Chapter 2

The so-called Black Street is simply a place where, after the development of technology and the increasing height of buildings, the dense high-rise buildings block out most of the sunlight, leaving some narrow streets at the bottom of the buildings in darkness for most of the day, hence the name "Black Street."

Fang Zhao now lives in an area where the surrounding buildings are all over a hundred stories tall. Between the buildings, there are some narrow "gaps," and below these gaps lies what people call the "Black Street." Therefore, those who live on the "Black Street" are also known as "people living in the gaps," another term for the underclass.

Conditions on the Black Street are not good. Besides rarely seeing sunlight, the environment is chaotic.

After signing with a company, the original owner moved out of the school to create in peace without being disturbed by others, and for better confidentiality. However, with limited funds, he could only rent a container-style room on the Black Street. The original owner had once hoped to move away from here after his hard work paid off, but unfortunately... before he could hand over his work to the company, it was stolen by a trusted friend.

The original owner had four friends who grew up with him: Zeng Huang, Zeng Huang's fiancée Wan Yue, Fang Sheng, and his ex-girlfriend Xi Hong.

The five of them grew up together, living in the same building as children. Unfortunately, during middle school, the building they lived in exploded due to an accident, and less than one percent of the residents survived. Only those who lived on campus survived.

The government provided substantial compensation and favorable policies, which were enough to ensure they could live comfortably and complete their university education. From elementary school to middle school, the five were classmates, and they all came to Qian'an City for university, though they attended different schools. However, their relationship was not as close as it was in childhood.

After the apocalypse, a global alliance was formed to unify the world, without regard to nationality.

The alliance consists of twelve continents, divided into eight major continents and four special continents.

Fang Zhao is now in Qian'an City, the political and financial center of Yanzhou, one of the eight major continents, and the seat of the continental government.

The original owner was the best student among the five, and he was admitted to Qian'an Music College, the best music college in Yanzhou.

Since the new century, nearly half of the most influential composers in Yanzhou have graduated from the Composition Department of Yanzhou Music College. Many of them have a significant impact globally, making it a dream school for many.

Most graduates from the Composition Department are signed by entertainment companies even before they graduate. The original owner was also signed by Yinyi Media, one of the three major entertainment companies in Yanzhou, for a six-month internship contract, six months before graduation.

During the first three months of the internship, the original owner learned and assisted the seniors at Yinyi Media, attended training courses arranged by the company, and the last three months were dedicated to preparing for a music industry rookie competition. The performance in these three months would directly determine whether they could stay at Yinyi Media as full-time employees and influence their future development. Yinyi Media would allocate resources based on their performance in the rookie competition.

However, the original owner's hard work for the rookie competition was stolen by Fang Sheng.

Fang Sheng, who shared the same surname and had a distant familial relationship, was always considered a good brother and friend. But at the most critical moment, he betrayed the original owner, leading to his suicide due to the shock and pressure.

Stopping the memory search, Fang Zhao noticed that the outside was gradually becoming lively, with people's voices all around. The house was on the second floor, and directly below was a slightly larger store. The noise of people opening doors and moving things came from downstairs, and people in the opposite building were also opening their windows to look out.

Although the surroundings were still dim, Fang Zhao looked at the street as if it were a rare piece of art.

The changes from the apocalypse to now were immense, making Fang Zhao feel both unfamiliar and curious.

This is the new world!

The apocalypse, or what people now call the "End Times," was followed by a true golden age!

If the old friends who survived until the end were still alive, they would be very happy. The century-long war that cost billions of lives ultimately brought about the golden age everyone desired.

The noise and dimness, which should have been annoying, now made Fang Zhao feel a sense of boundless vitality. The world he had once longed for had returned!

Closing his eyes and taking a deep breath, Fang Zhao greedily savored the atmosphere of the new world after the apocalypse.

Creative inspiration surged in his mind, as if trying to burst out. His blood seemed to rise to a temperature close to boiling, and every hair on his body trembled with excitement.

It's not enough...

To create successfully, the current inspiration is not enough!

The noise outside grew louder, and the light outside the window became slightly brighter, and this change was intensifying.

No longer reminiscing, Fang Zhao locked the window. According to the memories of the body he now inhabited, he knew that the busiest and most precious time of the Black Street, the daytime, was approaching.

His gaze swept across the room, pausing for two seconds on the bracelet on the bedside table. Fang Zhao quickly walked over, picked it up, and fastened it to his left wrist. This was something that over 90% of people in the new world owned, a personal terminal.

Currency was largely used in virtual form, so to buy things, Fang Zhao had to carry it, and it was also the key to the house.

