Life as a mercenary turned into a girl is a bit difficult

"This street has a deep connection with Green Valley City, because the residents here are Green Valley City refugees who have lost their homes and been displaced."

Han Nianling briefly explained the origin of the street name in a calm tone, "Most of the refugees fleeing Green Valley City chose the east direction. It was the development period of Changming City at that time, and the policy of encouraging immigration attracted more than half of the people. Green Valley City refugees came here to settle down, and this is where they were resettled. If it weren’t for Hu Lan, I would probably come here and become one of them.”

Is that so?It turns out that Han Nianling came to visit his fellow villagers living in Changming City.

After Han Nianling finished speaking, she immediately started to turn towards this street, her pace was obviously much slower than before.

After listening to Han Nianling's story, Hiiragi Jing and Lingjiu couldn't help but become more interested in observing this place. There was also a wooden bulletin board erected on one side of the street with the words 'Green Valley Street Residents Association' written on it. The wooden sign hangs on the side of the bulletin board.

There are various paper notices pasted on the bulletin board, some of which are the Changming City Government's livelihood policies, some of which are the management regulations of the residents' association, and there are also personal requests for help from residents and even small handwritten advertisements with scrawled handwriting.

So many papers were posted in every corner of the bulletin board. Hiiragi glanced at it briefly and found that the contents of the bulletin board here were no different from those posted in ordinary residential areas.

Just as Hiei Jing was about to turn around and leave to follow Han Nianling, she caught a glimpse of something strange that made her stop turning around. In the lower right corner of the bulletin board, a handwritten advertisement for unlocking, half lifted by the wind, was revealed. The original part of the bulletin board that is not obscured by the paper is removed.

There seem to be scratches left by sharp tools on the wooden board behind it. Perhaps they are left over from the making of the bulletin board, or they may be malicious damage caused by children in a playful mood.

This was not a discovery worthy of attention, but Hiiragi's eyes were inexplicably attracted and she didn't feel that she reached out to completely open the advertisement. Only then did she see the full picture of the carvings, those distorted but deep carvings. The traces do not belong to any of the previous guesses. Together they form two easily identifiable words - go home.

Not just here, there are similar scratches on the cracks in the bulletin board that are not covered by the paper. Even without opening all the papers, Hiiragi seems to be able to see these two words densely packed all over the bulletin board. picture.

The dust and blood stains deep in the carvings showed that they had existed on this wooden board for many years, but Hiiragi could still faintly feel a kind of presence placed on these carvings when he touched them lightly with his fingers. Strong emotions.

go home?

Hu Lan's description already let her know that the residents of Green Valley City once had a happy life with no worries about food and clothing that residents of other city bases could only hope for. In that tragedy, they lost their loved ones, their homes, and everything, because I have had it before, so today's current situation is extremely sad.

Hiiragi sighed softly. Such is the cruelty of the wasteland world. In the history of human struggle, Green Valley City was not the only city base that was destroyed. Thousands of people, including herself, suffered from the destruction of their homes. Become a refugee wandering around.

"Sister Han is here! It's Sister Han."

Just as Hiei Jing was feeling emotional, she suddenly heard the childish exclamations of children not far away. When she turned her head, she saw four children running towards her. The target that made them cheer so much was Han. Nian Ling himself.

These children varied in age, the oldest was only six or seven years old, but they looked full of energy, and pairs of short legs quickly ran to Han Nianling.

Han Nianling's face had already put on a kind smile to welcome the arrival of these children: "Have you obeyed your parents during this period?"

"Have!"

After answering in unison with high spirits, the children immediately started chirping enthusiastically, and the whole street became lively because of the voices of these children.

After a while, the door of a house on both sides of the street opened. A young woman who went out to look around brightened up when she saw Han Nianling on the side of the street.

"Nian Ling, you're here!"

When the woman held her belly and walked out, Hiei Jing realized that she was actually a pregnant woman, and her swollen belly was almost the size of a basketball.

Han Nianling was also stunned when she saw the woman's belly. After she realized what she was doing, she hurried forward to help her.

"Sister Fang, you..."

"It's been eight months. I thought you would have to wait until the baby was born next time you came back." The woman held Han Nianling's hand and said with a smile.

"Then, the child's father is..."

"He's a local. He works in a factory as an auto repairer. His life is pretty good. By the way, don't talk about me. Let's talk about you. When are you going to consider your personal issues?"

She didn't expect that the other party would throw her such a difficult question right away. Han Nianling had to smile bitterly, shake her head and respond: "Sister Fang, don't be ridiculous, I'm still young now..."

"I dealt with it like this last year, and I didn't use a fresher explanation." The woman rolled her eyes angrily. Han Nianling did not dwell too much on this issue, but then looked at Hiiragi Jinghe who was approaching. Zero and Nine asked, "Who are these two?"

