The Last 299 Days of Humanity

Yu Qing originally came looking for a refuge, but before he could find one, he seems to have gotten himself into trouble. The reason is truly baffling.

However, Yu Qing was genuinely curious about what kind of place Shizicheng was, since Dong Hao had gotten into trouble just by mentioning it.

Xiaoqin's report quickly attracted two uniformed men. They very politely asked some strange questions. From their questions, it was clear that they knew his identity.

This is a one-way transparency. He knows nothing about their affairs, while they know everything about his. These days, what privacy is there to speak of?

"Mr. Yu Qing, we know your identity and that you have no criminal record. But we still hope you can tell us why you went to Shizicheng?"

"Frankly, I don't want to go to Stone City..."

But Yu Qing stopped himself, not daring to reveal that he truly wanted to go to Feng Town. He really didn't have the courage to take the blame for the old man's actions. He might end up in even bigger trouble.

His stammering only fueled others' suspicions. Yu Qing was also annoyed, wondering what kind of riddle they were playing.

The two men seemed to realize that Yu Qing might not actually know about Shizicheng, and that it might all be a misunderstanding.

"However, we still want to kindly remind you that going there won't solve your problem. We suggest you don't bring the troubles of the West into the East!"

Seeing that Yu Qing was still confused, they believed that his mention of Shizicheng was just a coincidence, so they all left. But they made a meaningful request that he have Xiaoqin provide him with a guide service throughout his stay in Yadu.

This is clearly a way to have Xiaoqin monitor him.

Yu Qing carefully digested what the two people had just said: Why did they say that going to Shizicheng would bring trouble from the west to the east?

What trouble in the west are they referring to? Are they referring to the imminent conflict between the two major conglomerates, Shengtian and Shengdi?
If so, are they afraid that their visit to Stone City will also trigger some kind of conflict?

He had to slowly coax the answer out of Xiaoqin, otherwise he would be suffocated by this riddle.

He had to admit that the information he obtained about the eastern region from Donghao was neither complete nor comprehensive. Xiaoqin, on the other hand, was a living database from whom he could obtain more authentic and complete information.

That's the trouble with a fragmented world where everyone is doing their own thing. Each city-state lives its life with its doors half-open, thinking that this will bring peace to the world, but in reality, undercurrents are still surging in places unseen.

The world will never be at peace.

Dong Hao only mentioned Shizicheng and they got so nervous, Yu Qing felt that this was a breakthrough. He and Xiao Qin stopped mentioning Shizicheng, but kept talking about Chenhe, which was more than 50 kilometers away from Shizicheng.

"Xiaoqin, let's go to Chenhe. I heard there's a really spectacular waterfall there."

Xiaoqin quickly said, "Going to see it live? That's not worth it. Watching the live stream is much clearer; you can see it from every angle, both above and below ground."

"No, I prefer the feeling of being there in person."

"But...it's...too close to there..."

Yu Qing asked knowingly, "Where is it too close?"

Xiaoqin stared at Yu Qing and said, "Do you still want to go to Shizicheng? I advise you to give up that idea. Too many people have died in that place..."

Yu Qing guessed that something major had happened in Shizi City, but he was still shocked: "What? Did some tragedy occur there, or is there a war?"

Xiaoqin realized she had let something slip and could only whisper, "Please don't tell anyone. Thousands of people were killed there overnight, and we don't know who or what weapons killed them. To avoid causing panic, the eastern region, including Yadu, has been ordered to keep the news under wraps."

"My God. The information I received is that the East is more developed and wealthier than the West, and has a higher degree of integration. There are only two major areas, Yadu and Zidu, so how come it's less peaceful than the West?"

"After decades of peace, everyone's restless again. That's how the world is; if one person breaks the rules, a whole bunch of others will follow suit."

"When did that happen? So many people died."

"That was when Sheng Tian and Sheng Di from the west were fighting each other at Lok Yu Tsui."

"What a coincidence? Is there any connection between them? But only a few people died at Lu Yu Zui, while tens of millions of harbingers were shot down."

"In backward places, battles rage like birds, but in the developed Stone City, there is silent slaughter..."

