At least he understood that Feng Yi never had a smoking habit in the past, but for some reason, perhaps too weary, maybe accepting of his limited time due to fate, coupled with the pressure on his shoulders, he gradually got used to relieving himself with cigarettes. After all, everyone has their troubles, and considering Feng Yi's position, he could sympathize with some of Feng Yi's difficulties.

It was clear that no high-ranking officials from Saudi who had any sense dared to try to bribe an entity like Kexiao; in fact, bribing him was pointless. Plus, with his outstanding abilities, Kexiao had been carrying Saudi's flag throughout his tenure and, indeed, had amassed quite a collection over the years.

With that thought, Kexiao eagerly took out a bottle; far from detesting ordinary life, he actually felt a faint sense of anticipation. Observing the sharp contrast between the hurried flow of people on land and the imminent apocalypse, even Kexiao couldn't help but feel a thrill in his heart.

"Here's some booze, and I've brought some food, too. Now you can tell me what exactly has been happening recently," Kexiao said nonchalantly, striding over to a nearby abandoned sedan and casually sitting on it as he watched the thronging crowd pass by.

"Hey, young man, you've come to the right person by finding me."

The vagrant, despite limping and moving unsteadily, in one smooth motion jumped onto the car, settling his half-backside on it, then opened a bottle and took a hearty swig. "Refreshing."

The vagrant wiped his mouth with his tattered clothes, bit off a piece of chicken, and while chewing, he declared confidently: "Young man, I bet you're an indoor type."

"Hmm, what do you mean by that?"

"Indoor types like you guys always love to stick around the house, poking at phones, computers, TVs. That's all stuff you like. Of course, you wouldn't know what's happening outside if you never leave the house." According to the vagrant, ever since the civil network was shut down, many people have probably still been holed up at home. And right now, it's not just about the Capital migration being so simple; anyone who can is heading this way.

As they say, water flows downhill, people strive uphill. Don't think that the security here is stable for nothing; it's all because of the Capital. That's why rich people from nearby star regions, and those close to this one are all trying to swarm towards the Capital. Sure it's crowded, but you can't beat the security guaranteed by the Military Department.

If you look elsewhere, on the mountaintops far from the emperor's reach, in those outer planets and border regions, who knows what kind of chaos might erupt. Let's not even talk about that.

While saying this, the beggar kept shaking his head... taking a swig of his drink, he almost choked.

"Uncle, don't just drink, here, have some peanuts."

"Hey, thanks." The vagrant happily accepted the peanuts and barbecue, munching with gusto as he began to share his knowledge with Kexiao.

The vagrant said his name was Allen, and he had been living in Tanbor City, 200 kilometers from here. This all started a month ago; back then, the pandemic was well-known enough to cause public unrest, but it was only known to a certain extent, not as exaggerated as now.

But somehow, overnight, everything changed. Newspapers, news, media programs, everywhere was plastered with reports about the pandemic. It was as if a lurking disease had finally erupted that day, or even earlier.

A beggar's understanding of society's ins and outs might not necessarily be less than that of ordinary people, and in some aspects, they might even have a clearer insight. When he noticed the once bustling streets becoming deserted, and pedestrians successively taking private rides towards the Capital, with law and order gradually spiraling out of control, the beggar realized the situation was likely becoming increasingly severe. Therefore, he did not linger in Tanbor City.

A week is neither long nor short, yet it allowed this beggar to safely travel a distance of 200 kilometers without anyone attempting to rob him—a fact that led him to this place. Along the way, he had gleaned snippets of information about the outside world, more or less.

And now, not only Saudi but the whole world had fallen into the deluge of the virus. Fortunately, this virus couldn't entirely doom humanity to death. Although its fatality rate wasn't 100%, it definitely exceeded 80%, which was a conservative estimate by international experts. At least, that was the rumor—whether it was true, he wasn't sure, but he was certain that the 80% figure had been inflated.

In other words, since the officials dared to release such data, they were likely tampering with it to some extent, although ordinary people didn't know exactly how. But in any case, those who could leave, did; those who could escape, fled.

Presently, the world's population roughly divided into four groups.

The first category comprised those who believed official rumors, sitting at home waiting for their fate, doors firmly shut. As long as they had enough food, weathering this viral storm was not impossible.

The second group consisted of people on various remote planets. Lacking adequate supplies and finding it difficult to believe in Lady Luck's favor, many of them chose to connect with relatives and friends to form groups, moving towards the main administrative districts in remote cities. By doing so, even if some harbored ill intentions, they'd first have to consider whether they could confront this group of people.

The third group were often the wealthy, with their own space shuttles and even private armed forces. Naturally, those with their own armed forces would not need to fear a virus, since at the end of the world, a mech warrior was virtually invincible.

But the so-called wealthy, as most people understood them, were only relatively wealthy and not strictly affluent. Such a group did not have the qualification for private arms, let alone official channels to purchase mechs. Even if one considered smuggling, you'd need to have enough clout and resources.

Who would have private arms? Families like the Texas family who have served the Military Department in secret for a century, the Samas Family, or the official enterprise such as the Bounty Tribe. In a sense, this viral storm hardly posed a threat to the core members of the Bounty Tribe.

As for combat ability, which member of the Bounty Tribe doesn't have combat effectiveness surpassing Rank 3 solo warriors? For those with such strength, the virus could be virtually inocuous. To them, being infected would likely feel negligible; maybe just sneezing or a common cold. But for ordinary people, the consequences would be disastrous.

Therefore, in order to fundamentally prevent the virus from spreading, these so-called 'rich' people often chose to board space shuttles and flee to remote planets off the beaten path. They might carry ample supplies of food, water, fuel, and anything else imaginable. The fate of these people could end up being death on an undeveloped remote planet, possibly returning years later, or destroyed by space pirates en route.

As for the fourth group, also wealthy, the destination they sought was not some far-off course but the Capital Planet. They knew that to survive, it was essential to cling to the powers that be. Ideas like fleeing to remote planets may have crossed their minds, but they dared not try, not to mention concerns about climate, weather, and fuel issues. What if wild beasts were encountered on the remote planet?

Furthermore, even without beasts or bandits, the local climate, gravity, and other conditions might not be suitable for human habitation, or else why would these places remain undeveloped, unless they were just too distant.

And even if none of the above issues arose, one couldn't guarantee that a space shuttle, months into its journey, wouldn't malfunction—that the engine or some other equipment wouldn't break. Once that happened, it's basically no different from death. Therefore one must not only avoid the abovementioned potential dangers but also be skilled technically, an exceedingly challenging demand for ordinary people.

Therefore, other than the Capital Planet, this group of wealthy people actually had no better options. And upon arriving at the Capital Planet, not only would they receive resource support, but with the power of money, they might even grab better beds and receive the most comprehensive treatment.

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