Chapter 117

Outside the outpost, it was snowing in large flakes.

At the south gate, Yu Hu, dressed in fur, rushed over from the direction of Bett Street in the heavy snow.

However, after arriving at the outpost, he who originally wanted to find Chu Guang, couldn't find him anywhere. Instead, he saw a long queue in front of the nursing home.

As he got closer, he discovered his little sister sitting at a small wooden table with a serious expression on her immature little face.

She stretched out her little hand, accepted silver coins from the people in blue coats standing in line, carefully counted the coins repeatedly, and then tapped a device that looked familiar to him a few times.

"Total, 41!" Raising her head, she looked at the player in front of the counter with a sweet smile on her face.

"Thank you! Please also stay safe when adventuring outside."

"Awww.... Damn it, Sisi! I need more money. Lend me your money! I want to deposit again!"

Standing in the back, Sisi covered her face with one hand, shaking her head helplessly while holding the cuff of Tail's sleeve with the other hand. "That's enough, Tail, don't humiliate yourself here. Let's not block the people behind."

"Don't you think she's cute! You unloving woman!"

"Yes, yes. Tsk, speaking of which, the bus going to the greenhouse ruins will leave soon, so are you still going?"

"Of course! Damn it, why do I have to work both during the day and night! I thought this was a casual game? Can't they let me stay with cute girls for a while longer? !"

"I'm really sorry for not being cute enough. Anyway, hurry up. It's more important to level up and make money to buy equipment. Let's go, if you don't go, the old bro behind us will get mad."

Tail, who was still yelling, was then dragged away by Sisi.

At this time, a big white bear got out from behind and stood sneakily in front of the counter, holding the table nervously.

Seeing this big bear, Xiaoyu was stunned for a moment. However, she was not afraid. Instead, a sweet smile quickly appeared on her face. "Do you want to deposit money?"

The bear was so fluffy that no one could see her face blushing. She clumsily took out a pouch and dumped the coins in it on the table. "I, I, I, all for you!"

Seeing the big white bear running away quickly after leaving the money, Xiaoyu said hurriedly, "Ah, wait, wait, your ID."

"It's all for you!!"

In the end, thanks to Little Seven's help, Xiaoyu was able to find the ID of the big white bear.

After carefully counting the coins on the table, Xiaoyu registered the number on the VM as Chu Guang taught her to do.

Yu Hu didn't understand what his little sister was doing, nor could he understand what the blue-coated people were saying, but he could see that those people didn't bully his little sister.

It was just that when the big white bear appeared, it really startled him. If it weren't for the fact that the people around him didn't have any reactions, he would have almost pulled out his bow and arrow to shoot it.

At this time, Chu Guang walked over. Looking at Yu Hu, he said with a smile. "Don't you want to talk to her?"

"No need. I'm just taking a look. I don't want to disturb her work," Yu Hu smiled honestly, scratching the back of his head, "I didn't expect Xiaoyu to be so capable. I was so worried last night, for fear that she would give you trouble."

Chu Guang said with a smile. "How could it be? Your little sister is very smart, and she's a quick learner. It's just that we don't have much time to teach her many things."

Yu Hu said with a sigh. "My dad, my elder brother and I have to go out hunting often, so we also didn't have time to teach her anything. My mom has taught her how to make pancakes, but she hasn't been able to do it well. So I was worried last night whether she would cause trouble to you. This is why I'm here. On the way, I was still thinking that if she really caused a lot of trouble to you, I would take her back immediately. But now... it seems like letting Xiaoyu stay with you is really much better than staying with us."

"Don't say that," Chu Guang shook his head, "You should come to see her often. No matter how warm the bed here is, it's still not comparable to staying with family."

Warm bed?

Is their relationship going that fast?

Yu Hu was stunned for a second before nodding. "You're right... Then I'll leave first."

Chu Guang said politely. "Why in such a hurry to go back? Stay here and have lunch with us before leaving."

"No need," Xu Hu shook his head repeatedly and waved his hands, "I won't bother you here, I still need to go hunting later. You can carry on with your business, I'm leaving now."

Chu Guang no longer insisted and nodded. "Be careful on the road."

...

Coming out of the north gate, Yu Hu was in a great mood. Although it was still snowing, he felt warm inside. It was a feeling that was much more comfortable than having had a drink.

But at this moment, he noticed a caravan full of bricks, with a person standing beside it.

The man looked a little familiar to him.

Yu Hu approached and took a closer look, thereupon his eyes suddenly widened in shock.

"Zhao Rat?!"

"Yu Hu?!"

"Wait, aren't you dead? I even saw your family arranging the funeral for you."

Yu Hu still didn't know how to speak tactfully, but Zhao Rat didn't care about these things. He had so many emotions when meeting someone he knew in a foreign place.

"Brother, I almost died! Fortunately, these blue-coated people saved me!"

