It was a silent night.

Su Ziyu didn't really fall asleep; he mostly just lay there with his eyes closed, pretending to be asleep.

On the contrary, the man in the next room, Jie Se, was sleeping deeply, and even from across the hallway, you could hear loud snoring. Before dawn, light footsteps were heard outside, and Su Ziyu knew without opening his eyes that it must be the white woman getting up. He didn't ask much about the relationship between her and Jie Se; during the Wasteland Era, having a place to stay and a meal to eat daily was already considered quite good.

With such severe radiation mutation on that woman's body, it's likely very few are willing to take her in.

Su Ziyu got up, dressed, and went out.

"I'm going out for a stroll," he informed the woman busy cooking in the kitchen, presumably making mashed potatoes.

"Okay." The woman, a bit reserved, lowered her head and said, "When he wakes up, I'll let him know."

She actually spoke Chinese.

Su Ziyu smiled slightly and turned to leave. Upon exiting, he noticed incense was still burning in front of the Gatling Bodhisattva, presumably lit by someone else. Surprisingly, this statue had followers paying it homage.

It was foggy outside.

The air appeared somewhat gray and hazy.

After a few steps, Su Ziyu caught a strong scent of mutton soup, which reminded him of a mutton noodle shop at a market he frequented during his school days, suddenly making him feel a bit hungry. He followed the scent, soon arriving at a small storefront, marked by a three-meter-high rusty iron plate beside which sat two gun-carrying men, mostly with Chinese faces in the vicinity.

A pot of mutton was simmering, and the rich aroma was wafting out from there.

"Old Guo, two portions of mutton, and some noodles," said a stocky, bearded Chinese man as he sat down.

Nearby, a young woman was holding a two or three-year-old child, whose exposed arm was slightly unnaturally bent, eyes wide, gazing at the pot of mutton.

Su Ziyu sat down as well.

This aroma really took him back to his distant hometown. Just as he sat down, he noticed two sheep heads connected together discarded in a corner, which made him pause slightly, though he didn't stand up. Many livestock in the Wasteland Era had mutated; double-headed sheep and deer were common, even in captivity, mutations could occur.

"What can I get for you?" The owner, a middle-aged man with a pistol tucked at his waist, asked.

Su Ziyu glanced and replied, "A bowl of mutton soup, please."

"And some noodles too."

The expenses at this mutton eatery were presumably not low, considering that there weren't any of the poorest people visible; most patrons were dressed like scavengers, appearing quite rugged, armed, and evidently people who earned their living out on the treacherous exterior.

Very soon, a bowl of mutton soup was served.

— "Radiation pollution is extremely low."

Glancing at the mechanical wristwatch on his wrist, Su Ziyu picked up the bowl and took a sip of the mutton soup. It indeed had the flavor he remembered, though it was missing many spices, with a slight gaminess to it.

"How much?" Su Ziyu ate a little, then stood up and asked.

The owner walked over, smiled, and said, "Two bottle caps."

Not expensive, yet not cheap either.

During this era, such a bowl of mutton soup would also be considered a luxury item.

After paying, Su Ziyu turned and left. As he exited, he again saw three somewhat familiar individuals, led by a man followed by two gunmen, knocking door to door collecting money.

People from the Water Merchants Group.

The expressions of the Chinese residents here displayed a mixture of anger and fear, but ultimately, everyone still handed over money one by one. Some expenses can be cut, but no one dared to skimp on the expense for clean water sources.

When Su Ziyu returned, Jie Se was already up.

He was cursing about something, with a few unfamiliar faces appearing around.

"You're back?" Jie Se stood up and introduced, "This is Miyamoto Takeshi, this is Zhao Ang, and this is Jin Xin."

"They are also Wilderness Hunters."

"They just got back yesterday, and upon hearing about your situation, came over early in the morning to visit."

The other two seemed to be Chinese.

However, one young man wielding a samurai sword appeared to be from Fusang; since the Asian racial features are similar, there are some Fusang people mixed in the Chinese District as well.

"Hello." Miyamoto Takeshi bowed in front of Su Ziyu, then extended his hand, "I am Miyamoto Takeshi, pleased to make your acquaintance."

A silver-white metal arm.

Miyamoto Takeshi had clearly undergone some advanced mechanical modifications; his right hand was a mechanical prosthetic, while his left was a normal human hand, with a faint glow on his chest, suggesting it too had undergone some modifications.

"Hello." Su Ziyu smiled and shook his hand.

The other two Chinese also greeted, looking like they too were people who made their living on the knife's edge, with daggers, grenades, firearms, etc., carried with them.

"I saw that Death's Claw head, your swordsmanship must be amazing!" Miyamoto Takeshi bowed and said, "If you have time, please do instruct me."

Oh?

Didn't expect him to be a cold weapons expert; it's surprising that during the Wasteland Era, someone would focus on honing their skill with cold weapons.

"Let's talk about it sometime." Su Ziyu replied with a smile.

At this time, Jie Se spoke, "Let's talk inside. It's not convenient outside."

The group entered the house.

Jie Se looked at the others, then turned to Su Ziyu, saying, "They too initially planned to hunt the Swamp Crab Queen, but they temporarily gave up because the creature was a bit too tricky."

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