CHAPTER 333: CHAPTER 151

Half an hour later, on the periphery of Base 011.

The girl stood somewhat uneasily before Chen Jian, her eyes curious yet somewhat awkwardly examining the man in front of her wearing strange armor.

She had never seen such armor before; although she had seen those soldiers from the Mechanical God Sect’s Guard Brigade wearing armor, it was completely different from what the man in front of her was wearing.

Of course, it was easy to tell who was stronger or weaker at a glance.

Is this...

The legendary "Huaxia Army"?

The girl opened her mouth to speak, but heard the person across from her ask:

"Where are you from? What’s your name?"

"From Qian Island Lake Town, just south of you."

"My name is Jiang Yu, I’m the... Scout there!"

The girl answered neither humbly nor arrogantly.

Chen Jian nodded and continued to ask:

"Jiang Yu? Which Jiang, which Yu?"

"Yangtze River Jiang, Little Yu Yu."

"....Your name is really... rough."

Chen Jian said with amusement:

"In our time, when these two characters come together, it’s usually on a restaurant menu..."

"But it doesn’t matter, that’s not the point."

"What are you here for?"

"I’m a scout from Qian Island Lake Town. Three days ago, your people killed two monsters in Qian Island Lake Town and saved our people."

"The people you saved told us that we could head north."

"So I came."

"I brought you a gift—though not much, I hope you can accept it."

Jiang Yu’s expression was solemn, although slightly trembling due to nervousness, it was evident she was trying her best to stabilize her emotions.

"Understood."

Chen Jian nodded again.

Through the information transmitted by Shen Yue on the PDA, as well as feedback from Fu Xi, he confirmed that the girl in front of him was not lying.

But not lying doesn’t mean she told the whole truth.

Who travels such a long distance just to say thank you?

Obviously, she had other motives.

After a brief silence, having taken the small package handed over by Jiang Yu, Chen Jian continued to ask:

"Besides saying thank you?"

At these words, the girl was taken aback.

For a moment, she didn’t understand what Chen Jian meant.

Long-term life on the wasteland made her accustomed to viewing everything from a negative perspective, but this time, she truly didn’t detect any "malice" in the other’s expression.

Thus, after a brief contemplation, she made up her mind and honestly said:

"Qian Island Lake Town is no longer livable, monster activity is getting more frequent around there."

"I don’t want Qian Island Lake Town to become another Jurong, nor do I want my home and the people I know to die at the hands of monsters."

"So, I gathered as much information about you, about the Huaxia Army, as I could from other places."

"This time I’m here to take a look."

"If this place is suitable... I want to bring others to relocate here."

"Okay."

Chen Jian replied without hesitation:

"Bring them over."

"In the short term, we will solve your food problems."

"But afterward, you will need to be self-sufficient."

"Huh?"

Jiang Yu was stunned.

"You just... agreed?"

"The point is not whether I agree or not; the point is whether you are willing."

Chen Jian waved his hand, then said:

"Feel free to look around, someone will tell you where you can’t go."

"Decide for yourself after you see it well, and if you need our help during the relocation process, we’ll assist as much as possible."

"Alright, we’re going to eat now, you can look around on your own for now."

"...Okay."

Jiang Yu stood there, bewildered, watching the man across from her turn back, walk to an open area, and take off his "battle armor."

A few obviously "mechanical" humanoid robots followed his actions, carrying the battle armor into a broad passageway and then disappearing into the glaring light.

The impact of this scene alone almost made Jiang Yu doubt her once-considered "vast" knowledge in the past decade or so.

A thought suddenly flashed in her mind.

So... the Mechanical Soul really exists?

Can it really make those machines... move by themselves?

No.

Impossible.

This thought was instantly denied.

Recalling that iron bird in the sky, that thing called a drone, Jiang Yu came to a conclusion she considered reasonable.

These robots are most likely remotely controlled by humans.

It’s just that those controlling them may not have appeared in front of her.

Thinking of this, she instantly felt much more at ease.

It wasn’t something that couldn’t be understood...

She tentatively moved a few steps forward, and after confirming no one stopped her, she walked straight towards several slightly low wooden houses in the distance.

There, some civilians who clearly hadn’t integrated into the "Huaxia Army" were also eating, but regardless of the dining environment or the food in front of them, it was much more humble compared to the real Huaxia Army.

Upon inquiry, Jiang Yu confirmed her conclusion.

These people had only recently arrived here as refugees, many of whom were from Jurong!

"....What is the situation in Jurong now?"

Jiang Yu asked.

The refugees fell silent immediately, and after a long time, someone finally responded:

"I don’t know."

"But when we left, it was no longer possible to survive there...."

"The monsters had killed almost everyone, and we barely made it here."

"We won’t go back."

"I see..."

Jiang Yu nodded thoughtfully, then continued to ask:

"And here? How is it here?"

"Here, there are no monsters; here, you can survive."