Reborn One Week Before the Apocalypse

Chapter 287: Chapter 277: The World’s Misunderstanding

”Everyone says you’re all vicious criminals, but I don’t think so. This is the purest, most peaceful land.”

The people here were mostly children and the elderly. Tang Mo could see that they were a group of people who couldn’t survive in the outside world, where the strong prey on the weak. Or perhaps they were just sick of the endless conflict of the apocalypse and wanted some peace and quiet.

”What outsiders say about us is their business. As long as we’re comfortable living here, that’s all that matters.”

Mr. Hu said with a smile. He was clearly unconcerned by these outside opinions; he even seemed relaxed about it.

The people here knew about the misunderstanding but never bothered to explain. Instead, they followed Mr. Hu’s advice and avoided outsiders as much as possible, all so that those preconceived notions would persist.

If everyone believed the people of the Apocalypse Garbage Dump were vicious criminals, fewer would come to bother them.

’So that’s how it is.’

Seeing Mr. Hu’s unsurprised expression, Tang Mo understood. This was all just the result of a deliberate choice made by the people here.

”These ruins used to be a university. Most of us here were faculty and staff. The young and strong left long ago, leaving only the old and weak who couldn’t adapt to the outside world. There are also some who came from outside for various reasons—mostly children with nowhere else to go, or people who still held on to their own principles. Over time, it just turned into a small base.”

Mr. Hu wasn’t old, only in his thirties.

Tang Mo nodded as she watched him explain everything.

”Then why did you stay?”

”Me? I suppose I couldn’t bear to leave. The environment here is dirty, messy, and poor, and the living conditions are harsh, but it’s different from the outside world.”

”If you could return to a peaceful world, would you want to?”

’Here it comes.’ After all that buildup, Tang Mo finally revealed her true purpose.

She had originally thought the people here were all savage and was prepared to use violent means to throw them in. But now, it seemed what they needed more was understanding and communication.

Perhaps for them, a peaceful world without killing was appealing enough on its own.

”Don’t be ridiculous. In this world, where would you find a peaceful world anymore?”

Mr. Hu was over thirty, not some naive child. He knew very well what the world was like now and wouldn’t believe just anything someone told him after a few words.

”Whether it exists or not, why don’t you go and see for yourself?”

Mr. Hu knew the woman before him was number one on the Huaxia rankings. What she said shouldn’t be a lie.

’Otherwise, what would she be after?’

His community was full of the elderly and children. Besides the garbage strewn everywhere, there was nothing here that could possibly catch Tang Mo’s eye.

’Then maybe... such a place really does exist in this world?’

”Could we stay there for a lifetime?”

There was a hint of hope in Mr. Hu’s voice.

”Not necessarily. It’s an unstable environment. No one can say for sure how long you could stay there.”

It was actually an Illusion Realm, not a real world, but Tang Mo didn’t say that.

Still, she couldn’t bring herself to completely deceive this kind and gentle man, so she told him about the world’s instability. As for whether to go or not, that was his choice to make.

”Excuse me, could you wait a moment? I want to discuss this with everyone.”

Mr. Hu was essentially in charge of this small base in the Apocalypse Garbage Dump. Upon learning of such a peaceful Peach Blossom Spring, he didn’t rush to go himself but instead decided to share the news and discuss it with everyone. Tang Mo’s respect for him grew even more.

The small base didn’t have many people, only about twenty or so in total.

Besides Xiao Mo, Tang Mo also saw a familiar face, and a familiar dog.

Xiao Fei and Bo Niou.

Xiao Fei and Bo Niou were people Tang Mo had met at the same base where she had found Xiao Mo.

She remembered clearly that the spiritual power T-shirt she first wore had been traded from this very child.

Xiao Fei had clearly long forgotten who Tang Mo was. He stood next to Xiao Mo, holding Bo Niou’s leash.

It looked like the two children were close, probably having escaped from that base together.

Mr. Hu quickly shared the news with everyone, asking if they wanted to go and see it.

”I haven’t been to this place either. Once we go, I don’t know how long we’ll be there or what we’ll encounter. Everyone should think it over carefully. Those who don’t want to go can stay here.”

Mr. Hu was the person in charge, after all. He had a responsibility to everyone, so he naturally had to explain the pros and cons clearly.

On the other hand, he had never been to that place and hadn’t known Tang Mo for long. He couldn’t trust her completely.

”Let’s go! We’ll go!”

”Yeah, let’s go!”

”Of course we’ll go! Mr. Hu, let’s leave right now!”

...

The moment Mr. Hu’s words fell, the crowd responded immediately. They didn’t even need a minute to think.

They were stuck in this Apocalypse Garbage Dump, and only they knew what kind of life they were truly living every day.

Those elderly people had all been university professors, people who had spent their entire lives teaching and knew nothing else.

But now the world had changed. Unable to adapt to this apocalyptic era, they were just barely surviving, thinking of death countless times every single day.

If it weren’t for Mr. Hu being here, giving everyone pep talks and psychological counseling every day, these people would have probably been dead already.

Life couldn’t get any worse than this. How much worse could it possibly get?

It didn’t matter that they still didn’t know what kind of place it was.

Even if they knew a mountain of swords and a sea of fire lay ahead, as long as there was a one-in-ten-thousand chance of getting through, they had to try.

What’s the worst that could happen? Death? They had lived long enough anyway. If they really died, it would actually be a wish come true.

This was Mr. Hu’s thought as well.

The reason he decided to take everyone based on Tang Mo’s words alone was because, in truth, they had no better options.

Even as their leader, he understood that their life here was not a long-term solution.

No matter how hard they tried to maintain things, they were running out of options. Rather than let that happen, he’d rather seize this opportunity, for better or for worse, and go see for himself.

Tang Mo looked at the group before her. Their once-timid faces were now glowing with a hope they hadn’t even seen or touched yet. The last trace of guilt in her heart vanished.

Perhaps for these people, whether it was real or an Illusion Realm was no longer that important.

Perhaps this hellish world they lived in was the true Illusion Realm for them—one from which they could never escape.