CHAPTER 35: CHAPTER 35: TREASURE CHEST?

Qu Jianlei understood very well the kind of fervor that the people of the Wasteland would exhibit once faced with enormous benefits.

And Mr. Sai himself has enough capability to cast a net around and eventually find him.

That guy might have already traced back and found out that he’s headed to the Hongyi Settlement.

The Hairless Freak said that the Hongyi Settlement is relatively orderly, but even so, it still has to listen to the General Settlement, right?

There is no time to lose, he must set off quickly!

As for the remaining usable items in the ruined camp... Qu Jianlei absolutely would not touch them.

He didn’t want anyone to know someone had been here.

Even though no one was watching, how could a mind like Mr. Sai’s easily give up on such a potential clue?

Besides, since the Alloy Ring is a high-tech item capable of location tracking, who knows if there are traps among the remaining supplies?

Having figured it out, Qu Jianlei took a deep look at the ruined Chaotic Stone Camp, then turned and quickly left in a crouched run.

Farewell, Chaotic Stone Camp! Although there’s nothing worth holding onto, it was ultimately his first stop in the Wasteland.

However, in the next moment, a tinge of guilt arose in his heart: so many died because of me.

He truly had no feelings for the people of the Chaotic Stone Camp. If he had to name a few, it would be Sanye and Morrison.

He owed Sanye a cargo run, but since it’s impossible to fulfill, there was some guilt lingering.

Yet, it didn’t prevent him from eliminating Sanye’s two apprentices, so his remorse for Sanye was... just a bit.

Honestly, he cared more about Morrison, that piece of scum.

For no other reason than, if he had to say, this was the only person he’s exploited since he came through.

However, these hundreds of lives... how innocent they were? Qu Jianlei’s heart felt heavy, like weighed down by a boulder.

Lives in the Wasteland were worthless, and he hadn’t killed just one or two, but these people died because of him, it felt different!

Qu Jianlei truly felt terrible inside, and he could only silently make a firm resolution: once I grow stronger, I will take Sai’s life!

Even if not for these implicated dead, for his own safety, Sai must die!

Feeling a bit more composed, Qu Jianlei quickly dashed to the motorcycle and set off towards Sweet Water Camp.

When he came, it took him six days, but the return was four and a half.

He had to find a path coming, but returning was much simpler.

Traveling day and night, he arrived at Sweet Water just at dusk,

At the edge of that shallow pit, he saw at once, the Hairless Freak appearing bruised and battered.

He frowned, impatiently asking, "Who did this?"

The Hairless Freak hesitated for a moment before replying, "I accidentally... fell."

Who would believe that? Qu Jianlei’s lips twitched slightly.

But since the other party didn’t speak the truth, he was too lazy to ask further. Help yourself, and the heavens will help you; if you’ve given up, why should others help?

Seizing an opportunity, he whispered, "Rest well today, we set off early tomorrow."

"Set off?" The Hairless Freak was startled upon hearing this, "Are we leaving this camp?"

Since Heitian Ge arrived at this camp, he always went out alone, and this time he was even gone for ten days.

This time he actually called him to go together, evidently not just a temporary leave.

Qu Jianlei nodded, without giving any explanation.

He originally planned to leave alone, but considering if Mr. Sai were to chase after him, given his conduct, Xiao Jing would inevitably die.

Hairless Freak’s eyes darted, whispering once again, "To Hongyi?"

"Not anymore," Qu Jianlei shook his head decisively, with Mr. Sai’s ability, if he could catch up, he would surely know my objective.

"Winter is approaching. Let’s gather some resources and find a place to hibernate for the winter."

What he didn’t know was that meanwhile, a convoy broke into one of Hong Liu’s settlements.

Coming out of the vehicles were patrol members of Hong Liu.

They displayed a portrait and asked, "Has anyone seen this person? Also, has any stranger on a motorcycle visited recently?"

For an ordinary wild camp, this situation is not rare, but not uncommon.

Before long, data was compiled, including a particular guy with two companions, who was reported.

That guy wore a face mask, so his face could not be recognized, but... his machining and modification skills were strong.

Towing two this might be possible because a small team from one of Hong Si’s camps went missing, riding two motorcycles.

The key was, a certain shop owner related to the target person was in that camp.

Anyway, better to err on the side of caution, hence they learned that after disappearing for a while, he returned with a child.

No one could remember what the child looked like very well, except that he wandered outside the camp for a few days, bald without eyebrows.

"Hibernate for winter?" The Hairless Freak pondered, then nodded, "Going to Hongyi during this season isn’t just dangerous, but also harsh."

Then he raised an eyebrow, "Hibernate for winter supplies... easy for me to say, but with your enormous appetite, merely gathering some resources might not be enough."

"Then try to gather as much as possible," Qu Jianlei sighed, for every winter before had been like hell for him.

When you’re really starving, you have to go out and find food even in winter; you’d rather freeze to death than starve, right?

Hairless Monster hesitated for a moment before speaking, "Black Heaven Bro, you have a token made from silver... that might be worth something."

