Chapter 68 Beijing Ruins - 4 Lu Yi saw...
Lu Yi realized something was wrong when he saw the armored vehicle's high beams. He was searching on the roof of a dilapidated high-rise building when he suddenly saw bright lights coming from the direction of the RV, shining far into the smog, which startled him instantly.
Those weren't the RV's high beams; the direction was wrong. They clearly belonged to another armored vehicle, which was heading towards the RV.
Lu Yi immediately jumped from the 20th floor of the building. His body transformed into a beast during the fall, and a moment later he landed heavily on the ground like a cannonball, creating a spiderweb-like crater.
The young orc pushed off the ground with both feet and quickly ran towards the RV.
Is it an armored vehicle from the Eastern Federation? Lu Yi thought anxiously. The orcs' keen sense of smell would surely allow them to spot Tang Bufan in the vehicle, and he was a wanted criminal from the Eastern Federation…
Lu gritted his teeth and quickened his pace again. When he encountered collapsed ruins, he leaped over them with great force and height, making a huge noise that attracted the attention of Lermontov and Anderson, who were in the snow.
Lu Yi's golden-green beast eyes narrowed sharply, his enhanced vision piercing through the haze to see Lermontov clearly. The retired lieutenant general was also looking at him. Their eyes met, and they both froze.
Lermontov hadn't expected the orc to be the missing young master of the Western Federation, and Lu Yi hadn't expected it to be an orc from the Northern Federation either, but he breathed a slight sigh of relief.
Lu Yi jumped down near the RV, adjusted his breathing, and then a gentle smile appeared on his handsome face as he walked towards Lermontov.
“Hello, sir.” Lu Yi extended his hand to Lermontov.
Compared to the rude Anderson, Lu Yibin's polite attitude was much more likable. The retired lieutenant general's expression softened, and he shook hands with him.
"Retired Lieutenant General Lermontov of the Northern Federation," Lermontov introduced himself to Lu Yi.
Lu Yi hesitated slightly before introducing himself as follows: "A wandering orc, Lu Yi."
Lermontov looked surprised, then realized that the young master who had run away from home didn't seem to have any intention of going back.
But why would he give himself a Chinese name? Lermontov found it rather strange.
Tang Bufan hid in the carriage and secretly peeked through the curtains. Lu Yi looked in his direction and noticed Tang Bufan's dark eyes.
Seeing that Tang Bufan was safe and sound, Lu Yi was completely relieved. He then looked at the old man again and asked gently and respectfully, "Is the lieutenant general here to find supplies like us?"
“No, I’m here to investigate the source of the mutated poison people.” Lermontov became more solemn: “You should know that many strange mutated poison people have appeared inexplicably on the continent this year, and our northern border has been severely attacked.”
“What a coincidence, we’re investigating this matter as well.” Lu Yi told Lermontov frankly, “Those mutated poison people were artificially modified, and we suspect they are related to a resistance organization.”
After he finished speaking, he thought for a moment, took out a piece of paper from his pocket, opened it and showed it to the old man. It was a circular wave that he had drawn based on the totem on Tang Bufan's umbrella handle.
"Yes! That's the totem!" Lermontov exclaimed excitedly. "This organization is called the Rebooters!"
Lu Yi looked at him calmly and asked, "Are you going to Penglai now?"
The old man paused slightly, his eyes a little dazed. Lu Yi immediately understood and told him, "We suspect this organization is on Penglai Island, and we thought you were about to go there."
“Penglai Island…” Lermontov looked thoughtfully at the wave totem, then the mist in his eyes cleared: “Yes! That island is a maritime research base built by China, and the mutated poison people may have originated from that island!”
After the old man finished speaking, he looked at Lu Yi and Anderson and said, "If you're going to Penglai, I'll go with you."
“We need to go to Taicheng first.” Lu Yida pointed to Tang Bufan, who was hiding in the car, and said, “On our way here, we encountered an escaped human prisoner who is on the Eastern Federation’s wanted list. We plan to send him back to Taicheng first and replenish the supplies in the RV.”
