Chapter 119 Jinjiang Exclusive

The four hovercrafts stopped one kilometer away from the county town.

Cheng Yi, who discovered that the villagers of Yunlu Village were wealthy, went to Chen Bing as soon as he got off the car and said that he wanted to make a deal with the villagers, but was told that the deal had already been negotiated.

In addition to the food and crossbows he was interested in, there were also raincoats, vacuum packaging and other magical things.

Li Tie took out the caravan's cart full of supplies and asked Chen Bing and Lu Xuan to trade. The spices and medicinal materials on the cart were soon replaced with more practical supplies.

The guards looked at the supplies that were enough to feed them for a while and smiled happily.

If you want to survive, food is the most reassuring thing!

Chen Bing asked, "Should we hide these carts like before and use ox carts to enter the city?"

As soon as these words were spoken, the people in the caravan immediately showed regret.

You're not going to sit down now? It hasn't arrived yet.

After riding in a magical floating car that feels like walking on flat ground, asking them to ride a horse or a bullock cart... Don't ask, because if you do, it will be uncomfortable.

Lu Xuan waved his hand: "Trouble, I won't hide it anymore."

Chen Bing was puzzled. Was the parking just to complete the transaction before entering the city?

Of course not.

Soon, the villagers enthusiastically got back into the cars, divided into two cars according to gender, and pulled the curtains.

Cheng Yi was puzzled, "What is this for?"

Before Lu Xuan returned to the RV, he said lightly, "Change clothes."

Everyone in the caravan: “?”

The guards looked at each other, what did this mean?

Aren’t you already wearing that raincoat? Why do you need to change clothes?

Someone murmured, "Maybe he wants to change into some worn-out clothes to avoid being noticed after entering the city?"

The others gave the person who spoke a look that said "Are you stupid?" and all looked towards the floating bus.

With such a huge car in front of you, even if the people in Yunlu Village are dressed like beggars, will you believe them or that I am the emperor?

"Why else could it be?"

As more and more people who had changed their clothes got off the bus, they seemed to understand the reason.

The villagers, who originally wore different styles of clothing, not only all changed into black combat uniforms with silver trim, which looked very cool, but also the young and strong men, regardless of gender, each of them was equipped with an alloy crossbow!

When a row of people stand there wearing the same "uniform", the feeling they give people is immediately different.

Dressed like a beggar? Not happening.

When they are going to a new place, they naturally want to show their best side and make a shining debut.

Although the villagers had never seen blood except for hunting, the caravan guards were still shocked by the spirit and momentum that suddenly burst out of the villagers' eyes and subconsciously stepped back.

Chen Bing's eyelids twitched.

If the other party was in this attitude when they met Yunlu Village, he probably wouldn't let his guard down so easily and would definitely run away when he found a chance.

At the same time, he was extremely glad that he did not have any bad thoughts and conflict with these people.

Yang's attention was attracted by the heroic women holding small and exquisite alloy crossbows in their hands. She couldn't help but look at them again and again.

Cheng Yi is a little different.

His main focus was Lu Xuan.

Before they took out the RV in Yunlu Village, he, like his host, had completely failed to notice Lu Xuan's family. To be more precise, it was Lu Xuan who was unique.

After all, Lu Xuan's appearance is not that of a handsome, extraordinary, and unforgettable handsome man.

But at this moment, looking at Lu Xuan, who was dressed in black, with an upright posture and a look as if he didn't care about anything, no one would think that he was just a villager from an ordinary small village.

Cheng Yi also found that Lu Xuan's clothing style was obviously different from that of others.

Especially the strange coat (long stand-up collar windbreaker) that he wore on the outside, which looked like a cloak but was not a cloak, made him stand out from the crowd and could not be ignored.

The fans in the live broadcast room also watched with their eyes shining, and made all kinds of jokes they learned from ancient live broadcast rooms.

[Host: Stop pretending, I'm the boss, I'm laying my cards on the table.]

[The three-year period has expired, why don't you welcome the Dragon King back to his throne?]

【Hahahahaha, you guys have really had enough. 】

Lu Xuan ignored the group of idiots in the live broadcast room and said, "I've changed my clothes. Let's go into the city."

The villagers got on the bus again in family units, and also invited the caravan to get on as well.

The people in the caravan were feeling a bit complicated. Did they really have to drive the hovercraft in like this?

This will surely scare the victims in the city...Huh?

Thinking of this, I actually felt a little excited.

