Who could it be?
Controlling his breath, Chen Chong hid in the narrow dark space of the corner, fully focused, catching every movement.
"...There shouldn't be anyone now..."
"Be careful... Check it out..."
In the sound of the wind, Chen Chong faintly caught a few words drifting in the wind, as well as some barely audible footsteps, and his heart skipped a beat.
"Judging by the number of footsteps, could it be Lin Kun and the others, or the base guards?"
There was more than one person. Chen Chong's eyes were cold and calm in the darkness, remaining motionless.
"No, it could also be scavengers from other gathering sites."
At this moment, Chen Chong saw through the crack two figures wearing tattered leather jackets cautiously patrolling the ruins, quickly flashing through his narrow field of vision.
"It's not Lin Kun and the others, nor is it the base guards! It must be scavengers!"
Chen Chong narrowed his eyes slightly. Although it wasn't the worst-case scenario of being chased by the base guards, he was mentally prepared for something.
On the map within a radius of hundreds of kilometers, the locations of three survivor gathering sites were marked. When Chen Chong was planning to escape with Lin Kun from the base, he had also learned about the general situation of the Dawn gathering site where Lin Kun belonged. His current goal was the Dawn gathering site, which had a population of thousands.
Scavengers were adventurers in the gathering sites, gold prospectors, and relatively low-level individuals. They grouped together, taking great risks to explore and search for valuable resources in the vast wilderness, and then traded them for food or other resources with the people in the gathering sites. Including Lin Kun, all the prisoners captured in the base were scavengers from various gathering sites.
This group had a very high mortality rate, mostly ordinary people without any particular skills, who had to risk their lives in the wilderness in order to exchange for enough food to survive.
The order of this world had already collapsed, and regardless of how many people the other side had or where they came from, Chen Chong didn't expect them to be kind-hearted individuals. He was prepared for the worst-case scenario.
Fortunately, it was already dark, and the newcomers only briefly checked if there were any radiation traces in the ruins, without discovering Chen Chong who was hiding so well. Subsequently, in Chen Chong's perception, several sets of footsteps gradually gathered towards the ruins next to him.
A deep voice asked, "How is it? Have you checked everything?"
"Captain, we have checked everything. No problems."
"Same here, no problem."
"We've been here before, it's relatively safe. I even found an empty can here, looks like the team that stayed here before was well-off."
Several voices quickly responded, and Chen Chong, just a wall away, leaned against the wall, listening carefully. Then, the previous deep male voice continued:
"Don't spread rumors. The Blood General isn't some blood-sucking monster wearing **. He is an extraordinary awakened being of the transcendent level. It is because he has a certain special ability related to blood that ignorant people have misconceptions about him."
"An extraordinary being..."
All the voices fell silent, and then one voice hesitated:
"Captain, you are the only awakened among us. Can you tell us how powerful these extraordinary beings are? If we have guns, do we stand a chance of killing them?"
Just a wall away, Chen Chong held his breath, his ears pricked up.
The captain laughed, "Ah Hua, in an open area, with no cover, I'll give you two guns. Do you think you can kill me?"
The voice that asked earlier sheepishly replied, "Of course not."
"No matter how powerful the weapon is, it's meaningless if you can't hit the enemy. My speed might not be ** fast, but as long as I'm faster than your wrist and fingers, that's enough."
The captain's voice continued to sound low:
"The same goes for me, and even more so for the Blood General. His life force is at least 100 units, already entering the first level, ten times that of a newly awakened being! Coupled with the gene lock that maximizes his own strength, his reaction speed, combat instinct, and power control have reached inhumane levels... Even a well-equipped, well-trained, heavily armed force would not be able to do anything to the Blood General if he fought them barehanded, not to mention us, a group of guerrillas armed with makeshift firearms. Do you understand?"
At this moment, because of the captain's words, the atmosphere suddenly became heavy, and the other scavengers fell silent, seemingly intimidated.
"A life force at the first level, activated gene lock extraordinary... Speaking of which, is this Blood General on the same level as Derry?"
