translator: xiin
editors: apricot & juurensha
The next morning, when they did a head count, only 157 out of the original 238 that had joined the team were left. Looking at the numbers on the roster, Wu Guoan was saddened and could even feel his heart bleeding.
Xiao Sa was very satisfied with this result. Everyone that had been gathered into the team this time had all only loosely come together and had never suffered through hard times together. They didn"t have any deep emotional attachments, and if they encountered any danger or greater opportunities, betrayal was very likely, especially after the apocalypse, which would make the team more likely to collapse.
The announcement regarding going to Yuxian was actually a test. Only those who were truly willing to follow him and face danger could be trusted. Even if it was just the tiniest bit of trouble, the journey to the Capital was a long one, and trust and feelings were a two-sided affair. While they were testing others, they were definitely also being tested in return. At the very least, these people who knew that they were going to Yuxian and still chose to stay must have some perseverance in their characters and could naturally be relied on.
When they arrived at the designated place of departure, everyone was ready and gathered. There were eight cars lined up, the first of which was a hard, st.u.r.dy Hummer, and Wu Guoan was waiting next to it. The people in this base had been red-eyed with envy over this car for a long time, but n.o.body dared to even think of making a move on it. Right now, after having been washed, it looked brand-new, and people couldn"t move their eyes away from where it was parked.
After Xiao Sa arrived, his eyes first swept over the convoy of cars. Perhaps it was a matter of burning bridges; staying at K City Base any longer would mean death, but leaving, while an uncertain situation, gave them an opportunity to find another escape route, so everyone had already steadied their thoughts after a night of turbulence, suffering, and deep reflection. Everyone"s expressions were sombre and paired with a sharp, thrilling demeanor. The entire group gave off a feeling that left others breathless.
Bai Jing raised his eyebrows slightly. These people knew what danger they faced and still chose to join them, so he now naturally included them as his own people. As a Young Master used to living comfortably, he looked at Wu Guoan reproachfully. How was he managing things? There were 157 people, but only eight cars, and they had so many goods and materials amongst them. Looking at the limited s.p.a.ce, even if people sat in the cars, they wouldn"t be able to stretch out. If they were unable to conserve energy on the road, it would become even more risky when danger arose.
Wu Guoan laid down his gun and glanced left and right; he really couldn"t figure out what this Young Master was dissatisfied with. There were limited supplies left at the base nowadays, and he had already done his best to a.s.semble the team this way. Without considering anything else, Huang Mao would be the first to disagree. Even if they were private goods, in Huang Mao"s eyes, these things belonged to the base.
Bai Jing thought for a moment and asked, “How many elderly and children are there?”
Wu Guoan was dazed for a moment, “Seven children and nine elderly people.”
Bai Jing nodded. “Have the children ride in our car, along with a psychic ability user. Hm… And two fighters, two snipers, and a driver.”
Wu Guoan choked for a moment and spoke in a somewhat annoyed tone, "How could snipers be so easy to find?"
Bai Jing thought about it and realized Wu Guoan"s words were reasonable. He took a step back and asked for a little less, "Then, two people with good gun skills."
Wu Guoan was speechless. Did Young Master Bai think guns grew like cabbages? After thinking back carefully, it seemed that there was a sharpshooter in the team. He saw that Xiao Sa had nodded and turned around to get it done.
Bai Jing"s expression turned heavy, and he was somewhat unhappy. What did Wu Guoan mean by that?
Xiao Sa immediately smoothed it over, “It"s fine, don’t be angry. He’s also worried that the children would be too noisy for you. We’ll be on the way soon. Where do you want to sit?"
Bai Jing shot Xiao Sa a look, rolled his eyes, and answered, "Of course I"m sitting in the front. The back can be left for the children." Their car had been reinforced with several layers of steel plates, and the children would be very safe inside. The most important thing was to ensure that people wouldn"t have to worry about the future. He didn"t want them to be distracted about protecting a group of children when they encountered danger!
The two men took the lead in getting into the car. After a while, Wu Guoan found the people who had been requested and brought them back: six adults and seven children. The children"s faces were all sallow, and their muscles thin, their parents staring at them with worry. One of the six adults was Li Ran, and they had seen the other five around before but had never spoken to each other.
