It was raining just after dawn. This made the grass and trees in the forest wet, and the shoes of the two men were covered with mud. They walked on a small cliff beside the road, not far from the road that led directly to the city of Beishan—they could see through the gaps in the leaves, but it was difficult for anyone on the road to notice.

The two walked for almost three hours, and the girl did not shout tired, nor did she show any signs of uncooperation.

On the contrary, after four or five hours of sleep last night, star fruit seemed to be in a much better mood - she did not look panicked like the usual girl who was suddenly snatched from a familiar environment by a stranger, but seemed to believe everything Li Qingyan said, believed that he was really here to save herself, to give herself a better life.

She even began to take the initiative to talk to Li Qingyan about some things when she was on the May Fourth Farm and some bits and pieces of life.

From the perspective of a complete third party, you will realize that this girl must be genuinely eager for a "new life".

But Li Qingyan is not a complete third party.

He understands the careful thinking of star fruit. She is an ordinary girl born and raised on a farm. The farm is a small society that can meet the various needs of daily life, but it is not rich in either material or spiritual life. The Republic has imposed extremely strict restrictions on the movement of reclaimed farm dwellers and urban dwellers throughout the country, so that farm life can support her, but it cannot broaden her horizons.

So she should have felt as confused and frightened as she was yesterday. But the reason why she became like this after one night is because she is far smarter and calmer than Li Qingyan imagined:

Now there was a gentle-looking young man beside her. But the man was a demon - he liked to blow people's heads out, and it seemed effortless.

Anyone in their right mind who has been inexplicably hijacked by such a guy - even if he behaves gently and kindly - should now worry about whether the other person will suddenly turn his face and blow his head out.

He's not human, after all.

But on the other hand, the girl who has never seen much of the world has no ability to protect herself, either physically or mentally, so she has to behave more cooperatively in order to please the person around her. that he may feel that he has obeyed him convincingly, that he is looking forward to a new life with joy—that he does not have to be bothered by his possible uncooperation, that he does not have to ...... Blow another head out when you lose patience.

The girl's thoughts and performances made Li Qingyan feel a little surprised. But he wasn't going to demolish her. For in the depths of his mind, which was extremely vague, it seemed that a man had said to him, "It is most convenient to deal with a wise man, whether he is an enemy or a friend."

So he played a game with a little friend, and he was also more gentle, answering many of her questions.

The two of them crossed a hillside again, and they could see the urban area of Beishan City from the forest.

High-rise buildings frame the bustling skyline of the city, lined with foggy canopies. Although it was still far away, such a scene also made the girl slightly stunned, as if she was shocked.

"It should be there before dark today. Li Qingyan stopped and said, "Rest for a while and eat something." ”

He took out a pack of vacuum-packed compressed biscuits from his trouser pocket and handed it to the star fruit: "Bear with me a little longer." ”

The girl took it and looked at Li Qingyan's feet. A shallow stream flows down the hillside you just passed, and the water is clear. The two of them hadn't dipped from last night to now, but she also knew that it was best not to drink the water here unless it was absolutely necessary.

The vast wilderness beneath their feet was a battlefield during World War II. The demon-ruled United States of America landed on the east coast and advanced all the way to this area, which is the "Battle of the North Mountain" that history textbooks emphasize.

It was also in this battle that the Republic dropped its first atomic bomb, completely crushing the ambitions of the demons, and from then on switched from strategic retreat to strategic defense, and finally drove the invaders out of the country.

More than forty years have passed. Although the radiation from the atomic bombing has long since returned to human-tolerable levels, there is still the potential to contaminate groundwater. Everyone on the farm knows that the water from streams, rivers, and wells in the wasteland is best not to drink.

Two people ate two packets of compressed biscuits while standing. The girl ate carefully and seemed to think it tasted good.

That's when they heard faint music.

It came from afar, accompanied by a low rhythm. Soon the roar of cars was heard again - four cars speeding from the other end of the road.

The first one was an old open-top jeep produced before the war, and the next three were pickup trucks. In the back seat of the jeep stood a stout man in a denim suit, with a scalding head and a large, boxy speaker on his shoulder. That's where the music comes out.

The back of the three pickup trucks was crowded with people, all dressed in fancy clothes and with colorful hair...... It is probably the appearance that was popular in Kitayama City more than ten years ago. They writhed to and from the sound of low, passionate music, as if they were not on the car but on the dance floor.

Occasionally, someone is squeezed down, and they roll on the ground more than a dozen times in a row due to their extremely high speed to stabilize their body. If it's human...... Probably seriously injured.

But as soon as they were on their feet, they ran away, quickly caught up with the car, and jumped on it with great skill.

It's the same as yesterday's green wolf.

The girl's face changed when she saw this scene. Hearing Li Qingyan beside her say lightly: "We don't take the highway because of them." They're sure to catch up. The one who was carrying the speaker was the leader of the bandit - named himself Li Cheng. ”

Star Fruit's face turned pale, but she tried to hold on to the trunk of the tree next to her and tried to straighten up: "They are all ...... Demon Clan?"

"It looks more like a human, doesn't it. Li Qingyan patted her on the shoulder, "Keep walking." If nothing else, you should be able to avoid it. ”

"The people you saw on the farm three years ago, the Green Wolf, and the Black Widow last night, are pawns. He said as he brushed aside the branches for the star fruit, "The metamorphosis is incomplete, and it has animal characteristics." These are the core characters of the Red Gang, and they all look like people. Of course, just watching. ”

Carambola silently followed him. After a few moments, the music and the roar of the vehicles faded away.

"You...... How do you know them so well?"

After walking a few more steps, I heard Li Qingyan say, "Because I used to be one of them." When I was there, I didn't have the green wolf and the black widow. ”

"—I installed that speaker. I also repaired that jeep. ”

The girl's footsteps missed two beats, and Li Qingyan didn't look back. But she followed: "That...... You're acquaintances. ”

Li Qingyan laughed in a low voice: "Ha...... Kind of acquaintances. The kind of familiarity that makes me want to peel my skin when I see it. ”