Spending about five minutes, Zhao Rat shared his experience over the past month with Yu Hu; from when he was caught by marauders when he was out hunting, to later this group of blue-coated people broke through the stronghold of Bloodhand Clan and saved him, and then he was placed in a brick factory by the river by those people.

Although Yu Hu instinctively felt strange that Zhao Rat was caught by marauders, his mind couldn't understand something too complicated, so he quickly turned his attention to other places.

"...In other words, you are working for Brother Chu and his men now?"

Zhao Rat was dazed for a moment before saying. "Brother Chu? Do you mean the administrator? Anyway, it's quite comfortable to work here. I have food to eat and a place to live, and I can even eat meat every day. They also provide firewood and charcoal for heating. Now they even pay me 1 silver coin every day to work for them. My job is to use molds to make bricks, send them into the kiln to be burned, then transport the burned bricks back. It's quite easy."

Yu Hu nodded and asked. "Then are you not planning to go back?"

Upon hearing this, a complicated expression appeared on Zhao Rat's face.

"Go back... Where can I go? There are my parents, my eldest brother and his two children at home. The remaining food is barely enough for them to get through the winter. If I go back, the food at home definitely won't be enough. I'll wait until the spring of next year, then... then I'll decide."

As Zhao Rat was talking, he suddenly remembered something. After telling Yu Hu to wait for him, he quickly turned around and ran past the gate.

After a while, he took a small bag of coarse salt, about 200 gram, and stuffed it into Yu Hu's hands.

"I bought this using my wages. Please take it back to my mother for me, just say that... I'm fine, and ask them not to worry about me. Tell them that I will go back to visit them next spring. Oh right, Yang Seconddog is also alive and he's here as well... but he's working right now. Do you think we should inform his family too?"

Taking the salt, Yu Hu nodded solemnly. "Don't worry, I will pass the message for you!"

Yu Hu returned on the same path.

However, just as he was passing by the south gate of Wetland Park, Yu Hu suddenly noticed that not far from his footprints, there was a series of footprints that did not belong to him.

The footprints were very shallow, and it looked like it had been there for a while.

Out of a hunter's alertness, Yu Hu squatted down and checked the footprints.

Whose footprint was it? He couldn't help frowning.

...

Bett Street.

Hurrying through the gate, Wang Biao went straight to Old Charlie's grocery store.

"Old Butler!"

Charlie, who was sitting by the door with his eyes closed, half-opened his eyes. When he saw Wang Biao, he immediately understood what he was here for and stood up from his chair.

"Talk inside." He said in a low voice and then drew the curtain.

Wang Biao was visibly excited. Without taking a breath, he gesticulated with hands to report what he had seen and heard while following Yu Hu all the way to the old butler.

Charlie frowned as he listened. "You mean...in Linghu Wetland Park, there is a survivor's settlement?"

Wang Biao nodded immediately. "Yes! There are blue-coated people and refugees who seek shelter from them.... I guess they came from the north. They built fences in the woods, dug ditches, and placed barricades. I can't see it clearly, but there's a chimney that keeps emitting smoke."

"From the north?" Charlie's frown tightened.

The north is the territory of Bloodhand Clan, and there seems to be a mutant human tribe not far away.

Building settlements there would be no different than asking for trouble.

Moreover...

Those marauders are very cruel. They would torture people for fun, so how would they let them pass?

Wang Biao didn't care so much, he just shouted excitedly. "Old Butler, that brat from the Yu family broke the rules, let's arrest him!"

He had been displeased with the Yu family for a long time.

Especially the brat Yu Hu who once beat his third younger brother. There was also the dispute about the shed of that outsider. That brat didn't even leave a door beam for them, and took it all for himself. He even claimed that that outsider gave the shed to him, which was really shameless.

Wang Biao thought he got everything figured out. According to the rules of Bett Street, people who traded with outside caravans without permission would be regarded as traitors. The lightest punishment for such people would be a fine of one animal skin, and in severe cases, their property would be confiscated and they would be expelled from the settlement.

It didn't matter if those people were caravans or not, what Wang Biao cared about was the shed where Yu Hu lived. If he could kick Yu Hu out of that shed, his family would be able to take over the shed of that outsider.

However, old Charlie was a man of insight, and naturally he couldn't be as short-sighted as Wang Biao was.

Blue-coated people...

He used to be one of them, though that was a long, long time ago.

After thinking for a long time, Charlie said cautiously. "This is not urgent. Let's not alert him. I'll report the situation to the town mayor first before making a decision."

Why was there a need to report it to the town mayor? Wang Biao was confused.

They could just confiscate everything straightaway.

However, the old butler didn't explain too much to him this time.

After tossing four white chips to him, Old Charlie kicked him out of the grocery store, locked the door, and hurried toward the center of the town.

...

The town mayor's family lived in the old castle in the middle of Bett Street.

This castle was originally built as an entertainment facility, but now it became a symbol of power.

In the castle lived the ruler of the town, and the servants, guards, and relatives lived in the brick and wooden houses near the castle. Further outside would be dilapidated shacks and sheds.

