Chapter 249
A moment later, Shi Lei walked up to Patriot:
"FrostNova was cared for by me for a few months, and the aftereffects of hypothermia have basically healed. I brought her back safely, and I did not disappoint you."
"Divine Doctor. Zhong, what are you saying?"
Broca bowed again to express his gratitude.
"I am very grateful that you are taking care of FrostNova. But the living conditions here are indeed quite harsh. If conditions permit, could she continue to stay in Lungmen?"
Patriot has lived for so many years; he wouldn't be so lacking in discernment. Rather than letting FrostNova waste her youth with him, it would be better for her to stay by the side of the Divine Doctor and broaden her horizons.
Even if you don't learn anything, it's still beneficial to cultivate interpersonal relationships.
Perhaps in the future, Divine Doctor Zhong will remember his friendship with FrostNova and step in to save them again.
Shi Lei was indifferent to FrostNova's decision to stay or leave; it was entirely up to her.
FrostNova has lived in Taiheng Road for over four months and has become part of this big family. Whatever decision she makes, Shi Lei will support her.
"Don't ask me about this. Ask FrostNova. If she wants to stay and take care of you, I won't stop her. If she wants to return to Lungmen, I won't treat her differently either."
FrostNova understood her adoptive father's good intentions, and she had indeed gotten along well with everyone in Lungmen. After a moment's thought, she respectfully bowed to Shi Lei and said:
"If it's not too much trouble, I'd like to stay with you for a while longer."
"Yes, I'll take you with me when I leave. By the way, where is Talulah? I came here today because I have something important to discuss with her."
This was Shi Lei's first time visiting Schuratzburg City, and he was completely unfamiliar with the city's roads.
"Mr. Zhong, please come with me."
Broca did not ask his subordinates to do it for him, but personally led the way to show his respect for Shi Lei.
Although he did not participate in the siege, he knew the real reason why the Rhodes Island was able to occupy Schuratzburg City.
Ultimately, it all stemmed from Divine Doctor Zhong's intervention. He directly suppressed all five Inner Guards beneath a massive mountain, isolating them from the danger of contamination.
If there had been two Inner Guards Schuratzburg City, it would have been enough to wipe the Rhodes Island, which at the time numbered only a few thousand, from the history of this land.
It was precisely because of Mister Zhongli's unintentional act that the Rhodes Island had the opportunity to establish a base.
"Ever since Talulah drove away the uninfected people in the city, she has rarely come here."
Broca Shi Lei outside, and just as they reached this point, they saw Talulah at the edge of the square.
"Nonsense, I was here last week."
The discussion about the leaders of the Rhodes Island was overheard by the person in question, making the situation somewhat awkward.
"..."
During the two months of occupying Schuratzburg City, Talulah only visited once or twice. These guerrilla members were the least troublesome for her.
Talulah has too many things to pay attention to and simply doesn't have that much free time to come and patrol.
Seeing the Patriot and guerrillas so devout to Shi Lei today made her feel uneasy.
Even though they publicly claimed to have joined the Rhodes Island, they still couldn't forget this man.
The guerrillas, whom she had originally intended to nurture as her core members, were always thinking of others. This Talulah with a sense of loss, as if she had gained their bodies but not their hearts.
This feeling is really strange.
It seemed that the moment Zhongli spoke, the guerrillas would abandon her and all leave the Rhodes Island, following him to shine brightly in places unseen by them.
Seeing that both sides remained silent, Shi Lei spoke up, breaking the delicate balance:
"She's here, so there's no need to take her to look for her. You can go back now, I'll come back later."
"Alright, I'll take my leave now."
Broca clearly speaking to Talulah, but she always felt like he was saying goodbye to Zhongli.
That feeling is getting stronger and stronger.
W stood at the front of the line, stealing glances at the mysterious masked man, too nervous to speak. Ines and Heredrey, like her, both kept their heads down.
After Broca left, Shi Lei withdrew his gaze and spoke:
"Talulah, I'm not familiar with this place. You can pick a place where we can talk."
