Love Code at the End of the World

Arsenal lowered her head and her long, curly, blonde hair swayed in the night breeze. “If we could pass through it, maybe it would really be like how you said it is. We could find new species and a place that was more suitable for living…” She fixed her gaze on the horizon, gazing at the night sky and her lips were lifted to form a hopeful smile.

“Don’t worry. I am a radiationer. I can walk in the radiation circle!” I patted my chest and reassured her. Xing Chuan had said that I was a radiationer but not a metahuman.

Arsenal smiled faintly, “Luo Bing, radiationer is only immune to a certain level of radiation. You can only walk around the border of the radiation circle…”

I can only walk around the border of the radiation circle…

In other words, Arsenal means that we are trapped there. How about outside these radiation circles? There should be other livable zones like Noah City. Would it mean… the people here are trapped and segregated by the radiation circles!? Doesn’t it sound like ancient times, similar to my world before routes were opened and built? Back then, villages were separated by mountains and rivers too.

“As long as we have enough energy, the anti-radiation vehicle could pass through a radiation zone and reach the next livable zone to search for or exchange for resources, such as…” Arsenal looked to the East, “Blue Shield City is located in District Eight on our East. They have better resources than we do, but these are very expensive…”

“District Eight… then we are in…”

“District Nine.” Arsenal smiled and became emotional again, ‘That’s why, Luo Bing, I really thank you. When we harvest our apples next year, we can take the apple seeds to exchange for paddy, corn or other seeds. The children would get to eat more things then!” Arsenal’s eyes were glistening under the moonlight. It was as though she saw great hope.

I was embarrassed by her enthusiasm. She looked at me as though she was looking at a hero, but I merely had given them the core of an apple, that I would have normally thrown away.

“Actually, I really didn’t do much…” I lifted my head casually and looked at Silver Moon City. I suddenly felt confused, “How about Silver Moon City? Aren’t they in the sky? They could totally fly past another radiation zone!” 

Arsenal looked at Silver Moon City, “Yeah, they can go to more places. However, even though their anti-radiation vehicle can enter the radiation zone, their people can’t get out of the vehicle to search for resources.  But… they are our hope…” Arsenal’s eyes revealed gentleness and hope again, “They have found many seeds in various districts and they are researching on how to make the soil more fertile. I hope that our land will become fertile again and it will be covered with crops and plants…”

Arsenal was such an innocent girl. Her eyes always held a glimmer of hope and a bright future. She was different from He Lei. There was only hatred in He Lei’s eyes and… hopelessness.

“Hence… as resources are scarce, everyone only cares about themselves?” I glared at Silver Moon City, “They are really selfish.”

“Luo Bing, please do not say that about Silver Moon City.” She held my hand and there was a tinge of sadness in her gentle expression, “Their resources are not enough to help us. They couldn’t do anything about it as well. However, they are protecting the last bit of resources that we humans have. They are guarding human being’s last hope. Also, they are protecting us. They have made a map of all districts to tell us which cities are friendly, so we could exchange resources with them; and which cities are not, so we could keep our safe distance from them!”

“Such as Ghost Eclipse City?” I asked.

There was a strike of terror in Arsenal’s eyes. She was instinctually fearful. She blinked timidly and lowered her head, “Yes, Ghost Eclipse City is a… scary city. They would only plunder resources. Whichever village or city they discover, they simply wipe it out. Females would be cultivated, while males… males…” Arsenal’s voice was quivering. I immediately held her hand, “Forget it. They won’t find us!” I never expected that Ghost Eclipse City would strike terror to this extent in Arsenal’s kind heart.

No, I should say that everyone in this world seemed to be fearful of them. When I met He Lei, those people who had been captured by Ghost Eclipse City were shivering in fear too. They had lost hope for life.

But… What did she mean when she said a female is for cultivation?

I looked at Arsenal who had calmed down and couldn’t help but ask, “What do you mean by a female is for cultivation?”

Arsenal looked at me in shock. She couldn’t understand why I didn’t know. But soon, she recalled something and revealed an envious look, “Luo Bing, it’s great to lose your memory. You could forget how scary this world is, how scary Ghost Eclipse City is…”

I looked at her dumbfounded.

Her gaze grew solemn as she said, “This world lacks food, and woman can…” Her face became pale, “give birth to children. You… Do you understand what I mean?”

I looked at her, and suddenly my body quivered in disgust. I felt disgusted from the bottom of my heart. My limbs grew cold and my stomach churned. *Retch!* I vomited, and Arsenal looked at me sadly, “They don’t need to reproduce. They only need food… Luo Bing, I really hope that you don’t remember things…” She turned to look into the darkness, “This world… has nothing beautiful to remember about…”

I took deep breaths in the night breeze. I simply couldn’t imagine that humans would do that! Even though our history teacher had said that during the ancient war, there were cases where humans had cannibalized due to the lack of food, it was too far away in the past for me. But now, when I realized that it was happening around me, I felt extremely fearful. I now understood why He Lei was so brutal and merciless with the people from Ghost Eclipse City!

That sinful city should disappear from the world!

I clenched my fists as I quivered in anger.

“Luo Bing, why are you not willing to go to Silver Moon City?” Arsenal reined back her gaze and turned to look at me. Her beautiful eyes were filled with confusion, “We heard you telling Raffles that there is a signal device on Silver Moon City’s escape pod. They will definitely return to look for you…”

I let go of my tightly clenched fists and laughed, “Then, be interrogated? Humph. They don’t trust me.”

“Because you are a stranger to them,” Arsenal spoke for Silver Moon City again. I could understand the reason for Xing Chuan’s distrust. But who else could be trusted in a world where the law of the jungle applies for real?

“In the eyes of the people here on earth, anyone who Silver Moon City brings back for interrogation are stronger than those living here on the ground…” Arsenal looked around. The surrounding was only barren with no future—completely hopeless.