CHAPTER 353: CHAPTER 3: EARTHLY DIVINE KINGDOM! MECHANICAL DIVINE SECT

If it were in the surface world, Duncan would have figured out a way to escape.

But here, underground, escaping would only lead to death from hunger, disease, or monsters. And without finding a path upward, the further you flee, the deeper into the underground you go.

The No. 3 Human Form was basically like being locked in a cage.

"Not possible."

"Nutrition is completely inadequate, and without finding a sufficient food source, the Engraved bloodline will take a long time to fully transform."

Duncan couldn’t even meet the basic needs of the Power of Gluttony. The relief rations from the church barely kept starvation at bay and had little nutritional value.

He needed food, especially meat.

Just as Duncan was planning to check out the industrial zone to see if he could find some work or make some money, a rumbling sound came from the track not far away, followed by a sharp whistle. Soon, as a heavy train emerged from the underground tracks, a mass of people poured out like ants.

They brought their families, carrying luggage, and under the direction of church deacons and soldier guards, they lined up like marching ants, entering that coffin-like black high-rise building.

By this time, Duncan had already marked area F46.

The architectural style here was like the character ’品’, with Duncan’s location being the living area, part of which was residential, and the rest unplanned sections used for commerce and such. Directly north was the F46 industrial zone, the largest area, where the hum of machinery could be faintly heard, and many factories were still under construction.

As for the east, it was separated by a high wall, belonging to the administrative district, where government officials and church members resided. Their residences, while also in a rough industrial style, at least had more space, avoiding a sense of confinement.

About thirty thousand people were transported here.

After settling these new immigrants, mechanical technicians drove heavy trucks to transport the cargo from behind the train, delivering large amounts of industrial materials to the industrial area.

Near the plaza in the living area, there were many people like Duncan, idle and aimless.

Most of them had no skills, and at this new colonial point’s early stage, they essentially had no work until the industrial area became more developed, when they could find livelihoods on factory assembly lines.

Normally, such a large number of unemployed people would surely cause chaos.

But in reality, people spontaneously formed small circles. Some set up stalls in the crevices between the iron high-rises, those dark corners, selling goods brought from other areas. Others fought for territory, usually in corners out of sight of soldiers and guards. They deliberately avoided causing deaths that would alert the church guards. Usually, the winners would arrogantly claim territory, while the losers would slink away, regroup in some obscure spot, and resume their contention.

These people typically bore the marks of gang members.

For instance, Duncan had seen that Wolf Gang thug, who kept looking for people who seemed fierce or had a tough appearance to talk to. At first, he had no success, but by the time Duncan encountered him again, the identity marks of him and those behind him had changed.

—— Wolf Gang Squad Leader.

—— Wolf Gang Member.

In just an hour or two, he had a dozen or more people following him. Those lackeys had changed their civilian marks to ’gang member,’ and they had found weapons like iron rods and crowbars from various ruins, swaggering around as if patrolling their little domain.

Indeed, it was very small, just a dim alley near the residential area.

Duncan watched this scene thoughtfully, musing, "It feels a bit like the Western expansion."

"Immigrants from different regions have brought along the order of their original areas, forming a socially agreed structure."

This was just the early stage of the newly developed settlement, and within one or two months, a stable gray area would form.

The immigrants would find work in their old trades.

As Duncan wandered around and met that Wolf Gang thug again, he surprisingly had a heavily made-up prostitute in his arms, in a corner of the residential area, near the back dark area. From the earlier batch of immigrants who got off the train, a dozen or so heavily made-up women appeared, seemingly intending to solicit customers.

The world’s oldest profession is never absent.

Prostitutes had come out?

Duncan observed the patrolling guard soldiers for a moment and noticed that no one cared about them, nor were there many customers, as most immigrants were extremely poor.

Everyone was surviving on relief rations, barely able to fill their bellies, not to mention anything else.

Satiated needs come before lustful desires.

These gang members were fierce to ordinary people, but immediately bowed their heads when they saw someone with the Mechanical Church’s insignia. A passing Mechanical Church deacon, noticing their numbers, arrogantly beckoned them. The Wolf Gang thug approached with deep respect, then led dozens of people to transport a heavy, ton-weight iron box to the residential area.

A group of gang members worked themselves to exhaustion for free, and that arrogant church deacon didn’t even offer thanks, dismissively tossing a few coins to the leader.

Once their task was done, they reverted to their fierce demeanor, swaggering through the living area with their group.