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Volume 1 Chapter 67 Rules

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    Chapter 67 Rules

    This is a man about thirty years old.

    He is not tall and very thin. He wears a gray-green cotton coat on his upper body, and there are a few dirty rags randomly wrapped around his knees. His hair has almost fallen out, and he holds a slightly curved stick in his hand.  Steel bars support the tired body from falling.

    The atmosphere in the refugee camp became tense again, with gunpowder muzzles and sharp steel bars aimed at the new uninvited guests.  However, the expressions on people's faces were not as wary as they were towards Lin Xiang.  Between a sniper rifle and an ordinary metal stick, the former is obviously far more intimidating than the latter.

    The man stretched his neck and smelled the strong aroma of the broth spreading in the iron pot. The triangular joints in his throat slid up and down his esophagus. His thin body was shaking violently uncontrollably, and his eyes were filled with hunger.  With excited eyes, his arms like dry wood tightly tightened the steel bars diagonally inserted into the ground. The expression on his face was a little hesitant, but also seemed to be struggling.

    After a long time, he staggered forward, licking his half-dried lips, and begged the middle-aged man who was the leader among the refugees in an almost moaning tone: "Pleasecan, can you give me a bowl of soup?"  ?¡±

    The middle-aged man weighed the thick-backed machete in his hand and looked at every detail of the opponent's body with a scrutinizing gaze.  He circled around the man, and when he walked behind him, he leaned out and put his nostrils at the same level as the man's shoulders. He frowned and sniffed hard to make sure that the man did not emit any radiation-specific symptoms.  After becoming rancid, his expression returned to its original indifferent state, and he said, "What did you give me in exchange?"

    "I, I have nothing." The man shook his head sadly, opened all the pockets of his clothes, and unbuttoned his coat, revealing his skinny naked body wrapped inside, and begged bitterly: "I don't have much to eat.  . Half a bowl of soup No, one mouthful, just give me one mouthful, one mouthful is enough. Please!"

    The middle-aged man cleared his throat, spat a mouthful of thick phlegm in front of the man, waved his hand impatiently, turned around and sat back in front of the fire.

    Rusty and black metal lunch boxes, half-decayed wooden bowls, chipped cups, and even a slightly deformed military helmet that was turned upside down and used as a bowl Containers of various shapes were crowded together on the floor.  Place next to the wok.  The woman in charge of the spoon untied her greasy bib, took out a half-old plastic bag from it, opened the seal tied with a rope, pinched out a few grains of coarse salt like sand with three fingers, put it into the pot, and poured it into the pot.  The iron spoon stirred back and forth, and after the soup boiled again, he scooped up the almost transparent soup and slowly poured it into the various containers that had been placed.

    Lin Xiang waved his hand to refuse the woman serving him soup, and picked up the simmering kettle from the fire. From the corner of his eye, he glanced at the man waiting outside the camp from time to time.

    This is an ordinary person.  From his body, Lin Xiang did not detect any aura of evolved or enhanced people.

    "Please, just have a mouthful of soup. I, I'm so hungry"

    The act of dividing the soup further stimulated the man's violently wriggled empty stomach.  Suddenly, he bent his legs and fell to his knees with a "plop". He looked at the people in the camp who were starting to eat and begged repeatedly: "Give me a mouthful of soup! Please, if you don't eat anything, I will starve to death"  ¡­¡±

    The middle-aged man headed by him slowly turned his head, his face full of anger.  He spat hard at the man and shouted without warning: "Get out of here -"

    The sudden change scared the man so much that he took a few steps back.  The refugees sitting around the fire burst into joking laughter.

    Lin Xiang drank the warm water in the pot, slowly chewed his tortillas, and watched the scene in front of him coldly.

    The man did not leave. He stood far away where he could see the light of the fire, looking helplessly at this side with sad eyes.  After a long time, he seemed to have made up his mind and walked over quickly.  Under the surprised and indifferent gazes of the refugees, he gritted his teeth and took off his only coat, held it up with his thin arms, handed it to the middle-aged man, took a deep breath, and said with great reluctance but helplessness:  "II'll use this in exchange."