"My... er, student."

"What a beautiful girl. If you ask me, she is no worse than the one named Ruoxiang." Before Han Nianling could finish speaking, the woman had already reached out and pinched their faces, " If I have a son, I really want to choose one to be my daughter-in-law..."

"By the way, there seem to be fewer people here. Have some people moved out?" After seeing the looks of Hiiragi Jing and Ling Jiu wanting her to ask for help, Han Nianling quickly diverted each other's attention.

"Yes, we have moved again. In fact, next month our family will also move to another residential area, which is closer to the hospital..." The woman stopped her hands and looked around the street, "Still living here. There are not many people left, but..."

"The person you want to see is still there, and he can't move anywhere. It's also a good thing for him that many people have moved away, so he can have some leisure time." The woman smiled softly, "Okay, I won't disturb you. You are busy, it would be great if you could come and see me more often."

"Ah."

After chatting with local acquaintances, the group continued walking toward their destination.Turning into a relatively narrow alley on the right side of the street, residential buildings seem more crowded here. Many houses with closed doors seem to have not been inhabited for a long time.

Is there really anyone here?

Even after hearing the conversation of the woman just now, Hiiragi couldn't help but become suspicious, but soon, a dimly lit window deep in the alley dispelled her doubts.

Chapter 7 Acquaintances on Green Valley Street ([-])

From the moment he stepped into the narrow alleyway, Hiiragi felt as if he had returned to the slums of the Newborn City. Compared with the streets outside, the houses hidden in the depths looked more messy and congested. The splicing between old wood and stone The feeling is more obvious.

Irregular stone slabs and soil paved the bumpy road, and a thick layer of black silt settled in the drainage ditch on the roadside. Under the high temperature in summer, it gave off a smell of moisture and mold. It was already In the evening, the light in the alleyway becomes even darker, and there is no trace of strangers in the lonely and desolate atmosphere.

This is why the window lit by the swaying firelight is so conspicuous in everyone's eyes. Even if there is no clear basis to prove it, Hieragi Jing has a vague feeling that that is the purpose of Han Nianling's trip.

As expected, Han Nianling stopped in front of the door of the house where the window was located. Han Nianling who stopped in front of the door did not knock on the door immediately, but hesitantly extended his hand and hovered over it. Up in the air, the few centimeters between his knuckles and the door panel seemed farther than the distance from the hotel to here.

Han Nianling...is she nervous?

Even though her expression was indifferent, it was not difficult to see the emotions she was carrying at this time from these external behaviors. This discovery surprised Hiiragi Jing. In her impression, it was rare to see Han Nianling being nervous. He did not show such an obvious aspect when he was in danger in the abandoned city of JD, nor when the nomads were chasing him in Xidi City.The last time I saw it was during the shopping mall incident, Han Nianling broke through the blockade from downstairs and rushed to take her and Ling Jiushi away.

Who are the people living in this dilapidated house?What is his relationship with Han Nianling?

In doubt, Hiei Jing also began to scan around the residence. She soon noticed that there were many stones of different sizes scattered on the ground in front of the door and at the foot of the wall near the window. Judging from the material and shape, they were different. Such as parts of building materials that have detached from walls or other surfaces.

The window was an ordinary wooden frame, and the glass on it had long been shattered, with only a few incomplete parts remaining at the edges. The owner of the window had to cover it with plastic film and newspapers found from nowhere. There are also many stones in the gaps between the window frames. It is obviously unlikely that these stones fell in by themselves.

There are many irregular depressions and traces of white powder left on the wooden door panel. The color deep into the wood grain can only gradually fade over time without being completely washed away.

Just as Hiei Jing was trying to find more discoveries, Han Nianling on the other side seemed to have completed his mental construction. The back of his hand that had been hovering for a long time finally landed on the door panel, and several dull bangs were heard.

"Who?"

The air was quiet for a few seconds, and a hoarse response came from behind the door, which seemed to be the voice of an older man.

sound.

"it's me."

Han Nianling's calm and indifferent tone seemed as if Hierarchy's judgment of his nervousness just now was an illusion.

After her voice fell, the air became calm again, and this time the calm lasted longer. Just when Hiiragi thought this was the owner of the house using silence to express his unwelcome attitude towards their arrival, the door opened. Finally, there was another noise from behind, followed by the sound of footsteps approaching gradually. The long friction sound of the soles of the shoes against the ground was almost like dragging without leaving the ground.

There was the sound of the door latch being pulled from behind the door, and the closed door panel opened.

