Chapter 43

Listening to Jiang Baimian's explanation, Shang Jianyao and Bai Chen gradually had a feeling of sudden enlightenment.

Many signs they had actually noticed, but they hadn't thought deeply about them.

Jiang Baimian glanced at Shang Jianyao:

"Shouldn't that be the case?

"Didn't you suspect there was something wrong with the plan long ago? When I didn't speak and used actions to hint that you should hold a cookie in your mouth to resist the 'Hungry Ghost Realm,' didn't you understand quite quickly?

"From such an important matter, I didn't make a sound, and when we were formulating the plan earlier, I didn't even lower my voice. You should have noticed the abnormality, and even guessed that what was said might not be what was truly intended."

Shang Jianyao didn't recall the past and directly said:

"At that time, I thought you were afraid that using your voice to explain would make me remember the content frequently, making it hard to avoid the 'Mind Reading' ability of the Purifier. After all, we don't know how far the range of this ability extends.

"By converting it into actions and images, there's a process of interpretation. Even if the Purifier could see that scene in my mind, he might not understand the true meaning."

"… You're overthinking it." Jiang Baimian made an evaluation.

Bai Chen echoed Shang Jianyao:

"I also thought you didn't make a sound because of your understanding of Awakeners. Although I've never heard of discussing Awakeners' abilities or how to deal with them making them 'hear' it, I can't rule out the possibility. I definitely know less about this than major forces."

"… You're even more overthinking it." Jiang Baimian laughed and praised herself, "Was my performance really flawless?"

"I just didn't think you would deceive us; I didn't consider that possibility." Shang Jianyao immediately responded.

Bai Chen nodded in agreement.

Jiang Baimian looked around again and changed the topic with a smile:

"So, coming out for training can help you quickly accumulate experience and build默契 between each other.

"Anyway, no matter what decision I make, you must believe that I will never betray you."

"Let's go, let's go, to meet up with Long Yuehong."

"Okay." Shang Jianyao and Bai Chen had completely understood the situation and learned a lot from it.

Jiang Baimian glanced at the direction where the mechanical monk Jingfa had fled and sighed:

"Unfortunately, we couldn't destroy Jingfa's body and obtain the bionic chip inside.

"The corresponding technology is definitely worth studying, which could help the company overcome many obstacles. Moreover, the Monks' Order likely has a good understanding of the reasons for the destruction of the old world. The 'Immortals' were one of the most important projects before the destruction of the old world, and those who can inherit this legacy won't be simple."

At this point, before Shang Jianyao could remind her, Jiang Baimian shook her head on her own:

"Haha, these are all my beautiful fantasies.

"Actually, if we had really destroyed Jingfa's body, I wouldn't dare to take his bionic chip. The abilities of Awakeners are bizarre and terrifying. Carrying a bionic chip that bears their consciousness is tantamount to suicide.

"Better this way, better this way."

She then turned to Shang Jianyao:

"Let's go."

Shang Jianyao glanced at the tire tracks, silently turned his body, and squatted down.

"Very considerate, not making us walk on our own. I can't catch up with the exoskeleton." Jiang Baimian nodded in satisfaction, sitting sideways on the power backpack and leaving half the space for Bai Chen.

After the two were seated and grabbed the metal frame on their shoulders, Shang Jianyao stood up and took large steps, following the tire tracks with a slight metallic friction sound.

He didn't run at full speed, so the sound of his steps wasn't very loud.

After about a quarter of an hour, Shang Jianyao left the sparse forest and came to a gray and black wasteland.

Here, rocks and weeds dominated, the soil was hard, and the tire tracks were shallow and numerous, making it difficult to distinguish.

Using the "Comprehensive Early Warning System," Shang Jianyao saw a jeep far away.

Its side wheel was stuck in a mud pit the size of a pond, the entire vehicle tilted, and it was about to sink.

However, two ropes connected it to a gray off-road vehicle with a wild appearance.

The gray off-road vehicle's engine hummed, trying to pull the jeep out of the mud.

Long Yuehong, carrying an assault rifle, stood by the car, chatting happily with a man and a woman.

"How is it? Did you see the jeep? I sensed quite a few people over there." Jiang Baimian pressed the exoskeleton's shoulder, stretched her neck, and looked toward where Long Yuehong was.