They've been scared once, and it's hard not to expect others to 'go down with them'.

Of course we have to do embarrassing things together!

…

"Oh my god what is that thing!"

"Monster, monster——!"

“Help—!”

Four huge hovercrafts suddenly appeared at the city gate. The victims in the city were horrified and fled in panic, screaming in fear.

The 'guards' who were originally guarding the city gate felt their legs go weak, sat down on the ground, and then ran away in a panic. The victims could only watch these 'big monsters' rushing into the city without any hindrance.

The other victims who were farther away and hadn't figured out the situation were about to ask what was going on when they saw the floating bus in the lead and the many living people 'trapped' inside the glass windows. They cried out in shock, "The monster is eating people! Run!"

Other victims on the street were crawling back. Some of them lived too far away and hurriedly took shelter in the nearby abandoned houses.

He hurriedly used the badly damaged door to block the entrance and exit, then peeked out through the leaky window, his eyes filled with fear and... the indelible desire for knowledge in human nature.

Is that really a monster?

I don't see any spots that look like eyes and a mouth.

The four monsters didn't run far before they stopped and started vomiting people out. One monster actually vomited out dozens of people in one breath.

The victims were shocked.

This monster can really eat!

wrong.

He vomited it all out and he looks fine, so maybe this isn't some monster?

Moreover, these people didn't look like ordinary people in their attire. They were all holding weapons, and they looked like they were not easy to mess with.

The timid victims instinctively shrank back.

But soon, these disaster victims who were secretly observing saw a middle-aged man wave his hand, and suddenly several carts full of luggage appeared on the open space!

Victims:!

Magic! ! !

It’s a monster after all!

Some disaster victims had a different focus from others. They stared at the luggage that contained unknown contents, wondering if there was any grain or other food in it.

They sniffed hard, trying to smell the food, but they only smelled dust, dirt and rain, and their faces showed disappointment.

Then, the monster behind started to vomit again.

But this time, what was vomited were not humans, but cows and horses, living cows and horses!

From the dilapidated houses on both sides of the street came the clanging sounds of something being tripped, and some tightly closed windows were opened. The skinny and pale victims stared at the cattle and horses of the caravan with greedy and eager eyes, swallowing their saliva frantically.

So much meat!

Chen Bing didn't expect that the people in Yunlu Village were so reckless. They changed things at will and were not afraid of causing trouble at all.

However, thinking that he would be able to go home soon, Chen Bing was quite eager to go home and didn't care about too much.

After having Cheng Yi reinstate the ox cart, he said to the people of Yunlu Village, "My family lives in the north of the city. I've been away for several months and I'm really worried about the situation of my family and their finances. The guards in the caravan also need to go and look for any surviving family members as soon as possible, so I won't stay any longer."

At this point, Chen Bing said apologetically, "I don't know what the situation is like in the city right now, so I can't take on the responsibility of arranging a place for you all to stay..."

Li Tie said with a smile, "We have no shortage of supplies, so finding a place to stay shouldn't be difficult. Boss Chen, just go ahead. You and Xuan still have a deal to complete, right? After you settle down, you can ask about our whereabouts. I think it shouldn't be difficult."

Chen Bing nodded.

This is indeed not difficult. They have such a large presence that everyone in the city will probably get the news soon, and it will be easy for him to find people later.

Chen Bing glanced at Lu Xuan and said, "Then I'll take my leave first. I will definitely find a way to get what Brother Lu wants as soon as possible."

If the seeds he bought were sold out, he would find someone else to exchange with. In short, he had to get the vacuum packaging machine!

The caravan quickly left with several carts of goods.

With fewer outsiders around, the villagers of Yunlu Village looked around and talked excitedly.

Zhang Chengming sighed, "If it weren't for the earthquake, we probably wouldn't have had the chance to come here in our lifetime."

Li Jingshen agreed and said, "The farthest place I have been to before is Baisong Town. I haven't even been to the county seat in our county." Let alone the county seats in other counties.

Wu Yang observed the shops along the street and said, "Many of the shops here have collapsed, and the doors and windows are broken and have not been repaired. They must have been abandoned and no one lives there."

Occasionally, you could hear some noise inside, which was caused by people who had just been frightened by them running in to hide.

Li Tuo blinked and scratched his head. "No one is running the shops here. Are there any brokers left in the city? Where can they recommend us to stay? Should we just find a vacant lot and ask Brother Lu to take out the safe house?"

Lu Xuan said calmly, "Just ask a disaster victim."

