The Neutral Zone's formation was not without reason; the key lay in the maintenance of order.
In the Ruined City, the slum district and the wealthy district were in opposition, as were androids and humans, with constant conflict between them. Naturally, neither side could maintain order here.
Therefore, the Chosen were unrestrained in this place. Besides fighting amongst themselves, Chosen could also be killed by the natives.
Bai Ye moved forward, passing through deserted areas until he encountered a large expanse of barbed wire ahead.
Signs like "Caution," "No Entry," and "Please check for bacteria carriers" hung on the barbed wire. Some signs and even parts of the wire were stained with blood.
However, there were no guards.
Beyond the barbed wire lay the slum district.
The streets here were still dilapidated, with large cracks on the ground and the exterior walls of buildings, giving a precarious impression.
Yet, signs of life began to appear.
Men in tank tops squatted in street corners, chewing on something unknown.
In the windows of distant buildings, a woman, holding a child with one hand, extended a clothesline out the window to dry clothes.
From carts, enticing aromas wafted, filled with food made from mutated creatures.
Most of it was grilled, teppanyaki, or soup.
The ingredients used were not of the best quality, being scraps from the carcasses of mutated creatures.
After all, the truly delicious parts were sent to the wealthy district. Even in the slum district, some were available, but only in restaurants, which ordinary people couldn't afford.
Bai Ye's appearance drew some glances, but not many.
The people here were apathetic, but apathy was normal. After all, survival was already difficult enough, leaving no room to care about others.
Bai Ye, riding his motorcycle, rummaged through his memories and soon found a dilapidated alley.
The alley walls were adorned with haphazard electrical wires, worn-out awnings, and a mess of illegal structures.
At the alley entrance, a flickering neon sign read: Hunting Ground.
Bai Ye parked his motorcycle at the alley entrance, then walked in, quickly reaching an iron door and knocking.
A small window on the iron door slid open, and a pair of eyes scrutinized Bai Ye.
"Here to eat, one of us."
Without speaking, the person opened the iron door, letting Bai Ye in.
This was a restaurant, but not an ordinary one.
It served better ingredients and offered processing services because it was a gathering place for hunters.
Both androids and humans frequented it. Besides filling their stomachs, it served a crucial purpose: exchanging intelligence and information.
This intelligence pertained to the border situation and the wealthy district.
The Hunting Ground was secretly established by androids rebelling against the wealthy district, serving as one of their strongholds.
Of course, this was something most people didn't know.
Upon entering, Bai Ye walked further in and handed a plastic bag to the man beside him.
"Cook it however you like, make it delicious," Bai Ye said with a smile. "The leftovers are yours."
This was an unspoken rule; the leftovers served as the meal fee.
The man was clearly pleased with Bai Ye's understanding of the rules, nodding and gesturing for Bai Ye to sit anywhere.
The dimly lit restaurant had about a dozen tables and a five-seat bar.
Bai Ye sat at the bar and surveyed his surroundings.
Bai Ye was searching for his target,
but he wasn't certain if his target would actually appear.
This was quite normal; even with the memories of his past life, some things were not immutable. Life was always filled with unexpected twists.
Any choice, any action, could alter the future.
Just like the route Bai Ye had taken now was different from his previous life.
In his past life, Bai Ye wouldn't have been able to enter the Ruined City when the World Battlefield was only halfway through.
As Bai Ye pondered, a scruffy man with a beard suddenly approached the bar and sat down.
The man's face was dirty, his hands caked with mud, and he carried a large rifle on his back. The rifle had a peculiar design but an energy cell slot, indicating it was an energy weapon.
His belt was adorned with several strangely shaped grenades and a worn-out machete.
Bai Ye narrowed his eyes; his target had appeared just like that!
"Allen, you can't just barge into my place like this," the owner said, wiping a glass and glancing at the man. "You'll scare my customers."
"Damn it, I know all your customers. I wouldn't scare them," Allen whispered. "Boss, those crystals have changed again."
"Are you starting that again?" the owner rolled his eyes. "Nobody cares about that stuff."
Allen insisted, "This is important. It's a new discovery. Perhaps those mutated creatures are related to the crystals I found, or maybe Rhine Company has some new scheme."
The owner impatiently retorted, "So what? All I care about is my restaurant's business. Nobody wants to trade for your information. And if you're not eating, get out."
"Give me a portion of grilled meat," Allen said resignedly, then pulled out a cloth bag. "And my information is very useful. If you don't believe me, I can show you something incredible."
As he spoke, Allen opened the cloth bag and poured out some crystal powder of a purplish-pink hue.
Soon, Allen arranged the powder into a circle on the table.
"May I borrow a cup?" Allen asked.
The owner reluctantly handed him a cup.
Allen placed the cup in the center of the powder and slowly rotated it.
Suddenly, a faint halo appeared on the crystal powder.
The halo reflected on the cup, displaying marvelous colors, seemingly translucent, like a seven-colored glow.
Allen seemed to be seeking some kind of revelation, like an ancient gypsy performing a divination, rotating the cup and tilting it slightly, searching for an angle.
Then…
Suddenly, a beam of light enveloped the cup. Immediately after, the cup, encased in light, inexplicably vanished without a trace.
At the same instant the cup disappeared, the surrounding halo gradually dimmed, and the crystal powder returned to normal.
Allen exclaimed excitedly, "Well? Do you believe me now? Those crystals are not simple. This is not ordinary stuff; it's incredibly mysterious and valuable."
The owner was silent for a moment, then said, "Remember to pay me for the cup."
Allen: "..."