"We'll look for our missing team ourselves. How can we ask others for help? Don't push your luck."
"Haha, don't make it sound so serious. It was just something I could do in passing. Any decent person would've done the same, right? I don't think those Ursus soldiers will give up easily. You'd better leave as soon as possible."
Exusiai, standing beside them, chimed in as well:
"You should get out of this hellhole first. We can talk about everything else once you're safe. If you get the chance someday, come visit us in Lungmen~"
"Lungmen? I'll remember that. Thank you."
"Don't mention it. We'll be going, then."
Exusiai called Shi Lei and Texas over, and they left the icefield without lingering any longer. On the way back, she asked curiously:
"Why do you think that Sarkaz was wrapped up so tightly? My guess is that he's the kind of person who looks fierce but is actually really gentle inside."
Texas held the opposite opinion. Though the infected person wielding the giant hammer had a deep voice, she felt there was probably a woman beneath that armor.
The thought only flashed through Texas's mind for an instant. She was more accustomed to being a silent listener than actively joining intense discussions.
Shi Lei had no interest in Mudrock's gender. He never considered such things before saving someone. How sad would it be if lending a hand required weighing the pros and cons first?
The three rode their motorcycles back the way they had come. After finding Texas's sedan parked by the roadside, they returned together to the hot spring inn.
Half an hour later.
With the Ursus army withdrawing, the Sarkaz mercenaries finally managed to spare some of the people who had originally been stationed as sentries.
They headed back at the same time, searching for traces of their Tribe Members.
Yet after searching for several kilometers without success, their companions had likely already met a terrible end.
They would not seek revenge against the Ursus army, because wiping out those rank-and-file soldiers would only bring higher-level troops into the pursuit and make escape even more difficult.
When the search party returned, Mudrock held a temporary meeting with the infected people who had escaped the mine. They sat in a circle in the pine forest and discussed where they would go next.
According to the original plan, they were to join Rhodes Island after escaping Kazdel. They would pass through Ursus and head to Sargon in search of a place to settle. They had heard that infected people were not discriminated against there, and that conditions for survival were better.
But if the plan had remained unchanged, there would have been no need for a meeting.
Holding her massive iron hammer, Mudrock stood in a shadow untouched by moonlight. A low voice came from within her heavy armor, making everyone present feel the gravity of the moment.
"We called this meeting tonight to discuss our future destination again."
All the Sarkaz mercenaries present regarded Mudrock as the team's leader and immediately voiced their support.
"Why even ask? Wherever you go, we'll go."
"No. We are a group, and everyone's decision must be respected. If anyone wants to head north with Rhodes Island and join Talulah, you may leave now."
"..."
Seeing no objections, Mudrock continued.
"For certain special reasons, I will be changing our destination. Before I make this selfish decision, I hope you will decide your own futures."
Mudrock carried the bloodline of the Child of Earth and Stone and possessed an extremely high affinity for rock. Yet today, she had encountered a man whose compatibility surpassed even hers.
All stone seemed like his blood, effortlessly stacking itself into raised steps at his command. The purity of his bloodline was likely far beyond her own.
Mudrock believed in the earth, yet from that man, she had sensed the aura of the earth itself.
It would not be an exaggeration to say that he was her faith—the earth's messenger in the mortal world.
Whether their bloodlines shared the same origin or had some other connection, Mudrock wanted to approach Shi Lei and investigate. This differed from their agreed destination, which was why she called it a selfish decision.
"Understood. You're not going to Sargon anymore, right? Then where are we going?"
Mudrock paused for a moment, then slowly raised her head.
"Lungmen."
The moment they heard that name, the Sarkaz mercenaries immediately recalled the invitation from that Sarkaz earlier.
"I've heard that Lungmen is an open and accepting city for infected people, but there's no way to know the exact situation. Sarkaz might not be especially welcome in Lungmen, but if it's your decision, I'm willing to follow you there."
The mercenaries beside him joined in as well.
"So what? We didn't survive just to be welcomed by others. As long as Lungmen isn't completely unreasonable like Ursus, and gives us even a little room to live, that's enough."
