Chapter 16

) Xinbiqige provides you with the fastest updates for Cultivating in the Wasteland from the Start with the 'Black Attracting Physique'. Chapter 26: Pursuit and Escape, Free Reading. Chapter 27: Rapidly Improving Strength There were two factors that supported Qū Jiànlěi's decision to fight back.

The first was naturally his unsatisfied thoughts, but the second was more important: poverty!

His ability to afford his current equipment and continue cultivating wasn't by pretending to be Mr. Sai. In the end, he had fought several battles, and killing and looting was the secret to getting rich! Therefore, this battle was necessary, not only to satisfy his thoughts but crucially to earn money for cultivation.

With this in mind, he accelerated again, heading towards where he had hidden his motorcycle. He stopped when he was about a hundred meters away.

He had placed the motorcycle and supplies in a shallow pit, covered with a soil-colored tattered cloth. Passersby would usually not notice it if they didn't look closely.

Then he turned around and picked up his binoculars, looking into the distance behind him. How many people were there in the opposing group? He muttered softly, "When you gaze into the abyss, the abyss also gazes into you." It was indeed true; he was observing them, and they were observing him.

The air in the wasteland wasn't good, and visibility was poor. However, visibility wasn't constant. As it was now, he could vaguely see two motorcycles speeding towards him from about two kilometers away.

Brother Dong was riding on the back of one of the motorcycles, holding his binoculars, and had also spotted him. "It's just ahead. This kid isn't slow at all... Huh? He spotted us?"

Qū Jiànlěi memorized their position and then immediately hid behind a rock, kneeling and raising his gun. Theoretically, if binoculars could see them, naked eyes could too. However, at a distance of two kilometers, the figures looked like small black dots, difficult to aim at. It was hateful that most Gauss automatic guns in the wasteland lacked scopes. Considering the range and power of Gauss guns, the absence of a scope was unreasonable. Qū Jiànlěi could only assume the doomsday environment was too harsh, making scopes unnecessary. After all, besides range and power, firearms also emphasized convenience.

However, aiming and firing was a bit difficult for him, and it wasn't an issue of marksmanship. His gun skills used to be poor, but with a Gauss gun in hand, he got good after a few tries. Without boasting, Qū Jiànlěi believed he was a quick learner when it came to skills like marksmanship. It was only on Blue Star that he wasn't interested and found it hard to access, so he never pursued it. Given so many things to ponder, if he wanted to handle a gun, he would have to interact with people, so why bother?

He thought his accuracy was fine, but he couldn't see clearly... What to do? The next moment, he channeled his internal energy to his eyes... Damn, it really worked. The targets didn't appear larger, but their clarity suddenly increased, like a sudden boost in pixel count. So, what he saw just now was... cavalry? But immediately, his eyes went black, and a throbbing pain spread from his eyeballs. Bad! He had used too much force... Qū Jiànlěi quickly retracted it. He felt fortunate that his first attempt at outputting internal energy was to his legs; otherwise, his eyeballs... might not have survived! He must conduct more tests in the future; otherwise, desperate measures could lead to disaster. Testing required a solid financial foundation, which was a significant constraint, so this time... he absolutely had to earn more.

By the time his vision recovered, they had advanced about four hundred meters. He quickly focused and aimed.

Brother Dong watched his actions clearly through his binoculars and couldn't help but sneer. "Still resisting? Do you think you're the Shadowless Gun?"

The Shadowless Gun was the most famous sniper in this area, having successfully killed enemies from over ten kilometers away. However, that person used a laser sniper rifle with a scope, not something a Gauss automatic gun could compare to.

But Brother Dong was still cautious. "Sway the motorcycle a bit." The distance made aiming difficult, and any slight change in the motorcycle's movement would make it impossible for the opponent to hit.

He then added, "Advance another three hundred meters. If the opponent dares to shoot, we'll suppress them with fire!"

Hua Bao held a single-person Gauss machine gun. A distance of fifteen hundred meters was enough for fire suppression. But he hesitated and said, "Brother Dong, suppressing fire from a motorcycle... is too ammunition-intensive." A moving motorcycle wasn't a stable platform for sustained fire. And Gauss machine guns, while powerful, consumed a lot of ammunition. He worried about this battle being unprofitable.

