Deep in the Living
Chapter 385 - 373 Depth

Chapter 385: Chapter 373 Depth

Exploration Bureau Cafeteria.

The cafeteria, which once had more than twenty windows and a large number of private rooms, now only has one window open, and it doesn’t provide real-time dishes; you need to order in advance.

Moreover, often there isn’t an agent to cook here, so customers need to go to the kitchen and cook their own food.

In less than half an hour, Luo Di came out wearing an apron, carrying four dishes, all steaming hot.

Twice-cooked pork with garlic sprouts,

Sliced beef in hot chili oil,

Shredded pork with green peppers,

Mapo tofu,

and a bowl of winter melon pork soup.

"It’s so delicious!"

Youzhen’s small eyes widened suddenly, getting hotter as she ate due to the chili, even taking off her bulky robe.

"Damn! Dude, have you worked as a chef before?" Yu Ze was also eating Luo Di’s food for the first time and was completely amazed, "This flavor is more authentic than many Sichuan restaurants in the Capital City."

Luo Di just smiled slightly, quite enjoying the feeling of being praised, akin to the sensation of being watched by an audience in the Fighting Hall.

"It’s alright, I live alone so I usually have to cook for myself, and occasionally I follow some online videos for learning."

Yu Ze looked perplexed, "You don’t order takeout? I have takeout every day in the Capital City... It’s better to kill me than ask me to buy groceries and cook."

Luo Di didn’t say much and started to eat.

Youzhen seemed to be very excited, directly bringing several bottles of beer from the kitchen, pouring a full glass for herself, and also filling the glasses of the two young newcomers.

As the alcohol entered her system, Youzhen’s actions became more exaggerated, even taking off her shoes and socks and putting her size 30 feet on the table.

"Hey, are you two locals of the United Nations Territory or immigrants from outside?"

"I was born in Jupiter City." Luo Di spoke frankly.

Yu Ze just chuckled lightly and didn’t answer, using drinking as a way to dodge the question.

Youzhen began to talk to herself, "I wasn’t born here, but outside, in my own country.

However, I had been undergoing special training within the country since birth, and by the age of seven, I was proficient in conventional medical methods and basic combat techniques. I was then recommended as an elite immigrant to come to this special nation on the island and settled in the Capital City.

Then it was training day and night, almost non-stop.

From a young age, I was indoctrinated with the goal of exploring the Corner, so when I really, through my efforts, successfully entered the Exploration Bureau, I was thrilled and even woke up laughing for several consecutive days.

Moreover, life within the Exploration Bureau wasn’t so tiring, I could rest and do things I liked, and there were great seniors to guide me.

But... this happiness didn’t last long.

As you see now, I’ve already withdrawn from the Headquarters and have long been stationed at the Boundary."

Yu Ze asked with a smile, "Miss Youzhen, aren’t you supposed to be stationed at the Boundary to provide treatment for those injured, trauma-ridden agents?"

"Bullshit! Real doctors are at the Headquarters, and agents returning to the Boundary are just a tiny fraction. It’s nicely put that I’m the resident doctor of the Boundary, but in reality, I’m just a deserter.

In fact, I am a deserter. I’m afraid of the Corner, afraid of going inside."

Guzzle~ suddenly downing a whole bottle of beer, a flush comes to her face.

Half a year ago, my exploration team encountered a monster during a Corner exploration. I watched with my eyes wide open as my comrades, who I spent every day with, were killed one by one, right in front of me.

As a member of the medical support team, I could do nothing, and finally, it was the captain who pushed me out of the pit.

I was completely overwhelmed by fear, knowing only to flee.

And yet, someone as useless as me actually escaped back to the safe zone, really survived. But those teammates who truly dared to face fear head-on all died.

Since then, I no longer explore the Corner, and the Exploration Bureau has agreed to let me stay at the Boundary.

In fact, I was originally planning to withdraw from the Bureau a month later. But then I met you two, and coincidentally, the higher-ups assigned me to guide you through the rookie experience.

Thinking it was the last time I would follow the Exploration Bureau’s orders, I agreed.

The result wasn’t too terrible. Returning to the Corner after half a year, I wasn’t affected by fear... even though we unexpectedly encountered a monster.

Once the General Administration is arranged, we’ll set off together! I’m no longer afraid of any fear. I’m going to kill those monsters, chop them into strips, and turn them into fertilizer to feed my plants."

Guzzle~ another bottle of beer down, you can almost see the liquid about to surge from Youzhen’s throat.

Luo Di and Yu Ze exchanged glances, then stood up, "Miss Youzhen, that’s enough for tonight. Let’s take you home."

"No worries~ have another drink with me, there’s nothing going on today anyway... hic~"

Clap!

A yellow talisman was already stuck on Youzhen’s head, her forehead falling straight onto the table, followed by the sound of snoring.

Yu Ze took a special bell out of his sleeve and shook it in his hand,

Cling cling cling~ Youzhen rose in her sleep state, following the two like a zombie.

By the time she woke up the next day, she was already in her room. Recalling last night’s drunken confession and imagining being carried back by the two newcomers, she blushed slightly.

She rinsed away the remaining scent of alcohol, changed into new clothes, and came to the wall with photos, bowing deeply.

"Captain, I’m going to the Corner again! And I’ve met two very strong newcomers; this time, I will definitely go deeper and endeavor to get stronger, strive to avenge you all."

...

Three days passed in the blink of an eye.

Luo Di was watering the flowers on the windowsill when he received the directive to head to the [Seam].

Only this time, it wasn’t for exploration but a journey.

The mission required moving from the ’Surface Layer’ as a team to the Exploration Bureau Headquarters located on the ’Mid-Surface Layer.’

During these three days of rest, Luo Di also learned an important concept about the Corner,

[Depth].

This concept is fundamentally different from ’distance’ on Earth, as you can’t reach a place just by traversing a certain distance.

The depth of the Corner is ’vertical,’ ’indeterminate,’ and ’random.’

Moving between areas within the Corner requires finding the hidden [link entrance], much like the internal platform of a train station previously.

Finding the link entrance alone isn’t enough; the most important thing is fulfilling the "penetration condition."

Otherwise, even if you enter the link entrance, you can only be transferred to other areas of the same depth, unable to achieve a deeper penetration of the Corner.

Take the previous Corner experience as an example,

Luo Di and his team went to a train station with four platforms,

Purchasing a ticket in the usual manner, entering the station, heading to Platform 4, and boarding the train.

This indeed allowed them to leave the train station area, but the depth didn’t change, and they only moved to another corner area still on the Surface Layer.

To achieve a leap in depth, one needs to explore the area fully and infer relevant information.

Buying a special ticket through some means while purchasing a ticket,

Or finding a different ticket on a passenger,

Or even causing a riot in the train station, being taken away by the police, etc.

This condition is not fixed, it is random.

Even for the same Corner area, the conditions for penetration change for different batches of individuals; comprehensive exploration and inference are required.

Only by fulfilling the [condition] can one penetrate deeper.

The monsters located in the depths, meanwhile, are very ’familiar’ with the Corner, even able to use their control over fear and their special abilities to influence the Corner space to a certain extent, quickly finding the conditions for rapid depth transfer.

For instance, the clown could move from the depths to the Surface Layer, having already drawn the green train through unknown means at Platform 2 while Luo Di and his team were still exploring the train station.

...

When Yu Ze and Luo Di arrived at the plaza where the Seam was located, similar to last time, Youzhen was already dressed in her combat uniform and doing basic stretches.

Only this time, there weren’t any additional explanations.

After confirming with each other through eye contact, shackles connected their wrists together, and they stepped into the gap several hundred meters high.