Doomsday Wonderland c1-855

by N. Heller

  [Anyway, what has happened has happened. It’s best not to know too much about dangerous people. The most important thing is to deal with the present…] With that, she managed to stop thinking about the matter.

  The truck slowed down. With Lin Sanjiu leading the way, they drove their fleet of vehicles into the factory district. The area they were in was a new industrial park which had been well planned. Ash gray five-story buildings were neatly arranged in rows within their allocated plot. Despite over a month of erosion caused by the elevated temperatures, the factory buildings appeared way more durable than the building in the city.

  As Lin Sanjiu looked absent-mindedly at the sign at the entrance of the factory district, she recalled what Li Zhijun said before he left last night.

  "We are leaving now. After all, Tian Minbo is still somewhere out there..." Li Zhijun flashed a pleasant grin showing his white teeth, "Take care."

  "Didn’t you say that you wanted us to do something in return?" Lin Sanjiu kept that in mind.

  "Well, I haven’t decided. Let’s take it that you all owe me a favor…" Li Zhijun said softly, "Just don’t forget about it."

  "We won’t, of course! Brother Jun, Brother Ji, we got out of this jam thanks to the both of you. If you need help, just let me know!" Luther leaped forward, thanking them both sincerely. Marcie stood beside him nodding gratefully.

  Lin Sanjiu was the only one who sighed inwardly. Owing someone a favor is one thing, but for that someone to be Li Zhijun… However, something puzzled her: After 14 months, they will be randomly transported into any of the thousands of existing parallel universes. If they don’t even meet again in their lifetimes, wouldn’t Li Zhijun’s intentions be in vain?

  Almost as if he had read her mind, Li Zhijun narrowed his eyes and said unexpectedly, "Right, there is another thing I want to tell all of you. Do you know that there is something called a visa? If you find a consular officer, you can get a visa each and head to the next world together. This way, you won’t get separated."

  Luther immediately sought for advice, "That’s our plan, Brother Jun, do you have any clues to go about that?"

  "I don’t have anything concrete, all I can say is that your best chances are where people gather," Li Zhijun replied as his gaze rippled across Lin Sanjiu. He continued, smiling, "It is really odd, but once a person gets a visa for the first time, they will be registered under the shared database of all consular officers; it works like a network operating system. If you amass enough items to make an exchange, you could even find another person through a consular officer."

  [Fine. So, this is a debt we must repay…] Lin Sanjiu thought to herself before she suddenly asked, "Who manages these consular officers anyway? Is it possible that organizations still exist within these apocalyptic worlds?"

  "No. ‘Consular Officer’ is a type of evolved ability. Usually, a person will not gain other new abilities after they had developed the ‘consular officer’ ability. However, a consular officer cannot issue a visa to themselves, so they have to get other consular officers to issue one. You can say that this ability only benefits others and not the user. Therefore, generally speaking, people who possess this ability will use their issued visas to exchange for necessary supplies and safety."

  The three greenhorns listened in awe.

  "Okay, good luck to all of you! Try to look in crowded places!" Li Zhijun turned and walked away as he said this, waving one arm in the hand as a farewell gesture. Before Hei Zeji took a step forward, he suddenly stopped and looked at the three of them. His ramrod-stiff posture seemed to mellow a little, "You’re all so weak. No one will come to your rescue next time."

  After he said that coldly, he caught up with his companion. With a few leaps and bounds, they both disappeared into blocks of buildings. With an array of complicated emotions, the three of them who remained, made preparations to continue on their journey.

  With that said, finding a consular officer was the most pressing issue right now. As they walked past another factory, Lin Sanjiu ruminated over what Li Zhijun said. [Crowded places? In this hyperthermic hell, most humans are already dead. How can there still be crowded places?]

  Just a second after this thought surfaced in her mind, Lin Sanjiu was startled by the sudden sound of music. A lively, upbeat dance music quickly filled the rundown street in front of them. If was as if God had overheard her thoughts.

  Shortly after, someone shouted out happily, over the loud music, "New people have arrived!"

