Emptying His Pockets

Morrison spoke up, but Collins could not be bothered to answer. He merely gave him a cold glance—was it Morrison's turn to speak here?

Dirty Woman glanced at him as well and said impatiently, "Did you think we had you transport goods because we actually cared about that tricycle?"

Then she looked at Qu Jianlei. "Little Qu, we have to think this through. How can we keep anyone from dying?"

"I'm not familiar with them either," Qu Jianlei replied helplessly. "Anyone could die. That's the Wasteland."

"They all admire you," a middle-aged man spoke up. It was the very man who had told him the secret of the injections.

"If you come forward and organize them, fewer of us will die."

They did not think Silly Qu could completely stop the killing, but even preventing a few deaths would be good enough. Survivors in the Wasteland rarely considered absolute survival rates. That was unrealistic.

What they cared more about was the probability of survival. The higher the odds, the greater the hope of living.

"I can't organize them," Qu Jianlei answered bluntly, then raised a hand and pointed at Morrison.

"Anyone who wants to organize self-rescue can go find him. He's much more eloquent than I am."

"We've seen plenty of eloquent people," Collins said grimly. "They admire you for being stupid."

I'm stupid... did I eat your rice? Qu Jianlei could not be bothered to argue with him. It was not worth it. "You can be a little stupid too."

That was not something a normal person could say. Collins was immediately rendered speechless.

In the end, he asked resentfully, "Do you think... you'll definitely be fine this time?"

Qu Jianlei tilted his head and thought for a moment before answering, "I wasn't eaten by the Fallen back then. Making it this far means I've already profited."

"There's no talking to an idiot like you!" Collins had completely lost his temper.

Still, quite a few Survivors really did share that mentality. This was the Wasteland—living one more day was already a gain.

Early the next morning, everyone arrived at Hong Si Settlement.

Unfortunately, after waiting all morning, they received the news that Captain Tu Zuo Fu was not there. He had gone out to handle some business.

Just as everyone was wondering what they were supposed to do about the antidote, the Guard Member who had brought the medicine last time arrived.

He brought enough packets of medicine and handed them out one by one, then said,

"The captain isn't here, so it isn't convenient for me to kill anyone. But none of you have any information, and the captain gave orders..."

"The next time we come, if there is still no information, he plans to issue only fifteen packets of medicine!"

There had originally been twenty Scavengers injected with the potion, plus Qu Jianlei, who worked an auxiliary job, making twenty-one people in total.

One had been killed last time, so twenty people received the antidote this time.

Dirty Woman froze when she heard that. "Next time... five people will be killed?"

"If there's no information, that's how it will be," the Guard Member replied expressionlessly.

After a pause, he added, "It might not take killing five people... perhaps some will be seriously wounded. The captain's marksmanship is average."

That Cold Joke left everyone unable to laugh.

Collins could not help muttering, "Even if it's only a minor wound... without the antidote, death will come sooner or later."

Qu Jianlei gave him a calm glance upon hearing that. You're worried you'll be silenced in the end, aren't you?

However, Collins's senses were extremely sharp. Feeling someone looking at him, he turned and gave Qu Jianlei an indifferent glance.

There was no expression on his face, but that did not mean much. Many Survivors were masters at controlling their expressions.

This time, everyone took the antidote on the spot again.

But Qu Jianlei pulled a trick. He used the paper packet from last time to replace the one from this time.

As a result, only a tiny wisp of antidote went into his mouth.

But... no one should have been able to see it, right? This time, he had brought quite a lot of supplies. He traded three Gauss Guns and a long saber for a crude motorcycle.

In the Wasteland, motorcycles were far more expensive than Gauss Guns. Though Gauss Guns were weapons, motorcycles counted as major assets. Under normal circumstances, the exchange rate was roughly a Ratio of One to Three, but one of the guns he traded was very old.

So he added another long saber.

The motorcycle the other party provided was no ordinary piece of junk either. Though it was secondhand and looked rather battered, it was sturdy and durable.

Qu Jianlei had considerable expertise in mechanics, so inspecting a used motorcycle was no problem for him.

Once he got the motorcycle, he revved the engine and sped away.

What he did not know was that at least five groups behind him were silently watching him.

Collins turned his head and looked at Dirty Woman, his face expressionless. "Even now, you're still letting him keep acting stupid?"

"I don't quite understand that," the woman replied casually. "Can he really influence those Madmen?"

Collins gave a cold laugh. "One more person means one more chance to live."

"You think he'll definitely die?" A faint smile touched the woman's lips. "Then the one who definitely dies will be you."

"Is that so?" A sharp gleam flashed through Collins's eyes.

Not far away, the owner of a general store watched Qu Jianlei ride off and said blandly, "Just an idiot... without any strength?"

"Who can say for sure what strength someone has?" The burly Old Wu stood beside him. "Second Brother, if you want to take him out, just do it."

"The Secret Silver Plate..." The store owner sighed softly. "I'm truly curious about what exactly is hidden inside it."

