Harvest

After the explosions subsided, Qin Ran, standing against the wall, did not immediately start the diesel generator. Instead, he stood quietly to one side and listened carefully.

Although Qin Ran knew the power of the grenades well enough, and no one would basically survive an explosion in a room like this, he could not afford to let down his guard.

More than ten seconds later, Qin Ran confirmed that no sound was coming from the room.

Qin Ran walked over to the diesel generator and restarted it.

The generator roared to life once more, and the corridor and rooms were illuminated again—except for the room the armed thugs had used as their gathering place.

The walls in there had been blasted full of holes by the grenades, let alone the lights and the people.

Though Qin Ran had grown accustomed to bloodshed, the sight of the scattered limbs in the room made his stomach churn again.

Still, Qin Ran forced himself not to throw up.

He even forced himself to confirm the armed thugs' deaths and search for loot.

In truth, the armed thugs whose bodies had been pierced by grenade shrapnel were dead beyond doubt, while most of the loot had been destroyed in the blast.

Qin Ran was only doing this to give himself an excuse to adapt to such a bloody scene.

Because Qin Ran could imagine that he would face scenes like this countless times in the days ahead. If he did not want to suffer the humiliation of vomiting and going weak in the knees at the sight of a corpse like he had the first time, then he had to get used to it.

Two minutes later, Qin Ran walked out of the room with an ugly expression.

Even after leaving, the thick stench of blood still filled his nose. He had to take several deep breaths before he could finally shake off the sickening sensation.

"I'm still far too lacking."

Qin Ran gave a self-mocking smile, then immediately began checking the remaining rooms.

Most of them were bedrooms for the armed thugs, with mattresses and blankets scattered across the floor.

Except for one place that looked like a tool storage room.

Shovels, saws, large barrels of oil—and especially a handcart—made Qin Ran's eyes light up.

After all, there was a great deal of food, water, and firearms in Vulture's bedroom. Once Qin Ran had put on that hiking backpack, he had been unable to take everything with him.

But now, he could take at least most of it!

Qin Ran loaded the shovel and saw into the handcart and headed toward Vulture's bedroom.

Tools like shovels and saws might come in handy at any time, so Qin Ran naturally intended to take them. If the oil barrels had not been too large and heavy, he would have taken those too.

In Vulture's bedroom, Maggie was sitting upright on the bed just as she had been before Qin Ran left.

When she saw Qin Ran come back with a handcart and boldly open Vulture's door, she connected it with the earlier explosions. Her expression changed, and her body, which had been sitting upright on the bed, unconsciously shifted backward. Though she had spent the four months of war hiding, Maggie was not stupid.

Maggie knew exactly what had happened in the past few minutes.

Qin Ran clearly noticed Maggie's small movements.

He even saw a trace of inexplicable fear in her eyes as she looked at him.

But Qin Ran offered no further explanation.

When someone could not be trusted, keeping them afraid was not a bad choice.

At the very least, they would obey.

"Help me load the food and water neatly into the handcart!"

Qin Ran said this as he took the shovel and saw out of the handcart.

As soon as Qin Ran finished speaking, Maggie sprang into action, not even bothering to put on her shoes.

Qin Ran naturally did not just stand by. While Maggie moved the food and water, he joined in as well.

In less than two minutes, most of the food and water had been loaded onto the handcart. By Qin Ran's estimate, it was enough to keep him and Colin alive for more than a month.

What a haul!

After muttering that to himself, Qin Ran casually placed the hiking backpack full of jewelry, the shovel, and the spade on top. Then, after gathering up the remaining firearms, he pushed the handcart and prepared to leave.

"As payment for helping me organize the food and water, you can pick whatever you want from what's left! But let me give you a warning: you'd better leave before dawn!"

Qin Ran said this before leaving.

After dawn, that rebel major would definitely send people here. When he discovered that everything had been a trap Qin Ran had woven, Qin Ran could imagine the man's furious expression.

Anyone who remained here would meet a bad end.

If they were armed thugs, Qin Ran naturally would not care.

But if they were innocent people, Qin Ran felt that he should at least give them a warning.

Of course, it was only a warning.

Qin Ran would not do anything more.

After all, in this war-torn city, he could barely protect himself most of the time.

Pushing the handcart loaded with heavy loot, Qin Ran left the underground warehouse. After tossing that special "sniper rifle" onto the cart as well, he prepared to return to the hidden stronghold.

Just then, footsteps sounded.