    So, there was another person in front of the fire.

    The refugees are not stingy.  An enamel teapot, about the size of a football, with its bottom shrunken by the impact, was handed to the man's hand.  It was filled with boiling broth, almost reaching the edge of the vat.

    The man drank slowly.  Each bite must be savored in the mouth for a long time before swallowing slowly.  He picked up the few strands of meat that had sunk to the bottom of the tank with his dirt-covered fingers and stuffed everything into his mouth.  Finally, he stuck out his tongue and licked the leftover soup on the wall of the jar sparingly until he had eaten everything. Then he reluctantly put down the tea jar, licked his lips with lingering thoughts, and sat silently by the fire.  Beside, looking at the already seenThe iron pot is amazing.

    "Okay, we've finished the soup. Let's go!" The middle-aged man said calmly, picking up a piece of firewood and throwing it into the fire.

    The man turned around suddenly, stared at the other person with frightened eyes, and said in a trembling voice: "You, where do you want me to go?"

    "That's your own business. I have no control over it." The middle-aged man's eyes were sharp, and he grabbed the machete leaning against his feet with his right hand: "That dress can only be exchanged for a bowl of soup. You have got what you need.  Strangers are not welcome to spend the night here.¡±

    ¡°Gotta, gotta¡ª¡±

    The man's teeth were chattering involuntarily, and he begged with fear on his face: "I, I only have that one piece of clothing. It's night again, please, let me spend the night by the fire. I'll leave at dawn, okay?  ?¡±

    He was almost naked, with nothing to protect him from the cold except a few dirty rags.

    "People who wander in the wilderness should abide by the rules." The face of the middle-aged man who picked up the machete looked a little ferocious: "That piece of clothing is only enough for soup, not enough for the night. Either I will chop off your head now, or you will  Get out of here¡ª"

    The whole camp became extremely quiet.  All eyes were focused on the man.  Contempt, disdain, sarcasm, indifference but no sympathy.  Even the children's eyes were filled with stone-like coldness.

    The man was completely desperate.

    He slowly stood up from the fire, hugged his arms tightly to his chest, took a last painful and helpless look at the beating flames in the stone stove, and dragged his steps past the middle-aged man.

    With no clothes and no fire, there is no other ending for him except freezing to death

    "Wait a moment¡ª¡ª"

    Suddenly, Lin Xiang, who was sitting in front of the fire, stood up, took out a thick velvet blanket bought from Emma City from his backpack, strode up to the man, and shook the velvet blanket away in the cold night wind.  Draped gently on his naked and trembling shoulders.

    "Iyouthis is"

    The man opened his lips, which were blue and blue from the cold, and wanted to speak, but could not say a word.  After a long time, he suppressed the excitement and nervousness in his heart, looked at Lin Xiang's high-quality black combat uniform uneasily, and murmured: "I, I don't have anything to exchange for. I, I really  yes¡­¡­"

    "I gave this to you."

    As he spoke, he gently patted the man on the shoulder and helped him to the fire.  He turned around and took out another tortilla from his backpack and threw it to the middle-aged man: "This tortilla should be enough for him to spend the night."

    This move caused a small commotion among the refugees.  The eyes that people looked at him were no longer friendly, and even looked at him with undisguised hostility.  At the same time, it is also full of incomprehensible surprise and confusion.

    People in the wilderness only have naked interests.

    In this era, there is no such thing as friendship and help.

    The middle-aged man frowned, took the biscuits and weighed them in his hands. He looked at Lin Xiang with a gloomy expression, then at the gun behind his back, and said, "You shouldn't be like this, we should all abide by it."  rule."

