Boom, boom, boom...
Blood mixed with sweat dripped down the man's forehead, each drop falling one by one. The man was bare-chested, with no part of his body unscathed. His hands were tied, suspended in the air, and his toes barely touched the ground. The swaying yellow lamp above cast a flickering light, giving him a somewhat dazed expression. He shook his head, trying to stay alert.
Boom!
The baseball bat swung violently, smashing into his chest. The man heard the crunch of his bones, likely a rib breaking. The intense pain shot into his brain, causing him to involuntarily groan.
"Oh? Feeling the pain now? Weren't you tough just a moment ago? How about screaming a bit for me?" The man wielding the bat was tall and muscular, with a shaved head and a long scar on his face. He taunted with a mocking tone. Another blow landed on the man's chest, but this time, he gritted his teeth, refusing to make a sound.
"Damn, aren't you going to scream for me? Scream!" Frustrated that the man remained silent, Scarface, as they called him, became agitated. He continued his brutal assault, but not a single sound escaped the man being beaten. The warehouse already had an unpleasant smell, and now, a damp, bloody scent permeated the air. After nearly an hour and a half of relentless beating, the man, whether beaten or beating, remained silent.
"Damn, you're really stubborn." Finally, Scarface grew impatient. He tossed the bat to his companion and said, "You guys continue," then stepped out of the range of the hanging lamp.
In this dim warehouse, illuminated only by the hanging lamp, there was a faint glimmer in one direction. Scarface easily identified the source with a glance.
Flexing his arms, Scarface walked aggressively towards the source of light. However, when he reached the dimly lit area, he hesitated. He scratched his shaved head and glanced at the person in front of him, but remained silent.
The person who made Scarface hesitate didn't look menacing at all, at least not as intimidating as Scarface himself. It was a woman, casually dressed in a hooded leisure jacket, ripped jeans, and sneakers. The woman was quite short and slender, resembling an underage girl who seemed completely out of place in such a setting.
Aries wore a hooded jumpsuit, leaning casually against the warehouse wall. Her ears were covered with headphones, and the screen's light flickered, casting alternating shadows on her face.
She had no interest in the interrogation process, currently engrossed in the content playing on her screen – one of the well-preserved movies from the old era.
Movies and television had become rare commodities in the current age. Even though more than a century had passed since the chaotic period following the apocalypse, where zombies, mutated creatures, and unpredictable climates posed significant challenges to survival, the new era's living conditions did not allow for extravagance in entertainment.
As the saying goes, rarity increases value. The brilliant civilization of the old era had rapidly regressed during the destruction of the apocalypse, entering an extended period of blankness. The remaining artifacts had become cherished antiques, usually reserved for the leisure of high-ranking individuals.
Aries was not a high-ranking individual; the movie playing on her phone was a gift from her boss during one of his rare good moods. Aries watched this movie frequently, not because she particularly liked it, but because she envied those living in the movies. To her, the living conditions in the movie, compared to the cruel and violent reality of the new century, might resemble the mythical paradise.
Even if the movie's content was utterly boring.
"Um..." Scarface stood in front of her for a while, noticing that she continued to ignore him. He had to clear his throat, attempting to grab her attention.
Aries still stared at the screen, her gaze fixed on the phone screen without wavering. She casually spoke, "What?"
Seeing that she finally acknowledged him, Scarface knew she was listening. He said, "This guy is really stubborn. I don't think we'll get anything out of him today. How about giving him a couple more days? I guarantee he'll spill everything, even details about the women he's been with."
Aries raised her eyes from the phone screen to Scarface's face. The man, much taller than her, seemed somewhat intimidated in her presence, especially with his menacing face. "Give him more time? Sure," she replied indifferently. "But whether Estrella is willing to wait for you, I'm not so sure."
With that, Aries tucked her phone into her pocket and walked towards the exit of the warehouse.
Scarface's face changed, and he hurriedly caught up. "Hey, considering we've been working under Estrella for so many years, could you put in a good word for me? I promise just two days, and I'll make sure he spills everything." Seeing Aries's determined steps, Scarface couldn't help but sweat on his forehead. "One day! Just one day!"
"Fine, just one day." Aries halted her steps, glanced at him, and said, "I'll help you this time. If there's no result after a day, you deal with it yourself. You know Estrella doesn't keep useless people."
"Thank you, thank you so much." Scarface thanked profusely, bowing to her. He smiled, intending to escort Aries out of the warehouse, but she declined, saying, "Make good use of your time."
After saying this, Aries put on her headphones and left the dim place.
...Working under Estrella together? Aries sneered in her mind. When I met Estrella, you probably didn't even know where you were.
Even outside the warehouse, the air wasn't fresh. That was the world, filled everywhere with the stench of decay. But even in such circumstances, people still had to live, even if it seemed meaningless.
Aries walked towards the black sedan parked in front of the warehouse – Estrella's car. Whenever she needed to go somewhere, she always used this car. The driver, Estrella's man in his thirties named Alfonso, was always the one behind the wheel. Although he belonged to Estrella, Aries had spent more time with him than with Estrella.
