Huh? Where is this place?
A shack?
Could it be that the high fever from the flu has caused hallucinations?
My head is so dizzy, maybe I should just lie down today? Skip work?
It's only 150 bucks anyway?
Hmm, forget it, I'll still go...
As Tang Wen muttered to himself, "Earn money in Nanzhou, spend it in Nanzhou, not a penny to take home," he propped himself up on the bedhead.
Bedhead?
What the hell? Why does it feel like grass?
Tang Wen came to his senses, opened his eyes, and was instantly stunned.
The faint morning light filtered through the roof—no, the roof of the shack.
With the help of these scattered rays of light, he could barely make out his surroundings.
It was a crude, triangular-shaped hut, resembling a tent.
There was no furniture, not even a small table.
The walls were patchy and made of earth, with a door haphazardly nailed together from planks and sticks.
Below the wall was a crooked earthen stove, on which sat a small iron pot.
Seeing this pot, Tang Wen felt a strange sense of relief—at least there was a household appliance, no, a household iron utensil.
The floor was covered with a layer of dry grass, and he had been sleeping on it. Nearby were a few rough clay pots.
In the corner opposite him, a long-haired figure was huddled?
Huh? A woman?
Such a thin woman.
Buzz.
Memories flooded in like a tide...
The woman sleeping across from him was his sister in this body.
This was the wasteland world,
where civilization had been severed.
The natural environment had undergone drastic changes.
The loss of civilization had reduced life here to something akin to a primitive society.
People fished, hunted, farmed, and bartered, doing everything they could to fill their stomachs.
To get a piece of meat, they had to risk their lives hunting.
The changes in the natural environment had altered the genes of both humans and beasts.
Both humans and beasts could awaken extraordinary abilities.
The camp he was currently in had been established by someone known as the "Flame Queen."
He was eager to learn more about these extraordinary abilities, but unfortunately, he was on the outermost edge of the camp, and his original body was a frail, powerless boy under fifteen who knew nothing about the extraordinary.
All he did was fantasize about becoming extraordinary, hoping that the stunningly beautiful "Flame Queen" would take notice of him.
The more Tang Wen delved into these memories, the stranger his expression became.
The greatest wish of the original boy was to kneel naked before the "Flame Queen" and offer her everything he had...
The memories felt so real—had he really traveled through time?
Tang Wen frowned and pinched himself hard, the pain making his brow furrow even tighter.
He had really traveled through time!
And to top it off, he had become a weak, half-grown child, with an even weaker sister, struggling to survive in this wasteland world.
What the hell is this?
Why me?
Why did I have to be transported to such a miserable world?
He lay on the dry grass, feeling an indescribable sense of grievance, his eyes welling up with tears that streamed down his face.
The tears trickled down his cheeks and into his neck, tickling him.
Tang Wen reached up to wipe his eyes, and suddenly, the light in front of him twisted.
In the next moment, a translucent, light gray screen appeared:
[Name: Tang Wen]
[Age: 14 years, 9 months]
[Physique: 0.3]
[Spirit: 0.7]
[Skill: Farming Mastery (719/1000)]
What is this?
Tang Wen stared at the screen for a long time, and when it didn't change, he slowly came back to his senses.
He didn't even dare to pinch his thigh again, fearing that what he saw was just an illusion.
Golden Finger?
System?
Before he could even begin to study it.
Bang!
A loud noise.
The wooden door shook violently, and a rough voice shouted, "Are you dead yet? If not, get out here!"
Tang Wen's heart tightened as he slowly sat up.
He knew there was no hiding. The makeshift wooden door couldn't withstand a few hits, and through the gaps between the door and the earthen wall, the person outside could clearly see him lying on the bed.
"Coming, coming right away."
"Xiao Wen."
A timid voice called out.
On the ground, a girl with thin arms tightly hugged her bamboo-thin legs. Her large eyes were filled with worry, and her body trembled involuntarily.
Tang Wen took a deep breath and walked to the door, gently removing the wooden bar that held it shut.
A burly man with a thick beard stood at the door, his face full of impatience.
Behind him were two dark-skinned guards with swords.
The bearded man wore a black armband with two large white characters embroidered on it: "Management!"
"Li Ge, good morning, Li Ge." Tang Wen recalled the man's name and status, instinctively bending his waist and forcing a careful smile. His already small frame seemed even more diminutive.
"Good morning? What's so good about it! Where's the rent for next month?"
Rent?
This shabby place still charges rent?
Tang Wen's face turned pale as he quickly tried to recall. The next second, his face grew even paler.
The man wasn't lying; rent was indeed collected here.
But it wasn't rent for the house. Living in the camp required paying rent. If you didn't pay, you had to leave and live in the wild. The dangers in the wild weren't just from the Mutated Beasts but also from fellow Scavengers.
Among the Scavengers, there was no order, no humanity!
Life and death were left to fate, and the weak were preyed upon by the strong.
With Tang Wen and the girl's frail physiques, they would be caught and thrown into a pot to be cooked that very night!
Although the camp's environment was equally poor, at least their lives were somewhat safe.
Because the "Flame Queen" had established rules: no killing, no fighting, no looting. No one dared to defy her lightly.
Countless people who had tried to challenge the Queen's authority had met tragic ends, serving as a warning to all.
Tang Wen's parents had long perished in this cruel world.
He himself had no special skills for survival. Even scavenging outside the camp, he often came back empty-handed.
He could only do odd jobs like watching fields and driving away birds and beasts.
At the end of the day, he often couldn't even fill his own and his sister's stomachs. How could there be any surplus grain to pay the rent?
"Speak up! Are you mute? If you don't have it, get out!"
"Yes, yes, yes!"
"Then go get it!"
"Alright, I'll get it right away, right away!"
"Ten pounds of grain, not a single ounce less."
"..."
Tang Wen turned and went inside, seeing the girl silently crying.
He avoided her gaze, quietly moved the dry grass in the corner, revealing two jars.
Both were sealed with cloth. He shook them gently; one was full, the other only half.
One flat jar held seven pounds of foxtail millet, so the two jars together were just about ten pounds.
But this was all the food they had for the two of them. If they handed it all over, they would go hungry.
Tang Wen picked up one jar and, from under his bed, pulled out a half-meter-long iron rod, then walked back to the door.
"Li Ge, we only have 7 catties of rice left. Can we make up the rest with this?"
He cautiously raised the iron rod with one hand, his heart pounding. Although ironware was valuable in this era, in this ruthless world, nothing was more precious than food.
"Heh," Li Ge reached out and grasped the iron rod, swinging it back and forth a couple of times.
Tang Wen bent his waist even lower, his head dropping further.
The iron rod hovered above his head, ready to strike at any moment.
He recalled the time he had to accompany a client for dinner. The three-ounce glass cup was filled to the brim with baijiu, and he had to drink it all—refusing would have been a sign of disrespect.
Thud!
The iron rod landed on his shoulder, not with much force, but Tang Wen's body swayed, his hands clutching the rice jar tightly to his chest.
He didn't dodge, nor did he look up.
"I'll let you off this time."
"Thank you, Li Ge! Thank you, Li Ge!" Tang Wen's voice trembled.
"Just this once, you hear me?"
"Yes, yes, thank you, thank you so much..."
A guard stepped forward to take the jar, pouring its contents into a rice sack.
Li Ge pulled out a seal from his pocket, grabbed Tang Wen's arm, and with a click, stamped the back of
his hand.
Tang Wen took the empty jar, watching as the three men moved on to knock on the next door.
Several minutes later, he finally looked down at his hand. There, a red mark had been imprinted—a red circle with two bright red characters inside: "October."