Chu Guang turned his head.
Standing in the doorway was a brawny man, his left arm locked tightly around Ye Shi's neck and bound hands, while his right hand held a pistol, the muzzle pressed firmly against Ye Shi's temple.
Yet, the moment he managed to utter "Let her go," two guns were already trained on him.
The man, seeing this, instinctively tried to hide behind Ye Shi, shouting in panic.
"Don't move, any of you! I've got your friend! I know you're strong, but can you be faster than a bullet?"
Chu Guang paused, holding his gun, and the corners of his mouth curved into an unnatural smile.
Strong? Me?
Heh, that's almost flattering.
Five months in this wasteland, and it's the first time someone's praised his strength.
"Chen Yang? You're alive?!" Xia Yan's eyes widened, looking at the man at the door.
Chen Yang's expression was awkward, but he forced a smile onto his face.
"Heh, I'm not so easy to get rid of. Just wait—I'll get you out of here first!"
In Xia Yan's eyes, hope for survival flickered back to life.
If she could choose, she'd obviously prefer not to fall into the hands of these "savages." Even with the few toes she had left, she could imagine the kind of treatment she'd receive as a captive.
Now and then, mercenaries were ransomed by teammates or insurance companies from slavers—if they happened to end up in Boulder City.
But even if they survived, it was a fate not much different from death.
In both mind and body.
Finally, squeezing free from the man's hold just enough to catch a breath, Ye Shi—nearly suffocating—started yelling.
"Shoot! Shoot at me! What are you waiting for?!"
"Damn… This idiot has armpit stench that could kill a man!"
If he'd known what Ye Shi was shouting, the big guy might not have resisted accidentally firing.
But unfortunately, he didn't understand, only finding his hostage irritatingly loud.
He raised his pistol and cracked it against Ye Shi's head, snapping at him.
"Quiet!"
Ye Shi, however, had no intention of quieting down.
With his pain threshold maxed out, he barely felt a thing and only shouted louder, infuriated by the blow.
"Shoot at me! Administrator, don't worry about me—I can't die!"
No kidding.
Of course, I know you can't die.
Who do you think's been paying for your resurrections?
Chu Guang rolled his eyes inwardly, yet kept his face impassive as he looked at the brawny man called Chen Yang at the door, his voice casual.
"I don't take well to threats. I suggest you put down that gun and raise your hands."
Xia Yan looked up in confusion.
"Aren't you taking me with you?"
Chu Guang shot back.
"Did I ever say I was?"
Xia Yan was stunned.
This was nothing like she'd expected—utterly beyond anything she could've anticipated.
But now, there was no time left for her to think.
She could see that the man named Chu Guang wasn't joking. With his two loyal men, he started walking toward the door.
Realizing she was about to be left behind, Xia Yan panicked.
"You… you're really not raiders?"
Chu Guang stopped, glancing at her with a hint of teasing.
"Are you disappointed?"
"I—" Xia Yan opened her mouth, stammering awkwardly before coughing to cover her embarrassment. "I meant… are you survivors from nearby? Could you take me to your settlement?"
She didn't have anywhere else to go.
Trying to get back to Boulder City on one leg was as absurd as trying to fight a Crawler barehanded. And even if she could go back, it wasn't an option.
These people didn't seem to be raiders or slavers; it might not be so bad to follow them.
But Chu Guang had no desire to carry extra baggage.
With current resources, the shelter couldn't offer her anything like a prosthetic—at best, a wooden crutch.
With one leg, she was useless for heavy labor and would only be another mouth to feed. They'd be better off recruiting a player with those supplies.
But then he overheard two players murmuring nearby.
"Is she a new NPC?"
"Could be, but hard to say… though it seems the Administrator doesn't want to take her."
"Well, I think she's still salvageable."
"Agreed. She looks like she might've been a mercenary. Even with a missing leg, she could probably make guns or weapons, right?"
Hmm...
That logic actually wasn't too far off.
Chu Guang gave it a thought and turned to Xia Yan.
"I'll be blunt. Right now, you're dead weight. Even if I left you with some nearby survivors, your fate wouldn't be much better than death."
Xia Yan bit her lip, lowering her head.
It was the truth.
She didn't need anyone to tell her what her fate would be.
Seeing the silent woman, Chu Guang went on.
"Of course, if you have a skill, I'm not entirely opposed to taking you in…"
"As long as you're willing to work for me."