Global Demon Transformation.

Chapter 302

China has twelve base cities and 47 satellite cities.

The base city has a population of over 100 million, while the satellite cities have a population of at most a few million, and some only a few hundred thousand.

Of the 47 satellite cities, half existed before the spiritual energy revival, while the other half were military bases established to suppress and develop interdimensional portals.

Over time, this led to the formation of a city.

Satellite cities lack protective artifacts; instead, tall city walls are uniformly erected around them.

The city is surrounded by towering walls that extend ten meters underground.

The city walls are filled with all kinds of modern weapons and are guarded and patrolled. The high-hardness cement is mixed with various sharp metal thorns, which can resist small and medium-sized monster hordes.

This city wall is also known as the Giant Wall.

The giant wall kept the monsters out of the city.

However, there is no giant wall above the city, nor is there a protective barrier for the base city, so flying monsters frequently attack humans.

The deaths and injuries among the residents of the base city were almost all caused by the appearance of new interdimensional portals and attacks by monsters. The probability of this happening was not high, and the number of people affected was not large. Dozens of people were considered very serious, and the number of people affected was generally no more than a hundred.

Meanwhile, new interdimensional portals have also appeared in the satellite city, and it faces constant attacks from monsters.

Every few days, people could see on television footage of which satellite city was attacked by monsters.

Every one or two months, there are major news reports of the massive wall being breached, resulting in heavy casualties.

Monster attacks are unlikely to occur in the base city, but they happen frequently in satellite cities.

Without the protection of the guardian artifact, the satellite city is far more chaotic, with a crime rate dozens of times higher than that of the base city.

According to records, the birth rate in satellite cities has been declining for thirty consecutive years.

The lack of security and happiness is why people in satellite cities are unwilling to get married, and even if they are married, they are unwilling to have children.

Dongyang Satellite City.

Meilin Garment Factory.

This is a garment factory in the suburbs, less than two kilometers from Giant Wall.

The workers in the factory could see the giant wall through the windows and hear the roars of monsters from time to time.

The workers didn't react to this; they had gotten used to it, or rather, become numb to it.

Meilin Garment Factory is not large, with more than 500 employees.

It was seven o'clock in the morning, and the factory was already bustling with activity.

Everyone is doing their job in their familiar position.

Working an average of more than fifteen hours a day, day after day, people's faces have long lost their sparkle, but they are not depressed either. They are used to it and numb. Only when they chat will the atmosphere become a little more lively.

"Last night, outside the giant wall, some monster went mad and howled all night, keeping me awake all night."

"Hehe, maybe it smelled your scent and got horny."

"Hey big guy, you're asking for a beating because you're so foul-mouthed."

"It's probably because her husband kept her up all night."

"Her husband doesn't have that kind of ability; Old Wang next door is about the same."

As usual, the factory chatter always revolved around risqué jokes, accompanied by bursts of laughter, and every now and then someone would get on the bus and speed up.

Did you guys watch the Rising Stars Challenge yesterday? It was so exciting!

"I watched it. Even though I was so tired after get off work yesterday, I still stayed up all night to finish it."

"It was surprising enough that Zhan Tianyu beat Yun Tianqi, but I thought that was the climax. Who knew Lin Feng would be the real climax? Haha, as expected of the media's recognized troublemaker and headline figure, he actually crippled Xie Yixiao. I heard that Xie Yixiao's right hand was almost ruined, and his season is over."

"Lin Feng is ruthless enough. If he can't win, he'll just commit suicide by exploding."

"Ruthless people aren't scary; what's scary are fearless madmen."

"Just ask your opponent if they're afraid, they'll even blow themselves up!"

"Xie Yixiao deserved it. Didn't you see Yun Kai was electrocuted? Lin Feng is avenging his brother."

The atmosphere immediately heated up when the Rising Stars Challenge was mentioned.

This topic is something that everyone, from young women and men who have just started working at the factory to elderly men and women in their sixties and seventies, can chime in with a few words.

And they all have their own opinions.

They have their own interests and concerns.

Although those privileged individuals have no connection to them, are too far removed from each other, and belong to different worlds, it doesn't stop them from idolizing and aspiring to be like them.

"Today is the semi-final of the National College Glory League, which starts at 3 pm. Unfortunately, I have to work overtime and can't watch the live broadcast."

