CHAPTER 5: CHAPTER 5: COLD-BLOODED AND HOT-BLOODED

The water in the skin bag wasn’t very clean, but in this desolate wilderness, it was already fortunate to have any at all.

Do mere survivors in the wild have the right to touch the water bottle of a patrol team member?

"Thank you, sir," Qu Jianlei obediently thanked, opened the skin bag, and took six small sips.

Six sips were enough. He knew what the water in the skin bag was meant for and didn’t dare drink more.

The impurity was unavoidable, but as long as there was no poison, a small amount was not an issue; the key was to control the intake.

Then he opened a vial of Nutrient Injection and swallowed it without hesitation.

Immediately, he stood up and bowed, "Thank you, sirs."

The patrol officer with the Long Blade showed a bit of interest, "Can you still eat? I have more Nutrient Injections... how many tubes do you need?"

The question wasn’t asked with kindness; he was even contemplating whether to start a bet.

"Thank you, sir, I don’t need more," Qu Jianlei shook his head slowly, "Too much is as bad as too little."

"What’s this guy saying?" someone voiced, and another one-eyed inspector approached, who seemed to be a small boss.

Qu Jianlei’s choice of words was always a bit different from the locals, reminiscent of the Divine Land.

He could change, but he felt it unnecessary—since everyone thought he was crazy anyway.

The one-eyed small boss didn’t understand "too much is as bad as too little," but after some communication, he grasped the other’s situation.

"Pure nonsense," the small boss threw down a small disk, "Test it yourself... you know how to use it, right?"

It was a disposable injector, meant to be pressed hard against the skin to release a needle and inject.

The liquid inside the injector wasn’t much, but it was enough for a simple test, the most convenient way to test a Fallen.

But his "you know how to use it, right" was genuinely high-tech for Qu Jianlei.

Only because the person was a small boss could they casually produce such an item.

Qu Jianlei fiddled with it for a while, trying to press it on the back of his hand, then looked up with a questioning glance, "Like this?"

"That’s right," the small boss nodded, couldn’t help but mutter, "This guy’s observation skills aren’t bad."

Qu Jianlei didn’t know what this thing was, but clearly, he had no power to refuse it.

Once the liquid was injected into the back of his hand, he felt a warm rush up his arm straight to his heart, "Ah... this?"

After about half a minute, the small boss spoke up.

"No change, shouldn’t have eaten anyone, come on up... carry that corpse on your back!"

Qu Jianlei’s heart settled, but he couldn’t help but secretly complain, this testing method is too rudimentary, right?

That sudden rush of heat just now, the user experience was really horrible.

However, since it was a casually given free testing item, one couldn’t ask for too much.

As for getting out of the big pit, it wasn’t that difficult, even with a corpse on his back.

"Alright, gather round," the small boss nodded slightly, turned around, and left, "There’s serious business to attend to!"

Qu Jianlei carried the corpse over and saw about twenty Scavengers, more than thirty Hunters, and some injured individuals.

These were the main force to attack the Fallen, but now, they were all squatting on the ground with their heads in their hands.

There were at least fifty people wearing patrol uniforms around.

Not far away were three off-road light trucks, two armored vehicles, and over a dozen motorcycles with wide tires and high wheels.

The light trucks were open-topped, simple and rugged, with heavy Gauss Machine Guns mounted on the racks at the back, their calibers menacing.

The front of the armored vehicles had smoothbore cannons, and machine guns on top, making them intimidating weapons.

The off-road light trucks and armored vehicles surrounded Qu Jianlei and his group, with people manning the weapon platforms.

Anyone who dared to run off disobeying orders must realize that these weapons were no mere displays.

After glancing around, Qu Jianlei dropped the corpse, walked obediently aside, squatted down, and clasped his head in his hands.

Supposedly, he was a support worker, entirely different from these people.

But in the Wasteland, trying to emphasize his difference often amounted to courting death.

Going with the flow was the way of survival.

A group of people descended from the larger armored vehicle, led by a young man around twenty-seven or eight years old.

This person was extraordinarily handsome, dressed in luxurious clothing full of vigor, but with a hint of a sinister aura between his brows.

Qu Jianlei watched him from the corner of his eye: even more handsome than me, he must be... the villain, right?

This person walked onto a convertible light truck, took a loudspeaker, and spoke, "Don’t ask who I am. You’re not worthy of knowing!"

"I’m going to ask one question, answer correctly, and you live... In the past ten days, has anyone come across a pink Mecha?"

This person’s presence was overwhelming, making the patrol team members seem like mere kittens compared to a tiger.

However, among the survivors squatting on the ground, none were simple, exchanging glances secretly, with no one speaking up.

Seeing no response, the one-eyed small boss spoke, "Mr. Sai is from Hong’s General Number, this is a rare opportunity."

