Chapter 17 Rejecting Companions
It was said that boarding was based on ticket number, but in reality it wasn't that strict. Occasionally, someone would cut in line, but those with the earlier numbers didn't dare to make a loud noise or push; they could only silently climb onto the train from the back.
Zuo Shan thought it would be too stuffy to sit inside, so he wasn't in a hurry. When he saw that the second floor was almost full, he quickly walked over and showed his ticket to the mercenary checking tickets.
Sure enough, she sat at the very end of the second floor, just two or three seats away from the carriage door.
She thought there would be more people behind her, but the mercenary checking tickets made the people behind her go up to the third floor.
The people inside were sitting very close together, but no one dared to push their way out, so much so that there was a large empty space to her left.
Zuo Shan felt increasingly that number 66 was auspicious, and sure enough, he chose a good spot right at the beginning, without having to squeeze with others.
Only after all the ticket holders had boarded the train did the mercenary check the tickets say, "Captain, 160 people should be here, but five numbers are missing. Should we wait for them, or just bring them on as replacements?"
"No need to wait. Since they have no sense of time, we don't need to sell them tickets next time. Just send five more on the waiting list!" the leader said with an annoyance.
He was a tall, burly man with a dark complexion, around forty years old, exuding an aura that kept strangers at bay; he looked like someone not to be trifled with.
Zuo Shan couldn't help but shrink his neck, secretly reminding himself never to provoke this Flying Tigers commander in the future.
The mercenaries checking tickets soon brought five people. Three of them went up to the third floor, and coincidentally, the two remaining to fill the empty seats on the second floor were Ding Tai and his nephew Ding Yi.
As soon as the little girl climbed onto the bus, she winked at her, looking like she really wanted to talk to her but didn't dare to make a sound and break the silence in the carriage.
Seeing this, Zuo Shan couldn't help but laugh. He reached out and pinched her thin cheeks. The little girl didn't dodge; instead, she rubbed her cheeks against Zuo Shan's face.
There are no fat people in District 50. In her original world, many people are busy losing weight, and some people are working hard to control their diet to prevent themselves from gaining weight.
I never imagined that I would time travel to a place where the concept of weight loss is completely unnecessary.
Zuo Shan gently stroked the little girl's thin face, feeling a pang of heartache. Such an obedient, sensible, and adorable child had to go hungry.
Unfortunately, she herself is not even secure, so how could she possibly spare any extra compassion to help others?
The carriage door closed, and there was a moment of darkness, followed by the dim illumination of the ground lights, and the train finally started moving.
The people inside the car seemed to have pressed the pause button, and instantly began to make noise.
Ding Yi moved closer to Zuo Shan and started chattering to her. Through their conversation, Zuo Shan roughly understood the purpose of this mission.
They were heading to a mutated pine forest. The pine cones were just ripening this season. The Flying Tiger Mercenary Group had discovered this pine forest by chance and had sent people to drive away the mutated squirrels there a few days earlier.
The place is basically safe now, but it's not impossible for other small mutated beasts to suddenly appear, such as mutated pine nematodes and mutated crossbills, which feed on pine sap and pine cones.
Mercenaries can't possibly clear everything out, so scavengers have to be careful on their own. If they do encounter something, they're on their own. If they're lucky, they might get help from the mercenaries, but if they're unlucky, they might get injured or maimed on the spot.
Even so, so many people were eager to participate in this mission. Zuo Shan could easily understand that the rewards for this mission must be very generous.
The saying "Man dies for wealth, birds die for food" is a universal truth.
For example, even though she knows there is danger, she is thinking about making a lot of money so that she and the unknown little thing in her belly can store up some food to survive the extreme cold weather.
Ding Yi was the kind of girl who seemed well-behaved and shy at first glance, but at the same time she was very outgoing. After a journey of more than three hours, she had become quite familiar with Zuo Shan, like an old friend who could talk about anything.
Before getting off the bus, Zuo Shan hesitated for a long time before finally speaking to Ding Tai: "Uncle Ding, Xiao Yi is too naive. You should teach her more about safety precautions in the future."
"Hehe, thank you, Miss Zuo! But my Xiao Yi isn't this enthusiastic to everyone; she only acts this way towards people she finds attractive."
The amount of words she spoke on the way here today exceeded what she would say to everyone else in a whole year combined, which shows that she really likes you.
"We'll be splitting up to collect samples later. If you don't mind that we're old and young, you can join our group, okay?" Ding Tai gave her a friendly smile.
"Thank you, Uncle Ding, but I'm used to collecting alone. There are so many people here, and it looks very safe. Let's get together during our lunch break." Zuo Shan shook his head again.
It was because the old woman taught her such a profound lesson on her very first day that she no longer dared to completely trust anyone in the world.
She's fine with people who get along well chatting together, but she's worried about them actually going out to gather resources together.
After all, this is a place where even food can spark a bloodbath. If she and the Ding family uncle and nephew discover the energy stone together, she can't guarantee that they won't try to kill her.
Ding Tai remained noncommittal about her rejection, but Ding Yi was slightly disappointed. Watching Zuo Shan's retreating figure, she sighed softly:
"Uncle, she's the kindest person I've ever met in my life, and she's also a beautiful young lady. I like her so much, but why doesn't she want to team up with us?"
"You're only eight years old, what are you talking about for the rest of your life? The fact that she doesn't want to team up with us shows that she's vigilant enough, which is how she can survive longer in the wasteland."
"Besides, you were born with the ability to sense good and evil, and you know that she has no ill intentions towards us, but what makes her so sure that we have no ill intentions towards her?" Ding Tai poked his niece's forehead and said.
"Uh, right, I forgot about my unique ability," Ding Yi said, slapping his forehead.
In a large forest of mutated pine trees, the uncle and nephew chose a pine tree that didn't look very tall or strong, but was in a suitable location, and began their collection for the day.
The pine forest was large enough that two hundred people, including forty mercenaries, were thrown into it and were quickly swallowed up by the tall green plants.
Anyone who wants can find a pine tree of their own to harvest from, without having to compete with others.
Even so, there were still several people vying for the pine trees with the most pine cones growing in the central area.
Humans are like that; they would rather waste time fighting for something than give up the greatest benefit and choose a slightly smaller one.
Zuo Shan gently shook her head and whispered to Mao Li, who was hiding on her shoulder, "Help me choose a tree."
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