The house was found quickly. Apart from not being a single-family house and having no electricity, it did not have any other major flaws. As for the neighbors, Ye Zhou did not want to deal with them. So Ye Zhou took his men to renovate the house that Zhao Qing found for them that same day.
Zhao Qing must have put a lot of thought into it, as the "luxury" of this house is almost the same as Zhao Qing's, with tiled floors, but no lights or kitchen utensils, not even a gas stove. If you want to make a fire, you have to burn wood or charcoal.
It took two days to renovate this house of about 200 square meters from the inside out. This house is on the top floor. After installing the solar panels, Ye Zhou installed a door on the passage leading to the roof. Unless it is bombarded with artillery, no one can open it unless they have a key.
Air conditioning was installed in the house, the furniture was replaced, the non-slip floor was replaced with a wooden floor, the bathroom and kitchen were replaced with non-slip tiles, and even the windows were reinstalled with tempered glass produced by the system by Ye Zhou.
Ye Zhou almost turned this house into a fortress. As long as the people inside didn't go out, the people outside who wanted to come in could only destroy the building directly.
"I don't know how that group of people got so many supplies." The man in tattered clothes leaned against the wall with an equally tattered gun hanging on his body. He held a piece of dry grass in his mouth and looked upstairs from time to time.
The people with him were also looking up. From their perspective, they could only see people moving around inside, apparently installing curtains.
"Those things can't be bought even if you want to, right?" The companion spat on the ground. "He must be a big shot from some big base."
The man curled his lips: "What are we having for lunch today?"
Companion: "Potatoes, the potatoes have been getting smaller recently. Brother Chen said if this continues, he will go to Zhao Qing to ask for an explanation."
"Zhao Qing has been getting complacent recently." The man glanced at the tower. "Tell me, why doesn't Brother Chen kill Zhao Qing and become the boss himself? That way we will definitely get more than we do now."
"How would I know?" Although the companion felt that what the man said made sense, the reason was one thing and whether it could be done was another. "If I could figure it out, would I still be here with you?"
"I saw them moving things to the rooftop before." The man said, "There were quite a lot of them, and they were big. I could see the reflections, but I've never seen them before, so I don't know what they were."
They were chatting here, while the big shots were sitting in their "home", listening to their confidants conveying messages for Zhao Qing.
"Boss Zhao means don't attack him." The confidant snatched carefully, "It's easy to rob and it's also easy to kill, but it's more important to do business for a long time. Otherwise, once you use up all the things you robbed, there will really be no place left to rob."
The leaders of different forces sat together. There were several ice basins in the room, but even so, it was still hot and uneasy. They just didn't sweat too much. After the confidant finished speaking, he stepped back and the whole room was suffocatingly quiet.
"Mr. Zhao is not wrong." The bald man with tattoos on his arms tapped his fingers on the armrest of the sofa. "There is nothing left to steal around here, and there are not enough people in the base now."
The purpose of setting up a base is to gather as many people as possible. Some can act as thugs, some can do logistics, and useless people can be exchanged, but all of this is based on the premise that the base can allow people to survive as much as possible.
Without this foundation, the population of the base will become smaller and smaller, and it will die out on its own without outsiders coming to attack.
Even if they didn't understand before, they all understood under Zhao Qing's patient guidance.
"I never thought that there are still people who dare to do business everywhere." The man next to him said with a relaxed look while trimming his nails, "Do you think he sells shampoo?"
Everyone in the room laughed: "Why do you need shampoo when you have a bald head?"
Water resources are limited. At the beginning, when resources at the base were most scarce, everyone shaved their heads. Although the leaders later had no shortage of water, they still got used to shaving their heads.
So now the whole room is basically full of bald people.
"Does he sell water?" someone asked.
The confidant who stood aside and acted as if he didn't exist replied, "No, but we sell food and daily necessities."
"What's the use of it? What we lack most now is water. We can survive for seven or eight days without food, but without water? We will die in three or four days."
The confidant immediately said, "He sells water, but not just for sale. Boss Zhao is now looking for someone to repair the reservoir."
The room became quiet again.
After a few seconds, someone said, "As long as there is water."
"I don't know if there are any batteries. I have a pile of used batteries that were still usable at first after I soaked them in alcohol, but now I can't even buy alcohol."
"Who can make wine when they don't even have enough food to eat?"
"Bullshit, didn't you get brewed before?"
"I drink that myself, and if you don't like it, go and make your own."
"Stop making noise!" the man with tattoos shouted. Although the others were dissatisfied, they did become much quieter.
Man with flower arms: "What currency does he accept?"
