Chapter 375 Old Friends in the Trading Area

The next day, Chen Yu returned to the Living Area with Mira.

The women checked him over from head to toe, and only after confirming that Chen Yu was fine did they breathe a sigh of relief.

"Brother Yu, where on earth did you go yesterday! You only replied with a few words in your private messages?"

Wang Mengmeng asked curiously.

Zhang Wanyue stood behind her, handing over a cup of freshly poured hot water: "It was so chaotic outside, and the chat channel was full of images of the Face-Splitting Monsters. Everyone was very worried."

Shen Qingci also looked him up and down: "Junior Brother Chen Yu, are you injured?"

Chen Yu shook his head: "I'm really fine. Last night... I had some important business."

"Important business?"

The women were slightly taken aback, but no one pressed the issue.

Just then, Mira walked in through the door, having changed into that dust-covered black dress.

The reason she changed clothes was because Mira had strongly insisted: "Let's get this straight, I am not appearing in front of them wearing a wedding dress."

Chen Yu took the cup and took a sip, then spoke: "Rest for a bit. Later, I'm going to the Trading Area to look for some clues with Mira."

According to Mira, there was still a person named Loach hiding in this New Capital City.

But this guy... was going to be hard to find; there were absolutely no leads.

They had neither seen him nor found any traces of his Talent.

The best method was to wait for the results of the Military District's interrogation and then find a way to snatch the prize from the tiger's mouth.

Deng Yuxin suddenly leaned in: "The Trading Area? I'm going too!"

She grabbed Chen Yu's arm: "Brother Yu, you haven't taken me out with you in ages! The last time we went out together was when we went to the Villa Area. How many days has it been since then?"

"Uh..." Chen Yu was slightly stunned.

Deng Yuxin continued, sounding increasingly aggrieved: "You take the senior sister, you take Mengmeng, you take whoever else, but you don't take me! I want to go to the Trading Area to look around too. I heard there are people selling small trinkets and things from before the apocalypse. I haven't seen those in such a long time..."

Chen Yu replied directly: "Can't you trade for those on the chat panel?"

Deng Yuxin said anxiously: "That's not the same! I want to go shopping! I want... to go shopping with you!"

Before Chen Yu could speak, Li Mengyao also leaned in and coughed: "If Yuxin is going, then... then I want to go too..."

Her voice grew quieter: "I happen to need to go to the Trading Area to trade for some things, yeah..."

Liu Manqing walked out of the kitchen with half a bowl of unwashed vegetable leaves in her hand, her apron tied around her waist.

"Xiao Yu, Mengyao was talking about you all night last night. Take her along."

"Auntie!" Li Mengyao hurriedly interrupted!

Chen Yu nodded: "Fine, then come along. But don't act on your own once we get to the Trading Area."

Deng Yuxin nodded hurriedly: "Mm-hmm."

Li Mengyao also nodded.

Wang Mengmeng suddenly raised her hand: "I'm going too! I'm going too! Yuxin and Mengyao are both going, take me too!"

Chen Yu turned his head and glanced at her: "You can't."

Wang Mengmeng was stunned: "Why? I'm an S-Rank Time-type Awakened; I won't hold you back!"

"Your voice is too loud," Chen Yu said in a flat tone: "The moment you speak, everyone within ten meters will look over here. We are going there to find someone."

"I..." Before she could retort, Chen Yu had already made a 'shush' gesture.

It forced Wang Mengmeng to swallow her words, and she crossed her arms and pouted.

Seeing this, Liu Manqing returned to the kitchen: "Let's eat first~"

"Yay!"

Life in the Living Area had originally been quite comfortable.

Once the sun came out, the stalls in the Trading Area would be set up. Some people set up shop, others browsed, and it was bustling, like a lively morning market from before the apocalypse.

But today was different.

The stalls were still there, and the booths remained, but there were noticeably fewer.

The number of people browsing had also thinned out; it wasn't as crowded as the day they first arrived.

Those Face-Splitting Monsters from last night had flooded the chat channel all night long, casting a shadow over everyone's hearts, and this gloom was clearly reflected in the Trading Area.

It was likely that these people had been frightened by the events of last night; not only did they not dare to go out during the curfew, but they didn't even dare to come out during the day.

Deng Yuxin and Li Mengyao, however, were unaffected...

"Brother Yu, look at this! An old-fashioned radio! You can even turn the knob!"

"What's the use of that?"

"Look at this! This pottery jar! The patterns on it are so pretty!"

"What can it do?"

"Brother Yu, look at this! This keychain has a little bell hanging on it!"

"As if you're afraid of not giving away your position."

"Brother Yu! There are people selling old books over here! And art albums too!"

"Can't read them."

At first, the two girls kept sharing things with Chen Yu, but all they got were straight-man responses that defied logic.

So, the two girls decided to keep each other company instead.

"Mengyao, look at this! Isn't this string of beads quite pretty?"

"Yuxin! We have to buy this!"

With the girls' excited voices ringing in his ears, Chen Yu walked with his hands in his pockets, his gaze scanning the surroundings.

Mira followed behind them, lost in thought as she watched the two girls.

She remembered that before the apocalypse, Brother Jiang would always take her to the night market, and whatever she liked, she could buy. Brother Jiang wasn't a killjoy like Chen Yu and was so attentive to her...

She remembered that after the apocalypse, at the first station, Brother Jiang had stood in front of her, his back clawed until it bled.

Her stomach turned, and she opened her virtual panel, but there was still no news of Brother Jiang.

'Brother Jiang.' 'I have failed you.' 'But you will understand.' 'Everything I do is for you.' 'No matter the cost, I will save you, I surely will.'

Just as the group was walking around, Chen Yu's footsteps suddenly halted, and he looked toward the north—

The three women noticed Chen Yu's reaction...

They followed Chen Yu's gaze and saw a boy wearing a dark gray hoodie, his hair shaved very short, with a round face and slightly thick lips.

"Do you know him?" Li Mengyao asked cautiously.

Chen Yu narrowed his eyes: "Yeah, I just didn't expect to run into him here."

The person he saw was very familiar. Lin Yuan. Lin Yue's cousin.

One of the survivors of the last station, Midnight Carnival, and an SSS-Rank luck-type Awakened.

In the chat history, this exchange was still there: [Chen Yu: Which number New Capital City?] [Lin Yuan: Number Three.]

This kid had indeed lied to him. Number Three New Capital City, my foot! Everyone was obviously at Number Five!

It was the right call that he hadn't told him the truth either!

But Chen Yu was also a bit confused...

Lin Yue had treated him so cruelly, covered in scars and subjected to abuse, so why didn't he fight back?

He should have been on his side, right?

Unless he felt fear the moment he saw Lin Yue?

Or perhaps, the story he told from the beginning was all a lie?

That couldn't be, right? He wasn't a student from an acting department, was he?

For an ordinary person, even with short-term training, it would be very difficult to act so tearfully and evoke such sympathy...

Chen Yu withdrew his gaze: "Shh, keep shopping. No one look at him."

"Oh, okay."

Deng Yuxin and Li Mengyao obediently continued shopping, as if nothing had happened.

Mira also withdrew her gaze and followed back by Chen Yu's side.