Brother Dong snorted, "He has to dare to shoot at us first." In the wasteland, numbers were a significant advantage. Two motorcycles and four people; would a lone wanderer dare to attack? The wasteland wasn't short of ruthless individuals, but initiating a fight against four people without reason was virtually impossible. Consider your own situation and ours – you don't even have a motorcycle! "Of course, his thinking was based on a perception: the opponent's marksmanship couldn't possibly hit a moving target over a kilometer away! Hitting a target a kilometer away was already impressive, let alone a target that was not only moving but also swaying. He believed the opponent's most likely action would be to feign aiming and then fire a warning shot. However, it was truly unfortunate; Qū Jiànlěi had absolutely no intention of firing a warning shot. He had already decided to kill; why warn? As for a potential misunderstanding... they just happened to choose the same path? Sorry, Qū Jiànlěi never believed in misunderstandings. People in the wasteland were inherently ruthless, and he was stubborn. When he fled, he didn't care about face or reasons; when he attacked, he wouldn't abide by any rules. With the vastness of the wasteland, if you followed me for so long, do you expect me to believe you have no ill intentions? I'm sorry, I won't even give you a chance to explain, and I won't consider the possibility of 'coincidence'.

Qū Jiànlěi held his breath. Three seconds later, he decisively pulled the trigger. He had a good grasp of the lead timing, and the zigzagging movement wasn't entirely without pattern. After the shot, the motorcycle carrying Hua Bao instantly fell to the ground. Hua Bao, who was holding the Gauss machine gun, flew off the vehicle and tumbled several times. "What the hell...?"

The rider's chest had a bloody hole; he was clearly not going to survive.

Brother Dong was horrified. This single shot completely overturned all his plans. First, the opponent was a sharpshooter, hitting a moving target over a kilometer away with a Gauss gun and no scope. Second, the opponent was ruthless, killing directly without hesitation. It was obvious he was a veteran, someone whose knife had tasted blood, a ferocious opponent no one would want to encounter. His rider, also a veteran adventurer, immediately slowed down and took several wide turns to avoid being hit. The next moment, another shot rang out. Hua Bao, who had just gotten up after being thrown off, had a bloody hole in his chest. The Gauss machine gun in his hand hadn't even been raised. Qū Jiànlěi saw clearly that among the four, this guy's weapon was the strongest. So, his first shot took down Hua Bao's rider, and the second eliminated Hua Bao. As for the other motorcycle, it felt much less dangerous, so he wasn't in a hurry to deal with it. But Brother Dong's rider was anxious. "Should we run?"

Brother Dong yelled furiously, "Of course, run! Are we waiting to die?"

The rider turned the motorcycle around and made a wide turn, heading off at full speed. However, at that moment, another shot rang out. Brother Dong, riding in the back, unfortunately became the target. Because of the rider's drastic maneuver, Qū Jiànlěi's shot wasn't ideal this time, hitting Brother Dong only in the left shoulder. But the kinetic energy of a Gauss gun was no joke. A single bullet made Brother Dong's body tremble slightly, and everything from his left shoulder down vanished instantly. That wasn't all; the bullet passed through Brother Dong's shoulder, taking away a large chunk of flesh from the rider's left shoulder. The rider was highly tense and hadn't even noticed that a large piece of his flesh was gone. "Brother Dong, hold on tight. It's time to show off my true riding skills..."

Before he finished speaking, there was a muffled thud. Brother Dong's left arm was gone, and he was thrown directly from the vehicle. "What the hell..." The rider was stunned. "Brother Dong?"

He was indeed thinking of running. It was clear they couldn't win; they had hit a brick wall. If his boss wasn't Brother Dong, he would have run away immediately. That was the rule of the wasteland: survival of the fittest! But this was Brother Dong; even if he escaped, his future days wouldn't be easy. Brother Dong, dizzy from the fall, still knew what he had to do. "You go, he's the main target!"

He had already concluded that this was the person the Hong Character Main Settlement was looking for—otherwise, he wouldn't be this strong! He instinctively felt that he was unlikely to survive, so he wanted to pass on the message. You dare to kill me, then I won't make your life easy either! At this moment, he was purely acting out of a sense of despair.

"Brother Dong, take care!" the rider yelled heart-wrenchingly. Then he turned the handlebars and was about to leave. "I'll spread the word... Huh? My left hand can't muster any strength?"