Some large bases issue their own banknotes, but 276 does not. 276 does not have its own production line. Since it does not produce anything, issuing banknotes is useless. They look for other large bases to exchange supplies, either using people as currency, or medicine, cloth or food.
But each base needs different things, so sometimes in order to exchange things at a certain base, you have to go to other bases first.
It is troublesome and inefficient. It often takes several months from the time you decide to buy something to the time you get it.
Over the years, they have never experienced anyone doing business on their own, and they dared to go directly to other people's foundations.
It really opened my eyes.
"Everything is fine except not wanting people." said the confidant again.
The leaders looked at each other.
"I have nothing in my hands except the man."
“I don’t even have anyone there.”
Although they said so, their actions said otherwise.
"I have something else to do. I'm leaving now."
"You guys chat."
"If you have anything to say, ask someone to tell me."
…
"Food?" Ye Zhou was standing in the sun. Chen Shu found a black parasol from somewhere. He opened the umbrella and covered both himself and Ye Zhou.
The bald man was wearing a vest, and behind him were a group of younger brothers. He had a cigarette in his mouth, but he was also reluctant to smoke it. He just held it in his mouth and asked: "Yes, I don't want to buy water from you, I just want to eat."
Behind Ye Zhou were employees equipped with real guns and ammunition. He did not take the man in front of him seriously and just said, "Prepare the things you want to replace and give me a list. Food is easier to prepare than water. I can give it to you within three days."
The man squinted at Ye Zhou, trying to see what kind of soul was underneath this rare appearance.
"Anything else?" Ye Zhou asked.
The man laughed and said, “Nothing, you used a lot of good stuff to redecorate this house, right?
Ye Zhou didn't deny it, he just said: "You can make another list if you need it."
Ye Zhou said calmly: "I am here to do business, there is no reason to push business away. As long as you can afford the price and your boss agrees, I can sell everything except weapons and metals."
Man: "Where's the generator? Gasoline? Diesel?"
His voice suddenly became high-pitched and his eyes turned red.
Ye Zhou nodded: "I have them all here."
The man was breathing heavily, and his eyes changed when he looked at Ye Zhou. Whether it was gasoline or diesel, for them, they were resources that they might not be able to afford in this lifetime. Although they had heard that there were gasoline and diesel in large bases, the transaction price of gasoline and diesel was not affordable for a small base like theirs.
Even if we bring everyone in the base there, we still can't afford it.
"I'll have someone send you the list tonight." The man looked at Ye Zhou deeply, "Remember what you said, if you're just teasing me..."
Ye Zhou had no expression on his face: "You don't have to threaten me."
"If you buy it, I will sell it. If I don't have it, I won't sell it."
Chen Shu, who was standing behind Ye Zhou, raised his gun. Almost at the same time, people on both sides pointed their guns at the people on the opposite side. The atmosphere was extremely tense, as if the place would immediately catch fire if there was just a spark.
From beginning to end, Ye Zhou's expression never changed, as if he wouldn't frown even if everyone in front of him died.
"Okay!" the man suddenly roared and raised his hand. The people behind him hesitated for a moment, but soon put down their guns.
Chen Shu glanced at Ye Zhou who was standing in front of them, and they put down their guns only when Ye Zhou raised his hand.
The man stared at Ye Zhou: "Then it's a deal. No matter how many people come to see you later, prepare what I want first."
Ye Zhou: "I will follow the order."
"Then I'll wait for you to deliver the things to me." The man didn't continue talking to Ye Zhou. He turned around and left with a group of people just like when he came.
After everyone left, Chen Shu said in a confused voice, "Why do I feel that Boss Zhao has no authority here? What on earth can he control?"
Ye Zhou said sarcastically: "If you rely on exploiting the lower classes to maintain your rule, you will of course have to bow to those who have guns in their hands."
Zhao Qing is not stupid, but that doesn't stop Ye Zhou from looking down on him.
Throughout the day, Ye Zhou was almost constantly talking to the leader of his faction.
This group of people have different personalities and opinions, but they all want to gain the greatest benefit for themselves as much as possible.
There were two times when they almost got into a fight. If the people arranged by Zhao Qing hadn't come to stop them in time, it would have been impossible to end the dispute without bloodshed.
There are always some people who are short-sighted and cannot see what is ahead.
It was almost dark when Ye Zhou returned to the RV.
He was busy with the house matters these two days and spent less than an hour with the boy every day. Usually, Sarah was with him. Gradually, the two of them could occasionally say a few words to each other, but they were not so warm, as if they were still strangers.