"Yeah. The television also says Sargon is friendly to infected people. But the real situation might not be much different from Lungmen. If they're about the same, then going all the way to distant Sargon really is worse than going to nearby Lungmen."
"Then let's put it to a vote. Anyone who wants to go to Sargon may leave the group. The rest will stay and recover."
Among the people who had escaped from the mine were infected people who were not Sarkaz, as well as women and children. They looked at one another before finally making their difficult decision.
"Vice Captain Mudrock, we're sorry..."
Seeing them bow in apology, Mudrock bowed as well in her heavy armor, her movements somewhat stiff.
"It's all right. Leave quickly. We'll stand guard here tonight and watch for the Ursus army."
"We're truly sorry, Vice Captain Mudrock."
"It's fine. I respect your decision."
More than half of the group of over sixty people left at once.
Apart from the twelve Sarkaz mercenaries who steadfastly remained around Mudrock, only eight of the infected people who had escaped the mine were willing to stay and head to Lungmen.
"Thank you. Thank you all."
Mudrock was deeply grateful for everyone's support. Their trust became the sense of responsibility that allowed her to shoulder the role of team leader.
Zhongli's Woman?
The three messengers returned to the hot spring inn and discussed what to do that night.
There were no streetlights in the wilderness at night. Driving back in the dark would make it easy to lose their way. Shi Lei suggested that he take the first watch and Exusiai take the second. Texas, as one of the drivers, should return to her room and get some proper rest.
They had fallen out with the townspeople because of the mine explosion that night, so they certainly could not go into town to have fun during the day. Once dawn came, they would end the trip and leave.
Neither Emperor's nor Isu's room had any lights on. They had probably already gone to bed. There was no need to wake them at this hour; they could talk after everyone woke up.
Texas glanced at Shi Lei, seemingly wanting to stay and keep watch with him. But considering that she would have to drive for over ten hours the next day, and that driving while tired could easily cause an accident, she returned to her room to rest.
Shi Lei stood guard at the entrance of the hot spring inn. After four hours, he woke Exusiai. Still fully dressed, he returned to the cold room and caught up on sleep.
The next day.
The sky had only just begun to lighten when he was awakened. Exusiai told the boss and Isu about what the three of them had encountered the previous night.
Emperor was visibly displeased after hearing it, but he did not criticize them for helping the infected people. He probably felt that they had only just arrived and had not enjoyed themselves enough.
Isu did not mind at all. It had come over, relaxed comfortably in the hot springs, and that alone made the trip worthwhile. After being busy for an entire year, it cherished this rare vacation.
After a brief rest, the six got into their cars and returned the way they had come. As they left, Croissant finally untied the hot spring inn attendant, bringing this somewhat hasty hot spring trip to an end.
They set off at six in the morning and arrived at six in the afternoon. Shi Lei rode in Texas's car and slept soundly in the back seat. Not long after waking up, he could see the Mobile City of Lungmen in the distance.
When the two cars stopped in front of Penguin Logistics's office building, Emperor got out and called out to the employees.
"The Lunar New Year is almost here. How about we go have a drink at my bar? I'm paying today. Consider it team-building. Everyone has to go, got it?"
Seeing their stingy boss unexpectedly offer to buy everyone drinks, Exusiai was the first to raise both hands and cheer.
"Awesome!"
Shi Lei had no reason to refuse. The boss had said he was treating them, and free drinks were free drinks.
Besides, he had never been to Emperor's bar before. Whenever he had partied with Texas and the others in the past, they had always gone drinking elsewhere.
In truth, the boss was suddenly being so generous today mainly because of Shi Lei. In just over a month at the company, Shi Lei had brought in a major deal and completed it brilliantly.
At present, both Old Wei and that stinking rat wanted to recruit Shi Lei, so Emperor naturally had to treat him better. He could not drive the man away just to save money. That would be a huge loss.
None of the employees objected, and the matter was happily settled. They headed for the boss's bar instead.
Shi Lei followed everyone to Sunset Avenue, where there was a bar called End of the Earth.
The interior was extravagantly decorated, with a level of class and scale beyond any bar he had visited before.