"You, you're here." Standing at the door was a man who looked quite old. He didn't have a lot of gray beard and hair as Hiiragi imagined, but his face looked a bit older. He was taller. The stature was so exaggerated that even Han Nianling could look straight at him.The dark clothes on his body were worn in many places and stained with many stains. He looked like a standard image of a lonely old man.

Seeing this, Hiiragi Jing also made some inferences. The reason why Han Nianling came here should be to visit this helpless old man who was from the same hometown. However, there were still some strange things that puzzled Hiiragi Jing: This old man There was no enthusiasm at all because of Han Nianling's arrival. The eyes looking at Han Nianling contained a complex emotion that was difficult to read.

The old man naturally noticed Hiiragi Jing and Ling Jiu next to Han Nianling. Surprisingly, he did not ask any questions like the others but simply stepped aside: "Come in, come in, I didn't know you were coming today... …The house hasn’t been tidied up much yet,…”

Although he was obviously the owner of the house, he seemed extremely embarrassed when facing Han Nianling's visit. This seemed to be more than polite.

"I came here temporarily because of the rating meeting." Han Nianling walked straight into the house, followed closely by Hiiragi Jing and Lingjiu. The moldy smell that poured into the nose the moment they crossed the threshold was obviously aggravated.

The situation inside the house is quite consistent with the appearance of the residence in terms of simplicity. The indoor area of ​​only six or seven square meters seems a bit empty. As soon as you enter the door, you can see a low seat covered with old clothes. , there is a metal basin placed in front of the seat, in which is a pile of charcoal that has been burned for a long time, and against the wall inside is a pile of cotton, hay and cloth... Well, let's call it a bed. Bar.The strange thing is that there are many stones piled up in the corners of the house. Is there any other purpose?

"Rating meeting?" The old man's face was blank for a while before he suddenly realized, "Oh, yes, yes, it's that researcher's, I heard someone said that you are going to become a doctor, and everyone who lives here is very happy... …Sergeant Han has a good daughter…”

"Why are there still candles lit? Isn't there already electricity here?" Han Nianling didn't seem to want to continue on this topic. She interrupted the old man's soliloquy and led the topic to the dark lighting in the room. question.

"The power was cut off half a year ago, so it doesn't matter... You don't need it during the day, and you don't need it for sleeping at night..." The old man reached out and took out another candle from the drawer of the desk next to the chair, "If it feels too dark, light it again. Just one stick.”

"The power is cut off? Aren't the electricity bills uniformly paid by residents?"

"The residents' association... a lot of people here have left. The residents' association has been disbanded. It seems that the electricity bill has to be paid by individuals..." The old man shook his head and said, "I don't know much about this. It's not necessary anyway. Oh, by the way, sit down, sit down, let me tidy up the chair first..."

"No need, I won't stay too long, I will go back soon." Han Nianling shook his head and reached out from his pocket to take out a stack of universal rolls and put them on the table, "Please take these, next time I don’t know when I’ll come back.”

"This..." He hesitated for a moment as he looked at the general roll on the table. He wanted to say something, but his pouty lips couldn't. In the end, he could only sigh, "Well... I'm sorry. Already..."

"I can help if you want to move out too."

"No, no need, this place suits me very well... It's a lot cleaner now that everyone has left..." The old man whispered and turned his gaze. The direction he saw was the stones in the corner.

The visit was much shorter than Hiiragi imagined. After just a few brief chats, they set off on their return journey and stayed at the old man's home for only a few minutes.

Regardless of the length of time, the most concerning thing was the strange atmosphere between the two. The relationship between Han Nianling and the old man was obviously more than just acquaintance.

"Want to know who he is?"

Not far out of Green Valley Street, Han Nianling's voice suddenly reached her ears. When Hiei Jing looked up, she found that the other person was looking back at her.

"He is... a soldier from Green Valley City?"

From the moment he entered the door, Hiiragi noticed that although the coat worn by the old man was old, it seemed to be of military style. There were places for epaulettes on the shoulders of the coat, and it was very different from the ones in Changming City, so Hiiragi only Can make guesses based on the old man's hometown.

"Yes, he was once a soldier of Green Valley City, a major city guard, and also my father's direct commander." Standing still, Han Nianling stopped moving forward, and Hiiragi Jing and Ling Jiu also listened silently.

"He was also a deserter. During the most intense moment of the battle to defend the city wall, he abandoned his comrades, including my father, and broke into the military garage. He drove a chariot through the obstruction and crowds and fled southward..."

deserter?

It suddenly dawned on Hiiragi that if this was the case, then those stones... were the local Green Valley City residents throwing them out of anger at his behavior?

Chapter 8 Cheng Fang’s purpose

five o'clock...

"Didi, didi, didi, didi, didi, didi..."

