Chapter 19: The Rot Beneath the Surface

(Xiao Jian's Perspective)

We had been in Haven for two days now.

At first, it felt surreal—like stepping back into the old world. There were still streets, still buildings, still people chatting in little cafés, as if the apocalypse had never happened.

But it was a lie.

Beneath the surface, this city was a rotting corpse, dressed up in expensive clothes.

Some people refused to accept reality. They acted like things would go back to normal if they just kept pretending. They argued about rent, about electricity bills, about the stock market—as if those things still mattered.

Then there were the other ones. The ones who thrived in chaos.

They knew the world had changed, and instead of resisting it, they took advantage of the weak.

And in Haven, the weak had one fate: to be used.

I had spent the last two days watching, listening. I didn't trust Haven from the moment we stepped inside, and now I had proof why.

The city was ruled by the rich.

They hoarded resources, living in repurposed luxury hotels with fresh food and clean water, while the poor and middle class were forced to work just to earn scraps.

There was only one way to stay fed if you weren't rich:

Go outside the walls to scout. Or starve.

And scouting was just another word for suicide.

Zhao Yue sat beside me at the edge of a broken fountain, tying her boots. Her police uniform had seen better days, but it still suited her—sturdy, practical.

"This place is built on a lie," she muttered. "It's a castle floating on corpses."

Jiang Chen sat across from us, casually sharpening his combat knife. He had only been with us for a short time, but he fit in too well—like he had always been part of the group.

"It's not surprising," he said. "Where there's power, there's always someone exploiting it."

Ning Xue, leaning against a rusted lamppost, crossed her arms. "Yeah, but it's worse than that."

She nodded toward a group of scouting survivors returning through the city gates. They were exhausted, their clothes ripped, some carrying wounded teammates.

A guard laughed as he dumped small food rations into their hands—barely enough for a day.

Then, a man in a suit walked by, holding a full basket of fresh bread, untouched.

The difference was sickening.

[System Alert: New Features Unlocked] [System Inventory] – Store non-living items with unlimited space. [System Store] – Purchase items using System Points. [Basic Farmland] – A personal space where crops can be grown. More land unlocks as you level up.

I opened the System Store out of curiosity.

Potato Seeds (8kg) - 10 SP Carrot Seeds (5kg) - 15 SP Rice Seeds (10kg) - 20 SP

I had 300 System Points saved up.

Potatoes were the best option. They grew fast, were high in energy, and could be replanted.

With a thought, I bought one batch. My vision flickered, and suddenly, a new space appeared in my mind—the farmland.

It was small, just about the size of a room, but it was mine.

I planted the potato seeds, and in an instant, tiny green sprouts appeared.

[Time Until Harvest: 3 Days]

Not bad.

It didn't solve our food problem, but it was a start.

And right now, we needed every advantage we could get.

Haven's core was rotten.

We had all felt it, but it wasn't until tonight that we saw just how deep the filth ran.

We were walking through one of the back alleys, avoiding the main roads. The city had eyes, and I wasn't about to let us become someone's target.

Then, we heard it.

A woman's scream.

Zhao Yue moved first, her instincts sharper than any of us. I followed, my hand already on my katana.

We turned the corner—and what we saw made my blood boil.

Three men stood over a girl, no older than eighteen. Her clothes were torn, her face bruised, her hands tied behind her back. One of them was dragging a knife across her arm, grinning.

Jiang Chen tensed. "Sick bastards."

I stepped forward.

The men turned. One of them, a fat bastard with a gold chain, smirked. "Oh? And who the fuck are you supposed to be?"

I answered with my blade.

[Critical Strike!]

My katana sliced through his wrist. The knife clattered to the ground as blood sprayed. He screamed, clutching the stump where his hand used to be.

The other two froze.

They weren't fighters—just cowards who preyed on the weak.

I gave them one chance. "Run."

They ran.

Jiang Chen exhaled. "That was the right move."

Zhao Yue was already untying the girl. "You're safe now."

She whimpered, then started sobbing.

Ning Xue bit her lip. "They're doing this inside the city?"

I clenched my fists.

This place… was rotten.

And I had no intention of letting it stay that way.

[System Alert: Quest Unlocked]

Mission: "Expose the Rot"

Objective: Gather proof of the crimes happening inside Haven. Reward: 500 System Points + Reputation Boost

Jiang Chen crossed his arms. "So, what now?"

I exhaled. "We find out who's running this place."

Zhao Yue wiped blood from her cheek. "And?"

I met her eyes.

"Then we burn it down."

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