"My son will be eighteen next year and will participate in Awakening Day. I wonder what level of demon spirit he can refine this time. I dare not even think about the three major hero academies. I hope he can get into the nine elite joint schools."

A woman's expression revealed a hint of expectation, which resonated with many parents.

No matter where they are, children are the hope of their parents, and this is especially true in satellite cities.

In the Twelve Base Cities, the dream of ordinary families is to move into the inner city. That is the starting point for entering high society, the beginning of a meteoric rise to success.

The wish of almost every family in the satellite city is to be able to enter the Twelfth Base City, even if it's just a slum.

That's because only then can safety be guaranteed.

For people in satellite cities, being able to live in the base city is the beginning of happiness.

Children from satellite cities can only enter the base city for schooling by being admitted to one of the nine elite joint schools, escorted by the military and passing through multiple space gates. Only then will they have the opportunity to stay in the base city.

For ordinary people, there are two ways to move to the base city.

The first option is to go to the base city yourself; the twelve base cities will not refuse residents of any satellite city.

However, the journey from the satellite city to the base city requires traversing a wilderness teeming with monsters. Even a Lingyun Realm expert cannot guarantee that they will arrive unscathed, let alone an ordinary person.

Going to the base city through the interdimensional portal is safer than going through the wilderness, but it is still very dangerous, so this method is almost impossible to implement.

The second option is to pay five million Singapore dollars and, on a specific day, travel to the base city under the unified protection of the military.

This amount of money is an astronomical figure for an average family, and for an ordinary worker, it would take a hundred years of not eating or drinking to save up.

And this is just one person.

Even if a family's children get into a good university and can stay in the base city to work, only a portion of them can bring their parents and family members to the base city through their own efforts.

Therefore, people from satellite cities rarely get to enter the base city.

There are many ways to change your destiny.

Study hard, get into a good university, find a good job after graduation, or even make a lot of money in business—all of these are achievable.

But the fastest and highest-ranking method is undoubtedly to refine demon spirits on the day of awakening and become a demon spirit master.

As long as one can refine mid- to high-level demon spirits, one can change their own destiny, or even the destiny of their entire family.

When the topic of Awakening Day comes up, it's time for everyone to show off their own kids.

Those whose children are talented will not hesitate to talk about their children's achievements, which is their proudest achievement and their greatest hope in their numb lives.

Those without children, or whose children are not doing well academically, can only express envy and have no right to offer their opinions.

"So what if she got into one of the three great hero academies? Zhang Aomei's daughter got into Demon Star University, and she doesn't work here like us."

Suddenly, a plump woman spoke.

Upon hearing this, the crowd quieted down slightly, then some people burst into laughter, their gazes fixed on a spot where steam was rising.

An elderly woman in her fifties or sixties, with graying hair, loose skin, and a generally unwell appearance, was carefully ironing clothes.

People were chatting, and the old woman remained silent. When the topic of children came up, she lowered her head even more, trying to make herself less noticeable. But unsurprisingly, they eventually started talking about themselves.

Seeing the mocking looks from the crowd, she did not refute them. When people kept asking her questions, she did not get impatient. She just smiled, but her smile was tinged with bitterness.

This kind of topic comes up every two or three days.

She has gotten used to going from arguing and being defiant at the beginning to bowing her head and remaining silent now.

"Why are you bringing this up? Aren't you tired of saying it so many times? Her son is still in the hospital receiving treatment. Besides going to work every day, she also has to clean the factory. Sometimes she works eighteen hours a day. Is that easy for her?"

Some people didn't laugh, but frowned and said.

But this did not deter the fat woman; instead, she spoke even louder: "Isn't this just curiosity? Zhang Aomei, is your daughter really at Demon Star University?"

Zhang Aomei kept her head down and didn't respond, focusing intently on ironing the clothes.

Not answering did not silence the fat woman; instead, she became even more unrestrained in her mockery.
"It's definitely a lie. Those who can get into Demon Star University are all the chosen ones. Why would they need you to work? By now, they've made enough money to take you to Demon Star."

Hearing these harsh words, Zhang Aomei really wanted to refute them.

Her daughter not only attends Magic Star University, but was also admitted through a special admission process, which is much more difficult than getting in through the regular entrance exam.

Two days ago, my daughter wired 1.2 million yuan back home.

The factory workers only earn three or four thousand yuan a month. After a year of expenses, they can't save more than a few thousand yuan. Those with two children are even more unable to make ends meet and have to borrow money to get by.

