After the darkness!

The bus jolted violently, its engine struggling to roar as it started moving again.

The carriage suddenly became crowded, filled with the smells of sweat, cheap cigarettes, and a damp, metallic odor unique to rainy days.

Lin Yijue leaned against the window, his gaze sweeping across the carriage without making a sound.

Most of the passengers who surged onto the bus looked tired and numb, carrying large bags and small packages. They were obviously vendors or shoppers who had just finished shopping at the Lotus Pond Market and were returning home.

The noise, yawns, and the rustling of plastic bags filled my ears.

He turned his gaze back to the gray sky outside the window.

The rain from last night had not completely dissipated, and a chill lingered in the air.

With the cold season approaching and sunlight becoming increasingly scarce, the flood season has already begun.

Lin's father mentioned at the dinner table that the upper reaches of the Chishui River were rising again. Every time the water rises, the city gets very tense, and they even impose a curfew at night.

In the original owner's memory, during the middle and late stages of the Cold River period, schools would be directly suspended, and adult classes were not required.

The whole family is inside the house, and they don't have to do anything.

To be honest, this memory is one of his few fond ones.

My thoughts were interrupted by the conversation of several elderly women who got on the bus.

They packed their bags and sat down, and the conversation began with the vegetable farmer complaining about how hard it was to make a living.

They complained that business was bad and they didn't dare to get up early to sell vegetables, because the money they earned wasn't even enough to cover the renewal fee for their "vegetable selling permit".

The complaints were tinged with helplessness; it was unclear whether they were explaining the price increase or simply venting their frustrations.

But it quickly attracted the attention of the people on the bus.

A woman in her thirties, holding a child and carrying a bag of groceries, immediately replied upon hearing this:

"Auntie, you can't get a vegetable selling permit without connections these days! Who would believe you don't make money?"

"That's it, that's it!"

Soon, a chorus of agreement arose in the car.

In the base city, you can't move an inch without a temporary residence permit.

This thing is hard to get; you basically have to buy it with money.

If an ordinary working-class family does not receive such support from their employer, they will have to spend a quarter of their annual income on it.

Other industries also have corresponding "passes," such as a "vegetable selling permit" that allows them to operate in urban areas.

"Sigh, it's really tough work!" The vegetable farmers seemed to have found someone to confide in. "The purchase price for vegetables outside the city is going up every day, and we don't dare to raise our prices arbitrarily, not to mention we don't even dare to go to the morning market..."

The person who spoke paused deliberately.

Sure enough, a man in the back of the carriage chimed in, "Don't the vegetable vendors get up early? No wonder the morning market has been so quiet lately!"

"That's right! It's hard-earned money. I used to have to get up at three or four in the morning, but now... I don't dare!" another vegetable farmer chimed in, his voice lowered, tinged with fear.

"Did you hear about what happened at the market the other day? More than a dozen lives lost! Blood was everywhere... It was horrific!"

"The story about the mad dog eating people?" someone asked.

Lin Yijue was originally lost in thought, but when he heard about the dead person, he suddenly became interested and subconsciously turned his ear.

"Wasn't that mad dog supposed to be an alien monster that escaped from the man-made forest? I think it was already killed, right?"

"I don't know if it was a mad dog, but it was definitely not shot!" The vegetable farmer was a woman in her forties with her hair tied up in a bun and secured with a red floral cloth.

"Because my nephew works in the Armed Forces Department, and he happens to be in charge of this case, he specifically told me not to go early to sell vegetables, but to go to the busiest market!"

There are patrolling police in those areas, so even if something really comes, they can run fast!

"Tsk, you know what, I specifically asked about the scene back then. Those people died horribly; you couldn't even find a single one that looked like a whole human being... It was like they'd been gnawed on here and there... Terrifying!"

The atmosphere in the carriage suddenly became tense.

"Speaking of which, there have been quite a few incidents lately. Why do I feel like so many strange monsters have suddenly appeared in the city? What are those people in the armed forces doing?!"

"We submitted so many temporary residence permits, and this is the result!"

"Come on, it's even worse overseas. The newspapers say one base city was completely wiped out..." "Oh my god! Really? Where did that happen?"

The topic was reignited by fear.

Another case? Or a monster?

The original owner had lived a peaceful life for over a decade, so how come murder cases started popping up like they were free so soon after I arrived? Lin Yijue felt a slight chill and was somewhat speechless.

But upon closer reflection, it's understandable.

This world, to put it bluntly, is a big data world. There are some things that you may never encounter in your life if you don't try to understand them, but if you deliberately explore them, a large amount of information will come to you.

Just like scrolling through TikTok in a past life.

All he can really do is focus on training, become a martial artist as soon as possible, and resolve the hidden danger of being devoured by the body.

As for the rest, if the sky falls, there are tall people to hold it up.

Encountering alien monsters one after another in the city? The probability of that is incredibly low.

The car moved forward, carrying a carriage full of discussions and anxieties, and a cool breeze blew through the cracks in the windows onto our faces.

Chunyang District Central Station, we've arrived!

Lin Yijue got off the bus with the crowd, along with several vegetable vendors.

With a clear goal in mind, they headed straight for the "Chunhuali Farmers Market" in front of the platform.

The market entrance was bustling with people, and shouts of vendors filled the air as fruit stalls lined up one after another.

The flow of people coming and going was quite considerable, at least fifty or sixty people at a glance.

"So this is the busiest market they found?" Lin Yijue glanced at it and had this thought pop into his mind.

He turned his gaze away and towards the area map display stand on the platform.

Since there is no Gaode Map, there are map booths in front of each bus stop, which serve as a navigation tool.

After groping around for three or four minutes, Lin Yijue finally figured out where he was.

To get to the Yuanhang Transportation and Trading Company that Wang Mingde mentioned, you have to cross the road and walk a distance.

"It's so inconvenient not having a phone..." he muttered to himself, memorizing the route.

About ten minutes later.

An eight-story silver building with a plaque on the facade that reads: Yuanhang Transportation and Trading Company.

In the spacious and bright hall, two well-dressed young women sat behind them.

The two women were dressed in office lady skirt suits, with their black hair tied up in a bun. They had large eyes, seemed to be wearing makeup, and had fair skin, making them completely different from the girls in school.

As soon as Lin Yijue stepped through the glass door, one of them immediately stood up, a professional smile on his face:

"Hello sir, do you have an appointment?"

"My surname is Lin," Lin Yijue said succinctly.

The receptionist quickly checked the screen, her smile unchanged: "Okay, Mr. Lin. This way, please. I'll take you upstairs."

Another girl left her seat and made an elegant "please" gesture, leading him towards the elevator.

As I stepped into the elevator, the other person pressed the button for the sixth floor.

Shortly after, the elevator stopped.

Stepping out the door, you're immediately greeted by a large, single-level office building.

There are two money trees, each taller than a person, planted at the entrance.

There were quite a few people bustling around inside.

Lin Yijue followed the receptionist into the office, which was located at the very back.

He knocked on the door, and it opened. Inside sat Wang Mingde.