CHAPTER 21: CHAPTER 21: PRETTY QUICK ON THE RUN

The wilds of the Wasteland are always dangerous. Mutant Beasts are terrifying, but what’s even scarier are people!

Qu Jianlei could roughly determine the location of the opponent from the bullet impacts and the dust kicked up.

They were probably hiding on an inconspicuous little mound ahead.

The reason it’s inconspicuous is because there are two slightly larger mounds beside it.

However, taller doesn’t necessarily mean better. Qu Jianlei understood this principle well: what’s suitable is best.

In his haste, he couldn’t figure out why the opponent chose this spot to ambush him.

But he could determine one thing: there weren’t many of them, only one or two people.

If there were more, they would have let him come closer to kill him, not shot from a distance.

For this reason, he thought the shooter was an opportunistic hunter, not a Fallen.

Fallen also use firearms, but without supplies, they rely entirely on what they loot and wouldn’t waste bullets.

Moreover, Fallen are skilled at sticking together for warmth, usually operating in groups of three or five, not often seen alone.

However, even after deducing there weren’t many of them, Qu Jianlei had no plans to counterattack.

Unfamiliar enemy, unfamiliar terrain; a rash counterattack would be irresponsible to himself.

On this Wasteland, those opportunistic hunters... are countless.

Any inconspicuous person, once in the wilderness with a gun in hand, can easily develop thoughts they shouldn’t.

Even a businesswoman like Sister Fat, or a coward like Morrison, might suddenly decide to play bandit for once.

As a lone traveler himself, armed to the teeth, it was normal for him to be seen as prey.

As Sister Fat said, having a gun might get you killed faster—a sneak attacker would strike decisively the first moment.

By Qu Jianlei’s temperament, he should hate those opportunistic hunters: I haven’t provoked you, why kill me?

But he knew better: as long as the Wasteland’s order didn’t change, this situation would continue indefinitely.

Every survivor might transform into a bandit given the right conditions.

This phenomenon persists, not something he can change alone, nor is it his responsibility to do so.

Rather than sulking, it’s better to quietly retreat.

As for who the opponent was, he wasn’t interested in finding out. There were too many possible suspects; thinking too much was asking for trouble.

However, even running requires planning; it’s certain that whoever ambushed him was very familiar with the surroundings.

Qu Jianlei had traversed this area a few times, with vague memories, but after thinking hard, he recalled something.

Then it dawned on him... No wonder they chose to ambush on that small mound!

The small mound wasn’t the best ambush point, but compared to higher ground, it wasn’t much worse.

The key was that it was ideal for retreat; for someone being attacked to counterattack, they’d have to consider a second ambush.

Moreover, Qu Jianlei’s position wasn’t convenient for attacking or retreating.

Of course, convenience is relative, not absolute.

But for them to find a spot to ambush in the wilderness was quite something.

Qu Jianlei quickly thought of three escape directions but, after considering, decided against them.

The reason was simple: what if they had set traps or mines?

With these opportunistic hunters, never underestimate their bottom line.

To them, blowing someone up for a Vibrating Blade was worthwhile, even if the profit was only a Nutrient Injection.

As long as the output exceeded the input, it was worth doing, not to mention he was carrying guns.

If there was enough time and space, Qu Jianlei wouldn’t worry about traps, but there was no time now!

He rolled forward a few times, then threw a cheap Smoke Bomb.

Once the smoke billowed, he began to surge forward and to the side.

No intention to counterattack—just retreating more safely; he understood the nature of the Wasteland too well.

"Tsk, encountered a cautious one," the ambusher sighed.

He was a stocky middle-aged man, with a weathered face, wearing tattered clothes.

He held an old Gauss Automatic Rifle, had a Short Blade on his leg, and a small pouch with a grenade.

To outsiders, he seemed like a rather destitute survivor.

Though armed, he didn’t come across as "formidable."

Without that worn Gauss Gun, he appeared to be a lower-tier survivor, just barely armed for self-defense.

No one would imagine he’d already hunted down five survivors; today would be the sixth.

Just as Qu Jianlei suspected, he wasn’t a killing maniac, but... it was an easy way to earn extra cash.

Whenever he was strapped for cash, he’d hunt a lone traveler.

Seeing the opponent throw a Smoke Bomb, he knew he might end up empty-handed today.

Immediately after, the opponent fired a grenade, not far from him, and it was also a Smoke Bomb.

Was he going to attack? He sneered inwardly, just a lone traveler... Did they know how many he had on his side?

So, it was just a feigned threat before retreating.

Still, better safe than sorry; he wasn’t out for a life-and-death battle, just to earn a little extra.