The next moment, he crashed to the ground with his motorcycle. There were survivors who could ride a motorcycle with one hand, but he clearly wasn't one of them, especially not in a sudden situation. The motorcycle flipped twice, and he tumbled seven or eight times. The physical condition of survivors was truly not to be underestimated; even with his left hand disabled, he still reached for his gun with his right. Another shot rang out, and the bullet severed his right arm. Qū Jiànlěi stood up and slowly walked over, gun in hand. As he approached within about five hundred meters, he aimed at Brother Dong's right arm again. "I admit defeat!" Brother Dong actively raised his right hand, indicating he had no weapon. Enduring the dizziness from blood loss, he shouted, "This is a misunderstanding. I'm willing to compensate!"

He didn't believe his own words, but he had to say them; otherwise, there would be no chance. What surprised him was that the opponent actually raised his gun and walked over leisurely. Qū Jiànlěi's steps were light and somewhat erratic, clearly indicating he was still on guard. When he got close, he raised his gun again, aiming at the opponent's head, and asked expressionlessly, "Why were you chasing me?"

Xinbiqige provides you with the fastest updates for Cultivating in the Wasteland from the Start with the 'Black Attracting Physique'. Chapter 27: Rapidly Improving Strength, Free Reading. Chapter 28: Hearing of the Incident

Brother Dong wasn't afraid of death. When he was still thin and scrawny, he had carved out a considerable reputation precisely because he was willing to fight. However, facing the dark muzzle of the gun, he finally recognized with sorrow that he was getting old. He was very sensitive to the fluctuations of energy, knowing that the opponent would undoubtedly shoot without hesitation. So, he quickly replied, "Someone said you were inquiring about Old Cripple's whereabouts."

So it was that scoundrel... Qū Jiànlěi wasn't surprised by this answer. This was the wasteland. The concession he had made to that person was insignificant.

He retorted, "Can't Old Cripple be asked?"

Brother Dong replied quickly, "The death of Old Cripple involved powerful figures... I'm feeling very dizzy. Can I bandage myself first?"

Qū Jiànlěi expressionlessly tilted his chin, then put away his Gauss gun and drew his short dagger. At such close range, the high-frequency oscillating dagger was faster than the Gauss gun.

Brother Dong was indeed suffering from severe blood loss, but his question had another intention: was there any possibility of him surviving? For survivors wandering in the wilderness, even a first-aid kit was precious.

Seeing that the opponent agreed, Brother Dong took a packet of hemostatic powder from his waist and sprinkled it on his shoulder. Then he took out a roll of bandages, bit it with his teeth, and wrapped it around his body with one hand, bandaging his left shoulder wound. Next, he tied a knot with one hand, his movements quite skilled. Then, he glanced at Qū Jiànlěi and asked softly, "Can I have some water first?"

Qū Jiànlěi remained motionless, his gaze indifferently fixed on the man's neck. Brother Dong sighed and slowly said, "I have a batch of supplies back at the camp."

Qū Jiànlěi calmly stated, "Answer my question first... I won't say it a second time."

Brother Dong pursed his lips and began, "Old Cripple was killed by people from the Main Settlement."

"The incident started when the Main Settlement killed a group of scavengers in the Junkyard. It seems someone from that group had a connection to Old Cripple..."

Qū Jiànlěi was speechless. Those people from Mr. Sai really didn't treat survivors as human beings! But he was curious: would Mr. Sai kill people like this just to find information about him? Unlikely. Could anyone be sure that the person without an antidote could struggle to survive? Making such a scene for someone who was dying or already dead, was it worth it?

He was silent for a long time before asking again, "What was the reason for them killing the scavengers?"

Brother Dong smiled wryly and shook his head, "How would I be qualified to know about such things?"

Qū Jiànlěi said sinisterly, "I allow you to rephrase your answer."

How could he know nothing? Tu Zuofu killing scavengers at Hongsi Settlement – how many people saw it! As expected, Brother Dong hesitated and replied, "It seems the Main Settlement asked the scavengers to help find something..."

He knew quite a lot; he even knew that the scavengers had been poisoned and that they regularly collected antidote. The night before collecting the third dose of antidote, Collins directly acted ruthlessly and ambushed five scavengers. His stated reason to Tu Zuofu was: these five were not diligent in gathering information, so we handled it internally.

