Dimensional Store: Welcome to the Apocalypse Apartment - Chapter 115

Chapter 115

Today, Zhou Chuanning wasn’t wearing that slightly stern black uniform. Instead, he had on a simple light-gray T-shirt and black jeans.

His complexion ran cool-toned; paired with those deep-set eyes and sharply defined features, he stood out in any crowd.

When he spotted He Jiarui, he lifted a hand and greeted her naturally.

He Jiarui’s gaze, however, landed on Zhou Chuanning’s… friend beside him. Her eyes lit up, and she quietly tugged on Gu Huaiwei’s sleeve, clearly having found a target.

Gu Huaiwei looked toward the friend at Zhou Chuanning’s side and froze for a split second, her pupils tightening slightly.

This person was the tall woman Gu Huaiwei had seen in the café restroom.

Zhou Chuanning’s Skin Suit cost five thousand Magnetic Value a month to maintain.

And his friend’s Skin Suit cost eight thousand Magnetic Value a month.

He Jiarui might look delicate and bookish, but her eye for things was viciously sharp-she could tell at a glance which Skin Suit was pricier.

Regardless of whether a Skin Suit looked male or female, every Alien was male.

Zhou Chuanning introduced, “This is my colleague, Chen Liuxiang.”

“Hello.” He Jiarui took the initiative to shake Chen Liuxiang’s hand and gave her own name.

Chen Liuxiang nodded, faintly aloof.

Zhou Chuanning had already bought four tickets. After they got their tickets checked, the four of them entered the zoo together.

He Jiarui kept moving closer to Chen Liuxiang. Chen Liuxiang answered every question, but she never took the initiative to start a new topic.

Out here, Gu Huaiwei wasn’t in a good position to warn He Jiarui that Chen Liuxiang already had a Bonding partner.

A giraffe stretched its neck to nibble leaves. An elephant swung its trunk around in its enclosure. A hippo opened its mouth wide to eat watermelon… Up front, the atmosphere was still fairly pleasant.

But as they continued deeper into the zoo, Gu Huaiwei suddenly caught sight of a sign standing in a corner. On it were two words:

Human Exhibition Area.

Gu Huaiwei stopped, frowning as she peered inside.

Unlike the other bright, open sections, the entrance here was dimly lit and packed with Pseudo-Humans lining up.

“Want to go in and take a look?” Zhou Chuanning’s pitch-black eyes widened slightly. His neck stretched a little, and there was a thin edge of excitement in his voice. “There are lots of Independent Humans working inside.”

Independent Human referred to a human whose Newborn Ring had fallen off, who refused to Bond with a new Alien, and instead searched for work in this Alien-ruled world to earn Magnetic Value.

Getting into this section required an extra fee.

Zhou Chuanning paid, and Gu Huaiwei followed them in.

What she saw made her stomach turn.

The humans in this section weren’t wearing clothes. They stared dully through the glass, and most of them were elderly.

The display boards listed their “habits,” “living environment,” and “life cycle” in icy, clinical language-no different from the animals outside.

Only domesticated cats and dogs wore clothes.

Who would put clothes on animals in a zoo?

“There’s also a human show over there,” Zhou Chuanning said. Noticing Gu Huaiwei’s lack of interest, he pointed into the distance to recommend something else. “They jump through flaming hoops, walk tightropes…”

Gu Huaiwei turned her face away and refused flatly. “I’m not going to watch.”

Zhou Chuanning was a little surprised by her undisguised resistance.

Most humans, even if they felt uncomfortable in this situation, would still pretend.

Gu Huaiwei might as well have had the word ‘disgusted’ written across her face.

“Then I’ll go buy you two some water.” Zhou Chuanning headed to a nearby drink stand.

Gu Huaiwei responded with a cool, perfunctory sound.

“Seeing this… does it make you feel bad?” He Jiarui held a gold-colored Magnetic Beverage, lips wrapped around the straw. She seemed used to the scene in front of them, showing no fear.

