After hearing her question, Zyler stared at his leg and fell into his memories.
It took him a while before he slowly spoke, his tone without any emotion.
"Five years ago, I was twenty, and Hai was fifteen."
"My father and I joined a mission to clear out mutant beasts. Something went wrong. Many people from our team died. My father also died. My leg... was injured during that time."
Ellie understood.
"So they think it was your fault your father died, and that you should have died instead?"
"And because you feel guilty, you let them take your nutrient packs, and don't argue or fight back?"
"No. I still understand the rule of the strong surviving," Zyler explained seriously. "I just don't want to argue. It's pointless."
Ellie nodded. That made more sense. She didn't want her bed partner to be some saintly fool.
"I'm just saying, you and your brother don't look alike at all. Maybe you're not even really related."
"Things like this, don't take it to heart. Just wait here. I'll go get the nutrient packs. Be good."
Zyler: Uh...
Those were his family. She had already hit them and cursed them in front of him. If she talked behind their backs too, it would feel too much.
In Ellie's eyes, she and Zyler were both people who had hit rock bottom. No matter which direction they moved, it would be upward from here.
"Don't worry. Our life will only get better."
Ellie patted Zyler's shoulder, grabbed the small cloth bag hanging behind the door, and stepped out.
She rubbed her fingers, thinking about how solid Zyler's shoulder felt, and couldn't help but shake her head and sigh.
Such a strong man, and yet he was disabled?
She had never slept with a man, but that didn't stop her from drooling over one.
Uh…
Wait a minute.
What was she just thinking?
Oh, sleeping with a man.
But the stone bed at home, how could two people sleep on that?
No, wait, that's not the point. The point is, she shouldn't sleep in the same bed with Zyler.
She… she she she…
That kind of thing… needs feelings first!
Also, she was a top-level talker with zero experience. All theory, no practice!
So, the most urgent thing now was to get another bed for the house.
Not just that, she also needed a blanket, pajamas, slippers, a chair, bowls and chopsticks, a washbasin…
Ellie raised her wristband and checked her account balance from memory.
Good news: she still had money.
Bad news: just a tiny bit.
[Balance: 150 star coins]
That's about 150 RMB, right?
Can she buy a bed with that?
She knew the original Ellie was poor and unwanted.
But she didn't expect it to be this bad.
"Ellie! Are you blind? I know you miss me, but you didn't have to follow me in broad daylight! So annoying!"
Ellie was still thinking about how to use her 'fortune' wisely when an annoying voice shouted above her head.
She looked up and saw Zach, with Yazhi holding onto his arm.
To be honest, the two of them did look like a perfect match — handsome and pretty.
But so annoying!
Ellie smoothed her long black ponytail. "So gross. Did you forget to wipe your mouth after using the toilet?"
"You—"
Zach couldn't win in an argument with someone like Ellie, who had surfed the internet for years in the 21st century. His face turned dark.
He raised his arm to hit her.
But Yazhi stopped him.
She raised her chin at Ellie with a proud face. "Tonight, my family is holding a party for me and Zach. We even hired the top chef from Wind Soil City to cook."
"Even though you were kicked out of the family, you can still come."
Well then.
Life wasn't just about the mess now. There were also invitations from exes.
They were both from the same family. One got a fancy dinner party, the other didn't even have a bed.
Ellie wasn't the type to suffer just to save face.
She coldly threw down six words, "Not going. Best wishes. Goodbye."
She walked right past the two and followed the map on her wristband to the nutrient pack center in the inner city.
The current wasteland world has been severely impacted by nuclear war and pollution, causing the environment to worsen. Many plants and animals have mutated, and large areas of land have turned into wastelands. There are few places left suitable for human survival.
Natural food, paper books, the old world, and quality people are extremely valuable.
Only high-ranking warriors, mechanics, agricultural experts, chefs, and the upper class get a chance to enjoy these things.
Ordinary soldiers and people like Ellie, who are considered defective, only get nutrient solution.
"Two nutrient solutions for both people."
Ellie stood in front of the small window and copied what the person ahead of her had done. She placed her wristband on the black machine in front of her.
[Beep, defective person, 2 nutrient solutions]
[Authorization granted, 8 nutrient solutions]
Darn it!
The person ahead didn't get any announcement, but she got called out like this? Defective people have no human rights!
Those still in line looked over.
Ellie took a deep breath and expressionlessly accepted the 10 nutrient solutions the robot handed to her, stuffing them into her cloth bag.
This would be the food for her and Zyler for the week.
She left the line, ignoring the stares from everyone.
If there were a comment section right now, someone would definitely post: "Please tag a friend who would eat this crap."
And she would be the one tagged with the most likes.
After pretending to be deaf for a moment, Ellie quickly adjusted her mindset and started looking for a shop to buy a bed.
After checking several stores, she quietly left.
A metal single bed cost 1000 star coins, a double bed 2500 star coins.
A beast bone single bed cost 5000 star coins, a double bed 12000 star coins.
A wooden single bed cost 20000 star coins, and a double bed 50000 star coins.
Ellie: ...
The wooden bed was badly made, and even if it were thrown on the street in her old hometown, no one would want it. Yet here, it was in high demand.
Buying a bed was not realistic.
She had to think of other ways; ultimately, she was just too poor.
At that moment, a team of people, covered in blood, rushed through the street with several steel pipes holding something.
"Make way, make way, quick!"
"Oh my god! It's a mutated phoenix! Which team caught it? They must be rich now!"
"Yeah, look at those feathers, the claws, those legs..."
"Are they going to get Chef Li to process it?"
"Of course, only Chef Li in Wind City has experience handling such a rare beast."
There was a lot of noise, but Ellie only paid attention to the word "phoenix."
She had to take a look and broaden her horizons.
She squeezed into the crowd and looked. Oh wow!
That crown, that big tail, those claws, that sharp beak.
Wasn't that just a big hen?
It was huge, almost the size of a grown pig, and its body was as big as an ostrich.
"You're calling this a phoenix?" Ellie was surprised by how large the mutated hen was and also shocked at the people's lack of knowledge.
"Heh, what else should we call it? It's a phoenix, of course," one person in the crowd glanced at her.
He continued, "There's an old saying from the past: 'Fly up the branches to become a phoenix.' It can almost fly as high as the base's wall, so of course it's a phoenix."
What logic!
A group of people stopped in front of a two-story shop. The leader of the team was blocked by a robot before he could enter.
[No reservation, entry not allowed]
[No reservation, entry not allowed]
"How can you be so unreasonable?"
"We told you, it was an emergency. We couldn't make a reservation in time. Where's Chef Li? Please, you have to make an exception."
"If that's impossible, just let Chef Li do the preliminary processing!"
"We lost three men to capture this phoenix, and if we don't handle it now, it'll go to waste. Please, we..."
The leader spoke with a pleading tone.
A team leader was actually begging a robot that worked for a chef.
Ellie gained a deeper understanding of the class divisions in this world.
It seemed that even in the wasteland, the saying "a minister in front of the emperor" still applied.