There is no justice here."

No one said anything after that.

Everyone just stood there quietly, their heads lowered.

After a moment, the guard pointed forward again.

"Continue," he ordered.

And just like that, the line began to move again

After everyone finished stamping their thumbs, the guards did not give us time to stand around.

"Move," the head guard ordered.

"Straight inside. No stopping."

The gates were opened wider, and we were pushed forward.

We all walked in.

As I stepped past the gate, I already prepared myself for the worst. I thought I would see people being beaten, others forced into heavy labour, or even bodies lying around.

But that was not what I saw.

Inside, it looked like a normal city.

It was not rich, and no one was dressed well, but people were living their lives.

There were small market stalls on both sides. Some people were selling food, others were fixing tools. A few men were carrying goods on their backs, moving from one place to another.

Children were running around.

Women sat in front of their stalls, watching us as we passed.

As we walked further in, people began to notice us.

They stopped what they were doing and looked.

Then the whispers started.

"New set of exiles..."

"They look tired..."

"Another group has arrived..."

I listened quietly as we kept walking.

The road seemed long. We walked for a while, passing more of the same sights. People working. People talking. People watching.

Nothing looked peaceful, but nothing looked chaotic either.

It was strange.

Finally, we were led to a large building.

It stood taller than the others, and from the way it was built, it looked important. Like the place belonged to someone in charge.

We were made to stop in front of it.

After a moment, the door opened.

A fat man stepped out, followed by a few guards.

He looked at us briefly, then turned to the head guard.

The two of them exchanged greetings as if this was just another normal delivery

The fat man looked at the group of us again before speaking.

"These ones," he said, pointing lazily, "send them to Unit 50."

The head guard nodded.

"There are about seventy of them," Mr. Zhu continued. "Unit 50 has enough houses. Divide them into two groups... thirty-five, thirty-five."

He paused, then added in a flat tone,

"Those who cannot afford proper shelter will stay in the shared quarters."

His words were simple, but everyone understood what that meant.

No money... no decent place to sleep.

The head guard gave a short nod.

"Understood."

Mr. Zhu waved his hand as if he was already tired of seeing us.

"Take them away."

He did not even spare us another glance before turning back toward the building.

A few men were quickly called forward.

"You heard him," one of them said. "Move. Follow us."

We did not argue.

We followed.

The group moved again, this time deeper into the place they called the barren lands.

As we walked, the earlier whispers followed us again.

"Unit 50..."

"New people..."

"Let’s see how long they last..."

The path was not as crowded as before. The houses became more spaced out, and the ground looked rougher.

After some time, one of the men leading us spoke again.

"From here, you will be divided," he said.

He looked at the crowd and began pointing.

"You... you... and you... stand on that side."

People were quickly separated into two groups.

"Thirty-five here," he counted.

"Thirty-five there."

Then he looked at us again.

"Those with money can choose a house," he said. "Those without..."

He did not finish the sentence.

But everyone already understood.

One of the men behind him laughed lightly.

"The shared place is over there," he said, pointing to a large, rough-looking building in the distance. "If you cannot pay, that is where you will sleep."

The air became heavy again.

This place looked normal at first.

But now—

It was starting to show its true face.