Before everything goes out

Zhang Cheng extended the invitation with a bright smile.

The thought that there might still be clues about Snake Seven made She Qingqing immediately nod in agreement, but then she turned to look at Li Fei after thinking about something.

"What do you think?"

Niu San, of course, and Li Fei had long been sworn brothers, but it was unclear when...

Even She Qingqing herself didn't realize that she had gradually come to regard Li Fei as her pillar of support.

"I think it's a good idea."

After a brief moment of thought, Li Fei nodded.

Not only was he inquiring about Snake Seven's whereabouts, but he could also take this opportunity to find out about the situation in Changjiang City.

After all, it sounds like these people know quite a lot.

at the moment.

They know so little about the world, so every bit of intelligence is extremely important.

not to mention.

Zhang Cheng just mentioned that in a gathering place called "Paradise" in Changjiang City, rings are frequently seen.

This is what they care about most.

"Is it bandaged up?"

"Pretty much. We've been through a lot in the mountains, so we're not bad-looking either."

Where do you live?

"If you go a few kilometers further east, there's a small villa in the woods. Our whole family lives there."

"There are villas in these mountains?"

"Not counting the mountains, we've basically already left the mountains."

"Okay, we'll go back with you."

"That's great!"

Zhang Cheng rubbed his hands together excitedly.

Not only him, but also several of his companions had smiles on their faces.

"My brothers all know that it's not in Zhang Cheng's nature to forget a favor. If you, my benefactor, don't agree, I really don't know what to do... Shall we leave now?"

"Um."

Li Fei nodded.

He glanced around, put the gun he was holding behind him, and gestured with his chin toward the east beyond the valley.

"You lead the way, and we'll follow you."

...

...

We left the valley.

After winding through the woods, Zhang Cheng led his team out of the woods and onto a not-so-wide road.

According to him.

Although this road was a bit roundabout and they didn't usually take it, they still wanted to stay away from the forest, considering that the tree people might reappear at any time.

It was only when Li Fei stepped onto this solid cement road that he began to feel a little more of "modern society".

otherwise.

He spent every day in Shuanghe Village and in the deep mountains surrounding the village, and he even wondered if he had traveled back to ancient times.

"Li Fei, it seems like they're treating us like a ring."

"Yeah, after all, we're equipped with rings from head to toe."

"Then what should we say?"

"Use their plan against them."

Later, Li Fei explained to Niu San in a low voice.

At his request, the three people and the dog did not stand in the middle of the group, but walked at the back of the group, at a distance, so that Zhang Cheng and his group could not hear them talking.

What was that saying again?

Harmfulness is not allowed, and defensiveness is indispensable.

Maintaining a certain distance allows them time to react in case of any situation and also enables them to better utilize the advantages of firearms.

"The same applies in the future. Since we are all wearing ring equipment, as long as the other party does not have any explicit hostility, we can just assume that we are ring members."

Li Fei said.

After confirming that Zhang Cheng and his group were not paying attention to them, he subtly pulled his sleeve down to cover his wrist.

"Black bracelet".

This is the unique feature of the rings, one that they cannot forge.

So as long as they don't reveal their wrists, and they wear this decent outfit, and don't say anything too outrageous, no one will doubt them.

Actually.

Half an hour ago, before officially meeting with Zhang Cheng, he was still hesitant...

Should I continue using the identity of Huanzi?

Upon further reflection, although Huanzi had a bad reputation and may have offended some people and made a few enemies, overall, he was still considered to be within the scope of the regular army.

Regardless of their moral character, they are at least large in scale and strong in combat power.

When you're out in the world, no matter who you are, you'll have to give Huanzi some respect when you hear her name.

For example, Liu Yongxiao is a typical case.

In reality, their strength is so formidable that, under normal circumstances, they could absolutely defeat a ring squad.

Imagine if the hunters who went to the village to loot the rings had been a few like these instead; they would probably have been skinned alive on the spot.

"I understand, but I have a gut feeling that these people aren't bad guys."

Niu San said this.

After exchanging a glance with She Qingqing, the two of them followed Li Fei's example and covered their wrists even more tightly.

On the road.

While traveling, Li Fei also found Zhang Cheng, who was at the front of the group, and casually inquired about him.

First, the destination: Changjiang City.

Before the disaster, it was the largest city in the region.

