The Rainy Season Arrived Early

"But it's only early October, and the rainy season has already arrived. I've sent word to my clan, asking them to send people to escort us out. Station Master Chen, I know a little about your situation. The Chen Family definitely won't send anyone to pick you up."

"What I'm saying is, why don't you leave with us? I won't report your identity to my clan. I'll just say you're a distant relative of mine who works under me."

"..."

Chen Fan frowned slightly. He began to sense that this Torrential Rain might be unusual. "Station Master King, come inside first. I'm not quite sure what you mean."

"Huh?"

Wang Kui froze for a moment. He hadn't expected Chen Fan to know nothing about this. He immediately followed Chen Fan back into the Wooden Hut, took a deep breath, and patiently explained again. "Station Master Chen, you may not know this, but whenever the rainy season arrives in the Wasteland..."

"Strange entities become much more active and aggressive. Even staying near the Eerie Fire isn't very safe."

"Those ghost beings will even attack the Eerie Fire."

"The rainy season generally lasts a month."

"After the rainy season comes Winter Season. During Winter Season, strange entities aren't as active or aggressive as they are in the rainy season, but they're still more aggressive than after the Start of Spring. Stations struggle to keep themselves safe during this period."

"But the rainy season has always started in early November. That hasn't changed in decades. This year, it suddenly arrived in early October. Last night alone, nine Stations were wiped out by strange entities."

"I was lucky. No strange entities broke into my Station last night, but I still clutched my Ghosthide Map all night and didn't dare close my eyes. As soon as dawn broke, I came straight to you, hoping to take you with me."

"The last time the rainy season arrived early was thirty-seven years ago. A strange tide erupted in the Wasteland that time. Every Station that hadn't evacuated was wiped out. No one survived, and nobody knows what happened during it. Now the rainy season has arrived early again."

"We don't have much time left. If we don't leave today, we might never get out."

Wang Kui looked extremely agitated, with none of his usual calm or shrewdness. He was genuinely anxious. There was no way he could walk out of the Wasteland in a single day. He needed the Wang Family to send people to escort him.

But no reply had come through the Message Talisman, leaving him unable to settle his nerves.

"Are the chances of dying high?"

"Very high!"

"Even these two Arrow Towers won't hold them off?"

"They won't!"

A trace of fear flashed through Wang Kui's eyes. "If this were an ordinary rainy season, we might make it through with some luck. But with the rainy season arriving early, there's a good chance a strange tide will break out. We definitely can't withstand that!"

"All right, I'll go with you!"

Chen Fan didn't hesitate at all. He immediately stopped worrying about the Farmland and Arrow Towers he had just built. If the danger was truly that great, staying here would mean waiting to die. As long as he survived, he could always rebuild.

But a moment later...

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

"If they were Level-3 Arrow Towers, we might have some hope."

"Oh?"

Chen Fan raised an eyebrow, noticing the obvious change in Wang Kui's attitude.

"The family sent word. They said they can't come for us. The rainy season arrived too suddenly, and there isn't enough time. They can only evacuate the Stations around the edges of the Wasteland. As for my Station, deep inside the Wasteland, they can't send anyone to escort us out."

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

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

"..."

Chen Fan stood silently, his face expressionless. If evacuation were possible, he would have preferred to leave with them. Although the increased activity of strange entities during the rainy season presented an opportunity for him, it also meant immense danger.

He wasn't strong enough yet. He might not survive this crisis.

But since he couldn't leave, he had to start finding a solution.

Only after a long pause did he speak again.

"Station Master King, to tell you the truth, I'm actually a Builder."

"Mm..."

Wang Kui's lips trembled slightly. He had guessed that long ago, so there was nothing to say.

"Before my mother died, she left me a Builder's inheritance. That's the foundation I have to work with. Our only chance of surviving now is to put your hopes in me. I'll do everything I can to strengthen this Camp and make sure we survive."

"But—"

"For that to happen, I'll 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's a total of 137 Eerie Stones in here. That's everything I've saved over the years. I'll hand it all over to you, Young Master. From now on, Little Qiu and I will follow your orders without question."

"And as of this moment, I'm formally leaving the Wang Family. If we really do survive until the Start of Spring, I'll belong only to you, Young Master."

Nearby, Crippled Monkey, who had been braving the downpour to bury bodies in the Farmland, frowned at Wang Kui. Young Master is what I call him. I'm the servant who's always been by his side. Even if you're changing how you address him, you can't call him Young Master!

"I have some too." Little Qiu hurriedly pulled his own bundle from inside his clothes. "I've saved a little less. Only seventeen."

"Good!"

Chen Fan took the Ghosthide Map from inside his clothes and glanced at it a few times before immediately giving orders. "I have two tasks for you now. First, go back to your Camp and move everything useful over here."

"Food, water, Clothing, bedding, handcarts—bring it all."

"Second."

"If the Wang Family can't evacuate you, then the people at the other Stations nearby surely can't leave either. Get to the nearby Stations as quickly as possible and bring their people and resources to our Station. Tell them we can provide shelter here."

"We're going to need plenty of manpower. These people can all work for us."

"But don't reveal too much, and don't force anyone. If they're willing to come, they must undergo a full-body inspection before entering the Camp and surrender their Message Talismans and any other means of communicating with the outside."

"Yes!"

Wang Kui nodded firmly and said nothing more. He immediately led Little Qiu into the Torrential Rain and hurried back toward his Camp.

The rainy season had arrived far too suddenly.

He had wanted to join Chen Fan for a long time and had only been waiting for an opportunity. He hadn't expected that opportunity to come so suddenly. But... if he survived this, it might well turn out to be an enormous blessing for him.

Provided he survived.

"..."

Chen Fan watched the two men hurry away through the rain, then slowly closed his eyes and greedily inhaled the scent of rain striking earth.

This rainy season was both a tremendous opportunity and a tremendous danger for him.

As long as he could make it through...

No one would be able to interfere with his development for the next six months. By the end of those six months, he would have built up enough strength to return to the Chen Family and take back everything that should have belonged to him.

He looked at the two bundles on the floor.

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

The two men had shown real sincerity.

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

Together with the forty-six Eerie Stones he already had, he now held exactly two hundred.