CHAPTER 64: CHAPTER 64: NEWS

A teammate of Flower Scorpion was killed by a sniper when the Hongyi Adventurers were really causing trouble.

Another teammate, the rider, was bitten by a venomous snake, and he decisively cut off his own left arm.

In this case, the person became incapacitated.

The trust among the three was unquestionable, but losing an arm meant he couldn’t continue as a Hunter.

This is the Wasteland, where there are betrayals and friendships, but ultimately... one must face reality.

Flower Scorpion left the truck to him, considering they were comrades in arms, giving him closure.

If he makes a prosthetic for the left arm, the rider can still drive cars and do transportation runs, it becomes a livelihood.

Because Flower Scorpion had met Black Heaven in person, she was left to guard the mountain pass.

The people from the General Settlement did promise some rewards, but she wasn’t very interested.

Frankly, she wanted to find Black Heaven and head over to see the other side of the mountain.

Flower Scorpion pretended to be very interested in the bounty, inviting others to join in the mountain expedition and continue the search.

The others thought this woman was crazy for money, with the weather getting colder every day, you want to enter the mountains now?

So Flower Scorpion came alone, wandering around the area during the day, and at night waiting here for Black Heaven.

Qu Jianlei listened to her recount, couldn’t help but frown, if it were three months ago, he would have refused without hesitation.

But after witnessing the mountain search turmoil, he had to admit this woman had helped him greatly.

As for the possibility that she might be after his belongings? Qu Jianlei didn’t discount that possibility.

However, it was just a possibility; almost half of his life could be said to have been saved by her, a gamble he was willing to make.

He pondered for a moment and asked, "Why take such a risk?"

Flower Scorpion straightforwardly replied, "Because I no longer have comrades, finding someone trustworthy... is very difficult!"

The Wasteland is indeed such, lone wolves have trouble surviving, banding together for warmth is the right path, but choosing teammates is difficult too.

Even someone as strong as Hunter Wind was betrayed by teammates, nearly freezing and starving to death.

Flower Scorpion chose Black Heaven as a teammate, valuing his reliability.

"Although I don’t know much about you, daring to fight the General Settlement to avenge a comrade, I admire you!"

"Just the dissatisfaction of unresolved matters," Qu Jianlei casually replied, "But, is that enough reason for you to take risks?"

"I could have easily unearthed your ammunition, but I buried them again," Flower Scorpion answered plainly.

"If I had unearthed this batch of ammo, it would be enough for me to eat and drink for one or two years, and you wouldn’t know."

Qu Jianlei was silent for a moment, then continued to shake his head, "Not enough."

"I want to become strong," Flower Scorpion thought for a moment, calmly revealing the final reason, "like you, strong!"

Now Black Heaven’s prowess had spread throughout the Hongyi Residence Area.

Mecha and such are secondary, if one’s luck is good enough, they might even get a Mecha.

People valued the fact that this guy ran with an Electromagnetic Cannon for more than twenty minutes and wasn’t overtaken by a vehicle.

The wasteland dwellers indeed had strong bodies, but a two-hundred-kilogram object, not to mention running with it, even walking for twenty minutes would be counted as strong.

Furthermore, the running speed of Black Heaven nearly reached one thousand meters per minute, a hundred meters in six seconds.

Across the Wasteland, anyone achieving six seconds in a hundred meters... it’s unknown if there is any.

And this guy wasn’t a temporary burst; he sustained the run for over twenty minutes.

This running speed alone was enough to be admired, not to mention he carried an Electromagnetic Cannon.

Moreover, Flower Scorpion knew these things, and also knew Black Heaven’s shooting was incredibly accurate, and his mechanical repair skills were strong.

"Surviving in the Wasteland, wealth and the like are all fake... only being strong enough is the real reliance!"

Qu Jianlei chose to believe her words because past experiences told him this woman was very adept at decision-making.

He nodded slightly, then asked, "Are you sure you can get the secret of strength from me?"

Flower Scorpion replied without hesitation, "I will demonstrate my value, whether it’s worth or not... you decide."

After a pause, she candidly stated, "Those big shots are chasing you without letting go... there must be a reason, right?"

"This isn’t a trouble that just a Mecha could draw."

"You’re quite honest," Qu Jianlei smiled wryly, "I’ll give you a piece of advice now..."

"Unearth the ammunition and leave, I assure you I won’t hold it against you."

"I won’t choose that," Flower Scorpion stared directly into his eyes.

"Otherwise, I wouldn’t risk being shot dead by you and hold out here, I want to become strong!"

Qu Jianlei replied without visible emotion, "But in the Endless Mountain Range, your chances of dying are also high."

"This is my own choice, I will not regret... I only regret not grasping the opportunity to become strong."

"Alright then," Qu Jianlei nodded decisively, the other party was forthright, he would only be more forthright.

"Unearth the ammunition and leave... wait, you don’t want to return for supplies?"

