Embers Ad Infinitum

Chapter 406: Lone Ranger

Wang Fugui had a utility belt around his waist with two holstered pistols. Apart from that, he had no other weapons.

The moment he entered the bar, he greeted the different Ruin Hunters with familiarity. “Williamson, how’s it going? Did you find the abandoned military base?”

“Locke, you’re still alive, eh? Weren’t you looking for that white wolf?”

“What prey did you get today?”

“The Heartless and mutated creatures in the mountains have been restless recently, eh?”

…

Wang Fugui—an Ashlandic—acted like the area’s boss. He knew everyone and could chat with anyone.

Just like that, he slowly walked to the bar counter and rapped the table. “A cup of meat brew.”

As he spoke, he turned his head and looked at Waite. This made him catch sight of Jiang Baimian, Shang Jianyao, and the others.

A surprised expression immediately appeared on Wang Fugui’s face. After a few seconds, he laughed and said, “You guys still came in the end.”

He deliberately didn’t use Ashlandic.

“You recognized us?” Shang Jianyao had an ‘incredulous’ expression. Although he disguised himself less than the two ladies by only wearing a wig and slightly altering his looks, it still wasn’t easy for Wang Fugui—who he had only met once—to recognize him.

Wang Fugui glanced at Jiang Baimian and smiled. “You guys left a deep impression on me. A team like yours doesn’t look like Ruin Hunters. Yo, there’s a robot now?”

The latter part of his praises was sincere. No matter where, it was enviable for a Ruin Hunter team to be equipped with a robot.

“This isn’t too rare in the area around First City, right?” Jiang Baimian replied in a rhetorical manner. Without waiting for Wang Fugui to speak, she asked curiously, “Have you encountered the white wolf?”

“Not yet.” Wang Fugui shook his head in self-deprecation. “Otherwise, you wouldn’t be seeing me. Although the guild has provided some useful information, many Ruin Hunters have died or disappeared.”

At this point, he patted Waite’s shoulder. “Take this person for example. He’s lost all his companions but don’t underestimate him. The fact that he returned alive means that he’s not as ordinary as he looks.”

Waite’s expression immediately changed slightly before he retorted, “How am I ordinary in appearance?”

He didn’t deny that he’s not ordinary… How much of his sadness, fear, and panic was faked? Or could it be that a relatively strong Ruin Hunter like him has been scared out of his wits because of the white wolf? As Jiang Baimian muttered inwardly, her expression didn’t change.

“That depends on who you’re comparing with.” Wang Fugui didn’t have the intention to keep the argument going and easily parried Waite’s question. He smiled at the Old Task Force members and said, “There’s no guild or notary here. There’s only the most basic and relatively weak order, so you have to be careful about everything. Did Waite offer to sell you information on the white wolf’s whereabouts?

“Heh heh, he’s indeed a sad soul, but this doesn’t stop him from thinking of ways to earn money. This is instinctual for most Ruin Hunters. I’m not saying that there’s definitely something wrong with his information—he’d fall out with me for that. I can only remind you that any information you obtain or hear here has to be verified multiple times before you can trust it.” Wang Fugui acted very friendly as if he were taking care of an ‘old friend.’

“We were the ones who took the initiative to mention this.” Jiang Baimian helped Waite explain.

Shang Jianyao curiously asked, “Then, do we have to verify what you just said from various sources before we can trust it?”

Wang Fugui was rendered speechless. After a long while, he mocked himself. “You’re right.”

“Haha.” Upon seeing this, Waite laughed. He wiped the corners of his eyes and said, “Wang, you can finally understand how I usually feel.”

He then exhaled and said, “I still insist on staying here and selling information and not escaping to hide under a blanket to cry because they still have family and need money and supplies.”

Wang Fugui replied seriously, “You looked like you had a complete breakdown back then. I even suspected that you would go crazy at any moment. I never expected you to overcome the trauma.”

That… Long Yuehong’s preconceived image of Waite changed once again. He originally believed that the latter was a pitiful but lucky person who had lost his companions. After Wang Fugui exposed that Waite had been selling information on the white wolf during this period, he wrote him off as a wily old fox. He might be sad, but it was mostly for business. There was no reason to condemn him since most people in the Ashlands were like that. Everything was for survival—survival was everything.

Now, Long Yuehong had raised his evaluation of Waite and found it difficult to describe this person in specific words. He felt that the latter was a complex individual. He had a good side, but he was also cunning. There were even times when he had to be vigilant of him.

Wang Fugui looked at the Old Task Force again and continued the previous topic. “It’s not too peaceful here; someone might pull out a gun and kill you at any moment. Heh heh, where’s your car? Is anyone watching it? I’m afraid you won’t be able to find it when you return.”

“We installed alarms and surveillance cameras,” Shang Jianyao replied sincerely.

This was the electronic equipment they had bought when dealing with the real Father. The Old Task Force had sold a portion of it and left a portion for emergencies.

