"Hahaha, good, good!"
General Blood stood up, patting Qiao Jun's shoulder in satisfaction as if he was delighted to have a capable assistant.
Hoarse, owl-like laughter echoed above the ruins, and the scavengers at the gathering place of the Dawn were pale, their eyes filled with fear, as if they had already foreseen their own terrible fate.
Unlike the somewhat orderly surviving gathering place of the Dawn, General Blood's crimson territory was undoubtedly a chaotic and cruel place. He was the absolute ruler there, deciding life and death. The thousands of survivors in his territory were all his personal property, working day and night for him.
Those with skills in mechanics, forging, planting, and other areas were relatively better off. People like them who didn't have any specific skills would probably become the lowest level laborers in the Crimson Territory, and eventually be worked to death under cruel exploitation.
However, they had no other choice.
Qiao Jun stood beside General Blood, his face ashen, silent like a puppet. Then, a few lackeys brought over the bundles of items collected by the scavengers and presented them to General Blood as if they were treasures.
"General, look, these fat sheep even harvested spiritual fruits!"
General Blood swept his gaze, his expression very satisfied. "Qingqi fruit? Not bad, even though they are ordinary-grade spiritual fruits, this kind is not often seen. And with so many of them... Qiao Jun, you really have surprised me."
Qiao Jun's face twitched, his voice low. "We were just lucky to come across a spiritual plant that hasn't been contaminated and occupied."
He couldn't help but glance at his teammates, knowing that these scavengers brought back to General Blood's territory would inevitably be scattered and turned into laborers. They wouldn't have a good future. He tried to plead, "General, I don't know how you plan to handle my teammates. Can you let them stay with me?"
"You mean them?"
General Blood glanced at the trembling scavengers and seemed to remember something. He turned his head and said thoughtfully, "As for these guys... Tieshan, how many more people can our vehicles accommodate?"
Tieshan, a bald strong man, understood what General Blood meant and smiled, "General, this time we made quite a harvest. Most of the extra space in the vehicles has been filled, and we can't make any more room. With these packages, I estimate... we can only take four more people at most?"
"Four... just four."
General Blood chuckled, teasingly adding, "Qiao Jun, I'm sorry, but including you, I'm afraid I can only take four more people with me."
Qiao Jun's face slightly changed. He didn't believe that General Blood would be so kind as to let the remaining people go. He anxiously asked, "What about the rest?"
"What rest?"
Seemingly thinking of something interesting, General Blood's mouth curved into a cruel smile. His gaze swept over Chen Chong and the other eight scavengers, and he said leisurely, "I don't keep useless people in my territory. Of course, I will choose the most fierce and daring individuals. I'll give you nine a chance. Your captain is already under my command, taking up one spot. That means I can take three more of you back to my territory."
"So, let's decide who those lucky three will be through a gladiatorial fight! The rules are simple: barehanded combat, your fists, feet, and teeth are your weapons!"
"Fight, fight, fight! The last three standing won't have to be lowly labor slaves anymore. They will drink and eat meat, becoming glorious warriors and hunters under my command!"
"A friendly reminder, the gladiatorial fight is restricted to thirty minutes. If you keep bowing and conceding without fighting, all of you will be ** by me!"
Roar!
Hearing General Blood's announcement filled with bloody, cruel, and malicious tones, dozens of thugs in the venue immediately erupted into a bestial cheer. Each person had a crazed expression, revealing their bloodthirsty desires, like a group of demons dancing!
Chen Chong remained calm amidst this hellish scene, his expression serene, his eyes deep and unreadable. The scavengers, on the other hand, were already gnashing their teeth, their faces devoid of color.
Qiao Jun's scalp tingled, unable to hold back any longer. He shouted, "General! This is not right! They are still my... Ah!"
Before Qiao Jun could finish speaking, he screamed in agony as he looked into the cold gaze of General Blood. It was as if he had been pierced by a thousand arrows, collapsing to the ground in pain and convulsions.
General Blood glanced at Qiao Jun lying at his feet and sneered, "Qiao Jun, you have potential, but don't challenge my bottom line. This is the second warning. If you dare to oppose my decision again, I will let the bloodline gu pierce your heart. Understand?"
Qiao Jun had no strength to resist, convulsing and trembling in pain. General Blood ignored him and raised his hand, laughing loudly, "Boys, clear the battlefield for them! Get ready to watch their performance!"
Following Tieshan's command, half of the thugs kept an eye on Chen Chong and the others, preventing them from making any sudden moves, while the other half quickly cleared a several dozen square meters of space. Afterwards, Chen Chong and the other eight scavengers were gathered in this open space, surrounded by more than thirty thugs. Their faces were filled with excitement as they shouted:
"Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill!"
Amidst the malicious shouts, except for Chen Chong, the other scavengers looked at each other in horror and struggled internally, their faces contorted, but none of them made a move.