With a subway, an airport, and a population of over ten million in the city center, it's definitely a first-tier city.

After the cataclysm, the city was destroyed, but like a centipede that dies but does not fall, many survivors remained in the desolate city, and over the next ten years, they evolved into different factions.

They engaged in open and covert struggles, constantly checking and balancing each other.

Due to limited resources, these factions have basically never been peaceful over the years.

"And what about the amusement park? What kind of place is that?"

During the conversation, Li Fei asked about the things he was most concerned about.

Having confirmed the presence of the ring road, they were now even more certain that this place was undoubtedly their next stop.

"It's a great place. It's been converted from the Changjiang Gymnasium. It has electricity, food, and women. You'll love it there."

Zhang Cheng spoke with great enthusiasm.

"Since that place is so nice, why don't you stay there?"

Li Fei naturally asked this question.

"Well..."

Zhang Cheng gave an awkward smile and answered frankly.

"I offended the local boss and was kicked out. They were in similar situations; they all left because they couldn't make it in the city."

There was no other way; although conditions were poor in this desolate wilderness, at least we didn't have to worry about dying.

He added something after thinking about it.

"Don't worry, if you're interested, benefactor, we can go back and talk about it slowly. As long as it's something Zhang Cheng knows, I won't hold it back."

Zhang Cheng patted his chest and guaranteed.

With that, he jumped off the concrete road and led the group back into the woods.

They had been walking along this road for almost two hours.

The easy main road ended there, and we returned to the forest path. Our pace slowed considerably, but thankfully this area was closer to the city, and the terrain changed...

Fewer trees, gentler slopes.

Overall, it's much easier to walk than in the deep mountains and forests.

soon.

Judging from the quickened pace of Zhang Cheng and his group, Li Fei could tell that the journey was nearing its end. Sure enough, after another half hour of traversing through the woods, they stopped in front of a clearing in the forest.

We're here.

Following Zhang Cheng's finger, Li Fei looked towards the center of the open space.

Surrounded by sparse trees, there is a dilapidated detached villa.

It has two floors and is quite large.

The exterior walls, exposed to wind and sun and lacking maintenance, have mostly peeled off their plaster. Vines grow rampantly on the roof, climbing freely. There are flower beds on both sides of the entrance, planted with various flowers and plants whose names I don't know.

even so.

Even though everything in sight was old and dilapidated, Li Fei could still tell from his imagination that the villa was in good condition.

It is not a self-built house in the countryside, but a European-style villa.

of course.

It would be even better if those two tacky Roman columns at the entrance could be removed.

"Is this place alright?"

As Zhang Cheng walked, he introduced things to Li Fei.

"This place used to be a vacation spot for rich people. They would come out of the city to stay here once a year, which was very luxurious. Now that there's been a disaster, it's finally our turn to stay here."

As he approached the door, he called out loudly to those inside.

"Where is everyone? We have guests!"

After a brief delay, two or three people came out of the house.

Without exception, they were all men.

The group's gazes swept quickly, passing over Li Fei and his two companions before settling on Zhang Cheng and his group.

"How did you get injured?"

"We encountered tree men in the mountains, hundreds of them, and they really gave the brothers a hard time."

"And who are these military officers?"

"They happened to be passing by and saved our lives, so we brought them back to eat some wild game. You know, it's not in my nature to not repay a kindness. Let's make a couple more meat dishes today and have a good meal."

"So you're my savior. Okay, come in and sit down for a bit. The food will be ready soon."

The group nodded and turned to go inside, but were stopped by She Qingqing.

"Don't rush to eat."

More than lunch, she was concerned about Snake Seven's whereabouts.

After she described the characteristics of Snake Seven, the new group reacted exactly like Zhang Cheng.

They shook their heads, looking equally bewildered.

"Oh dear, heroine, these things can't be rushed. As long as you're determined, you'll find your father sooner or later..."

If you ask me, you should fill your stomachs first. You'll have more energy to search for people more effectively!

Zhang Cheng laughed heartily and walked into the villa.

The others followed closely behind, chatting and laughing, wiping their sweat and drinking water.

It seems he has finally recovered from his near-death experience.

"Let's go, I'm starving too. I didn't even have time to eat that canned beef."

Niu San swallowed a large mouthful of saliva.

Smelling the faint aroma of meat wafting from the house, he stopped pretending and strode inside with the others.