The raindrops fell to the ground, splashing white mist.
The blackened soil was already muddy, and the low-lying areas were full of water.
Thelma and his companions drove a tattered utility car through houses that had been abandoned for an unknown number of years.
"Damn it, I can't see the road!" Selma stared ahead and tapped the steering wheel.
The vehicle's wipers work hard, but only keep the windshield clear for a second.
"Find a place to take shelter from the rain." Sandro in the passenger seat made a suggestion, "It's not that you don't know, there will always be all kinds of extreme weather in the wasteland, and it's still summer."
Their four-person team was a relic hunter who made a living from the wasteland, and they often came and went here, and they were no strangers to similar situations.
"Okay." Thelma sighed, "I thought I would be able to go to the river tonight and go back to the city tomorrow morning."
Although there is no need to worry too much about car accidents no matter how to open the wasteland on the north shore, with the population and vehicle density here, even if it rains heavily, the visibility is extremely low, and it is a low probability to hit the same kind, but as an "intermediate hunter", Selma knows very well that the danger is not here.
In this extreme weather, the wasteland on the North Shore itself means trouble.
You never know if there will be a sudden collapse of the ground ahead, you can't know how deep the seemingly empty low-lying place is, your car may disappear in the pouring rain, and everyone will drown in the rain-filled old world culvert or buried in the passing river.
In addition to these, there are also natural disasters such as landslides and mudslides.
With the help of the headlights, Thelma barely saw the situation around her surroundings clearly.
This place belonged to the outskirts of the old world, but at that time, many people with a certain amount of wealth in the Red River area liked to live in this kind of place, with single-family houses with lawns and gardens, so at a glance, Selma saw many buildings, some of which had collapsed, and some were still well preserved, but they were covered with snake-like green vines.
Under the dim sky, in the raging wind and rain, the trees, weeds, and houses all give a crumbling feeling.
Thelma followed her memory and drove the vehicle towards a higher place.
Along the way, they were looking for a place to take shelter from the rain, after all, they couldn't always stay in the car, which would increase energy consumption, and they were carrying only one barrel of gasoline left.
Although these buildings left over from the old world look quite intact and seem to be able to stand for many years, some of them have long been dilapidated, and they may collapse directly after being shrouded in wind and rain for a few hours.
I don't know how many relic hunters thought they had found a safe place to shelter from the wind and rain, relaxed their vigilance, and ended up buried alive under masonry, wood and cement.
The houses swept past like this, and Sandro pointed to the place that looked the highest and said:
"That building seems to be okay, the terrain is the best, and there is no major damage, but the snake vines grow more, and the big spotted mosquito likes this kind of place the most."
"We have deworming potions." Denise, who was sitting in the back row, responded with a smile.
They quickly unified their opinions and let the vehicle drive from the back to the house at the highest point of the terrain under the dark sky and in the violent wind and rain.
The dilapidated and muddy road caused them a lot of obstacles, but fortunately, there was no deep water, so there was no need to take a detour.
After almost ten minutes, they arrived at their destination and turned towards the front of the house.
Suddenly, Selma and Sandro's eyelids jumped at the same time.
Inside that house, there was a yellowish light that escaped outward, rendering it out!
"Other relic hunters?" Denise also saw this scene.
This is the most plausible inference of the current situation:
Other relic hunters also chose higher terrain to hide because of the storm.
They didn't think about whether the houses in front of them were still inhabited, because it was impossible - the farmland in the surrounding area was severely polluted, and the things grown could not be eaten at all, which means that settlements of a certain scale could not be formed nearby, and only a few people could feed a few people by hunting alone, and in the face of natural disasters, in the face of "heartless people", in the face of aberration creatures, and in the face of robbers, it is difficult for a few people to resist.
Of course, it cannot be ruled out that this is just a temporary hut for some hunters.
"Do you want to go over?" Sandro asked in a deep voice.
Meeting peers in the North Shore wasteland is not necessarily a good thing, but it is true for both parties.
Thelma was about to answer, but she had already seen the corresponding situation clearly.
The rusty iron fence gate of the house in front of me was open; The overgrown garden was crushed by the wheels again and again, creating a relatively flat road; There is a stone roof outside the main building to shelter from the rain, and a gray-green jeep and a dark black off-road are docked; In the foyer, a pile of fires rose, and a portable stainless steel round pot was set up, cooking something; Next to the fire, there were six people, three men and three women.
Two of them were in charge of guarding, two were watching the fire, and the remaining two were huddled on the chairs and single sofas they had moved, hurrying to sleep.
