Above the Wasteland, Beneath Hell (Second Update)

This is the first time I've seen the entire Saltpeter Camp from the rear.

Su Mo once again experienced the power of nature.

If such Saltpeter Mine could be mined continuously and used only for ammunition, it would last for decades!

Looking down from the nitrate hillside, most of the buildings in the camp were burning more and more fiercely after the delay of more than half an hour.

Some of the small houses burned themselves out, turning into large piles of firewood that continued to release their last embers on the ground.

The air above the camp was distorted by the fire, and waves of heat washed over us.

Walking through the sea of fire, Su Mo was surprised to find that the snow in the camp had begun to melt slowly, and the ground had become slippery.

As you step further in, you feel as if you've stepped out of winter and into spring.

After glancing at the core belonging to Maeda Kento in the Storage Space and finding that it could be fused, Su Mo walked briskly to the center of the arena.

The center area was spontaneously cleared out by everyone, forming a circle that covered an area of about four or five hundred square meters.

Meanwhile, a small amount of supplies were piled up on the ground.

The first thing that catches the eye is the large chunks of Saltpeter Mine. Just like the ones that were stolen before, this Saltpeter Mine is also extremely pure and looks very appealing.

If we can move these Saltpeter Mine back, we can produce at least 500 kilograms of bitter Picric Acid!

Near the saltpeter, there were scattered bags of food and chests dropped by killing kobolds.

Apart from a small group of people who stayed put to tidy up their belongings, most people continued to salvage supplies inside the fire.

Occasionally, the cracking sound of breaking wood would elicit a gasp of surprise.

Without disturbing the people as they sorted through their supplies, Su Mo walked around the camp, trying to set fire to each of the unburnt houses to ensure that no supplies were left for the kobolds.

Because of the dense camp layout, the intense fire quickly spread to all the houses, with flames flickering in the gentle breeze.

After trying them one by one and unlocking all the Shelter Core, Su Mo sat in the shadows with satisfaction, waiting for the refugees to move and collect supplies.

Su Mo has his own plans regarding where these people will go.

However, Su Mo also needs to assess the character of these people simultaneously.

The kobolds have only been in control for less than a day, so even if there are supplies in the camp, they will only last for one or two days.

We need to wait for the next truckload of kobolds to arrive before we can stockpile more supplies.

This can be seen from the small amount of supplies found on the ground.

Gradually, everyone returned to the center of the venue, their eyes gleaming as they looked at the "large amount" of supplies laid out on the ground.

They hadn't had a proper meal in days, and two days ago they were chased by the lionmen and forced to flee everywhere. After finally returning to the camp, they were captured and forced to mine.

The group of people barely rested, working tirelessly day and night in the snowy wasteland.

My stomach protested, and acid reflux came out of my mouth.

The supplies on the ground were incredibly tempting. Although they knew that these supplies belonged to the mysterious "Su Bu," it didn't stop them from being envious.

"How about we divide these supplies and head straight ahead? Let's find a direction and keep going; we'll eventually find a human settlement."

"Yeah, let's divide up this luggage. Anyway, we don't have many days left to live in this world, so why should we suffer and starve ourselves!"

Once the first person took the lead in speaking, the rest of the people chimed in with their own opinions.

However, while everyone talked a lot, none of them dared to actually touch the supplies.

Sitting in the snow, listening to the rumbling of their stomachs, everyone looked at each other dejectedly, yet a sense of ease, different from hunger and cold, also surfaced within them.

It wasn't because Su Mo had left such a deep impression on everyone that they dared not take it.

It's not because these people retain the moral values of civilized times and refrain from taking.

But where could they go after taking the items? Their camp, their means of survival, had been burned to the ground, and the "knives" who had been protecting them had all retreated.

These supplies are enough for them to eat for one or two days.

But what happens next? A blizzard is about to arrive, and Xin Yi of disaster is about to strike. There is nowhere to take shelter afterward. Taking the belongings is tantamount to walking down a dead end.

