CHAPTER 58: CHAPTER 58: SHOCKING NEWS

Flower Scorpion wasn’t surprised by Qu Jianlei’s question—he probably didn’t know what kind of people were after him.

So she solemnly said, "I think you should be more concerned about yourself, you have no idea how cold-blooded those people are."

Qu Jianlei nodded slightly at her words, judging from her reaction, this probably wasn’t a trap.

Indeed, the questions he asked Flower Scorpion had their own tricks—these were what he learned on Blue Star.

So he went along with it and asked, "How cold-blooded?"

A hint of terror flashed in Flower Scorpion’s eyes, "It’s not just a small disagreement, they kill people casually..."

"Just to establish their power, they can kill many people without blinking, that kind of high and mighty presence, you’ll understand when you see it."

I have indeed seen it! Qu Jianlei asked again, "What is the name of this important figure? Let’s see if I can use it."

"It’s called Sha Qu, formerly near Hongsi’s junkyard," Flower Scorpion answered bluntly, she could understand his line of thinking.

So it is this matter! Qu Jianlei sighed inwardly, "Never heard of it, it’s really a pity... What about my companions?"

"That one called Crack is dead," Flower Scorpion replied calmly, "He was too eager to protect that child."

"As for that child...his right arm was chopped off on the spot."

"I don’t know what happened afterward, but according to how those big shots act, he probably couldn’t survive."

Qu Jianlei’s eyelids twitched uncontrollably.

He had already guessed the outcome would be very bad, but when the guess was confirmed, he still couldn’t accept it calmly.

After a long silence, he finally spoke, his voice noticeably trembling, "What about my belongings..."

Flower Scorpion sighed lightly, she could understand his feelings, "They can do anything, no one can stop them."

She didn’t directly answer the question, but that was an answer in itself.

Qu Jianlei stayed silent for a long time, then asked, "Why are you telling me this?"

He couldn’t believe the other would fall for him at first sight or anything like that, so... you’re not afraid to die by leaking this information?

Flower Scorpion smirked bitterly, "Because if they find you... I don’t want to be silenced."

She might not necessarily be silenced, but when it comes to life and death, who would bet on that "might not"?

She just hoped Black Heaven could escape smoothly, the longer he’s unfound, the longer she could stay alive.

As for whether Black Heaven is Sha Qu, that’s even less important, she just wants to survive.

Qu Jianlei was startled for a moment before he realized the logic—what the people from the General Settlement do has no limits.

However, speaking of which, he still couldn’t guarantee this wasn’t a setup.

What if the other party wanted to make a great contribution and gain significant benefits?

It wasn’t his mind being dark, but rather the lack of security, the obsessive compulsion was incurable.

"Then aren’t you afraid of being found out, coming alone into the mountains to find me?"

"Who told you I came alone?" Flower Scorpion rolled her eyes at this, the guy’s thought process was really meticulous...

Her convoy had started a quick investigation after reaching Hongyi.

Qu Jianlei changed his name to Fugui, which had some effect, but not much.

The three of them were new, and the team also had a big one and a little one, the same couldn’t fill the money gap.

The key point was, the casino that traded Gold with Qu Jianlei was a white glove of a certain big figure in Hongyi.

Knowing he traded Gold, a look at the style of the gold bars, it could basically be confirmed.

Upon arriving at the yard, the off-road light truck, though modified, still had its original features.

In this process, Crack was taken out—his reaction was too intense.

Speaking of which, Flower Scorpion couldn’t help but sigh, "Crack... He was a Hunter!"

"He was in the top twenty hunters in the entire Hong Character Settlement!"

"If not for his partner’s betrayal, leading the whole squad to annihilation, most people wanting to go against him would truly be courting death!"

Qu Jianlei was a bit stunned when he heard this, he never expected that cold-hearted guy Crack had such a history.

So the fact that he tried to sway my choice is understandable—who hasn’t once led a grand flourish?

Flower Scorpion had high praise for Hunter, "He killed three people before being recognized, Xiao Jing was also dragged down by him..."

Xiao Jing’s reaction was also intense at the time; however, in the end, he was just a child and was ultimately captured.

The big figures in the General Settlement were quite furious about this battle, wanting to execute Xiao Jing to serve as a warning then and there.

But someone said, "Black Heaven can recruit Hunter, maybe there’s some background, how will you find him if you kill the child?"

It can be imagined that Xiao Jing will certainly suffer a lot afterward, and survival would be unlikely.

In fact, Xiao Jing wasn’t clear on Black Heaven brother’s origins, let alone that he was Sha Qu himself.

Yet Qu Jianlei’s mood didn’t lighten because of this, instead growing heavier.

His feelings toward Crack were complicated, but Xiao Jing... he really liked him.

Such a lively life, not even ten years old yet, and already...

The pursuit convoy had dispatched many people to search for Black Heaven.