After saying this, his eyes swept precisely towards the house where the person was hiding.

Just when I was considering whether to randomly arrest someone, I glanced at a small alley and found a handsome young man of about sixteen or seventeen years old, who looked somewhat smart and was secretly looking over here, as if hesitating whether to come over.

After meeting Lu Xuan's eyes, the other party was obviously frightened, but after a slight hesitation, he gritted his teeth and walked over.

Miao An cautiously walked to within five meters of the suspended bus and paused. A slightly stiff and awkward smile appeared on his face as he asked, "Do you need a guide? My name is Miao An, and I'm a local. I'm very familiar with the area. I can tell you about Yangshan County and even arrange accommodations for you."

As he spoke, he took a closer look at the women and children in the crowd, especially a woman whose belly was bulging and she was obviously pregnant, and his heart was relieved a little.

When the audience in the live broadcast room saw a new person appear, they all joked that the other party was the NPC guiding the host and his group after they changed maps.

Lu Xuan raised his eyebrows and looked at Miao An, guessing that the other party was probably someone who appeared after the earthquake to provide some basic services to newcomers. It was appropriate to call him a guiding NPC.

I don't know whether the other party simply saw that they had no shortage of supplies and came here spontaneously to make some extra money, or whether they also had additional purposes such as reminding them what they should not mess with in the city, finding out where the newcomers came from, assessing their danger and providing intelligence to the forces in the city.

These speculations only flashed through Lu Xuan's mind.

He casually threw a steamed bun made of two-grain flour to Miao An and said, "Then tell us about it. If you are satisfied, you will definitely get some benefits."

Miao An didn't expect them to be so generous. The first thing they gave him was a big soft bun, which was still warm to the touch!

He quickly kicked the steamed bun into his arms, patted his chest with the utmost enthusiasm and promised, "Thank you, sir! Don't worry, as long as I know, I will definitely tell you everything without reservation!"

After getting the benefit and finding that the other party's attitude was not as bad as expected, Miao An's expression became much more natural and bolder.

Before he began his explanation, he glanced at the two floating buses that were at least as tall as him and couldn't help but ask curiously, "What are these? Are they really monsters?"

"What kind of monster is this? Nonsense." Lei Yan, who was standing next to Lu Xuan, said unhappily, "This is our car."

Zhang Chengming on the other side said: "Didn't you see that we just came out from inside?"

Miao An said hesitantly, "But I haven't seen any oxen or horses pulling carts."

Xiong Mao sneered, "Who says only carts are pulled by oxen and horses? Our carts are more advanced than oxen and horse carts, isn't that okay?"

Miao An trembled, but no one's car would float in the air, right? Is it really not a ghost car?

He touched the steamed bun in his arms, which had a strong presence, but he didn't dare to say it out loud.

Lu Xuan said: "Ask less about what you shouldn't ask, and say what you should say."

Miao An quickly suppressed his curiosity and said, "Then shall I first tell you about the situation in the city, or shall I take you to find a place to stay? I see that there seems to be someone still in the car. Can you tell me how many guests there are in total? I'll be able to think about whether there is a suitable place for them to be arranged."

Lu Xuan said, "There are less than 150 people in total, so they don't all have to be placed in one courtyard. Three or five large courtyards, or even small courtyards next to each other, will do."

"So many people." Miao An swallowed, "It's really not easy to find a place, but there are quite a few relatively well-preserved empty houses in the east of the city. One house can easily accommodate fifty or sixty people, and even more if we squeeze in. Finding two or three large houses should be able to accommodate everyone." And the car.

Lu Xuan nodded: "Take us to see the house."

Except for a small number of people who stayed outside and walked with Miao An, the other villagers got back into the cars, and the four cars followed behind them, moving forward at a snail's pace.

When Miao An saw these strange carts actually moving up close, he couldn't help but feel a little scared, but in order to get more steamed buns, he still pretended to be calm and talked about what was happening in the city.

People died in the earthquake, and then the city entered the hottest season. The response in the city was basically the same as what Chen Bing's caravan had experienced. The only difference was that Yangshan County was still a northern city, so more people knew how to dig cellars and could hide in them faster.

City dwellers were not in the habit of hoarding a lot of food like country folks, but they avoided the danger of starvation by looting the homes of their neighbors who had all died in the earthquake and other collapsed houses in the city.

An earthquake wiped out nearly one-third of the city's population in an instant, but the supplies these people originally owned became ownerless, which in turn enriched other people.

