Mecha Star Wars.

Chapter 1441 Children

The transport station doesn't have trucks every day, and their arrival times are unpredictable.

While Lin Fan was disappointed, he also felt a sense of relief, as if he had just learned his lesson.

After discovering the map was incorrect, she began to doubt the authenticity of the information she obtained from the Anniemo official website.

"If we don't know when the car will arrive... do you know the way to Silvermoon City?" she continued to ask.

The child clasped his hands in front of him and shook his head.

“There’s no way out of here, you can’t get anywhere.” He paused, then added, “Unless a car comes.”

“Yes, there is such a rule,” Bonnie squatted down with the group and whispered to Lin Fan, “In order to maintain good public order, people from the lower district need special permission to enter the upper district. Those without permits will be considered illegal immigrants and will be severely punished if caught.”

"Is this policy only targeting the Loess Plateau region?" Antonio sneered.

“No, not really.” Bonnie replied casually, then realized she had echoed Antonio’s words, paused for a moment, but decided to finish her sentence. “People from Graystone Settlement also need permission to go to Silvermoon City; they can’t just go whenever they want. The same goes for people from Silvermoon City who want to go to Crystal City. It’s just that the higher up you go, the more lenient the procedures are compared to the lower levels. The enforcement in the Yellow Earth District is probably the strictest.”

“I see.” Antonio watched as Lin Fan handed the bread to the child, then stood up. “Now look what’s happened, this path is blocked.”

"Should we go and take a look first?" Lan Bingru didn't think the child was lying, but she felt that a little kid who wasn't even waist-high might not be able to guarantee the truthfulness of what he said.

With arms and legs as thin as sticks, they might think the world is just this dirty, dilapidated house, and they probably don't even know what the outside world is really like.

Lin Fan had already opened the terminal again to confirm the direction of Silvermoon City: "Judging from the map's terrain, to get to Silvermoon City, we have to go around Graystone Settlement. Otherwise, we'll really have to cross mountains and valleys."

Although the Yunji Plain is a plain, it is very vast. The loess region where they live only occupies a small area in the south; the vast majority of the other areas have been developed into automated agricultural bases.

Seeing a living person... or a living beastman, is probably not much easier than seeing a living beastman in the Loess Plateau.

Lin Fan, Antonio, and Chisui are not a big problem, but the main concern is Lan Bingru.

And Bonnie too.

Originally, she was dispensable, but due to the inaccuracy of official information, she has become the only reliable source of information.

Even knowing that she might not be telling the whole truth, Bonnie still didn't dare to cheat them, given that their own safety wasn't guaranteed.

Moreover, heading straight north would lead to the Black Rock Mountains, which stretch from east to west.

Crystal City and Silvermoon City are situated atop the mountain ridge. The area bordering the western side of the mountain range and the Cloudridge Plain is where Bonnie mentioned the Graystone settlement.

The core of Annemo is ore mining. Almost every region has mines of varying sizes. The Blackrock Mountains are particularly surrounded by automated mining operations.

The only road that allows normal people to easily go up and down is the one that runs from Crystal City through Silvermoon City, down to Graystone Settlement, and finally extends to the Loess District.

The group discussed their next move, unaware that the child who had run off had returned.

"You..." Seeing that he had attracted the attention of the group, the child shrank further behind the wall, only showing most of his head. "Don't go out. It's not good outside."

Antonio laughed: "Oh? Even if it's bad outside, can it be worse than here?"

The place was filthy, dilapidated, and dark, not to mention the acrid smell of burning kerosene mixed with a musty, earthy odor from somewhere. For Antonio, whose sense of smell was more acute than most, it was incredibly unpleasant. The child froze, thought for a moment, and then said, "Once you go out, you can't come back. They said... they all died out there. People can't go out. Are you even human?"

Contacting the child's situation, Lin Fan instantly understood a lot. "We are human beings," she said, her expression softening. "Are the 'them' they're referring to your family?"

"Family?" The child blinked blankly, then slowly shook his head. "One day one of them disappeared, and another day, the other one disappeared too. I saw it with my own eyes. That car was a man-eating monster. Everyone inside was crying."

Bonnie shrank back, hiding in the shadows to avoid the stares of the others, thinking: What does this have to do with me? It's not like I'm the one who came to arrest them.

“No wonder no one cares, it turns out that…” Lan Bingru felt even more heartbroken, “Without adult protection, it’s too difficult for a child to survive alone in this kind of environment.”

The harsh realities of life do not allow people to have a kind heart.

Just by looking at the surrounding environment, you can tell that even the people in the Loess Plateau have a hard time surviving.

Perhaps hardship has dulled compassion, or perhaps it's a case of having the will but lacking the strength...

Before seeing it with his own eyes, Lin Fan found it hard to imagine that he could see such a desolate and backward scene on a Level 3 civilization star. Even Lanxing, which had not yet reached Level 1 civilization, was far superior to the Loess Region.

Lan Bingru asked a few more questions, becoming increasingly reluctant to speak. After much hesitation, she finally spoke.

"Lin Jian... how about..."

"You don't want to take it with you, do you?" Bonnie was the first to bristle.

Lan Bingru initially found it difficult to talk about, but Bonnie's words made her feel more at ease.

“I also felt it was inappropriate, but the fact that this child came back to remind us shows that he has good character. Besides, it would have been fine if we hadn’t known him, but now that we’ve crossed paths, we’re just letting him fend for himself. He’s not a cat or dog. I… never mind, I’ve overstepped my bounds.”

Lan Bingru gave up in frustration.

Lin Fan turned to Bonnie and asked, "What were you thinking? How could you take all the adults away and leave a child here to fend for himself?"

"Shh!" Bonnie cautiously looked around, making sure nothing was amiss, before lowering her voice and urgently saying, "I'm not with them, I take the high-end route..."

Antonio rolled his eyes and scoffed.

Bonnie was interrupted and suddenly forgot what she was going to say. She subconsciously continued, "Besides, every transaction involves interests, right? If just anyone could sell this business, the Loess District would have been gone long ago."

"Oh, so you have other requests?" Antonio sneered, crossing his arms.

“Absolutely,” Bonnie said, straightening her head and raising her voice as she spoke about her profession. “It’s either about being pretty or being strong. Kids have a market too, but look at this, it’s clearly a money-losing product that won’t sell and will just sit in your hands!”

Everyone's attention was once again focused on the small face in the darkness.

Even after being cleaned, they were merely pretty, but due to malnutrition, they looked pitiful and certainly had nothing to do with cuteness or beauty.

Before the child could react, commotion broke out in the surrounding houses.

The sounds of clattering and crashing were like something being overturned and repeatedly struck. The creaking of doors opening and closing, the chaotic footsteps, and the swaying shadows, all seemed like evil spirits emerging from the darkness, rushing straight at the crowd.