Updated: 2012-07-17

The bonfire was burning, illuminating the endless darkness of the night. The wind of the night was soft and cold, gently blowing through the flames, causing them to twist their bodies into nothingness like dancing girls, and scatter sparks that shimmered with the brightest light, and then quickly extinguished.

The green-skinned car had already left Silvertree City and stopped outside an abandoned farm about 50 kilometers from the town. Zero will spend the night here and continue on their way the next morning.

The car was parked next to the farm, and several people in Ji'an cleared a vacant lot. Since solid fuel could not be used, primitive bonfires were lit. The farm's grass has long since died, but there are still a few dwarf trees that are barely surviving. The cruel living environment of the new era makes the genes of plants change with the changes in the environment. Like these dwarf trees, they are less than two meters tall, but their canopies are surprisingly large. From a distance, it looks like a giant umbrella.

If you dig up the earth, you will see the roots of the tree going about 10 meters deep into the ground. This will prevent the roots of the old trees from being killed by the strong sunlight because they are located in shallow soil. The roots of the trees that go deep underground not only hide from the sun, but also absorb the few moistures of the earth and struggle to survive.

In Ji'an, they dug up the soil under the low trees and cut off some of these roots. The deeper you bury, the more starchy the roots are. After peeling, it is boiled in a tin pot until it is thin, and it is ready to eat like potatoes in old times. It's just that the taste of this root is more bitter and has a certain amount of radiation. But Zero and the rest of the people don't care about such a small thing.

Zero silently observed Ji'an's movements, and although it was good to be able to find food, they were not greedy. Only about one-third of the original number of roots were cut off, and when spring and autumn came, the dwarf trees had time to grow new roots without dying. It's ironic to say that in the old times, when resources were abundant, people only knew how to invade nature. On the contrary, now that resources are scarce, they know how to let go and recuperate.

A cauldron is set up on the campfire, and when the roots are boiled to a thin puree, each person is given a bowl.

Zero and Leah sat in the corner of the crowd, and Teddy carried two bowls of mud to them. The young driver's gaze fell on the zero-waisted revolver, and Teddy snorted, "Hey, brother." Can you lend me the gun?"

Taking the mud from the tree, Zero backhanded out his pistol and handed it to Teddy's hand.

Feeling the weight of the large metal in his hand, Teddy was secretly speechless. The large-caliber muzzle that is different from an ordinary revolver silently speaks of the power of this pistol. Teddy knew that its recoil must be very huge, and he looked at Zero, and couldn't believe that such a person who was not strong could use such a murder weapon.

But thinking about Zero's gesture of lifting Ji'an with one hand, Teddy was also relieved.

"You're an Adept, aren't you?" Teddy handed the pistol back to Zero.

Zero did not answer, with his character, not to object both by acquiescence. Unfortunately, Teddy didn't know Zero for a long time, and he only thought that this man had a strange temper. But it doesn't matter if it's weird, since Zero personally finds food and medicine at the convenience store in the evening, both Teddy and Jian can feel Zero's overtures. It shows that this strange traveler intends to integrate into their team, and no matter what Zero's starting point is, being able to join a warrior like him can only benefit the journey to Remut.

"Eat more, there aren't many plants like the umbrella tree. We'll bring some more roots tomorrow, but that's enough for us to eat. After that, I'm afraid I'll have to eat some dry food. Water is also an issue, and hopefully supplies can be found along the way. But I suppose God will bless us, won't he?" Teddy said with a wink, and left.

Zero placed his bowl of clay in front of Leah.

Even at night, Leah never lowered the hat on her head. She whispered in her hat, "I can't eat so much." ”

"Eat it. Zero said in a commanding tone, and then said in a more gentle tone: "Eat more, it's good for your illness." ”

"What about you?"

Zero took out a piece of chocolate from his jacket pocket, it was something he found at the convenience store, he kept it for himself, and handed the rest to Ji'an to dispose of. Zero gently unwrapped the chocolate, which was supposed to be aromatic dark chocolate, but now covered in a gray layer of bacteria. Wipe off the ash fungus with your fingers and put it in your mouth and chew it slowly.

Food that has been seriously expired naturally tastes bad, and it is not at all as sweet as chocolate should be, and it is also bitter. Zero was biting on a piece of wood, but he still bit the thing with his teeth, and Zuihou swallowed it. In fact, all the food that Zero handed over to Ji'an has passed its retention period, but no one will take it seriously. For the people of the old days, except for those big nobles and wealthy gentry, no one cared about the taste of food.

Although food has expired and spoiled, people's inexpensive stomach pouches are sufficient to digest them and convert them into energy for the body. As for substances that have deteriorated or even become toxic, they will be suppressed even if they cannot be excreted from the body. Until one day, the human constitution can no longer hold any more toxic substances, and they will break out en masse.

Zero has no such concerns, the food is lost when it enters his stomach pouch, and the extracted energy is carefully distributed to provide him with what he needs to be active for a longer period of time. As for harmful substances, they are excreted from the body with sweat during exercise, so there is no accumulation of toxins.

Just watching Zero rather eat expired food on his own than touch the mud that wasn't tasty, but at least fresh. Leah's heart fluttered slightly, and she didn't say anything more, picking up the mud and eating it. She ate so carefully tonight that when Teddy came to retrieve her rice bowl, she found that there was no scrap in it.

Late at night, the temperature cooled and people went back to sleeping in their carriages. Leah was no exception, and bought a blanket from Teddy for two dollars, and now it is wrapped around Leah's body.

Zero didn't sleep, sitting in front of the campfire whose flames were almost extinguished. He was keeping vigil, and with him was Gyan and another white man named Parn.

"A cigarette?"

After the three of them sat silently for half an hour, the black man took out a cigarette and handed it to Zero.

Zero took it quietly, lit it directly on the flame, and took a deep breath. The smell of low-quality tobacco burrowed into Zero's lungs, and after a cycle, he sprayed it out of his nose. His mouth was full of bitter taste, but the corners of Zero's mouth pulled into a slight smile.

"It's not a good thing, but being able to smoke one every day makes me feel like it's God's favor. ”

Gian and Byrne twitched as well. The black man closed his eyes and swallowed the fog, looking quite enjoyable.

"I agree. Zero replied that he never said much. Short, but precise.

The black man opened his eyes, looked at Zero and said, "That girl, she's sick, isn't she?"

The flames of the bonfire suddenly went low, and the breath on Zero's body suddenly collapsed like a steel cable. He looked at Ji'an, his eyes cold and ruthless again.

"Hey, hey, don't be nervous, I'll just ask casually. Ji An waved his hand again and again: "In these years, except for the noble lords who are delicate and expensive, no one in the wilderness is sick or anything. ”

The black man's words made Zero's equally tense body gradually relax. Jia An breathed a sigh of relief and continued: "So, you want to go to Remut to see a doctor?"

"Sort of. Zero replied succinctly, but in an instant, the muscles that had just relaxed collapsed again. On the skin, a slight pinprick sensation came.

Feeling the change in the atmosphere, Ji'an's face changed, and he just wanted to explain, but he was covered by Zero.

"Don't make a noise, wake everyone up. Something is approaching. Zero's ears twitched slightly, and an inaudible sound crept into his ears from the far distance.

Zero stood up, flew up, kicked the nearby sand and sprinkled it on the campfire, extinguishing the flames.

As soon as all this was done, under the moonlight, at the other end of the road, several rickety figures appeared.