Exiled!? Ha! I have An Infinite Space-Chapter 84: ONLY THE RICH SURVIVE

Unit 50 was built mostly from wood.

The houses stood in rows, rough but still standing. Some of them were small and simple, while a few were bigger and had their own courtyards. Those ones looked better, even though they were old.

Not far from the houses, there was a large piece of land that looked like it had once been used for farming. It stretched wide, but most of it looked abandoned. Only a small part of it showed signs that someone had tried to use it recently.

The rest of the place felt empty.

As we stood there, people passing by kept looking at us. Some of them shook their heads.

"Such an unlucky group..."

"They were sent to Unit 50..."

A few even clicked their tongues before walking away.

I frowned slightly.

Unlucky?

Before I could think further, the guard stepped forward again.

"Stand properly!" he shouted.

Everyone quickly adjusted themselves.

Then he began dividing us.

"You—go to the left."

"You—right side."

He pointed one after another until the group was split into two.

"Thirty-five here... thirty-five there," he said after counting.

Once he was done, he dusted his hands and looked at us.

"Now listen carefully," he said.

His voice became firm.

"Anyone who wants a proper house will have to pay."

He pointed toward the better houses with courtyards.

"If you have money, step forward."

Then he pointed toward the other direction.

"If you do not, you already know where you will stay."

Murmurs quickly spread through our group.

Some people lowered their voices and began to complain quietly.

"I barely have one tael left..."

"How much could it even cost?"

"Maybe ten taels... or twenty..."

Others simply held onto their small bundles, their faces already tense.

Then the guard spoke again.

"For the better houses," he said, "fifty taels each."

The moment those words left his mouth, the entire place erupted in shock.

"What?!"

"Fifty taels?!"

"That is too much!"

Voices rose one after another.

Some people looked angry, others looked helpless.

"Are we buying the house or renting it?" someone muttered.

"This is robbery!"

The guard laughed loudly at their reactions.

"If it is too much for you, then shut your mouths," he said coldly.

His eyes swept across the crowd.

"Whoever can afford it, step forward and pay immediately."

No one moved at first.

The number was too high.

Then he added, almost casually,

"And I would advise you to be part of the group on the right side... unless you want to be unlucky enough to stay near the forest."

He laughed again after saying that.

The words made people uneasy. 𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖

Everyone knew what "near the forest" could mean.

Danger, Wild animals Or worse.

I glanced around.

Our group had already been placed on the right side.

The Fu family, Bai Ming, Han Fuji, and a few others stood together.

The others were on the left.

Immediately, the people on the left side began to panic.

Some of them started whispering faster.

"I do not want to stay near the forest..."

"What if something happens at night?"

Before the noise could settle—

A man suddenly stepped out from the left group.

He walked straight toward the guard.

In his hand was a small money pouch.

"I want to move to the right side," he said.

He gestured behind him.

"My wife and my son will come with me."

Without hesitation, he placed the pouch into the guard’s hand.

The guard looked down at it.

Then he opened it slightly and checked inside.

A slow smile appeared on his face.

"Good," he said.

He nodded in satisfaction.

"Stand with them."

Just like that—

The man had bought his way out.

Right in front of everyone.

Fu Li clicked her tongue as she watched everything happen.

"This place is really disgusting," she said under her breath. "Bribery is so open here."

Fu Fei nodded slightly, her brows furrowed.

"They are not even trying to hide it," she added quietly.

Fu Sheng, who had been standing beside me, spoke calmly.

"In a place like this, ruled by corrupt officials, what do you expect?"

His voice was low, but clear enough for us to hear.

No one argued with him.

What we had just seen was already enough.

Just as the guard had said, the man ’Mr. Lu’ quickly brought his wife and son over to our side. The three of them stood among us, looking relieved.

But the balance had been broken.

There were now more people on our side.

The guard frowned slightly.

"We need equal numbers," he said.

Then he turned and began walking toward us.

His eyes moved from one person to another, as if choosing who to remove.

The moment he started walking, the atmosphere changed.

Everyone became tense, no one wanted to be chosen.

He passed by Fu Sheng.

Then me.

Then Fu Li and Fu Fei.

My heart eased slightly.

But before anyone could relax—

He stopped.

Right in front of Bai Ming.

His eyes fell on her and the two children beside her.

"You," he said, pointing at her.

"You will move to the left group."

The words fell like a heavy blow.

Bai Ming froze.

Her face turned pale instantly.

"No," she said quickly, shaking her head.

"I cannot go there."

Her hands tightened around her children.

"They just said that side is near the forest..."

Her voice trembled slightly.

"I will not go."

The guard’s expression turned cold.

"This is not a request," he said. "Move."

Bai Ming did not move.

She only held her children tighter.

Behind her, I could already see it—

The expressions on Fu Jia and Li Manman’s faces.

Both of them were smiling.

That kind of smile that made people uncomfortable.

"So stubborn," Fu Jia said lightly, crossing her arms.

"She thinks she can choose where to stay?"

Li Manman let out a small laugh.

"Maybe she thinks someone will come and save her again," she added.

Her eyes briefly moved toward Han Fuji.

The meaning behind her words was obvious.

Bai Ming’s face grew even paler.

But she still did not move.

Her fingers tightened around her children.

"No," she said again, this time more firmly.

"I will not go."

The guard’s eyes darkened.

Around us, the tension rose again.

"You Bitch! Do you think you have a choice here.. if you won’t go I’ll call my men and beat you to death." The guard threatened angrily but Bai Ming still didn’t move.

I crossed my arms as I looked at Bai Ming. Then I leaned slightly toward Fu Sheng and whispered,

"Should I help her?"

Fu Sheng heard me, but he did not answer immediately. He stayed quiet for a moment before finally replying,

"Helping her will require money... and I do not want you to put yourself in discomfort just to help someone else."

The moment he said that, a small smirk appeared on my lips.

My innocent husband...

He had no idea that his wife had emptied almost everything valuable before this exile began. If I wanted to, I could easily call myself one of the richest people here.

But there was no need to act so quickly.

I said nothing.

Before I could even decide what to do—

Han Fuji suddenly stepped forward.

He moved directly in front of Bai Ming, standing between her and the guard.

He was taller and more muscular than the guard, and his presence alone was enough to make people pause.

The guard raised his brows slightly.

"What?" he said. "Are you her husband?"

He let out a short laugh.

"Good. Then I will send all four of you to the left side."

But Han Fuji only laughed softly.

Then he reached into his sleeve and brought out a small pouch.

Without hesitation, he pressed it into the guard’s hand.

At the same time, he leaned slightly closer and said something in a low voice.

No one else heard it.

The guard paused.

He weighed the pouch in his hand.

Then he cleared his throat.

"...Alright," he said.

He looked at Bai Ming again.

"You can stay."

"Take your children and go back."

Bai Ming froze for a moment, then quickly pulled her children close and stepped back.

Relief filled her face, but she did not speak.

The guard then turned his gaze away from her.

His eyes moved across the rest of us again.

Then he pointed at another group.

"You... you... and you," he said.

"You will go to the left side."

The people he chose looked stunned.

"Please... we cannot go there," one of them said quickly.

"We have children..."

Another person stepped forward.

"We will find a way to pay later—"

"Move," the guard said coldly.

His tone left no room for discussion.

Their pleas were ignored.

No one helped them.

In the end, they had no choice.

With pale faces and heavy steps, they slowly walked toward the left side.

Just like that—

Their fate was decided.

So the first step to surviving the barren lands is quite simple, "Have Money"