Let's Squander A Billion First!-Chapter 1617: Visitor from Beyond (Part 4)

The testing room is at the far end, and a group of people began to march towards it.

"So hot..."

"I can’t take it anymore."

"It’s really hot, is there any water?"

"Let’s take a break, I can’t walk any further."

It’s too hot...

"Everyone, hurry up, we’re almost there." The guard encouraged them while holding a short-haired girl who had fainted, "It’s just up ahead."

They were nearing the end, supporting each other as they moved forward.

The temperature was too high, and they were still wearing isolation suits, their skin was burning.

They finally reached the testing room, but the door wouldn’t open.

"How do we open this door?"

There was a rotating handle on the door, but no matter how they turned it, the door wouldn’t budge.

"It won’t open..."

The guard wiped the rusty sign beside the door and turned his head, asking, "Who has silver coins?"

They were all residents of Zone Three, and silver coins were scarce; who would have extras?

Chuzheng handed over a handful of silver coins.

The guard glanced at Chuzheng in surprise, but there was no time to think; he took the coins and fed them all into the slot nearby.

Each coin inserted triggered a red light to illuminate underneath.

Silver coins contained energy, used for starting various devices.

Devices like this would require special silver coins, and ordinary ones wouldn’t have enough energy.

"It’s not enough." The guard looked at Chuzheng.

"I’m out," spat the Bastard, stating that the task reward didn’t include more than that.

The guard looked at the others.

Chuzheng had already taken out so many, and eventually someone hesitantly took out another one.

Among twenty people, only five brought forth coins, one person having brought five. When the guard inserted the last coin, the red light finally turned green.

There was a clicking noise by his ear, and he was overjoyed, immediately turning the handle.

The door, which hadn’t been operated in ages, was slowly pulled open, and the lights inside gradually lit up, along with the hum of operating machines.

"Hurry in."

"Don’t push."

"Support the person next to you."

The guard was the last to go in, and they closed the door behind everyone,

-

Outside the Purification System.

The guard was surrounded by the survivors, demanding answers.

After all, they were nearly locked in there.

These people had no professional training; if they’d known from the start that there were only five minutes, could they have remained calm?

The crowd became more chaotic, and eventually, someone resorted to weapons to suppress them.

Once the commotion died down, the cost of silver coins was raised to fifty pieces.

After a slap, a sweet date follows, and the crowd finally quieted down.

The Purification System was working, the mist outside was thinning, revealing familiar buildings.

The captain glanced at the tightly closed door, "Let’s go back."

He had little hope for the people inside.

Back at the shelter, everyone was instructed to remain silent; they weren’t allowed back inside, staying in the outer Space.

Once purification was complete and the air quality met standards, the people inside the shelter were released, each heading to their territories.

The Guard Team worked to maintain order, and the other guards were sent back to Zone Two and Zone One.

The captain and his team returned to the Purification System’s door.

The captain’s communication channel remained open, but no one contacted him.

The people inside were probably...

Right then, a burst of static interrupted the communication channel.

"Zzzzz... Captain... open the door."

The captain’s expression changed, "You’re all still alive?"

"We are."

The captain immediately ordered his men to open the door.

"Captain," someone frowned, "letting these people out will be hard to handle."

The last batch was angry but weren’t locked inside; they could be placated with benefits.

But those inside were different...

They nearly died in there.

In the Underground City, the lives of ordinary people weren’t worth much.

The captain frowned but remained silent.

The rest fell quiet, not daring to speak.

The voice from the communication channel continued, "Captain, we’re running out of oxygen, open the door quickly..."

Half a day without a response clearly had those inside on edge.

"Captain, are you still listening?"

"Hello? Can you hear?"

There was no response to that voice.

"Open the door." The captain said in a low voice after a mental struggle.

"Captain!"

"That’s your comrade in there!" the captain insisted, "Are you going to let him die inside?"

After a few seconds of silent exchange, they rushed over to open the door.

The door to the Purification System opened, heat pouring out from inside.

-

Chuzheng was the last to come out. Unlike the others, who collapsed onto the ground upon exiting, she remained calm and cold as if she’d only stayed inside for a moment.

"Captain."

The guard gave the captain a bear hug.

"I almost thought I’d never see you again!"

The captain patted his shoulder and glanced up, meeting the gaze of the girl standing at the back.

The girl’s pupils had a faint light blue sheen, calm like a mirrored sky, seemingly able to see through one’s heart.

The guard had contacted them to open the door, but why had the communication been silent for so long?

Chuzheng doubted they discussed how to open the door.

More likely, they wanted them to remain inside and eventually die from lack of oxygen.

After all, letting these people out would be a hassle...

"Captain, if it weren’t for this girl, we really wouldn’t have made it out." The guard released the captain and pointed to where Chuzheng stood.

The captain felt uneasy under Chuzheng’s gaze. Naturally, he wouldn’t usually pay attention to such a young girl...

The captain took a deep breath and walked towards her, "Thank you for your help this time; we’ll prepare a hundred silver coins for you."

Chuzheng’s face was expressionless, her eyes slightly chilling: "I should thank you for not letting me die in there."

She was suspicious... but without evidence, they did eventually open the door, leaving her with no real reason to vent.

It’s so hard for me.

The captain’s expression froze for a moment before deliberately misinterpreting Chuzheng’s words, "Saving you is our duty as the Guard Team, no need to thank us."

Chuzheng refused the hundred silver coins; she wouldn’t need them in the future, but she also didn’t reject them, instead suggesting they be distributed among the others.

She didn’t lack them, but that didn’t mean others didn’t.

Moreover, it wouldn’t hurt to inconvenience these people a little.

Chuzheng took nothing and left directly.

Others were still clamoring for compensation; nearly dying in there should be worth a bit more.

The captain watched Chuzheng’s departing figure for a long while before withdrawing his gaze.

-

Chuzheng, following her memory, returned to her place.

It was just a small room, with a bridge leading to the opposite side; looking out, the buildings lay horizontally.

Rumor had it that a special magnetic field in these buildings could make people inside feel as if they were on the ground.

[Congratulations, miss, on receiving a Thank-You Card ×1]

[Congratulations, miss, on receiving a Thank-You Card ×1]

[Congratulations, miss, on receiving...]

King’s Account sent a string of congratulations.

Chuzheng was a bit surprised, were the people here really so pure?

[....] No, it’s just because you gave them the silver coins.

Chuzheng: "...."