Behind the crumbling walls, Chen Chong's heart skipped a beat. The concept of life force was something he had already become familiar with from Catherine's experiments, referring to the measurement of the vitality performance of biological organisms. The higher the life force, the stronger the vitality.
The term gene lock made Chen Chong immediately think of the main god in his mind, which also made him curious:
"Is the gene lock they mentioned the same concept as the gene lock in the main god space?"
He was naturally familiar with the gene lock system in the main god space, where the so-called gene was not the broad definition of genes, but rather referred to "fundamental factors" or "life source," the combination of spiritual and vital miracles. However, he was not sure if the gene lock in the main god space was the same as the gene lock mentioned by these people.
However, just as Chen Chong was deeply pondering, only a wall away, the voice belonging to the captain sounded faintly and once again:
"Friend next door, have you heard enough?"
He's been discovered!
In the dark corner, Chen Chong, who heard these words, immediately became cold-eyed!
"Someone!?"
At this moment, not only Chen Chong, who was just a wall away, but all the scavengers were startled by the voice and stood up in shock, shouting at the same time:
"Who is it!?"
In the ruins, the wind whistled, and the atmosphere became extremely heavy. However, Chen Chong held his breath in the darkness and didn't move.
One second, two seconds, three seconds.
Then they heard the captain's calm voice again:
"My friend, do you think I'm lying to you? If you don't come out now, I'll have to ask you to come out."
Chen Chong's gaze flickered, and then with a sound of rustling, he pushed aside the concealed cover in front of him, walked over the collapsed wall confidently, and came out.
Looking around, Chen Chong saw seven men, weather-beaten and wearing tattered leather jackets made of some unknown material, each with a rough homemade gun and a highly vigilant posture; in the middle of them, there was a thin-faced young man with sharp eyes sitting calmly next to several packages, looking at him.
"Which settlement are you from? And where are your companions hiding?"
Seeing Chen Chong walking out alone, the standing scavenger raised his gun and shouted sternly, his face full of alertness and shame.
This was the dangerous wilderness, and there was someone lurking so close to them without being detected. For those who lived on the edge of death every day, it was undoubtedly a huge mistake, as if their lives were being played with!
"Don't be so tense, everyone. It should be this friend who arrived here before we did."
But before Chen Chong could answer, the scavenger captain seemed to have figured something out. He waved to the other members and then looked calmly at Chen Chong, saying:
"I'm Qiao Jun. Which settlement are you from? And why are you here? I hope you can explain clearly for the sake of your own safety."
Chen Chong squinted his eyes, examining the eight people present and calculating something in his mind.
Based on their conversation just now, the man sitting there, the captain of the scavengers, was undoubtedly a genuine awakened individual. It was unknown what level of strength he possessed, making him the biggest threat. The other scavengers were probably just ordinary people, but even ordinary people who had been struggling in the dangerous wilderness for a long time, combined with their homemade guns, would not be easy to deal with.
These thoughts flashed through his mind, and facing this team, with the magical item like the Immortal Beans as his backup, Chen Chong showed no fear and spoke slowly:
"I... come from the Dawn Settlement. Due to certain reasons, my companions and I got separated in the wilderness, and I had no choice but to come here..."
"You're lying!"
The captain, Qiao Jun, who had been sitting still, immediately stood up with a cold expression:
"We are from the Dawn Settlement, but you don't recognize us! There are only a few scavengers, and none of my teammates have seen you! Who are you and why are you lying?"
Shoo! Shoo! Shoo!
As Qiao Jun shouted fiercely, the gazes of the other scavengers, full of killing intent, all aimed their guns at Chen Chong's head. It seemed that if he didn't answer well, they would all blast his head!
"So, you are from the Dawn Settlement?"
The situation was tense and about to erupt. However, instead of being afraid of the threatening gazes, Chen Chong smiled and said confidently:
"There is a scar on your face named Lin Kun, and you should know him, right?"
When the scavengers present heard this name, they were all stunned, and Qiao Jun's brows furrowed tightly:
"We do know Lin Kun. He is quite famous in the settlement. However, it seems that his team was wiped out in the wilderness two or three months ago. No one came back alive. What does this have to do with you!?"