After calling out for everyone to get in the car, two of the adults brought the seven children to sit in the back while everyone else stayed in the front. Wu Guoan didn"t follow them on board and went to the car behind them instead. Xiao Sa and Bai Jing were the nominal leaders, but everyone wasn"t yet familiar with them. Wu Guoan and Xu Feng sat in the car behind them to a.s.sume command because first, they wanted to rea.s.sure everyone, and second, they needed to close the distance between them and everyone else.
After everyone was ready, the convoy slowly began to make its way out of the base. They were currently at a stadium in K City. It had been converted into a parking lot after the apocalypse and wasn"t far away from the base"s entrance and exit. Within ten minutes, they had arrived at the temporary checkpoint.
Many people pointed them out along the way, and even more had come to the checkpoint to see what the fuss was all about. Huang Mao was seated at a small police shed close by; it appeared that he"d already been waiting there for a long time.
Bai Jing blinked at Xiao Sa, then opened the window, smiled at Huang Mao, and said, “Mayor Huang, were you waiting here for me?”
Huang Mao smiled and nodded, looking every inch the smiling tiger. Even before could open his mouth, Bai Jing continued, “That’s really great. Have you thought it through? You"re coming to Yuxian with us? I just knew that you were a good man."
Huang Mao couldn’t keep his smile up anymore. His head was covered in black lines, and if he listened to Young Master Bai speak any longer, he would surely lose ten years of his life. Huang Mao coughed dryly, then adjusted his expression, looking at Bai Jing with concern and guilt as he said, "Your uncle is really sorry, but I can"t get away from the base. Otherwise, I would definitely escort you personally and send you all the way to Beijing."
“That’s all right. We have a lot of people. I will remember Mayor Huang’s kindness in my heart.” Bai Jing"s expression twisted for a moment as it became his turn to try not to laugh. Anyone who saw Huang Mao"s face would suffer from tooth and stomach pain as they tried to suppress their laughter.
“How could that be acceptable?" Huang Mao immediately retorted, his tone disapproving as he said, “You are still a child. How can I rest a.s.sured and explain to your father that you"ve only taken so few people with you on the way?"
Listening to him, Bai Jing"s lips twitched. In fact, he also wanted to ask, was Huang Mao that familiar with his father? How come he never knew?
“I have arranged for several people to protect you along the way. They are now just waiting for you up ahead. You can rest a.s.sured that they are the most powerful ability users in the base, and they"ll escort you safely to Beijing.”
“Thank you for that, Mayor Huang.” Bai Jing’s smile faded a little, but he didn’t feel surprised. He known from early on that Huang Mao would try something. It seemed like he"d been waiting for this.
Huang Mao felt uneasy when he heard Bai Jing"s ready agreement, but he couldn’t put a finger on why.
Bai Jing didn"t care what he was thinking. He only asked, "Mayor Huang, can we go now? It"s no longer early."
Although Huang Mao had doubts in his heart, he thought about it and felt that he was worrying for nothing. Regardless of what Bai Jing"s plans were, there would be people following him the whole way. He wasn"t worried that Bai Jing would churn up any big waves. "Alright. I wish Young Master Bai a good journey."
Huang Mao made a gesture to the people under him to let them pa.s.s, and the convoy slowly pulled out of the checkpoint. At the intersection not far ahead, they could clearly see that four big coaches were parked there, containing more than 100 people.
At the end of the day, Li Ran was still young. He grew anxious at this time, "What should we do? Mayor Huang doesn"t have any good intentions. He must have paid out a lot this time."
Although it wasn"t plain on everyone else"s faces, Bai Jing could tell that they were also worried. The people that Huang Mao had sent out were made up of all sorts of men and women, both young and old. The quality was uneven, and if they were to go against their current team, they would absolutely have no chance of winning.