Qu Jianlei remembered. This time when he went to the Chaotic Stone Camp, he didn’t even bring that token.

He had a lot of stuff to carry: food and water, fuel, ammunition, outdoor living supplies...

The motorcycle was still too small, so small that even bringing an extra Silver Token was too much.

That token was a relic left by Third Master. Upon hearing this, he asked in a deep voice, "How much is it worth?"

"That’s a Secret Silver Token, actually a key," Xiao Jing replied in a low voice, "It can open the treasure box in a Gathering Area."

"A treasure box?" Qu Jianlei’s interest was piqued upon hearing this; is this like opening a treasure box in a game? "What does it contain?"

"Well..." Xiao Jing felt the other was a bit ignorant, "What it contains depends on what the original owner put in it."

"Cough, cough," Qu Jianlei coughed awkwardly twice, "I got this Silver Token by chance."

He began to understand why Third Master always carried the Silver Token; it turned out to be the key to a bank vault.

So, last time I offered five silver coins... was that too low?

"You say it was by chance, then by chance it is," Xiao Jing didn’t care, "The key thing is, there’s definitely good stuff inside."

His eyes gleamed slightly, "And the warehouse for this Secret Silver Token is right inside Hongwu Settlement!"

Qu Jianlei couldn’t help but be surprised, "You actually can see through the secret of the Silver Token?"

Hairless Monster stretched his neck and answered proudly, "I’ve said it before, I’m very familiar with the Wasteland!"

He was a bit surprised to discover this Silver Token too, but he definitely had no intention of running off with it.

Just like Qu Jianlei thought, with his abilities, protecting even a single silver coin would be worth a laugh.

Qu Jianlei pondered, "Do you know the process to retrieve the items inside?"

"I do," Hairless Monster nodded without hesitation, "It’s anonymous, so retrieving the items inside is quite simple."

Qu Jianlei’s mood instantly improved.

But immediately, he felt a bit anxious, "This safe... the treasure box won’t be empty, will it?"

Hairless Monster looked at him surprisingly, "If there’s nothing inside, who would pay high rent for a treasure box?"

Qu Jianlei felt a bit embarrassed upon hearing this but still asked, "Entering the Settlement... isn’t easy, right?"

"The Secret Silver Token is an access pass," Hairless Monster said confidently, "Holding the Silver Token, you can enter."

Qu Jianlei’s eyes flickered, "Then if we aren’t in a rush to open the treasure box, can we stay in the Settlement?"

If we could spend the winter like this, it wouldn’t be bad. I heard the conditions in the Settlement are much better than outside.

"You can’t afford to stay in the Settlement," Hairless Monster shook his head like a rattle.

"Unless you have an identity in the Settlement or can find a job, otherwise, even if nobody checks, outsiders wouldn’t last long."

So if we retrieve the good stuff from the safe, wouldn’t that allow us more time to stay?

The next moment, Qu Jianlei nearly slapped himself: after retrieving the items, without the Secret Silver Token, how could he live in the Settlement?

After pondering for a while, he asked again, "Holding this, really no money is needed to enter the Settlement?"

Hairless Monster shook his head calmly, "I’ve not heard of any fees, but after retrieving the items... perhaps we should be cautious when leaving the city?"

Although he claimed to know many things, he was ultimately young, and many things he could only guess.

"Of course, we need to be cautious," Qu Jianlei sighed lightly.

Third Master was considered highly respected among Scavengers, with considerable strength, yet he didn’t dare come to Hongwu Settlement to retrieve treasures.

Of course, perhaps he simply didn’t recognize the origin of the Secret Silver Token, but Qu Jianlei thought this possibility was low.

Other possibilities can’t be ruled out, Scavengers may lack other skills, but spotting things? Definitely not an issue, especially since Third Master was a veteran.

Well... there might be other factors at play; Qu Jianlei didn’t bother to think further.

Then he went to a general store to buy a map, obtaining a map of Hongwu Settlement.

There was no additional map; the General Settlement map was the most he could get.

Early the next morning, the two got up to pack their belongings, piling them all onto a cart.

Looking at the moving setup, onlookers could immediately understand, so they whispered to each other.

The motorcycle pulling the cart wasn’t fast, and the speed was about thirty kilometers per hour.

Just the motorcycle alone could manage thirty-five kilometers without issue.

They left the camp for less than half an hour when dust rose behind them, accompanied by engine noises.

Qu Jianlei was driving... His sense of direction was pretty good, unlikely to make mistakes.

Xiao Jing was holding a telescope, looking back, "Three, four, five motorcycles... and a convertible truck!"

Qu Jianlei was focused intently on driving, with the motorcycle’s engine roaring loudly, not hearing the commotion very clearly behind him.

Hairless Monster’s words, however, he heard distinctly, so he asked in a deep voice, "How far is the distance?"

"Distance... I can’t really tell," Hairless Monster replied sulkily, "Someone has already mounted a machine gun."

Turns out he wasn’t just bad with roads; his ability to gauge distances was pretty poor too.