After all, everyone present had been teammates who had gone through life and death together. How could they suddenly lay hands on each other?
Under the moonlight, amidst the boiling cheers, General Blood sat on his ** seat, smiling as he surveyed everything happening in the arena.
He knew very well about the evil of human nature. These scavengers were just temporarily unable to break free from the last remaining moral constraints in their hearts. He believed that as time passed, someone would be unable to hold back. By then, the madness and brutality hidden within these people would be released from their instincts, turning them into survival-oriented beasts, offering up a wonderful performance of death for him.
"Kill!"
"Attack, **!"
"Hahaha, if you don't fight, just wait for General to ** all of you later!"
As time slowly passed, the uproar from the thugs in the encirclement grew louder and wilder, while the faces of the scavengers on the field became more and more tormented, more and more shaky.
"I have something to say!"
At this moment, a thunderous shout overwhelmed the roaring shouts like a bolt from the blue, resounding abruptly.
Immediately afterward, everyone saw Chen Chong, dressed in prisoner's clothes, breaking through the circle of crazed thugs, stepping forward towards General Blood. He took a deep breath and said in a loud voice,
"There is some news that I believe the General will be interested in! And I believe that if the General misses this news, he will definitely regret it!"
Hmm?
General Blood raised an eyebrow and waved his hand, instantly silencing the excited shouts of the criminals. All eyes were now focused on Chen Chong, filled with dissatisfaction, cruelty, curiosity... and more.
"I find regretful news interesting," General Blood said. His crimson eyes, devoid of humanity, stared coldly at Chen Chong.
"You... I can sense that you're also an awakened individual, but unfortunately, you're too weak. Do you know what you're saying? You should understand the consequences of deceiving and toying with me, without me having to say it, right?"
"Of course!" Facing the ferocious and cruel superhuman, Chen Chong met his gaze without any hint of fear and smiled confidently. "Life is precious, why would I joke about it? This piece of information is extremely valuable and concerns the rise and fall of gathering places. It probably far exceeds your expectations. However, I think for now, it's best if only the general knows about it."
After speaking, Chen Chong intentionally or unintentionally glanced at Bald Iron Mountain and the surrounding criminals.
"The rise and fall of gathering places?" Chen Chong's behavior undoubtedly piqued General Blood's strong interest. He fell silent for a moment before smiling and standing up. "Very well, your alarming words have successfully piqued my interest. But if the information you speak of fails to satisfy me, I will show you what true terror is! Come with me!"
The criminals surrounding them immediately cleared a path, and Chen Chong, with a slight smile, walked out of the crowd, following behind General Blood, towards another corner of the ruins.
At this moment, Chen Chong was only two or three meters away from General Blood. He could clearly see the notorious pale and sinister face, as well as the blood-red eyes that resembled demons. The slender figure seemed to contain an extremely dangerous power.
General Blood stood with his hands behind his back, his gaze full of amusement as he looked at Chen Chong. "Speak."
Honestly, he couldn't understand where Chen Chong's confidence came from. In his opinion, the so-called valuable information from scavengers like Chen Chong would be nothing more than information about the growth points of spiritual plants or unexplored urban ruins. However, Chen Chong had shamelessly spoken about the rise and fall of gathering places, which definitely piqued his curiosity.
"There is a valley about sixty to seventy kilometers away from here, and it hides an experimental base," Chen Chong said without any nonsense, getting straight to the point. He took out a map obtained from the base and handed it to General Blood. "Inside this base, there are only white people who came from who knows where."
Base? White people?
This news caused General Blood's eyebrows to raise sharply. He took the map from Chen Chong's hand and unfolded it under the dim moonlight. The seemingly dim light did not affect his vision as he examined it. At the same time, he said, "Why would there be white people here? Tell me everything you know!"
Chen Chong sneered inwardly but maintained a calm demeanor on the surface. He poured out all the details about the research on human potential, the escape of the prisoners, and the internal situation of the base, including personnel deployment, without holding back any information.
Facing a cruel being like General Blood, it would be foolish to try to bargain for a good deal. Moreover, Chen Chong's purpose in speaking out was not to trade for the information.
As Chen Chong recounted, General Blood's eyebrows grew more sinister, and his blood-red eyes seemed to flicker with excitement like ghostly flames.
An underground base that was powered by a hidden river, abundant water sources, various sophisticated and intact electronic devices... a large group of researchers engaged in life experiments, over thirty guards, and a fully armed squad of twenty people equipped with standard firearms... and a base supervisor who appeared to be an awakened individual, Director Derry...
What was once considered insignificant was now replaced with excitement. General Blood licked his lips, a strong bloodthirsty aura emanating from his eyes.
Clearly, this mysterious underground base had likely been established before the catastrophe, but it was unaffected by the disaster due to its underground location. Although he didn't understand why a group of white people would occupy it, there was no doubt that this base was like a huge treasure in the current wasteland world, especially for someone like him, the leader of a gathering place!
