Hawler scratched his short hair that was stuck to his scalp. He had taken Xu An’s things yesterday and felt quite embarrassed, so he wanted to do something for her.
“No need, is there something you need?”
“Not really. Didn’t you say yesterday you wanted to go out with us? The next hunt is in two days, just letting you know.”
Xu An yawned and waved her hand, indicating she understood.
“Do you want to go for a walk? Though, I don’t think we have much here besides sand.”
Xu An originally wanted to refuse, but she was still thinking about the Hellfire and decided to go out for a stroll, to see if she could find any useful information.
“Wait for me a moment, I’ll put on a jacket and go out with you.”
“Okay, I’ll wait for you.”
When they first met yesterday, Xu An had worn a mask and goggles, so Hawler could only tell from her build that she was a tall woman.
But now that he saw Xu An’s face, his own flushed slightly, and he felt a little embarrassed. Minority ethnic groups were never short of beauties.
However, the beauties in his region were different from Xu An’s beauty. The girl before him didn’t have deep-set eyes or a high nose bridge, yet she was still captivatingly beautiful.
In a short while, Xu An put on her jacket, slung her backpack over her shoulders, and followed Hawler out.
She had left in such a hurry yesterday that she hadn’t had a chance to get a good look at the desert city. Now, taking her time to observe carefully, Xu An was astonished. Could this city possibly be the legendary desert oasis?
She voiced her thought.
Hawler chuckled, “You’re right. This used to be the site of the ancient kingdom of Loulan. It was once an oasis, but a sandstorm changed the course of the river. The water sources that sustained people gradually dwindled and eventually disappeared.”
“The people had no choice but to migrate, and this area gradually became deserted. It wasn’t until 20 years ago that a scientific expedition came here to survey and discovered a deep well, from which they extracted water.”
“You have well water here?”
Xu An found it hard to believe. After all, this was the heart of the desert. How could there be a well?
“Yes, otherwise, the people in this entire city wouldn’t be able to survive. It’s just… the well water isn’t as much as you might think, and it’s not enough for everyone to survive.”
Xu An continued to ask, “So, have you always lived in this sand city?”
Hawler shook his head. “No. This place is not suitable for human habitation at all. These people are residents from the desert’s edge. When the zombie horde broke out, they were chased by them and, by chance, ended up in this desert.”
Xu An subtly caught the deeper meaning in Hawler’s words: “These people? Does that mean you are not one of them?”
“No, I belong to the 1087th Battalion of the border defense army. Before the apocalypse broke out, our unit was just changing shifts. Ever since the expedition discovered the water source here, this place has become a駐紮地 for the border defense army.”
Xu An hadn’t expected the burly man before her to be a border guard!
“So, that’s why you asked me about rescue the first time you saw me?”
“Mhm…”
“Have… have you received any retreat orders?” Xu An asked tentatively.
“Retreat? No.” Hawler blinked, the emotion in his eyes evident. “We will definitely wait for rescue. Don’t worry, just stay in the sand city for now. Although the conditions here are tough, people won’t starve to death.”
Xu An: “……”
Faced with Hawler’s sincere tone, she was momentarily speechless, unsure of what to say…
What could she say?
Don’t wait? You were abandoned long ago?
Xu An felt she wasn’t so heartless as to say that. She couldn’t bring herself to.
She didn’t know if everyone in this city shared the same thoughts as Hawler, firmly believing they would eventually receive national rescue.
But… sometimes, hope without a basis was better than despair. At least with hope… people could persevere a little longer.
In their subsequent conversation, Xu An learned why, despite the presence of the military, there was no leader with any real authority.
Actually, it wasn’t that there wasn’t one, but like Hawler’s thankless “captain,” the city lord of the sand city was also just a figurehead whose words held no power.
I forgot to mention, the city lord here was Hawler’s battalion commander.
The people here were already fierce by nature, and with the apocalypse, no one was willing to obey orders, even if Hawler and his men had weapons. At first, Hawler and his men would fire a few shots to scare off unruly or disruptive individuals.
Later, people discovered that these soldiers didn’t dare to shoot and kill, so they became increasingly audacious and reckless. Especially as more and more people migrated, survival resources were no longer enough to be shared equally. Many harbored malicious intentions. It was then that Hawler and his men realized that the old societal norms were no longer applicable in the apocalypse.
Thus, they killed a few ringleaders who were causing trouble, and the sand city gradually became peaceful, slowly forming the strange yet harmonious situation it was now.
“So, you reached an agreement with the people outside the inner city? As long as they don’t kill anyone, you won’t interfere with whatever they do outside, but once they enter the inner city, they must abide by its rules, behave themselves, and not harm others?”
Hawler seemed somewhat ashamed. He turned his head away, not daring to meet Xu An’s eyes. “I’m sorry, we are incompetent…”
“Why do you need to apologize? You’ve done a great job, Hawler. This is the apocalypse. Even if you were soldiers before, you are still human. You’ve managed to protect the order of the sand city while ensuring the safety of the majority, and you are very capable.”
Every word Xu An spoke was from the heart. She felt a surge of respect for the man before her. This respect was different from the awe she felt at the lighthouse. The soldiers at the lighthouse were more intimidating, but Hawler, on the other hand, inspired her deep admiration.
The two walked and chatted. The small sand city was explored in no time, and Xu An gained a basic understanding of the city’s overall structure.
“By the way, Hawler, I wanted to ask you about something. Do you know about Hellfire?”
Hawler’s eyes instantly became serious. “Why are you asking about that?”
“When I was in school, I did some research and heard people talk about it, so I was just curious.”
Seeing Hawler’s sudden tense expression, Xu An had a hunch that something was amiss. It seemed this Hellfire hid many stories…
“Then just listen. Never go there. It’s a habitat for demons. No one who has gone there has ever returned alive.”
“But isn’t ‘Hellfire’ already a tourist attraction?”
Hearing Hawler’s “terrifying” description, Xu An thought he was influenced by local folklore.
Hawler looked at Xu An with a serious expression and slowly said, “You’ve all been deceived! That’s not the real Hellfire at all…”