"Bai Chen?"
Hearing the shout from the opposite side, Long Yuehong almost froze.
Could it be that they were acquaintances of Xiaobai?
Bai Chen, who had originally given up on firing a warning shot and was merely on guard because the other party was preparing to bypass their team, frowned slightly, as if trying to recall who the person was.
"It's me!" A head popped out from the passenger seat of the modified vehicle.
It was a man in his early thirties, of the Ashlands race. His beard was remarkably clean-shaven, which was quite rare among relic hunters.
The next second, he seemed to realize that recklessly sticking his head out like that made him an easy target for snipers, so he quickly ducked back in.
"He has a comedic aura..." Shang Jianyao commented truthfully.
He had originally wanted to use a term he'd learned from the Old World entertainment archives to describe it, but he still wasn't feeling well and didn't want to waste brainpower on recalling it.
With that "fleeting glance," Bai Chen recognized who it was.
She glanced at Long Yuehong and Jiang Baimian before explaining simply:
"A relic hunter named Chu Ge, who I used to team up with to explore a few city ruins."
"Since they're acquaintances, let's have them come over for a chat," Jiang Baimian said, not caring much.
Bai Chen nodded slightly and waved her "mermaid"-type prosthetic limb at Chu Ge's vehicle.
——It was her left arm that had been replaced.
As the two vehicles slowly approached each other, Long Yuehong opened his mouth, as if he wanted to ask something.
Jiang Baimian glanced at him, then looked at Bai Chen with a smile:
"How come you didn't team up later?"
Bai Chen replied calmly:
"He's an ambitious person who wanted to try his luck with the factions east of 'First City.' At the time, I had my own smart robot and didn't plan to leave familiar territory, so he left with a few companions."
Jiang Baimian looked at the two vehicles:
"He's doing pretty well."
Ordinary relic hunters couldn't get their hands on heavy machine guns, let alone two of them.
The modifications to the two vehicles also leaned more towards combat. One definitely couldn't pull that off without some resources and connections.
As Jiang Baimian spoke, the two vehicles with flamboyant flags fluttering beside them increased the distance between each other.
The one in front sped up, closing in on the "Old Task Force," while the one behind slowed down, stopping at a farther distance.
——Although their flags were flamboyant, it was clear that they didn't contain any religious meaning or belong to any faction. They were more like a haphazard patchwork of various Old World textiles, such as a certain brand's colorful silk scarf or a certain brand's flamboyant rug.
These were interwoven together, making each of the four flags different, yet all equally expressing an unrestrained, rebellious spirit.
Clap, clap, clap. Shang Jianyao applauded.
An "artist" always appreciates another "artist."
The applause made Chu Ge, who was getting out of the car, pause for a moment, unsure how to react.
He had a square face and didn't have particularly good looks, but he gave off a friendly vibe.
Chu Ge steadied himself and sized up Jiang Baimian, Shang Jianyao, Long Yuehong, and the grayish-green jeep. He smiled and said to Bai Chen:
"You're doing pretty well for yourself."
As he spoke, a man and a woman got out of the back of the modified vehicle.
The man was about the same height as Jiang Baimian, wearing a floral shirt and a gold necklace, somewhat resembling the feeling given by the flags beside the car.
The woman was less than 1.7 meters tall. Although it was early spring and the weather was very cool, she was already wearing shorts and boots.
She had eyeshadow and blush applied to her face with expired cosmetics, likely scavenged from city ruins, giving her a smoky, fiery look, as if she had just retreated from a battle. Her features were quite beautiful.
The woman warily sized up Bai Chen before her gaze swept over Jiang Baimian, then paused for a few seconds.
"You're not bad either," Bai Chen responded to Chu Ge's words.
She made no attempt to introduce Jiang Baimian and the others.
Chu Ge didn't mind and continued with a smile, amiable and approachable:
"This is Shao Liang, and this is Mu Chi.
"How did you end up here?
"Didn't you say you wouldn't leave the Blackmarsh Wilderness and the area around First City?"
Bai Chen's answer was very concise:
"Times change."
Before Chu Ge could speak, Jiang Baimian added a sentence for Bai Chen:
"Leaving a familiar environment for a strange place is either out of desperation or because you have prior knowledge, have secured connections, and have made adequate preparations. Which do you think it is?"
Mu Chi, with her smoky eye makeup, was about to speak, but Chu Ge had already replied with a smile:
"Judging by your appearance, it's definitely the latter."
"Who says?" The honest Shang Jianyao retorted weakly, "Do I look like I'm in good condition?"
"..." Chu Ge was momentarily speechless.
Shao Liang, who was wearing a floral shirt and a gold necklace and had a bit of an artistic vibe, started playing with a dagger upon seeing this:
"Sometimes, I'm in even worse shape than you, but that doesn't prove anything."
"You like staying up late too?" Shang Jianyao was completely oblivious to the subtle prickliness in the other party's words.
Shao Liang raised an eyebrow and smiled:
"Of course. The night is fiery, warm, a witness to the mutual trust between people, and also calm, empty, and full of inspiration."
