Survival Guide in the Age of Cataclysm

Chapter 52 News

Xu Yang frowned as he paid the contribution points, hoping that the car viewing service promised by the other party was genuine.

He walked into the mining area along a treated hardened road, looking around as small robots moved back and forth to the central metal building.

Considering the robot's role in collecting herbs, the all-black shed is likely a warehouse or factory.

Its gates open to both sides, just at the end of the road, and small robots keep going in and out of the factory.

Nearby, several men dressed in uniform combat gear were patrolling.

Perhaps relying on such security forces, several small stalls were set up on both sides of the road, selling water and food.

However, no one paid any attention to them at the moment. The stall owners just sat by their stalls, some staring blankly, others chatting on their wristbands.

Xu Yang randomly picked a stall, bought some dried fruit-like snacks, and squatted down in front of it to inquire about the situation: "Boss, what's going on in this area? How did the trees turn into those grotesque things? It looks really creepy."

The stall owner, a middle-aged man wearing a baseball cap, weighed the dried fruit while saying, "This is nothing. The further you go in, the more bizarre the scenery becomes. I heard that the monsters in the central area have even formed some small settlements."

"Settlement?"

"Yeah, you're new here, right? It's been all over the place. It's in the center of this ghost forest, right next to the shore. I heard there's a bunch of rocks and statues there, and monsters gather there, like snake people, fish people, and frog people."

"Uh... what's a stone statue?" A hint of surprise flashed in Xu Yang's eyes.

At the stall, the middle-aged man took a sip of water and continued, "It's a stone statue."

"Monsters do art too?"

"Hey, it's not really a stone statue. It's just a stone, but it's shaped like a statue. Someone made one last time, and it looked just like a snake-man. The Magic Cube team even did some testing. I heard it's a naturally formed stone with no trace of processing."

"Could it be that the monster turned into stone?" Xu Yang frowned slightly.

"That's a theory, but it's unlikely. If monsters would turn to stone if they stayed there, why would they stay there? They'd be asking for death."

"Could it be that something did this, secretly turning these monsters into stone statues?" Xu Yang asked tentatively.

"I don't know. Maybe there really are some monsters. Anyway, not many people have actually been to those stone settlements. Everyone hunts monsters in the peripheral areas." The middle-aged man handed Xu Yang a plastic bag containing dried fruit.

The latter had just reached out and taken it.

Suddenly, the sound of a vehicle approaching came from behind.

On the roadside, Xu Yang turned to look and saw a large transport truck driving towards the factory. As it passed, it kicked up a cloud of dust, and he then realized that there was another vehicle following behind.

There were two jeeps following closely behind the transport vehicle.

It appears to be a guard team.

As the transport vehicle entered the shed gate, two jeeps stopped outside. First, a group of bodyguards in uniform black got out of the jeeps, and then a man and a woman got out of the jeeps.

The woman was wearing a white suit that seemed out of place with the surroundings; she had short hair and looked very capable.

Xu Yang recognized the man; the one with the dreaded braid was Liu Guan.

At this moment, perhaps because there were few people on both sides of the road, only some vendors squatting or sitting, Liu Guan noticed Xu Yang standing by the roadside with just a casual glance.

His eyes showed a moment of panic, but he quickly calmed down.

He turned around and entered the metal processing plant with the woman in the white suit.

A group of men in black followed behind, protecting the two. There were also other guards in combat uniforms standing guard outside the door.

Xu Yang narrowed his eyes and continued to inquire about information from the other stall owners.

……

On the other side, inside the shed.

The small robots put the herbs inside their bodies onto a conveyor belt on the ground, and at the end of the conveyor belt is a row of automated machine assembly lines.

It occupies almost two-thirds of the entire space.

After being processed automatically time and time again, the herbs are finally packaged into wooden boxes at the end of the production line.

"Mr. Liu, what do you think?"

The woman in the white suit stood beside the assembly line, her voice tinged with mockery: "As the area is cleaned up, there will only be more and more temporary processing plants like this. Can your small workshop keep up with our production capacity?"

Liu Guan didn't speak, his brows furrowed, and his gaze didn't fall on the woman.

"Ahem." The woman coughed, her expression displeased. "Mr. Liu, I'm talking to you."

"what?"

"Oh, I'm sorry, Miss Yu." Liu Guan snapped out of his daze and forced a smile. "I heard everything you said."

"Don't worry, everything's fine on my end."

Yu Xiaoman turned around and walked ahead, saying in a nonchalant tone, "Alright, it's best if there are no problems. Anyway, we'll act according to the contract. If there are any problems, as long as you can afford the penalty for breach of contract, it's fine."

"I hope you'll still be able to laugh then."

Then, Liu Guan's smile froze.

The woman was right. No matter how stubborn he was, he knew his own production capacity. The processing of the latest batch of medicinal herbs had almost exhausted the production capacity.

He followed behind the woman, saying he was there to check the production line, but wasn't he just trying to sow discord between them?

To prevent the drug formula from being leaked, I insisted that production had to be carried out in my own workshop. The other party only mentioned that they couldn't delay the customer's order, so I gritted my teeth and signed the document. But now it seems that this was exactly what they wanted.

The expansion of the new factory has been plagued with problems lately, and Liu Guan doesn't believe that it has nothing to do with the other party.

But it's too late now.

Either they end up paying a penalty for breach of contract, and then are forced to sell the formula due to insufficient funds.

Either take the initiative to back down now...

At least, they can still seize the remaining benefits.

He sighed inwardly.

I'm definitely not cut out for business. If my father were still alive... if my father were still alive...

hateful!

Watching Yu Xiaoman's retreating figure, Liu Guan said in a low voice, "Miss Yu, I agree to the conditions you mentioned earlier."

The woman stopped.

She deliberately waited several seconds before turning around. There was no surprise in her eyes. She revealed a victorious smile and extended one hand.

"It's a pleasure working with you."

Liu Guan grasped that hand, but lowered his head slightly and said in a low voice, "I have one more small condition."

"Oh? Why don't you tell me?"

……

Meanwhile, Xu Yang was squatting down in front of yet another stall owner, asking about the central area of ​​the anomaly...

He picked up a burger made of synthetic meat and chewed as he walked. The stall owners' accounts of the situation in the center of the mutation were all pretty much the same.

Dangerous and eerie, the area is filled with dark forests and ugly buildings made of black stones. Some are even described as mazes, where monsters roam. It is said that people who enter these places will experience a feeling of suffocation.

Perhaps there is some substance in the air; if we want to explore it, we should prepare gas masks in advance.

With that thought in mind, Xu Yang walked towards the parking area he had been in before.

The sky was dim at this time, but it was far from night.

However, he wasn't going back at this time; he was going to verify something.