"Do you want to try your luck?" Julius asked.
"It's free anyway, right?
There's no risk in getting something. Even if it's just a stone, I want to see if it's valuable … Of course, finding something valuable in a stone is ridiculous, so I won't hide it like other kids, "Rei said to Julius with a smile.
Although Rei was hoping for a fluke, Julius understood that Rei's way of thinking was reasonable.
Even if it was just a little bit valuable, she would not give it up. That was Rei's survival principle. Life was more valuable than anything else, not even gold could buy it.
In the Rat Path, where human lives were not that valuable, Rei's way of thinking did not match well with the Rat Path. However, that might be one of the reasons why she could survive in the Rat Path.
"My nose is going to break if I stay in this place. Let's leave," Rei said to Julius.
The room was indeed filled with a pungent smell. It was the smell of sewer products. Julius and Rei were not sure what the smell was, but they knew that it came from the black liquid stuck on the broken metal and gears.
The liquid had turned into a gelatinous substance, so it was very difficult to get it off the metal. Some of it could even be ignited.
The liquid looked like the oil used for torches, but no matter the smell or the touch, it was definitely not animal oil.
Now, Rei's face also had a few traces of the oily black liquid. It looked like a claw mark on her face.
Rei covered her face with her sleeves and left the room filled with rubbish. Julius followed behind her and left the place together.
"Where are we going today?" Julius asked.
Rei, who was walking in front, replied, "There's nothing left to pick up in the usual places. Let's go to the lower places.
The safe places have been occupied by those who huddle together for warmth. It won't do us any good to fight with them … Besides, there's nothing valuable left in the safe places. They're all strange things that can't be moved back to the Rat Path. "
"If there are enough people, maybe we can move them back … at least a part of them."
Julius said. By moving a part of them back, he meant destroying it first and then moving it back.
It was not a wise thing to do, because most of the time, they would only get a pile of broken metal and gears without teeth.
It was just like an animal that had lost its teeth and could only wait for death. A gear that had lost its "teeth" was simply a piece of trash.
"There's a reason why there's so much garbage in the garbage dump."
Rei turned around and revealed a sarcastic smile to Julius, "Maybe we can dismantle it and sell it for some money... Although I don't know what it's used for, I'm sure someone will buy it. After all, it's a complete thing. A complete thing will always be attractive and arouse people's interest."
Julius agreed with Rei. Sometimes, he felt that Rei could always say something interesting, and this was exactly what she was saying now.
............................................
"Let's go to the sewer from the garbage dump."
Rei said to Julius, which made Julius frown. "Isn't there an entrance fee?"
There were many entrances and exits to the sewer in the rat tunnel, but not all of them were safe. Some were too narrow, some were unstable, and looked like they could collapse at any time. There were also some that only found dead ends at the end of the tunnel, and there was no way to go down … Those spacious and safe passages were guarded, and one had to pay an entrance fee to pass through.
"I won't waste this kind of money."
Rei said to Julius, with a proud smile on her face. "But this time, we don't have to pay an entrance fee. We can all go down safely."
Rei led the way, and Julius followed behind her. Soon, they arrived at the garbage dump.
The garbage dump was in one of the branches of the rat tunnel. This branch was probably the most spacious branch of the tunnel, but when someone came to this place, it was impossible to feel that it was an empty space.
It was not because it was too small, but because the place was full of waste.
There was a large amount of useless metal, round objects that were dented, iron pipes that were bent into several sections … If the small mountain that Rei collected was enlarged by dozens of times, it would become a garbage dump.
If there was a difference between this place and Rei's place, it would be that there was a disgusting stench, like the smell of leftovers and human excrement mixed together. The pungent smell of the black gelatinous substance also appeared here.
This smell made Julius and Rei cover their noses and mouths.
This place was undoubtedly worthy of the name "garbage dump". There were all kinds of sticky unknown substances in the metal waste, which were obviously not metal. Perhaps something else had been squeezed into the metal waste. As for what it was, neither Rei nor Julius were interested in knowing.
It was better not to think about what kind of debris they had dug out, as it was better for their mental health.
Although the garbage dump was piled up like a mountain, at least there was a small path for people to walk around.
On both sides of the garbage hill, there were people in ragged clothes rummaging through the garbage, hoping to find something valuable.
Such an action was not in vain, because rummaging through the garbage dump was like gambling. The gambler would never know whether he would find a worthless piece of scrap iron, or a gem that might be stuck in metal or that disgusting, viscous liquid.
Of course, finding a gem was just a dream. Even if there was a gem, he would probably not be alive to spend it.
Rei continued to walk in front, Julius behind her, avoiding the garbage that rolled down from the garbage hill, as well as the sharp objects under the garbage.
If he was not careful of those sharp metal edges, strange spikes, and glass shards, his feet would probably be scraped bloody.
The two walked to the end of the garbage dump. It was not a dead end, but a hole. It was pitch-black, and they could not see what was in the depths.
This was indeed the end of the garbage dump, the end of the rat tunnel, but it was the entrance and starting point of another place — a passage that led down to the sewers.
At the edge of the hole, there were two well-equipped men, with leather armor and weapons on them. Compared to the other scavengers, there was a clear difference.
The two men leaned against the hole, chatting face to face. When they saw Rei and Julius, they did not have much of a reaction. They just nodded towards the hole. "Let's go."
The two men walked over, but when Rei passed by, she took a bag from one of the men.
The passageway was not straight ahead. After walking for a while, the path beneath their feet began to slope downwards.
Julius, who was carrying a backpack, took out a torch soaked in oil and lit it with a match. In the darkness, light appeared, illuminating the surroundings and the front.
There was nothing in the narrow passage, only water droplets dripping down from above.
At this time, Julius finally asked Rei, "What did they give you?
I don't think it's money. "
"Of course it's not money, and how could they have such a big bag of coins?" Rei replied, then shook the bag in her hand, and a sound came from inside.
It did not sound like coins rubbing against each other, but more like stones colliding with each other.
"A whole bag of marker stones," Rei said.
Hearing this, Julius suddenly understood. "I see. This is the way you said to go from the safe passage to the sewers without paying the entrance fee.
You have to find them a new path in the sewers, a way to go deeper. "
Rei smiled at Julius. "The narrow passage we have been using seems to be collapsing. For safety's sake, let's not go through the rat tunnel.
I did not plan to use this to exchange for access, so this is the only way.
But at least we are the first batch to go there. If there is anything valuable, we can find it first, so it's not a loss. "
"If there is really a new area."
Julius said, holding the torch in his hand to light the way. The water droplets fell on the torch, only shaking the flame a little, but not extinguishing it. "Then the risk will be high … We don't know what dangers are waiting for us."
"Yes, we don't know what dangers are waiting for us," Rei said.
"If it was before, I would definitely not take this risk. I am a lonely child, other than picking up garbage, what else can I do to protect myself?
But it's different now, you are here. "
Rei turned to look at Julius. "With a strong guy like you, I think I can still survive in dangerous places."
Julius was a little embarrassed by her exaggeration. "That's what I want to say, Rei.
If it weren't for you, I would probably starve to death, or not be able to survive underground. "
"Same here, no need to be so polite," Rei said. "We are companions."
"Yes, we are companions," Julius said with a smile.
The two of them relied on the light of the torch, moving forward and down. Their figures disappeared in the long passage, leaving only the tail of the flame.