Chapter 944
Chapter 944 - 930: Dead End
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7 min read
For Damu from the Refugee Camp, every day was a bad day.
The previous "Death of the Security Officer" made the once lax security officers become vigilant, and since the criminal had already been identified as an "outsider" from the Refugee Camp, the Exotic Races inevitably received more "attention".
This incident, in the end, wasn’t widely reported, but there were some local "Rumors".
It wasn’t because the security authorities were considering the "discrimination" the Exotic Races might suffer if the case were publicized.
In fact, the "Exotic Races" were excluded from consideration from the start, and in the simple "mentality" of the locals of the Feather Tribe, a criminal case involving the death of an Ordinary Citizen could still be accepted, but the death of a "Security Officer" in such a tragic manner was a historical-level accident, causing doubts about whether the city was as safe as always.
"Just the death of a Security Officer, and it’s become such a big deal? Are they also worried that reporting it might affect Social Mentality?"
Many outsiders were shocked when they heard this, unable to understand how things had developed to this point....
"...Doesn’t this just show that their security is too good here, leading to virtually no cases of Security Officer (murder) martyrdom?"
Such an answer might respond to the outsiders’ doubts.
"...In our world, policemen die in the line of duty every day...."
It’s hard to say with what mindset "they", as the "chief culprits", spoke these words.
But for Damu and his people, life was truly getting harder and harder.
Not just the wary looks from the Security Officers and the locals, but also because those "Humans" had been acting more and more outrageously.....
"The cleaning jobs on Seventh Street have been monopolized by them; with Avatars turning into blood mist to clean the windows, we simply can’t compete."
"The porter and Miscellaneous Work at the Dock have also been snatched up by them. They don’t even leave the garbage and filth disposal jobs alone..."
There has always been a limited number of workers needed at An Nan Manor, and the scarce jobs in this city that were willing to employ "foreigners" were their main livelihood.
Now that most have been taken away, what’s more unbearable.....
"...The candy shop on Third Street and the snack store on Sixth Avenue, they’ve taken those over too, it’s too much, they’re leaving us no way to survive..."
"The pet biscuits from the pet store on Sixth Avenue have been reported... they were really tasty and super cheap."
The locals’ "food" didn’t really suit the taste of the newcomers, but if they wanted to survive, it seemed they couldn’t be too picky.
Staple food might not be appetizing, but this world is so affluent, there were various "Snacks" available and surely some suited their taste.
However, the quantity of cheap (this point is crucial) yet tasty "Snacks" was obviously limited, especially since some food with short shelf lives was heavily discounted in the evening... The real-life version of the "discounted boxed meals" war was a struggle for survival for both sides.
"...They adapt to this world better than we do, they can already obtain a stable supply of medicine and food, while we are still struggling for basic survival....."
There was an unequal aspect between the two groups; even if not all residents of the other Refugee Camps were actual war citizens, they had families to tend to and generally had some kind of "dependents", while most people in the Refugee Camp were still Ordinary Persons and not Professional Warriors.
The people from the Blood Feast, they were hardly what you’d call Normal People, and they had no dependents.
The others from the Refugee Camp could still hold an advantage before, mainly because those from the Blood Feast needed time to adapt to the environment. But now, the local tyrants had already transferred over, and not only are they clearly outmatched in the underground "Death Fights", but in the open "overt disputes", they have already fallen into disadvantage.
"The good-hearted doctor from Seventh Avenue, upon hearing that the death of the security officer was caused by outsiders, no longer provides us with low-priced drugs..."
"Damn, how did he find out."
"Who else could it be, if not those ’Humans’? They’ve connected with the manor’s resident doctor, and now they don’t need those cheap medicines anymore, so they cut off our supply. Now even the Shopping Street is spreading rumors that it was us refugees who caused the death of the security officer."
What seems like "playful" competition is actually extremely deadly.
"Work" provides funds, the source of survival resources, and cheap, tasty food is the essence of survival resources. The supply of medicine is not just a necessity for life; at this point in time when people are constantly getting injured, it becomes a strategic material.
The underground death matches are no longer winnable, and the surface-level competition for survival is gradually being dominated, but what is most unacceptable is still.....
"...That Dao Zhong, he knows how to say nice things, I’ve seen him making Mr. An Nan laugh on several occasions."
"Mr. An Nan seems to really like flowers and plants, often sketching in the Garden. There they flaunt their miscellaneous knowledge about plants..."
Those unfortunate enough to have "knowledge" but no "knowledge identity" indirectly show off their learning by peddling their knowledge as gardening skills, a sad thing. But to the other refugees from the Foreign Domain, it’s seen as shameless flattery and scheming without any bottom line."
It’s unacceptable for the competitors to see someone from Blood Feast being favored by the manor’s Master.
If outside competition maintains a bottom line for survival, then inside An Nan Manor, the competition is for the future, and also for the winning hand... Once one side truly becomes "Nobility" and can allocate society’s resources, they will naturally try every means to kill off the other side.
But as it turns out, despite the refugees’ numerical superiority, they somehow cannot compete with the Blood Feast, which has only a few dozen members.
They are gradually being eaten away, losing their survival resources, and also being squeezed out of their living space... As soon as someone from Blood Feast becomes a "steward," they will drive out the other refugees from the manor first thing."
Recently, it seems that the "security officer incident" has led to martial law, causing Mr. An Nan to suspend his "commissions."
But everyone knows (mainly because he’s being noisy about it within the manor) that restarting the commissions is just a matter of time, and given the current situation, the other refugees seem to have gradually lost the ability to compete with Blood Feast.
They are being gradually consumed, eliminated.
Even though they have the advantage in numbers, even though there were mutual injuries before, they are increasingly unable to hold their heads high in front of their competitors.
Ethnic leaders like Damu are anxious, having discussed this many times in private, but there is no solution... Their relatively large ethnicity has instead become a burden, and just securing more basic resources consumes all their energy.
With morale broken, it’s difficult to lead the group, and if it weren’t for the fact that everyone had nowhere else to go, and the opposing side had creepy rumors of "blood-eating cannibalism," some might have already defected to the other side by now.
Dying in a battle, in combat, Damu could accept, but this slow death, filled with rage that cannot be unleashed, is just too terrible....
"...If you run into trouble, try this."
Finally, he picks up a "Gift."
It’s a card inscribed with strange block runes, and the moment he takes it into his hands, he can understand the "patterns" on it.
[Customer Damu. Credit rating: none. Currently extra function unlocked: Reception Room transfer (This function will deduct Life-points; insufficient points will result in a negative balance account.)]
"...Give it a try, whether it’s from the Evil Gods or a Trap, it’s better than slowly having our necks tightened."
— End of Chapter 944 —