Just a wall away, the difference between inside and outside the city was like heaven and hell.
Gazing at the vast expanse of ruins, Kiana felt dazed. She couldn't help but squeeze Ren's hand tighter, murmuring, "Why... why are there so many refugees here?!"
"Clearly, these are the so-called sinners punished by God," Ren sighed deeply. He noticed the children rummaging through the garbage heaps all had faint purple markings on their bodies to varying degrees. Some only showed signs of Honkai corruption on their faces, while others had it spread across their entire bodies.
"South Asia is densely populated. A single city simply cannot support so many residents. The purpose of the high wall is likely to prevent refugees from flooding into the city."
"But they shouldn't just leave these children to fend for themselves!" Ren's explanation, though logical, was still unacceptable to Kiana. In her mind, shouldn't people unite and cooperate to fight the Honkai together?
"After all, not every country is like Shenzhou. These less developed regions not only lack the means to build massive cities like ARC City, but due to their backward medical systems, they don't even recognize the basic symptoms of Honkai sickness."
"An overly large population, underdeveloped education and healthcare systems, and more importantly..."
Ren looked at Kiana, his expression complex. "Not all humans are willing to help their own kind."
Kiana didn't understand the meaning behind his words, only feeling a heavy, panicked pressure in her chest. She held Ren's hand and continued walking outwards, following the tire tracks left by the truck. Soon, they reached the bank of a wide river.
It was a river comparable in size to major ones, its broad surface neatly separating the ruins from the city. Such a massive river supplied almost all of South Asia's drinking water.
But now, the water, which should have been clear, was turbid and foul. Looking closely, they could faintly see several charred corpses floating within it.
Yet the scavenging children seemed completely oblivious to the bodies, wading through the river back and forth between the banks. Some, feeling thirsty, simply cupped the river water with their hands and drank.
Only upon reaching the river did the two realize the area around the city wasn't entirely ruins. Looking towards the horizon on the opposite bank, numerous dark silhouettes appeared in their vision.
"The reason there are so many ruins, besides the destruction caused by the Honkai, is mainly because all the city's garbage is dumped here." Ren shook his head gently, pointing towards a child currently rummaging through the trash nearby.
Kiana followed his gaze and saw the child's face light up with excitement. Their movements quickened drastically, and soon they pulled a damaged radio from the garbage pile.
"A radio?" Kiana was surprised. Clean food would be understandable, but what use was an unwanted radio?
"Don't underestimate discarded electronic waste. You can salvage quite a few circuits and metals from it. If someone buys it, it's a decent income for them."
"Risking their lives digging through trash heaps... is it really worth it?"
"Simple. They have no choice." Ren, carrying the memories of thousands, saw the reason instantly. He turned to Kiana and asked, "Normally, cities recycle valuable trash. Do you know why all the garbage here is just dumped by the roadside?"
Kiana shook her head.
"Normally, cities need specialized processing plants to handle recycled garbage, requiring significant manpower and resources. However, in this land, simply dumping the trash outside means someone will voluntarily sort and clean it."
"Because resources outside are so scarce, this garbage is their only source of income. They risk their lives picking through it, and the city buys it back at low prices. This avoids the risks of garbage pollution while saving a lot of money."
"More importantly, humans are extremely restless animals. If pushed to the brink, they might storm the city directly. But give them a source of cheap income, and they'll work desperately just to survive. Even if they're starving, they'll just think they aren't working hard enough."
Kiana, having never heard such a theory, looked stunned. "But... how is that different from raising livestock?"
Yes, what's the difference?
Ren gazed into the distance, offering no answer.
"Notice? There's no anger on these children's faces, only numbness. It means this way of life isn't recent. Perhaps from the day they were born, this is all they've ever seen."
Kiana, initially filled with rage at the stark contrast between the city and the outside, gradually fell silent. This scene was indeed something she had never encountered during her wanderings.
Is the gap in this world... really this wide?
A sense of bewilderment surfaced in her mind, like a seed taking root in her heart.
As they were talking, the boy who had found the radio seemed to have discovered something else. He dug furiously for a few moments, but this time, it wasn't treasure – it was a withered arm.
Splurt—
Crimson blood suddenly bloomed under the sunlight. The boy screamed, clutching his own arm in pain as he tumbled down the garbage hill. Where he had been digging, an arm flailed wildly, its sharp nails stained with blood.
Hearing the scream, the other scavengers' expressions changed. Without a second thought for the boy, they grabbed their sacks and fled in panic.
"Monster! The monster's revived!" someone shrieked in terror, glancing back. Seeing the charred corpse climbing out of the ruins made their legs go weak, and they stumbled to the ground, pants suddenly warm.
If even those far away reacted like this, the boy with the injured arm was utterly terrified. He stared blankly upwards, watching helplessly as the monster shambled towards him.
The charred corpse showed no mercy, swiping its claw towards his head. But just before impact, it suddenly found its claws unable to move forward an inch.
"Why are there Honkai Zombies here?"
As Kiana's voice sounded, flames abruptly erupted from the charred corpse. In an instant, it was reduced to ashes.
"Probably residual Honkai Energy in the corpses that didn't fully dissipate. Then they were piled together in large numbers, eventually creating a Honkai Zombie."
As he spoke, Ren casually picked up the fallen boy. With a swipe of his finger, a layer of ice crystal covered the torn wound. He then took out a familiar roll of bandages from his pocket and applied a simple dressing.
Throughout the entire process, the boy just stared blankly at the two, seemingly unable to recover from the shadow of death.
"How is it? Are you okay?" Kiana asked caringly. But seeing the boy's lack of reaction, she remembered he wouldn't understand her.
Just as she was about to ask Ren to translate, the boy spoke, his voice trembling, "Are... are you gods?"