CHAPTER 67: CHAPTER 67: LEAVING THE MOUNTAINS

Qu Jianlei was worried whether this mammoth had companions.

The winter refuge was being watched, moving was not an option.

At this point, who could worry about whether the meat was edible? Protecting one’s home was the priority.

Initially, he favored using the vehicle-mounted Gauss machine gun to solve the problem.

The gun was operated by Flower Scorpion; she fired twenty bullets in succession, at such a close range, there was no reason to miss.

However, even though blood blooms erupted from the mammoth, it only became more enraged.

Its long trunk pounded the ice wall fiercely, harder each time, causing the entire cave to tremble.

Flower Scorpion was experienced, her grip on the machine gun was steady.

She waited for the mammoth to smash three times, and just as it raised its trunk for the fourth time, she pulled the trigger again.

Another twenty bullets were fired, making blood blooms erupt.

On the fourth drop, the trunk landed with such force that the cave shook, and then, the mammoth turned and ran!

Flower Scorpion was anxious; it seemed that relying solely on the vehicle-mounted machine gun’s power wouldn’t quickly resolve the mammoth, "Fire the cannon!"

Qu Jianlei was already inside the mecha, blocking the cave entrance.

To ensure accurate aiming and make full use of the electromagnetic cannon, he even dug a pit at the entrance.

The lower half of the mecha sat in the pit, its left arm perfectly positioned to operate the electromagnetic cannon.

They attacked with the machine gun first simply to save shells and energy blocks.

Qu Jianlei’s reaction was swift; as he saw the mammoth turning to escape, he pulled the trigger just as Flower Scorpion shouted.

One cannon shot and the mammoth’s abdomen was pierced through from back to front.

Its massive body trembled violently, and then it fell with a thundering crash.

The two of them weren’t in a hurry to go out; beasts had tenacious life forces, what if it had a dying struggle?

Waiting for ten or so hours, even if the beast froze to death.

In this extreme cold, even if the scent of blood spread, no animal was likely to come.

There was a moment of silence in the cave, then Flower Scorpion exclaimed, "Its blood is red."

"Red doesn’t necessarily mean it’s not mutated," Qu Jianlei replied, "It’s better not to eat it casually."

Flower Scorpion nodded, understanding the logic, "Then we’ll try it with a banded porcupine to see if it has poison."

Qu Jianlei remained silent for a moment, then replied, "That has to wait until spring."

Flower Scorpion also fell silent at his words. After a long time, she sighed, "Maybe until summer."

The cave fell into a deathly silence.

Both of them knew that the current supplies might last until summer, but whether they could get out of the Endless Mountain Range was uncertain...

However, life had to go on. Both had resilient spirits and soon abandoned idle thoughts.

Three months passed, and one day Qu Jianlei let out a long howl and stood up from the ground.

He had broken through to the sixth level of Qi Refining, and felt an incomparable ease.

That day brought double happiness. Flower Scorpion, who had gone out, returned joyously to announce, "The weather is warming up."

This was deep in the Endless Mountain Range; spring should have arrived over a month ago, but the range was just now showing signs.

"That’s good," Qu Jianlei nodded, "Hopefully, it will thaw in a month."

The black-backed golden ape meat was mostly consumed, though the rations could still last three to four months.

But they had been cooped up in the cave for over four months. Without the ability to cultivate and exercise, they might have gone crazy!

Flower Scorpion’s training over these months had paid off, notably enhancing her flexibility.

People from the Wasteland didn’t value flexibility much, but having more skills was never a burden; she even learned the Joint Manipulation Skill from Qu Jianlei.

She also learned Tai Chi Boxing, but wasn’t very interested in this soft fist technique.

She was genuinely interested in learning the Tai Chi Thirteen Sabers, but Qu Jianlei didn’t teach it yet, asking her to fully grasp Tai Chi Boxing first.

After a winter of staying indoors, Flower Scorpion, despite occasionally going out to explore, looked healthier and more lovely.

But Qu Jianlei didn’t entertain any improper thoughts, as they were a lone man and woman sharing a room, and nothing occurred between them.

Flower Scorpion didn’t make any attempts to seduce; for Wasteland adventurers, having children was a luxurious affair.

Qu Jianlei, having experienced women before crossing over, wasn’t clueless. The key was believing martial arts training was better while pure.

The temperature rose rapidly, taking just a month for it to reach about negative twenty degrees Celsius.

Qu Jianlei suggested they should leave; despite the cold, it was now late spring or early summer according to the calendar.

If they didn’t leave now and couldn’t cross the Endless Mountain Range by the end of summer, they’d be in big trouble.

Flower Scorpion understood, yet she was still fixated on the mammoth.

Before the thaw, the two of them, each with a long blade, forcefully dismembered the mammoth and brought it into the cave to thaw.

A miracle occurred: they discovered a mutant crystal beneath the mammoth’s skull.