After asking the guard on duty at the door, Old Charlie was allowed to enter after a simple body search.

When he stepped into the hall on the first floor, he happened to see two lovely children playing football in the hall on the first floor of the castle.

The clothes they were wearing were made of deerskin, and so were the balls they were kicking. Their clean faces and carefree smiles were something that the children outside did not have.

Noticing Charlie at the door, the slightly older boy shook his brown curly hair and picked up the ball on the ground.

"Charlie? You're back? Do you want to play football together?"

"I'm sorry, young master, I'm afraid I can't play with you... I'm here to see your father."

The boy said impatiently with a look of disappointment on his face. "Okay, he's in the study."

Charlie bowed his head respectfully.

Led by a servant, he bypassed the children's playground from the side, came to the elevator, and took the elevator to the top floor.

As soon as the elevator doors opened, a gust of warm air rushed in.

In the fireplace directly opposite, the fire was burning and the wood was crackling.

"I know the way." Nodding to the servant, Charlie crossed the corridor on the left to a door two people high.

This was the study room of the town mayor.

There were rows of bookshelves displayed in the study room, and the bookshelves were filled with novels, poetry collections and some bizarre collectibles picked up by scavengers from outside.

Sitting in front of the antique wooden table, the town mayor was drinking tea leisurely. The intermittent sound made by the radio on the table was the music played by his favorite band, the Red-Tailed Warbler.

There were three major radio stations in Boulder City, one of which could be heard even in the far northern suburbs of Qingquan City.

Every evening from 6:00 to 7:00, the radio station would repeatedly broadcast the transaction prices of today's commodities. From 7:00 to 10:00, the cultivation experience of Camu Tree and Psychoid Leaves, which were in short supply, would be taught. There would also be some arms dealers and clones trading s in between.

As for the rest of the time, it was the replay of pre-war pop music, which was also the old town mayor's favorite show. It would make him forget the bad times for a while.

Even in the ears of true "pre-war" people, these were old-fashioned pastimes.

After waiting quietly for the music to finish, Charlie walked over to the desk and lowered his head respectfully.

"Sir, I have something urgent to report to you."

The town mayor raised his eyelids and said casually. "What is it?"

In his view, the urgent matters that Old Charlie could report were nothing more than the troubles those cockroaches in the shacks outside had caused again.

Those people were like weeds. From time to time, one group would turn up before the gate and seek shelter from him. But he never cared about the life and death of those people.

Old Charlie continued with his head down. "There is a survivor's settlement in Linghu Wetland Park in the north with a population of more than 100... maybe even more."

"Linghu Wetland Park? A survivor's settlement?! How is it possible!" The teacup was put down on the table heavily, the town mayor sat up straight from his chair and stared at Charlie who was standing before the table, "Is the information accurate?"

"Yes." Charlie nodded cautiously and continued respectfully. "Their strength should not be underestimated. Some hunters took their prey directly to them to exchange for salt and meat. It seems that the conditions they offered are more favorable than ours. I'm worried that if this continues, it will harm your interests... I suggest that we should take the initiative to contact the group and adjust the salt price appropriately."

The town mayor's face became gloomy. His index finger tapped lightly on the table, as if he was weighing something.

After a while.

With a thought in his mind, he opened the drawer and took out an envelope with a bloody handprint on it and a blank letter.

After picking up the pen and writing a few strokes on it, the mayor stuffed the letter into the envelope and toss it into Charlie's hand.

"Find someone who is brave enough and trustworthy, and send this letter to the Bloodhand."

Charlie was slightly taken aback when he looked at the envelope in his hand. "Sir, you want to..."

The town mayor said expressionlessly. "This winter will be very cold. If there's no accident, the Bloodhand's men will come again next month."

Thinking of those greedy, ruthless marauders, he gritted his teeth in hatred. However, he had no other choices. Even with all of his guards combined, they were still not the opponent of those people.

Charlie hesitated for a moment, then cautiously reminded. "I'm afraid it's not a good idea. Also, I don't think the Bloodhand's people haven't noticed them..."

"There is no doubt that this is the best way to do it, or can you think of a better way?" The town mayor waved his hand impatiently and continued, "We don't have that much surplus in our granary for them. If we can't give them food, we can only give them people. You should know what happened to those who were taken away by the marauders, right? Think about those broken families. I'm doing this for the good of the people in our town."

Only a fool would believe that he really cared about the people in the town.

Picking up the teacup again while looking at the silent old Charlie, the town mayor took a sip of the warm tea and said slowly. "The weather is getting worse. Let's pray that our neighbor can fill those jackals' stomachs."

Charlie bowed his head respectfully. "Yes, sir. I'll follow your instructions."

The town mayor nodded with satisfaction. "Go... By the way, when you go back, ask those unruly people to collect more firewood and try to dry it out in the sun a bit longer. The firewood that is not completely dry will make crackling sounds when being burned. It is very annoying to listen to it."

Charlie lowered his head, "Yes, sir."