Chapter 108 Conspiracy

She quickly assessed the situation: there were four people on the other side, with average weapons and low-level superpowers. But there were at least several dozen more people inside the base. Forcing their way in or refusing entry could immediately trigger a conflict. They had been walking for most of the day and weren't in the best condition; they decided to rest first and then assess the situation before taking any further action.

"Oh?" Ruan Ning said calmly. "Then I'll take my leave."

The tall, thin man's smile widened, a hint of smugness flashing in his eyes: "Open the door! Welcome, distinguished guest!" He gestured for his men to push open the heavy iron door.

Ruan Ning slowly drove the car into the base. The gate slammed shut behind him.

The base was even more cluttered and cramped inside than outside, with piles of junk scattered across the open ground. Several emaciated men peeked out from the doorway of a shack. A tall, thin man and a few of his men followed the vehicle, ostensibly to guide them, but in reality to monitor them.

The car stopped in front of a row of relatively intact warehouse bungalows. Ruan Ning didn't get out immediately. She glanced at Lin Yan and Zhou Min and whispered, "Be careful, they're up to no good. Be prepared and don't stray too far from the fire."

Lin Yan nodded, and Zhou Min took a deep breath. Da Huo had already jumped out of the car and was standing guard by the driver's side door, his dark red eyes coldly staring at the approaching tall, thin men.

The tall, thin man walked over and greeted them warmly, "Gentlemen, this way please! Have some water and rest your feet for a bit, then we'll start eating!"

What appears to be a hospitable invitation is actually a trap with malicious intent.

Ruan Ning pushed open the car door and got out with a normal expression.

After getting off the bus, the tall, thin Wang Gang tried to enthusiastically lead Ruan Ning and the others to the so-called "canteen" for food and water.

Ruan Ning refused outright, her tone calm but leaving no room for negotiation: "Thank you, but we brought our own food. We've been traveling all day and want to rest as soon as possible. Any place to spend the night will do."

Wang Gang's smile froze for a moment, a hint of displeasure flashing in his eyes, but he quickly put on a smile again: "Is that so... alright, alright. A-Qiang, take these guys to that empty warehouse at the east end and clean it up!" He gestured to one of his men.

The man named A-Qiang responded, glanced at the three women, and then led the way.

The so-called "empty warehouse" was actually a dilapidated prefab house used to store miscellaneous items. Inside, there were some broken tools and sacks, thick dust, and several pieces of broken window glass.

Ah-Qiang casually kicked aside some clutter, said "This is it," and turned to leave. Before leaving, he gave them a meaningful look and closed the flimsy wooden door behind him.

“This place…” Zhou Min frowned, scanning the room with her spiritual power. Apart from dust, there was nothing else.

"As long as it blocks the wind, it'll be fine." Lin Yan put down her backpack and began cleaning the corner, laying a tattered canvas on the ground. Da Huo sniffed around near the door, then went to the window and lay down, both to keep watch outside and to block a possible entrance.

Ruan Ning took out some simple food and water from her backpack—compressed biscuits, dried meat, and clean water. The three of them ate in silence. With the food in their bodies and the effects of the residual spiritual spring water, their strength and injuries were slowly recovering.

"They have ill intentions," Lin Yan said in a low voice as she wiped her knife.

“Hmm.” Ruan Ning nodded. “That Wang Gang has a shady look in his eyes. He didn’t invite us in with good intentions. He probably wants to wait until we lower our guard, or make a move under the cover of night.”

Zhou Min was a little nervous: "They outnumber us, and this is their territory..."

"So we need to hurry up and restore it." Ruan Ning looked at the sky. It was completely dark outside, and there were only a few scattered lights and faint voices in the base. "Lin Yan, Zhou Min, you two rest first and get some sleep. Da Huo and I will keep watch. Even if they want to make a move, they will probably wait until the middle of the night, when people are most sleepy."

She paused for a moment, then said, "Don't worry, their strongest are probably only a dozen or so low-level ability users, otherwise they wouldn't be hiding in this place charging tolls. The real problem is that they have a lot of people and know the terrain well. But we have vehicles, fire, and abilities. If they dare to come, we'll make sure they don't leave alive."

Lin Yan nodded without saying a word, found a relatively comfortable corner, lay down with the knife in her arms, and forced herself to fall asleep as soon as possible. Zhou Min also lay down as instructed, knowing that conserving energy was the most important thing, even though she was nervous.

Ruan Ning sat cross-legged near the door, with his back against the wall.

She didn't completely close her eyes. Her third-level mental energy spread out silently from her, like the most sensitive spider web, covering an area of ​​dozens of meters around the prefab house.

Any hostile approach, unusual sound, or energy fluctuation could not escape her perception. At the same time, she was slowly circulating her water-based powers to nourish her still somewhat aching meridians.

The firefly crouched beneath the window, its ears perked up and its nose twitching occasionally, trying to catch any scents carried on the wind. Its night vision was exceptional; its dark red eyes appeared like two faint embers in the darkness.

Soon, the even, soft breathing of Lin Yan and Zhou Min filled the prefab house.

Outside, the hustle and bustle of the private base gradually subsided, but occasional suppressed conversations and scattered footsteps could be heard from afar, heading straight for the large warehouse where Wang Gang and his group were gathered.

Meanwhile, in the largest warehouse in the center of the base, the doors and windows were tightly closed, with only a few dim oil lamps and emergency lights lit.

Wang Gang sat behind a worn-out desk, with about thirty people standing or squatting in front of him. These were all his trusted confidants, including the dozen or so who had awakened their supernatural abilities, and a dozen or so strong, daring men.

The warehouse was filled with smoke, a mixture of cheap tobacco and the stench of sweat. The atmosphere was somewhat restless.

"Boss, what are we waiting for?" a burly man with a face full of scars and a faded blue dragon tattooed on his arm said impatiently. "It's just three women and a dog! With so many of us, why don't we just rush in and pin them down? No matter how fierce that dog is, can it withstand our gang beating? I think the girl driving the car is the prettiest, so she's the boss's. The other two and the dog, we brothers can split them up!"

"Exactly! That car of theirs looks like a high-end vehicle, it's been modified! And that dog, a mutant beast, it's definitely worth a fortune!" Another skinny man chimed in, his eyes gleaming. "Maybe there's even more good stuff in their car!"

But dissenting voices immediately arose.

The speaker was a man in his forties with a scar on his face and a rather calm look in his eyes. His name was Old Chen, and he was one of the few people here who knew how to use their brains.

"Tiger, you're thinking too simply." He took a drag of his cigarette and slowly exhaled. "Did you see clearly? Those three women, and that dog, were clean, plump, and had bright eyes. Now look at ourselves, and all the people in the base—aren't they all emaciated and pale?"

He paused, then looked around at everyone: "It's been a year since the apocalypse. Are they ordinary people who can walk like this and maintain this state? They dared to travel all the way from Linfeng City with just three people and a dog. They must be quite capable. That dog, I could tell it was unusual; its eyes looked like it wanted to devour people. It's definitely seen blood. Did you see the woman driving panic when she got out of the car? Her eyes were incredibly cold. The other two, the one with the knife, her hand was very steady, and the other looked weak, but her eyes were also wary. After they came in, they didn't even drink our water; they went straight to asking for a place to rest. What does that mean? It means they're wary of us!"

Tiger retorted, "So what if we're on guard? Two fists can't fight four hands! We have a dozen or so brothers, and we even have special abilities. Are we afraid of them?"