    "I know." Lin Xiang nodded lightly, took out a few Sospian dollars from his coat pocket, and stuffed them directly into the other person's palm: "Give him his clothes back, and give him a bowl of soup. I'll pay for it."  , not a penny less¡ª¡ª"

    Lin Xiang cannot use the rules of the old era to determine who is right and who is wrong.  The man gave up warmth in order to fill his stomach, and the refugee gave the other person what he needed as promised.  They cannot use the laws of civilized times to measure their actions.  As the middle-aged man said - "Those who wander in the wilderness must abide by the rules."

    He cannot take care of everyone like God.  This era had its own rules, which he neither participated in formulating nor wanted to violate.

    Lin Xiang also has his own rules.  Although it is impossible to change the opinions of everyone in the entire era, at least he must be worthy of his own conscience.

    The night is very dark and cold.

    The howling wind blew wildly from the wilderness, bringing up a dense cloud of sparks that flew into the air and scattered from the fire, as if to use the endless darkness and cold to completely extinguish the flame that dared to fight against itself.

    The refugees formed an irregular circle around the bonfire, wrapped themselves in felt and cloth, and fell asleep feeling the warmth close at hand.

    The man slept soundly, his body curled up and wrapped in a thick fleece blanket and coat.  The swaying firelight reflected on the dark and thin face, revealing a piece of contentment still retained on the surface of the skin.

    The first ray of light from the sun on the horizon illuminated people's sleeping faces.

    Rubbing the sour and dry hairWith his eyelids closed, Lin Xiang woke up from his sleep and stretched out very comfortably.  After simply packing up his luggage, he grabbed a few handfuls of snow from the nearby ground, mixed it between his face and palms, and rubbed it. The cold snow water melted by his body temperature stimulated his confused mind to regain consciousness.

    Only a few reddish embers remained in the fire.  As the people who got up early added enough fuel, bright red flames soon floated out of the stove circle surrounded by stones.  Several women came from nearby carrying basins and large bowls filled with snow, and refilled the cleaned iron pots. Under the continuous burning of the fire, the white cold crystals quickly turned into half a pot of turbid water.  Hot water.

    The man who woke up has been standing next to Lin Xiang.  He obviously wanted to say something, but just like yesterday, apart from gratitude and nervousness, he really couldn't express his thoughts in words.

    Lin Xiang left behind half of the jade cake, 500 Sospian dollars, the pistol and two boxes of bullets on his body.

    The man stared blankly at the things in front of him with his eyes wide open. He couldn't believe it.

    "Why, why?" He gasped, trying to express his inner impulse and impact in simple words: "I, I have nothing, I have nothing to exchange with you."

    "Because we are all friends." After hesitating for a moment, Lin Xiang used the word "friend" that had long been buried in the dust and ruins.

    The man stared at the thing in his hand blankly, repeating these two words in his mouth.  When he came back to his senses, Lin Xiang's back had already walked away.

    A middle-aged man with a complicated expression stood in the distance, his brows sometimes wrinkled and then slowly relaxed.  He seemed to be thinking about the true meaning of this ancient word.

    In the sky, thick clouds are constantly changing their shapes. They are rushing back and forth without any moisture.

    The sun, lazily hiding behind the clouds, occasionally revealed a little golden face from the gap, and was instantly covered by the menacing shelter.

    All the way to the east, you can occasionally see the afterimage of ruins under the sky in the distance. Tall and straight concrete buildings stand at the junction of heaven and earth, like concave and convex teeth, connecting two pieces of land that are always ready to be connected.  The space was torn apart abruptly.

    It is rare to encounter refugees in this area. In contrast, creatures such as rot wolves and hyenas appear frequently.  Unable to catch up with Lin Xiang, they could only search for the scattered bones left by humans in the old era in the car wreckage and rock gaps, and use these things that turned into powder at the slightest touch to fill their hungry stomachs.  .

    Crescent City, a city built on the wilderness.

    Unlike all the cities Lin Xiang had seen before, it had a city wall that was more than twenty meters high. Under the dim sunlight, the sloping wall showed a cold gray color.