"Very good, very good..." Under the moonlight, General Blood's face couldn't hide his excited emotions. He turned his head to Chen Chong and hoarsely said, "So, as it seems, only you and these scavengers know about the existence of this base?"
Chen Chong stared directly at General Blood's suddenly dangerous pupils and keenly sensed something. He smiled and replied, "General seems to want to silence me and block the information? Trust me, it's meaningless. I am not the only prisoner who escaped. The other prisoners from Aurora Gathering Place, who have survived in the wilderness, have much more experience than me. If I can survive and come out, they certainly can too. I'm afraid Aurora Gathering Place will soon learn about the existence of this base!"
When Chen Chong mentioned the other prisoners from Aurora Gathering Place, he was referring to Lin Kun and the others. Although they were not awakened individuals, their experience of surviving in the wilderness for many years surpassed his own. Moreover, Lin Kun had also seen the map several times, so the other prisoners from different gathering places would definitely follow him to the nearest Aurora Gathering Place.
The reason Chen Chong said this was, of course, to deter General Blood from the thought of silencing him.
Unexpectedly, Chen Chong instantly saw through his intentions. General Blood narrowed his eyes, scanning Chen Chong's face like a venomous snake, his thoughts unclear.
"General, I believe that it may not necessarily be a bad thing if people from Aurora Gathering Place know about the existence of this base," Chen Chong said casually, seemingly ignoring General Blood's previous hidden murderous intent as he continued, "This base is like a hot potato. With over thirty guards and an armed squad of twenty with standard firearms, plus a suspected awakened individual as the base supervisor, any gathering place that wants to swallow it whole will undoubtedly pay a heavy price. What do you think, General?"
General Blood's gaze flickered as he pondered.
Indeed, as Chen Chong said, although this mysterious white base was small in size, it was very formidable. The total population of his Scarlet Territory amounted to only around two thousand, and the number of underlings with combat capability did not exceed two hundred, excluding the elderly, weak, disabled, and slave laborers.
Even if he wanted to take down this base, he couldn't empty out all his forces. Attempting to travel long distances with such a large target in the wilderness would likely attract a continuous stream of radiation mutations. Many people would die on the way before even reaching the base, resulting in severe casualties.
But if he only brought a small, elite group of criminals, they would face the defenses comparable to regular army personnel within the base. Most of his underlings armed with makeshift weapons would be helpless against them. Moreover, the base supervisor, a suspected awakened individual, made it nothing more than wishful thinking to try and take over the base!
Having instantly clarified these thoughts and considering Chen Chong's words, General Blood's lips curled up. "So you mean to use the mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind?"
"Exactly!" Chen Chong nodded firmly and said, "Once Aurora Gathering Place learns about this base, they will undoubtedly be tempted! And considering the size of this gathering place, they have enough power to take over this base, but they will also pay a considerable price. What's more important is that if I spread out from the others who escaped, they will think that I've died in the wilderness. As long as you control Qiao Jun and the others, Aurora Gathering Place will never suspect that the general also knows about the existence of the base. As long as the general keeps an eye on Aurora Gathering Place's movements, with me as the guide who knows the detailed situation of the base, we can strategize and become the ultimate winner among the three parties! As for how to accurately grasp Aurora Gathering Place's movements..."
General Blood's blood-red eyes flickered rapidly, seemingly stirred by Chen Chong's words. He said, "Continue."
"It seems that the general wants to test me," Chen Chong smiled and glanced in the direction behind him. "To accurately grasp Aurora Gathering Place's movements, it is naturally best for Qiao Jun to return. He seems to be a righteous person. The control of the Bloodline Gu on such a person is not entirely secure. I think it's better to spare his life and give Qiao Jun a glimmer of hope, which would also facilitate control. With the carrot and stick approach, Qiao Jun will naturally wholeheartedly serve the general."
General Blood's eyes lit up, and he burst into laughter. "Excellent! You are impressive! It seems like you have a promising future. What's your name? What do you want? You have fully proven your worth, and I will never hesitate to reward valuable individuals!"
"My name is Chen Chong." Chen Chong's face showed a dignified expression, but deep within his eyes, he was extremely cold. "It's an honor to join the general's territory. The world is dangerous, so I dare not ask for too much. I only hope to survive well."
"Surviving well? It's simple!" General Blood admired Chen Chong's gaze, seemingly satisfied with his attitude. He waved his hand and said, "To show my appreciation, starting today, in my territory, I grant you the material quota of a team leader level without any contribution required! Furthermore, I'll give you the freedom to choose your work within the territory. No need to do hard labor, and no need to constantly venture out and live in fear!"
That's what I wanted! While achieving his own goals, Chen Chong also managed to save the lives of those scavengers. A cold smile formed in his mind.