In fact, such incidents were quite common in the current world. It was not only Lin Kun's team; even their own team might encounter irresistible dangers during expeditions in the wilderness, and everyone had already prepared for the possibility of being buried in the wilderness.
Chen Chong didn't bother to probe any further with these people and sneered directly:
"What if I tell you that instead of being wiped out, Lin Kun and his team were captured by some outside force and used as experimental subjects like guinea pigs?"
Outside force? Experimental subjects?
Including Captain Qiao Jun, all the scavengers were shocked.
Chen Chong grabbed the dirty prison uniform on his chest and coldly addressed everyone in front of him:
"The truth is, there is an underground base in a valley about dozens of kilometers from here, full of white men who came from nowhere. They are numerous and well-equipped. Every month, they capture a large number of scavengers from the wilderness specifically for experimenting on human potential. Countless people have died on the operating table!
Lin Kun and I were captured and held there for three months. Due to an accident during an experiment, my brain was damaged, and I lost most of my memories from my earlier life. I survived only because I was lucky! Today, we planned and successfully staged an escape from that hellish place, but we got separated from each other along the way due to the pursuit of the base guards. I could only continue alone, relying on luck to reach here!"
Then, disregarding the reactions of the scavengers, Chen Chong quickly concealed some information related to his own secrets, and detailed the situation in the base and the thrilling escape process.
The hidden underground base, the mysterious organization, the white people from unknown origins, cruel human experiments, Derek, guards, armed squads...
Hearing Chen Chong's experience, most of the scavengers were dumbfounded and found it hard to believe. Their expressions became more and more solemn, especially when they heard about the cruel human experiments performed on prisoners by the white people, a faint flame of anger ignited in their eyes.
As the captain, Qiao Jun stared at Chen Chong's eyes, his brows furrowing tighter as he digested this information and judged its authenticity.
Although the Earth's terrain had been completely altered due to intense tectonic plate movements after the cataclysm, the appearance of other races near small settlements like theirs still seemed unbelievable to him.
After listening to Chen Chong's account of how he led the prisoners through the base and fought their way out, the other scavengers' gazes were filled with satisfaction and admiration. The tense atmosphere eased a lot, and they all turned their attention to Qiao Jun, waiting for him to speak.
"White forces... how could they appear here?"
After Chen Chong finished speaking, Qiao Jun still couldn't understand this matter, but Chen Chong's details were so perfect that there were almost no loopholes, forcing him to believe it.
After pondering for a while, Qiao Jun said:
"If what you said is true, do you remember the exact location of this underground base?"
Chen Chong looked up and down at Qiao Jun, shook his head with a smirk, and said: "What? Do you want to verify whether what I said is true or false? It's not that I look down on all of you, but with your strength and equipment..."
Qiao Jun wasn't offended either, and calmly said, "Friend, you misunderstood. I just want to verify what you said."
Chen Chong spread his hands and said directly, "Actually, there is a simple way to verify whether what I said is true or false. Let me go back to the settlement with you, and when Lin Kun and the others return, they can confirm what I said. It will be clear then. Besides, I have some abilities and won't drag you down on the way."
Qiao Jun was surprised that Chen Chong would take the initiative to join his team. He blinked a few times and quickly weighed the possible benefits and losses of this matter.
After careful consideration, Chen Chong alone wouldn't pose any threat to his entire team. Even if they took him back to the settlement, there would be no loss. On the other hand, there seemed to be much potential in the underground base Chen Chong mentioned, but the specifics would have to wait until they returned to the settlement.
Finally, Qiao Jun took a deep breath, looked up at Chen Chong, and said:
"Alright! We'll set off at daybreak tomorrow! But on this journey, you must obey our arrangements. If there are any abnormal actions, don't blame us for not showing mercy!"
The other scavengers put down their guns slowly, and the situation completely relaxed. Chen Chong couldn't help but smile:
"No problem!"
Not having to engage in meaningless fighting, he felt a sense of relief, and at the same time, his mood became excited.
Because when they arrived at the gathering place of survivors, it would be the beginning of his cultivation plan!