Maggie appeared before Qin Ran at a jog, carrying a bundle wrapped in a bedsheet on her back.

"C-Can I come with you?"

Maggie asked Qin Ran anxiously, afraid that he would refuse.

Likewise, her fear of Qin Ran had not diminished in the slightest.

But Maggie had no other choice.

Being easily captured by Vulture's men and what she had gone through afterward had both shown Maggie just how terrifying the city she was in truly was.

She could return to her hiding place and endure for a while longer with the food and water she had just obtained.

But what would happen once the food and water ran out again?

She would have to leave her hiding place!

Would she be as lucky as she had been this time and encounter someone like Qin Ran to save her?

The answer was naturally no.

Rather than fall into despair when that time came, she might as well beg Qin Ran—the man who frightened her—to let her travel with him!

Though Qin Ran's methods had terrified her, he had acted like a gentleman from beginning to end. The way he looked at her was merely guarded, not beastlike like the other armed thugs.

So, after hesitating for a moment, Maggie chased after him.

"I'm a nurse. I know how to bandage wounds and use medicine!"

To make herself seem more useful, Maggie hurriedly added.

Those words completely swayed Qin Ran.

With the possibility that survivors could turn into thugs at any moment, Qin Ran had no intention of taking in more people for the time being apart from Colin, his comrade-in-arms.

But Qin Ran needed more skills to make himself stronger quickly.

Healing skills like bandaging were something Qin Ran absolutely had to obtain—he did not believe he would never be injured in future battles.

If not for the fact that a skill like bandaging required treating wounds, and Qin Ran was unsure whether the game would recognize injuries severe enough or wounds he inflicted on himself, he would have long since used his dagger to cut several gashes into himself.

Now that someone could teach him, Qin Ran naturally would not refuse.

"Fine!"

Qin Ran nodded and pushed the handcart forward at a brisk pace.

After they had gone quite a distance, he realized Maggie was still standing there in a daze.

"Hurry up!"

Qin Ran urged.

"O-Okay!"

Maggie nodded repeatedly and quickly caught up.

She did not know why Qin Ran had agreed, but Maggie did not want to give up such a rare opportunity. Her steps grew ever faster as she ran after him.

Once Maggie caught up, Qin Ran resumed walking quickly.

Before long, the two of them disappeared from sight.

Less than ten minutes after they left, a figure clad in camouflage silently appeared before the shopping mall.

The figure quickly noticed that something was wrong.

After thoroughly inspecting the shopping mall inside and out, the figure swiftly departed.

"You killed Vulture!"

Before Colin could even rejoice at Qin Ran's safe return, she heard this news. Looking at Qin Ran, who had appeared before her again, her gray eyes were filled with astonishment.

"Of course! It's not like the mall was giving all this stuff away as part of a promotion, right?"

Qin Ran smiled and patted the handcart piled high behind him.

"That's unbelievable!"

Colin let out a startled cry, but then her gaze was drawn to Maggie, who stood behind Qin Ran without even daring to breathe loudly.

Though it was dark, Colin still recognized Maggie as a pretty girl through a woman's intuition.

Especially since Maggie looked so pitiful and delicate at that moment, alarms immediately began ringing in Colin's mind.

Colin knew exactly what kind of girl was most attractive to men.

It was not a pretty face!

Nor was it a good figure!

It was the delicate, pitiful type that stirred a man's desire to protect her!

If that pitiful girl also had a pretty face and an excellent figure... her appeal to men would practically multiply.

Clearly, Maggie was that kind of girl.

"Who is she?"

Colin cursed bitch and shameless slut in her heart, but outwardly, she remained warm and polite.

Having already decided to make Qin Ran someone she could rely on, Colin knew very well that she absolutely could not let him see her lose her composure.

That would only make Qin Ran distance himself from her more quickly.

She had to show him how magnanimous she was.

Only then could she make Qin Ran grow closer and closer to her.

And then...

Hmph!

Colin had been hanging around the streets from an early age and had never been a good student. She was exceptionally familiar with certain methods.

"This is Maggie, a girl Vulture's men abducted into their hideout! She's a nurse and knows about bandaging and medicine. I thought we might need those skills, so I brought her back!"

Qin Ran introduced Maggie.

Upon hearing Qin Ran's introduction, Colin's smile grew even brighter.

She could tell that Qin Ran had not brought Maggie back because of her looks or figure, but because she was a nurse.

"Welcome, Maggie! I'm Colin!"

Colin said warmly.

Taking on the manner of a hostess, Colin welcomed her enthusiastically.