Dark Ruins Dawn

Chapter 71 Calculation
"You want me to turn myself in?"

Chu Ningyan's voice was very soft, as if she were confirming an absurd joke.

Qiu Shan's lips moved slightly, his face covered in wrinkles, making it impossible to tell whether he was tired or resolute.

He nodded vigorously.

"Correct."

"You can't even protect yourself, how can you protect me?"

Chu Ningyan's tone was not sarcastic; she was simply stating a fact.

A hint of embarrassment flashed in Qiu Shan's cloudy eyes.

He paused for a moment, then leaned forward slightly: "I know this is crazy, but it's our only way out."

Seeing that Chu Ningyan did not refuse on the spot, he assumed that there was room for negotiation, and a glimmer of hope ignited in his heart.

“As long as you hold out first, that old dog Harbenson will temporarily give in and stop biting me.”

"At that time, I have a secret channel that I can arrange for you to leave through a secret passage where there are no guards."

He paused for a moment, observing Chu Ningyan's reaction. Seeing that she remained silent, he offered more details.

"I will arrange for a body double to die 'accidentally' in the prison area, and then create a small fire to burn away all traces. In this way, you will be completely extricated from the mire."

"All that old man, Harpenson, wants is a result, a scapegoat to appease his anger. He doesn't care who it is."

After Qiu Shan finished speaking, he took out a pure gold banknote from his pocket, placed it on the table, and pushed it in front of Chu Ningyan.

"In addition, I will give you another 200,000 gold coins, which is enough for you to hide in any city: the desolate valley, the southern city, the distant capital, Dezhou, or even the central capital. You can go wherever you want."

Chu Ningyan's gaze fell on the gold banknote on the table, which represented a huge fortune, and she slowly said, "It seems that the situation is more serious than I imagined."

"severe?"

He revealed a bitter expression, "It's no longer a question of whether I can keep my position as captain, but whether I can save my life."

Chu Ningyan remained silent.

She remembered clearly that the captain of the Sharp Edge Mercenary Group earned at least 40,000 gold coins a month, a high salary that countless outlaws in the wasteland envied.

Two hundred thousand is equivalent to five months' salary for him. Using that amount of money to buy her life is hardly sincere.

Seeing that she remained silent for a long time, Qiu Shan assumed that she was weighing the price, so he gritted his teeth and held up four fingers.

"Four hundred thousand! That's all the savings I have! This deal is beneficial for both of us!"

But she still shook her head and refused.

"why?"

Qiu Shan was completely bewildered and couldn't understand it at all.

"Didn't you want to leave the team? Even if you resign normally, Harbenson won't let you off the hook."

"But if you go through my secret passage, you can not only get a sum of money, but I can also help you cover up all traces. Why refuse?"

Her cool gaze was fixed on Qiu Shan:

"First, I did not do this, and I have a clear conscience. Why should I be a fugitive for life?"

"Secondly, because I know you, Qiu Shan."

“From the moment I turned myself in, there probably won’t be any follow-up plans, and there won’t be any scapegoats.”

"Only beheading is possible."

"Never will!"

Qiu Shan suddenly stood up, brimming with excitement, "Grey Goose, I swear on my honor! I..."

"You have one more option."

Chu Ningyan interrupted him: "If you step down voluntarily and give the captaincy to Habenson, you'll be fine."

"Impossible, that old dog Harpenson."

"Of course it's possible, it's just that you're unwilling."

"No, he's targeting me personally! Listen to me, the best thing to do is for you to turn yourself in, and then..."

Seeing him still struggling in vain, the last trace of warmth in Chu Ningyan's eyes disappeared.

She once thought that Qiu Shan was the most respectable senior in the team, with prestige and a sense of responsibility.

But so-called personality has been crushed in the face of lust for power, and one can ruthlessly push subordinates out as shields.

I will not accept your proposal.

Chu Ningyan turned away, refusing to look at him again.

"you!"

Qiu Shan was completely enraged. He pointed at Chu Ningyan's back and roared, using all sorts of foul language.