The Secret Silver Plate was not very large. Judging solely by the weight of its silver, it was only about half the size of a Silver Coin, worth five Silver Horns at most.

But the silver plate had patterns on it, making it a work of art. The patterns were especially exquisite, making it a fine handicraft.

When Qu Jianlei had initially asked for five Silver Coins, he had also taken its value as a handicraft into account. Otherwise, why would he sell the thing? It was not as though he urgently needed money.

But the store owner knew very well that the Secret Silver Plate was more than silver and a work of art. Its true purpose was as a key...

Not far from him, a group that was clearly made up of Hunters was also watching Qu Jianlei.

A short man gave a soft laugh. "We misjudged him. Who would've thought that guy... actually had some assets."

Anyone who dared to ride a motorcycle alone into the wilderness had more than just a little money—they needed some nerve too. Among Hunters, perhaps two or three out of ten had motorcycles.

But among those who dared ride alone into the wilderness, there were only two or three in a hundred.

This was not merely a matter of courage. Hunters were cleaner than Scavengers, but there were quite a few desperadoes among them.

Their own lives were one thing, but if the motorcycle got damaged outside, it would be like "adding frost to a snow-covered roof for a family that was not well-off to begin with."

The truly wealthy lived in Residential Areas. Even when they went out, they drove Off-road Vehicles. Who would bother with motorcycles...

Among the three-person group, another person wearing a mask spoke. "I suggest we don't provoke this person."

The man who knew Sister Na was stunned upon hearing that. Though he acted freely, he greatly respected this teammate's judgment.

As for the other gazes, some came from Scavengers, while others came from different people...

Riding his motorcycle, Qu Jianlei bumped along for more than three hours before arriving at a Transit Camp over a hundred kilometers away.

There were not many people at the Transit Camp, but there was plenty of merchandise. It mainly sold supplies to Survivors.

Qu Jianlei filled up his tank, bought a large plastic jug full of fuel, purchased a batch of wilderness supplies, then got back on his bike and left.

After this round of shopping, he had bought quite a lot of things and had nearly emptied out all his savings.

His spending even attracted the attention of some people, and their gazes were far from kind.

Fortunately, he had arrived quickly and left just as fast. Before those coveting him could do anything, he was already gone.

Under the cover of night, Qu Jianlei arrived at Luan Shi Camp, took the supplies he could use, and quietly left once more.

This time, he had brought all his possessions with him, intending to take a gamble.

In total, he had two Gauss Guns, one shotgun, one Laser Gun, two long sabers, two short blades, and some ammunition.

As for living supplies, he had more than forty tubes of Nutrient Solution, three water bladders, and related wilderness equipment.

He could not place his safety in the hands of someone else pulling a trigger.

Escaping by sheer luck twice was already something to thank the heavens for. He would not be foolish enough to think he was the chosen one.

No place in the Wasteland wilderness was safe, but he had no choice but to take a chance.

He rode the motorcycle seventy kilometers away, arriving at the very place where the Fallen had imprisoned him last time.

It was an abandoned Small Town. Anything useful had been moved away long ago.

All around him were ruined walls and collapsed buildings, with only a handful of rooms barely capable of sheltering someone from wind and rain.

After wiping out the Fallen last time, the Hunters had burned the corpses and blown up several rooms, making the place look even more dilapidated.

Qu Jianlei inspected the place carefully for half a day. Only after confirming there were no people or wild beasts did he unload the things from his motorcycle.

He hid the motorcycle at a corner where two walls met, covered it with a dirt-colored piece of torn cloth, then piled some broken bricks and stones on top. Perfect.

But he was not done yet. He picked an inconspicuous broken wall to hide behind, took out some items, and began setting traps.

Qu Jianlei was highly skilled at setting traps. He simply had not had the conditions before, so he could only make a few Alarm Systems where he stayed.

This time was different. Among the supplies he had brought were even some Explosives, and he had no shortage of steel pellets either.

His requirements were not high. As long as the traps gave him a timely warning and hindered the enemy's advance somewhat, that would be enough.

As for traps with greater killing power, he set up two of those as well. They did not use much material, but they were enough to kill two people without a sound.

He only hoped whoever might come would have enough sense not to chase him relentlessly and force him to use them.

By the time everything was ready, it was noon. Qu Jianlei was already somewhat mentally exhausted, so he decided to sleep first.

Toward evening, intense pain throughout his body jolted him awake.

So... had the side effects of the Modified Potion come?

He gritted his teeth, got up, and sat cross-legged, wanting to see whether he could endure this episode without taking the antidote.

However, the pain grew increasingly intense. In the end, he could not even focus his mind on his dantian.

He slowly opened his eyes, sighed, took out the small paper packet, and swallowed about a third of its contents.

The antidote took effect almost instantly after entering his stomach. His entire body seemed to be enveloped by a warm current.

Feeling that warm current rapidly repairing his body, Qu Jianlei hesitated and looked toward the half Mutated Beast Crystal.