The snow started to fall all at once, but it didn't stop.

The north wind was blowing, the woods were whizzing, the woods outside the outpost were dark, every tree seemed to be hiding a person, and every grass seemed to be breathing.

The guards on the wall tensed their nerves one by one, afraid that they would be killed by the plot, just like the fishing guy who was beaten up.

On the official website ob, it's too torturous.

Not only were the players on duty nervous, but Chu Guang was also nervous.

He has already eaten two groups of people from the Bloody Hand Clan, and it stands to reason that the other party can't let him go, even if he is desperately injured, he has to get the field back.

However, the marauders in the north have not moved, Chu Guang is always unsteady in his heart, and he sat upstairs in an exoskeleton for half a night, and did not come down until one o'clock in the morning, and slept until eight or nine o'clock the next day before getting up.

On the contrary, those players, one by one, were in good spirits, went online in shifts, and the heavy snow seemed to be unfeeling, and their work was not affected at all.

I'm so envious.

Anyway, the body is not my own, and I can't feel the pain beyond the limit, even if my hands and feet are cold and unconscious, eat some meat and carbs, and lie down in the culture cabin for a few hours.

Of course, this is also the beginning of winter, and the coldest time has not yet arrived.

Don't say anything minus 10 degrees is not called cold, go to the south and feel the magic attack? You don't need to go below zero, and a wind can blow half a life away.

"A heating tube should be added to this exoskeleton."

"Forget it, let's wait for them to make the armor lining."

Watching the truckloads of bricks being transported from the warehouse into the industrial zone, a smile appeared on Chu Guang's face and he nodded with satisfaction.

Not bad.

These players are sensible.

Brother Suo and Brother Levin, who got the budget, were also hard to spend money, and as soon as they went online the next day, they used the budget given by Chu Guang to buy 5,000 bricks and 500 kilograms of cement directly in the warehouse, and under the envious gaze of a group of players, they went to the industrial area.

Since the silver coins used are all in the corporate account, it is enough to transfer the account directly on the ledger. Old Luca has been able to do this job skillfully, and he doesn't even need Chu Guang to worry about it.

As for the sand for plastering, there is not much in the warehouse, and it is basically used up when the wall is repaired.

But it doesn't matter, just rent a cart for some silver coins and hire two people to go to the abandoned construction site due north. 1 silver coin for a car, according to the side of five cars, it is enough to pull about nine cars temporarily.

Anyway, it's just over 2 kilometers away, and the road is not difficult to walk, and there are many people rushing to do this job.

There are piles of sand and stones, all of which are used to build 100-meter-high buildings, and it is impossible to tell what the composition is, but the quality of the things in the pre-war era will not be bad.

Although some of the sand was washed into the foundation by the rain, the part of the ground that was buried in the soil alone was enough for them to use it for many years.

To build a wall of 18 per square requires 96 bricks, 10 kilograms of cement, and more than 50 kilograms of sand.

A 20x10 steel mill looks like 30,000 or 40,000 bricks and 4 or 5 tons of cement when it is fully sealed, and even if the warehouse is emptied, so many materials cannot be taken out.

But it doesn't matter.

There is no need to be so particular about the wasteland, it is really not possible to paste the north wall first, and then pick up some scrap metal and plastic sheds, and build a semi-open factory building in the shape of "the same", and the materials are directly saved more than half.

Wasteland, there should be a wasteland atmosphere, Chu Guang's shack on Bate Street before, it was useless to have a pound of cement, the same can live in people.

That's called post-apocalyptic style.

At least the two factory directors, Brother Toilet Suo and Brother Levin, don't care.

It was imperative to first make the converter for steelmaking, smelt and cast two rolls from scrap metal, and then build a set of mighty armor for the great manager!

That's their priority right now.

In addition to hiring two people to carry sand, they also hired three players who had worked on the construction site to help build the wall and build the base of the converter.

Everything is going in an orderly manner.

However, compared with the smooth progress of the "No. 81" steel plant, the progress of the Niuma brick factory is not so smooth.

Lao Bai and Fang Chang, who were a step slower to go online, were instantly dumbfounded as soon as they arrived at the warehouse.

Good guys, what about the pile of building materials?

There was a pile of so high yesterday, and this one is sold out?!

"Gan!"

"Why are they moving so fast?!"

"Tsk, I made a mistake."

"The bucket man is a professional...... Forget it, brothers, don't panic, let's go and investigate the terrain first and then figure out a way. ”

The four of them made a selection in the warehouse, and finally bought only a wooden cart, shovels, axes, and firewood knives for clearing the wasteland, and set off with dry food for four people in the heavy snow.

It's not that they want to save money on shelters.

It's that you really can't spend it even if you have money......

By the way, since the business account can only be used in the warehouse, it is not possible to buy a gun at a weapon store.