The heavy metal door slammed shut with a clang.

His face was ashen, as if all his strength had been drained, and he slumped into his chair. After a long silence, he finally raised his hand and turned off the device on the table that blocked all signals.

He opened a secret communication device, his tone somber:
"She is not cooperating; proceed according to the original plan."

Under the blazing sun, the scorched earth had not yet appeared, but the air remained hot and dry.

Hua Xin stood on the earthen slope, gazing at the ruins shrouded in gray fog.

That was their destination.

There are very few scavengers, so it looks like we'll have a good haul today.

The two warehouse trucks slowly came to a stop.

The warehouse truck had been completely transformed by Gage.

Thick steel plates cover the entire vehicle body, and the longitudinal volume has been doubled.

The car windows were replaced with bulletproof glass, and the tires were fitted with puncture-proof corner protectors.

The vehicle has firing ports on all sides, making it look like two mobile armored fortresses.

In a critical moment, if the group is attacked, the warehouse truck will be the best cover.

Zhuang Fan, along with five newly recruited scavengers, unloaded tools from another vehicle.

For safety reasons, new recruits are not issued weapons.

Although they passed the interview, Zhuang Fan still needs more time to observe them and determine whether they are trustworthy.

"Listen up."

Zhuang Fan turned to face the crowd and reiterated the importance of discipline:
"If the surrounding light suddenly becomes stronger, or the sun overhead becomes unusually scorching, immediately seek shelter under the nearest cover, or run back to the warehouse vehicle and put on a high-temperature protective suit."

"Remember, never stray too far from the warehouse truck, understand?"

Everyone nodded hurriedly, a hint of tension on their faces, for they too were well aware of the horror of "scorched earth."

Mao Shanwang had already examined these people's bodies; they did not have any pre-existing diseases, but they were generally malnourished.

"If you get thirsty or hungry, you can come back anytime."

Zhuang Fan pointed to Hua Xin: "She will distribute food and water to you."

Everyone nodded again, without saying a word.

Next comes the specific work.

After Zhuang Fan gave them some on-site guidance, everyone quickly understood which discarded items to pick up.

Although their efficiency was far inferior to Hua Xin's, they had the advantage of numbers and quickly took fog lights and dispersed to various corners of the ruins.

Hua Xin did not participate in scavenging; her main task was to monitor the surrounding area.

With a light running start, she leaped into the air and easily landed on a dead tree branch, her movements elegant and agile.

After stretching, she hung her rifle on her side, picked up her binoculars, and began her guard duty.

Among the new recruits, number one is the most efficient.

He was also the first person to leave a deep impression on Zhuang Fan during the interview—Cole.

Perhaps he really was a quartermaster; he always managed to pinpoint the most valuable parts from a pile of inconspicuous junk.

But Cole's heart was still filled with doubts.

He couldn't understand why Zhuang Fan needed this garbage that was clearly corroded by the decaying mist.

Based on his past experience, the most important thing when scavenging in the wild is always to find clean water or food that can fill one's stomach.

Even when picking up parts and items, you should pick those that haven't been corroded.

He glanced into the distance and saw a murky puddle. After hesitating for a moment, he walked over.

He took an empty water bottle out of his backpack, found some clean sand and cotton wool, and skillfully made a funnel-shaped water filter.

He squatted by the puddle, brushed away the oil stains on the surface with his hands, and carefully filtered the still relatively clear murky water below, filling four or five water bottles.

Zhuang Fan frowned when he saw the water bottle in his hand.

"This water is undrinkable; it contains excessive levels of heavy metals and radiation. Even if it's filtered, it won't help."

"Boss, it's alright."

Cole grinned: "Just take a potassium iodide tablet and a radiation reducer regularly, it won't kill you."

After saying that, he handed the water bottle to his companion.

"One bottle per person, to quench your thirst."

Zhuang Fan then noticed that someone had picked up a mutated cockroach crawling all over the ground from a crack in the rock and instinctively tried to put it in their mouth.

These people completely ignored his earlier promise to distribute food and water.

(End of this chapter)