Apocalypse Rebirth: 3000 million won at the beginning

Chapter 2225 Bloodstained in the arena, all for the sake of keeping his daughter warm.
A trading market commercial area.

Fusan Street is lined with neon lights on both sides, and people come and go amidst the heavy snowfall.

It's somewhat like a scene from the TV series "Prosperity".

However, the local atmosphere here is much stronger, and the residents are dressed more casually and freely.

444, third floor.

A blue neon sign hangs on the wall, which reads: Flying Internet Cafe.

The internet cafe was completely unfurnished, with an atmosphere somewhat resembling a slum, and contained only a few dozen desktop computers.

Behind the reception desk, there are many snacks produced at the headquarters, such as dried sweet potatoes, corn chips, and beef jerky, with prices marked next to them.

The entire internet cafe was filled with smoke and a pungent smell.

This has a poor tobacco smell.

"Damn it, hurry up and get in there! I'll cover you!"

"Do you even know how to play CrossFire? I'm speechless!"

"I've already done it, where the hell are you? You piece of shit."

"Again, again."

Even in the apocalypse, residents will still seek ways to entertain themselves.

Even in the oil city, they would find ways to have fun, and some people were still obsessed with playing video games even in the apocalypse.

The owner of the internet cafe had a certain passion for the place, so the price wasn't too expensive, only 0.2 points per hour. However, this was still extremely expensive for ordinary residents of the oil city.

Therefore, the internet cafe is not very big, only a few hundred square meters, and it is located on the third floor, so the overall rent is not expensive.

The oil city has a large population, and with a large population, there are naturally some audiences.

Feitian Internet Cafe has been open for half a year, and business is okay. It's able to stay profitable, but the profits aren't much.

No. 102, Second Side Street of the Trading Market.

The arena.

This area is not part of the main street; it used to be a relatively remote place with low foot traffic.

However, with the development of the trading market commercial area, the location of the arena is now considered to be in the core area compared to the entire commercial area.

At night, the arena was packed with people, a scene of bustling prosperity.

The large flow of people at the arena has driven up rents for shops around it, and the entire street is now full.

Inside the arena.

Inside the octagon, two female fighters wearing shorts and sports bras are engaged in a ring duel.

Over the years, the arena has organized numerous championship tournaments, which have produced many formidable combat athletes.

After these combat athletes achieve good results in ring matches, they can be recommended to the military department through recommendation channels.

The military department will focus on reviewing these people's past resumes. Once the resumes are clear, they will be offered a position, allowing them to leapfrog their class and become a reserve member of the militia brigade, a fourth-level personnel.

This is an extremely rare opportunity to defy fate in an oil city.

Therefore, as the arena has developed, it has become more than just a place for the residents of Oil City to earn points through arena battles; it is also a place where they can showcase their strength and seek better development opportunities.

The arena was founded by Six Fingers of the Axe Gang, whose gang was one of the earlier groups to join Oil City.

They put in a lot of effort to obtain the license to operate the arena at first.

They even handed over most of the gladiatorial arena's shares to the Oil City government.

After deepening its cooperation with the Oil City authorities, the Axe Gang's status in Oil City has become quite good.

For ordinary people, they can place bets in the arena, betting on the outcome, and either lose everything or become rich overnight.

They can also watch exhilarating, close-quarters combat matches here, which is a great form of entertainment for them.

Therefore, the arena has become a platform for a win-win situation for all three parties.

Inside the octagonal cage, two short-haired women, their faces covered in sweat, gleamed with menacing intent.

Collisions, elbow strikes, and brutal punches.

Before long, both of them were injured, one of them even had black eyes and blood seeping from the corner of his eye.

But she refused to give up and charged at her opponent again.

offstage.

The audience, young and old, cheered.

"Kill her! Kill her!"

"Damn it, Number Eight, use your fists! Hit her in the temple!"

"This is terrible. I bet 200 points on number 8, but he seems a bit off today. He's so weak. What was he doing?"

"Did they let the number eight team off the hook? I have a feeling there's something fishy going on."

"Hey hey hey? That was a good punch, yes, that's the rhythm."

"You bastard, get up! Keep going, damn it, are you even capable?!"

VVVIP private room.

Six Fingers, the owner of the arena, sat in a private box, looking down at the entire arena through a one-way glass window.

Over the years, the arena has expanded several times, and has now become a super-large venue with 4,000 square meters.

Six Fingers looked at Number Eight, who had fallen in the octagonal cage.

Referee Fat Tiger, dressed in a flamboyant red trench coat, unlocked the octagon and went inside.

Holding the microphone, he pointed it at contestant number twenty-six, who was lying on the ground.

"Can you get up? Countdown. 109731."