If the other party hasn’t prepared any supplies and just wants to leech off him, then there’s no way to cooperate.

But now to ask the other party to go back to the mountain pass to get supplies... Qu Jianlei, no matter how bold, wouldn’t go this far.

However, Flower Scorpion didn’t disappoint him; she smiled slightly.

"I’ve already brought the supplies out, less than twenty meters from your burial point."

This woman... Qu Jianlei’s trust in her instantly rose from seventy percent to eighty-five percent.

Since no one was around, Flower Scorpion started digging in broad daylight, while Qu Jianlei kept watch.

There weren’t many things Flower Scorpion had buried, mainly a large amount of Nutrient Injection, some warm clothing, and ammunition.

The rarest thing was that there were even three Energy Blocks, which amounted to thirty milliliters.

Flower Scorpion expressed apologetically, "I know Mechas consume Energy Blocks, but... I really don’t have much money."

But what puzzled Qu Jianlei the most was, "So many filters and filter papers?"

Flower Scorpion answered indifferently, "After that battle, they analyzed what you want."

"Besides the Vehicle-Mounted Machine Gun and ammunition you took, there was also a purifier... I figured you might need filters and filter papers."

Qu Jianlei glanced at her, nodding slightly.

"You’re considerate, but underneath the purifier there are already lots of filters and filter papers."

After retrieving two cache points of supplies, it was still not noon, and the two didn’t delay, leaving boldly.

As for the sudden disappearance of Flower Scorpion, neither discussed it... In the mountains, anything can happen is normal.

However, Flower Scorpion’s physical fitness was somewhat regrettable.

Though she carried only a third of the supplies from Black Heaven, after walking till nightfall, the two hadn’t reached seventy kilometers.

Seeing her panting appearance, Qu Jianlei was rather speechless, "Let me carry that bullet box."

Flower Scorpion, unpretentious, took off the bullet box weighing nearly thirty kilograms, "I’m not good at carrying loads but still okay on the journey."

This is the natural disadvantage of women; actually, she was quite agile already, but her carrying capacity really fell short.

Qu Jianlei took the ammunition box and intentionally or unintentionally asked a question, "What happened with Xiao Jing... in the end?"

"What else could happen?" Flower Scorpion answered indifferently, "By the next day, he was gone."

As a survivor of the Wasteland, life and death were seen too often, so there’s little emotional fluctuation; one becomes accustomed.

Qu Jianlei remained silent, before asking after a while, "Who’s in charge of the people coming from the General Settlement?"

"A woman named Selins," Flower Scorpion answered indifferently, "Her hair was destroyed by an Electromagnetic Cannon, and she vowed to kill you."

"A woman?" Qu Jianlei frowned slightly, "Sel... is that considered a surname?"

"Surname?" Flower Scorpion couldn’t help but turn to look at him, "You actually know surnames?"

In the Wasteland, many people’s names are randomly made up, so passing down a surname means something.

The difference between surname and clan names, many people don’t know, most don’t understand; what they pass down is just a clan name, not a surname.

Qu Jianlei didn’t answer this question; he just asked instead, "Is Sel a surname or a clan name?"

"It should be as part of a Safis family," Flower Scorpion’s information was still quite well-informed.

"Selins seems to be a branch, brother and sister trio, Selins being the youngest."

"Safis," Qu Jianlei lightly mumbled, "I’ll remember this family."

"You remembered?" Flower Scorpion looked at him, surprised, "That’s a family!"

If it were just targeting Selins’s trio of siblings, she wouldn’t be so surprised; Black Heaven indeed had this potential.

But against the entire Safis family... how could that be?

Qu Jianlei didn’t answer, and after a long while said, "Pick up the pace; at this rate, we won’t reach by dawn."

Flower Scorpion couldn’t hold back, and asked once more, "Really going against Safis?"

"There’s no real or fake here," Qu Jianlei casually replied, "My companions can’t die in vain."

"But you also killed many Adventurers," Flower Scorpion spoke seriously, "They shouldn’t die in vain either, right?"

Qu Jianlei looked at her strangely, "I like your honesty, but... which side are you on?"

"My side..." Flower Scorpion thought for a moment before understanding, "You mean I need to pick a side? But this metaphor is really crude."

"You’re not crude enough," Qu Jianlei replied without hesitation, "If your legs were thick enough, we’d have reached by now."

I’ve worked hard to keep my legs so slender! Flower Scorpion was completely speechless.

In the Wasteland, sturdiness is considered beautiful; only those with real means pay attention to physical balance.

Flower Scorpion counted as someone with aspirations; while enhancing combat power, she also tried to maintain her figure, which was truly not easy.

She felt somewhat aggrieved and couldn’t help but want to argue: Don’t you think it looks nice this way?

However, in the next moment, Qu Jianlei pulled her aside, "Careful, it’s a Winged Snake!"

(Updated to here, please send various support during the new book period.)