Retired for A Hundred Years: Re-Employment for the Apocalypse Bigshot!-Chapter 67: Bai Xiaotang Picks Up Another Person
The oblivious Ye Tong happily followed Ji Ning out of the Pollution Zone.
Even the pitch-black environment seemed unusually adorable, and Ye Tong was in the mood to hum a tune.
Listening to the song beside her ear, Ji Ning suddenly remembered an old saying from Lao Li: "Women are the most fickle creatures."
Ye Tong aptly illustrated the fickleness of women, sometimes sophisticated and mature, and other times elated or saddened like a child over trivial matters.
The speed at which she changed expressions was akin to schizophrenia.
"Sister Ning, are you going to tell Tangtang and Xiao Yang about your superpower?"
Ye Tong’s inquiry came through Ji Ning’s earphones. After thinking for a moment, she replied, "Not yet."
"Ah, okay. Why don’t you want others to know you’re a superpower user?" Ye Tong recalled her initial impression of Ji Ning and was puzzled.
Superpower users are highly sought after by various factions; they never need to worry about making a living, let alone becoming wanderers.
But Ji Ning casually replied with two words: "Too much hassle."
Ye Tong paused, looked at the path-leading Ji Ning for a moment, and then sighed with understanding.
With Sister Ning’s personality of never standing when she can sit, and never sitting when she can lie down, it’s indeed something she would do—preferring to wander freely outside than to sit and work under a powerful faction as a superpower user.
If it weren’t for her crying, Sister Ning probably wouldn’t have voluntarily revealed herself as a Space Superpower User.
Hehe, Sister Ning indeed cares about her...
Thinking of this, Ye Tong pursed her lips and smiled.
When they returned to the safe zone, it was already the morning of the third day.
Ye Tong looked at the gradually clearing view, feeling as if she had seen the light of day again.
"Ah... finally back..."
Her exclamation was cut short by a group of fully armed soldiers who suddenly appeared and surrounded them.
"Hands on your head, squat down!"
What... what’s going on?
Ye Tong looked to Ji Ning, expecting her to resist and lead them to escape, but instead, Ji Ning raised her hands, placed them on the back of her head, squatted down compliantly, and didn’t look at all like a high and mighty superpower user.
Subsequently, they were taken to a nearby base and placed in separate interrogation rooms.
"Speak, what are you doing in Nanling?" The interrogating soldier asked with a stern face.
Ye Tong replied, "Herbal collection."
The interrogating soldier slightly frowned, staring at Ye Tong for a while. Seeing her look down humbly, seemingly honest, his tone softened a bit, "What herb are you collecting?"
"Netherworld Grass."
The moment the interrogating soldier heard that, his eyes widened instantly, his voice involuntarily rising a few degrees, "Netherworld Grass? Do you know that’s a poisonous herb and cannot be collected privately?"
Ye Tong shrunk her body slightly, nodded minutely, "I didn’t know."
The interrogating soldier’s expression grew more serious, sweeping a few glances over her, "You dared to collect privately without knowing. Tell me, what exactly is going on?"
"Boo hoo... We just wanted to join the Hunter Alliance, but they wouldn’t take us. I heard that as long as you collect medicinal herbs from the Pollution Zone, you can join... so... boo hoo hoo..."
Upon hearing this, the interrogating soldier’s facial expression softened a bit, "Even so, you cannot collect Netherworld Grass; it’s not allowed. Besides, you two young ladies entering the Pollution Zone is quite bold. Don’t you know it’s very dangerous?"
Ye Tong nodded her head slightly, appearing honest, "I saw this requirement in the Hunter Alliance’s joining criteria."
"Why do you want to join the Hunter Alliance?"
"To make money."
"..."
The interrogating soldier looked at her for a moment, then was called away by the voice in his earphones.
After a while, they were both brought out of the interrogation room.
Ye Tong appeared dispirited, but her eyes brightened slightly upon seeing Ji Ning, though just for a moment, before feigning a remorseful look. 𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦
Ji Ning’s lips curled up a bit.
