章 7: Chapter 7 The First Time Entering the Hazard Zone to Work (1)
She dreamt of leaving home, renting a place outside, and living independently, but without any specialized skills to help her land a job, the quickest way to earn money was to work in waste removal. It was piecework—more work, more pay.
The Awakener would drag out the filled garbage from the hazardous area, and then people in protective suits, Ordinary individuals, would take over and transport it to the trash trucks, earning money for each bag hauled.
Once she obtained her diploma and understood the basic rules of the hazardous area, she could justify renting a place outside for the sake of efficiency, sparing the to-and-fro travel between the inner and outer city.
At that time, the world would be her oyster.
Her parents fell silent. The hazardous areas were dangerous, but the job provided a social safety net, naturally coming with some advantages.
Getting paid daily was one of them, which was crucial for people in need of money.
"But the hazardous areas outside the city are very dangerous, mutant plants and beasts might appear at any time, and we Ordinary people can't handle them," her mother still worried.
"So what should we do? Didn't you say our family income has decreased? Regular jobs are fiercely competitive, many who can't find work for months end up going outside the city to earn money. I don't have any particular skills, how can I compete against the others? Was it easy for you to find jobs when you were young?"
"Your mother and I each passed the exams for the initial certificates in electrician work and accounting," her father said with pride.
"Exactly, you had certificates, I don't, and we've used up the government subsidies. How about you support me for another two years while I attend a college technical training program and earn a professional certificate?"
Her parents fell silent again. This vocational training was entirely self-funded, and studying for another two years while being supported at home would mean significant expenses for tuition and living costs.
"We were able to study and earn certificates because we saved up the money, and that's why we married late and had you late. You are this old now, and we as parents are already in our forties."
"That's why I want to earn money."
Ye Nai was calm, not bickering or fussing, just chatting casually. She was well aware that her parents' objections were merely for the sake of it.
"Fine, you've grown up, you have your own ideas, and your mom and I can't control you anymore. Do it if you want to."
Eventually, her dad nodded in agreement.
It was as if following a procedure, knowing it was the inevitable outcome yet still needing to demonstrate parental authority. As a daughter, Ye Nai could only comply in the performance.
"Earn money, and give one-third of it to the household for meal money. Save the rest, set aside your own dowry. You have two younger brothers and a younger sister, and we can't help you much."
"Okay."
Ye Nai nodded slightly, her heart bursting with joy.
She understood her parents too well. With four children at home, the government subsidies almost covered the entire family's expenses. After 18 years of relying on these subsidies to raise children, would they really be willing to spend their own salaries on an adult child who had yet to become independent?
Look, she had won her bet.
Paying for meals was no issue—she'd leave early and return late. She probably wouldn't eat many meals at home anyway. This gave her another compelling reason to leave.
After lunch, Ye Nai exchanged cellphone numbers with her parents, and then while they rested, she did the housework. After cleaning the house, she did her daily exercises in the living room.
In the afternoon, she received a call from her class teacher informing her that students who had signed up for the garbage removal team should gather at the bus station that leaves the city by 7 a.m. the next morning.
The more she wanted to sleep early in the evening, the more she found herself unable to fall asleep; the house was noisy and bustling until the lights were turned off at 11 p.m.
At 5:30 a.m., the alarm woke Ye Nai. After washing up, she steamed buns for the whole family, took two with her to eat on the way, and managed to arrive at the bus station—designated for trips to the danger zone—just before 7 a.m.
Her classmates began to arrive one after another. Aside from those six students who were certain to advance in their studies, every other classmate showed up, forming small groups and chatting warmly.
Before long, more and more people gathered. Seeing the uniforms some wore, it was clear that not only students from her high school but also students from two other high schools were present.
The bus station was subsequently overcrowded.
Bus station staff, holding megaphones, shouted orders for each school to assemble their groups; those who organized their teams first would be the first to board the buses and set out. There was no charge for the bus fare.
One bus per class, they slowly left the city.
Outside the city, there were seven danger zones stretching from near to far, with the most distant being zones 5, 6, and 7. Even by bus, it took almost half a day to reach them, and near these zones lay the Plane Channel—a massive black vortex standing between heaven and earth, visible even from the city. A mere glance at it was enough to feel a heavy sense of oppression.
The unspecified matter transferred through the Plane Channel had accelerated the transformation of Blue Star, first causing the native flora and fauna to mutate. Eight years later, the first Awakeners were finally born among humans, who could fight enemies without relying on firearms.
The situation in other countries was unclear, but in Dahua Country, after many years of joint efforts between the military and civilians, they had finally repelled the invaders back through the Plane Channel. This resulted in a stalemate where the enemies could not advance, and the nation found no way to definitively close the Plane Channel. Meanwhile, the rampant mutant beasts and plants and mutated flora and fauna became the new major threat the civilians had to deal with after the enemies.
The students were headed to the number 1 danger zone, a one-hour drive from the city, and the shuttle stopped at the periphery's safe zone.
The so-called safe zone was just a long street.
At the head of the street was the station for the number 1 line, and at the tail was a triple-layered electric net gate that led into the number 1 danger zone.
The center of the street marked the boundary; on the side closer to the head of the street was a bustling living area, complete with amenities for dining, clothing, lodging, and transport, while the tail side consisted of layer upon layer of security checks, fearful that someone might recklessly bring out various dangerous items from inside, contaminating the public.
This place was also the safest danger zone in the outskirts of East Ridge City because after years of cleaning, the remaining waste could be completely cleared within three to five years. There weren't many solo workers coming to do the cleaning—mainly dominant local tyrants carving out their own territories, recruiting their own people for block assignments.
However, the government specifically allocated a section each year to senior high students from various schools, where only students could clear the trash, from the end of April following the collective Awakening tests until the end of June when they officially graduated.
The primary goal was to teach the students who hadn't awakened how to work in the danger zone to earn money, and if an awakened student wanted to gain real-life experience, they could also be taken into the actual danger zone.
Although the students entered and exited together for ease of management and salary collection, each had to register for a pass to enter the number 1 danger zone using their identity cards at the mobile cabin set up at the end of the street, only after which they could step inside the walls made of layers of electric nets.
At the front of the third layer of the electric net, there was a specific sign that guided students onto a different path, separating them from the routes used by the local tyrants.
Following the signs, they wore protective gear in a long row of mobile cabins, being fully covered from head to toe with protective suits, gloves, shoe covers, breathing masks, and goggles—once suited up, even familiar classmates couldn't recognize each other.
The passes they had registered earlier now proved useful, as the staff wrote the numbers from their passes on their backs. They could verify the correctness of the numbers using two mirrors set opposite each other inside the cabin.
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