Chapter 10 The First Time Entering the Hazard Zone to Work (4)

"Ah, look, the downside of cash transactions is showing up," Ye Nai straightened her back.

"Where? Look at what?"

"Look at the bunch of kids that suddenly appeared around us, in groups of threes and fives, eyeing our classmates' pockets."

"…Ah?!"

"Damn it, there must be adults commanding them from behind!"

"Should we go and remind our classmates?"

"If you want to go, just go, but be careful when reminding them. Don't let it slip out that it was us who said something, and get us in front of the local tyrant. Good intentions with no good return, that would just be a senseless loss," Ye Nai twisted her mouth, stretched her waist, and remained seated without moving.

"You have a point."

The classmate who was just brimming with righteousness immediately chickened out, evidently valuing their own safety over camaraderie with their classmates.

Their quiet conversation didn't attract any attention, but Ye Nai, who kept an eye on the crowd, clearly saw that the group of children, seemingly having heard some signal, scattered all at once, as if they had never been there.

The classmates focused on buying their lunch had avoided a loss.

"Huh? The kids have run off?"

"Maybe even the local tyrant doesn't want to stir up trouble. After all, if so many students were to suffer theft at once, the local tyrants would be the first to be questioned."

"True."

The three girl students breathed a sigh of relief, continued to sit and rest, unable to move the slightest; not only were their arms sore, but their legs were also beginning to feel unresponsive.

Ye Nai, on the other hand, got up energetically, bounced on the spot twice, and looked back at them with an innocent face.

"Rested enough? Shall we go?"

"You still have energy? You go on, we'll rest a bit more."

"Oh, then I'll head off first. You guys watch the time, don't delay earning money in the afternoon."

Ye Nai confidently left the three of them behind, not too far from a large group of students, got back inside the electric net, suited up in her protective gear according to the morning's routine, and reached the clearing to grab the handcart. There were no students around the junk mountain now, no one was looking at her, and she began to try transporting three bags at once.

Three bags on the cart made it a bit harder to push, but she wasn't afraid of the physical exertion, just putting her head down and pushing, and she delivered them steadily to the parking lot.

Checking the license plates, they were still the same three garbage trucks from the morning. Though there were many students, their efficiency was low, and none of the trucks were full.

Ye Nai still approached the truck closest to her, but the worker guarding the back had changed, identifiable by the clean protective suit.

The process was the same, the lift tipping the trash into the hopper, and she marked down three lines on her back.

Quickly returning to the mountain of garbage, she hauled another three bags.

Three bags and then three bags again. When the classmates who had filled their bellies outside gradually returned to work, they were surprised to see Ye Nai's impressive score on her back.

"Ye Nai, have you gone mad? Going at it so fiercely?"

"I have to pay for my family's food. If I don't work hard, where will the money come from?"

"But if you work so fiercely and get exhausted, then what? You were teaching us to take it easy."

"When I can't work anymore, I'll stop. The first few days are tough, but once you get through that and your body adapts, it gets better. Work like this for a month, and you'll naturally know how to work and how to rest."

"Right, add one more bag for me; I need to contribute money to my family too."

The pressure of contributing money at home reminded many people, and they all helped each other to load more onto the carts. With Ye Nai's lead setting the pace, not to mention the female classmates, many male classmates worked fiercely. They surely couldn't be mocked for being outworked by a girl in pure physical labor.

Ye Nai ran seven trips in one go, three bags per trip, totaling twenty-one bags, her back accumulating an extra stroke beyond four crosses.

As she pushed a cart along the road, a scalding hot stream of energy suddenly surged into her body, nearly causing her to let go of the handcart.

Fortunately, she was only momentarily confused. She gripped the handles tightly to steady herself and didn't fall to the ground groaning. Clenching her teeth, she continued walking steadily, sweaty and overheated.

It was a struggle, but when she finally reached the garbage truck and drew the cross on her back, she glanced towards the depths of the danger zone.

The burning sensation inside her continued, as if something was about to emerge. According to her senses, the source of the energy was within the danger zone, probably Fungus rooted there had consumed some energy-rich sustenance.

In the danger zone, there roamed Otherworld creatures and mutated organisms from Blue Star, and this oppressive, scalding energy...

Her spores had grown Fungus that could break down these abnormal wastes!

Ye Nai let out a sound of joy, but wearing goggles and a mask, only she could hear her own laughter.

After setting down the handcart. Ye Nai, filled with energy, continued running the next trip. As she ran, she released more spores, allowing them to drift with the wind deep into the danger zone.

Back at the clearing, when Ye Nai wanted to run another trip, the staff stopped her. It wasn't just her – all the students who were there were halted and asked to settle accounts and go home.

"That's it for today. Head home now and come back tomorrow."

"Why? I still have energy, I can make another trip," someone from the crowd immediately protested.

"There's been an incident in the danger zone. It's not safe for you here; everyone evacuate."

The staff didn't bother to soothe the students; by coming here to work, they implicitly accepted any news, good or bad.

"Thank you, I'm leaving right now."

Without another word, Ye Nai put the handcart back, called out her classmates' names, and was the first to dash into the portable cabin.

Her spores and Fungus were still relentlessly feeding back the scorching energy. Coupled with the staff's words, something perilous from the Otherworld or mutated organisms must have emerged in the danger zone. Possibly the local defenders were already engaged in combat.

Professionals should handle their specialties; she, being untrained, should smartly heed the evacuation order.

Her classmates didn't hesitate. Upon hearing their names from Ye Nai, regardless of gender, they called out to each other and efficiently followed.

With leaders setting an example, other classes and schools quickly joined in; no one stayed behind to argue with the staff.

The staff also breathed a sigh of relief, feeling a bit of appreciation for the students who led the exit.

Ye Nai managed to finish the checkout process before the crowd swelled and waited outside the checkout room for others to gather before they all left together.

Running out to the street, they saw the advantages of being in a large group.

The students took one exit and the public another, both in large groups. At the bus station, it was packed to the brim, everyone scrambling to board the buses waiting to depart.

The station staff, maintaining order, saw a large group of students approaching and promptly instructed them to wait on the side. As soon as a new bus arrived, they let the students get on, filling it up before departing, not allowing any member of the public to compete with them for space.

On the bus were people from all schools and classes. As the bus started moving, there was still some lingering shock. Discussions arose about what major incident had happened in the danger zone, and others felt lucky to have kept up with the majority. If everyone had fended for themselves, they wouldn't have been able to squeeze onto a bus.

The bus was overloaded, with everyone squeezed so tight they couldn't move. Ye Nai was the same, stiffly wedged in the middle of the bus, one hand in her pocket touching her phone and the other pressed against her chest, using her arms to carve out just enough space to breathe.