Chapter 53: The Doctor

Eternal Station was much, much larger than Lushan Station.

According to Qiong En's introduction, Tomorrow City Station had a total of 18 floors. The top 6 floors were reserved for the upper-class elites, a paradise with an excellent environment.

The middle 8 floors housed numerous factories and mines.

As for the bottom 4 floors, they were known as the "Land of Eternal Darkness," where the majority of the city's commoners lived.

These commoners had to travel from the lower 4 floors to the middle 8 floors for work every day, returning to the lower 4 floors after their shifts.

Only by gaining the favor of the upper-class elites and becoming a foreman in a factory or mine could one have the chance to obtain a residence in the middle 8 floors and move their family there.

But entering the top 6 floors was an impossible dream.

The top 6 floors were forever controlled by the powerful elites. They intermarried, formed political alliances, monopolized resources, trained armies, suppressed information, and used force to maintain a stable yet oppressive environment.

"If it weren't for that inherited book, we wouldn't even know about the existence of outsiders. Tonight, the upper-class elites will send troops to sweep the area around the station. As soon as outsiders—you players—arrive, they'll be recruited into the upper federation for a few dozen or hundred subway coins."

"Not a few hundred or thousand?" Zhao Kuo asked.

Qiong En shook his head. "Only the first player to arrive can get a few thousand subway coins. The later players arrive, the fewer coins they'll receive."

"As for the players who arrive even later, the upper class considers them too weak and won't bother with them. These abandoned players are the ones we aim to recruit." Qiong En led Zhao Kuo and Tang Yingying through the dark, filthy pipes, patiently explaining.

Following the three of them was the pink-haired girl who had spoken earlier, now visibly upset and glaring at Zhao Kuo with hostility.

Probably a lovesick fool… From her reaction, Zhao Kuo could tell she had feelings for Qiong En.

A loli falling for an older man? Brainless lolis were the worst.

The girl's name was Crimina, picked up by Qiong En while working in a factory on the 13th floor. He had taken her in and treated her like a younger sister.

The gruff Qiong En clearly hadn't noticed Crimina's romantic feelings for him, mistaking them for a sister's dependence on her older brother.

Just then, a lean young man ran up to them: "Brother Qiong En, it's bad. A large group of upper-class soldiers is heading this way."

Qiong En frowned slightly. "They're faster than expected. Everyone, stand against the wall and don't move."

Hearing this, everyone pressed themselves against the wall, seemingly accustomed to such situations.

Qiong En pulled Zhao Kuo and Tang Yingying to the wall and instructed, "When the soldiers pass, don't look up at them. They'll take it as a sign of disrespect."

What a starkly hierarchical society… Zhao Kuo sighed inwardly.

To be honest, he had seen such dystopian societies in many novels and literary works. In such a highly centralized society, it was almost impossible for the lower class to overthrow the ruling class.

But his goal was the advanced evolution potion. As long as he got his hands on it, nothing else mattered.

Soon, a well-organized troop of soldiers appeared in the pipes. They wore dark blue uniforms, steel helmets, and carried rifles of an unknown model, though they likely weren't very advanced.

On each soldier's chest was a pagoda-shaped emblem, likely the symbol of the upper federation's rulers.

The troop consisted of three to four hundred soldiers, each with an expression of cold indifference, as if they didn't see the colorful group standing by the wall.

Suddenly, one soldier broke from the formation, walked up to a boy, and slapped him hard across the face.

The boy was sent flying and fell to the ground.

The soldier then returned to the formation without a word of explanation.

The boy's companions didn't dare to help him up, standing motionless. They knew that if they intervened, they would face even harsher punishment.

Qiong En stood in place, head bowed, as if he hadn't seen what happened.

But Zhao Kuo noticed his clenched fists and slightly trembling body.

To the upper class—no, even to these soldiers—the lower class was nothing but dust. A slap was nothing; even if they were shot and killed, it would only be met with a few words of pity.

This was a cannibalistic society, a land of eternal darkness.

The soldiers quickly passed by. Soon, Eternal Station would be under strict martial law, and the arriving players would be recruited into the upper-class army, rewarded with generous subway coins.

On the other hand, the lagging players would receive evolution potions to enhance their attributes.

After the soldiers left, the boy's companions finally dared to help him up. The boy didn't cry, just stood there silently.

"Let's go," Qiong En said, his mood noticeably gloomier than before.

"Those scum! We'll storm the top 6 floors sooner or later and grind their bones to dust!" Crimina hissed through clenched teeth behind them.

Qiong En glanced at her. He had always doted on this younger sister, which had led to her naive personality.

Such a personality would inevitably lead to trouble in the future.

Zhao Kuo also looked at Crimina, a slight smirk tugging at his lips, filled with mockery.

When the soldiers were here, she didn't dare to say a word. Now that they were gone, she was spouting empty threats. Even for a rebel group, the overall quality of the Blaze Gang was disappointingly low. Once he got the advanced evolution potion, he could consider leaving.

In Zhao Kuo's mind, he had already equated this ragtag group with failure.

Without reform, such a group stood no chance against the well-armed upper-class soldiers.

He had seen clearly that the soldiers carried rifles—outdated, yes, but still a sign of formidable firepower.

The Blaze Gang, on the other hand, had only Qiong En with a gun. The rest were armed with melee weapons, completely outmatched.

This was a rebellion destined to fail.

After that, Qiong En and Zhao Kuo didn't speak further until they reached the third-to-last floor. Qiong En waved his hand.

"Everyone, disperse. Remember to gather here tomorrow morning."

Then, he nodded at Zhao Kuo and said, "Come with me. The Doctor is waiting for you."

The Doctor. Zhao Kuo was very curious about this so-called Doctor.

What kind of person could create something as miraculous as the evolution potion? Was the potion only effective for players?

Following Qiong En's lead, Zhao Kuo entered a small alley.