Leaving the inn, Lin Yi departed from the Louvre and headed straight back to the refugee camp in the square.
As soon as he stepped into the camp's vicinity, a stench mingling sweat, germs, and rotting meat assaulted him, making him frown deeply.
After what happened last night, Lin Yi knew that if he pulled out potatoes from his empty backpack for trade again, it would surely arouse others' suspicion.
So he planned to temporarily leave the camp, pretending to be out scavenging for supplies.
But before that, he had to find the person he needed first.
Just as Lin Yi arrived at the square, the refugees swarmed around him anxiously like a tide.
Some knelt and bowed, while others tried to barter themselves, all desperately begging him for a bite to eat.
Lin Yi, annoyed by the entanglement, glared fiercely at the crowd. After scaring off a group, he then calmly walked towards yesterday's single tent.
At this moment, the tent door was open, and the woman was telling a story to her younger sister.
Seeing Lin Yi appear again, she first looked astonished, but quickly became panic-stricken and fearful.
"Ah? Why are you here? If it's about yesterday's potatoes... we've already eaten them…" the woman said, instinctively shielding her sister behind her.
"Do you want to leave here?" Lin Yi's tone was calm yet carried an undeniable authority.
"Leave? Go where?" The woman didn't react at first, but in a moment, her eyes widened and brightened.
Around the Louvre, those in high positions periodically doled out leftover scraps to refugees to ensure the survivors wouldn't die easily in the camp.
But they used filthy river water to cook soup, and the meager ingredients were mixed with plenty of sand and wood shavings.
The few things that could be considered food were mostly expired or already starting to rot.
Currently, the infection range of dysentery in the camp continued to expand, and it was only a matter of time before it would break out on a large scale.
Nowadays, people lost their lives daily due to hunger and disease, and crimes were rampant, yet the guards turned a blind eye to it.
For her and her sister, staying in this place was undoubtedly a death sentence, differing only in who would die first.
In such utter desperation, someone suddenly offering a helping hand felt like a dream to the woman.
She gazed up at Lin Yi, scrutinizing the man before her. At least in the tent yesterday, she was too shy to meet his gaze.
This man possessed the handsome features typical of Asians, the robust build akin to Americans, and the generosity similar to Europeans.
He seemed trustworthy—though the only thing she couldn't quite admire was his "trendy" style of dressing.
"Alright!" The woman nodded vigorously.
Lin Yi was slightly taken aback, not expecting her to agree so readily, without even basic questions about where they were going, showing no caution at all.
"I'll take you to a place where potatoes are planted." Lin Yi softly told the woman, "There, you need to behave first, then work hard to exchange labor for food and a stable life."
"Alright!" Upon hearing of a potato plantation, the woman's excitement was hard to conceal.
She understood that, at least, she secured a job in this apocalyptic world that everyone dreamed of—a long-term stable food source.
After all, here, even if she was willing to trade herself, no one was willing to give her even a bit of food.
Rumor had it that children had recently started disappearing... suddenly...
"Pack your things." Lin Yi said after finishing and walked out of the tent.
The woman was swift, quickly dismantling the tent and packing all her belongings into a large backpack in no time.
It was evident that before the apocalypse, she must have been quite adept at housework.
Lin Yi didn't intend to help, nor did he carry the large backpack for her; he now had to be responsible for the safety of three people.
Once the woman was ready, the three headed to the nearest checkpoint.
Passing the checkpoint, a foreign policeman mocked, "Two fewer mouths to feed, hehe."
Another policeman chimed in, "I'll bet a buck that the man will definitely sell the women or use them to lure zombies!"
Lin Yi and the others stopped. To be exact, it was the woman who slowed down, causing him to stop.
Looking back, the woman clearly heard the policemen's words; she tightly held her sister's hand, showing a look of struggle and hesitation on her face,
Lin Yi remained patient, understanding that her decision was crucial to her and her sister's fate, so he respected her cautiousness.
He could give them a bit of time, but not much.
The woman gritted her teeth, her palms sweaty.
She had heard of the cruel methods of Professionals; these strong ones would take naive refugees away from the camp.
They then led them to certain places, breaking their legs to use them to lure zombies, repeatedly exploiting them.
She even had seen non-Professionals pretending to be Professionals to do such deeds.
They found various excuses to deceive numerous refugees outside, some sold to cannibals, others sent to harems, and more used as cannon fodder and bait.
When a refugee gets thrown in front of a zombie, they would naturally try to run, thus attracting more zombies.
After the refugees diverted the zombies, the Professionals could scour the area without any hassle.
As for the refugees, their ultimate fate was only death—in the apocalypse, a human's life wasn't even worth the bullet needed to end it.
Time was up, and without a word, Lin Yi turned and left.
The woman was startled, taking a deep look at the camp before pulling her sister and tightly following behind.
"Hey—"
The foreign policeman wanted to say more, but Lin Yi suddenly turned back, glaring fiercely at him.
The policeman was so frightened he shivered, instinctively shrinking back, swallowing the words he was about to utter.
By the roadblock on the street, Lin Yi leaped to the top of a car, scanning the area.
On the street, only three zombies were wandering aimlessly.
"Wait here. I'll deal with a few zombies and be back soon," Lin Yi said softly.
He let the two girls, one big and one small, hide behind the big truck, then flipped over the roadblock himself, ready to "collect experience points."
The Shelter's One-handed Sword instantly appeared in his hand, with a blade sharp and easy to wield.
With a gentle swing, the zombie in front of him was instantly cut in half.
These few zombies wandered sporadically down the street; dealing with them one by one wasn't a challenge for Lin Yi.
After killing the last zombie, Lin Yi took the woman and her sister to the residential building he had previously looted.
At this moment, the woman appeared extraordinarily anxious. She realized that Lin Yi had brought them to a residential building but saw no potatoes or any sign of fields.
She was extremely uneasy, images of herself and her sister being bitten by zombies involuntarily flashed through her mind...
"What are you thinking?" Lin Yi interrupted her thoughts.
"I—"
"I need you to sign a contract!" Lin Yi said earnestly, looking at the woman, "To enter the Shelter, you must sign this contract."
As soon as the words fell, a contract visible only to the three of them floated quietly among them.
"What! What is this?" The woman was dumbfounded by the sight. She wasn't a Professional and had never interacted with the system, making her especially shocked.
"The content isn't long; take a good look. If there are no issues, just say 'I agree,' the little girl too."
Currently, it was still relatively safe here, and Lin Yi was willing to give the soon-to-be residents of the Shelter a bit of time.
Moreover, he didn't want to force anyone.
He needed people who willingly worked for him, not those who would resist or half-heartedly comply.
The woman took a deep breath and looked at the contract content...