CHAPTER 20: CHAPTER 20: ANTI-ADDICTION

The shopkeeper doesn’t take Scavengers seriously, but when there are many, it’s quite tricky.

He pondered for a moment and asked, "Will those people leave together?"

Old Five nodded and replied helplessly, "The probability of them going back together is high. It’ll be costly if we want to make a move."

"Let’s find out the information first," the shopkeeper decided, "Investigate the identity of that guy."

They were local influencers on the outskirts of the Hongsi Settlement, but it’s not easy to find out about the roots of Scavengers.

The circle of Scavengers is quite closed and doesn’t welcome outside inquiries.

It wasn’t until evening that Old Five managed to gather some news through a familiar Scavenger.

"Second Brother, it turns out he’s a fool... But reportedly, the One-Eyed Wolf values him highly."

As for why Tuzov values Qu Jianlei, within the Scavenger circle, absolutely no one dares to leak this information.

Second Brother thought for a moment and nodded, "Then let’s hire someone at the scrapyard to keep an eye on him and figure out what he’s got behind him."

Not long after, the Scavengers sold their goods and bought some necessities, and three vehicles formed a convoy to return.

On the way back, the group came up with old issues again, wanting Qu Jianlei to lead and organize this matter.

Qu Jianlei remained silent, but when pushed urgently, he replied, "I’m afraid of dying too."

"No one is not afraid of dying," someone retorted loudly, "But you’re different from us."

Upon hearing this, Qu Jianlei couldn’t help but roll his eyes, "I don’t believe no one can think, the antidotes have always been rare medicines!"

Everyone was stunned by his words, then someone gasped, "So, killing is to save medicine?"

It’s not surprising they realized superficially; if Qu Jianlei hadn’t known about the injection’s inside information beforehand, he wouldn’t have been so sure.

However, some remained indifferent, clearly having already guessed the key points.

The dirty woman even chuckled bitterly, "Xiaoqu, only you would say this openly."

This insider information is indeed shocking. Anyone with some sense wouldn’t dare to reveal it broadly!

Only Qu Jianlei, this fool, wouldn’t think much and directly expose it.

However, the dirty woman’s remark became the best note on Qu Jianlei’s speech, and suddenly, no one on the car spoke again.

After a while, Collins spoke up, "Xiaoqu, do you have any more suggestions? Say them all to hear."

"Nothing," Qu Jianlei shook his head bluntly, "Take it one step at a time."

He has different concerns from these people.

Not long after, whispers arose in the car—clearly, everyone was discussing plans.

The truck reached about a dozen kilometers from Chaotic Stone Camp when Qu Jianlei requested to get off.

This was the closest place to his home, and he wanted to walk back to rest.

After he left, Collins spoke darkly, "We don’t have much time left."

The dirty woman sighed, "Next, we can’t mine. The urgent task is to scatter people to gather information."

Giving up scavenging will impact income in the short term, but when it concerns one’s life, what’s more important?

Ultimately, the Scavengers initially underestimated the seriousness of this matter.

They thought they escaped the initial slaughter, and just handling affairs casually would suffice in the following time.

Until another fresh life died, they realized the situation was far more serious than they imagined.

Yet someone scoffed, "It’s just a few days without profit, but who dares guarantee we’ll gather information?"

"Hehe," Collins sneered, "Even if we gather information... who can guarantee we won’t be silenced?"

This question made everyone’s expressions increasingly grim...

Qu Jianlei returned to his little den and carefully checked to ensure no one had come, and nothing was missing.

Great!

Then he didn’t sleep but took out that paper package—the package still had some antidote left.

This was secretly hidden using his nimble hands.

Others treated the paper package similarly, presumably... someone must be pondering the composition of this antidote.

However, Qu Jianlei spent half the night with his flashlight analyzing, unable to discern its components.

The key issue is lacking testing equipment... he could only think gloomily.

Regarding research, Qu Jianlei indeed had some confidence, but for now, he could only sigh in helplessness.

As he idly thought, suddenly, his head started aching again.

This was the second time since the last injection that headaches occurred.

His spirit instantly perked up, and he swiftly took out Nutrient Injection, placing them in a row on the ground.

Perhaps... it’s a related reaction from taking the antidote?

This headache wasn’t as painful as last time but lingered quite persistently.

Two minutes into the headache, Qu Jianlei started with a Posture Stance, maintaining it for nearly twenty minutes.

Then he sat cross-legged on the ground, Five Hearts Facing Heaven, he focused Qi to the Dantian.

This time, the effect was astonishingly good, Qi Sensitivity was quite strong, and it particularly... consumed calories.

The big-headed, small-bodied cartoon "Little Lake" appeared in his mind again, but still didn’t last long.

Approximately... four or five seconds?

Keep deducing! Qu Jianlei’s brain began spinning frantically.

