Trouble at Hand

Lao Mo had come, of course, to mooch a meal. Though he had a bit of savings, he only got to eat meat once or twice a year.

Especially since there were still nearly four pounds left in Black Sky's pot.

Most people in the Wasteland had big appetites, but surely they could spare him a little?

Yet these two eyebrowless fellows, one big and one small, had actually spat into it.

Spit... honestly speaking, Lao Mo did not care that much, but he had to consider his dignity.

With a dark expression, he said, "I've eaten already. I came to ask whether you need my help settling the Iron Palm Gang matter."

Qu Jianlei frowned slightly and asked in confusion, "Settling it for me?"

Lao Mo looked at him blandly. "You think you can kick Two Snakes and get away with it? Someone will come looking for trouble!"

"But if you're willing to pay two Silver Horns, I'll mediate for you, and this will all blow over."

Qu Jianlei's first reaction was to glance at the Hairless Freak. So did he get beaten for nothing?

His second reaction was, Lao Mo, are you planning to find yourself a long-term meal ticket? But in the end, he reminded himself: Keep it under control! So he merely asked, "Yesterday's three Silver Horns only counted as a site fee?"

"Of course," Lao Mo answered righteously. "We made it clear yesterday. One thing is one thing."

What bullshit one thing is one thing. Qu Jianlei knew perfectly well that he had been extorted yesterday.

The Hairless Freak had gone out yesterday to ask around whether outsiders setting up a residence really had to pay a site fee.

Everyone he asked merely smiled without answering. Some of those smiles had been particularly hard to take—as though they were looking at an idiot.

He immediately reported it to Black Sky Bro.

Qu Jianlei had not really cared. He had already expected that extortion was a possibility.

But he was certain Lao Mo was not simply extorting him. Just from the fact that the man had dared to loudly ask those two questions, he clearly had some clout.

There was nothing shameful about paying for peace. The three Silver Horns might have seemed a little unfair, but it would be fine as long as he received appropriate protection afterward.

As long as that protection was sufficient, he would not have minded paying every so often.

But the effect of the previous payment had not even run its course, and now Lao Mo was demanding more. That was a little too shameless.

He did not care about those three Silver Horns either. He just would not deal with him again in the future. "Since one thing is one thing, I'll handle it myself."

Lao Mo was somewhat surprised, but he could hardly beg the other party, could he?

He turned and left, tossing back only one sentence. "When they come looking for you and you beg me for help, it won't cost this much."

Qu Jianlei did not respond. He picked up his spoon and began wolfing down his meal.

After eating his fill, Qu Jianlei continued meditating.

Practicing the Eight Section Brocade and Five Animals Play would have been good for digestion at a time like this, but he did not want the people in the camp noticing.

He finished after roughly four hours of meditation, then heard the Hairless Freak speak. "Black Sky Bro, can you take me with you tomorrow?"

Without even thinking, Qu Jianlei replied, "Stay here and watch the place."

The Hairless Freak added, "I don't want to get beaten up again. Let's take the flatbed cart when we go out."

Qu Jianlei stated bluntly, "If he dares hit you again, I'll break his arm."

There were some unspoken rules in the camp—if you failed to steal the first time, then immediately went back for a second attempt, that was a challenge to the rules.

Those who challenged the rules naturally would not receive the protection of those rules. People who ran with gangs should understand that even better.

The two lay down in the shallow pit. Xiao Jing quietly asked again, "Can I borrow a Super-Frequency Oscillating Short Dagger?"

The poor kid did not even have a decent weapon for self-defense. He looked exactly like Qu Jianlei had three months ago.

Qu Jianlei answered flatly, "Go to sleep. There's no need for you to fight him to the death."

He quickly fell asleep, not noticing that Xiao Jing lay beside him with his eyes open for another three hours before finally falling asleep.

The next day, Qu Jianlei woke early. Turning his head, he saw the bloodshot veins in Xiao Jing's eyes. "Didn't sleep well?"

"Um..." The Hairless Freak hesitated before answering, "How about we work on the residence today?"

"A residence... this may not be a place where we can stay long-term." Qu Jianlei hesitated, then shook his head. "Let's stay another couple of days and see."

It was not easy for newcomers to integrate into a camp. He understood that clearly.

But this time, he had arrived in such a high-profile manner, and the trouble he might have stirred up was on another level.

He had not realized that before, but his experiences over the past two days had made him understand.

If he could not properly resolve the matters with the Iron Palm Gang and Lao Mo, they probably would not be able to stay here for long.

But it was not his fault. When moving house, did he not have to bring along everything useful? Was he supposed to go find a Storage Bag in some immortal cultivation world?

Qu Jianlei had now realized that cultivation simply could not be accomplished in a wilderness camp.

First, he had no money, so he could not bring a large amount of resources with him for secluded cultivation.

Second, his cultivation produced some disturbances, making a wilderness camp unsuitable as well.

Not to mention anything else, even practicing a set of Eight Section Brocade exercises would be inappropriate in camp. It would easily draw onlookers.