An orange mutant crystal, indicating it was an A-level mutant beast.

Generally speaking, when two people team up, the spoils should be divided, but Flower Scorpion clearly stated: This is yours!

However, the mammoth ivory she had her eye on was considered her spoils.

As for the mammoth meat, neither of them dared to think about it. Qu Jianlei still wanted to find another banded hedgehog, but couldn’t find one no matter what.

In theory, they could wait a few more days and catch some other animal to test poison.

But both of these individuals had control over their desires, deciding to give up on these chunks of meat.

The main concern was that they had a whole winter to ponder: what if they couldn’t emerge from the Endless Mountain Range?

Before leaving, they sealed the cave entrance tightly—one can never say for sure if they’ll need it again in the future.

After determining the direction, the mecha advanced once more, only to find it grew colder the further they went.

However, Qu Jianlei remained calm: this indicated they were still climbing the mountain, and when it got hotter, they’d be descending.

The coldest temperature was almost minus forty degrees.

Thankfully, half a month later, the temperature began to steady, and four to five days later, it noticeably warmed.

Qu Jianlei and Flower Scorpion collectively let out a sigh of relief, at least seeing the dawn of exiting the mountain.

However, the warming temperatures brought new perplexities; as it continued to rise, they saw more animals.

These animals had been hungry all winter, making them particularly aggressive.

They had to carry some of the animals they had hunted and throw the corpses to run when attacked by pack animals.

In the most thrilling encounter, they were besieged by over a dozen Iron-Feathered Vultures, which were flying B-level mutant beasts.

The two had to choose to operate during the day and rest at night, taking three days to finally shake off these creatures.

The fundamental reason was that they hunted two giant mountain lizards at night and threw the bodies on their escape route.

Mountain lizards held little value, discarded without concern, but hunting them required using precious energy blocks and ammunition.

After feeling the temperature rise, they traveled for another month and a half, finally seeing the distant plains and feeling warmth.

At this point, the supplies they had when they set out were down to less than one-third.

Taking advantage of the night, Qu Jianlei and Flower Scorpion exited the mecha, looking at the dark plains.

After a while, Flower Scorpion asked, "Should we hide the mecha first?"

Qu Jianlei frowned slightly and muttered under his breath, "Why does it not feel like midsummer?"

He had a compulsive nature, remembering the dates of entering and exiting the mountains accurately.

If he hadn’t misremembered, it should now be the tail end of midsummer, akin to Blue Star’s "Three Hottest Days".

This should be the hottest time of the year, yet the temperature here was much cooler.

Even if he sometimes sat in deep meditation and messed up the dates, the difference wouldn’t exceed three days.

Flower Scorpion didn’t think this was an issue, "We’re still on the mountain, and... it might have just rained."

Neither of them had been to the Zhou Character Settlement, and they were truly in the dark about the conditions here.

The mecha definitely needed to be hidden, which took two days.

Then Qu Jianlei buried the remaining supplies separately, here and there, which astonished Flower Scorpion.

Finally, she couldn’t resist asking, "Aren’t you afraid you won’t remember or... someone else might find it?"

Qu Jianlei didn’t answer her first question, "Carrying it all is first off impractical, and secondly very dangerous."

After spending two days, they finally descended the mountain, curious to find no one at its base.

After walking another two days, approximately a hundred kilometers, they finally encountered a convoy.

The convoy consisted of four cars and five motorcycles, steering slightly off course upon spotting the pair.

It’s best not to provoke wilderness adventurers, and seeing them, it’s obvious they’re not to be trifled with.

Flower Scorpion had two guns on her back—a laser gun and a single soldier machine gun—as well as a long blade and a big bag.

Qu Jianlei also sported two guns—a laser gun and a vehicle-mounted machine gun—along with a long blade and an even bigger bag.

After the vehicles circumvented them, they began to slow down, and a three-wheeled vehicle left the convoy heading towards them.

Both of them simultaneously pulled the laser rifles from their backs, but didn’t aim at anyone, just watched the three-wheeler.

On the bed of the three-wheeler was a machine gun mounted, but the shooter in the bed didn’t draw their gun.

When adventurers meet in the wild, caution is necessary, but some appropriate friendly gestures exist.

The rider of the three-wheeler was a bald man with a face covering, looking equally fierce.

When they were more than a hundred meters apart, he paused and loudly asked, "Where are you two headed?"

"Car broke down," Flower Scorpion responded bluntly, "Now we’re unclear on direction. Could you tell us the way to the nearest camp?"

"A woman?" The bald man was a bit surprised, then chuckled, "Why should I tell you?"

"Then why ask me anything?" Flower Scorpion lifted her laser gun and spoke coldly, "Move along!"

The bald man wasn’t bothered, he had the convoy behind him, some vehicle-mounted machine guns already lined up.

He laughed heartily, "Quite fiery, who gave you the nerve?"