Embers Ad Infinitum

Previously, Jiang Baimian had always felt that there was a lack of necessary connection between what had happened - Lei Yunsong, Lin Feifei and the "anti-intellectual religion" had no apparent intersection with each other. They seemed to be two unrelated parties. But they fit together strangely.

And now, she finally found the missing point, the point in the middle connecting the two sides:

Xu Liyan, the lord of Wild Grass City and president of the local Hunters Guild!

While walking and thinking, Jiang Baimian said to Odik in front:

"Were you invited by the city lord?"

Odik didn't answer.

Jiang Baimian said thoughtfully to himself:

"I want to meet with the city lord. Maybe we can clarify a lot of things."

Odik still didn't speak and walked straight into the guild hall.

…………

At the gate of Wild Grass City, Bai Chen drove out in his jeep, taking Long Yuehong with him.

In the process of looking for "temporary teachers", they discovered something worth noting:

A "temporary teacher" named Huang Mingtang was supposed to come back from his vacation yesterday to teach the children, but he never showed up.

——He can take one day off every ten days.

According to several parents, Teacher Huang has been teaching their children for almost a year. His fees are reasonable and he is responsible. There has never been a similar situation before, and he often allows some families to default on their tuition fees for a period of time when they are temporarily in trouble. .

These parents originally planned to wait for another two days. If Teacher Huang Mingtang hadn't come back yet, they would go to the guild to issue a mission to find him. Although they wouldn't be able to give much reward, they would at least allow the ruin hunters to accumulate some credit points.

——In Weed City, some affairs that should have been undertaken by the city hall and the city defense army have gradually been transferred to the Hunter Guild, in the form of issuing and completing tasks.

After they happened to bump into Bai Chen and Long Yuehong, a group of ruin hunters who came to investigate, the parents simply entrusted them and went to the guild hall to announce the task for them to take over.

The reward is 2 ores and 10 credits.

Bai Chen and Long Yuehong quickly found the place where Huang Mingtang rented based on the clues provided by the parents. They learned from the guard there that the "temporary teacher" went to his apartment the night before his official vacation. The home outside the city seemed to have never come back since then.

Huang Mingtang's parents worked as servants in a manor outside the city. He grew up there. Thanks to the kindness of the manor owner, he was literate and read books.

Later, he accompanied his young master as a relic hunter for a period of time, made some achievements, and was allowed to become a free citizen.

He doesn't like to fight and kill, and he doesn't want to venture into the wilderness, so he ultimately chooses to be a "temporary teacher" to support himself.

Without further ado, Bai Chen decided to go to the manor outside the city to ask before it got dark.

After being blocked at the city gate for a few minutes, the army-green jeep left the Wild Grass City.

Long Yuehong, who was in the passenger seat, subconsciously looked outside and was stunned by the scene in front of her.

so many people.

There are many people outside the city.

They were either kneeling or sitting on both sides of the road, spreading far away and making it difficult to count.

Further away, there are burrows they dug and simple temporary tents, which seem to have become different settlements for wanderers in the wilderness.

These people looked forward with pale faces and numb expressions, shivering in the cold wind, but no one spoke.

From time to time, there were a few children's cries, which seemed so weak.

Whenever someone with fully armed bodyguards walks in between them and chooses back and forth, a little hope will appear on their faces.

When a few lucky ones were bought away, the remaining people looked disappointed at the same time, and then returned to numb expressions.

"Are all of these infectious diseases? It doesn't seem like it..." Long Yuehong asked in a low voice as if he was talking to himself.

He remembered the day they came to Weed City, the homeless people who gathered here could be put into the city to look for opportunities as long as they were checked for no infectious diseases.

Bai Chen made the vehicle speed a little faster:

"Too much.

"If so many people flood into the city, there will be countless bombs that can explode at any time."

Long Yuehong thought about it carefully and understood:

"So, we can only let them stay outside and let people who want to buy come out and choose?"

Bai Chen nodded:

"Weed City cannot accommodate so many slaves. We can only wait and see whether the First City can send people over in time to collect them.

"Eugene's slave-catching team could have hired a batch, but now it's unclear."

Hearing this, Long Yuehong was suddenly a little surprised:

"You mean, if the team leader and Shang Jianyao killed a villain like Eugene, it would lead to the death of a group of innocent people?"

Bai Chen said in a senior tone:

“You have to get used to this kind of thing.

"Although Eugene is a villain who deserves to be cut to pieces, and his purpose is only to make money, under the current environment, he can indeed bring life to many people."

Not everyone who is bought will be sent to the mines and die within a few years.

Long Yuehong fell silent and said after a long time:

"This fucking world!"

"Eugene's slave-catching team may have a new leader soon. They will not let go of the opportunity to make money." Bai Chen also looked at the side, "There are so many people, and there are new wanderers coming every day. If it is not resolved in a few days, there may be a big commotion..."

She had seen similar things.

At that time, it was truly a human tragedy.

While talking, the jeep finally drove out of this area and turned towards the Zhuo River.