"There has to be some motive. Shengtian and Shengdi are essentially driven by self-interest, so they're trying to make the trigger look like a revenge killing..."

"I don't know. If it could be made public, there would be no need to block the news. You know how difficult it is to block news these days."

Yu Qing sighed and said, "I came here to rest and recuperate for a while, but it has only made me more uneasy."

Donghao hurriedly asked, "Then should we go and seek refuge..."

Yu Qing quickly stopped him, saying, "Alright, don't bring this up again."

Xiaoqin, unaware of the reason, said, "Why are you avoiding anything? You don't need to be too nervous, Yadu is still very safe."

To be honest, Yu Qing didn't know what to do next. The original plan had fallen through, and a new plan needed to be devised.

His current situation is still quite difficult. He needs to rapidly expand his power. This requires substantial financial support.

He still possesses over one trillion RB in wealth, but this is temporary; once the debts mature, he will be left with nothing. He will only have the empty title of heir.

If he takes advantage of the current disconnect between East and West in trade and finance and converts all of RB into Yuqing currency, he will firmly grasp the initiative.

He desperately needed help right now. This Xiaoqin was straightforward and easygoing; she was someone he could try to win over.

He tentatively asked Xiaoqin, "If I offered you a long-term job, would you be willing?"

Xiaoqin thought he was just joking and said, "Okay, but I'm afraid you can't afford to pay me. Let me make it clear first, I don't want RB."

"Don't worry, you can pay in Yuqing coins if you're willing."

"Then what should I do? You should think this through carefully. The salary for hiring someone from Yadu should not be less than five million dollars per year."

"Help me manage this hotel."

"I've never heard of needing people to manage a hotel. What do you mean by that?"

"What, you don't want to?"

“I’d love to, I’d love to, but I can’t quite believe it’s true. You know how hard it is to get a position in Asia… Let me make it clear, if you have other plans, I won’t take it…” Yu Qing laughed, “You’re overthinking it… You talk so bluntly, I don’t want to mess with you. I just want to convert this hotel into a trading office.”

Xiaoqin jumped up excitedly at first, but then said disappointedly, "Is it about trading with the western regions? No way, they've all gone bankrupt. We don't want Japanese goods from the west, and there's nothing worth buying anyway..."

"Have you ever thought about how I came to own this hotel?"

After saying that, Yu Qing showed Xiao Qin the antiques and other items he had brought, and said, "These things that cannot be manufactured in modern times still have a certain market."

Xiaoqin said with some doubt, "That makes sense, but it's such a niche market, can it really work?"

"If it weren't a niche market, do you think there would still be an opportunity to do it now?"

"Then what can I do? I don't know."

"Just focus on selling these within the price range I've set. Of course, we can hire a few more people to help with the sales..."

Xiaoqin said, "But the money you earn can only be used here. What do you need so many Yuqing coins for?"

Yu Qing didn't want to talk to her too much, and said jokingly, "Let's open a few more Mars routes and expand interstellar tourism."

"It's not appealing; people's initial excitement has long since worn off. Besides, going to Mars is boring, tedious, and uncomfortable; in the end, all you'll see is desolation and loneliness."

"Are you going to do it or not? Why do you always have to talk down everything? If you're not going to do it, I'll find someone else."

"I'll do it! I'll do it! From now on, I'll only say 'The boss is brilliant'."

Yu Qing laughed and said, "It's clearly four characters. Can't you count? I've found a fool."

Xiaoqin mischievously raised a hand and said, "Give me five million Qin Yun coins, and I'll become smart immediately."

"You're not lacking in food or clothing, all you need is a job, what do you need so many coins for?"

"It looks comfortable."

"So there are a lot of people who think like you. But when they see my antiques and the like, sooner or later they'll find them more appealing than just numbers. Don't you think this has a bright future?"

Xiaoqin smiled and said, "Boss is wise."

Yu Qing took only a few hours from having an idea to implementing it.

In Asia, advertising arbitrarily is not allowed; the review process is both cumbersome and expensive, so you'll hardly see any ads. However, there is one exception: job postings.

Yu Qing had Xiao Qin purchase five hundred humanoid beauties. They roamed around Yadu, their clothes printed with recruitment information, including job descriptions. Although he didn't need many people, it attracted quite a few idle individuals to come and see for themselves.

