I Don't Want Trouble

As the Sandworms gradually came to a stop, neither of them dared slack off. They ran for nearly another kilometer before finally stopping.

The Hairless Freak looked terrified, sweat beading on his forehead as his tiny arms continued to tremble.

Riding a motorcycle at breakneck speed while bouncing over rocks was something you could only understand after doing it yourself.

Qu Jianlei panted as he stuffed a Nutrient Solution into his mouth.

"We really made a mess of things... It won't catch up with us, will it?"

"Probably not." The Hairless Freak looked at him eagerly and swallowed. "Can I have one too?"

Qu Jianlei glanced at him and tossed him a tube of Nutrient Solution. "This is payment for your hard work protecting the supplies."

After several days on the road, the two had grown somewhat familiar with each other. But things could not be handed out casually; there had to be rules.

The Hairless Freak did not care about that. After thanking him, he wolfed down the Nutrient Solution.

Only after taking three more gulps of water did he look back the way they had come, still shaken. "Good thing you spotted it early."

Qu Jianlei rubbed his forehead and said gloomily, "I've lost my bearings."

His sense of direction was exceptionally strong, nearly a supernatural ability. He could even automatically construct maps in his mind.

The direction he had been traveling in before was precisely the direction the shop owner had quietly pointed out.

He had a feeling that it was the way to Hong Yi Shelter.

But after what happened today, his sense of direction had been completely thrown off.

They might be able to find their way again by following the tire tracks back, but... was that realistic?

Once the Sandworm swarm had been disturbed, who knew how long they would stay there?

"No need to hurry." The Hairless Freak looked unconcerned. "If we rush all the way there, who knows what else we might run into?"

Clearly, the enormous uncertainty and danger along the way was why he had opposed Qu Jianlei's plan before.

I was getting too anxious. Qu Jianlei realized it as well, so he nodded. "Then let's keep moving for a while and rest afterward."

After a night's rest, the two were fully refreshed and continued onward, trying to find a way through the rock field.

It took them most of the day to circle out of the rock field, only to face another unknown region.

They were running low on fuel, food, and water. Qu Jianlei decided, "Let's find a wilderness camp first."

Fortunately, the next day, the two of them found a Supply Station.

After replenishing their supplies, Qu Jianlei casually asked which Settlement this place belonged to.

The people at the Supply Station were not surprised. Survivors wandering everywhere was perfectly normal, wasn't it? They readily gave him the answer: this was part of Hong Five Residential Area! Since it was Hong Five, Hong Four was not far away. Qu Jianlei took out three Silver Coins to pay.

Sure enough, after taking the handling fee, the other party gave him Hong Five Silver Horns as change.

Qu Jianlei also asked for directions to Hong Si Settlement and about the nearby camps.

Since he had already spent money here, they readily gave him the information and pointed out several dangerous areas.

The information was obviously not false. Otherwise, they risked being tracked down by him afterward.

Qu Jianlei had no plans to visit any dangerous areas for the time being. Instead, he headed toward the nearest camp.

"Hairless Freak, which do you think has greater hunting value—the Mutated Ironclad Hedgehog or the Rot Hide Giant Lizard?"

The child hesitated before answering, "Both creatures may live in groups. It's hard for one person to hunt either of them."

"Especially the Mutated Ironclad Hedgehog. Not only can it fire spikes, your Laser Gun might not even be able to hurt it."

Qu Jianlei fell silent. He truly did not want to find people to form a team with. "I'm asking which one is worth more."

"Definitely the Ironclad Hedgehog," the child answered. "Um... can you stop calling me Hairless Freak?"

"It's not discrimination." As he spoke, Qu Jianlei stopped the vehicle and removed his face covering.

Then he took out a small knife and felt around as he shaved off his eyebrows. "See? I'm the same now, aren't I?"

The Hairless Freak was visibly surprised. "Why did you shave yours off too?"

Qu Jianlei would never admit that he was in trouble. "So bugs don't grow there."

"Then why not shave your hair too?" the Hairless Freak muttered. "Call me Xiao Jing... it's a nickname."

Most Survivors in the Wasteland had nicknames. Especially in front of strangers, they rarely used their real names.

Qu Jianlei did not like being called Silly Qu, but he had been too powerless to protest before. "Once we enter the camp, call me Black Sky."

This camp called Sweetwater was not small, with more than two hundred semi-underground buildings.

However, every one of those buildings was occupied. Any that happened to be empty merely had their owners away.

Qu Jianlei did not mind. He picked a soft spot on the outskirts of the camp and dug a pit half a person deep.

He placed the cart over it and hung some felt cloth around it, turning it into a temporary dwelling.

At that moment, he somewhat missed his old dwelling at Luan Shi Camp. It had taken him many years to dig that out.

This new dwelling was only temporary. To build something like the old one would take at least a month.

Yet even for such a crude dwelling, someone came looking for trouble.

