Rise of the Wasteland in Cultivation

Leng San and the others followed Zhang Ligang into an office, where they saw a man in a guard uniform with a star on his shoulder standing near the window, making a quiet phone call with his back to the door.

The Class A shelter has network coverage, allowing normal mobile phone use. It even has a place similar to an internet cafe where scavengers can surf the internet by spending a certain amount of contribution points. However, the internet speed is extremely slow and the content is very monotonous and scarce, so not many people are willing to waste their money.

At this moment, the man finally finished his phone call, turned around and looked at Leng San and the others. His eyes were bright and piercing, as if they could see right through people's hearts, and he exuded an aura of power in his gaze.

Leng San felt a slight chill, because he sensed a threat emanating from this man. This man's strength was probably at the level of a level three gene-enhanced warrior, but judging from his physique, he was similar to Bi Lang and Zhou Chen, and his age was only in his early thirties, even younger than Zhang Ligang.

"Captain Xiang, the Canglang Scavenging Team has brought you this." Zhang Ligang reported respectfully, then stepped aside.

The one-star man nodded, extended his hand with a hearty smile, and said, "Hello, my name is Xiang Zhenlong, captain of the A-08 Alliance Guard. It's a pleasure to meet you!"

"So it's Squadron Leader Xiang, nice to meet you!" Bi Lang extended his hand to shake hands with Xiang Zhenlong and introduced himself: "Bi Lang, leader of the Canglang Scavenging Team."

Xiang Zhenlong glanced casually at Zhou Chen and the fat man, thinking, "They're indeed quite strong, both at the level of second-level gene-enhanced warriors. Hmm? This one..."

When Xiang Zhenlong's gaze swept over Leng San, he hesitated for a moment. The young man's aura was very strange, as if shrouded in a layer of mist, and he couldn't discern the other's specific strength. So he smiled and asked, "What is your name, young brother?"

"Leng San, courtesy name Muyun, I'm not a member of the Canglang Scavenging Team, just a friend. I came along to join in the fun. I hope Captain Xiang won't mind?" Leng San said calmly.

Xiang Zhenlong was taken aback for a moment, then laughed and said, "Of course I don't mind. It's really rare to see people giving themselves a courtesy name these days. Brother Leng San must be a cultured person from a family with a long tradition of learning."

Leng San shook his head and said, "No, it's not that. I just chose a courtesy name to make myself seem more classy."

Zhou Chen and Fatty exchanged a glance. It was the first time they had heard Leng San mention the courtesy name "Mu Yun," but it was indeed quite classy and pretentious.

"Haha, interesting, everyone, please sit down!" Xiang Zhenlong pointed to the sofa next to him.

Bi Lang said very readily, "No need to sit down. Squadron Leader Xiang, please just say what you want to talk to us about."

Xiang Zhenlong laughed and said, "Good, I like Brother Bi's straightforward and frank personality. Here's the thing, the Alliance Guard is planning to recruit some people, but the number of positions is limited. I wonder if the Canglang Squad is interested in joining? I won't go into the details of the treatment and benefits, but it's definitely much better than being a scavenger, and it's also more respectable."

Bi Lang glanced at Zhang Ligang beside him and asked, "If we join, will we be working under this Captain Zhang?"

Xiang Zhenlong nodded and said, "That's right. Old Zhang is in charge of the training camp. All new members have to stay in the training camp for three months. During these three months, he will be your boss."

Bi Lang immediately laughed and said, "Then forget it. It's more comfortable to be a scavenger. Squad Leader Xiang, farewell!" He then turned and left.

Although joining the Alliance Guard was very attractive, Zhou Chen and Fatty always followed Bi Lang's lead, and when their boss left, they followed without hesitation. As for Leng San, he had even less interest in joining the Alliance Guard.

Xiang Zhenlong was taken aback and looked at Zhang Ligang questioningly. The latter had a gloomy face and said in a low voice, "Captain Xiang, please wait a moment. I need to talk to Bi Lang."

Zhang Ligang chased after him out of the reception area, coldly shouting, "Stop!"

Bi Lang stopped and chuckled, "Does Captain Zhang have any further guidance?"

"Bi Lang, what do you mean by this? Are you deliberately trying to embarrass me in front of my superiors?" Zhang Ligang questioned, his face showing barely concealed anger.

"Captain Zhang, you've misunderstood. I simply didn't want to join the Alliance Guard."

Zhang Ligang sneered, "Then you could have just refused directly. Why bring me up?"