Ye Zhou was busy all day, and even though he didn't sweat much, his clothes were wet twice. Before going to meet the boy, he went to take a shower in the RV where Wu Yan and the others lived nearby. After showering, he was the only one who didn't blow-dry his hair. As soon as he got out of the car, his short hair was dry in less than three minutes.
After feeling relaxed, Ye Zhou shook off the busyness and restlessness of the day and easily got into the RV where he lived.
As soon as he opened the car door, Ye Zhou smelled the scent of instant noodles.
The smile on his face suddenly fell, but he took a deep breath, calmed himself down and smiled again.
Sure enough, the boy was eating instant noodles. It was obvious where the noodles came from - only Sarah would give them to him.
Seeing Ye Zhou coming in, the boy inexplicably felt a sense of urgency, and he quickly ate the last bite of noodles.
Looking at Zou Ming, whose mouth and cheeks were puffed up with a mouthful of instant noodles, Ye Zhou could no longer get angry.
It shouldn't be a big deal to have a meal, right?
Ye Zhou looked at Sarah who was chewing dried chilies beside him and sighed helplessly.
The boy looked at Ye Zhou. After a few days, he finally believed that Ye Zhou had no ill will towards him. But because of this, he didn't know how to face Ye Zhou.
If the other party wants to take advantage of him, he will be much more comfortable.
But not only did the other party not take advantage of him, he also gave him a bath, changed him into new clothes, and let him eat food that he would never be able to eat in his entire life.
Why?
This kind of kindness without any reason made him feel uneasy and inexplicably frightened.
As soon as Ye Zhou looked into Zou Ming's eyes, he knew that he must be thinking about something, so he said directly: "I bought a house in the inner city and will move there tomorrow."
"If you have good connections in the slums and someone you trust, you can take them away."
Ye Zhou knew that he had to leave, and he couldn't leave Zou Ming alone after he left.
Although some people can share the hardships but not the happiness, he still has to stay for a while to see whether the other party is trustworthy.
If it is not credible, it can be resolved early to prevent Zou Ming from being cheated after they leave.
The boy had been overwhelmed by too many "surprises" during this period, and for a while he was unable to react to what Ye Zhou was saying.
Ye Zhou added: "If you take someone with you, I will go with you later."
"I'll accompany him!" Sarah suddenly raised her hand and said seriously and considerately, "You are tired, you need to rest."
Ye Zhou looked at Zou Ming, who was obviously no longer opposed to contacting Sarah, and thought about their previous relationship. He felt that this was probably a way for Zou Ming and Sarah to get along harmoniously, so he did not refuse: "Okay, you go with him."
With Sarah around, Ye Zhou felt relieved.
Sarah looked at the boy proudly, but the boy was unmoved and didn't even understand why she was so proud or what there was to be proud of.
They don't need to disguise themselves when they go to the slums. In other dimensions, most of the time, being well-dressed means being a fat sheep that can be slaughtered by anyone.
But here, dressing well means being an upper class person, and no one dares to mess with you, not even children.
After all, the entire base is so small, and it would only take a few minutes to catch the murderer.
"Did you bring your gun?" Ye Zhou asked Sarah as he sent them out.
Sarah nodded: "I brought it."
The boy's eyes widened involuntarily as he watched Sarah take the gun out of the small bag on her waist.
——They are all children, why can she own a gun?
It was still a small red pistol, covered with chili stickers as decoration. It looked more like an alternative decoration than a pistol. At least the boy had never seen anyone treat his gun like this.
Sarah got out of the car first. She waved to the boy: "Come down. I will protect you."
boy:"……"
He looked at Sarah suspiciously, and even thought he had heard wrongly. Even though Sarah was taller than him and in better health, she looked like a pampered and spoiled young lady.
As long as she doesn't cause trouble for herself.
The boy got out of the car.
He did have someone he wanted to take with him, but he wasn't sure if she would go with him, and he wasn't sure if the man everyone called the boss would agree to let him take her with him.
He still didn't understand why the boss was so nice to him.
Because of the confusion, even gratitude has become dull. What is so worthy about him?
The other party didn't want to sleep with him, didn't want his organs, and wasn't going to treat him like a wolfhound.
So what can he do?
The boy thought about it for several days but still couldn't figure it out. He was still trembling with fear, but didn't want anyone to discover his emotions.
When he woke up in the morning, he thought that everything that happened before was just a dream. When he opened his eyes, he still saw the tin house.
Sarah was very interested in the slums. Although she was locked up in the cellar most of the time before, she was still able to run and escape in the town before her "brothers" appeared. Although the people in the town provided blood slaves to the vampires continuously, on the surface they were having fun and there was no trace of filthiness.
The people here have no disguise at all, they act according to their instincts like wild animals.
