Apocalypse Forecast

Chapter 454 - 392 Luck_1

Ryuzanbo lowered his head, looking at a box of fresh salted edamame, a box of soy-sauce-braised pig's feet, and a pot of cold-brewed tea before him, his expression growing unusually serious.

After wiping his hands, he pressed his palms together and solemnly said, "I will now partake."

Taking the chopsticks offered by Caogene, he first reached for a succulent piece of pig's foot. Skin and bone included, juices dribbled down, reflecting a mouthwatering sheen.

He took large bites and chewed thoroughly.

Pausing in surprise, he picked up two more edamame pods and savored them carefully.

Finally, he put down the chopsticks, picked up the tea, and tilted his head back. This time, it wasn't a tentative sip but an enormous gulp, as if he were a whale ravenously consuming an ocean of tea in one go.

He drank until it was empty, then, as if still wanting more, shook the bottle to catch the very last drop.

Holding the empty bottle, he fell into a lengthy silence.

Only after a while did he return to his senses, letting out an involuntary sigh.

"How beautiful, Huai Shi-kun... Even I, who has unhesitatingly walked the Demon Road in pursuit of the ultimate taste, can feel the wonderful Intention behind it."

He paused, then said, "You truly are an enviable person."

"You flatter me."

Although he said this, Huai Shi, for once, didn't show any modesty but accepted all his praises with a smile.

"Then, I shall gratefully accept," Ryuzanbo said. He bowed, solemnly picked up the food container, rose from the tatami, and stepped back twice. "You two chat at your leisure. Caogene, serve some tea."

Soon, the paper door slid shut, and the room fell silent.

Yuan Zhao, picking his teeth with a toothpick nearby, rolled his eyes. "Are you two finally done with your mutual ego-stroking?"

"That's called sharing a fine meal, you don't know anything!"

Huai Shi rolled his eyes. "Unlike you, stuffing yourself like a pig. It's a wonder you don't stuff yourself to death..."

"Hey, it was barely satisfying."

Yuan Zhao grinned. "I've been growing lately, what would you know?"

"A second growth spurt?" Huai Shi was astonished, sensing the Power of Money. "Your family is really willing to spend a fortune."

"These are blessings from the Dragon Pond Secret Ritual, all earned through my own hard work. Why would I need to rely on others?" Yuan Zhao said. "I'm about to advance soon, so you better not get left behind."

"Isn't that too quick?"

Huai Shi shook his head. "Shouldn't you accumulate more Source Substance?"

"Thanks to you holding me back last time, I have completely achieved the qualitative transformation of my Source Substance. At this stage, it's quality over quantity; the amount of Source Substance has no impact on advancement."

Yuan Zhao raised an eyebrow, boasting with pride, "Once I've advanced, I'll be about ready to go 'play' with my cousin."

"Oh, send her my regards then," Huai Shi said earnestly, seemingly not catching his drift. "If possible, could you also ask her if there's anything I can help with? I owe her a big favor."

"..."

Not seeing the anticipated impotent rage and jealousy, Yuan Zhao was particularly disappointed but still nodded reluctantly. "I'll ask her... but don't get your hopes up. My cousin lacks nothing, and even if she did, you wouldn't be able to help."

"You never know, right?" Huai Shi smiled. "I'd go through fire and water for her."

"Tch, you scumbag, really going all out, huh!"

"I'm just repaying a debt. How does that make me a scumbag? Do you have some misunderstanding about my character?"

"...Forget it, let's not talk about this."

Yuan Zhao shook his head, sighing. "I was lucky to run into you this time. I really courted death last time, and my family was watching me like a hawk. I could hardly leave the house. When I finally got to go out, I had to keep company with that waste of space who only knew how to chase women all day. It was driving me crazy."

"Are you all here on a trip?"

"Yeah, my older female cousin recently finished her studies at Ji Xia. Before she moves on to higher education, a few of her classmates persuaded her to go out and have some fun... That idiot Wang Xu can barely take his eyes off her, and Feng Chu too, tch. One after another, they're clueless about the danger. If they knew her true nature, they'd have no idea how badly she'd mess them up."

Yuan Zhao shivered as he spoke; apparently, his cousin had left him with considerable psychological trauma. He immediately shook his head frantically. "Forget it, forget it, let's not talk about this... So, are you here for fun too?"

"Trying my luck, looking for advancement materials," Huai Shi shrugged. "I'm all alone, just a gofer for the Astronomical Society. How can I compare to the cushy treatment in the Dongxia Genealogy? I have to work hard on my own."

"Heh."

Yuan Zhao sneered, reflexively rolling his eyes.

Does he really not know how successful Huai Shi is now?

He was practically the most promising prodigy in the vast expanse of the Dongxia Branch, the foremost newcomer of the new generation. It was said that even the Central Headquarters of the Jurisdiction Bureau had taken notice, treasuring him immensely.

If Huai Shi so much as asked for advancement materials, would the Jurisdiction Bureau really refuse him? They'd probably package up double portions and send them over. Besides, wasn't there still the prize Money from the newcomer competition sponsored by Giant Goose?

Yeah, right. As if I'd believe him.

Huai Shi continued his habitual act of crying poor. "When I travel, I buy standing-room-only tickets. How could I enjoy luxurious private compartments like you guys? I came all the way from Stone City on a folding stool; my butt's nearly raw..."