He was not worried about others learning it. They were just methods for strengthening the body; if someone could learn them, that was their ability.

But this style of exercise did not quite fit the Wasteland's culture.

If someone insisted on getting to the bottom of it, it would be difficult to explain where it came from, easily causing unnecessary trouble.

Therefore, Qu Jianlei did not plan to stay at Sweetwater Camp for long either. There was no need to painstakingly build a house.

In the blink of an eye, he had spent seven or eight days in the camp, and their supplies dwindled day by day.

One day, while Qu Jianlei was exercising, a sudden breeze blew past, making him shiver.

"It rained again yesterday. It's getting a little cold."

Only then did he remember that winter seemed to be approaching.

During his time at Sweetwater Camp, he had also asked about the routes to Hong Yi Settlement and Hong Si Settlement.

The camp residents had not accepted him yet and were vague when it came to Hong Yi Settlement, but they did know the direction of Hong Si Settlement.

Qu Jianlei had been away from Luan Shi Camp for a long time, and suddenly felt the urge to go back and take a look.

In the end, he still felt vaguely uneasy, sensing that the Garbage Dump affair might yet bring consequences.

With that thought, he returned to camp, gave the Hairless Freak some instructions, then rode away on his motorcycle.

Xiao Jing very much wanted to go with him, but Qu Jianlei said it would not be convenient to bring him along.

He actually wanted to take him away as well. After all, having one more person would better conceal his identity.

But considering that this trip carried a certain degree of risk, there was no need to let Xiao Jing take risks with him. He might even become a burden.

To make a long story short, Qu Jianlei spent six days taking a roundabout route to Luan Shi Camp.

He hid his motorcycle fifty kilometers away, then approached the camp under cover of darkness.

However, the instant he clearly saw the camp, he was stunned. His entire body turned ice-cold in an instant.

Luan Shi Camp... had been destroyed. Most of its buildings had been wrecked, destroyed from the outside inward.

After the initial shock, he raised his Night Vision Binoculars and carefully approached while observing the area.

After investigating, it was just as he had thought. The entire camp was empty, and most of the supplies had disappeared as well.

Some less valuable things remained, such as charcoal and discarded metal items.

Fat Sister's general store had been completely cleaned out too, with practically nothing left behind.

As for Qu Jianlei's own house, its roof had been torn off, and the inside was a mess. It did not look as though much had been taken.

The key was that nothing he had collected was worth much! Qu Jianlei pondered for a moment, then suddenly frowned. "Could it be that?"

He hurried outside the camp and carefully approached a rock.

He examined it closely for a while, then took out his short dagger and carefully brushed aside the loose soil. The pit beneath was empty.

"Just as I thought." He sighed in dejection. It really was that Alloy Ring.

When Mr. Sai had given him the Alloy Ring, he had said that it could be used to sound an alarm if there was an emergency, and it could be received from far away.

Qu Jianlei had guessed that if it could send signals over long distances, then it might also be detected from far away.

So before leaving, since he felt he might not return, he had buried the Alloy Ring near the camp.

To prevent the other party from discovering it, he had manually made a crude Faraday Cage and placed the Alloy Ring inside it.

But now, the Faraday Cage was gone. "Damn it, that was a Faraday Cage... a second Frequency Band leak?"

The first Frequency Band leak had caused him to transmigrate here after being electrocuted.

The second leak, however, had made Mr. Sai realize that he had slipped away without a sound.

Qu Jianlei could not help frowning. Could this Faraday Cage be my natural nemesis? But the next moment, he had no time to complain. He had to face reality.

Luan Shi Camp had been destroyed because he had escaped. Mr. Sai had taken his anger out on the camp.

In any case, Qu Jianlei had long experienced the Main Settlement's style—ruthless and decisive when it came to killing.

Then Old Cripple's death at the other camp had clearly also been because of him... or perhaps Morrison as well.

Qu Jianlei first covered the hole back up with sand, then silently moved several kilometers away.

He chose a rock for cover before calmly considering the problems before him.

No matter how he thought about it, it all came down to four words: The trouble is huge! Mr. Sai would never believe that he had buried the Alloy Ring simply because he wanted to find a quiet place to wait for death.

Therefore, he had two reasons to search for him.

One was, of course, information about the Pink Mecha. Why had he run off for no reason? Perhaps he had obtained some information.

The second reason was that he had endured the drug without taking the antidote... and that had been a Gene Modification Agent! Qu Jianlei could even guess that the second reason would give Mr. Sai even greater motivation.

A failed agent that required expensive medication to support its effects had actually been cracked by someone?

Without a doubt, Mr. Sai would suspect that he had most likely mastered a method to take the agent without harm.

A failed agent had turned into a successful agent in the blink of an eye...

There was no need even to mention the profits involved. This alone was an epoch-making discovery.

Once he understood that, Qu Jianlei's thoughts became a complete mess. Does this mean I have no choice but to flee for my life?

(During the new book period, all support is welcome.)