With the intention of getting information out of her, Jenny got into the guard's pickup truck and told the driver to head towards the grain warehouse.
Several former famine victims were acting as guards at the entrance of the granary. They found it strange that she was coming alone in her car, but after Jenny rolled down her window, her car was quickly allowed to pass.
Almost everyone in the granary knew this fierce-looking middle-aged woman.
All the starving people knew that he was the leader who did "business" with them.
Some of the starving people were also watching Jenny warily.
After all, he was an officer ordered to eliminate them. Even though the two sides were now secretly cooperating, some people still felt that doing so was too dangerous.
However, regardless of what these people think.
Jenny soon met the management of the grain depot, a man who looked to be in his forties, Locke.
According to him, he used to be an engineer and worked in Washington, D. C.
Although he had been well-fed and watered in the granary for several months, Locke's body was still visibly thin, like a walking bamboo pole; the terrible desert had left too many marks on him.
However, Jenny felt that he was at least better than when they first met. Back then, he was practically a walking skeleton, the kind that would sway in the wind.
Or rather, most of the starving people at that time looked like this.
"Did you hear the news on the radio?" Major Jenny waved her hand, signaling someone to put down the three cans of gasoline that had been brought as a gift.
Locke remained calm, nodded to Jenny, and politely thanked her for bringing the gasoline before answering her question, "I've heard about it; I knew about it earlier than you."
"Those Asia are indeed extraordinary."
Jenny narrowed her eyes, pinched her chin, and thoughtfully glanced behind Locke, as if observing his supporters from afar.
"So what do you want to do?" Locke picked up the water in front of him, took a sip, and looked up to face his partner, his expression remaining calm.
Jenny was already used to it.
"Can I see them?"
"This is not something I can arrange; they don't come here often."
Upon hearing this, Jenny's hand trembled slightly; she had been curious about this for a while.
How did those Asia faces, so out of place among the starving people, break through their defenses and appear in the granary?
I'm also curious about how this group of starving people from Nevada managed to cross North America from the west to the southeast.
Spacetime Tunnel?
Jenny recalled the intelligence she had gathered earlier, and her resolve strengthened.
" Locke, a turning point has arrived. The wicked will not tolerate the return of normal order, but what they reject is what everyone desperately desires. Therefore, the two completely divided sides will soon engage in a full-scale confrontation."
"... I want to have their support, just like you."
"They're not interested in you," Locke replied curtly.
"Aren't you going to ask me what I can give them?" Jenny retorted.
Locke paused, recalling the Mutual Aid Society members he had met. Regardless of their nationality, they all shared a common characteristic: a detached and aloof mindset.
It's not arrogance, nor is it indifference.
It was very calm and uneventful, as if I'd seen it all before and gotten used to it.
They seemed like reclusive monks.
Those people were truly helping me selflessly, asking for absolutely nothing in return...
Even though he offered to donate some of the grain in the granary to the Mutual Aid Society, the grassroots members refused without even consulting their superiors.
For an organization like this, Locke found it hard to imagine what Jenny could offer that would interest them.
"Alright," Jenny said, not wanting the atmosphere to become awkward, seeing that Locke remained silent. She stated her conditions directly. "If they can provide us with assistance, they will receive the full support of the entire North America. Note, full support."
All-out effort?
Locke sensed something amiss in this particularly emphasized remark; it seemed somewhat reminiscent of Professor Brand?
The radio in the granary was always on, receiving not only overseas channels but also North America channels, so they were always up-to-date with current events.
But even so, so what?
Locke didn't bother with Jenny's little scheme.
He shook his head and smiled, appearing polite, but there was a hint of sarcasm in his expression.
"You
Is there some mistake?
Locke had initially thought Jenny possessed something rare that she could trade with the Mutual Aid Society, but...
It's this?
He recalled the information he had heard about the Mutual Aid Society before, which spanned several time periods and had tens of billions of members...
"It's just North America... with a population of at most 100 million..."
Why do you feel that they care?
Locke looked at Jenny.
The other party is now completely bewildered.
The middle-aged woman blinked, and her fierce demeanor vanished instantly.
It took her a while to recover from Locke's question:
"If they don't care, why should they help you?"
Weren't those Asia trying to use the starving people to interfere in North America affairs?
Locke suddenly remembered two sentences he had heard from members of the Mutual Aid Society:
"The emperor doesn't hoe the ground, nor does he use a hoe made of gold."
"Insects that only live in summer cannot understand what ice is."
"You think they have ulterior motives, that's because you have ulterior motives..."
Locke snorted twice, his usual politeness vanishing the moment he heard Jenny's skepticism about the Mutual Aid Society.
Although he had little contact with the Mutual Aid Society, he was certain that the organization had no intention of using him. On the contrary, it helped them build their management structure, provided them with some necessities, and taught them some methods for defending the grain warehouse.
Although they took some food, the amount was small, and it was explained that it was to support starving people in other places...
Apart from that, they received no further special instructions; no one told them to storm into the city and start a riot, nor to wander around and kill indiscriminately.
Can an organization like this really be considered to be deliberately interfering in their North America affairs?
With a cold laugh, Locke revealed everything he knew about the Mutual Aid Society to Jenny.
Jenny listened to these seemingly "unbelievable" things, but quickly realized that they were completely different from what she had imagined.
Her plan was to use one enemy to defeat another, first employing those Asia to eliminate all the criminals, and then turning her back on them, employing a strategy of pacifying the internal before resisting external aggression.
but...
It seems like we've finally found a real charity?!
Xxs-2