Chapter 18

Hearing Bai Chen's reminder, Jiang Baimian, who had been half-turning her body to communicate with Shang Jianyao and Long Yuehong, shifted her gaze to the front.

On both sides of the soft, mushy road was an unusually sparse forest. On the left, there were some marsh characteristics, dark, muddy, and teeming with mosquitoes. On the right, weeds grew abundantly, and in the open area, a black car covered in mud spots was parked.

With Jiang Baimian's knowledge, it was not difficult to recognize that this was an off-road vehicle, and it was clearly modified multiple times, either actively or passively, with many parts having mismatched tones and feelings.

Outside the off-road vehicle stood three people, one wearing an old cotton coat, another wrapped in nitro-treated fur, and the third draped in a wrinkled, clearly short, black wool coat.

They had crude cigarettes made of brown tobacco leaves in their mouths and held various weapons in their hands, including a "United 202" pistol, a submachine gun nicknamed "Heavy Rain," and a rifle from the old world.

Beside these three people were two heavy motorcycles, black with red patterns, giving a sense of boldness and freedom.

On each motorcycle sat a man, wearing helmets with the face masks not pulled down, each carrying a micro submachine gun.

"What can you see?" Jiang Baimian was not at all flustered but instead seized the opportunity to ask Shang Jianyao and Long Yuehong.

Shang Jianyao, who had already rolled down the window and poked his head out to look ahead, immediately answered:

"They look well-fed."

"..." Long Yuehong, looking at the windshield, had intended to share her own judgment but was interrupted by Shang Jianyao, momentarily forgetting what she wanted to say.

Jiang Baimian did not criticize Shang Jianyao but instead nodded:

"Good eyes."

The skin on the faces of those five people was very rough, but they did not look malnourished or emaciated.

This indicated that they could at least ensure a basic level of sustenance in their daily lives.

This distinguished them from typical wilderness wanderers!

At this moment, Long Yuehong finally regained her train of thought and quickly said:

"Good equipment!"

Whether it was the off-road vehicle modified multiple times, the heavy motorcycles, the clothing, or the weapons, everything showcased the differences between these people and typical wilderness wanderers.

Jiang Baimian nodded lightly and said:

"We can preliminarily determine that they are a well-off team of relic hunters or a well-off group of wilderness bandits, and sometimes there is no distinction between the two."

As she spoke, Bai Chen added:

"The way the off-road vehicle is modified indicates that it runs on fuel.

"This suggests that these people are very familiar with the area, knowing where to refuel, or they are confident that they can leave the wilderness before the car runs out of fuel."

Seeing that the two sides were getting closer, Jiang Baimian did not say more but picked up the grenade launcher and said:

"Pick up the 'Berserker' and place it at the window so they can see it at a glance."

Long Yuehong suddenly felt a bit nervous:

"Leader, will there be a fight?"

"Who knows?" Jiang Baimian smiled and said, "Ah, remember, in the wilderness, showing your strength is a form of friendliness. Justice, fairness, and communication only exist at the barrel of a gun."

Bai Chen echoed:

"We call this 'respect only among the strong.'

"Many wilderness wanderers once hoped for benevolent, kind, loving, and compassionate strong people who would pity the weak and be willing to help them, but unfortunately, this is more of a fantasy. Perhaps such people exist, but they are rare and hard to encounter. Relying on oneself is more practical than hoping for them."

"Before, the 'Savior Army' could be considered, but now..." Jiang Baimian's voice gradually lowered.

"Showing that we are not easy to deal with will make them display a friendly side..." Long Yuehong nodded thoughtfully, understanding the leader and Bai Chen's words.

He then had a new question:

"Why do I have to do this? They can only see Shang Jianyao's side."

Before Jiang Baimian could answer, Shang Jianyao laughed:

"Can you play hide and seek?

"Doesn't finding no one mean that no one is hiding there?"

Jiang Baimian followed with a laugh:

"This analogy is a bit off.

"Long Yuehong, you need to pick up the 'Berserker' and get ready to intimidate any potential enemies hiding near the marsh, protecting Bai Chen, who is focused on driving.

"Also, if you don't do this, even if there are no enemies hiding near the marsh, the other side can guess that the people in the car lack sufficient experience and are potential prey."

Long Yuehong suddenly understood:

"I get it!"

He immediately picked up the assault rifle and placed it on the partially open window.

On the other side, Shang Jianyao had already set up the 'Berserker' and asked eagerly:

"Leader, can we judge the situation and open fire on our own?"

Jiang Baimian chuckled:

"Quite bold, aren't you? The people in front are clearly not easy to deal with.

"Okay... you can open fire in three situations: one, if I give the order; two, if they continue to approach us and we can't stop them; three, if they show signs of aiming at us."