One million two hundred thousand—that's more money the fat woman could never earn in her entire life.

Zhang Aomei wanted to refute, but in the end she said nothing.

One million two hundred thousand—that much money will tempt many people.

This money is for my son's medical expenses.

She still has to work in the factory. We are all ordinary people, earning hard-earned wages. It's not a good thing if others are too envious of us.

Being a loner will lead to being ostracized.

She has experienced this firsthand.

Their daughter's special admission to Magic Star University was initially a source of pride for them, for the entire family.

But for more than a year, because of their son's accident, the couple worked hard at the factory to earn money, which only made them the target of ridicule.

Only the person experiencing it can truly understand the hardships.

Seeing that Zhang Aomei, as usual, dared not refute, the fat woman looked up and sneered triumphantly, saying, "Am I right? If it were true, why wouldn't she refute it?"

Ding ding ding.
Just as everyone was chatting, a piercing bell suddenly rang. This was the factory's emergency assembly signal, which was only given in case of a major incident.

"Could it be that monsters are attacking the city?"

Everyone stopped what they were doing, their bodies tense and their expressions worried. Some were even trembling, their faces filled with terror.

However, judging from the factory leaders' demeanor, it doesn't seem so.

"Hurry up and run! Haven't you all eaten? Gather outside the field, there are important people here."

A man who looked like a leader shouted.

"What big shot?"

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief when they learned that it wasn't a monster attacking the city. They dared not ask any questions, much less complain.

The factory has no shortage of workers.

Inside the factory, leaders and managers are like local tyrants. Although they are nothing outside, here, a single word from them can cost them their jobs.

In today's society, finding a job is not easy, even for factory work with such low wages.

five minutes later.

More than 500 people from the factory gathered outside the factory building. The leaders, a dozen or so, were also discussing the matter, looking puzzled, as if they didn't know who this important person was.

Such an important person, why would they come to such a small garment factory?
An hour passed, but the so-called important person still hadn't appeared.

The employees whispered among themselves, and although they were impatient, they didn't dare to voice their opinions because they saw that their leaders were waiting obediently.

"coming."

Suddenly, there was a slight commotion in the crowd, and everyone looked up.

A silver-white car appeared in mid-air, its winged emblem on the front a familiar one, a luxury car with a starting price of at least ten million.

Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, the luxury car slowly descended and landed on the ground.

A man and a woman opened the car door and got out.

The man was in his forties or fifties and had become severely overweight; the employees were quite familiar with him.

Dongyang Satellite City is divided into seven districts, and they are located in Anning District. The man's name is Xie Fu, and he is the district head.

Why would the district head come to a small garment factory like theirs?

Is this an inspection tour?
What surprised them even more was that, in their eyes, the high and mighty district chief was actually very polite to the woman next to him, with a smile on his face.

The employees did not recognize the woman.

Only the factory director felt a tremor in his heart at that moment.

Anyone in business would recognize the woman in front of them.

Huang Xintao is the representative of the Huang family, one of the seven major families in Shanghai, in Dongyang.

As a member of the Glory Clan, Huang Xintao is a truly important figure; no wonder even the district head has to fawn over her.

Such a person can cause a region to develop rapidly with just a single sentence.

"Why is Huang Xintao here?"

The factory manager's heart was pounding. He had no chance, nor the right, to curry favor with such an important figure.

Just as he was about to step forward, he suddenly stopped in his tracks. Huang Xintao had actually come to the back of the car and opened the door.

It was actually someone even bigger?

The factory manager felt his blood boiling and his heart pounding.

Under his gaze, a young man got off the bus.

The young man looked to be around twenty years old. He was not tall, less than 1.7 meters. He was not exactly skin and bones, but extremely thin. His face was pale, and he looked to be in very poor spirits.

Huang Xintao stood behind the young man, slightly above his body, seemingly as a sign of respect.

Although the young man was not in good spirits, he appeared visibly agitated and seemed to be searching for someone in the crowd.

Among the employees, Zhang Aomei looked surprised and puzzled, muttering to herself, "It looks like Xiao Jun?"

That young man and his daughter really look alike.

My daughter got this buzz cut two years ago, and she said my daughter looks too masculine and not like a girl.

Although she had lost a lot of weight, as a mother, she still recognized her daughter, but she didn't dare to acknowledge her.

Could such an important person, someone even the district head has to curry favor with, be his own daughter?

(End of this chapter)