Lermontov suddenly realized that he had already detected a human hiding in the car by smell, and only now did he understand what was going on.
Humans are a very important reproductive resource for orcs, and they are obtained by exchanging a large number of items from the dungeon, so they do need to be escorted back.
"Time is tight, so it's not convenient for me to go to Taicheng with you." The old man said with some regret, then glanced at the extremely dilapidated RV and asked Lu Yi, "Are you short of gasoline?"
"Yes." Lu Yi asked him politely and obediently, "Does the lieutenant general know where there is gasoline in this city?"
“I did find a cellar the day before yesterday, but I’ve already taken the gasoline inside. I can share a barrel with you,” Lermontov said generously. He had plenty of supplies, and Lu Yi’s identity was worth befriending.
Lu Yi immediately thanked the old man, while Lermontov raised his wrist, signaling Lu Yi to connect to the network with him: "I'll send you the location of that cellar. There are some supplies inside that I don't need, mostly food for humans. You should need them."
“My bracelet is broken.” Lu Yi immediately looked at Anderson: “You come here.”
Anderson looked at him with a half-smile, then lazily got up from the camping chair.
Lermontov didn't like him much, but for Lu Yi's sake, he sent Anderson the location of the cellar and then asked Lu Yi to get in his car to get the gasoline.
Tang Bufan was worried that Lermontov would get on the bus later, so he sneaked over to the toilet, crouched down, and then slipped inside and locked the door.
This reminded him of the days when he had to hide from people. Tang Bufan sat on the toilet, his mind filled with mixed emotions, and he couldn't help but think of Uncle Wolverine and Eberron.
I never expected that the couple were also wanted criminals. No wonder they used to take him to hide in remote places. None of the three of them in the car could ever be brought to light.
Even now, Anderson is a runaway psychopath, and as for Lu Yi... he's also hiding from his father.
This car is weird. Tang Bufan was lost in thought when he suddenly heard the car door open. Lu Yi and Anderson had returned.
Voices could be heard outside:
"That Penglai Island might be dangerous, Lieutenant General, please be careful."
"I brought a drone with me in the car. I'll send the drone over to take a look first."
"If you have any news, could you please let us know?"
"OK."
The old man readily agreed and left the RV. Tang Bufan listened to the sound of him getting out of the vehicle and secretly unlocked the toilet door.
He peeked out cautiously, and only breathed a sigh of relief after confirming that the old man had left before emerging from the toilet.
Anderson leaned against the kitchen counter, looking at Lu Yi with a half-smile: "You're really good at playing the innocent, getting him to explore the island for us?"
"This was originally part of his investigation mission, it just so happens." Lu Yi was tidying up the back of the carriage when he saw Tang Bufan come out of the toilet. He patted the can of gasoline he had just obtained and smiled gently: "Teacher, we have gasoline now."
"..." Tang Bufan looked at the barrel of oil, feeling a little melancholy.
He's got oil now, it's time for him to go.
He didn't expect it to go so smoothly... He originally thought he could spend another week or so with Lu Yi.
Lu Yi keenly sensed Tang Bufan's emotions, and his smile faded slightly: "What's wrong? Are you unhappy?"
Tang Bufan realized what was happening and quickly smiled.
"No, of course I'm happy, I'm just thinking... should we just go with that old gentleman?" Tang Bufan said, trying to cover up his true feelings.
"Don't even think about it." Anderson narrowed his eyes, looking at Tang Bufan with some displeasure. "Go to Taicheng first."
He discovered that Tang Bufan always put his own goals first, disregarding Lu Yi's safety.
But Tang Bufan didn't intend to take Lu Yi with him; he wanted to secretly follow the old man on his own.
Lu Yi, however, began to think seriously: "Actually, that works... Lieutenant General Lermontov has drones in his vehicle, his exploration equipment is far more advanced than ours, and he's also a high-level orc..."
"Stop." Anderson clicked his tongue, annoyed. "I said I'm not going to Penglai Island."