  A cacophony of noise suddenly erupted from the factory building in front of them. The door belonging to a factory called "Reunion Food Processing Plant" was pulled open, and a group of people rushed out onto the road, clattering. Lin Sanjiu was shocked and quickly stepped on her brakes. At the same time, she heard Luther’s confused voice over the walkie-talkie, "What going on?"

  "I have no idea... Let’s see what they’re up to!" she replied hurriedly.

  Unlike Lin Sanjiu and the others who were clad in filthy clothes covered with dirt, sweat, and blood, the group of men and women that came out, blocking the road in front of them, wore fresh and clean clothes. They waved incessantly at them, as if welcoming the return of their families. Each of them seemed to be genuinely happy. Within the crowd, there was even a girl who jumped and waved continuously, even though she was wearing high heels.

  Lin Sanjiu hesitated and did not dare to get down from her vehicle. She didn’t mind being called a coward, but the first thought that came to her mind when she saw so many people was that they were all posthumans. The elevated temperatures within Hyperthermal Hell had already reached an unknown level. Anyone who could survive and maintain the normalcy of their appearance and mannerism must undoubtedly be a posthuman. From her rough estimate, there were at least twenty people in the group. After all, their vehicles were filled with supplies, if these people harbored any ill intent...

  Lin Sanjiu cautiously winded her window halfway down and shouted out, "Who are you guys? Why are you blocking the way?"

  The group of people started discussing softly among themselves. Finally, a middle-aged woman was elected out of the group by popularity. She appeared slightly embarrassed and even said to the group, "You are all putting me on the spot." Thereafter, she smiled and approached Lin Sanjiu’s truck.

  Lin Sanjiu quickly sized her up. The woman was about forty-years-old, had a medium built, and her hair was tied up in a bun. She had an honest and kind countenance. The thing that bothered Lin Sanjiu the most was the fact that the woman was wearing clean, elegant, and well-coordinated clothes, and a pair of mid-heels. Her outfit was seemingly fitting, even for a time before the insane heat descended upon their world.

  Not only this woman but also the group of people behind her, all appeared relaxed as if their lives had been comfortable and peaceful. In contrast, a drop of Chen Xiaoyuan’s blood was still on Lin Sanjiu’s face. She tried to casually wipe it away, but instead, it was smeared into a line. Her originally beautiful long hair was now tied up in a messy ponytail; when she looked at her reflection in the rearview mirror, she saw that her brows were tightly knitted, her guard was up, and her face was covered with dirt.

  "Hi, young lady. This place is called ‘Oasis’. My surname is Li, you can call me Sister Li," the middle-aged woman sounded very enthusiastic. She was like… the type of representative that the management will choose to speak in general meetings. "You don’t have to be worried or afraid anymore. Once you are here in Oasis, your suffering and difficulties will end!"

  She ended her sentence with a zealous fervor, and the group behind her cheered.

  "Young lady, what’s your name? Why don’t you come down? You can have a proper meal and take a bath… You poor child. You must not have rested well these few days." Sister Li looked at Lin Sanjiu sympathetically.

  Lin Sanjiu did not move, she only asked, "What kind of place is this Oasis?"

  She heard a few crackling static sound from the walkie-talkie beside her. Apparently, Marcie and Luthe
r were listening in without a word.

  Sister Li smiled confidently as if she had anticipated her doubts. "You must know what has happened outside. Many people have died… Not only humans, even trees! There isn’t even any water out there! But under the protection of Oasis, our living conditions are just as before. We don’t ever have to be worried or fearful because our camp is able to support a population of more than ten thousand people. Everyone here has enough to eat and drink. If we fall sick, we can also see the doctor…"

  Her face beamed when she talked about Oasis, "There is already a population of 1800 people in Oasis. We swore to save every single human being in this world!"

  Chapter 35 - Is This Really a Utopia?

  Lin Sanjiu watched Sister Li and Luther walking through the large doors of the factory as she remained in her truck. The door of her truck was locked, and she had winded up the windows. A few men and women were chatting beside her truck and seemed to be at ease as if they did not have to struggle to survive every day. They even reminded her of how things were before the apocalypse. Many of them even nodded and smiled at her when she gazed at them.

