The Rainy Season Arrived Early

"But it was only early October, and the rainy season had arrived ahead of schedule. I've already sent word to the Lineage to request people to come escort us out. Stationmaster Chen, I know a little about your situation. The Chen Family definitely won't send anyone to pick you up."

"What I mean is, why don't you evacuate with us? I won't report your identity to the Lineage. I'll just say you're a distant relative of mine, working under me."

"."

Chen Fan frowned slightly. He vaguely sensed that this torrential rain might be far from ordinary. "Stationmaster Wang, let's go inside first. I don't quite understand what you mean."

"Huh?"

Wang Kui froze for a moment. He had not expected Chen Fan to be unaware of this. He immediately followed Chen Fan back into the Wooden Hut, took a deep breath, and patiently explained again, "Stationmaster Chen, you may not know this, but on the Wasteland, whenever the rainy season arrives—"

"The Strange Entities become more active and more violent. Even staying near Eerie Fire isn't entirely safe."

"Those Ghost Beings may even attack the Eerie Fire."

"The rainy season generally lasts for an entire month."

"After the rainy season comes winter. Although the Strange Entities are not as active or violent in winter as they are during the rainy season, it is simply too cold. Most people do not go out then, and the profits are not enough to sustain a station. Basically, no stations operate until spring arrives, when they begin operating again."

"It has always arrived in early November, though. It has never changed in decades. Yet this year, the rainy season came in early October. Last night alone, nine stations were destroyed by Strange Entities."

"I was lucky. No Strange Entities broke into my station last night, but I hugged the Ghosthide Map all night and did not dare close my eyes. At daybreak, I came straight to find you, hoping to take you with me when we evacuated."

"The last time the rainy season came early was thirty-seven years ago. A Strange Tide erupted across the Wasteland that time. Every station that failed to evacuate was wiped out—utterly annihilated. No one knew what happened in between. And now, the rainy season has arrived early again."

"We don't have much time left. If we don't leave today, we may not be able to leave at all."

Wang Kui appeared exceedingly agitated now, utterly lacking his usual calm and shrewdness. He truly was anxious. With his legs, there was no way he could leave the Wasteland within a day. He needed the Wang Family to send people to meet him.

Yet the Message Talisman had not received a reply for a long time, leaving him unable to settle his mind.

"The chance of dying is very high?"

"Very high!"

"Even with these two Arrow Towers, I still can't hold them off?"

"You can't!"

A flash of fear passed through Wang Kui's eyes. "If it were an ordinary rainy season, we might be able to endure it with good luck. But this rainy season came early. A Strange Tide will most likely erupt. We definitely won't be able to withstand it!"

"Fine, I'll go with you!"

Chen Fan did not hesitate in the slightest. He no longer felt any heartache over the Farmland and Arrow Towers he had just built. If the danger was truly this great, staying here would be nothing more than waiting for death. So long as the green hills remained, there would be no lack of firewood.

Yet in the next moment—

Wang Kui's face suddenly turned deathly pale. His lips trembled for a while before he rasped, "Stationmaster Chen, is there any chance... you could upgrade these two Arrow Towers again?"

"If they were Level-3 Arrow Towers, there might be some hope."

"Oh?"

Chen Fan raised his brows slightly, noticing Wang Kui's obvious change in attitude.

"The Lineage sent word. They said they cannot come meet us. The rainy season came too suddenly, and there isn't enough time. They can only evacuate stations around the edges of the Wasteland. As for my station deep within the Wasteland, they have no power to escort us out."

"One day isn't enough for a round trip. No one knows what will happen tonight."

"They told me to take care of myself and thanked me for all I had done for the Wang Family over the years."

"."

Chen Fan stood there silently, his face expressionless. If evacuation had been possible, he would have preferred to leave with them. Although the frequent activity of Strange Entities during the rainy season was an opportunity for him, it also represented immense danger.

His wings had not yet fully grown. He might not be able to withstand this crisis.

But since evacuation was impossible, he had to start finding another way.

After a long pause, he spoke again. "Stationmaster Wang, to be honest, I'm actually a Builder."

"Mm."

Wang Kui's lips trembled slightly. He had guessed that long ago. There was nothing more to say.

"Before my mother died, she left me the Builder's inheritance. This is the foundation beneath my feet. Our only chance of surviving now is to place our hopes in me. I will raise this camp's strength as much as possible and ensure that we survive."

"But—"

"On the condition that I need your resources and your help."

"No problem."

Wang Kui barely hesitated. After taking a deep breath, he pulled his bundle from his pocket. "There are 137 Eerie Stones in here, my entire savings from all these years. I hand them all over to you, Young Master. From now on, Little Qiu and I will obey your every command without a word of objection."

"And from this moment onward, I formally leave the Wang Family. If we truly live until spring, then from then on, I will be only your man, Young Master."

Crippled Monkey, who stood nearby continuously braving the heavy rain to bury corpses in the Farmland, frowned at Wang Kui. Young Master was his form of address. He had been the servant following Young Master all this time. Even if Wang Kui was changing his allegiance, he could not call him Young Master too.

"I have some too." Little Qiu hurriedly pulled his own bundle from his chest. "My savings are a little smaller. I only have seventeen."

"Good!"

After taking the Ghosthide Map from his chest and studying it for a few moments, Chen Fan immediately gave his orders. "I have two tasks for you now. First, return to your camp and move everything useful into this camp."

"Food, water, clothes, bedding, carts—move all of it here."

"Second."

"Since the Wang Family cannot evacuate you, then the people at the other nearby stations certainly cannot be evacuated either. Go to the nearby stations as quickly as possible and bring all the people and resources from those stations to ours. Tell them this place can provide shelter."

"We will need a considerable number of hands next. All those people can work for us."

"But do not reveal too much, and do not force them. If they are willing, they must undergo a full-body search before entering the camp and hand over Message Talismans and any other means of communicating with the outside world."

"Yes!"

Wang Kui nodded forcefully. Without saying anything more, he immediately led Little Qiu into the torrential rain and rushed toward his own camp.

The rainy season had come too suddenly.

He had long wanted to follow Chen Fan, merely waiting for an opportunity. He had not expected that opportunity to come so abruptly. But... if they could survive this time, it might not be a heaven-sent blessing for him.

The premise was that they could survive.

"."

Chen Fan watched the two figures quickly vanish into the rain, then slowly closed his eyes and greedily inhaled the scent of rain striking earth in the air.

This rainy season was both a great opportunity and a great crisis for him.

As long as he could endure it.

Then during these six months, no one would be able to interfere with his development. Six months later, he would have accumulated enough foundations to return to the Chen Family and take back everything that should have been his.

He looked at the two bundles on the floor.

Inside Wang Kui's bundle were twelve greenish Eerie Stones and seventeen milky-white Eerie Stones. The panel showed that the greenish Eerie Stones were Level-2 Eerie Stones, each equivalent to ten ordinary Eerie Stones—Level-1 Eerie Stones.

The two men had shown great sincerity.

They had handed over a total of 154 Eerie Stones, no small number.

Adding the forty-six Eerie Stones already in his possession, he now had exactly two hundred Eerie Stones.

(End of Chapter)