The implication is that they want to talk privately.
Talulah's lips twitched slightly, her smile a little unnatural, and she turned and waved, saying:
"Yes, you... come with me."
She took two steps, then suddenly stopped. Turning back to look at W, the newly promoted Rhodes Island cadre, she gave the order:
"You all stay here for now and don't wander around. I'm going to talk to him about something, and I'll come back later to help you choose a place to camp in the city."
W noticed Shi Lei's gaze and inexplicably felt timid.
Her mind went blank, as if she had lost her language module, and she hesitated for several seconds before finally uttering a single word:
"Good."
Talulah nodded and led Shi Lei and Texas away from the square.
As W watched their figures disappear into the distance, a thought began to linger in his mind.
This Mysterious Man was like an invisible black hole, drawing me closer.
314 Stubbornly Going His Own Way 3K
Talulah led the two away from the square and onto a deserted street next to the main road. After walking several hundred meters, they found a three-story commercial building.
Seeing that the lock had been pried open and the shop was in disarray, she knew that no infected person lived there. She immediately kicked the door open and walked towards the rooftop.
After all the non-infected people were expelled, a large number of rooms in Schuratzburg City were vacant. The infected people, having no jobs or source of income, went around buying things for free.
Talulah wanted to intervene, but she couldn't.
The only solution was to assign jurisdictional areas to each cadre, allowing them to "treasure hunt" within their respective areas of responsibility.
Commercial concrete buildings like these, rejected by infected individuals, are rarely inhabited. Without the risk of eavesdropping, they're a good place to discuss matters.
Seeing this, Texas did not follow up, but stood downstairs holding the Rock Sword to keep watch.
Shi Lei followed behind, arriving at the fourth-floor rooftop.
The area, which had been covered with agricultural plastic sheeting to shield people from the wind and snow, now had a large hole in it. The cold wind and snow howled, lashing directly at people's faces.
He deduced from two details—a broken flowerpot in the corner and soil soaked by heavy snow—that the original owner of the commercial concrete building had a hobby of cultivating plants.
Shi Lei finds it difficult to judge who is right and who is wrong between the people of Ursus and the infected; he can only say that they have different identities and positions.
Once Talulah had stopped at the edge of the rooftop, he paused at the entrance to the passageway. Shi Lei didn't probe or beat around the bush; he went straight to the point:
"I took on Chen's request a few days ago and came to see if you need any help. As long as it doesn't violate the law or Morality, I will try my best to help you."
Talulah turned around and glanced at him. She was still somewhat bothered by the guerrilla incident.
The other party said that it cannot violate the law and Morality, so it certainly wouldn't include helping her build a Mobile Cities.
If Zhongli intervenes, the situation will only get worse.
Based on his performance against the Inner Guards, capturing the Mobile Cities would be a piece of cake, ending the battle with utter devastation.
When members of the Rhodes Island see such a powerful figure, will they kneel down and worship him on the spot, just like the guerrillas?
At that point, will the Rhodes Island, this organization of infected individuals, belong to Ta or Zhong?
Putting aside the attack on Mobile Cities, Talulah's most pressing problem right now is the food crisis.
Even if some officials and subordinates frequently shop online, the food options in Schuratzburg City are limited. They won't magically increase just because you search a few more times.
Even with the two newly promoted cadres, W and Ines, bringing dozens of truckloads of agricultural products as emergency relief, it was still a drop in the ocean compared to the tens of thousands of infected people in the city.
Without solving the food problem, the Rhodes Island cannot grow and expand. Waiting for the planted crops to mature is a highly unrealistic fantasy.
The only way to obtain food right now is to buy it from the Ursus merchants. However, the forces behind them are mostly Duke and Marquis, who will deploy heavy troops to block the roads leading to other Mobile Cities.
It is precisely because they have grasped this point that unscrupulous merchants are able to act with impunity and arbitrarily raise food prices.
How to obtain a large food reserve for winter has become the most urgent problem for Talulah.
As for the plan to attack other Mobile Cities, it will need to be postponed for several more months. After all, not all infected are warriors; many members are still recovering from injuries.