"Wait, where did you say you came from?"

Yuan Zhao paused, his eyes widening as he leaned closer. "Stone City?"

"Yeah, what about it?"

"...Then you really are lucky."

Yuan Zhao's expression turned strange. He picked up his phone, scrolled a bit, and then handed it directly to Huai Shi.

It was Tomorrow News's Asia Region headline.

—"Emergency Rescue · Stone City Mass Evacuation"!

"What the hell?" Huai Shi was dumbfounded. "Evacuation?"

"Yeah, judging by the time... Hmm, it probably started right after you boarded your transport, right?"

Yuan Zhao stroked his chin. "Rumor has it there's been an irreversible deterioration of conditions. Currently, 410,000 people are in emergency evacuation. In about sixteen hours, Stone City will begin to sink and be submerged by the Endless Sea..."

What in the world?!

It's really going to sink!

Countless question marks seemed to pop up over Huai Shi's head. He snatched Yuan Zhao's smartphone and scrutinized the article, still in disbelief.

The free content in the news summary wasn't extensive; more details required payment.

It simply stated that Stone City's central framework had sustained damage. During an update, regulations set by the former Creator had clashed with the new version, leading to a critical bug that triggered a gravity overflow.

They had hit the worst-case scenario, a one-in-a-hundred-thousand chance.

Before anyone could react, the problem had spread throughout the entire system, causing the internally locked framework to enter an overload state. The silver lining in this misfortune was that it was discovered early during a routine inspection; otherwise, who knows how many would have died.

Four hundred and ten thousand people... An entire four hundred and ten thousand people had narrowly escaped annihilation.

Huai Shi felt goosebumps rise as he read on.

Remembering what he had said before, he couldn't help but draw a sharp breath.

This Stone City... It couldn't have been jinxed by my own ill-omened words, could it?

"That might be a possibility, you know?" Raven said. "Look at this Group Star, it's on the Sea too. What if..."

"Don't even say it!"

Just the thought of an explosion, an attack, or some other catastrophe befalling the Group Star triggered Huai Shi's vehicle-related PTSD.

He narrowly stopped Raven from jinxing them at the last moment, took a deep breath, and said to a clueless Yuan Zhao, "Do you realize I might have just saved the entire Group Star?"

"..."

Yuan Zhao rolled his eyes. "I believe you, I believe you, okay? You saved 120,000 passengers! The Astronomical Society is amazing! Huai Shi is amazing!"

Huai Shi decided not to stoop to this silly kid's level.

Maybe I'll contact Little Cat later and enroll this kid in a remedial course on how not to jinx things... He's so earnest when he's working, but the moment he gets some free time, he starts looking for trouble. He's becoming unbearable.

"Speaking of which, are you staying at the concert hall tonight?"

"Ah, I just checked. It seems lodging is free for Disastrous Musicians at all branches. Plus, they just messaged me; my cello will be repaired in two days and delivered directly here, saving me another trip."

Huai Shi opened his smartphone, scrolled through the message from the Piano Tuner, confirmed the time, and then made the final payment.

Over four million US Dollars.

His hand trembled as he tapped to make the payment.

It was as if the entire body of the cello had been encrusted with crushed diamonds.

Although this price for sentimentality was rather steep, thinking of his teacher's past care, Huai Shi didn't say anything more. Apart from Ai Qing, this cello she had gifted him was likely her most treasured possession.

No matter what, Huai Shi had to take good care of it.

After settling this matter, Huai Shi began to look forward to the rest of his journey.

It was his first time traveling long-distance. After shaking off that bizarre sense of crisis, everything seemed fresh and new.

Unfortunately, this was no sanctuary for recuperation or a holiday paradise.

The Group Star, which sailed the Endless Sea once a year, wasn't particularly outstanding in terms of scenery. Naturally, there were no majestic mountains to be seen inside it. Moreover, it wouldn't dock at any stations along the way. It would only stop at sea to pick up passengers, so there was no opportunity to disembark and admire local scenery.

Beyond the train's own unique charm, it possessed one irreplaceable advantage.

—Tax-free.

That's right, completely tax-free. Neither various genealogies nor other powers could levy any taxes on the goods traded within.

Even the train operators themselves, aside from a fixed booth fee, wouldn't charge an extra cent.

Thanks to the operators' firm stance and adept management, any goods, whether treasures from Hell or items from elsewhere, could be openly sold here as long as they were brought aboard.

The entire Group Star functioned as East Asia's massive annual black market.

The sheer volume of Money changing hands here every moment was enough to make him feel a little breathless.

It wasn't just contraband and illicit goods. Major workshops and corporations also held sales promotions at this time each year. Freed from Border customs duties—which could sometimes exceed three hundred percent—and the hidden exploitation by various genealogies, some products sold here weren't merely good value; they were practically a steal, describable as rock-bottom prices.

Although the market was a mixed bag of genuine and fake items, and massive scams occurred annually, one could still find plenty of good things with a bit of caution.

No wonder so many travelers flocked here. After understanding the situation, even Huai Shi felt tempted to try and snag a deal.

Besides, this is a great chance to offload those sets of folding knives...

Thinking of the beckoning cash, Huai Shi's mood instantly brightened.