Upon learning Black Heaven went into the mountains, everyone searched the mountains, the orders were, if you can’t catch him alive, dead is fine!

Flower Scorpion wasn’t sneaking over to inform; she was one of the mountain searchers.

But she’s fought face-to-face with Qu Jianlei, and knows how tough he is to deal with.

The key is, she doesn’t want to be silenced, so she’s long been planning to tip someone off.

"This is... quite a coincidence," Qu Jianlei spoke lightly, "that you happened to bump into me."

He never believes in coincidences. From a probability perspective... a low-probability event is almost impossible.

"I know you’ve fought with Wolf Weasel," Flower Scorpion replied calmly.

She could sense that the opponent was cautious in his actions. So she answered candidly,

"I was just lucky to find the battle scene, so I helped you clean up the traces."

"Among the people in the General Settlement, quite a few are good at tracking, but my tracking skills aren’t bad either..."

Qu Jianlei sat there thinking for a while, unable to find any clear errors in this logic.

So he chose to trust her, "Where is Xiao Jing currently being held?"

"I don’t even know if he’s alive or dead," a strange glint flashed in Flower Scorpion’s eyes.

"If you really have the means, take down those high-ups... can you do it?"

"Taking them down... is necessary," Qu Jianlei mumbled softly, "but right now, the conditions aren’t right."

A hint of disappointment flashed briefly in Flower Scorpion’s eyes, but she still softly suggested, "Then you should escape."

Qu Jianlei looked at her calmly, "Where would I escape to?"

"That’s for you to consider, you don’t need to discuss it with me," Flower Scorpion replied straightforwardly, "I don’t want to know either."

Qu Jianlei drooped his eyelids, then unexpectedly asked after a while, "What’s your rank among the Hunters?"

"Outside the top two hundred," Flower Scorpion answered candidly, "can’t compare with Hunt Wind."

After a pause, she added, "But in a fight for life and death, he might not be my match... I don’t care about rankings."

In the Wasteland, survival is what truly matters, what does a ranking represent?

Qu Jianlei raised his eyes to look at her, nodded thoughtfully, "You just mostly fear death."

People who fear death usually can’t unleash their full combat potential.

"Who isn’t afraid of death?" Flower Scorpion admitted openly, "Those stronger than me, like Hunt Wind... well, they just don’t fear death."

There’s no particularly detailed ranking in the Wasteland, at most, there’s a general acknowledgment of strong individuals.

Like who’s first or who’s second, that’s really just nonsense.

Encountering in different scenarios, someone ranked over a hundred defeating someone in the top ten has happened more than once or twice.

Actually, the motivation behind this ranking is... everyone is badass, and when you meet, there’s mutual respect.

Flower Scorpion admitted that Hunt Wind is strong, but... she wasn’t really convinced.

Qu Jianlei waved her off, "Alright, you can go now."

"I can go?" Flower Scorpion was a bit stunned, then couldn’t help but ask, "Don’t you need me to do something more?"

"What more can you do?" Qu Jianlei was somewhat helpless, "Betray those big shots?"

"You can talk about what you plan to do," Flower Scorpion answered seriously, "maybe I can help."

"I hope you can trust me, because if you fail, there’s a high chance I’ll be silenced."

"Of course I trust you," Qu Jianlei didn’t say this casually.

Through their two interactions, he had somewhat grasped Flower Scorpion’s character.

Her abilities were decent, but she lived too cautiously, overly concerned.

So he raised his chin, "You can go now, just pretend you never saw me."

Flower Scorpion was a bit stunned but wasn’t in a rush to leave, "If you’re planning to cross the Endless Mountain Range, count me in."

Qu Jianlei was a bit speechless, "Is my goal really that obvious?"

He didn’t deny his intentions, but the plan to cross the Endless Mountain Range was only shared with Xiao Jing and Rift.

"Everyone in Hongyi knows," Flower Scorpion looked at him strangely, as if observing an idiot.

"Rift, that guy..." Qu Jianlei realized where the information might’ve leaked from.

He was a bit puzzled, being an old hand at this; how could a simple information inquiry lead to a leak?

Maybe they just didn’t want him to cross the Endless Mountain Range? This guy sure had strong opinions.

But there was no use dwelling on it now; people were already gone, the dead are most important.

What he didn’t know was that Hunt Wind was proficient in survival and fighting in the wild, and not particularly strong in gathering intel.

If this person was really good at dealing with others, he wouldn’t have been betrayed and disliked.

Moreover, the people from the General Settlement had a strong presence; some, to avoid anger, willingly provided information.

The next moment, Qu Jianlei refocused, looked at Flower Scorpion, "Why are you leaving Hong Character?"

After thinking for a moment, Flower Scorpion answered uncertainly, "It feels like... the situation is a bit too big this time."

Afraid of death, indeed, Qu Jianlei understood, then remembered another question.

"Any news on that Sha Qu?"

(Update: During the new book period, seeking various support.)