Shang Jianyao nodded:

"I saw it."

"Is Long Yuehong okay?" Bai Chen asked, noticing that Shang Jianyao's pace had slowed down.

Shang Jianyao smiled:

"He's fine, and he's made a few friends."

"Wow." Jiang Baimian made an exclamation, "Let's go see."

Shang Jianyao then quickened his pace, running toward the location of the jeep.

Thump, thump, thump, he deliberately made his footsteps louder so that Long Yuehong and the man and woman beside him could hear from a distance.

The man and woman and Long Yuehong almost simultaneously turned their heads to look this way.

As soon as they saw the approaching black military exoskeleton, the man and woman's faces changed, and without thinking, they rolled back to the gray off-road vehicle.

At this point, the jeep had already been pulled out of the small swamp by the gray off-road vehicle.

Long Yuehong's face showed joy, and he took a few steps forward:

"How is it?"

After shouting, he remembered something and quickly turned to shout at the gray off-road vehicle:

"Don't worry, they are my companions!"

"Who are they?" Shang Jianyao had already run close.

At the gray off-road vehicle, whether the people inside or the man and woman outside, they were highly tense and on guard.

Long Yuehong hurriedly answered:

"I'm not familiar with the road and drove the car into the mud. They noticed and offered help.

"They are very friendly!"

Jiang Baimian and Bai Chen exchanged a glance and whispered:

"This doesn't seem like something ordinary wasteland wanderers would do…"

After saying that, she patted Shang Jianyao's shoulder:

"Let's show our friendliness."

Hearing this, Shang Jianyao immediately stopped.

After Jiang Baimian and Bai Chen jumped off the power backpack, raised their guns, and got ready, he walked to Long Yuehong's side and loudly said:

"Help me take off the exoskeleton."

Seeing Shang Jianyao indeed removing the exoskeleton, the people at the gray off-road vehicle visibly relaxed.

After a brief discussion, they let the man and woman who had been talking to Long Yuehong walk over again.

The man was in his early thirties, with a square face and rough, weathered skin.

He had black hair and brown eyes, wearing what was called formal attire in the old world, with a straight back—of course, the formal attire had been modified for ease of movement.

Unlike the wasteland wanderers Shang Jianyao and the others had encountered before, his clothes, though old and patched, did not look tattered.

The woman was in her twenties, also with black hair and brown eyes.

She wore a set of military green camouflage, with decent features but a completely expressionless face, giving off a cold and indifferent vibe.

At the junction of her neck and clothing, there was a faint blue-black tattoo.

The man and woman each carried an automatic rifle and a black pistol, stopping about four to five meters away from Jiang Baimian and the others.

"Thank you for your help!" Jiang Baimian shouted loudly.

"It's what every moral person should do." The man in his thirties replied calmly.

Jiang Baimian immediately smiled:

"In the gray soil, morality is a luxury, no, a rare item."

"We can't abandon morality just because the old world has been destroyed." The man was somewhat proud of his ability to adhere to morality.

Then, he shouted:

"Are you also heading north of Yuelu Station?"

"Are you looking for someone?" Jiang Baimian's eyebrows twitched, "What should we call you?"

The man answered frankly:

"Wu Shoushi, a mid-level hunter."

He paused and continued:

"It seems you don't know yet, but a city ruin from the old world has been discovered north of Yuelu Station, one that has never been found before."

A city ruin that has never been found before? Shang Jianyao, Long Yuehong, and Bai Chen couldn't help but exchange glances.

Jiang Baimian frowned:

"How do you know?

"The abnormality in the swamp only happened the night before last."

Wu Shoushi glanced at his companion and didn't hide it:

"Someone entered that city ruin, found many things, and modified a radio to transmit the information back to the Guild in Wild Grass City.

"You should understand what an undiscovered city ruin means."

Before Jiang Baimian and the others could answer, he provided the answer himself:

"Danger and opportunity!

"The items, documents, and secrets there are enough to satisfy thousands of relic hunter teams many times over. You don't need to worry about killing each other.

"Compared to that, the inherent dangers in the city ruins are more direct and terrifying, and having more companions means more strength to fight them."

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