Dark Ruins Dawn

Chapter 58 Old Cat
That evening, Zhuang Fan and Hua Xin returned to the base.

Watson's right sleeve hung limply, ostensibly from injury, but he didn't stop working.

He paced back and forth in the warehouse, taking inventory of the existing supplies and recording it on an old data board.

Zhuang Fan walked over, his gaze falling on the items listed on the data panel: "Supplies list?"

"Ah."

Watson didn't even look up, his finger tapping on the screen:

"I categorized everything I have: tools, materials, food, medicine... This makes it easier to take inventory and also lets me know what I'm missing."

The table was very well-organized, with the quantity, status, and storage location of all kinds of materials clearly marked.

Zhuang Fan observed silently.

Watson showed the potential of a butler, and it seemed he was better suited for logistical matters.

In a corner not far away, Gage was repairing a wall.

He filled the crack with a homemade adhesive, completely absorbed in his work.

He has renovated a small portion of the originally dilapidated walls of the recycling station, making the whole structure more sturdy.

Several depressions in the ground were filled with quick-drying cement, giving the originally dilapidated site a neater appearance.

The escape tunnel in the basement has been advanced twenty meters, and the rubble has been cleared away; progress is steady.

"Boss, we still don't have enough bullets."

Gage put down his work and pointed to the two newly made iron pipe pistols on the workbench.

The gun has a rough industrial style and a very reliable structure.

Zhuang Fan walked to the workbench: "Next, let's make Molotov cocktails."

"This thing is cost-effective and a defensive artifact. We can make 30 of them."

Gage nodded, offering no objection.

Zhuang Fan then looked at everyone and said, "No one should go out tonight. I'll have two androids keep watch."

"And what about me?" Hua Xin asked.

Zhuang Fan looked at her and said, "You must be tired after a long day out. Go and rest. It's most important to keep your energy up."

Hua Xin gave a soft "hmm".

The next day, it was dawn.

Zhuang Fan and Hua Xin got into the warehouse van and drove off into the wilderness.

They moved to a more remote garbage dump, where there were relatively few scavengers.

But trouble always comes unexpectedly.

Hua Xin had just rummaged through a pile of abandoned mechanical wreckage and found a few decent parts when four menacing figures surrounded him.

The one-eyed man at the head of the group was carrying a wooden stick with nails in his hand.

"Hey girl, hand over the goods you're holding."

Hua Xin instinctively took a step back, shielding the parts behind her back, and gripped the pistol at her waist tightly.

"What, you still want to resist?"

The tall, thin man next to him sneered and brandished the gun in his hand.

They clearly saw that Hua Xin was petite and a woman, and were therefore determined to kill her.

Hua Xin fired without hesitation.

"boom!"

Gunshots rang out over the empty garbage mountain.

The tall, thin man had a gaping hole in his chest; he swayed and fell straight backward.

"Damn it, kill her!"

The one-eyed man and his remaining companions immediately took cover, but unexpectedly, several more gunshots rang out from behind them.

The four corpses were lying neatly together.

Zhuang Fan lowered his gun, the muzzle still emitting blue smoke.

The scavengers who were watching from a distance, after witnessing this scene, knew that these two were not to be trifled with, and silently moved to a more distant place.

During this scavenging trip, Zhuang Fan instructed Hua Xin to keep an eye out for items that their own people could use but couldn't sell for a good price.

Hua Xin was very meticulous. He found a box of almost brand-new repair tools and several masks with air filtration functions, and threw them all into the warehouse truck.

After a while, she found a discarded industrial android among a pile of flattened containers.

Zhuang Fan also found two sets of almost undamaged carbon fiber bulletproof vests, which could be used directly after removing the decay fog.

"These two bulletproof vests are good; we'll keep them for ourselves and won't sell them."

"Hmm!" Hua Xin was in a good mood.

Today's trip was incredibly fruitful.

Just then, at the foot of another garbage mountain in the distance, the old catwoman's figure reappeared.

She sniffed, detected the source of the floral water, and locked onto her target.

She took a dozen or so steps in this direction, but did not continue to approach. She simply stood there, staring blankly at the agile and nimble figure.

Her eyes were full of confusion, and she stood there motionless like a weathered statue. "Brother Ya, look over there."