After the countdown, he saw that number 26 still couldn't get up, so he waved to the medical staff who were waiting outside the cage, asking them to come up and carry him away for treatment.

As the medical staff came to carry away contestant number 26, Fat Tiger, with a big smile on his face, walked to contestant number 8 and raised her right hand high.

He shouted to the entire audience:

"I declare Zhou Qian, number eight, the winner! Let's give her a round of applause!"

Clap clap clap!

Thunderous applause erupted throughout the venue, and the audience rose to their feet to pay tribute and offer their blessings to her.

Fat Tiger then picked up the microphone and continued:

"Alright, then we'll see number eight off. The next match will begin in twenty minutes."

"The matchup is between number 34, Iron Hand, and number 20, Song Dongjin. You have twenty minutes to place your bets on your favorite player; bets will close after that time."

"Next, a commercial break:"
Sponsored by XX Insurance, in a world where life and death hang in the balance and the apocalypse is fraught with danger, XX Insurance will cover your every life-or-death struggle.

The address of XX Insurance store is No. XX, Third Side Street.

The victory that belonged to Zhou Qian, number eight, is over.
Zhou Qian squinted her eyes, which were almost swollen shut, and forced herself to get down from the octagonal cage.

She cannot show weakness, especially in front of an audience; she must maintain the posture of a strong victor.

As soon as I got down from the cage, a staff member outside approached me and asked:

"Hello, do you need any treatment for your injury? We can provide professional medical diagnosis and treatment."

Zhou Qian nodded slightly, "It would be good to get a diagnosis."

After all, the arena offers free diagnoses, but treatment will cost money.

Overall, the fees are cheaper than those of outside clinics and official hospitals.

She followed the staff to the backstage consultation room.

As soon as she entered the consultation room, she saw contestant number twenty-six lying on the hospital bed, ready to face her.

Contestant number 26 was still unconscious when two nurses wheeled her into the operating room.

The staff led her to a consultation room where a doctor in his forties or fifties was sitting.

The doctor wasn't wearing a white coat and looked quite unprofessional.

The doctor shone a flashlight into her pupils and said, "Look upwards."

"To the left."

"Hmm, lift your foot up a little, does it hurt?"

Zhou Qian nodded and said, "It hurts a little."

"This is a ligament sprain."

The doctor then conducted a thorough examination and finally prepared a diagnostic form.

He handed it to Zhou Qian, saying, "Your eye socket probably needs stitches, and it would be best if you got a tetanus shot."

"You're lucky. You almost went blind. Here, take this. Go get some stitches later. You should be better within two weeks."

Zhou Qian glanced at the medical record in her hand and immediately checked the medical expenses: 20 points.

"So expensive!?" she exclaimed. After all, the reward she would receive in this arena match was only 20 points.

He fought a whole match, got injured in the end, and didn't earn a single point.

The doctor glanced at her and took the medical slip back.

I quickly crossed out the lines above.

"This wasn't caused by rust, so you don't need a tetanus shot, but you definitely need stitches. Tetanus shots are quite expensive, so we'll skip the tetanus shot. But your wound definitely needs to be treated properly. I'll treat it for you later, free of charge, but the disinfectant alcohol, the sutures, and the bandages will definitely be charged."

In addition, the injury on your leg also needs some basic treatment.

A total of 4 points. Is that acceptable?

Zhou Qian glanced at the doctor with some surprise; she hadn't expected him to be so kind.

I glanced at the name tag on his chest; it read: Willow Tree

She swallowed hard, her throat feeling dry, and said, "Thank you, Dr. Liu."

Willow sighed, "I don't know what you've been through, a woman coming here to fight in a tournament."

"But over the years, I've also seen many people like you who were forced to take this path for survival."

I once had a daughter too, but unfortunately... never mind, come with me, I'll help you treat your wound."

Zhou Qian nodded and followed him inside, where Liu Shu had drawn a curtain.

I disinfected her wound with an alcohol swab before stitching her up.

No anesthesia was used when Zhou Qian was stitched up because anesthesia is too expensive, and given Zhou Qian's condition, Liu Shu estimated that she couldn't afford it.

During the stitching process, Zhou Qian didn't say a word and gritted her teeth to endure it.

This made the willow tree admire her even more.

A dozen minutes later, the wounds were all treated.

"Okay, remember not to get the wound wet. I also prescribed some medicine; remember to change it every night."

"The weather is cold now, so the chance of inflammation and infection is relatively low, but you must not get it wet."

A warm feeling welled up in Zhou Qian's heart, and she bowed to Dr. Liu again, saying, "Thank you."

The willow tree waved its hand, indicating that everything was alright.

"Go pay the fee. Just turn right after you leave."

"Thank you." Zhou Qian took the medicine and receipt, pushed open the door and walked out.

Originally, payment was required before treatment, but because the amount was low, Liu Shu did not follow the procedure.