He needed to retreat, and he had to do it methodically, so he rolled twice and changed positions.

Then he raised the Gauss Gun and fired two more shots — I’m still over here.

Immediately after, he rolled a few more times, crouched, and swiftly left.

He was a cautious person; despite being cold-blooded, he was quite careful with his life.

The opponent might be using "advance as retreat," but he didn’t dare to bet that was the case.

He was just trying to earn some extra cash, and risking his life wouldn’t be worth it.

So this time he didn’t retreat in a conventional manner but crouched and moved for three or four hundred meters, then zigzagged away rapidly.

The many small mounds around provided excellent cover for his figure.

He was very good at escaping; despite carrying a lot of bits and wearing ragged clothes, he was well-bandaged and snug.

After sprinting about three kilometers, he finally veered into a recess under a mound.

This small pit wasn’t large; curling up in it would perfectly avoid observation, and covering himself with a piece of earth-colored rag would be flawless.

Panting heavily as he rounded it, he unexpectedly saw a black gun barrel facing him...

Qu Jianlei was also helpless; he swore he came here randomly, just wanting to catch his breath.

He was angry at the sucker punch but really hadn’t thought about investigating, let alone revenge.

But just as he sat down for less than a minute, he heard light footsteps approaching from afar.

The opponent had good footwork, but the heavy panting couldn’t be hidden.

Qu Jianlei raised the Laser Pistol, aiming it at the suddenly appearing head. Both froze in surprise.

The straightforward fellow immediately recognized the opponent, but they were too close, and the opponent was holding a pistol.

He wanted to turn around and run, but it was already too late.

After a moment of pause, Qu Jianlei sighed, "You run pretty fast."

The straightforward fellow honestly raised his hands and decided to lie.

"This is my resting place, friend; we have no grudges... you can rest here temporarily if you like."

Qu Jianlei didn’t care what the other party said; where in the world is there such a coincidence?

Especially since the other person indeed had a Gauss Gun and was panting heavily — even if it wasn’t him, it was him.

He helplessly smirked, "To be honest, I really didn’t want to fight back... there are too many ambushes."

The straightforward fellow was stunned for a moment, then shook his head, replying warmly, "I really don’t know what you’re talking about."

Qu Jianlei shrugged indifferently, not expecting to force the other to admit anything — would it be meaningful?

He just sighed lightly, "Sorry, your luck is too bad... you didn’t run fast enough!"

If the other had arrived here first, the passive one... would be dead.

Seeing him talking to himself, the straightforward fellow realized that continuing like this would lead to his doom.

He decisively admitted defeat, "I just wanted to rob a little money; surviving in the wasteland is really tough, I never intended to kill."

Pausing, he added, "Just like you didn’t plan to seek revenge... I originally meant to escape."

Qu Jianlei watched him silently and only after a while did he utter two words, "That’s it?"

"I can buy my life," the straightforward fellow finally reached the main topic, "I have some good stuff stashed at the camp."

Qu Jianlei didn’t believe this; surviving on the wasteland rarely involved stashing good things at one’s residence.

If it’s said to be hidden in the wild, that’s more likely.

Following the other to their place might lead to running into their comrades, and casually killing in a camp wasn’t good either.

So after disarming the other, he had the fellow bind himself.

Then he raised a hand and slashed, directly chopping the other’s thigh, muttering, "A little wound, it’s nothing, right?"

The attacker might not have intended to kill him, but firing a Gauss Gun would inevitably cause injury.

If he wasn’t injured, how could the other rob him?

Then he spoke expressionlessly, "Speak up about where you hid your stuff, or I’ll let you bleed to death!"

With that slash, the straightforward fellow’s face already changed — you are still going to kill.

Often resorting to ambushes, he didn’t necessarily kill during robberies since his aim was merely to rob.

Of course, injuring someone was unavoidable; killing could lead to retaliation.

He should have tried to resist earlier! He regretted, even if it might mean dying on the spot.

However, there was no medicine for regret; he gave a wry smile, "How can you guarantee not to kill me to silence me?"

"Then you’ll have to take a gamble," Qu Jianlei maintained his impassive face.

The straightforward fellow slackened his eyes, not speaking, evidently accepting his fate.

Qu Jianlei unceremoniously rummaged through his bits and pieces.

This guy was truly poor; apart from two tubes of Nutrient Injection and some bullets, he hadn’t even brought Water.

But in the box at the other’s waist, he unexpectedly found a brown stone the size of a pinky fingertip.

"What’s this?" Qu Jianlei cautiously tapped it with a Short Dagger.

The expression of the straightforward fellow instantly turned ghostly pale.