Nutrient injections were shoved into his mouth one after another, occasionally sipping some water.

Fortunately, his material conditions had greatly improved; otherwise, he wouldn’t have been able to endure this exhaustion.

He didn’t know how long later, when he reached for another nutrient injection, his hand grabbed empty air.

Eight nutrient injections, all gone just like that?

He had a feeling that if he could persist a little longer, the Nameless Qi Refining Technique would advance to another level.

However, he had deliberately set a "anti-addiction mechanism" with the eight nutrient injections.

No matter how far he had progressed, when it was time to stop, he must stop; excess is no good!

Regarding self-control, he had specially trained himself; most people with Asperger’s Syndrome have poor self-control.

But for someone with OCD, what must be done, of course, must be done.

Eight nutrient injections equated to eight days’ worth, quite a lot indeed.

He took a deep breath, slowly opened his eyes, and sorted through the "Nameless Qi Refining Technique" in his mind.

As expected, this iteration of the Qi Refining Technique was more refined than the last.

However, he still didn’t attempt Circulation Transport and only focused his intention on his Dantian.

After resting for a while, he stood up and felt his body... exceptionally light.

As for whether some dirt appeared on his skin, Qu Jianlei claimed he didn’t feel anything.

In the Wasteland, wanting to take a bath was simply a luxury.

Not all places lacked water; some water even appeared quite pristine.

However, once you take a bath, who knows what kind of mutation might occur on your body, possibly leading to immediate death.

Back on Blue Star, Qu Jianlei cared about personal hygiene, but he wasn’t obsessive; otherwise, he wouldn’t have survived these six years.

After all, in the Wasteland, survival is the priority; whether you can bathe or if your body smells, there’s really no choice in the matter.

He then walked out of the underground den, looked up at the sky, "Unknowingly, it’s already afternoon?"

He arrived at Sister Pang’s general store to inquire if anyone wanted to buy the weapons he consigned.

In the Wasteland, weapons were never hard to sell, but Sister Pang stated most inquirers wanted to buy at a low price.

Qu Jianlei’s stance was that he’d rather use them himself than sell at a low price.

So he asked about another matter, "Do you have any news about Black-Skinned Bristle Rats? I can buy."

The Black-Skinned Bristle Rat is a mutant beast, but its mutation is very stable and is recognized as a practical mutant beast.

Its taste is said to be average, but its key is to provide high calories, and being a common mutant beast, it’s easier to hunt.

Sister Pang surprisingly looked at him, "Are you going to become a Hunter now?"

"Just a bit curious," Qu Jianlei answered evasively, "If I have the chance, I’d like to experience it."

Sister Pang glanced at him, "There is some news, but the timeliness isn’t guaranteed, and not sure if it’s a trap."

"I want more recent news," Qu Jianlei didn’t want to spend money on "old news."

As for whether there are traps, that no one can guarantee; where there’s prey, there may be Hunters.

Anyway, he’s not suitable for deep involvement in the junkyard; if he wants to gain more heat, he can only hunt mutant beasts.

The key is that he hasn’t eaten meat for over six years, and once this idea is released, it’s hard to rein it back.

Sister Pang thought for a moment, then shook her head, "There isn’t any recent news now; I’ll tell you in a couple of days."

If he were still the old Sha Qu, Sister Pang wouldn’t mind conning him, selling some relatively outdated news.

However, after thinking about the weapons he had consigned, she realized there was no need to take that risk.

She may look down on him inwardly, but the fact that he moved from nothing to this amount of weaponry in such a short time was clearly not a stroke of luck.

Qu Jianlei nodded; it wasn’t an urgent matter, "Getting the news from the Red Bull Team?"

He knew Sister Pang’s brother was involved in the Hunter team.

Sister Pang glanced at him, snorted lightly, "How could Hunters divulge prey information? I have other channels."

Qu Jianlei didn’t doubt her words; Sister Pang wasn’t a professional information seller, but her social connections were pretty good.

But... wouldn’t Old Cripple’s information be pretty decent too?

With that thought, he turned and headed out of the camp, hoping his swiftly moving feet could get him there before nightfall.

As for the junkyard’s business? He was no longer considering it.

Those Scavengers insisted he take the lead, but he truly detested such coercion.

The distance between the two camps is about seventeen or eighteen kilometers.

He moved quickly with full gear; if everything went smoothly, it shouldn’t take more than two hours.

However, in the Wasteland, encountering unexpected events was indeed normal; after walking around ten kilometers, he suddenly felt an ominous warning in his heart.

Without thinking, he executed a side dive, followed by a series of rolls.

Immediately, a barrage of bullets landed where he’d just been, stirring up a cloud of dust.

Then came the sound of gunfire, exactly the Gauss Automatic Rifle’s sound.

"Ambushers!" Qu Jianlei’s face instantly darkened.

(During the new book period, seeking support of all kinds.)