allonlinenovel Chapter 16 What is true
Chapter 16 What is true
No wonder the administrator was able to reach in easily from outside just now...
Anjiu looked at the decorative latch and finally pushed it.
Beware of gentlemen, not villains.
She repeated these words silently as a comfort.
Helping Grandma An to sit on the bed, An Jiu walked to the window and looked out - if there was one thing that made her feel comfortable in this house, it was that the windows were big enough and faced the sun.
Through the dusty glass, she saw a vast expanse of wasteland that stretched as far as the eye could see.
The dry earth was cracked into blocks with raised edges, and several long gullies were spread throughout it, like huge scars.
There is no green, no water source, only endless loess slopes.
A strong wind blew, sweeping up yellow sand all over the sky, which hit the glass windows and made a rustling sound.
"Stay away from the window."
When An Jiu turned around, he saw Grandma An's horrified eyes. She waved at him, and her wide sleeves fell to her armpits, revealing a dry arm.
"It's going to be windy. Don't stand by the window."
Grandma An repeated it again, and the fear in her eyes only subsided when An Jiu took a few steps back.
Anjiu looked down at the short distance between himself and the window and said nothing.
Once the room became quiet, the noise outside became very clear.
Coughing, wheezing, the friction of moving the bed, the dragging sound of people with weak legs walking...
More and more people were walking through the aisles.
After the noise of closing the iron door and inserting the bolt, there was no talking or cooking, only the sound of people lying in bed and the sizzling sound of the bed legs rubbing against each other.
But soon, the whole space became quiet and only the faint sound of snoring could be heard.
"Go to sleep."
Grandma An spread out the thin quilt under her pillow, took off her coat, folded it into a square and placed it at the head of the bed.
She lay on the side near the window, lifted a corner of the quilt, and motioned Anjiu to come in.
Anjiu discovered that the sun had already set, with only a small half of the red sun showing above the horizon, and darkness was swallowing the earth at an extremely fast speed.
It gets dark too quickly.
Anjiu looked down at the time displayed on his virtual watch. It was just 18:. Could it be caused by the different longitude and latitude?
Without waiting for Grandma An to urge him again, An Jiu took off his shoes and got on the bed.
When she felt something hard and painful beneath her body, she reached out and touched it. It was a mattress as thin as paper.
Everything here illustrates one fact - poverty.
Anjiu looked at the roof that was gradually getting darker, and sorted out the information he had gained from Xiaojiu's memory in his mind.
Due to the extreme lack of water here, the land is dry and cannot be used for planting. In addition, there are strong yellow winds blowing in the Gobi Desert all year round, making it difficult for people to stand steadily. The environment is very harsh.
The biggest way for people living in the building to obtain food is to go to the world that is about to be destroyed by disaster to collect supplies.
It is conducted once a month, with 50 people setting out each time. The number of people is proportional, with 30 sixth-class citizens, 10 fifth-class citizens, and fourth-class citizens. Except for a few people who voluntarily sign up, the rest are all selected randomly, so this day is called Selection Day.
This day is also the day of death for residents living on the 30th floor and above - no one knows what kind of disaster the other world has experienced, especially since they have to survive for seven days and find the door to return...
This is impossible even if you think about it.
Therefore, very few of those who were chosen returned alive.
In most cases, being selected means death.
When Xiaojiu was chosen, his face turned pale and he felt dizzy and dazed. He didn't even know how he got home.
She was terrified of the unknown disaster world and thought about escaping from here while working outside, but then what? Die in the Gobi Desert outside?
She also has a grandmother who depends on her for everything. If she takes her with her, she will die. If she doesn't, she will eventually be driven out of the hive by the manager because she owes too much rent, and will starve to death or die of thirst.
Xiaojiu's thin body hidden in a loose robe trembled constantly, tears welled up in her eye sockets, she felt desperate and sad, but disaster would not be merciful to anyone regardless of age.
Eventually, she obediently walked onto the stage and stood in the transporter.
Before leaving, Xiaojiu looked up at the low ceiling and prayed that he would be able to come back.
Anjiu closed his eyes, but the darkness in front of him was still the same.
When Xiaojiu first became a tenant, although she was surprised at how fast he ate, she was also glad that Xiaojiu would take the initiative to clean up the dishes and clean every window after dinner.
This is a very sensible girl, but unfortunately...
Anjiu slowly accepted the reality of having to live as Xiaojiu.
What is real? Only the feeling at the moment.
Just as I was daydreaming, Grandma An sat up with her arms propped up and listened to something with her ear tilted.
An Jiu was attracted by her. Looking at her in the darkness, he heard the sound of light footsteps outside. It sounded a bit messy, and there should be more than one person.
It was not until the sound went in another direction that Grandma An lay back down in disappointment.
"sleep early."
Anjiu thought she would have insomnia tonight, but her body and mind were exhausted to the extreme after a whole day of stimulation. After a few breaths, she fell into a deep sleep.
In the second half of the night, she always felt very cold. Even if she curled up, she couldn't resist the coldness as if she fell into an icy cave. The thin quilt was of no use. In a daze, she swore to adjust the air conditioner temperature before going to bed tomorrow.
Until I was awakened by the noisy and intense voices outside the door.
"what happened?!"
Anjiu sat up suddenly, and was confused and terrified when she saw the unfamiliar environment around her. Her brain, which had been forced to work, gradually became clear, and she realized that she was no longer in the original world.
"you're awake?"
Grandma An looked back at her, holding the fallen wall paint in her hand and stuffing it into the gap of the window.
Anjiu groaned, turned over and jumped out of bed, walked to the door, and saw a lot of people rushing out in the corridor, as if they were afraid of missing something.
Grandma An said: "I heard that several team leaders are openly recruiting workers today. These people should be looking for jobs."
find a job?
Anjiu's body reacted faster than his brain, and he immediately pushed the door open and chased after him.
The corridor was crowded with people, young and old, men and women, all coming out.
Relying on his thin body and agile movements, An Jiu squeezed all the way to the platform where he got off the elevator yesterday, and he couldn't move any further.
The platform was very crowded, with everyone pressed against each other, their ears filled with shouts of "choose me, choose me". Wherever they looked, they saw hands raised high, waving at the person standing on the platform, trying to attract attention.
Anjiu was squeezed here and there in there, and his insteps were stepped on countless times.
Looking over the heads of the crowd, I could just see the captains standing on the podium, turning a blind eye to all this. They had their own selection criteria and ignored everyone equally.
"It takes ten people to mine 20 meters underground. They need strong arms. The labor cost is contribution points a day."
"Clear the accumulated soil outside the building, fifty people, 15 contribution points per day."
"We need a cleaner on the 28th floor for three days. If you want to come, please raise your hand and sign up."
"..."
The responding voices were getting louder and louder, and Anjiu's eardrums were buzzing. She also shouted a few times, but it was like a stone falling on the sea, and even she could not hear herself.
Unable to squeeze to the front and unable to make his voice heard, Anjiu could only jump higher by holding onto the shoulders of the people in front of him, waving his hands vigorously to try to attract the only female captain above.
The other person scanned her face without stopping and identified a man with broad shoulders.