Chapter 237 Zone Zero
The man's blood-stained face suddenly smiled…
That smile belonged to a hunter who was confident of capturing his prey.
Sally furrowed her brows with a hint of warning, "Unless you want to meet the God of Death."
The man moved in a way that Sally couldn't quite perceive, suddenly closing the gap between them, his bloodied lips pressed against the side of her neck, like a breathy kiss or a claim, "I am the God of Death!"
Sally was unimpressed, "Even the God of Death almost got taken out."
The man touched his nose, feeling a bit embarrassed about the incident.
Sally continued with her work, tossing three corpses into a black plastic steel box like they were dead pigs. One was too tall, so she broke his legs and folded him inside without showing the slightest mercy.
The man watched the entire process with pleasure.
"I am the vice president of the Azure Dragon Association, Huo Qing."
"Treating your wounds isn't part of my job, that'll be an extra five thousand," Sally extended her hand.
Huo Qing, smoothly taking a chequebook from his suit pocket, filled out an amount and signed it, then tore the cheque and handed it to her.
…
The next day, while Sally was cleaning the hallway, her phone rang.
An unknown number appeared on the display, she answered, "Hello, good to meet you."
"Conference room, come and clean."
"Tip."
"The same as before."
"I'll be there in ten minutes."
Sally finished dealing with the bodies, waiting for Huo Qing's tip.
However, Huo Qing had already taken off his suit jacket, revealing a similarly black shirt underneath; he rolled up the sleeves and went behind the bar to pour two glasses of red wine, handing one to Sally.
"I don't drink while I'm working," Sally declined.
"The cheque," Huo Qing knew what she wanted.
Without a word, Sally took the glass and downed it in one gulp, smacking her lips, "Good wine."
"You drink it like it's water," Huo Qing handed her the prepared cheque.
Sally put it away, "If it's watered down, might as well treat it like water."
For a moment, Huo Qing's expression was stone-cold, "I bought it for two million."
"A tenfold refund for a fake, congratulations Vice President, you've won the jackpot," Sally said as she pushed her cleaning cart, preparing to leave.
"Wait, accompany me to District One tomorrow, for the auction happening in three days."
"Nothing comes free."
"Write the cheque however you like."
"Fine, what time tomorrow?"
"Nine o'clock."
…
At nine the next day, on the tarmac.
Sally had tied her hair into a high ponytail, and on her slim back, she carried a not-so-small backpack, arriving right on time.
Huo Qing was already there, standing in front of the private jet looking at her large backpack, "What's that?"
"Cleaning tools," Sally handed the hefty backpack to the crew to stow away.
"Seems like you really love your job," Huo Qing teased.
"This is my livelihood, of course I have to carry it with me," Sally replied earnestly.
"Well said," Huo Qing patted her on the shoulder with considerable force.
Sally's forehead twitched as she struggled to bear the weight.
Huo Qing's expression grew even more pleased.
After boarding the cabin, Sally made her way to the cockpit, asking the pilot a few operational questions as if she were a child heavy with curiosity.
"Like airplanes?" Huo Qing lit a cigarette, and as the smoke swirled around him, a casual arrogance lingered.
"Who doesn't." Sally, sniffing the scent of the cigarette, reached out to him, "Give me one?"
"You smoke too?" Huo Qing tossed her the cigarette along with the lighter.
Sally caught it, "The Vice Chairman's cigarette smells good, I want to taste it."
Huo Qing watched her smoking and biting the cigarette with a practiced ease. Without several years of smoking history, one couldn't manage that, "How did you pick it up?"
"None of your business."
"Do you want to keep studying?"
"Does a janitor need a high education?"
"Of course not for a janitor."
"Then it's unnecessary."
"You plan to do this job for life?"
"Aren't there social security and housing fund benefits?"
"You're easily satisfied."
"Contentment brings happiness," she said as she extinguished her cigarette in the ashtray.
Huo Qing's deep, long eyes curved slightly, he took a deep drag of his cigarette as if to savor the taste carefully, and it took him a while to exhale, creating a tangible sense of suffocating pressure.
Sally looked at him dispassionately, "Smoking like that, you'll end up killing yourself sooner or later."
"Worried I might die?"
"Tch," Sally scoffed, she had nothing to do with him. She brushed away a stray lock of hair from her ear and walked over to the window to look down.
After the wars, there were no countries left, just nineteen districts.
The richest district was District One, and the poorest was District Nineteen, where she was right now. The highest leader was the Chief District Officer, followed by the district chiefs, the deputy district chiefs, the councilors, and so on. Beyond the nineteen districts, the harsh natural environment made it inhospitable for humans, which came to be known as Zone Zero.
District Nineteen is shaped like a huge long eggplant, and it's filled with factories of all sizes, each spouting thick black smoke from their chimneys. There are scarcely any green areas. And these places are either for the wealthy or for those with power.
Inside District Nineteen is District Eighteen. You could vaguely make out agricultural land and interlacing highways, with far fewer factories and lakes as clear as mirrors—a stark contrast to District Nineteen.
Just outside of District Nineteen and adjacent to it is Zone Zero. Even from an airplane, the vast expanse of abandoned urban areas can be clearly seen, and that's where she came from. There's also scorched earth, forests shrouded in black mist, rivers and seas emitting suspicious gases, and deserts with rising temperatures...
"Vice Chairman, have you ever been to Zone Zero?"
Huo Qing flicked his cigarette into the ashtray, accidentally resting it on the one Sally just smoked.
"I have. It's a no-go zone for humans. And in recent years, it's been showing signs of spreading to District Nineteen."
Just as his words fell, a burst of gunshots suddenly rang out from the cockpit!
Before Huo Qing could react, Sally rushed over first.
Her reflexes were even faster than his! Huo Qing squinted his eyes slightly.
The pilot was dead, the dashboard was damaged, and the plane's direction had changed. It was no longer heading for the transit hub of District Eighteen Airport but towards the human no-go zone—Zone Zero!
"When boarding the plane, I realized his speech and expression were a bit off," Sally said as she brutally kicked aside the pilot, took his seat, and tried to take control of the plane.
Huo Qing watched her, recalling that she had asked the pilot a few questions, and she had noticed something was wrong right then. Was it instinct or had she undergone some training?
If it was the latter...
After Sally's desperate efforts at the controls, the plane still ended up in Zone Zero, but thankfully only on the outskirts in a grass field, not deep within as it had been heading previously.
There was no shortage of supplies on board. Keeping them intact was the best outcome. Without these supplies, it was impossible for a few people to survive in Zone Zero. Moreover, although part of the dashboard was destroyed, there were usually spare parts on the plane which might be fixable.
"Vice Chairman, strap on a parachute and take the necessary supplies along with the others and jump. I'll try to save the plane and act accordingly," Sally said.
Huo Qing, however, didn't move an inch, as if saying that it wasn't up to her whether he should go or stay.
Sally: "..."
If he won't go, so be it.
Sally stopped talking and focused on controlling the plane... In the end, after a terrifying and violent jolt, the plane finally came to a stop on the grassland.
Huo Qing's tightly drawn lips slowly curled into a smile. He stepped forward, patted her on the shoulder, "Well done."
Sally pushed his hand away, "...because I don't want to die yet."