Chapter 2: The Itinerant Peddler

Three years ago, before Ruan Ming had awakened her Strength Ability, she had fallen into a trap on her way home from work. A motorcycle gang roared past, and someone covered her mouth and nose with a drugged cloth, roughly dragging her onto one of their bikes.

At the last critical moment, someone saved her. She knew it was a woman.

Under the drug’s influence, her reason was completely burned away. She clung to that person desperately, terrified of being abandoned. The woman struggled in vain before gently coaxing her to go to the hospital. Thinking of the pitifully few Credits in her account, Ruan Ming refused with all her might.

Left with no choice, the woman had to take her back to her own residence. What followed happened naturally.

When Ruan Ming woke the next morning, the person beside her was still asleep. Recalling the events of the night before, she was filled with both panic and shame. She fled in a hurry before that person woke up. She never saw her again. It all seemed like a bizarre dream.

And the culprit behind it all—the person who had drugged her and pulled her onto that motorcycle—was precisely Cui Rong. Behind him stood the Qu Family.

Even though Ruan Ming later found out he was the one who targeted her that day, even though she hated him to the bone, with her abilities at the time, she had absolutely no way to avenge herself.

Therefore, when news of Cui Rong’s death came, she felt an immense, vindictive pleasure. Many believed it was Ye Fengwan’s incompetence that cost Cui Rong his life, but to Ruan Ming, what reason for his death could be more satisfying than that?

Hearing these people on the bus now discussing Ye Fengwan, saying how lacking she was, still made Ruan Ming somewhat uncomfortable inside. But she only pursed her lips tightly and didn’t voice any rebuttal.

The vehicle continued on its way. She looked up at the boundless horizon, her heart filled with a blend of unknown anxiety and a hint of relief.

For all these years, she had been fostered at her grandma’s house, squeezed together with her uncle’s family of four into a tiny flat less than thirty square meters. Every single breath had to be taken cautiously.

The work environment in the cultivation rooms was equally suffocating. The cramped spaces were intertwined with complex webs of interpersonal relationships, offering no escape. And it wasn’t just her; most commoners in the Safe Zone faced the same situation. Scarce resources, cramped living spaces—life felt like it was squeezed tight by an invisible hand, making it hard to breathe.

Even so, people were still unwilling to step a single foot outside the barrier. Because inside the Safe Zone, there was, at least on the surface, still a semblance of order, the protection of the military, and basic guarantees for survival.

Outside the Safe Zone was a completely different world. It was said to be populated by countless abandoned “Contaminated Entities,” ruthless groups of rebels, and ubiquitous bandits and scavengers. It was a true hell on earth.

However, as the population within the fortress grew and resource pressure increased, the higher-ups had no choice but to consider expansion plans. Thus, the Territory Policy was born.

The Military Region dispatched troops to clear designated areas, demarcated usable land, and then encouraged a portion of the population to claim these lands and become Territory Lords. This aimed to alleviate the current population pressure and act as a preliminary step for the future expansion of the Safe Zone.

Although the territories had been cleared, they weren’t protected by high walls like the Safe Zone. Even with security patrols, they couldn’t effectively prevent invasions by mutated animals or ill-intentioned individuals. Ordinary people preferred to crowd into the congested Safe Zone rather than risk coming out to claim land.

Only some Espers gave it serious thought. They possessed strength beyond ordinary people, giving them a chance to survive in the territories. Ruan Ming’s father, Ruan Feng, was a Strength Esper. He became one of the first Territory Lords to voluntarily claim land outside.

What Ruan Ming never imagined was that her own journey to the territory would be triggered by her father’s death.

The Territory Gathering Point, also known as New Land—signifying a newly pioneered and developed area—was located about a hundred kilometers from the Safe Zone. Along the way, the shocking sight of scorched earth was gradually left behind. It was replaced by endless stretches of wilderness, sporadically dotted with newly reclaimed farmland and a few scattered plastic-sheet greenhouses.

Inside the bus, passengers chatted idly, their voices intermittent. A young man, about fifteen or sixteen years old, opened his bulging duffel bag and enthusiastically hawked his goods to the others. The bag was filled with an assortment of items: compact portable solar chargers, water pumps, and mini pressure cookers.

However, most of the passengers on this bus looked far from wealthy. After asking the prices, they all shook their heads and gave up. Undeterred, the young man smiled broadly and handed out his “business cards” to everyone, one by one. The so-called business card was just a piece of plain paper with a string of contact digits and two large characters scrawled crookedly on it: “Ah Yuan.”

When Ah Yuan reached Ruan Ming, he hesitated. The blindingly bright reflective mask in front of him practically had “Do Not Disturb” written on it, making even a normally chatty person like him wary of approaching. He swayed unsteadily, about to turn back to his seat.

“You gave them all one, don’t I get one?” Ruan Ming asked.

Ah Yuan, hearing this, spun around as if overwhelmed by sudden favor. Without bothering to grab the handrail, he relied on his two long, thin legs to keep balance and presented the business card with both hands.

“Ma’am,” he said hurriedly, “whatever you need, whatever goods your territory produces for trade, just contact me. I guarantee you the most suitable price.”

He didn’t know this woman in the reflective mask’s age, but judging by her aura and voice, she was probably in her twenties. Ruan Ming took the card and nodded. Seeing her willingness to engage, Ah Yuan found a bit more courage. He started making conversation on his own:

“The writing on that card is my little sister’s. She’s only three. Talented, right?” As he spoke, his eyes sparkled with pride.

There were schools in the Safe Zone, but as for whether the Territory Gathering Point had any, Ruan Ming didn’t know. She uttered an “Mm” as a response.

Ah Yuan, now on a roll, eagerly began introducing his products:

“Ma’am, judging by your look, this is your first time at the territories. Need a machete? Ordinary knives can’t cut through the mutated plants out here.”

Seeing Ruan Ming shake her head, he pressed on:

“Then maybe you need a food detector? What if you get lucky and grow some Organic produce? It’d be a real shame without a detector.”

In the New Era, food was categorized into three primary grades: “Organic,” “Edible,” and “High-Risk.”

Beyond the Old Era’s original definition of natural and pollution-free, “Organic Food” also contained a rich amount of Serene Element, beneficial to the body. It was food reserved specially for high-ranking officials and nobility in Central City and the Base Headquarters. Ordinary territories or cultivation rooms lacked good seeds, couldn’t effectively block Dark Uranium Element and harmful radiation during the growing process, and faced other uncontrollable factors, making it extremely difficult to cultivate Organic Food. Most commoners might never have the fortune to taste Organic Food in their entire lives.

“Edible Food” had relatively lower safety standards, similar to the Old Era’s concept of ordinary food. It contained lower levels of Dark Uranium Element and formed the daily diet of common people—like the Fairy Peaches, the fruit of the cactus, which fell into this category.

As for “High-Risk Food,” its Dark Uranium Element content exceeded the limit. Direct consumption would lead to excessive Dark Uranium Element buildup in the body, causing strange diseases. In severe cases, it could induce madness and aggression.

Food purchased from official channels inside the Safe Zone was always labeled with its grade, making a detector less necessary. But on the territory, when farming, a detector was essential.

Her father had been on Territory 32 for three years; he couldn’t possibly have been without a blade and a detector. Given the recent accident, though, she wasn’t sure what condition the shelter was in.

So Ruan Ming said, “I have your card. If I need anything, I’ll contact you.”

Ah Yuan, having potentially secured a customer, was overjoyed. “Alright then! I’ll be waiting for your message.”