Seeing her approach, Alfonso started the engine and asked, "Miss Aries, heading straight back?"
Aries was about to reply when a text message suddenly came in on her phone. She glanced at it.
[Estrella has another banquet tonight. Probably found another target, huh? Hahaha...]
Aries meaninglessly tugged at the corner of her mouth, swiftly tapping a few times on the screen. She replied with a somewhat gloating tone.
[Someone's in for a rough time again.]
After sending the message, Aries locked her phone and said to Alfonso, "Go to District D."
"Understood." Alfonso nodded and drove the car away from the warehouse.
After the outbreak of the apocalypse, humanity had resiliently survived. In the face of almost despair, people paid a tremendous price to carve out a safe zone in the perilous world, becoming the last refuge for humanity.
The safe zone was divided into five regions. The most secure and central area was the Central District, followed by Districts A, B, C, and D. D District, strictly speaking, wasn't part of the safe zone. It served as a buffer zone outside the safe zone, adjacent to dangerous territories.
Nevertheless, people still lived in District D. They were either unfortunate individuals infected by the virus or those who had offended certain people and were dumped there. Some sought refuge in D District to escape personal vendettas.
District D was a melting pot of various individuals, and the living conditions were harsh. Despite daily deaths, interestingly, people in D District never seemed to run out.
One reason was that water in D District was provided free of charge. In the post-apocalyptic world, water was a precious resource. Although the people in the safe zone were working hard to restore society to its old state, establishing signal stations and using phones, food and water remained the most challenging problems.
The safe zone was only so big, and as the population continued to grow, the demand for food constantly exceeded supply. Therefore, the prices of food were exorbitant within the safe zone. Daily workloads were extensive, and if someone wanted to enjoy a good meal, they would have to work hard for a considerable amount of time.
However, strict conditions always applied to ordinary people at the bottom of the pyramid, regardless of the era.
But if you came to District D, it meant you could get food without doing anything, the most scarce resource in the post-apocalyptic world. Though not abundant, it was enough to sustain an adult. Moreover, the control here was virtually non-existent, meaning that as long as your fists were strong enough, you could thrive in this violent and sinful paradise.
This place was a haven for violence and wrongdoing.
Aries was originally from District D, born and raised there. From as far back as she could remember, she had lived a life of hiding and seeking food like a rat in the sewers, along with her parents.
One day, when Aries was seven, they went to the distribution point to collect food as usual. However, they were spotted by a group of people specialized in robbing food in District D. The group intercepted them openly on a street, committing violence.
Not only did they rob the food, but Aries's father was beaten to a pulp, bones broken, and her mother was raped on the spot. The cries and wails intensified the attackers' frenzy, making them more enthusiastic.
There were other people around, but they only glanced from a distance and quickly turned away, afraid of drawing attention to themselves.
Even now, thinking back, Aries wouldn't blame those who ignored the situation. Interfering would only bring disaster upon themselves – a lesson she had learned at the age of seven.
However, during the violent attack on her family, a mutated creature suddenly rushed out. After killing several people, the attackers finally noticed it, screaming in panic before scattering.
Animals seem to have a natural instinct for hunting. Perhaps they enjoy the thrill of the kill more than people lying on the ground. It was precisely because of this that her family escaped unscathed.
Surviving was something to be grateful for, regardless of the mistreatment they had endured. Aries's parents were very fortunate. However, unfortunately, Aries was scratched by a mutated creature.
Aries being scratched meant she was already infected. In a short time, she would turn into a zombie.
So she was abandoned, without any hesitation.
The amount of water distributed in District D was always fixed. Even newborn babies could go and collect a portion of food. Since children ate less, only ensuring they didn't starve was necessary. The remaining food was mostly divided between two adults.
Therefore, there were many children in District D, and consequently, many child corpses. Aries, it seemed, was also used by her parents as a tool to collect food.
Before turning into a zombie, her parents took her a few hundred meters outside the safe zone. They were afraid of encountering zombies and didn't dare to go further. After leaving Aries there, they went back. Aries followed them, was scolded when discovered, and sent back.
Aries watched them leave with wide-open eyes. She stood there until their figures disappeared, waited a while longer, and then walked back on her own.
After returning, Aries couldn't find her parents. She didn't even think about searching for them; she knew they must have hidden again or had been killed by someone.
Aries was indeed infected. At that time, she didn't know what infection meant, what she would become after being infected. Just like before, she continued to sneakily collect food and water at the designated time. After getting her share, she imitated her parents, hiding in dark corners to barely survive.
Her body was feverish, her mind unclear. The wound itched and hurt. She scratched it a few times, not taking it seriously. She never felt a sense of crisis, considering it was just fatigue. When she felt tired, she simply lay down on the ground to sleep. This sleep lasted for two days, and miraculously, she survived the infection.
When she woke up, she still didn't know what kind of danger she had faced. Feeling extremely hungry, she saw that the time was right and quickly went to collect food, filling her stomach.