The First Order

Ren Xiaosu watched silently as the group of young people got out of their vehicles and came over. Two men and two women headed straight for the jujube tree.However, someone rather sensible came over to ask Ren Xiaosu, “Hi, can we set up our camp next to yours? We’ll be a ways away and not intrude on your space.”

Meanwhile, Zhou Yingxue barked, “Hey, that’s my jujube tree!”

Someone wondered, “Isn’t this jujube tree growing in the wilderness? When did it become yours?”

Actually, there was nothing wrong with this person’s words. This wilderness did not look like it was a place where anyone lived, while the jujube tree was also wild. Therefore, Zhou Yingxue should not be able to lay claim to it.

However, a young man from the convoy signaled to the others to stop talking and said, “Things found in the wilderness fall into the first come, first served basis. Since they were the ones who discovered it first, we shouldn’t touch it.”

Ren Xiaosu was surprised these people were still quite polite and reasonable even though they looked like an ostentatious bunch.

He said to the person who came to talk to him, “Feel free to set up camp next to us. Just don’t affect our rest.”

Ren Xiaosu was a master of wilderness survival, so he had chosen the best location for their campsite. It had good ventilation, was spacious, was free of poisonous insects, and was also near a water source.

There was a clear river about a 100 meters away. It was so clear they could see the bottom of the river.

Other people might not be able to tell what was good about this campsite, but they would find it very safe and convenient to stay here.

This group of young people from the Qinghe Group moved to a spot about 50 meters away from them and started setting up their tents. They were chatting and laughing as they worked.

Ren Xiaosu observed the number of people in their group. There were five vehicles and a total of 17 people in all. This included nine men and eight women, so at least one of them should be single.

He raised his head and looked at Zhou Yingxue, who had climbed up the jujube tree, and wondered, “Whatever are you doing?”

Zhou Yingxue said, “I’m gonna pluck all the jujubes from the tree in case anyone is still thinking about them!”

Ren Xiaosu did not know whether to laugh or cry. Zhou Yingxue really knew how to live her life, and she looked especially like a calculating housewife. “Just take enough for yourself. It’s no big deal even if you have to share some with others. Don’t create unnecessary trouble when you’re outside. You can’t finish eating all of them in one night anyway.”

However, Zhou Yingxue disagreed, “I can bring them with me and eat along the way!”

“Who do you think they are?” Ren Xiaosu asked.

“I think they must be the offspring of the high-ranking officials of Luoyang City since they can freely enter and exit strongholds while bearing the logo of the Qinghe Group.” Zhou Yingxue said nonchalantly, “Although the Qinghe Group hasn’t expanded its territory in recent years, its business activities have widened considerably. The big shots of the Qinghe Group are not people like the director of the Public Order Division but those who hold important positions as business project directors.”

“They don’t look that old.” Ren Xiaosu said, “They should be around 20 or so.”

“Mhm, they might still be studying at Qinghe University,” Zhou Yingxue replied absentmindedly.

Ren Xiaosu gave a heartfelt sigh. “I also wanted to attend uni in the past as I always felt that college life would be very peaceful.”

The youngsters from the Qinghe Group went around looking for more jujube trees. Although there were quite a lot of them around here, they only managed to find those with unripe fruits. Someone even plucked one to have a taste, but it was so sour their face scrunched up.

Someone muttered, “Why has the jujube tree next to them matured?”

The young man who stopped them from plucking the ripe jujubes said with a smile, “Don’t keep eyeing other people’s things. What is yours is yours. What isn’t will never be yours.”

“Get outta here, Xu Zhi, that probably sums up the ideology of those in your Xu clan. Speaking of which, does your distant cousin, Xu Ke, really not feel tempted at all now that he controls the Qinghe Group?” a chubby boy asked with a smile.

“I don’t know.” Xu Zhi shook his head. “He has been a little reticent in recent years. No one really knows what he’s thinking.”

“What do you guys think is the relationship between that guy and girl? Are they a couple?” The chubster asked, “They don’t look it. Although I can’t see that young man’s face clearly, he looks really young and might even be younger than us. The woman looks older and is probably around 25 or 26. Could they be siblings?”

“It’s possible.” Xu Zhi nodded. “But don’t go and provoke them. Those who can travel through the wilderness alone can’t be your average person.”

The chubster said with a laugh, “What’s there to be afraid of? We brought guns with us this time!”

Xu Zhi shook his head. “Guns aren’t omnipotent, and we sneaked out this time. If you get into trouble outside and call Luoyang City for help, the school might even end up punishing you.”

“So be it. I already have somewhere to go after graduation anyway.” The chubster curled his lips. “My uncle wants me to follow him to the black market after I graduate.”

“Your personality is quite suitable for the black market. Just remember not to cause any trouble. Currently, many superhumans are active in the black market. If you offend them, you’ll still get into trouble even though you’re from the Qinghe Group. Even if the Qinghe Group avenges you, it’ll be some time after the first seven days of the mourning period,” Xu Zhi said with a smile.

“Ptui, stop cursing me!”

Ren Xiaosu, who was at the other campsite, did not look at those young people as he felt he would not interact much with them. After he had found all of his lost friends, he would return to the Northwest.

Honestly, he still preferred to mingle with those gruff men in the Northwest after going to so many places.

Although it was a little tough in the Northwest and the living conditions there were bad, it was not something that bothered Ren Xiaosu.

Ren Xiaosu looked at Zhou Yingxue and asked, “What are your plans for the future?”

Zhou Yingxue, who was munching on the jujubes, mumbled, “To make enough money to retire.”

“It ain’t a peaceful world out there, so I’m afraid that you won’t have a chance to retire.” Ren Xiaosu sighed. Qing Zhen was a prepper. Since the Qing Consortium had made Luo Lan come here to the Central Plains, it showed that something big would happen within the Alliance of Strongholds soon.

Suddenly, Zhou Yingxue said, “By the way, I’ve been getting a feeling that something’s wrong with the plants recently.”

“Something’s wrong? What’s wrong?” Ren Xiaosu wondered.

“After I was able to sense them, I somehow feel like they have an extremely pressing thirst for nutrients. It’s like… they’re evolving.” Zhou Yingxue whispered, “It is a very vague feeling, so I’m unsure if that’s the case.”

Ren Xiaosu was stunned. He suddenly remembered the fish meat and bones he had dumped after eating in the Jing Mountains that disappeared later.

At times, he felt it might have been the Experimentals that took it. But if the Experimentals had to resort to eating leftovers, wouldn’t that be really degrading to them? More importantly, the leftovers were not enough for them to eat at all.

Now that he thought about it again, could it be possible that there was something wrong with that forest?

The Jing Mountains were probably the second region in the entire Alliance of Strongholds where creatures were starting to rapidly evolve. The first region was the area under the control of the Pyro Company.

Suddenly, the young man named Xu Zhi came over with a plate of fruit. He smiled at Zhou Yingxue and said, “Hi, may we trade you some jujubes for the fruit we brought?”

While speaking, he tried to take the opportunity to get a look at Ren Xiaosu. However, Ren Xiaosu kept his head lowered throughout and did not allow his face to be seen clearly.