Bai Jing and Xiao Sa glanced at each other and exchanged smiles before indifferently gazing at the vehicles stopped at a distance. Bai Jing curled his lips and spoke disdainfully, "If they want to follow us, then let them. We"re going to Yuxian, what"s there to be afraid of?" Huang Mao, that old fellow, probably thought that they had been lying, which was why he had sent people over. Bai Jing actually wanted to see how this group of people would protect themselves when they arrived at Yuxian. However, having a group of cannon fodder to lead the charge wasn"t bad. Although they weren"t as cruel as Zhang Qiucheng, when facing ill-intentioned people, he would never be kind and soft-hearted.
The convoy slowly climbed onto the national highway, and the four big coaches turned around to follow closely. Bay Jing was too lazy to waste his attention on them and only told the people in the back to keep a close eye on them. Li Ran clenched his fist indignantly, “These people! They said they were here to protect you, but they"re not even pretending to act like it."
Bai Jing laughed, “It"s okay. Don’t be angry. They"re merely some unimportant people. Open up your psychic powers and pay attention to the movements around you.”
“Yes!” Li Ran’s eyes are bright and shiny. After hearing this command, he immediately concentrated, and his small face screwed up. He always remembered what Brother Sa had said about not supporting useless people in the team - he had to make sure he was useful and contribute as much as possible!
The inside of the car instantly became quiet, either because they were all unfamiliar with each other, or because they were nervous and confused about the future. The few mercenaries there looked serious, and no one spoke.
Bai Jing looked at Xiao Sa, who was staring ahead expressionlessly, and sighed mildly in his heart. Sometimes, teamwork also required people to pay attention to the atmosphere. It was necessary to create some form of a relationship between Xiao Sa and his future teammates. Xiao Sa was a cold-tempered man, and it looked like he couldn"t be relied on to do this kind of thing. Bai Jing thought about it, then took out several different types of handguns from his s.p.a.ce. He turned around to face the two people seated at the back, "What type of gun are you guys accustomed to using?"
The relationship between men was just that wonderful. In the past, they would talk about women, cars, or wine, but now, as soon as Bai Jing brought out the guns, their eyes shone, their gazes burning hot like they were on fire. Even the driver was distracted and turned to look back admiringly. Even if all he could do was glance at them, it was still good to enjoy it! There was no man who didn"t like guns!
Yang Lin was a thin man. After the immediate excitement just now, he quickly calmed down and looked doubtfully at Bai Jing, "For me?"
Bai Jing nodded, "Yes. You guys can pick what you like. I heard Old Wu say that you were good at shooting."
Yang Lin smiled and looked a little proud, "In that case, I won"t be polite."
w.a.n.g Fan also started laughing, “Don’t listen to Old Wu’s nonsense. Yang Lin’s skill with guns is really high. I"m just so-so, I"m not as precise as him when we shoot."
The atmosphere in the car relaxed as the two of them picked through the guns, reluctant to let go of them. Yang Lin was nostalgic for a while, then regretful, then frowned, which made Bai Jing curious, “What’s wrong? Don’t like them?”
Yang Lin shook his head, then nodded and said regretfully, "I like them, but it would be even better if they were bigger."
w.a.n.g Fan looked at him contemptuously and said, “You"re just showing off now. Isn"t it enough for you to even have a gun to use?" When the apocalypse broke out, they had also had a few guns, but they gradually ran out of bullets, and after developing abilities, they never touched their guns again.
Bai Jing chuckled, he did indeed have bigger guns, but these people weren"t yet familiar to him, and he wasn"t certain about their character, so he hadn"t brought them out. Listening to their conversation, they should be trustworthy, but it was still better to watch and see.
Yang Lin picked out a FN Five-Seven and gave it a big smooch. His expression was intoxicated, “Wife, I"ve missed you so much.”
Bai Jing burst out into laughter. w.a.n.g Fan immediately tore Yang Lin down, “How many wives do you have now?"
Yang Lin looked at him and gave w.a.n.g Fan an expression that said "you just don"t understand" before saying seriously, “How could a person like you understand? What I"m pursuing is the truth of love.”
Bai Jing was amused, and w.a.n.g Fan was dizzy with anger. Bai Jing had planned to find another topic of conversation to divert everyone"s attention, but after talking for just a short while, Yang Lin and w.a.n.g Fan started to snipe at each other again, with w.a.n.g Fan getting defeated again and again. With these two treasures in the car, the journey lightened immensely and became joyful and fun.