As they spoke, the gray-green four-door jeep was less than ten meters away from the black off-road vehicle and the heavy motorcycles.

The five people on the other side, three with crude cigarettes in their mouths, had already raised their guns, while the other two were crouched on the heavy motorcycles, one hand on the throttle and the other holding a micro submachine gun.

If it weren't for the grenade launcher and assault rifle barrels extending from the jeep's windows, they might have already changed positions and launched an attack.

Since the black off-road vehicle and the heavy motorcycles were not on the "main road" but in an open area of the sparse forest, the two sides were getting closer but had no danger of colliding.

During this process, Bai Chen slowed down the jeep, moving it inch by inch to avoid an overreaction from the other side.

Suddenly, Jiang Baimian shouted loudly:

"Do you know what happened in the depths of the marsh last night?"

The middle-aged man in his thirties, wearing a wrinkled black wool coat and holding a "Heavy Rain" submachine gun, spat out the crude cigarette and shouted back:

"Too far away, can't tell!"

Jiang Baimian shouted again:

"What are you doing here?"

"Winter is coming, we need to hunt more beasts to prepare!" The middle-aged man had messy eyebrows and an old scar by his right eye.

He exuded a fierce aura, like a brown bear in human clothing.

Before Jiang Baimian could shout again, the middle-aged man asked:

"What are you doing here?"

Jiang Baimian responded:

"We are relic hunters!"

"Relic hunters..." The middle-aged man muttered and then suddenly laughed, "A few months ago, there was news from the depths of the marsh that a previously unrecorded city ruin was discovered. Ah, maybe the abnormality in the marsh last night is related to this! Although the two events are months apart, who can deny it? Hunters, do you want to know the approximate location of the city ruin? You can trade for it with food!"

He shouted loudly, making everyone in the jeep hear clearly.

Shang Jianyao focused on the outside, seemingly ready to fire a short burst at any moment.

Suddenly, he asked:

"Leader, his shouting is hurting our ears. Should we shoot to stop him?"

"… No need." Jiang Baimian first replied to Shang Jianyao, then raised her voice, "We have military rations, energy bars, and compressed cookies. Give us a price!"

The middle-aged man's eyes flickered:

"Sixty military rations!"

"Then forget it!" Jiang Baimian seemed to have no intention of bargaining, just a casual response.

At this moment, the jeep had already passed the position of the black off-road vehicle, and the distance between the two sides was gradually increasing.

The middle-aged man did not insist and shouted back:

"Hope to have a chance to trade next time!"

After saying this, he maintained a defensive posture, watching the jeep drive farther and farther away, out of shooting range.

"Boss, why didn't you shoot?" At this moment, the young man in the old cotton coat, thin and holding a crude cigarette, asked urgently.

"Yeah, boss, although they have strong firepower, we have that thing!" The man with a bearded face, crouched on a heavy motorcycle, stood up and pointed to the trunk of the black off-road vehicle, "They must have a lot of supplies!"

The middle-aged man shook his head:

"No matter what, our losses won't be small.

"Not worth it, not worth it."

The young man in the old cotton coat, holding a "United 202" pistol, said in confusion:

"Boss, people die for wealth, birds die for food!

"Besides, in the wilderness, isn't it about who is fierce and bold? We might die mysteriously tomorrow, so why not take a chance today?"

The middle-aged man gave him a cold glance:

"Those who only rely on being fierce and bold in the wilderness don't last long.

"There aren't many pure prey here; most are both hunters and prey. If we recklessly ignore our losses, we will soon become weak and become prey for others.

"Look at those fierce beasts; when they are full, they don't attack other fierce beasts of similar strength. They know that once injured, they might become prey for others, so they reduce unnecessary hunting.

"Are you even less intelligent than beasts?"

The older man, wrapped in fur, holding an old-world rifle, and smoking a crude cigarette, echoed:

"Boss is right, and didn't you notice? The food those people had was only military rations, energy bars, and compressed cookies!

"What does this mean?

"Normal relic hunters are in this state only when they just set out from a major city or border town. There doesn't seem to be any major city or town nearby that we know of."

The man on the motorcycle muttered:

"Maybe they just found an old-world military warehouse?"

The leading middle-aged man sighed:

"Alright, no more arguing."

He then smiled:

"Didn't you notice that they might pass through that place? There aren't many routes in this area suitable for vehicles, and few people know about the changes there.

"Get in the car, this distance is just right. We'll quietly follow them and wait for them to encounter that big trouble. When they are at their limit, we'll finish them off together!"

The other men immediately showed surprise:

"Yes, boss!"

They eagerly got into the off-road vehicle and started the heavy motorcycles.

PS: Please give me a recommendation!