"Shenwa, do you think Lord Su Bu will let us join his refuge?"

A middle-aged man, his hand on Chen Shen's shoulder, looked anxious.

These words not only expressed his own thoughts, but also the thoughts of all the Chinese people present.

If a foreigner had come today, they naturally wouldn't have felt such a strong urge to join the other's refuge. But upon hearing the name Su Bu, and knowing that he was also Chinese, the deep-rooted sense of solidarity among Chinese people made them feel a sense of familiarity towards this fierce and ruthless man they had barely spoken to—a feeling that foreigners wouldn't understand!

But at the same time, the Human Traitor deeds of Ying Xiong and his ilk weighed heavily on their hearts, making them wonder if this man could be just as ruthless! "Don't worry, Uncle, he's so capable, he definitely won't be like those people before. Besides, compared to a beast like Ying Xiong, how much worse can he be?"

Upon hearing this, everyone fell silent.

Yes, in this kind of world, under this kind of disaster, how much worse can things get? In a normal year, these people have the strength to work by hand or by Farming Genre, and they can barely survive.

However, there will be a one-time disaster during the period.

Taking them in meant consuming enormous amounts of resources, and at the same time, they couldn't go out to work because of the disaster. The refugees, who were initially excited about killing a bunch of kobolds, suddenly became depressed, and each of them sat quietly on the ground, lost in thought.

Until Su Mo emerged from the shadows.

At this moment, the refugees who were still sitting in the center in a daze also noticed Su Mo, and they all froze on the spot, at a loss for what to do.

Compared to his previous blood-red armor, Su Mo's current attire finally resembles that of a "normal person."

Aside from the blood still seeping from the gaps in his armor and the lingering smell, he didn't seem as intimidating as before.

Looking at the supplies on the ground, Su Mo nodded in satisfaction, then called out to the crowd, "Chen Shen, come out here, I have something to ask you!"

Upon being called by name by Su Mo, the Little New Year was overjoyed and quickly stood up, walking over. "Sir, what are your orders?"

"Just call me Su Ge, stop with all this nonsense!" He called out to Chen Shen, and the two walked to the high ground, looking down at the sea of fire.

After a long pause, Su Mo spoke again, "Where do you live?"

The rooms burning in the fire were either where Maeda Kento and his lackeys lived, or where the kobolds lived. We haven't seen where these refugees live yet.

Upon hearing Su Mo's words, the Little New Year Chen Shen's face showed a trace of distress. "Su Ge, please come with me!"

The hillsides, varying in height, are covered with exposed Saltpeter Mine.

Following Chen Shen, after several turns, Su Mo came into view of a dugout covered with plant fibers.

These dugouts were not properly maintained; when the straw sheds on top were opened, an indescribable stench wafted out.

Even with the Gas Mask covering him, Su Mo was still so overcome by the fumes that he could barely stand.

There were three dugouts in total, which should match the previous number of people.

"How many of you are there in total? What happened to the others from before? Where did they all go?"

Lifting the first lid, Su Mo tried to step inside and look around, while Chen Shen.

"They're all dead. Those who were slow to run are all dead. There aren't many left. There were more than thirty of us Chinese before, and now only eleven are left, and they're all from my Chen family."

When Chen Shen said this, he was very relaxed, as if a chicken had died, without any emotional fluctuation.

Su Mo fell silent; he knew this was numbness.

The longer you live, the more indifferent you become to certain things. The more people die, the more numb you become to death.

After leaving the first dugout, Su Mo opened the second one and crawled inside.

However, once inside, Su Mo's expression immediately darkened.

His aura and movements also changed slightly, unleashing an even more terrifying aura than before.

In a corner of the dugout, a woman holding an infant in swaddling clothes shrank further inside as she watched Su Mo walk in.

Seemingly terrified that Su Mo would snatch her child away, upon seeing Su Mo's sudden outburst of power, she quickly turned the child around, exposing her back to Su Mo, while simultaneously turning her head to reveal a pleading expression.

"Why?"

Why are there babies?