The Hong’s General Settlement oversaw all the Settlements with the ’Hong’ character, a power hard for ordinary people to imagine.

Someone exclaimed in surprise, it was Third Master squatting on the ground with his one leg, "Mr. Sai, there are lots of pink mechas!"

The sinister young man glanced at him, snorting softly, "I want information on all the pink mechas."

Third Master immediately fell silent, with his experience, he had already sensed today was not right, listening more and speaking less was the proper way.

However, the scar-faced woman with only half a left ear wasn’t so perceptive.

She directly asked roughly, "Mr. Sai, is there anything unusual about these pink mechas? So we can go inquire."

Mr. Sai’s chin lifted slightly as a gunshot rang out, and the scar-faced woman’s head exploded instantly.

The scene instantly fell into a dead silence, only the sound of the wind blowing softly was heard.

After a while, Mr. Sai snorted softly, "It is I who ask, who gave you the illusion... that you have the qualification to question me?"

"Don’t try to teach me how to do things, you! Are! Not! Worthy!"

"We are Hunters!" A man stood up, coldly staring at the opposite side, "You’re venting your anger in the wrong direction!"

"Oh... you surprised me!" Mr. Sai looked him up and down with a couple of glances, strangely not getting angry, "You’re not afraid of dying?"

"Go to hell!" The man moved quickly like a firecracker, his body rushing forward like a cannonball, "Dirty woman... wait for me!"

He and the scar-faced woman were not only close friends but had promised to live and die together.

In the wasteland, life is worthless, but it doesn’t lack passion—everyone doesn’t care about their own life.

The Gauss machine gun started firing, and the man was shot into a sieve, his blood spilling through the sky.

But almost at the same time, Qu Jianlei closed his eyes and lay flat on the ground.

Sure enough, with a loud "boom," the whole earth shook a bit.

The man had ignited the fire bomb on his body upon being shot.

Mr. Sai could underestimate the passion of these lower-class people, but Qu Jianlei knew too well and hence escaped disaster.

A wave of shock passed by, Qu Jianlei only felt a burning pain in his lower back, probably slightly affected.

When he crouched again, the light card in front of him was already shattered.

Mr. Sai didn’t suffer much injury, two people with shields were guarding in front of him, only his clothes were slightly damaged.

His face also had some soot, even half of his hair and eyebrows were singed.

He was furious for a moment, "These scumbags, they all deserve to die... eliminate them for me!"

"Mr. Sai, please control your anger," the one-eyed small leader had to speak out, "These are survival experts!"

"If you can eliminate everyone, that’s fine, but what if you can’t?"

As he said this, the smoke gradually dissipated.

Several of the survivors squatting on the ground had already disappeared, no idea where they went.

Mr. Sai was stunned for a moment and decisively made a decision, "I only want to ask about the people in the mine, it’s unrelated to Hunters."

Obviously, he already realized that although the Hong Character Settlement was indeed strong, it couldn’t subdue these lawless survivors.

This was the common state of the wasteland—you are strong, but what does it matter to me?

Splitting is necessary, otherwise if provoked, even the Hongsi patrol team would be unable to intervene, making things interesting for him.

He came here to investigate detailed information, arrogance was a given, but if it affected the result, he would be unforgivable.

The killing just now was merely because he disliked being offended, meanwhile establishing authority—after all, wasteland lives are worthless.

But he had indeed experienced the fierceness of the lower class, and had to restrain himself a bit.

No way, encountering those who would self-destruct at the slightest disagreement, there’s nothing anyone can do.

With his ability, making the entire Hongsi Settlement disappear wasn’t a problem, but... could he silence everyone?

So it was better to honestly admit, he was actually mainly targeting scavengers.

Hunters were more wildly defiant, not necessary to offend a group that wasn’t their original opponent.

But Third Master didn’t agree, he lifted his head and chuckled softly, "So the people in the mine are easier to bully?"

People living in the junkyard indeed had lower social status, unlike Hunters who actively hunted mutant beasts.

But lower social status doesn’t mean lesser authority, nor does it mean lesser income.

In fact, the upper class in the mine earn far more than the upper class among Hunters—even the upper class of Inspectors can’t compare.

Don’t underestimate those collecting scraps, without extraordinary abilities, you can’t truly do this job.

Hunters just need to risk their lives, but to do well in the mine, not only must you risk your life, but also know how to handle people.

Many high-end scavengers have strong backing forces; they don’t need "washing mines," they can directly digest themselves.

If you say these people aren’t middlemen, would anyone believe otherwise?

Third Master retired from the Hunter profession because he indeed lost a leg, ability didn’t allow it.

But he doesn’t think Hunters are truly nobler than scavengers—just sounds better.

Anyone can do the fighting and killing, but to be a qualified scavenger, you have to use your brain!