After all, this place isn't a professional hospital; it's just a small private clinic set up by the dueling arena itself.

It's not that formal.

Zhou Qian quickly completed the payment. After the payment, she only had two points left in her points card.

She took a deep breath, took the receipt, and left the small clinic.

A few minutes later.

She went to the betting redemption window and handed over her points number.

"I want to redeem it."

The person inside the window recognized her and smiled:
"Number 8, you're awesome! I just saw you win on the big screen."

The staff member at the window spoke while their hands continued moving.

The operation was completed in just a few seconds.

Then he handed her her points number card and receipt.

"Your odds against number 26 are 1:1. You bet 25 points, now you get 50 points."

Also, since you won this match, the arena rewards you with 20 points, bringing your total to 70 points. You currently have 72 points remaining on your card, so please keep them safe.

Zhou Qian looked down at the receipt, but didn't throw it away because she couldn't see the amount inside.

If she makes a purchase later, the store will print a receipt for her, so she can check if the previous transaction record is correct.

The receipt can be used as proof of purchase.

"Thank you."

Zhou Qian felt exhausted and just wanted to get away from here as soon as possible.

She took out her clothes as she walked into the athletes' preparation hall.

When she put on her clothes, she inevitably touched the wound on her leg, which made her wince in pain.

She took her hat and went out through the back door of the arena.

As soon as she stepped outside, the icy wind and snow howled against her face.

She quickly put on her worn-out hat, breathing out hot air, and limped toward the street next to her.

On the way, I bought two cornbreads.

As she passed a clothing store, she suddenly stopped and looked at a pink children's dress inside. She hesitated.

"Nuomi's clothes are too old, and it's so cold."

With that in mind, she walked into the shop.

"Hello, how much is this children's clothing?"

The shop assistant looked at her tattered clothes; her cotton-padded coat was torn, and the cotton wadding inside was leaking out.

"13 points per item."

"So expensive!?" Zhou Qian looked at him in shock.

13 points!
The shop assistant explained:
"The weather is cold now, and goods are in short supply. Moreover, these clothes were imported from the headquarters base. Transportation is inconvenient now, with trains only coming every two or three days, and relatively few clothes are being transported."

"Also, this garment you're looking at uses temperature-regulating technology developed at our headquarters. Don't let its thinness fool you; it's incredibly warm."

"It's too expensive." Zhou Qian still couldn't accept the price.

Seeing her like this, the shop assistant showed her another children's garment.

"In that case, this one will do. It's made by our Oil City Garment Factory, and it's filled with cotton. It costs 8 points, but we're having a promotion today, so it's 20% off and only costs 6.4 points."

Forehead.
"How about five points?" Zhou Qian wanted to bargain.

The shop assistant frowned and crossed his arms in front of his chest.

"Prices are non-negotiable in this store."

In today's oil city, it is a seller's market.

In the past, when train and road transportation were more convenient, consumers had some choice.

But this is the apocalypse, and an apocalypse brought by natural disasters. If it weren't for the fact that Oil City can still maintain contact with other branch bases, prices would have already skyrocketed.

Seeing that she couldn't negotiate the price, Zhou Qian stood there hesitantly for a long time.

Finally, she took out her points card and said, "Okay, I'll buy it."

The shop assistant looked at the down jacket she was wearing and asked:
"Your clothes are so worn out, do you want to buy another one? I can recommend one to you, it only costs 10 points, and you can get an additional discount if you buy two, so it only costs 14.4 points in total."

"No, no. I'll buy this one." Zhou Qian refused without hesitation.

The shop assistant was moved when she saw her like this.

His tone inexplicably softened a little.

Judging from her clothes and appearance, she must be very poor.

But she was willing to spend her points for her child.

For their own sake, they refused without hesitation.

The role of a mother.
"I'll wrap it up for you, give me the SIM card."

"Okay, thank you." Zhou Qian nodded and handed her the points number card.

A few minutes later.

The shop assistant gave him the packed clothes, the receipt, and his points number.

After checking that the numbers on the receipt were correct, Zhou Qian nodded slightly to the shop assistant, turned around, and limped out of the clothing store.

On her way to the bus stop, she walked through the cold snow, but her heart was filled with warmth and joy.

"When Nuomi sees this, she'll be very happy."

She gazed toward the buffer city, where her children were waiting for her to come home.

She has dozens of points in her hand, enough to last a long time. She has food, shelter, and clothes to wear, though they aren't very warm, but she is content.

She also complained about the unfairness of fate, which took her husband away.

But she is even more grateful for the gift of fate, that even in such a desperate moment, there is still a way to keep going.

She squinted at the heavy snowfall, a slight smile playing on her lips.

What a wonderful world!
What a wonderful city!