A Meeting Gift

As the vehicle travels south, small stone tablets with inscriptions such as "No. 18, No. 22318, No. 224" appear from time to time on both sides of the road.

It's like a boundary marker.

Li Shutong explained to Qing Chen that this place was still within the territory of City No. 18, and the number 223 was a landmark to help identify the location.

As dusk fell, Qin Cheng suddenly said into the walkie-talkie, "It's getting late. We'll be at the iron fence pass soon. Let's prepare to camp."

Qin Yiyi and Qin Tong, who were in the truck bed, began to pack their things.

Two pickup trucks drove off the road. Qing Chen turned off his e-reader, looked up and asked his teacher, "Why were the characters' personalities removed?"

By this time, he had memorized all the known plants and began to look at the character information that Lin Xiaoxiao had provided him.

Those materials were painstakingly collected by Lin Xiaoxiao, and they mainly consisted of relatively important figures within the Inner World's system.

From the current president of the federal government to the mayor of City No. 18 and the chief of staff of the mayor's office, everyone is included.

Qing Chen discovered that this mayor was more like a governor from across the Outer World, elected by the people, and not in a direct superior-subordinate relationship with the president, wielding immense power.

Li Shutong explained in a low voice, "Remember what we said before? The outcome of the battle is determined by the 'future,' so don't try to calculate it based on information from the 'past.' Everything in this world changes, especially people's hearts. So, you'll have to figure out what kind of people they are yourself; we won't provide you with any information."

"Okay," Qing Chen nodded, "It's about looking at problems from a developmental perspective."

Li Shutong thought for a moment and said, "That's a very good point."

As soon as he finished speaking, Li Shutong calmly looked around, as if he had discovered something.

However, at that moment, more than a dozen people dressed in ghillie suits suddenly emerged from the fallen leaves on both sides of the dirt road.

Those people were covered with nets woven from hemp rope, with dense branches and leaves binding the mesh, making them extremely well disguised.

Qin Yiyi and Qin Tong saw these people and immediately went to grab their weapons, but it was already too late; they had already been exposed to enemy fire.

Suddenly, Qing Chen reached out and pulled Qin Yiyi over, and they squatted down together behind Li Shutong.

Li Shutong glanced at the dozen or so dark gun barrels outside, then turned to Qing Chen behind him and asked, "At this time, shouldn't you do something, like stand in front of me or something?"

Qing Chen calmly replied, "Then am I underestimating you too much?"

"That seems to make sense," Li Shutong nodded, sitting on a small stool. "But I still feel like something's not right. Xiaoxiao will be standing in front of me."

"I'm not as hypocritical as him," Qing Chen said, pursing his lips.

The boy was well aware of this. There was a fundamental difference between training and taking the fall. If there was a real danger that he couldn't handle, then it was the S-rank teacher who should step in. There was no point in him showing off.

What if a stray bullet hits you?

To be honest, Qing Chen also wanted to see how demigods in this world would react to firearms.

It seems that Li Shutong is not afraid of firearms.

At this moment, Qin Yiyi silently squatted down next to Qing Chen, feeling the boy's iron-like hand gripping her tightly in the crook of her arm, preventing her from moving.

The girl looked at Qing Chen's profile, seemingly no longer concerned about the people who had ambushed them.

She didn't even think about whether the man in front of her could protect them, nor did she expect how dangerous things would be.

She was simply pondering why the boy had saved her.

Outside the vehicle, someone shouted, "Hands up! Driver, turn off the engine and get out. Put your hands where I can see them. Anyone with mechanical limbs on their arms, roll up your sleeves!"

Old man Qin Cheng slowly got out of the car. "Is Old Zhang here? Is that you, Old Zhang? It's me, Qin Cheng!"

"Damn it, it's you, you old codger," a middle-aged man slowly stepped out from the crowd in ghillie suits, gun in hand. "Why did you come early? Didn't we agree to wait a few more days? Alright, put your guns down, everyone."

Qing Chen was taken aback by the conversation. He looked at Qin Yiyi, "Who are these people?"

The girl, usually as wild as a cat, blushed instantly upon feeling the boy's gaze. "Huh? What?"

"Who are these people?" Qing Chen asked again.

Qin Yiyi her senses. "Zhang Tongdan, they are Wilderness People, old acquaintances of my dad, but these people are ruthless, so we can't trust them completely."

At this moment, Qin Cheng skillfully pulled out a bottle of antibiotics and handed it to Zhang Tongdan: "We're heading south this time. This is the toll. Tell the brothers in the wilderness to let me through. Our deal is separate."

Zhang Tongdan slung the automatic rifle over his shoulder and took the antibiotics from Qin Cheng: "Alright, this isn't our first time dealing with each other. The boss said there were big fish at Zhizi Lake today, but he doesn't know if they're safe to catch. You guys probably encountered them on the way, right? What's their situation?"

"We encountered two groups of people. Which group are you referring to, Lao Zhang?" Qin Cheng asked.

"There are more than 30 vehicles in the convoy, and there is also a first mate who is in charge of operating more than 10 drones," Zhang Tongdan said.

"That's the Autumn Hunt Convoy," Qin Cheng whispered. "You guys be careful, there are definitely experts in the caravan."

"Damn it, another tough nut to crack. It would be fine if the boss did it himself, but the price would be too high," Zhang Tongdan said, his gaze sweeping over the pickup truck bed.

He saw the empty iron cage and asked, "What are we going to catch this time?"

"They offered a high price to catch a falcon and a monkey," Qin Cheng said, "But we were unlucky this time and didn't catch a single thing."

Zhang Tongdan patted Qin Cheng on the shoulder, with a sense of shared misfortune. "You guys have it tough too."

As he spoke, he turned and walked towards the woods. "Come on, brothers, let's..."

However, after taking only two steps, Zhang Tongdan turned back, pointing his gun at Li Shutong: "Who is this old bastard? And that kid next to him! Judging by their clothes, they're definitely city folks. We can't let outsiders know about this deal, and what if they go back and report our whereabouts?"

Qin Cheng felt a cold sweat break out on his forehead, but then Qin Yiyi suddenly hugged Qing Chen's arm. "Uncle Zhang, this is my man, and the one next to him is his father. From now on, we're all family. They've never been to the wilderness before, so this is a trip for them to have some fun."

The surrounding Wilderness People whistled, and Zhang Tongdan laughed and scolded, "Well, little girl, you've grown up! Qin Cheng, your in-laws seem to be quite wealthy. Your family must be living off city folks, right?"

Li Shutong thought for a moment, then took out Thor from Qing Chen's backpack and tossed it to Zhang Tongdan: "A little gift. If my in-laws are ever in trouble in the wilderness, please help them out."

Zhang Tongdan glanced at the Thor toy in his hand, paused for two seconds, then gave a thumbs up. "Generous, boss! You just threw in Thor! Old Zhang is a straightforward man too. I've made the decision: no more tolls from the Qin Family for five years!"