Hua Xin's nose was equally sensitive, and she spotted the old catwoman from afar and immediately reported it to Zhuang Fan.

The two men crouched behind a cover and observed the area, confirming that there were no ambushes nearby.

"He's not mentally stable."

Zhuang Fan concluded directly, "However, she has a collar around her neck, which means it belongs to someone else; she is not a refugee."

"She's discovered my identity?"

Hua Xin recalled Mao Shan Wang's instructions that some of his tribesmen came specifically to capture the cat people.

"Be careful, let's leave first."

The two drove their warehouse truck to a garbage mountain further away.

But not long after, the old catwoman slowly followed, still standing at a distance, her shadow stretched silently by the setting sun.

Zhuang Fan frowned, observed her for a while, then ignored her and the two continued to collect recyclables.

After the warehouse truck was full, they drove away.

Not long after they drove off, Zhuang Fan saw in the rearview mirror that several scavengers had surrounded the old catwoman.

Punch and kick.

Those people were ruthless; they seemed to know that mutants have strong regenerative abilities, so they had no scruples.

Hua Xin sat silently to the side.

After the group finished venting, they left, cursing and swearing.

Old Catwoman lay on the ground like a lump of mud, barely alive, with blood dripping from her mouth.

The warehouse truck turned around and stopped in front of Old Catwoman.

Zhuang Fan and Hua Xin got out of the car, weapons in their hands, remaining vigilant.

"What are you doing? What's your purpose?"

Zhuang Fan's voice was cold as he lightly kicked her shoulder.

The old catwoman didn't answer, but just grinned, revealing a silly smile, her eyes fixed on Hua Xin.

"Scratch, scratch"

Hua Xin subconsciously avoided her gaze, took out a starch cake from his pocket, and placed it in front of the old catwoman.

Old Catwoman's health is very poor, and she is nearing the end of her life.

"Brother Ya, let's go."

"Ah."

Zhuang Fan was helpless to help her in her miserable state; giving her a piece of starch cake was already the best he could do.

A hint of reluctance flickered in the old catwoman's eyes. She struggled to her feet and slowly followed behind the car.

However, the eerie fog in the wilderness quickly cut off the scent of the floral water, and she lost track of it.

Only after Hua Xin's figure and scent disappeared simultaneously did the old catwoman's dazed mind suddenly regain a brief moment of clarity.

She suddenly remembered her purpose and recalled those emerald eyes.

Catwoman, she definitely didn't see wrong.

We must catch her.

In the evening, after clearing away the stagnant fog, Zhuang Fan transported all the goods to Mao Shan Wang's stronghold.

"Great, they're all in excellent condition. Oh, and the Iron Arm you ordered has arrived too."

After Mao Shanwang finished counting, the total amount was 23,000 gold coins. After deducting 20,000 as a final payment, he gave 13,000 gold coins to Zhuang Fan.

"How much does power armor cost?" Zhuang Fan asked casually.

"It depends on the model. The most expensive is the million-dollar gold note, and the cheapest civilian version starts at two hundred thousand."

Mao Shanwang fanned himself with a palm leaf fan. “There are cheaper ones, around 100,000, but their defense and security are terrible. Those bandits like to use these.”

Zhuang Fan understood.

Next, he purchased a batch of brown sugar, black wheat, and potatoes, as well as a large quantity of bullets and several new fog lights.

Finally, following the list provided by Gage, he purchased a batch of raw materials for manufacturing firearms and bullets.

Mao Shanwang helped him inventory the goods: "High-carbon steel pipes, spring steel plates, nitrocellulose, sulfur powder... Shall we start manufacturing?"

"Yeah, it's cheaper to make it yourself."

"Of course."

Mao Shanwang nodded: "It seems there's going to be a war in the north recently. The prices of bullets and weapons have gone up quite a bit. I have plenty of raw materials here. Just come to me if you need any more."

"By the way, Old Cat."

Zhuang Fan asked about another matter: "Do you know the one-armed Johnson? I have a bit of a grudge against him."

"he?"

Mao Shanwang stroked the cat's whiskers. "He manages about a hundred people, and his scavenging team is one of the largest in the world. They're kind of my competitors."

(End of this chapter)