The Ger's Contract Marriage [BL]
Chapter 523: Clean Sweep

Chapter 523: Clean Sweep

Humanity was a marvel. Even as things were so... different, so bleak, life still went on. It wasn’t all rainbows and sunshine, but the will to survive remained strong.

People were bartering at makeshift stalls, laying out their wares on the ground like it was any other day at a flea market. For a moment, it almost felt like things were normal. Almost.

But reality, as it always did, came crashing back. Eyes were still on them, watching their every move, waiting for the slightest slip-up to take advantage. Xu Feng adjusted his backpacks and shifted Mingjun in his arms.

He really did have a soft spot for children.

It was a slow realization, but looking back over all the lives and memories he could recall, his affection for small people was always there.

It wasn’t just because of his own children, either.

There were more bear children—heavy emphasis on WERE—in this world, although that most likely had changed. But even so, having the four-year-old in his arms felt right. He liked having a little heater on his hip.

’This would be even better in the winter,’ Xu Feng mused, imagining how cozy it would feel to have his own tiny bundles of warmth in the colder months.

If he had to rate it, this shopping experience was a solid B.

Shopping in the markets of Donghua was much more fun, though. Here, the variety of goods was greater, but there, the air was less thick with desperation.

Here, people were willing to sell anything and everything just for a chance to secure basic necessities.

He saw everything from precious stones, family heirlooms, and wedding rings to pots and pans, used clothing, and timber scavenged from broken-down buildings. All of it up for grabs.

Even so, or perhaps because of the grim atmosphere, the experience felt heavy. The desperation was overwhelming.

There were more children here than at the ability users’ trading area, but that wasn’t a good thing. It only added to the uneasy feeling in the air.

Xu Feng couldn’t help but notice how some of the children stood at certain corners, posturing like they were goods for sale themselves. It was unsettling.

It wasn’t just the children, either. Women of all ages clustered in certain areas, posturing similarly. Whether they were offering themselves for a night or something more long-term, Xu Feng didn’t want to know.

He made a conscious effort to be oblivious. It was painfully obvious what was going on, but he wasn’t here to save anyone. He probably couldn’t even save them if he tried.

And if he did, who would feed them? Who would house them? He couldn’t be some world savior, could he?

It was unknown if they wanted to be saved in the first place. What would saving look like for them? There were so many things to consider when one wanted to be a "hero-TM."

Xu Feng sighed, feeling a weight in his chest. He wasn’t a superhero, and this world made that abundantly clear.

’Was I always this self-righteous?’ he wondered. ’Did I really believe I could save Xuan Jian and Xuan Yang? Have I always had this savior complex? Has it followed me from life to life?’

The gloom of his thoughts weighed on him. Did anyone miss him back home? Was Nanshan Estate even home?

The bustle of the surroundings was a good distraction from Xu Feng’s thoughts. He’d always been prone to overthinking, but the loneliness he felt now, was at a new high.

...

It wasn’t just the women and children. He had noticed some men standing in conspicuous corners as well.

At first, he assumed they were laborers, selling their time for resources, but after a while, it became clear that they were offering the same services as the women and children.

These men weren’t particularly muscular or rugged. In fact, many of them looked better groomed than some of the women, despite their harsh circumstances.

They even seemed to be in demand, disappearing with other men at regular intervals.

It wasn’t as blatant as the other transactions, but Xu Feng could still see it for what it was. It also explained why the guard at the gate had been so handsy with him.

Yes, he was an "ability user," but the guard had likely seen him as nothing more than fresh meat—a useless wood ability user with no obvious backer, clean and well-kept, and new to the base.

Fair game.

Beyond these rude awakenings, however, Xu Feng’s haul was impressive.

Non-perishable foods, water filtration systems, and medical supplies were at the top of everyone’s list, but they were the hardest to find and the most expensive.

Xu Feng didn’t waste time trying to hoard what everyone else wanted. It would be a waste of his own resources.

Instead, he found treasures in the unexpected.

Seeds. He had managed to gather a surprising amount of seeds—regular seeds and even mutant ones. It was a haul he didn’t realize he needed, but now that he had them, he felt like he’d hit the jackpot.

The regular old seeds were a good find in themselves, though most of them had been dried out and weathered by the strange climate that had taken hold over the last two years. They were no longer viable for the average grower.

Xu Feng had spent a good amount of time listening to stories from one of his best sources for seeds: an older man with an older child in tow, likely his grandson.

The man had lived in the Aran district before everything fell apart. While others had been busy looting food and water, he had been in the same mindset, never paying attention to the garden center his daughter owned below their home.

It wasn’t until the first year passed that people began realizing their food supply wasn’t guaranteed, and they started caring about seriously growing their own food.

He’d lost his son-in-law to the zombies early, and they had no one to go beyond the wall to forage for resources any longer.

By then, the man, his daughter, and grandson had already begun cultivating their own crops, but with limited success.

At first, they had managed to grow a few things, but over time, the regular crops began to fail. Strange, mutant plants were the only ones that seemed to thrive, but they were too scared to eat them.

Others, more desperate, grew and ate whatever bore fruit. Those who did didn’t die or turn into zombies, but it was still unnerving.

Food was life, and while some of the mutated crops were less appetizing if you could get it to germinate, you would eat it to survive. No one cared about taste anymore. Survival was the only goal.

The old man hadn’t told Xu Feng whether his seeds were viable or what had happened to the rest of his store, and Xu Feng knew better than to ask.

There was no sense in bringing chaos to the man’s already precarious life. Instead, Xu Feng bought a bit of everything the man had to offer—old seeds from two years ago and mutant ones of unknown origin or potency.

To others, it might have seemed like a foolish buy. The man likely thought Xu Feng was a desperate fool, but he didn’t stop him from making the purchase.