Compared with the people who died of starvation, more people died of thirst and heat in the past two months.

The water resources here are not as abundant as those in the south. After the drinking water and the well water dried up, the number of people who died of thirst almost caught up with the number of people who died in the earthquake.

If so many people had not died and there had not been a shortage of manpower to sort out the ruins and dig out supplies, the county town would not have been willing to accept the disaster victims from the surrounding areas.

Miao An said, "After the earthquake, many people from surrounding villages and towns came to seek refuge. Some of them initially wanted to save their crops, working tirelessly every day to water their fields before the nearby rivers dried up."

At this point, Miao An curled his lips and said, "People are almost out of water, yet they're still watering. In the end, they can't save the crops, and they die of heatstroke. It's all in vain. In the end, the remaining people will have to abandon the dry and cracked land and come to the county town to find a job."

“If the water wasted on the ground was saved for drinking, perhaps no one would have died.”

Li Tie and others can understand this.

In a sense, the harvest from the fields is more important to farmers than their own lives. If losing their own life can save the lives of other family members, they will do so when necessary.

Unfortunately, this drought is much more severe than previous ones, and it cannot be solved by just a few deaths.

Miao An said, "I heard before that someone died for several days without being discovered because they were the only one living in the house. It was not until several days later that someone passing by smelled the stinking smell of cooked meat that they discovered the body. The outer layer of the body was already cooked, and because it was too hot, it rotted and became infested with insects..."

Regardless of the taste or appearance, anyone who sees it will vomit out overnight meals if they have eaten the day before.

The villagers of Yunlu Village also looked a little unhappy when they heard this. The undigested lunch they had eaten not long ago seemed to be churning in their stomachs. They vomited...

Miao An continued, "Some people in the city also thought that the drought in the south might not be so severe, and they might have relatives to seek refuge with. So they headed south a long time ago, but I don't know if they were able to find their relatives successfully."

Li Tie asked, "What about the government? Is there no one in charge? Has anyone from above come to provide disaster relief?"

Miao An chuckled, "There are terrifying underground cracks everywhere now. Even if the government wanted to send people to help, they wouldn't be able to come, right? Maybe the higher-ups can't even take care of it themselves."

The drought doesn't only affect them. No matter whether you are an officer or a soldier, you will still be defeated by the high temperature, right?

Those officials were too busy finding places to escape the heat and save their own lives to care about the victims.

Wu Cheng looked at the still deserted street nearing the end and asked, "So the people in this city now rely on scavenging unowned goods to survive? What about the shops? Are they all closed?"

Miao An said, "Some are open, but not here, and most aren't private shops. The shops that did sell mostly non-necessities after the disaster, so even if they were open, no one would come."

"The goods stored in the shops and warehouses of those deceased shop owners have all been collected by several forces in the city, except for a few smart people who quickly hid some. Ordinary people cannot get a share unless they find a way to join those forces.

Over 90% of the shops still open today are selling the supplies that those forces have gathered. These supplies can be purchased with gold and silver, or through barter. Gold and silver are very expensive; a single coarse grain pancake costs over a hundred coins. Water is the most expensive item, costing one or two ounces of silver for a small bowl. Most people barter.

Food does not account for a large proportion of the unowned supplies, so the rest can be taken to the shop and exchanged for ready-made dry food to avoid having to cook in the scorching heat.

However, water was too expensive, and the supplies that the victims had found with great difficulty were only a fraction left, so they could only live a very tight life.

"Fortunately, it has been getting cooler since half a month ago, and it has even rained!" When he said this, Miao An's voice and expression became obviously cheerful, and his haggard face, which was tortured by the extreme heat, brightened a lot.

He danced with joy and said, "When the first rain fell, everyone in the city was overjoyed. They rushed outside crying and shouting, looking for basins and bowls to collect water. Those who couldn't find any just tilted their heads back and drank from the water in big gulps. Some even lay on the ground, enjoying the feeling of being soaked by the rain."

He himself is one of them.

He still remembers the indescribable feeling of happiness when the rain moistened his cracked lips and skin.

Miao An deliberately observed the changes in the expressions of the villagers in Yunlu Village. Seeing that they looked moved but did not seem to have much resonance with them, he knew that they might not have lacked water before.

Miao An rolled his eyes and rolled up his sleeves to show them his arms. "Look, these are all sunburned. Almost everyone who survives in the city now looks like this."

The villagers couldn't help but gasp when they saw the miserable state of Miao An's arm.