The familiar alarm sounded exactly at the set time, and the hand stretched forward pressed the button on the top of the alarm before the ring entered the second cycle.

The pen in his hand paused on the page, and the oozing ink slowly spread into a circular ink dot where the pen tip stayed.

"Is it already so late..." Cheng Fang raised her head to confirm the time on the alarm clock, and murmured to herself, capping the pen in her hand and placing it in a glass that served as a temporary pen holder on the table.

If I had known that the accommodation environment here was different from the Changming City Guest House, I would have brought more luggage.

Not only was there no pen holder, there were too many inconveniences that Cheng Fang needed to adapt to as soon as possible. For example, the tables and chairs in the room were quite different from those in his office. The desks and chairs that were much shorter and all wooden chairs made him feel uncomfortable. The sitting posture is very awkward.

He had not felt any discomfort while he was working wholeheartedly, but now there was obvious pain in his lower back. This was a feeling he had never felt while sitting in the car for seven consecutive days.

In order to relieve the pain, Cheng Fang stood up and stretched her premise vigorously, then stood up and walked to the window to lift the tightly closed curtains. The dim sky was no longer as bright as when she first arrived in Changming City.

However, the noise in the central area of ​​Changming City does not seem to have diminished at all. The lights of various colors are brighter than during the day. It is not the first time for Cheng Fang to come to Changming City, but this kind of scene always It made him couldn't help but sigh: This is indeed a completely different place from the Newborn City.

It's good, but I don't belong here after all.

His eyes involuntarily focused from the scene outside the window to his own vague reflection on the glass window. There was an obvious look of fatigue on his face. Maybe taking a rest was the best choice, but before that, he still had one important thing to deal with. .

Now that we've reached this point, it's time to set off.

Thinking of this, Lili Fang stopped staring at the bustling area of ​​Changming City. He immediately turned back to his desk and put the documents he had written all afternoon into the folder. Then he took the house keys and passes on the desk to the Walk outside the house.

The corridor outside the room was lit with lights. His room was located at the end of the corridor on the third floor. The door directly opposite him was Luo Shi's residence. The other rooms were occupied by the escorts.

Unlike him, in fact, the team members here left early to have fun in the central city after getting their passes not long after the break. Compared to the nascent city, the entertainment in Changming City is not generally rich and colorful. They desperately needed some relaxation after the mission.

Cheng Fang can naturally understand the hard work of these escorts. This long journey is extremely difficult for anyone in the team.

Especially the escorts in the team, who not only have to ensure safety during the journey, but also bear most of the labor work. The more than [-] elite escorts played an important role in the crisis in Xiti City. Hundreds of soldiers in the city encircled and suppressed the city, and launched a counterattack on the military government building through a secret passage.

The next few days without tasks are the best reward for their efforts.

When Cheng Fang walked to the stairs on the first floor, he suddenly heard a burst of cheerful singing and dancing from the direction of the lobby. It seemed that the picture tube TV hanging on the wall of the lobby was turned on.

The two young people were slumped on the sofa in front of the hall, staring at the program on the TV with bored eyes. It was obvious that they did not enjoy the entertainment going on.

"It's a rare trip. Why don't you two go out and visit Changming City?"

Although the two young men were wearing their own private clothes, Cheng Fang recognized them both as members of the escort team at a glance, and one of them had been his driver for a long time.

"Researcher Cheng? You haven't left yet." The two young team members immediately sat up. After hearing Cheng Fang's question, they both smiled bitterly, shook their heads and fell down again, "I was unlucky when we drew lots. The two of us have to stay here today."

"Didn't Changming City deploy a lot of police forces in this neighborhood? As for safety issues..."

"That's not the reason." A team member interrupted him. He looked around for a while and then lowered his voice and replied: "Captain Luo said: You can still rely on your own people outside."

"I know, thank you for your hard work." Cheng Fang nodded slightly to express his understanding. It is always necessary to stay vigilant. "By the way, I have important matters to deal with when I go out this time. If I don't make it back before the midnight curfew, I will bother you two." Chief Luo, let me know."

After explaining something to the two of them again, Cheng Fang walked out of the hotel.

Although Cheng Fang has been to Changming City more than once, she doesn't know much about the topography here. During those few visits, she was basically busy with work. The experience of visiting this city alone from the perspective of a tourist is even more rare. number.

This time was no exception, but after the business was over, he had plenty of time to get to know a city that was both unfamiliar and familiar to him.

While looking around for any landmark buildings, he lowered his head to confirm the layout map of Changming City in his hand. This kind of map placed on the bedside to provide tourists with routes is very simple. The route planning is only limited to the main roads, but it is enough. It was used to confirm his location, and his destination was not some authentic shop hidden in some alley that only the locals knew.