Novel Full Chapter 880 880: The Herders ( 12 )
Chapter 880 880: The Herders ( 12 )
The foreman observed the commoners with a frown and said, "Today, each of you must mine a total of 500 grams of crystals, or you won't get to eat."
Without giving them a chance to process what was going on, he waved his hand and said, "Send them in!"
Following his order, the guards pointed their weapons at the commoners and forced them to climb down the ladders.
Reaching the bottom of the hole, they saw countless people already working there. Their gaunt bodies were covered with strange purple bruises and black veins. Their faces were pale, and their eyes were bloodshot.
When they saw a large group of people arrive, they didn't even bother to glance at them and continued mining the crystals embedded in the ground and walls monotonously.
Seeing their conditions, the commoners finally realized what hell was waiting for them. They wanted to escape, but it was too late.
One of the commoners didn't want to stay and decided to try his luck to escape. The moment he ran, one of the guards pulled the trigger.
BANG!
"Argh!"
The bullet pierced his thigh, leaving a bloody hole behind. The man fell to the ground and screamed in pain.
"This is a warning. Next time anyone tries to run, the bullet will pierce your head. Now, get to work!" the guard said coldly.
The commoners were too scared to go against them and could only pick up their tools to work. Those who didn't have any tools could only use their fingers or sharp stones to dig the black crystals.
They thought that mining 500 grams of crystals was an easy task. But when they started working, they realized that the crystals were harder than metal.
Even the soil and stone around the crystals were very hard. Not to mention using stones or fingers, even using tools was not enough to easily dig the crystals out.
As the workers worked, the sky started to darken. When it was 7 o'clock in the evening, the sound of a siren echoed in the area, marking the time for changing shifts.
The workers carried their baskets or buckets containing the black crystals to the checking point. While the guards weighed the crystals, the workers formed a line.
Those who reached the daily target were given a piece of hard, black pancake and a cup of water.
Those who got more received an extra piece of pancake and an extra cup of water. As for those who didn't hit the target, they got nothing but half a cup of water, just to keep them alive.
After the workers left the mine, another group of workers entered. The mining process continued as the guards escorted the tired workers back to their dwellings.
These so-called dwellings were actually the damaged buildings used as residences by the people of Red Cliff Base. Although most areas were destroyed, the area where the residences were located was intact.
Before they entered the dwelling area, the guards checked their bodies one by one to ensure that they didn't smuggle any black crystals out. Only after a series of inspections did the workers finally return to their rooms for a rest.
Unlike the survivor bases, the herders appointed 20 people to stay in a one-bedroom apartment. As for the bigger apartments, they were used by more people. The biggest apartment was specially used by the guards, and the condo was used by the Herders.
At 9 o'clock in the evening, inside one of the dark apartment rooms, a group of people was lying side by side on the ground. Although their eyes were closed, they still talked in low voices.
One of them was among the newly sent workers, a Level Four water-type mutant. The young man lying beside him handed over a small piece of black crystal and whispered, "Brother, you are a mutant, right?"
The mutant nodded and asked, "Why did you give me this?"
The young man licked his chapped lips and said, "Brother, I heard from the guard that this crystal has more energy compared to the zombie crystal core. I'm just an ordinary person and can't use this crystal."
"For me, it's worthless. But for you, it's very valuable. So, will you be willing to exchange a cup of your water for this crystal?"
Hearing this, the mutant finally asked, "How long have you been staying here?"
"I have been working here for more than 20 days. I know that something is wrong with my body, and I might not be able to leave. But I still hope to be able to have a more comfortable life before dying."
The mutant looked at the young man's bloodshot eyes and pale face for a while before he nodded.
Seeing this, the young man's dull eyes finally lit up.
Lately, he felt that his body was slowly losing strength, and he was no longer able to reach the daily target. So it had been days since he ate something. All this time, he was only holding on to his life with half a cup of water every day.
He had a feeling that he wouldn't be able to live more than 2 more days. Before his death, he wanted to have a full belly so as not to become a hungry ghost.
Knowing that no one would be willing to exchange their food, he was satisfied with drinking more water.
After he handed the black crystal to the other person, he received a full cup of water. While he was sipping his water slowly, a piece of pancake appeared in front of him.
Raising his gaze, he saw the mutant had actually given him half of his extra pancake. He was grateful, but he couldn't accept the food.
He pushed the pancake back and whispered, "Brother, you should keep this for yourself. If one day you are too weak to work, this pancake might be able to prolong your life."
When the mutant heard his words, he shoved the pancake into his mouth and said, "You might be willing to die here, but I'm not. I will leave this place before that day comes."