Selma, Sandro and others were most concerned not about the number of opponents, but about what weapons they carried.
"Short neck"...... Assault rifle ...... "Joint 202"...... After quickly confirming the situation in this regard, Selma said considerately:
"It's not good to just go like this, if they take advantage of us to go down and fire a few cold shots to blow our tires, it will be dangerous."
Such weather, such a road, once a tire blows, the consequences will be unimaginable.
"Well, it's not too late to say hello to Liangliang Muscle in the past." Sandro agreed.
Denise said:
"Maybe we can exchange useful information."
Selma, supported by her companions, drove the vehicle towards the gate of the house, and stopped when the patrol of the ruin hunter squad on the opposite side raised her gun and aimed it.
"Where are you from?" Thelma pressed the car window and asked loudly.
"First castle!" Shang Jianyao responded in a louder voice than the other party before his companion, "What about you?"
At this time, Jiang Baimian and Shang Jianyao were taking care of the fire and heating cans, while Long Yuehong and Bai Chen patrolled the surroundings, alerting for accidents, and Han Wanghuo and Zeng Duo, who were not in good physical condition and had been running around for more than a day, seized the time to rest.
As for Gnava, he is idle, exploring every floor and room of the house to see what books, newspapers, and materials from the old world can be found.
"Northampheford." Selma's voice penetrated the wind and rain and penetrated into the ears of Jiang Baimian and others.
North Herford refers to an area of wasteland on the north bank of the Red River, derived from similar place names from the Old World.
This regional division has no clear boundaries and is a product of pure empiricism.
Without waiting for Shang Jianyao and the others to respond, Thelma shouted again:
"Can we have a few words?"
"You can park your car over there and come over." Shang Jianyao stood up and pointed to a place on the side of the house.
From there to the foyer, there are places to shelter from the rain along the way.
Selma seemed to be stable but carefully drove the car to the intended position, and then they each took their weapons and pushed the door down.
One of them was using a "Tronge" assault rifle produced in the "First City", one was carrying a "Cereal" submachine gun, one was carrying a hand-held light machine gun, and the other was carrying an "Eagleeye" sniper rifle.
This is one of the reasons why they always get kind treatment.
Before they got close to the foyer, they smelled a strong aroma of food at the same time, only to feel that the breath penetrated through their lungs into their hearts.
"Canned roast beef with potatoes...... These supplies are very rich......" Thelma and the others cheered up and walked to the foyer.
With the light of the fire, they finally saw the appearance of Jiang Baimian, Shang Jianyao and others clearly.
Grey Earth ...... Have you done genetic modification? It's a bit of a background...... While her eyes lit up, multiple thoughts flashed through Selma's mind.
As experienced relic hunters, he and his companions have dealt with members of the "White Knights" and know the various manifestations of genetic improvement, and Shang Jianyao and Jiang Baimian perfectly match the corresponding characteristics.
This made Selma and the others more solemn.
"You came from North Anherford?" Jiang Baimian, who was sitting cross-legged by the fire, raised his head and asked.
Zeng Duo's Chuchun Town is in that area.
"Yes, the pollution there is relatively not that serious, you can stay for a long time......" When Thelma replied, she felt the aroma of roast beef pour into her mind one after another, and she was almost disturbed by her thoughts.
They have been risking the wasteland on the north bank for nearly two weeks, and they have long been tired of eating dry food and game with very dry meat and strange taste.
Jiang Baimian didn't get up to say hello, glanced at them, and said with a smile:
"If you don't mind, you can eat it together.
"Of course, I can't allocate beef and potatoes to you, it's my companion, but you are allowed to dip the soup in dry food."
Selma, Sandro and the others looked at each other, thinking that this didn't seem to be a bad thing.
If the other party also wants to eat these foods, just wait for others to relax their vigilance.
Sandro and Denise each held their weapons in case of an accident, while Thelma and Toler sat down by the fire.
"How is the situation over there at Northampheford?" Jiang Baimian asked.
Selma thought for a moment and said:
"There is no difference from before, that is, a certain army in the 'Initial City' seems to be doing drills, and once you get close to certain places, you will encounter them and you will not be able to go deeper."
I see...... Jiang Baimian turned his body sideways and glanced at Zeng Duo on the single sofa next to him.
The lady had already opened her eyes.
Thelma took the opportunity to ask:
"What's happening in the city recently?"
Jiang Baimian pondered for a few seconds, and said "Hmm":
"The 'Hand of Order' is chasing a group of people and causing a storm in the city."
(End of this chapter)