After fastening the bracelet, Fang Zhao stopped at the door, turned back, and picked up the stray dog that was looking at him pitifully, taking it out with him.

When he went out, Fang Zhao noticed that many people were also heading downstairs. The building, like a beehive, housed many residents, most of whom, like Fang Zhao, lived in poverty, confined to this cramped, mostly dark place.

In areas with dense high-rise buildings, even during the day, the streets at the bottom were mostly dark. Those with the means lived in higher floors, as people always yearned for light.

Those who could not afford better living conditions and found it inconvenient to go out focused on the midday, the only time when the Black Street received a brief period of sunlight.

The people running down from the upper floors only glanced at Fang Zhao briefly and passed by. They had only a vague impression of him and did not bother to greet him.

A few people looked curiously at Fang Zhao when they saw him carrying a dog. Fang Zhao did not mind, meeting their gaze with a smile.

Their faces showed obvious surprise, probably wondering why this usually gloomy young man was smiling!

Most of the people coming out to enjoy the sun at this time were older, with many elderly people with white hair and unsteady steps coming out of the elevators.

When Fang Zhao came out of the building, he found that the street was already crowded. Large vehicles had their own routes, so the Black Street on the ground was mostly free of vehicles and very quiet, except for now.

The sun gradually rose higher, casting light on the lower floors of the buildings. Some people who did not come to the street also opened their windows to enjoy the precious sunlight of the day.

Fang Zhao did not rush to find a spot but walked into the store on the first floor. He was very hungry, and he would deal with other matters after eating.

Due to the apocalypse, the newly established planetary government did not initially restrict firearms, fearing another world-ending war. If such a disaster occurred, everyone could be ready to fight with weapons. However, the situation gradually got out of control, with firearms becoming widespread and frequent unrest. Some continents even changed leaders, and the planetary government nearly collapsed, leading to the restriction of firearms. In recent centuries, the restrictions have been particularly strict, and ordinary citizens cannot own firearms.

As for the store owner downstairs, Yue Qing, he was a retired soldier and one of the few people on the Black Street who could legally own firearms. The thugs on the Black Street did not dare to provoke those with firearms, which was why this store could operate safely on the Black Street.

When Fang Zhao entered the store, Yue Qing, who was yawning, looked at him curiously. He remembered that this young man had seemed ready to end his life and was not listening to anyone yesterday. He thought the Black Street would have another suicide case, but unexpectedly, the young man appeared again today.

Yue Qing's gaze swept over the dog Fang Zhao was carrying. Yes, it was the same young man from yesterday. He had seen the young man pick up the stray dog last night. When a few thugs in the store saw this, they even placed bets on what the young man would do with the dog—whether he would use it as a companion in death or kill it for food. Now, it seemed they were all wrong.

Fang Zhao noticed Yue Qing's gaze but ignored it, as it was merely curious and not malicious. He chose the most practical items based on his memory—three thumb-sized sealed strips. Despite their small size, they felt as heavy as iron in his hand. They were low-end compressed foods.

Yue Qing withdrew his gaze and looked at what Fang Zhao had chosen. "Nine yuan in total. Do you want them decompressed?"

Decompression means decompressing the compressed food to make it edible.

"Yes, and a cup of tea," Fang Zhao said.

"Decompression costs fifty cents, and tea costs fifty cents, so that's ten yuan in total." Yue Qing then opened the sealed strips and placed them in the decompression machine. After about ten seconds, he took out the tray, which contained three steamed cake-like items, about twenty centimeters long and seven to eight centimeters wide, still steaming.

"Take it to go?" Yue Qing asked.

"No, I'll eat it here," Fang Zhao replied, taking the tray. He then asked Yue Qing, "Boss Yue, can you move a chair outside?"

"Don't move it too far," Yue Qing replied without looking up. He was not afraid that the young man would steal the chair; few people on this street dared to steal from his store.

Fang Zhao placed the dog near the store entrance and moved a chair outside to sit on.

He gave one of the compressed cakes to the dog at his feet and ate the other two himself. In the apocalypse, he would not have been so generous with food for a dog he had just met. However, reborn in the new century, Fang Zhao was in a good mood and willing to share. Since the original owner had picked up the dog and it had survived, he would keep it for now.

The compressed cakes did not taste good, and the tea was made from low-quality artificial powder, which was why it was so cheap. But as someone who had survived the apocalypse, Fang Zhao found this a delicious meal. He had experienced hunger in the early days of the apocalypse, and later, though he no longer worried about food, he did not have many luxuries.

Compared to the crude and rough food and the tense war atmosphere, the compressed cakes were a delicacy. Being able to sit here and enjoy a peaceful lunch was very satisfying for Fang Zhao.

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