He hadn't expected that the foolish Qū wouldn't show up, so Tu Zuofu only needed to provide fourteen doses of antidote. Tu Zuofu was somewhat surprised by this outcome: you kill your own people? He didn't make a fuss about it; after all, the reason given by the other party was 'clearing out unmotivated scavengers.' So, he directly distributed fourteen doses of antidote and informed the other party that only twelve doses would be available next time.

However, a day later, someone from the Main Settlement arrived. Upon hearing this news, they directly led people to the Junkyard. It was said that the leader was very displeased: how to clean up scavengers was not for you to decide internally. Approximately, this was the reason they killed four to five hundred scavengers. However, it was rumored that one of the fourteen involved individuals was absent that day and thus narrowly escaped. As for who this lucky escapee was, Brother Dong stated he didn't know.

"I only know that Collins is dead... He could kill people, so he should be prepared to be killed himself." At this point, a faint sneer appeared at the corner of his mouth. It was normal for survivors to scheme against each other and kill to avoid disaster, but to be killed right after avenging themselves was comical. It was unlikely to be a 'narrow escape'! Qū Jiànlěi asked, "What is the 'thing' the big shots are looking for?"

"I dare not inquire about that," Brother Dong shook his head expressionlessly. "It's fatal."

"You're going to die anyway!" Qū Jiànlěi's body flickered, and his short dagger slit the artery on the side of the man's neck. "You..." Brother Dong looked at him in astonishment, trying to cover his neck, but his whole body felt weak and limp. He had lost too much blood. Originally sitting, he slumped to the ground and couldn't help but ask, "You let me bandage myself, why kill me?"

Qū Jiànlěi couldn't be bothered to reply: allowing you to bandage yourself and letting you live were two different things, weren't they? He then killed the last rider and began to erase any traces. He tied the two motorcycles to the rear wheel of his own motorcycle on either side—lifting the front wheel. He didn't leave the bodies behind; he took them with him on the motorcycles and buried them fifty kilometers away in a suitable location. This time, the haul was considerable. Besides nutrient solutions, he got everything else. The two motorcycles went without saying, plus a Gauss machine gun, a laser assault rifle, a Gauss automatic gun, and two laser pistols. Other noteworthy items included a large amount of ammunition and even an energy block. There were also eight silver dollars, directly solving Qū Jiànlěi's financial predicament. He had made a fortune this time, driving non-stop without any particular destination, going wherever the road took him. He traveled by day and rested and meditated at night. His supply of nutrient solutions plummeted. He traveled for seven full days, and just as his three fuel tanks were about to run dry, he found a survivor camp.

This camp was not small; at least it was much larger than his own Boulder Camp. He rode his motorcycle, pulling two others, into the camp, which was extremely eye-catching. Some were displeased, but upon seeing the Gauss machine gun mounted on the motorcycle and the laser assault rifle on his body, they promptly decided not to provoke him. Anyone daring to venture out alone with three motorcycles was definitely not someone to be trifled with. Moreover, these motorcycles were likely acquired through killing and looting.

Qū Jiànlěi found a grocery store and exchanged a Gauss automatic gun and a long knife for food and water, along with some fuel. He didn't use silver dollars because here, silver dollars were less useful than bartering and could easily arouse suspicion. The grocery store owner also realized this person was not to be easily provoked, and the exchange price offered was quite fair.

After the transaction, Qū Jiànlěi asked, "Do you buy motorcycles?"

The grocery store certainly bought motorcycles, but large items like these would strain their resources if bought with nutrient solutions. "Then exchange them for meat and food," Qū Jiànlěi didn't want to eat nutrient solutions all the time. The grocery store indicated they didn't have much meat or food themselves and would need two days to restock. There was nothing he could do; small places were like this. In a wilderness camp, who could afford meat and food?

Qū Jiànlěi wasn't surprised. He could use this opportunity to repair his motorcycle. The two captured motorcycles had fallen while in motion; although sturdy and durable, they had minor malfunctions. Qū Jiànlěi also wanted to modify his own motorcycle to make it more comfortable to use. There was a private repair shop in the camp that also did general maintenance, but the owner stated he couldn't repair motorcycles. Qū Jiànlěi's reply was: I don't need you to help me repair it; just lend me some tools to use.