  A young mother pushing a stroller walked past her truck. The chubby one-year-old in the stroller even pointed at Lin Sanjiu making incomprehensible babbles.

  Even though she prudently got Luther to investigate the actual situation of the place, she found her shoulders relaxing when she saw the sight of the child.

  “Is it okay that he followed Sister Li all by himself?” Marcie asked somewhat worriedly over the walkie-talkie. Out of the three of them, Luther was the most suitable person. If something really happened, he could quickly return if he created a distraction with his shapeshifting ability. But before Lin Sanjiu could respond, Luther already answered Marcie, laughing into his walkie-talkie, “Don’t worry. The people are okay.”

  Sister Li spoke indistinctly beside him.

  Lin Sanjiu gave a sigh of relief, even though she was mainly worried about the supplies in their vehicles. She believed that people could pursue many lofty ideals, but to provide shelter for any random stragglers without seeking reciprocation… how could this be possible? Even without considering their hidden agendas, did “Oasis” even have the resources to do so?

  No matter how she thought about it, she felt that they would demand everyone to hand over their possessions before distributing the shared resources evenly. This was only logical. If she oversaw Oasis, she would also do so.

  “Xiao Jiu, Marcie. Their compound is huge… I think they even linked up this area to the factory district beside the mountain. Oh... what’s this? Why are they queuing up?” Luther voice suddenly sounded quite surprised.

  “This is our canteen,” Sister Li leaned towards the walkie-talkie as if she hoped that the other two people could also hear her. “Every day at 6am in the morning and 9 pm at night, we will share a meal in the canteen. It is almost time now. These are the people who haven’t had their breakfast.”

  Before Lin Sanjiu could react, a flurry of noise came from Luther’s side, and he commented in amazement, “Xiao Jiu, their breakfast consists of millet congee, roasted corn, and a plate of preserved vegetable. The servings are pretty large…”

  “You should see our dinner. We make sure that everyone has a serving of vegetable, meat, and rice!”

  “How is this possible? With such high temperatures, how can you obtain the vegetables and meat we had in the past? Furthermore, how much water must you use to cook so much rice!?” Luther questioned, finding it difficult to believe what she had said. His words also reflected the thoughts of both Lin Sanjiu’s and Marcie’s.

  “Didn’t you see our roasted corn? Don’t worry. We can eat as much vegetables and meat as we want. And you don’t have to worry about water. Since all of you haven’t officially joined us, according to our rules, I can’t tell you too much. Once you become a member of Oasis, you will naturally find out.”

  After that shock, Lin Sanjiu’s curiosity was piqued but she did believe that Sister Li was telling the truth.

  She could tell by observing the people outside her vehicle. Each of them was full of energy, had moist-looking skin, and their lips and nails were a healthy pink… Even though Lin Sanjiu and her group had enough food and water, they only ate processed food which did not have much nutritional value. Their meals only served to satisfy their hunger and provide them with the calories they needed. Compared to the people in Oasis, they did look emaciated.

  Just as she gazed blankly at the Oasis members, Luther spoke over the walkie-talkie, the signal was intermittent, “Sister Li... this is my walkie-talkie’s maximum functional distance. I have to discuss… first.”

  From what he had said, he should be coming back soon. Lin Sanjiu watched the entrance of the factory, and sure enough, Luther ran out happily after a while. Sister Li and an unknown man followed behind him. The small group of people approached their fleet of vehicles. Luther knocked on her truck door, and Lin Sanjiu winded down her window.

  Lin Sanjiu nodded her head looking at the two people behind him.

  “Let me make some introductions.” Sister Li pointed to the muscular man with an average height. “This is our leader. When he heard that new people had arrived, he was very concerned, so he came over to assess the situation.”

  [...Leader?]

  “Hi, I am Chen Jinfeng. I am one of the top-level executives in Oasis’s Council of Eight.” The man who had been identified as their leader smiled, somewhat boastfully, then he continued, “It is great that we can meet our fellow survivors.”

