Chapter 214 - 181: Poor Judgment

Chapter 214: Chapter 181: Poor Judgment

"’Hundred Zhao Subsidy?’"

Chen Xing thought for a moment, then laughed. "You mean Zhao Feiyan’s Hundred Zhao Subsidy Company? So they were the ones who drove us here."

She concluded, "We had pretty good luck."

There was actually a subtle rivalry among Explorers. Since the relatively safe explorable areas on the outskirts of the Wilderness were limited, every established convoy out there was in competition with one another.

However, Hundred Zhao Subsidy Company was decent enough. Aside from being obsessively greedy for money, there was nothing to complain about with Zhao Feiyan.

If it had been any of the other convoys present at the time, they might have taken the points but wouldn’t necessarily have driven at such top speeds to save them.

She briefly explained this to Huai Yu. She had originally wanted to thank Huai Yu again for her efforts, but noticed the girl was interested in something else entirely.

"So that older guy is named Zhao Feiyan? Like the famous ancient beauty?"

Chen Xing finally couldn’t help but laugh. "It’s not *yan* as in ’swallow,’ it’s the *yan* from..."

She trailed off because Huai Yu’s eyes were clear and innocent, clearly not understanding the reference.

Chen Xing paused and rephrased. "I mean... you know Liu Yanchang, right? The mortal from the tale of the Three Holy Mothers. That *yan*."

"Oh!" Huai Yu understood immediately. "You should have said so earlier! I thought he was a naming genius."

"Don’t underestimate that name," Chen Xing said. "As Explorers, besides having enough capability, we also need to be recognizable.

"You find Zhao Feiyan’s name interesting, and others feel the same. That’s why it’s always been easier for him to attract clients than anyone else."

Fen Da and the others all used beverage names. Aside from the fact that kids loved drinking soda, it also served the purpose of high recognition.

However, Fen Da and the rest had other medical examinations to undergo right now, so Huai Yu hadn’t been able to meet them yet.

Uncle Zaozi, on the other hand, was curious. "What happened to you out there? You’re experienced, after all. How did your team almost get wiped out this time?

"And what about that boyfriend of yours?"

He hadn’t asked earlier for fear of upsetting Chen Xing. But seeing the two girls chattering away for a good while without Chen Xing showing any signs of grief over losing her beloved, his gossipy nature flared up.

Huai Yu also perked up, waiting eagerly for the answer.

Chen Xing was speechless.

It was a bit embarrassing to admit, and she had originally wanted to delay talking about it. But...

"He’s dead. Chen He is dead."

"How did he die?" Uncle Zaozi craned his neck, brimming with anticipation.

Chen Xing let out a cold sneer. "Dismembered by magpies."

Huai Yu gasped. "The magpies in the Wilderness eat people now?"

"Not exactly," Chen Xing said, her lips twitching in a grimace. "He just had bad luck. Those magpies were right in their breeding season. Because they’ve mutated and grown so massive, building nests in trees with regular twigs is never sturdy enough.

"So, catching Chen He half-dead, their whole family tore him apart and pulled out his bones to build their nest."

Huai Yu fell silent. For a moment, she didn’t know which was more terrifying: having one’s bones extracted for a nest, or being eaten alive.

Chen Xing sneered again. "It’s a good thing the magpies got to him first. Otherwise, I would have ripped off his four limbs myself!

"It’s better this way. He died quickly and cleanly, saving himself a lot of suffering."

She spoke through gritted teeth, but Uncle Zaozi interrupted impatiently, "Oh, come on! Who cares whether he’s dead or alive? Get to the main point!"

Chen Xing scoffed. "The main point is too humiliating to say out loud! Don’t I need a moment to collect my emotions?"

After a brief silence, she continued, "It’s quite simple. Just like you warned me that day, Huai Yu. If you’re going to beat someone, you have to beat them until they’re either completely submissive or dead. Otherwise, they’ll stab you in the back when you least expect it..."

At this, her expression twisted for a moment.

It wasn’t that she hadn’t thought about keeping her guard up against Chen He. But infighting in the Wilderness was the worst possible mistake. With Chen He’s mediocre skills, he wouldn’t even be able to make it back alive without them.

However, sometimes the thought process of a fool simply couldn’t be fathomed.

Harboring a grudge and feeling humiliated by his lack of status, Chen He accidentally stumbled upon an infamous orchid that everyone in the Wilderness knew to avoid while gathering firewood. Instead of warning the team, he covered it up with dry branches and called Fen Da over to help carry the wood.

Fen Da was a straightforward kid. He didn’t like Chen He, but as long as Chen Xing liked the man, he would accept him. Everyone was highly vigilant of their surroundings in the Wilderness, but no one expected danger to lurk in the very spot where Chen He had just gathered firewood.

The moment Fen Da collapsed, Chen He burst into triumphant laughter and attempted to drive the car back all by himself.

As a result, he barely made it a dozen meters. Without Chen Xing’s Superpower paving the way, the car’s undercarriage was instantly pierced through by mutant plants.

When he frantically crawled out dragging a broken leg, his blood attracted even more mutant plants, as well as the magpies circling overhead in search of building materials...

There was no need to explain what happened next.

Fen Da, the Gold Ability user and the team’s strongest fighter, had suddenly collapsed. Qixi, a Wood Ability user, had to use her Superpower to suppress the toxins in his body. Xue Bao’s Water Ability was limited, and Xue Bao had also been injured by mutant plants along the way...

"Finally, we ran into another squad at a temporary campsite. They didn’t do anything to harm us. They just took the opportunity to hike the price of gasoline up to twenty times the normal rate."

Huai Yu’s heart instantly ached. "How many points would that cost?"

Chen Xing, however, felt fortunate. "The team we met was actually quite decent. Even though they demanded an exorbitant price, they didn’t try anything else against us.

"Otherwise, with our combat strength at the time, they could have easily crushed us. And among Explorers, whatever is brought back from the Wilderness is implicitly considered legitimate spoils. That includes vehicles and points.

"By the same token, not bringing back human lives is also considered legitimate."

In comparison, the fact that the other team merely asked for a steep price—and genuinely sold them good gas—left Chen Xing thoroughly satisfied.

Seeing Huai Yu listening so intently, she elaborated further, "Actually, out in the Wilderness, 10 or 20 times the normal price is nothing. Because out there, every piece of supply could be life-saving. Even buying a bottle of clean water might cost an astronomical figure."

This was the unspoken transactional code among all Explorers.

The only thing that made Chen Xing feel too ashamed to lift her head was her terrible taste in men. The more she thought about it now, the more humiliating and cursed it felt. She could only add spitefully, "He really died way too easily!"

Huai Yu, however, had a very open-minded view. "As long as you’re alive, that’s all that matters!

"Having bad taste might just mean you haven’t picked enough of them. If you pick a few more in the future, you’ll slowly train your eye for it. Just make absolutely sure you don’t bring them out into the Wilderness."

She spoke with such carefree ease, but Chen Xing had already made up her mind to practice self-cultivation and become a steady, reliable woman. First things first: she needed to pay off her debts.

Whenever she thought about owing so many points to this young girl who lived all alone in the Rose Corridor, she felt deeply ashamed.

Instead, Huai Yu was quite good at comforting people.

"You can take your time earning the points. I’m in no rush.

"But I noticed your car is badly damaged. To do a good job, an artisan must first sharpen their tools—Sister Chen Xing, roughly how much will it cost to fix your car? I can lend you the points."

"There’s no rush for that," Chen Xing explained. "I’ll leave it with Zhao Feiyan for now. If he wants to use it, he’ll fix it up in exchange for rent, and then he’ll come talk to me."