In order to verify, Fang Chang also made a special trip to try it, but the proprietress of the weapon shop didn't bother to pay attention to him at all, so she had no choice but to give up.

The snow outside the outpost was heavy, and the north wind was blowing even more.

Yaju, who was holding the iron pipe rifle in his hand, bared his teeth, wiped the snow hanging from his bangs and eyebrows with his free arms, and complained in a low voice.

"This wind is blowing too much, and it is such an exaggeration at the end of September, as for it?"

Lao Bai was optimistic, and said with a smile.

"I guess it's to test whether the weather system is stable, isn't it a word of planning if it doesn't snow in the game world? I'm not surprised that it snows in the summer. ”

Fang Chang glanced at the only perception system in the team and reminded.

"You should be on your guard, we are now at war with the Bloody Hand Clan. Although the river is in the wetland park, it is not far from the north gate. If the marauders sneak up, we'll probably be the first to engage the enemy. ”

Night Ten grinned.

"I'm afraid of a der! In the forest, our home turf! When the marauders came, I went up to one - hey, no, there seemed to be someone in front of us. ”

"? Really?! ”

Although Night Ten is not very reliable, this guy's perception is the highest among all players at the moment.

Getting the alarm of Night Ten, the other three players didn't dare to hesitate, hurriedly threw down the cart, and scattered the guys nearby.

It's not the first time they've hunted in groups.

Nor is it the first time to face predators.

Night Ten leaned against the tree, the usual hippie smiling expression was gone, only seriousness and alertness remained.

I saw him poke his head out carefully, and his eyes scanned along the snowy forest, and his eyes suddenly locked on one place.

Gesturing in a general direction with his hand, Yaju gave the other three teammates a look of affirmation.

"Outflanking the past."

"Understood."

Lao Bai on the outermost side was the first to act, and the four of them advanced in turn with a tacit understanding, spreading out in a quadrilateral shape to surround the past.

Ten meters.

Fifteen meters.

Twenty meters!

In the vast snow and mist, a sneaky figure finally emerged.

The man was dressed in a gray overcoat, with a thick cotton felt hat on his head, and an iron-barreled rifle on his back, and walked in the direction of the outpost while pressing the brim of his hat with his right hand, which was constantly blown by the wind.

It's not a good thing at first glance!

Fang Chang immediately made a judgment, and before the man could notice them, he immediately pulled the bowstring, put an arrow on the man's right arm, and snapped the string loose.

I heard the sound of a swishing sound breaking through the air.

The man didn't have time to react before he was shot in the thigh with an arrow and fell to the ground with a howl of pain.

"If you don't want to die, don't move!"

Lao Bai was the first to rush forward, kicked away the gun he was holding in his hand, and put the javelin on his head with a menacing attitude.

The man looked frightened and screamed, not knowing what he was talking about.

Fang Chang proposed.

"Let's take him back personally."

"I'll do it."

Tempest raised the crossbow in his hand.

Although it is an intelligence department, things like crossbows don't require too many attribute bonuses.

The other three were also relieved by the wind's carefulness and had no opinions.

Lao Bai returned to the cart, found a rope to tie up the man, and poked him in the back with a javelin to threaten him.

"If you dare to run away, we'll remove your other leg!"

Regardless of whether the man understood or not, Lao Bai handed him over to the wind, and watched the wind carry the limping captive in the direction of the outpost.

……

Watching the cattle and horse team leave the outpost before, Chu Guang saw that the time was not early, so he went to the warehouse to chop a crab leg and found a room in the former sanatorium to roast and eat.

In this snowy weather, the food is not so perishable, and it is no problem to eat this crab leg for two or three days.

This thing is a high-quality protein, so you need to eat it to gain muscle.

Chu Guang is now idle every day, just walking in an exoskeleton without turning on the power supply, or doing push-ups with a nitrogen-powered hammer on his back, and bench pressing to train his arm strength.

Every time I finish practicing, I go to the bathroom to take a shower, take the clothes I change to dry, and get some food for myself when the meal is ordered.

Although the traces of training on his body were not obvious, and the attribute panel did not change in any way due to exercise, he could still clearly feel that his strength and muscle coordination had improved slightly.

Chu Guang speculated that the data scanned and summarized by the physical examination equipment mainly measured the "basic hardware" of the body, and the exercise may provide an efficiency bonus for the hardware in the form of a buff.

For example, "+3% Strength" or "+5% Strength" or something like that.

The larger the base value of the attribute, the more pronounced the effect of the workout.

For players with strength gene sequences, exercise can also accumulate the development progress of gene sequences, breaking through the boundaries of hardware.

At present, Chu Guang's strength attribute is 10, and the hardware base is almost 200% of that of a normal adult male (benchmark value 5).