“I’m just not interested.” Gu Huaiwei caught something deeply wrong with sharp precision. “We’re humans, and yet the Aliens brought us here to look at humans. This is obviously an Obedience Test.”
He Jiarui didn’t have much of a reaction. “Really? Maybe you’re just being too sensitive. They aren’t human, so they probably can’t empathize with the things we care about.”

“They can,” Gu Huaiwei said. She could feel that the Aliens’ domestication of humans in this world was omnipresent. “Making us watch our own kind displayed in cages like animals and expecting us to react-it’s intentional.”

If Gu Huaiwei got angry while everyone else was enjoying themselves, she would seem like she was overthinking things, failing to see the big picture, and ruining the atmosphere.

If Gu Huaiwei played along with the performance, she would be ignoring her own genuine discomfort and swallowing a bitter pill.

He Jiarui fell silent.

She had never realized these things before.

The Aliens had been domesticating humans for so long that she had grown accustomed to certain things.

Noticing Gu Huaiwei’s strong resistance toward the Aliens, He Jiarui let out a long sigh. “Miss Gu, to tell you the truth, my relationship with Aliens is just a matter of mutual benefit. I need the Magnetic Value they possess, and they want to procreate.

“As for resisting the rule of the Aliens, that’s what the Dawn Alliance is for. Ordinary humans like us shouldn’t get involved.”

He Jiarui knew exactly what she wanted.

Similarly, she knew what she had to give up.

Everyone had their own way of surviving.

Gu Huaiwei understood He Jiarui’s choice and dropped the subject.

She asked, “In that case, what’s your impression of Zhou Chuanning? He should be able to provide sixty thousand points of Magnetic Value every year.”

“I prefer Chen Liuxiang,” He Jiarui said, her standards being a bit higher.

“Chen Liuxiang already has a human Bonding partner.”

“Oh? Figures. High-Grade Aliens never lack Bonding partners.” He Jiarui looked at Chen Liuxiang’s back with a hint of regret. “I wonder if she can support a few more humans… Sigh, I want to see more High-Grade Aliens. Keep an eye out for me, okay?”

“Sure.”

Since no formal Bonding had taken place yet, He Jiarui had the right to choose.

It wasn’t a bad thing to look around.

He Jiarui didn’t have much free time. Two hours later, her Keeper arrived punctually. He attached a chain to the collar around He Jiarui’s neck and led her away.

“Don’t come to places with so many Pseudo-Humans next time.”

“If you really want to come out and play, I’ll accompany you.”

“Once you reach adulthood and stay by my side, I’ll save up all my Magnetic Value to buy you a Skin Suit you like. Then I’ll take good care of you so you won’t age too quickly.”

He Jiarui showed little interest in her current Keeper.

She didn’t want to age slowly.

She wanted enough Magnetic Value to maintain her youthful appearance until the day she died.

After He Jiarui left, Zhou Chuanning sent Chen Liuxiang away to have a private date with Gu Huaiwei.

When he went to buy water, he also bought a cat balloon for Gu Huaiwei.

Gu Huaiwei found it a hassle to hold, so she tied it to her wrist.

“Your friend seems very interested in my friend.” Zhou Chuanning had noticed He Jiarui’s initiative long ago.

“Yes, but unfortunately, Chen Liuxiang already has a Bonding partner.”

There was no point in getting to know someone who was already married.

“Most Aliens can only afford to support one human, but that friend of mine is quite wealthy. Her family keeps several humans. If your friend is willing, she could join her household.”

Gu Huaiwei rubbed her face. “One-to-many?”

“If they can afford it, why not?” Zhou Chuanning flicked the white string tied to Gu Huaiwei’s wrist with his finger, causing the giant smiling cat face to bob in the air. “As long as there’s enough Magnetic Value, right? Don’t you want to stay young forever, Miss Gu?”