Without waiting for a reply, he made the decision: "We'll go to that cellar tomorrow."
Seeing his firm attitude, neither of them spoke.
In the north, winter darkness comes quickly, and the RV was soon swallowed by darkness. After getting gasoline, Lu Yi used an induction cooker in the RV to make fish soup for Tang Bufan. Tang Bufan was thinking about how to get rid of Lu Yi while sitting in bed knitting a sweater.
This sweater was obviously knitted for Anderson. He even seriously asked Anderson what style he wanted, only to receive an impatient "whatever." Anderson probably didn't think he would end up getting the sweater.
Tang Bufan knew in his heart that he couldn't give it away, but having something to do was better than just sitting around doing nothing.
“Mr. Lermontov said that the cellar is almost entirely filled with food that humans eat.” Lu Yi brought the fish soup he had just cooked to the table, and the three of them ate the fish around the small folding table: “Food preservation technology at the end of the 22nd century was already very advanced. As long as the packaging is not damaged, it can still be eaten after a thousand years.”
"Will you have Coke?" Tang Bufan asked, struggling to grab the spoon with his trembling hands. "I haven't had Coke in five years. Or give me a packet of milk tea powder."
Anderson sneered, mocking him: "With your current physical condition, you're still thinking about eating junk food?"
"I didn't even mention spicy strips," Tang Bufan muttered. "You orcs don't even eat vegetables, how dare you criticize me for eating junk food?"
As Tang Bufan spoke, the spoon in his hand slipped and fell into the soup bowl in front of him, splashing soup everywhere. Anderson recoiled in disgust, while Lu Yi quickly grabbed a rag to wipe it up.
After wiping the table clean, he picked up Tang Bufan's spoon and said with concern, "Teacher, let me feed you."
Tang Bufan sat there awkwardly, his trembling hands hidden under the table, feeling suffocated with unease.
As Anderson watched Tang Bufan continue eating fish soup while being fed by Lu Yi, his silver-gray eyes narrowed and became deep and thoughtful.
The next day, Tang Bufan slept until noon as usual, and had a splitting headache. Lu Yi drove with Kai Ge in the driver's seat, while Anderson watched the floating screen in the passenger compartment.
Tang Bufan got up and drew back the curtains. Snow was falling heavily outside, and the RV was driving on a wide but desolate street. There wasn't a single living thing to be seen in the entire city.
But in reality, beneath this city lurks a great many poisoners, lying dormant in dark, windless corners, waiting for spring to arrive.
They were heading towards the cellar Lermontov had mentioned. Beijing was so big that it took several hours to drive from one place to another.
Tang Bufan got up, put on his clothes and shoes, and Anderson glanced at him before continuing to look at the screen.
"The medicine is on the induction cooker, drink it yourself," Anderson said rather coldly. He wouldn't serve Tang Bufan like Lu Yi did.
"Oh," Tang Bufan responded, when suddenly he heard a deep, rumbling sound coming from afar, causing a huge tremor in the quiet, abandoned city, making everyone who heard it feel uneasy.
"The building collapsed," Anderson said matter-of-factly.
Tang Bufan, who had originally intended to peek through the window, hesitated for a moment and continued walking towards the kitchen. He didn't have time to watch the excitement.
At 1 p.m., the RV arrived at the cellar. It was not in the center of Beijing, but on the northern edge of the old city, on a very ordinary-looking old street.
Tang Bufan sat by the window and looked closely through the glass. The old street was lined with shops on both sides, and the paving stones were uneven due to damage from plants. Even though the whole street was covered with snow, it did not look white at all, but rather grayish.
The RV's wheels rolled over the cracked paving stones and slowly came to a stop by the roadside. Because the RV was so big and the surrounding shops were all small stores only a few meters wide, Tang Bufan had no idea which shop it was.
Lu Yi got out of the driver's seat, Anderson lazily got up and got out of the car, and Tang Bufan immediately followed behind him.
The handsome orc wearing a thin sweater was looking at a shop. Tang Bufan followed his gaze and realized that it was a welfare lottery shop.
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