Even if you don't have any skills, you can't maximize the coordination of your muscles, and you can easily crush opponents of the same weight class with your attributes.

If he encounters a creeper again, even if there is no exoskeleton and a nitrogen-powered hammer, Chu Guang will not say how easy it will be to win, at least it will not be as embarrassing as it was at the beginning.

But.

This assumption is also unlikely to hold.

After all, let alone going out, even if he is in the outpost, he wears the exoskeleton inside the deerskin coat when he has nothing to do.

It's just that I don't usually turn on the power, so it's just weight-bearing training.

Two and a half catties of five-pound crab legs are shells, and the two and a half catties of crab meat are quite solid, Chu Guang clapped his hands after eating and extinguished the fire.

At this time, a player walked in from the outside, holding down a native in an overcoat.

Escorting the captives to the main building of the sanatorium, Tempest stood up with a serious face and reported to the administrator.

"Dear Administrator...... We've caught a Marauder scout! ”

"Captive?"

Chu Guang wiped his mouth and squinted at the person in front of him.

I saw that the man was covered with snow, mud and dead leaves, with a broken arrow stuck in his thigh, and dark red blood stained half of his pants, and he looked very embarrassed.

He gritted his teeth.

"Is this your hospitality?"

"Hospitality is reserved for guests."

Chu Guang felt that he didn't look like a marauder, but he didn't look like a nearby scavenger either, so he continued in an interrogating tone.

"Who are you? Why enter our territory? There are signs at the three entrances of the wetland park, which clearly state that idlers and miscellaneous people are strictly forbidden to enter. Even if you don't know the words, you should recognize the skull logo. ”

"I'm here to mediate!"

"Mediation?" Chu Guang narrowed his eyes, and his tone was a little unkind, "You are a person with a bloody hand?" ”

"Nope! I don't belong to anyone! ”

Feeling the unkindness in his tone, the man hurriedly clarified, but the wound was too painful, and his emotions were so excited that his muscles were involved, and he grinned for a while.

It took a long time for him to recover, and the man struggled to stay awake, squeezing out half a leaky sentence from between his teeth.

“…… Can you treat my wound first? Wait a little longer and I'll probably be gone. ”

It's okay if it's gone.

Look at you so calm, I thought it wasn't serious.

Chu Guang's expression was happy, but he didn't embarrass him.

Throwing 5 silver coins into Tempest's hand, he sent the little player away, and then he took out a roll of bandages from the blind box from his pocket and threw them to the man.

Haven't tried the hemostatic effect of this thing.

Just do an experiment with him.

The man obviously knew how to use the thing, and after skillfully disassembling it, he first broke the shaft of the arrow, pierced the flesh with the tool inside, and took out the arrow in pain.

The blood bubbled up like a faucet, running down his trouser legs.

Chu Guang's brows furrowed as he watched from the sidelines, and he couldn't help but be speechless, but the man was relieved after gritting his teeth and tying the bandage as if it was fine.

"Do you feel better?"

"It's better," the man nodded, took a deep breath, and continued the conversation, "My name is Hain, a merchant from Red River. ”

"Why do the merchants of Red River hang out with the Marauders?" Chu Guang looked at him with interest and continued, "And from Honghe Town to here, there must be fifty or sixty kilometers. ”

"Fifty or sixty kilometers? Oh, that's a straight-line distance, and if you want to get around the urban agglomeration, you have to walk at least 130 kilometers! Of course, if you want to be safe, you have to avoid highway bridges...... Almost one hundred and fifty kilometers look. ”

"So what?" Chu Guang looked at him and raised his chin, "You didn't answer my question, why did you get mixed up with the marauders." ”

"Ahem, it's not mixed up, it's just ...... We have some business dealings. ”

Hain's eyes wandered a little, and he continued after a moment of embarrassment.

"Well, I'll be blunt, I'm a merchant at the Horseshoe Merchant in Red River...... Or employees. Because of the bosses, we occasionally do business with some trusted hordes of marauders in the southern part of the Valle Province, mostly related to the population. Don't look at me like that, those captives wouldn't have survived the winter without us, at least we gave them a chance to be human again! ”

"So you're in the slave business?" Chu Guang touched his chin with interest, but he didn't show interest on his face.

"That's right!" Hain nodded and continued, "This time I was sent by the boss to Qingquan City just to buy some slaves from them. But when I get here, I hear you're at war? ”

Chu Guang smiled kindly and said.

"Yes, and the enemies of your trading partners, are now thinking about one thing. Let's say your boss doesn't know you've been to me—"

Hain swallowed and nervously interrupted Chu Guang's words.

"I know what you're trying to say, but it doesn't make sense. There are people dying every day in the wasteland, and my death doesn't matter to my boss at all. ”

"Really?"

"Don't you want to hear my advice before what to do with me?"