“…” Wang Fugui suddenly felt that his warning was a little groundless.

The team opposite him seemed to have deviated from the level of needing people to guard them. Compared to most Ruin Hunters, they were at least one level higher in technology.

Some Hunters knew how to use electronic items, but they couldn’t afford or obtain them. Some simply didn’t know how to use them.

Jiang Baimian smiled and resolved the other party’s embarrassment. “With a robot, we don’t have to worry about these matters.”

“That’s true.” Wang Fugui took the cup from the boss and chewed on the meat brew.

The Old Task Force also ordered a cup each and tasted the advance base camp’s specialty.

As for Genava, he had already found a charging area. There was a sign erected there with the price written on it.

The meat brew was very raw—this was Long Yuehong’s first impression. Following that, a slightly sour taste spread, but it was suppressed by the rich vegetative fragrance, making it less unbearable.

When mixed together, the tastes actually weren’t bad.

After finishing the meat brew and munching on a piece of bread, Wang Fugui stood up and waved his hand. “I’m getting some rest. You can come to me if you encounter any difficulties.”

As he spoke, he smiled. “It’ll cost ya.”

After watching Wang Fugui leave, Waite looked at Jiang Baimian, Shang Jianyao, and the others. “Have you known each other for a long time?”

“No, we just met him once somewhere,” Jiang Baimian replied truthfully. Then, she deliberately showed a curious expression. “Do you know what kind of person he is?”

Waite fell silent for two seconds before saying, “I just said that Hunters here often need to form a team to ensure their safety. Only a few are lone rangers—he’s one of them. He goes on expeditions with people very occasionally.”

Long Yuehong’s eyelids twitched as he subconsciously glanced at the bar’s entrance. He remembered that Waite’s evaluation of lone rangers was: Terrifyingly powerful.

After spending 20 Oray to buy Waite’s information, Jiang Baimian and the others stood up and prepared to return to their parking lot.

They didn’t ask how bad the public security here was because Bai Chen had informed them in advance. There was no public security here unless one was willing to pay.

A team of First City soldiers was in charge of maintaining order in this advance base camp. Their main responsibility was to monitor the changes in the mountains and warn the outside world in time.

To them, as long as the Ruin Hunters didn’t start a large-scale gunfight, it wasn’t their business. After all, the ones who died weren’t their acquaintances.

Therefore, it wasn’t rare for people to be mugged, robbed, or even assassinated in the advance base camp.

Waite’s underlying meaning about lone rangers was: You have to band together to survive.

It was the same in many places in the Ashlands.

Perhaps Genava’s image had intimidated the people eyeing them in the dark. The alarm that the Old Task Force had placed in the car wasn’t activated, and the surveillance cameras didn’t capture anyone’s attempts to approach.

As they had spent too much time driving on the mountain road, the sky was already very dark. The echo of crows cawing sounded not far away.

Jiang Baimian pressed the jeep’s hood and ordered, “Same old rules: Sleep in the car and take turns to do night duty.”

This advance base camp had a hotel that provided a safe parking lot, but not many Ruin Hunters stayed there. On the one hand, they trusted the guns in their hands and their companions they had known for many years. On the other hand, they couldn’t bear to pay for it.

The only reason the Old Task Force didn’t stay was that Jiang Baimian wanted her team members to adapt to such an environment.

Just as Bai Chen had said previously, the wilderness nomads and Ruin Hunters in the Ashlands led a life as though there wasn’t a tomorrow. It was gloomy, depressing, and painful.

In such a situation, they naturally found ways to vent their feelings in various ways. They would occasionally become ostentatious and wanton.

At a glance, Long Yuehong saw a large number of modified vehicles and motorcycles. This was completely different from the Rootless’s modifications. It emphasized uniqueness and personality; there were all kinds of strange designs.

Apart from this, men and women wouldn’t hold back on having a relationship that exceeded friendship—provided that they could guarantee their own safety—when they encountered each other. This was as long as one didn’t have didn’t have a partner and found the other party pleasing to the eye. They used this method to forget about the tomorrow that would eventually come, choosing to indulge in happy times.

They naturally couldn’t bear to use the camp hotel, nor did they dare to go to the wild forest outside. They could either make do in a car or find something to cover them in a corner.

As a result, some sounds drilled into Long Yuehong’s ears from time to time, and some of the shaking of cars left his face flushed.

At this moment, Genava suggested, “Why don’t I be on guard duty the entire night? There are enough batteries anyway.”

“No,” Jiang Baimian said seriously. “Everyone has their own responsibilities. You can’t replace them every time.”

As Genava analyzed this sentence, a loud roar suddenly sounded from somewhere in the mountains. “Howl!”

This instantly gave Long Yuehong and Bai Chen the illusion that they had returned to Swamp Ruin 1. But the roar wasn’t that terrifying or exaggerated, nor did anyone respond.

“That white wolf?” Shang Jianyao was instantly thrilled.