Sarah walked into the crowd, looking at the men and women curiously, watching the people in the cage being pulled out by their hair.
Sarah paused.
She looked at the rows of cages, and unbearable memories of the past resurfaced without warning.
When she was taken to the basement of the castle before, she also saw rows of cages like this, but these cages were smaller, and people locked inside could only curl up their bodies, and when they were dragged out, their limbs would be bent backwards at a strange degree.
Although he was still breathing, he looked like he was dead.
Sarah turned to look at Zou Ming behind her, but found that he was oblivious to everything around him and no sound around him could touch him.
"Don't you want to save them?" Sarah waited for Zou Ming to come to her side before asking.
The boy turned to look at her, seemingly confused as to what she was saying. After thinking for a while, he finally understood what she meant. He said calmly, even a little cruelly, "It has nothing to do with me."
Sarah looked at him in surprise.
She remembered that Zou Ming had once carried blood slaves out of the castle and protected those weak goblins and dwarves.
The boy didn't think there was anything wrong with his answer.
In his opinion, this is how everyone survives. The strong bully the weak, and the weak bully the weaker. Only by exploiting each other layer by layer can they survive.
Sarah didn't ask any more questions. She found that she didn't understand Zou Ming, not at all.
The boy walked to the door of a tin house. The tattered wooden door was half-open, and he could hear a man's excited shouting and a woman's screaming from inside.
The woman was old and had lost her support. She could barely keep this tin house. In order to pay protection fees, she could only receive guests with special fetishes, and she did this every day. Her health quickly deteriorated, but even so, she still let the boy move in with her.
The boy pushed open the door.
There was only the dim, flickering light of a fire in the room.
"Who!" The man holding the instrument turned his head, and the firelight illuminated half of his face. His face was flushed with excitement, his forehead was swollen with blue veins, and his facial muscles were twitching. Under such light, he looked like a monster in human skin.
At his feet, the woman's hair was disheveled and her body was covered with burns. She screamed miserably and covered her face with her hands.
Sarah poked her head in and looked at the man with taut muscles and bulging veins.
The man yelled at them, "Get out!"
"Where did this little brat come from?" The man did not lose his mind. He just wanted to drive the man away and continue his own entertainment.
The man put down his equipment and walked towards the door.
Sarah swallowed.
She has never drunk human blood, but if it was a bad person, it should be okay, right?
The boss won’t scold her, right?
"If I kill him, you have to keep it a secret for me." Sarah whispered to Zou Ming, "I did it for you."
The boy didn't hear what she said at all. He watched the man walk towards him with his whole body tense.
He never confronted these adult men head-on. He always took advantage of them when they were drunk and unable to react.
It was the strange life of the past few days that made him bolder and made him forget his own rules of survival.
Seeing that Zou Ming didn't say anything, Sarah thought he agreed and felt that he was not that annoying.
So just when the man was about to walk up to them, Sarah pushed Zou Ming, who was standing at the door, into the room.
The moment he was pushed, Zou Ming turned to look at her in disbelief.
But what surprised him even more was that Sarah went into the room herself and even closed the door.
The man didn't understand what was happening until a girl suddenly appeared. His eyes lit up and he was about to say something when the girl jumped up as if she had wings, landed in front of his chest, grabbed his shoulders with both hands, and bit his neck.
The man roared in pain and reached out to tear the girl away, but his strength was not enough to move her.
He then punched the girl on the back and head, but again to no avail.
The noise outside was deafening, and no one paid attention to the sound coming from this tin house.
Soon, the man lost his strength, he staggered to the ground, and his skin quickly turned gray.
Sarah couldn't suck anymore, after all, her stomach capacity was limited, so she could only raise her head with regret.
The first thing she did when she looked up was to shout to Zou Ming: "You promised me that you would keep it a secret for me."
Zou Ming looked at her, his face expressionless but his whole body stiff.
What is she?
Is she human?
Sarah wiped her mouth, wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth, and took out a napkin from her small bag and carefully wiped the remaining blood stains around her mouth.
"That's her, right? Is there anyone else? If not, shall we go back now?"
Sarah asked.
The boy finally asked in a trembling voice: "What are you?"
Sarah: “…”
She finally remembered Ye Zhou's instructions.
"I, I was taken for an experiment!" Sarah explained with difficulty, "My teeth were modified!"
After she finished her explanation, she immediately changed the subject and pointed at the woman on the ground: "Is she dying?"
The woman lost consciousness before Sarah could move.
Her hands fell limply, revealing her face that was burned by the branding iron.
Not a single burn.
It's half a face, including the eyes.
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