"Mister Zhongli, to be honest, I do have something I need your help with."
"Hmm, tell me about it."
"The food we can scavenge in Schuratzburg City won't last until the harvest season. Many Ursus merchants are maliciously raising prices, trying to strangle us. Can you help us get more food?"
Shi Lei lowered his eyes and began to think seriously.
The cold wind rushing in from the tear in the plastic shed didn't make him frown; he quickly came up with a solution:
"I have a general understanding of your problem. Here is a solution for you to decide."
Talulah nodded, waiting for him to continue.
"From your description, Schuratzburg City currently experiencing a severe food shortage. Why don't you gather all your belongings and hand them over to me, and I'll run errands and buy things for you?"
The nobles of Ursus had likely contacted the local food suppliers. Purchasing large quantities of ingredients at once would arouse their suspicion and vigilance.
It would be best if I took the goods you provided back to Lungmen to exchange for money first, and then placed an order with the Lungmen suppliers. A rough estimate is that they might need half a month to a month to prepare the goods, and I will deliver them after they are picked up."
The drive from Schuratzburg City to Lungmen is approximately a thousand kilometers. En route, snow-capped mountains abound, and straight roads are rare; most routes are bumpy, narrow paths.
Using a land vehicle would require eight or nine days of non-stop travel to reach the destination. Shi Lei, however, can complete the journey in less than two days by flying. This efficiency is far superior to using any means of transportation.
Talulah parted her lips slightly and pointed to the blue sky:
"You flew?"
"Yes, that way it's less likely to be detected."
Exchanging valuables for Lungmen Dollars and then purchasing an equivalent amount of food to send back was a simple task for Shi Lei, but it was undoubtedly a lifeline for the Rhodes Island.
Talulah's expression was somewhat complicated; she saw a completely new path in this man.
"I'll contact the cadres of the Rhodes Island right now, and I'll give it to you at noon tomorrow, okay?"
"No problem, I'm available anytime. Besides purchasing food, do you need any other assistance?"
Talulah opened her mouth, wanting to offer to help her conquer a Mobile Cities. But she swallowed the words, refusing to utter an answer that would likely be rejected.
"That's all, Mister Zhongli. On behalf of the entire Rhodes Island, I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to you."
"It's just running errands, nothing serious." Shi Lei replied with a polite smile.
"You're welcome, it's my duty. If you don't need any further help, I'll be going now. Come find me at the Patriot's camp tomorrow after you've gathered all the loot."
Upon hearing Talulah's eyelids twitched violently.
She watched Shi Lei's figure disappear from the rooftop, her expression unusually complex. She had a feeling that if things continued this way, the Patriot's guerrilla force would eventually betray them all.
What should I do then?
Shi Lei went down from the rooftop and called Texas, who was keeping watch at the entrance of the commercial concrete building.
The deserted streets were lifeless, devoid of their former vitality.
Shi Lei didn't want to judge the battle, nor did he intend to interfere with Talulah's battle plans. This was somewhat contrary to the peaceful life he had always enjoyed.
If he truly harbored ambitions to participate in war, he would have already painted this land with vibrant colors. How could he possibly be holed up in a logistics company, working as an ordinary Messenger?
Including my recent talk to Kristen about the Starry Sky, the universe, and the Dark Forest Law that can only be triggered under harsh conditions, all of which were driven by personal motives.
In order to maintain the existing stability, Shi Lei tried his best not to disrupt the delicate balance. He didn't want to spend his peaceful retirement life in constant fighting and killing.
The essence of war is the plunder of resources, regardless of whether either side is righteous or evil.
Rhodes Island comprised of oppressed infected individuals. They seek to seize footholds from the Native of Schuratzburg City.
This behavior seems reasonable at first glance, like a thrilling revenge drama. But if you think about it carefully, you can quickly find logical flaws.
It's like office workers being exploited by capital and subjected to various forms of unequal treatment. In the end, they band together to kill their boss and seize his house.
Being bullied is not a justification for wrongdoing.