  “Nice to meet you…” once again, Lin Sanjiu did not know what to say. The whole atmosphere in Oasis was too different from the environment she had gotten used to over the past one month, so she felt strangely out of place. “Wait, I’ll just get Marcie to come over. We can talk more after I get off my truck.”

  When Marcie heard her, she alighted from the bus and locked it before jogging over. Her bed of fluffy red hair looked exceptionally dazzling under the sun, and Chen Jinfeng was stunned when he saw her. He smiled and said, “Oh, I didn’t expect to see a friend from overseas! Of course, the ways of the world today, everyone is a compatriot!” After that, he extended his hand and shook Marcie’s hand. Lin Sanjiu also got down from her truck and stood beside Marcie.

  “Alright, I will give you a brief introduction.” Lin Jinfeng gestured confidently, “The reason why Oasis could save the lives of these 1800 people is all thanks to Professor Bai who detected that something was wrong. Do you still remember the heat wave that lasted over a hundred days? Professor Bai had been researching about crop growth for a long time and now gained tremendous success in his research. Currently, the growth cycle of the crops we have here at Oasis have been shortened to 30 days using his technology, and they are even heat-resistant!”

  Noticing the shocked faces the three of them have, Sister Li added, “Luther have seen the roasted corn on today’s menu, that is one of the crops that we have here.”

  “We built a temperature controlled greenhouse specifically for growing crops.” Chen Jinfeng laughed. When he saw their expressions, he said tactfully, “Since you have been out there roaming, it is normal that you might not be able to suddenly understand how effective a collective community is. What Luther saw was just the tip of the iceberg, here at Oasis, we can do so much more!”

  As he continued, he became emotional, “I know that the whole human race is in a terrible situation right now. But just look at our history. From the great flood, the bubonic plague, the Spanish flu… they were all disasters that nearly wiped mankind, but we still survived! It is the same this time! Even in our predicament, we will find hope and a way out! We will save our fellow humans… What we do here is all for the next generation. Thousands of years later, our descendants will all exclaim that Oasis is the spark of mankind!”

  His eyes shone brightly as he spoke with passion. His skin flushed slightly due to his excitement. They could all see that Chen Jinfeng truly believed in Oas
is and the future of mankind. Compared to his righteous, uplifting message, Lin Sanjiu felt rather ashamed about what she was going to say. “Well… I want to ask you something… If we join you, what do you plan to do with… our possessions?” Sister Bai immediately eyed her.

  Chen Jinfeng laughed. “It is a good thing that young people like you have your apprehensions, it means that you thought through this carefully. You don’t have to worry about that. We have enough resources in Oasis to sustain our population. We will not forcefully take anybody’s possessions. You can keep what you have, contribute to the community, or use it to trade with others… In short, what’s yours is still yours.”

  When he said that, Lin Sanjiu was really surprised. With a population of 1800, there must be people with their own belongings and supplies. However, everything seemed so peaceful as if they never had any disputes.

  Marcie asked Chen Jinfeng another question which he also patiently answered. Another heartening thing to know was that the Oasis’s members only have some compulsory daily duties to fulfill. They could use the rest of their time however they liked and had quite a lot of freedom.

  When they were on this topic, Sister Li gave an embarrassed smile, “Those group of young people enjoys waiting for passersby at the road… They blasted that loud music because they wanted to welcome all of you and because they just want to have fun. There are no disgusting creatures nearby because we have eradicated them from this area.”

  Luther and Marcie exchanged glances, then they both looked at Lin Sanjiu.

  “Xiao Jiu, what do you think about this? Should we join Oasis?” Marcie whispered, “Both of us don’t really mind.”

  [Is the population of 1800 large enough?]

  “Can we quit? If we want to stop being an Oasis member?” she decided to go all out, playing the role of the bad guy and asking all the offensive questions.

  As expected, Sister Li pursed her lips. Chen Jinfeng who appeared more open-minded laughed and replied, “That would be rather foolish, but we respect each other’s freedom here in Oasis. You can leave whenever you want.”