Chapter 835 - 854: Isn’t That the Noble Worker From ’New Star Delicious Factory
Chapter 835: Chapter 854: Isn’t That the Noble Worker From ’New Star Delicious Factory
The winding queue stretched on with no end in sight.
Amidst the dense, swirling sea of people, it was a matter of life and death, the agony of the impoverished, and the sorrow of the lower class.
At a spot in the line where they stood absolutely no chance of being seen unless the free clinic was extended, a few gray-haired, hunched figures stood waiting.
"It won’t be my turn."
"Mine neither."
Even so, they didn’t want to leave.
"Standing here can count as taking a break," one said.
Even though they were sleeping in the open, with absolutely no shelter to protect them from the plummeting night temperatures and the uncomfortable damp dew clinging to their faces, at least they weren’t working. This was one of the few moments of rest in their entire lives. As for the suffering? They were already used to it.
"The last time I rested was when my dad was still around." A man narrowed his slightly cloudy eyes, staring into the distance as if piercing through time to witness a scene straight out of a dream.
But his father was gone. After his father died, he had been forced to grow up. Now, he was a father himself, with a son of his own. It was a sorrowful topic. Best not to speak of it. They were already physically and mentally exhausted; dwelling on such things would only make it harder to hold on. By unspoken mutual agreement, everyone skipped the subject and talked about other things.
"Will this happen again next year?" one person asked curiously. "Will the hospital keep running these free clinics?"
"We’ve queued for so long. Will they just send us packing when the time comes?"
The reason people stubbornly lingered and refused to disperse was the lingering hope that, even if they couldn’t be seen within the month, the hospital might step forward and offer some treatment to those who had queued for so long. Even if it wasn’t completely free, surely they would offer a discount.
However, a well-informed man shook his head. "Highly unlikely. These clinics operate in mobile districts that change every year. There have been long queues in other places before. Out of a dozen or so planets, I think only one actually provided treatment to the people at the back of the line."
That had been the O1 Planet, which had always maintained a decent reputation among the Numbered Planets. But Q3 was notorious. Getting it to cough up money—
"Then what are we still waiting here for..."
"Who knows."
"Probably just because we’re already here, and we want to take a breather."
*Since we’re already here*—it was an inherent trait carved deep into the Genes of Ancient Earth People.
Their chat drifted to broader topics. Just as they were getting ready to sit on the ground and drink their Nutrient Liquid, a worker suddenly approached their ’hopeless’ section of the queue.
An actual worker!
In Q3’s environment, being a worker was a tremendous honor, not to mention that this man was wearing the uniform of that newly established food factory. It was one of the highest-paying and most demanding factories in all of Q3.
"Why is a worker here?"
"Is he here to queue too?"
"How is that possible!" someone scoffed in disbelief. "Look at him. He’s so burly and looks to be in such good spirits. Even if he’s injured, it’s definitely a minor injury... There’s no way he can’t afford to pay for a minor injury."
"Uh..." Another woman drew a sharp breath and whispered, "Maybe he has twenty sons? And his salary isn’t enough to feed them all?"
"..." The others stared in silence. They thought she certainly had a rich imagination.
While the group chatted, the people gathered near that worker suddenly left the queue.
The onlookers were baffled.
While everyone curiously watched the drama unfold, the man said a few more words they couldn’t hear, and another group of people surrounding him left. A large circle of people around him had just cleared out.
Then, the worker approached this group of gossiping onlookers.
Before he could even speak, someone asked, "Is the factory hiring cheap labor to slaughter Gugu Beasts?"