A few dozen grams of carbonized grains from the eastern region, dating back more than 10,000 years, are touted as living evidence that the eastern region is the earliest cradle of civilization, and are therefore priced at over 50 billion Qing coins.

Yu Qing originally thought it was impossible to sell, and he only wanted to use it as a publicity stunt. Unexpectedly, the municipal authorities bought it without hesitation.

In fact, they are also creating hype. There's a desperate need for a new topic to divert people's attention and pull them out of the gloom of the Stone City.

There are far more people with nothing to do in the East than in the West. Some people are so bored that they lie in the grass in the wild and let the big mosquitoes bite them all over their bodies before going to the hospital for a few days of treatment.

Just two or three weeks ago, young people from Asia City and those from a neighboring city had a murky, primal brawl-like conflict. The reason, it's said, was that someone jokingly called Asia City residents "cowlicks."

However, to Yu Qing's surprise, his high-profile actions had already exposed his whereabouts, but the people of Shengtian and Shengdi stopped bothering him.

He figured that the people of Shengtian, seeing he had no intention of seizing power, would be happy to let him do as he pleased. And the people of Shengdi, seeing him frantically making money, were also optimistic that their debts wouldn't be affected. Besides, his activities were no longer within their sphere of influence, and he wasn't encroaching on their territory.

Everything seemed to be going smoothly, but Yu Qing's troubles hadn't lessened. His ambitions lay elsewhere. Ultimately, he still had to take over Sheng Tian's affairs. Nearly two months had passed, and he hadn't even seen a glimmer of success.

Building one's own power is not something that can be done overnight, but he only has a little over two hundred days left. Without a breakthrough, relying on his current step-by-step approach, he won't accomplish anything significant in three to five years.

Life here is also very boring. Donghao is just a listening ear, and there's nothing interesting about her. At this time, Yaodan's mission was completed, and it was no longer meaningful to attract Shengtian and Shengdi's attention. Yuqing asked her to come to Yadu to keep him company.

As for Eying and Yuwa, it's best for them to stay in Dongbang for now. What was once a lively and bustling team has now been torn apart by him.

Now he eats alone in his room every day. At first, Xiaoqin would occasionally eat with him, and the two chatted and laughed, making it a relaxed and pleasant experience. But after a few days, he absolutely refused to sit at the same table with Xiaoqin.

As mentioned earlier, Xiaoqin and her friends didn't have a strong need for a meal; they were simply looking for entertainment and to pass the time. She accompanied Yu Qing for the same reason.

But one day, Yu Qing noticed that Xiao Qin was eating the same thing every time, so he asked curiously, "Xiao Qin, don't you find it boring to eat the exact same thing every time?"

Xiaoqin laughed and said, "You don't understand, the Nine-Turned Aged Fragrance has the best flavor and a unique taste."

"Is this what you're eating called Nine-Turned Aged Fragrance? It doesn't look particularly special."

"But it has undergone multiple processing steps, making it even more mellow and fragrant."

Yu Qing couldn't see anything special about it, so he wanted to scoop out a spoonful to taste it. But Xiao Qin quickly covered it with her hand and hurriedly said, "I can, but you can't."

But Xiaoqin's next sentence almost made him vomit his guts out.

"This is what I ate yesterday..."

Yu Qing said in bewilderment, "I clearly saw you finish eating yesterday, how is that possible!"

Xiaoqin said nonchalantly, "But they only pass through the intestines briefly before coming out. They taste even better if you leave them in to eat again..."

Yu Qing felt like he was going to vomit after hearing that...

Perhaps Xiaoqin and the others don't feel any discomfort due to their physical characteristics, but someone like Yu Qing would never accept such a thing.

Birds of a feather flock together. Putting people who are very different together is bound to result in disharmony and a lack of resonance.

Of course, if Yu Qing can think this way, the people of Yadu will eventually think the same way too. This may be one of the reasons why so many people on Earth are suddenly going their own way and eating separately.

Such a world is destined to eventually part ways; whether or not a bloody battle occurs depends on the balance of power between the two sides. (End of Chapter)