CHAPTER 56: CHAPTER 56: STRAINED RESOURCES

The Flower Scorpion felt like their luck was running out.

Last autumn, after getting into a fight with someone, they thought they had gained a bit, but not long after, they found themselves surrounded.

Those who surrounded them were big shots, ruthless and demanding their cooperation.

Quite a few defiant Hunters were killed on the spot, and she could tell the opposition just wanted to assert dominance.

These people were not ordinarily aggressive, so the Flower Scorpion wisely decided to yield.

Her combat strength was considerable, but why take unnecessary risks?

Then they were interrogated; the newcomers were looking for someone named Sha Qu.

The Flower Scorpion honestly recounted the experiences of their group.

No one expected that someone would think that the guy called Black Heaven could be Sha Qu.

As for the child that appeared... how big of a deal could that be? Many survivors encounter unexpected battle companions.

Even if it was just a possibility, these people thoroughly investigated the guy with no eyebrows.

Throughout the winter, they didn’t rest, braving the cold to search for Sha Qu everywhere.

During spring, everyone expected things to ease up, but they continued their search.

Later, rumors spread that Sha Qu might have gone to Hongyi, and now a new team was sent there.

The big shots had confirmed that regardless if Black Heaven was Sha Qu or not, he definitely had ways to use Mutant Crystals effectively.

The people from the Energy Block Store weren’t to be trifled with, but the initial purchase of Mutant Crystals was from residents of the Settlement.

This could be easily discovered with a little investigation.

Just the way these two people used Mutant Crystals made them worth a thorough investigation, hoping to acquire their methods.

The Flower Scorpion and her two companions had interacted with the man with no eyebrows and recognized that modified vehicle, so they were ordered to follow.

As the rider drove, he couldn’t help but grumble, "Who did we provoke to deserve this? We’re really unlucky."

This truck was sold to them at a low price by Black Heaven.

The Flower Scorpion casually stated, "Keep your mouth shut if you want to stay alive."

"It’s not like anyone’s around to hear," the rider dismissively replied.

"I wonder what Sha Qu did to deserve being pursued for so long?"

"It’s just a matter of interest," the Flower Scorpion lazily answered, "At least three teams are investigating him."

She didn’t believe it was hatred, as ordinary people who wanted to feud with such big shots needed to qualify for that!

The rider couldn’t help but sigh, "Getting involved in such a major affair, I hope we don’t get silenced."

"Silenced..." the Flower Scorpion pondered for a moment. Now that many people knew about this, could the opposition really afford to be so ruthless?

But immediately after, she involuntarily shivered, "Let’s hope not."

The rider drove silently for a while, then suddenly asked, "Do you think those two guys could also be in Hongyi?"

"How would I know?" the Flower Scorpion muttered softly, "I actually hope he’s not there..."

Just then, a voice came through the communicator, "We’ve found an outdoor camp ahead; assume combat formation, combat formation!"

The rider sighed quietly, "Searching camp by camp... just how much profit is at stake?"

That night, Qu Jianlei completed a deal with their opponent; he even rented a heavy truck to transport the Mecha.

There were no issues with the transaction; on the outskirts of Hongyi Settlement, Fugui’s reputation was already quite substantial.

The other party was just a bit surprised, "Weren’t you looking to trade for a light truck and ammunition? Did you get more money?"

Qu Jianlei responded expressionlessly, "Yeah, got more money now. Do you have any more Mecha?"

He subtly jabbed at the other party with this remark.

Fearing a grudge, the other party could only awkwardly chuckle, "If I’d known it was a matter of Silver Notes, a little discount wouldn’t hurt."

With the Silver Notes already in hand, this kind of insincere flattery was obvious to anyone.

Qu Jianlei didn’t respond further and drove away with the rift in the heavy truck.

They didn’t dare transport the Mecha back to the small courtyard, as that would surely invite trouble; instead, they moved it to a massive underground warehouse.

The warehouse was extremely old; it was said to have been built over two hundred years ago.

Initially constructed to store winter supplies, it even sheltered some survivors during the winters.

However, after two collapses, it was abandoned. As houses increased outside the city, landlords didn’t want this place to flourish.

It’s essentially a large underground ruin; if anyone were to see someone coming and going, it might attract trouble.

A twenty-ton Mecha could only be repaired in such a location.

For Qu Jianlei, this Mecha purchase was another excellent deal.

Because he had just perfected the Flying Backpack’s propulsion system.

There were many types of propulsion systems; the Flying Backpack was a Blue Star design, considered unrivaled.

But that wasn’t actually the case; when designing the Flying Backpack’s propulsion, he considered using Energy Blocks as its power source.

His open-top light truck was a Wasteland product, powered by fuel.

He carefully inspected the Mecha, and sure enough, its propulsion system was damaged, but the transmission was intact.

As for the other parts of the Mecha’s damage, those were minor issues, mostly poorer protection, and the left arm was not very agile.