After walking around a forest with withered leaves and driving for another four or five minutes, Long Yuehong saw many fields.

In winter, they also look deserted.

Soon, Jeep arrived at the gate of the manor and was stopped by a group of armed guards.

Bai Chen took out his hunter badge and explained that he was looking for Huang Mingtang's parents.

They were not allowed into the manor, but a guard delivered a message for them and found the couple.

Huang Mingtang's parents look to be in their fifties, and their hair has turned quite gray.

"Atang didn't go back? He left the night before!" After listening to Long Yuehong's story, Huang Mingtang's mother suddenly became a little anxious.

Bai Chen frowned slightly and said:

"Did anything unusual happen before he left?"

"No." Huang Mingtang's mother shook her head repeatedly, "I urged him to find a wife."

Huang Mingtang's father looked honest and honest. His exposed skin was a little tanned and even cracked in many places.

He recalled saying:

"Atang is in a hurry to leave before 5 o'clock. It takes more than half an hour to walk from here to the city. After dark, there will be some extremely hungry wild animals..."

Speaking of this, Huang Mingtang's father said worriedly:

"Did he encounter those wild beasts?"

Bai Chen and Long Yuehong looked at each other and said:

"Let's look for it along the way."

With the couple looking expectantly in their eyes, they got in the car and headed back the way they came.

This time, they drove much slower than before, paying close attention to their surroundings and getting out of the car to check from time to time.

After a while, Jeep returned to the outside of the woods.

Although the leaves have almost fallen off in winter, it is still difficult to see clearly from the deeper areas between the trees.

Bai Chen stopped the jeep and said to Long Yuehong:

"Watch the car."

Long Yuehong was already very proficient at this. Holding the "Ice Moss" pistol, she stood next to the jeep and guarded her surroundings vigilantly.

Bai Chen also pulled out his gun and walked into the forest slowly.

After bypassing a thick tree, her pupils suddenly dilated a little.

Deep in the forest, on a branch that was not high but looked very strong, a man wearing a dark red cotton-padded jacket hung there without any movement.

A brown leather belt was tied around his neck, and his pants seemed about to fall off at any moment.

The whining wind blew by, and the man swayed slightly.

…………

The second floor of "Afu Gun Shop".

"Huang Mingtang hanged himself?" Jiang Baimian said with lingering fear after hearing Bai Chen's report, "Zeng Guangwang's luck is really good."

She immediately recounted the progress on her side.

"That 'anti-intellectual religion' is just crazy." Long Yuehong sighed sincerely.

Now he feels a little sad when he recalls the reaction of Huang Mingtang's parents after seeing their son's body.

Shang Jianyao glanced at him:

"When did you get the illusion that they weren't crazy?"

"I, at first I thought they were just an illiterate organization that just burned books." Long Yuehong admitted that she had never seen the world.

"Arson is already a serious crime." Jiang Baimian said, and then reminded, "You should also pay attention recently, that 'priest' is very dangerous, very dangerous."

Long Yuehong's heart lifted:

"What's next?"

"For the time being, we can only see what Odik can find out. I hope he can find at least one member of the 'Anti-Intellectual Cult'." Jiang Baimian was also waiting for Odik to reply whether the city lord was willing to see them.

She turned to ask Bai Chen:

"Any idea about the radio transceiver?"

"Find someone who can assemble it yourself. The price is very cheap. I'll go talk tomorrow." Bai Chen nodded.

Jiang Baimian breathed a sigh of relief, smiled and said to Shang Jianyao and Long Yuehong:

"Look, look, this is your professional thing, learn from it."

"There are enough parts, I can do it." Shang Jianyao responded immediately.

"What do you mean by enough?" Jiang Baimian asked sharply.

Shang Jianyao answered calmly:

"Give me a chance to practice."

Jiang Baimian was too lazy to talk to him anymore.

At this time, it was already dark. Due to the deaths of Liu Dazhuang and Eugene, there were a lot more patrols outside.

After dinner, the "Old Tune Group" returned to the room, maintained their weapons, and discussed the matter of "anti-intellectual religion" without any boundaries.

When the power went out, they quickly washed up and went to bed, preparing to go to bed early and get up early.

I don't know what time it was in the middle of the night, but someone suddenly knocked on the door of Jiang Baimian and Shang Jianyao.

As the sound of "dong dong dong" echoed, Shang Jianyao rolled out of bed and ran to the door.

The hand behind his back was holding a handful of "ice moss".

And Jiang Baimian climbed up silently and aimed at the door.

Outside the door is Gu Changle, the shareholder of the "Afu Gun Store" who pooled his money to hire a "temporary teacher."

The lady was wearing a thick cotton-padded jacket and seemed to be getting up in a hurry.

She didn't notice Shang Jianyao's abnormality and said slightly hastily:

"Teacher An is here to find you.

"She seems to be injured, she's downstairs!"

An Ruxiang? The name suddenly popped into Jiang Baimian's mind.

PS: Ask for monthly tickets at the beginning of the month~