Their backpacks had been inspected multiple times, and aside from the confiscation of two Netherworld Grasses, everything else was returned to them unchanged.
The interrogating soldier said somewhat sternly, "Privately collecting poisonous herbs is a violation of safe zone security laws. By regulation, we are supposed to penalize you. However, because you’ve hunted two Mutant Beasts and contributed to the safe zone, and considering this is your first offense, our chief decided not to send you to the police station. But the poisonous herbs will be entirely confiscated, and you will receive a verbal warning education."
There is a rule in the safe zone that contributions, such as hunting Mutant Beasts or Mutant Corpses in the Pollution Zone or buffer zones, allow for the appropriate reduction or exemption of penalties unless one commits heinous or severe legal offenses.
The interrogating soldier’s tone softened a bit, "If you want to make money, you don’t necessarily have to become Hunters. You two have decent abilities; have you considered joining the base?"
Ye Tong glanced at Ji Ning and shook her head slightly, "We have younger siblings at home who need care."
The interrogating soldier seemed slightly regretful. These two young ladies used just a pair of daggers to kill two Mutant Beasts, indicating they have impressive capabilities. If they join the base, they’d surely have a promising future.
"Alright. This is the record. If you have no objections, please sign here. We’ll send you out shortly." The interrogating soldier handed over their interrogation records while also giving them pens.
The two obediently signed their names, especially Ji Ning, receiving a second glance from the interrogating soldier after she signed her name.
This name is quite renowned in the base.
"Alright, you can go now. There will be a vehicle outside to take you to the city."
The two thanked him and boarded the base’s car to the nearest train station.
It wasn’t until they boarded the train, leaving Nanling City, that Ye Tong gave Ji Ning a thumbs-up, "Sister Ning, you truly are remarkable."
Just before exiting the Pollution Zone, Ji Ning suddenly asked her to hand over her carry-on backpack. She then left her with a dagger and a small piece of Mutant Bear hide and Mutant Tiger hide.
"If anyone asks what we were doing in the Pollution Zone, say we went to collect Netherworld Grass to join the Hunter Alliance..."
At that time, she thought Ji Ning was afraid they would encounter the Hunters they had seen on their way in and had prepared an explanation in advance. Unexpectedly, they didn’t run into a single Hunter and instead encountered the base’s people the moment they entered the safe zone.
After sending off the video, Ji Ning looked up at Ye Tong, "Not everyone can enter the Pollution Zone."
"Why?"
"There are at least twenty radars buried near each border."
Ye Tong choked on her own saliva, "Cough cough cough..."
They were indeed lucky not to end up in jail.
Ye Tong patted her chest in relief, clasped her hands together, and laid down on the table.
Nearby, Ji Ning’s Smart Brain on her wrist suddenly rang, with Bao Zi’s voice coming through the earphones: "Master, it’s the call from the little kid, should I take it?"
Ji Ning tapped the screen of the Smart Brain.
Lin Yuanyang’s agitated voice soon echoed through her earphones, "Where did you guys go? What does that video mean?"
Lin Yuanyang was in class when he suddenly received a message from Ji Ning, a video recorded by the Smart Brain, with two words below: "Report it."
Frightened, he quickly raised his hand, excused himself to go to the restroom, found a quiet place, and returned the call.
Ji Ning stood up, went to the restroom at the back of the carriage, and lowered her voice, "Ran into a drug-making gang while collecting herbs."
Lin Yuanyang’s expression instantly turned serious; he knew Ji Ning went to Nanling this time for Netherworld Grass.
Using Netherworld Grass to make drugs is no small matter.
"Were you discovered?"
"No."
"I’ll report it anonymously to the police later. Where are you guys now? When are you coming back?"
"On the train, just left Nanling."
After calculating the time, Lin Yuanyang told her, "Bai Xiaotang picked up another person again. Don’t be too surprised when you see him on your return."