Qu Jianlei bought this mecha mainly for its transportation capabilities, combat is secondary.

Having accumulated so many belongings, he truly couldn’t bear to leave them all behind.

The mecha was now in his possession, so he decided to indulge himself a little.

He took out the third Mutant Crystal and silently thought to himself, "Match it with the drive I designed."

Little Lake appeared again, slowly rotating, and Qu Jianlei’s head began to ache once more.

But this time it didn’t take long before new information appeared.

The driving design of the Flying Backpack could indeed be transplanted onto the mecha, but it felt like a pony pulling a large cart, not quite compatible!

Qu Jianlei’s original design was to carry around a ton of supplies; he didn’t expect the Flying Backpack to actually fly, as long as it could bear weight.

But now, the mecha alone weighed twenty tons, and in terms of power, they were on completely different scales.

Some materials certainly needed to be replaced.

The most problematic was the energy efficiency; the drive system of the Flying Backpack had poor energy utilization to begin with.

Now, transplanted onto the mecha, the effect would be even worse.

But this didn’t matter; if one wished to traverse the Endless Mountain Range, there was no way to consider cost.

Abandoning many unnecessary supplies would make the mountain traverse a bit easier, but... could they be abandoned?

This transport mecha was also essential despite the high energy consumption.

What are Energy Blocks? They’re things you can buy with money, but can a sense of security... be bought?

Qu Jianlei began to busy himself in the underground warehouse.

After working for three days, he finally pieced together a drive system.

No comment on its usefulness, but at least it could get the mecha moving.

As for testing? It’s truly inconvenient, even though there was no one nearby, the mecha’s movements would still make some noise.

Then, he spent four days continuing to improve the drive system, frequently using Little Lake during the process.

Cleavage also often purchased some materials, delivering them at night, and the situation was slightly better after four days.

Qu Jianlei stayed in the underground warehouse for seven days and felt a bit stifled.

He manipulated the mecha, hid in a compartment, piled up large bricks and stones, and returned to the courtyard under the cover of night.

By dawn, he asked Xiaojing, "How many silver coins are left?"

In his absence, Xiaojing mainly took care of the house, "Eighty-seven pieces left, buying materials these past few days was intense."

Qu Jianlei pondered a moment and sighed, "I’ll go hunt in the mountains again, make some dried meat when I return, it’s time for us to go."

Xiaojing tilted his head to think, unable to help but ask, "Do we really have to leave?"

"Better safe than sorry," Qu Jianlei replied casually, "At least be well-prepared, so we won’t be caught off guard."

Xiaojing lowered his voice to ask, "Running low on ammunition and dried meat, it’s all because of you..."

He was now the Chief Steward of this small group, Black Heaven only cared about his own cultivation, and Cleavage was indifferent to everything.

"A sly rabbit has three holes," Qu Jianlei answered without hesitation, "Maintaining a sense of crisis is beneficial for oneself."

Hearing them speak, Cleavage emerged yawning, "Boss, you’re back?"

Unconsciously, he started treating Black Heaven as his own boss, "I’ll take a bath, then chat with you later."

Watching him walk back, Qu Jianlei was a bit curious, "Has he learned to voluntarily bathe?"

"He didn’t have the means before," Xiaojing responded indifferently, "With the means, who wouldn’t enjoy being clean?"

So, I’ve also changed some people’s living habits?

Cleavage guy bathed quickly — it had always been this way, in less than ten minutes, he emerged.

While wiping his wet hair, he expressed excitedly.

"Yesterday, I heard some news, from here to the other side of the mountain... there might be a smuggling group."

Qu Jianlei immediately fell silent, waited for a while, and found the other party didn’t continue, couldn’t help but ask, "That’s it?"

Cleavage replied solemnly, "To inquire further, it requires money."

Qu Jianlei was a bit unhappy, "I just gave you twenty silver coins a few days ago... are you spending too fast, or am I neglecting you?"

"It’s daily dealings, you know?" Cleavage, usually uncompetitive, couldn’t help replying.

"I spent money to gather information, that’s good, but regarding smuggling... who cares about dozens of silver coins?"

Xiaojing was about to speak, but Qu Jianlei coughed lightly, "Alright, I’ll give you thirty more."

Currently, the group’s firearms still prohibit Cleavage from handling.

But after taking these thirty silver coins outside, what gun couldn’t he buy?

Thus, his words seemed a bit strange, with a somewhat inexplicable taste.

Cleavage sensed something amiss, but he still stated, "I need a hundred silver coins."

Xiaojing couldn’t help it, "A hundred silver coins, why don’t you go rob?"

"This is smuggling," Cleavage looked at him helplessly, "If caught, the consequences are unimaginable."

"Moreover, regarding smuggling, the most crucial aspect is the channels... spending a hundred silver coins for a piece of news isn’t expensive."

(Updated to here, soliciting all kinds of support during the new book period.)