Love and passion, cutting up the wasteland

"Really? That's a shame."

Lu Meng really wanted to set up a few mercenary camps, the kind specially provided by technology hunters.

Although the environment in the 'Border Land' is considered harsh, with constant sand and dust and severe desertification, it is still within normal limits.

In some severely polluted areas, there may be extremely corrosive acid rain falling all day long, and poisonous gas and dust are floating everywhere. It is difficult to survive there without special equipment.

However, because these places are inaccessible, many good things can be preserved.

Lu Meng didn't bother Tai Yi, so he just mentioned it casually.

It’s easy to understand that you can’t buy it.

This is like if the camp's favorability has not reached a certain level, they will not sell you their special props.

After this little episode, Tei went to bed first to rest.

Another companion from Yuke's side came out and took on the duty of keeping watch, and they would take turns after a while.

The remaining people were either taking a nap in the tent or preparing to eat something to replenish some energy.

Because it was night, it was not convenient for them to light a fire, so they could only take out the dry food they had with them, chew it silently, and occasionally take a sip or two of water.

As for Lu Meng, he and Huo Buyang did not join the entire team's rotation, but continued to keep vigil with each other as usual.

…

Over there with the hungry bandits.

The two skinny men looked at the team's camp ahead.

The voices of those people have quieted down, and only one or two people are still patrolling outside.

Apparently resting.

Wang Ji imagined them lying in a comfortable camp, eating sweet dry food leisurely, and his face became a little paler.

On the other hand, look at people like yourself.

After stopping, none of them even had the strength to stand, so they all lay down on the ground. The wind and sand slowly covered their bodies. If their chests were not still rising and falling with their breathing, they would look no different from dead people.

He swallowed subconsciously, but his stomach still didn't respond.

I have been hungry for so long that I can barely feel the feeling of hunger.

"Stop looking." Wang Ji's companion looked away and pushed him with his hand.

"Let's complete the task assigned to us by Uncle Gen first."

As one of the few hungry people who still had the strength to move around, they took on the task of searching for food.

——It is said to be food, but it is actually some grass seeds and beetle corpses buried in the sand.

You don’t know how many years some of them have been dried, so you can imagine how much nutrients they can still retain.

But it’s still a little bit of food after all.

Mix a little grain that Uncle Gen still brought with him, mix it with water and distribute it to everyone, and it will be a life-saving porridge.

"I don't understand." Wang Ji murmured, "There are so many of us, but there are only a few of them... Even if we only need to grab one person's food, everyone might be able to survive and go out. .”

"Why didn't Uncle Gen lead us to take action and just followed closely behind them?"

"Stop talking nonsense! Just listen to Uncle Gen."

His companion Dongzi didn't know what to say, because he also had such doubts in his heart.

However, Uncle Gen took everyone so far and treated everyone fairly. Dongzi only knew that he could survive by trusting Uncle Gen.

"Never mind that, look what good stuff I found."

He raised the cloth bag in his hand and opened it mysteriously for Wang Ji to take a look.

Wang Ji stepped forward.

I saw that in addition to grass seeds and beetles, there were also a few old roots of plants.

If you smash it, you can squeeze out some starch.

"Uncle Gen will be happy now." Dongzi said showily.

Wang Ji was not as optimistic as him, but he was also much more relaxed.

"Let's go back."

"Um."

But just when they returned to the camp of hungry people, Dongzi tripped over something.

"Ouch...ah, it's Lao Zhang."

A hungry man was lying on the ground. He was Lao Zhang from their hometown.

"Lao Zhang, don't sleep. Let's go help Uncle Gen make porridge. We can share more by then."

Dongzi leaned down to shake him.

"Look, I found something good!"

"...Don't touch him." Wang Ji grabbed Dongzi's shoulders and stopped him, "Lao Zhang is gone."

Dongzi's voice became hoarse.

Lao Zhang's face was gray, his eyes were open, and a thin layer of gravel had accumulated in his eyes.

Apparently dead.

Dongzi and Wang Ji looked at each other, stepped over Lao Zhang's body, and said nothing.

Wang Ji looked at his arms.

The arms that were originally thick and powerful... now look as shriveled as the wooden pole on his hoe.

They fled from their hometown village together. Out of more than a dozen fellow villagers, only three of them survived...and now there is one less person.

Such things are not uncommon among these hungry people.

every day.

Behind them, there will be several corpses left behind.

Some people stop moving and stand still while walking, and then fall down when the wind blows.

Will you be the next one?

Wang Ji glanced back subconsciously.

Obviously, just take away their food as before...

Is the decision Uncle Gen made necessarily the right one?

…

"Uncle Gen." People came back one after another to hand over the food they had collected.

The man known as Uncle Gen appears to be in his forties or fifties, but in fact the hardships of escaping have made his face wrinkled and his hair brown, making him look even more aged.

He was covered in dirt like everyone else.

But unlike other hungry people, Uncle Gen's body shape is not too thin.

Compared with those bamboo pole-like limbs, the man's arms are plump and appear more powerful.

If Uncle Gen's erudition can only gain him respect, Uncle Gen's strength is the key to his ability to keep his own food and lead this group of hungry bandits.

There is a girl next to Uncle Gen, who is also sallow and skinny. She took a water bag and filled an iron basin with water, stirring the unknown food.

The carcass of the beetle swirled leisurely on the water, soaked in water, and then settled down...

soon.

A pot of cold water porridge is ready.

"Go and share." Uncle Gen ordered Wang Ji and others, "Help yourself get a bowl first."

Men also know that these gatherers will definitely keep their own share when turning in food, but this is human nature.

Only in this way can they be motivated to work for the entire group.

What's more, the food that can really fill their stomachs is distributed uniformly by Uncle Gen. If they want to survive, they have to obey his orders.

The hungry people left one after another. Uncle Gen picked up the iron basin, scraped up the remaining food on the bottom, and poured it into two small broken bowls.

He handed one to the girl next to him.

After the girl took it, she poured it all into her mouth. She wiped off the residue at the corners of her mouth with her fingers and sucked it carefully.

"Yan'er, do you want more?"

Uncle Gen silently watched the girl finish eating and then asked.

His own bowl was still in his hand, untouched.

The girl named "Yan'er" looked at the porridge in Uncle Gen's hand, her throat rolled, but she still shook her head:

"Dad, please eat quickly."

If it weren't for her father's care, she would never have survived as a little girl.

Uncle Gen sighed and drank the whole bowl of porridge without insisting.

No matter what, he is not made of iron.

"Dad, actually my daughter has wanted to ask for a long time..." Looking at her father's look, Yan'er hesitated for a long time and finally said:

"Don't we have plenty of food to eat, right?"

She stroked her withered belly and looked at the hungry people lying on the ground.

A faint light suddenly emitted from his eyes.