"You say."

Hain continued at a brisk pace.

"The Bloody Hands want a truce with you, and they are willing to pay a ransom of 20 chips for each captive...... Of course, if it is missing arms and legs, they are only willing to pay half. ”

"Oh, and what about the contract they gave you?"

"Mine? Contract? What contract—"

"Okay, don't pretend," looking at Hain, who was pretending to be stupid there, Chu Guang said impatiently, "Do you think you can fool me?" You've said that people are dying every day in the wasteland, and that there will be people who will block their lives for things that don't benefit you? Or is it good for you that we have a truce? ”

Hain said with a smirk.

"I'm not trying to hide it...... It's just that I don't really have a contract with them. Well, I'll be honest, his chief promised me that they would be willing to 'dispose' of those wounded to me cheaply, as long as I could bring their men back. But it's actually good for you, isn't it? ”

"No one wants to brave the snow to fight, and your neighbors are a headache for the weather. It's better for everyone to sit down and talk about it, in fact, it's not a never-ending contradiction, and the misunderstanding here will definitely be solved. ”

"I went back with my captives on a mission, and you received a war reparation, and you shook hands with your neighbors...... All three of us can win! ”

Chu Guang smiled.

But the curvature of the corners of the mouth was cold.

Misunderstand?

Untie?

Hahaha.

He had never heard such a funny joke.

If it hadn't been for him, and by chance encountering this group of players, if it had been a stronghold of other survivors, not to mention what would happen to the men and women, even the bones would have been sucked clean a long time ago.

Peace?

Those people are nothing more than waiting for an opportunity.

For example, the snow has stopped.

"Mr. Hain, I feel like you're making me laugh. And the predators reconciled? Do you believe what you say? ”

Hain's expression was a little embarrassed.

In fact, before he walked into this outpost, he already had a hunch, this group was different from the survivor stronghold he had been to before.

Walls, trenches, sentry posts, hunting sentinels......

No one here is a professional soldier, but everyone seems to be able to fight very well, and the most important thing is to dare to fight.

They wear blue coats, but have no illusions about the goodwill of this world.

I am afraid that this negotiation is about to collapse......

"I understand, you have your difficulties, since you can't talk about it, I won't force it...... Can you let me go? I'm tight-lipped about what I see. It took a second for Hayne to make a stop-loss judgment.

However, Chu Guang didn't speak, just stared at his eyes motionlessly, and just looked at him directly, looking at it for a long time.

The latter's heart was furious when he was watched, and he only felt that he was being targeted by a creeper, and sweat gradually oozed from his back. Unable to bear the oppression, his lips trembled and he spoke.

"Even if you kill me, you won't do me any good...... Why bother? Your Excellency and I have no grievances, you can continue to fight, and I promise not to mix again. ”

"But it doesn't hurt either."

For a moment, Hain felt like her heart was stopping.

However, Chu Guang's next sentence gave him hope again.

"You say, you're in the slave business?"

"Yes, yes!" As if grasping at a life-saving straw, Hain nodded in a panic, "You need slaves?" I've got you covered! We not only do slave imports, but also exports, and we also provide door-to-door delivery, if you need to-"

"Follow me."

Looking at the man who walked out the door, Hain was forced to stop talking, swallowed his saliva, dragged his lead-filled legs, and limped after him.

The snow was falling heavier and heavier outside, and the wind was blowing like a knife on his face, especially on the wound, and Hain felt as if his blood was about to freeze.

Thankfully, it wasn't far.

The man led him to a simple shack, and after a few words with the old man on duty at the door, he saw the old man nod, turned back into the house, and took out a wooden box.

Chu Guang weighed the weight of the box, and then handed him to Hain's hand.

Hain, who took the box, felt his hands sink and looked at the man who handed him the box in confusion.

“…… This is? ”

"Let's open it and take a look."

There was a sense of foreboding in his heart, but Hain still freed his hand and opened the box.

When he saw the ornaments made of finger bones in the box, the blood in his whole body seemed to have coagulated, and his face lost its bloody color.

Having dealt with marauders for many years, he certainly knew these things.

Those people will take the index finger of their prey as a trophy, dry and wash it into ornaments and hang it on their bodies, like the root of life.

This blue-skinned demon!

I didn't even leave any of ......

"Winter is coming, and I don't have so many cells here, so I'm afraid you can only find the prisoners you want from here."

Looking at Hain, who seemed to have lost his soul, Chu Guang smiled nonchalantly.

"Let's make a deal."

"I promise, you'll get a whole bunch of ...... And it's a large group of captives, who perform hard in front of your boss, and then go to the pinnacle of their careers, and if you are lucky, you can even say goodbye to the life of your head pinned to the waistband of your pants completely. ”

"And I, once and for all, can solve the troubles in the north."