    This is a real reinforced concrete building.  Looking at this defensive facility that surrounded the entire city, Lin Xiang suddenly had the illusion of going back to that era in the past.

    Countless ten centimeter-square concrete pillars are buried deep in the soil. On the pillars about five meters above the ground, more than twenty finger-thick wires are neatly arranged.  The dense linear metal is divided into sharp and piercing thorns. Any creature that wants to climb over them and break into the area behind will be stabbed to death.

    Lin Xiang, who has military experience in the old era, knows that this wire is not as simple as it seems.  As long as a strong current is passed through, the power they release is far more terrifying than imagined.

    There are no defensive facilities around the city wall. Lin Xiang noticed that on the ground about 20 meters behind the power grid, the traces of old and new soil alternated very regularly.  Judging from the traces of loose soil, it seems that something sticks out of the ground at fixed times.  Based on the size of the old and new edges of the soil, it is estimated that it should be anti-infantry equipment such as automatic shooters.

    A spacious concrete road stretches from the edge of the city to the wilderness.

    As soon as the soft soles touched the road, Lin Xiang immediately felt that at least five gun muzzles were pointing at him from the city wall more than 200 meters away.  The person who controls them has already put himself in the sight of the target, and the other party will estimate his identity based on experience in the shortest possible time and decide whether to shoot or let him go.

    This is definitely not an illusion caused by fear - there are several ferocious-looking half-decomposed corpses lying on the ground nearby. Judging from the body shape and clothes of the deceased, they should be wandering in the wilderness, waiting for opportunities to rob wanderers and take them to the wilderness.  The mob that eats it as food.

    Lin Xiang tightened the sniper rifle belt on his shoulders, walked at the same pace as usual, and walked slowly towards the vaguely visible entrance at the end of the road.

    A black and yellow metal pole was crossing the road. A man in his twenties, with freckles on both sides of his nose.?A young guard wearing a light gray uniform, with a black skull logo on his chest and left arm, and an AK rifle slung on his shoulder, stepped forward and raised his right hand to signal Lin Xiang to stand outside the cordon drawn with yellow paint on the ground.  , squinted his eyes and looked carefully at the mercenary nameplate hanging on his chest, and asked warily: "What's the matter?"

    "Accept the mission." With that said, Lin Xiang took out an identity certificate issued by Sosbia Company from his pocket.  At the end of the signature, there is Griffith's signature and the company's eye-catching unicorn lion pattern.

    The guard did not directly reach out to pick it up. He took out a heat detector shaped like a hair dryer from the nearby sentry post, pointed the flashing red strip detection port at Lin Xiang's neck, and made sure that the reading did not show any problems.  After taking the document and carefully identifying the photo in the upper right corner with Lin Xiang himself, he reached into the sentry post and pressed the start button of the crossbar.  Amidst the dull and stereotyped sound of gears grinding, the heavy yellow-black horizontal bar slowly rose diagonally upwards, and a faint smile appeared on the guard's cold face: "Welcome to the Crescent City."

    Compared with Emma City, Crescent City obviously covers a much larger area.  However, the number of residents in the city was very small.

    On both sides of the spacious street, two-story buildings decorated with red roofs and white walls are neatly arranged.  All of them are reinforced concrete products.  On the side facing the street, standard numbers are written on the wall in black paint.  Occasionally, a few pedestrians passed by, but they were all soldiers wearing light gray uniforms with corresponding rank badges on their shoulders and chests.

    No matter how you look at it, this place doesn¡¯t look like a city, but more like a huge military camp.

    Following the road signs erected on the street, Lin Xiang easily found the five-story central building.  Hundreds of heavily armed mercenaries gathered in the square in front of the building, covering an area of ??thousands of square meters.  They gathered together in twos and threes, talking quietly.  At the entrance in front of the building, there were two rows of standard skeleton warriors.  An officer wearing the uniform of a second lieutenant, but obviously not a parasite, stood at the front, with his hands behind his back, looking back and forth at the excited mercenaries with cold eyes.
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