Bi Lang exclaimed, "Sorry, I didn't think that through. But don't be angry, Captain Zhang. I really don't want to work under you anymore."

Zhang Ligang scoffed, "Just because I slept with your woman?"

Bi Lang sneered, "Bullshit! Xu Xiaoxia is your woman now. Or rather, I've slept with your woman. And it's not just me; you're just the last sucker, the last one left holding the bag. Let me tell you, Xu Xiaoxia has been with me since she was sixteen. I was her first man. She gave me the most beautiful years of her youth. You married an old woman, what's there to be so smug about?"

Zhang Ligang's face was ashen, a barely perceptible glint of murderous intent flashing in his eyes. He said calmly, "You, surnamed Bi, will pay the price for what you said today."

Bi Lang scoffed, "I'm not easily intimidated. Bring it on if you dare, I, Bi Lang, will take it." With that, he strode away.

Leng San frowned. Bi Lang was usually calm and composed, but he had clearly lost his composure today. It seemed that although he was cursing his ex-wife, he still couldn't let go of her.

Zhang Ligang watched Bi Lang and the others' retreating figures, his gaze turning cold as he clenched his fists. He was never a magnanimous person, and he was also extremely jealous and controlling. He was the one who killed Xu Xiaoxia's previous husband and then got his hands on the woman.

Therefore, even without today's events, he would have found a way to kill Bi Lang. Now that they have torn each other apart, Zhang Ligang's murderous intent is naturally even more intense.

Zhang Ligang turned back to the reception desk and said apologetically to Xiang Zhenlong, "Squad Leader Xiang, I'm really sorry, Bi Lang is Xiaoxia's ex-husband, and he might have a problem with me."

Xiang Zhenlong suddenly realized, "I see. That's a pity. The Canglang Squad's ability to obtain nuclear batteries from subway trains shows their considerable strength. In the past year, ten Class C camps have been destroyed by the zombie horde, and the Alliance Guard has suffered heavy losses and urgently needs replenishment."

"How about I talk to Bi Lang again?" Zhang Ligang said, feigning concern.

Xiang Zhenlong shook his head and said, "No need. You can't force things. Besides, this person doesn't get along with you, Lao Zhang. If we hire him, he'll be unruly and it will only cause trouble. Let's find someone else."

Zhang Ligang nodded and said, "Okay."

"Okay, you go ahead and do your work. Also, have the archives send me Leng San's information," Xiang Zhenlong instructed.

Zhang Ligang agreed and left Xiang Zhenlong's office.

Meanwhile, Leng San and the others left the Alliance Guard's camp and returned to the street. Bi Lang, now clearly calmed down, said with a wry smile, "Was I possessed? Why did I provoke Zhang Ligang? Was it really necessary?"

Zhou Chen quickly added, "It was that guy surnamed Zhang who spoke rudely first. No man could stand that. Boss, I support you. Well done! That guy Zhang's face turned green with anger. That felt great!"

The fat man nodded and said, "Me too, boss, I support you."

Bi Lang felt a warmth in his heart and said apologetically to Leng San, "Xiao San, I'm really sorry to have dragged you into this."

Leng San shook his head and said, "We were partners to begin with, so there's no real connection between us. But Master Bi, you need to be careful. Zhang Ligang has already decided to kill you, and he'll probably make his move soon."

Bi Lang felt a chill run down his spine and frowned, saying, "As a member of the Alliance Guard, he wouldn't dare to come openly. He's most likely up to something underhanded. Fatty Zhou Chen, don't wander around these next two days. Leave after we draw our numbers tomorrow. Hopefully, we'll be lucky and get a level three gene enhancement potion."

Zhou Chen and the fat man nodded solemnly. As the saying goes, even a powerful dragon can't suppress a local snake. This is Zhang Ligang's territory, so it's indeed best to leave as soon as possible.

The group returned to their lodgings. Fatty and Zhou Chen, as expected, did not wander around the streets. Instead, they went back to their room to admire the "unexpected surprise" unearthed from the old hard drive.

However, when the fat man eagerly opened Zhou Chen's tablet and connected it to the hard drive, the contents of the tablet left him dumbfounded.

"Holy crap, what is this thing?" the fat man exclaimed.

It turns out that this 500GB hard drive was full of food videos, so the original owner was probably a food blogger.

Zhou Chen grinned and said, "It's pretty good. It made me drool all night. I drank more than ten tubes of nutritional supplements, and the more I drank, the hungrier I got. Tsk tsk, look at this Dongpo pork..."

The fat man's mouth watered; he almost wanted to lick the screen.