Since the boss was treating them, they naturally picked the most expensive booth. No suckers usually sat there anyway, so they could enjoy it for once today. When Shi Lei sat down, he happened to glance at the menu and immediately understood why they rarely came here.
A single bottle of liquor cost tens of thousands of Lungmen Dollars. No matter how rich someone was, they could not spend money like that every day. One night of drinking here was enough for many visits to a cheaper bar.
The moment the booth was settled, Exusiai impatiently dragged Croissant onto the dance floor to dance. Isu received a call, quietly said a few words to Emperor, then left.
In an instant, only three people remained at the booth.
Texas was wearing red today, looking dazzling and beautiful. Just walking across the dance floor for that brief moment had drawn the eyes of many members of the opposite sex.
"Who forced me into the boxing ring, covering your remains with a white cloth..."
The music playing in the bar was all from Siren Records. As Siren Records's gold-medal producer and a veteran Columbia rap superstar, Emperor played his own songs and those of his bands in his bar without paying royalties. Sometimes, he even played unreleased demos, which music enthusiasts adored.
Hearing the song reach its climax, Emperor ran straight onto the stage and became the DJ. He put on his headphones and mixed live, driving the atmosphere even higher.
On the dance floor, a young Lupos swayed to the music. He stared at Texas from across the crowd, suddenly feeling as if he had fallen in love.
"Wow, that girl is gorgeous! Bro, cover me while I go get her contact info, yeah?"
The young Lupos started toward the booth after saying that, only to be forcibly stopped by his wingman.
"**, are you trying to get yourself killed? Go hit on girls if you want, but can you at least look at who's beside her first?"
Hearing that, the young Lupos turned his gaze toward the quiet man and asked in confusion:
"He doesn't look rich, though? Is he some official's son or something?"
"For fuck's sake, that's Zhongli—the Zhongli who's recently made a name for himself in both the underworld and the upper circles. You dare mess with his woman? Are you tired of living? I'm telling you now, if you want to die, don't fucking drag me down with you."
The young Lupos sighed and could only stare longingly at the goddess of his dreams.
Once Emperor left, only Shi Lei and Texas remained at the booth. Both were very relaxed, sitting on the costly sofa with glasses of liquor and ice in hand.
"Cheers."
Seeing him raise his glass, Texas raised hers as well. Separated by half a meter, they clinked their glasses in the air before downing the strong liquor in one gulp.
The alcohol here was expensive, but there was a reason for that price. The rich, mellow sensation as the liquid slid down their throats was incomparable to the beer sold at roadside stalls.
After finishing her drink, unmelted ice still remained in her glass. Texas picked up the whiskey and poured out its golden liquid, filling Shi Lei's glass halfway as well.
This year, under his care, they had completed all manner of missions more efficiently and safely.
"The New Year is coming soon. Do you have any plans?"
Hearing Texas ask such a rare question, Shi Lei held his glass and thought for a moment before answering:
"I don't know. Maybe I'll just read every day and work on improving myself. Other than that, I want to find a warehouse suitable for living in. Croissant has already agreed to keep an eye out for me. If she finds a reliable listing, she'll contact me right away."
Texas nodded and tucked her hair behind her ear. "I won't have anything to do during the holidays. If you go look at places, you can call me."
"Sure, as long as you don't find it troublesome."
Meanwhile, on the Ursus Icefield.
A total of twenty-one Sarkaz and infected people led by Mudrock were making their way toward Lungmen.
See the Dragon, Shed the Armor
Exusiai and Croissant had gone wild on the dance floor, but before long they returned to the booth. They forcibly dragged Shi Lei and Texas down with them so that they could join the dancing.
He rarely danced at clubs, and his skills were ordinary. He swayed with the pounding music, drawing figure eights in the air with his head. At a glance, he even looked fairly convincing.
Texas knew elegant dances, but club dancing made her seem somewhat stiff. In the past, she could quietly drink and coast along, but now that she had been dragged down, she was quickly exposed.
Everyone immersed themselves in the lively atmosphere until they could no longer party any harder, and only then did they call it a night.
After drinking, Shi Lei said goodbye to the boss and his colleagues, returned to the Safe House, and slept until dawn.
Before you continue