There were two men, one thin and one burly. Both looked somewhat roguish, one holding a knife and the other a gun.

The thin man spoke first. "Who told you to dig a hole here?"

The Gauss Machine Gun could kill both of them in an instant, right? Qu Jianlei did not think much of the pair.

But the next moment, he silently warned himself. Although his equipment and combat strength had improved somewhat, he should not get carried away.

He was new here. Who knew what kind of backing they had?

So he calmly asked, "Is this place... owned by someone?"

Wilderness camps were occasionally owned by someone, but such cases were extremely rare.

The two men did not dare claim that this place had an owner. If they did, the others definitely would not stand for it.

Still, the thin man answered in an unhurried manner, "Take off your face covering."

Qu Jianlei frowned. "And what's that supposed to mean?"

"Several vicious criminals have been wanted recently," the thin man replied in a sleazy tone. "All strangers have to be checked."

Suppressing his anger, Qu Jianlei asked, "Checked... and what is your identity, exactly?"

This time, the thin man did not boast. "I'm just an ordinary adventurer, but anyone can claim a bounty."

Are they just looking for trouble? Qu Jianlei felt that this man's motives were impure.

But as an outsider unfamiliar with the situation, cooperation was the wiser choice.

So he pointed at the Hairless Freak. "Have you ever heard of a criminal traveling with a child?"

The thin man was left speechless, but the burly man grew impatient. "Why are you talking so much nonsense?"

"I'm telling you, wanted means wanted. Since your background is unknown, we all have the right to inspect you."

"If you insist we don't have that right... bear the consequences yourself!"

Qu Jianlei found the phrase "bear the consequences yourself" troublesome. Without clear limits, it was hard to judge what it meant.

So he could only ask, "Then can I leave now?"

"No." The burly man decisively raised his Gauss Gun and spoke expressionlessly. "If you really try to leave, that makes you even more suspicious."

Qu Jianlei thought for a moment, then helplessly removed his face covering. "Is this enough now?"

The two men looked at him, exchanged glances, and slowly shook their heads—he was not one of the wanted criminals.

Wanted notices involved bounties. They could not just make false accusations.

Qu Jianlei understood that much, and much of his anger faded. It seemed the wanted notices really did exist.

But the next moment, the thin man spoke again. "This is not a suitable place to dig a pit. It affects the camp's overall layout."

You didn't stop me while I was digging it, Qu Jianlei thought, puzzled.

So he asked expressionlessly, "Layout... what kind of layout, and who decides that?"

"Can't you tell you're not welcome here?" the burly man said impatiently. "Just leave."

Now Qu Jianlei was unhappy. "Why didn't you say so before I dug it? Are you trying to take the results of our labor for yourselves?"

He had spent quite some time digging this pit, and the Hairless Freak had helped too. Were they just going to take it like that?

"What camp doesn't have a plan?" the thin man said coldly. "We didn't notice when you started digging."

That's your problem for not noticing, Qu Jianlei could not help grumbling inwardly.

But it was not strange for a camp to have planning, even if wilderness camps generally formed spontaneously.

Once there was a camp, everyone wanted to make it better, including building public facilities and the like.

Qu Jianlei was always willing to see things from the other party's perspective. Hearing that, he said, "Then I'll dig somewhere else. Is that acceptable?"

But to his surprise, the thin man directly said, "You can stay here, but you have to pay a layout fee."

So it was about collecting money after all? Qu Jianlei asked calmly, "Is this layout fee a one-time payment or something paid regularly?"

"Of course it's one-time," the thin man replied readily. "Three Silver Horns."

Three Silver Horns was not much, but when Qu Jianlei had been down on his luck, it would have covered two months of food expenses.

Qu Jianlei froze for a moment, then asked, "How do you prove you're worth that money?"

The thin man smiled, cleared his throat, and shouted, "I'm collecting layout fees from newcomers! Does anyone have an objection?"

His voice was indeed loud enough to carry throughout the camp.

No one spoke up in objection. About a dozen people merely watched the scene indifferently.

Qu Jianlei spoke softly. "No one else is going to collect layout fees, right?"

These might all be legitimate charges. He did not mind paying some fees, as long as they solved the problem.

But the thin man shouted again, "If anyone else collects fees from this friend..."

Then he asked, "What should I call you, friend?"

"Black Sky," Qu Jianlei answered expressionlessly.

"If anyone dares collect a layout fee from my friend Black Sky again, they'll be disrespecting Lao Mo. Don't blame me for getting nasty."

Even after the thin man finished shouting, no one responded.

Then he glanced at Qu Jianlei and asked smugly, "Well? Is that good enough?"

"All right." Qu Jianlei reached into his clothes, and when he withdrew his hand, three Silver Horns had appeared in it.

After the thin man accepted the Silver Horns, he turned and left with the burly man.

Only after they had gone quite far did he chuckle and say in a low voice, "He's a complete greenhorn!"

(During the new book period, please give all kinds of support.)