This is the first time I've heard someone describe that sort of thing as mutual trust between people... This is even more outrageous than the "Most Holy Desire" sect or the "Transcendent Spirituality" order... Long Yuehong muttered inwardly.
Not giving Shang Jianyao a chance to steer the topic further astray, Bai Chen asked Chu Ge in return:
"Didn't you say you were going east of 'First City'?
"What about the others?"
The Wrath Lake area was south of "First City," separated by the vast Iron Mountain.
The others referred to the relic hunters who had followed Chu Ge to those factions east of "First City" to seek opportunities.
Chu Ge's smile remained unchanged, still appearing quite cheerful:
"Ah, some of them have settled down and become employees of the 'Orange' corporation. Some have acquired a piece of uncontaminated land and organized a group of people to build an armed farm.
"As for me, I'm in the Wrath Lake area for something."
Bai Chen didn't intend to ask what exactly he was there for, but Chu Ge said it on his own:
"We're going to Redstone Town to attend a conference."
A conference? Long Yuehong was surprised.
Outside of major factions, it was rare to hear of a conference being attended.
——In the current situation where order was limited to large settlements, who could organize, or would organize, a conference with many participants coming from afar?
"A conference?" Jiang Baimian didn't hide her curiosity.
Chu Ge smiled:
"A pan-religious conference."
Uh... Long Yuehong didn't quite understand.
Jiang Baimian had seen similar terms in some Old World academic books and guessed that it was a conference used internally by a certain sect to resolve doctrinal disputes and important matters. This was also called an ecumenical council or a universal council.
But this guy isn't vigilant at all, he doesn't seem like someone from a Vigilance sect... Jiang Baimian muttered in her heart.
Redstone Town is the Vigilance sect's territory!
Bai Chen didn't ask what a pan-religious conference was, merely reminding them as acquaintances:
"If you want to go to Redstone Town, you're heading in the wrong direction."
"We know, we know," Chu Ge said with a smile, "We just need to go somewhere else first to meet up with someone. What about you guys? What are you doing in this area?"
"Taking a stroll through the Iron Mountain Ruins," Jiang Baimian said, not wanting to make things difficult for Bai Chen.
"Going to the Iron Mountain Ruins? You can go directly southeast from Wildgrass City, why bother circling around to the Wrath Lake area?" Chu Ge looked at Bai Chen with slight bewilderment.
In his opinion, it was impossible for her not to know that route, even if she hadn't actually traveled it herself.
——The Iron Mountain Ruins were one of the most famous ruins during the Chaotic Era. Although they had been dormant for nearly twenty years, relic hunters were still very familiar with their related circumstances.
Bai Chen nodded:
"We're going to Redstone Town first to wait for a teammate to meet up with us."
"I see..." Chu Ge said with a thoughtful sigh, "Your teammate must be very strong..."
From Bai Chen's words, he could tell that their friend was coming alone to meet up.
And anyone who dared to trek long distances across the Ashlands alone was either at their wit's end with no other options, or had considerable confidence in their own strength.
"Yes," Shang Jianyao said, deeply convinced of Genawei's strength.
Chu Ge and the others suddenly felt like they were choking.
Fortunately, Chu Ge had now evolved into a social butterfly and quickly changed the topic:
"Since you're also going to Redstone Town, let's get together later, shall we?
"By the way, have you reached 'Senior Hunter' yet?"
He was looking at Bai Chen when he asked.
Bai Chen shook her head:
"Not quite yet."
This was because the "Old Task Force" wasn't that active in completing the Hunter's Guild's commissions.
Like when they were in First City, after completing the White Wolf mission, they hadn't really been relic hunters in any serious way.
So, Bai Chen was still a "Middle-Rank Hunter."
Chu Ge politely didn't ask further, exchanged a few pleasantries, and pointed in a certain direction:
"We need to get going, let's chat later."
"Goodbye," Bai Chen waved her hand cleanly.
After watching Chu Ge and the others drive their vehicles away one after another, Jiang Baimian suddenly looked at Bai Chen and chuckled softly:
"Xiaobai, did he used to pursue you?"
Eh? Long Yuehong's expression immediately focused.
Bai Chen nodded:
"When relic hunters team up to complete missions, single women always have no shortage of suitors."
"Especially if they're good-looking," Jiang Baimian added with a smile.
Bai Chen continued:
"But such pursuits are mainly for a few times. If you really encounter danger, or the rewards are tempting enough, most of those people will abandon you without hesitation, or stab you in the back. Similarly, male relic hunters shouldn't expect any woman who sleeps with you to value you more than supplies and not turn around and shoot you.
"Only a few can withstand the test, again and again, and eventually become companions."
Jiang Baimian laughed, imitated some of the men she had seen before, and put her arm around Bai Chen's shoulder:
"So, we're companions!"
Bai Chen struggled a bit, but only for a moment.
Clap, clap, clap. While Shang Jianyao applauded, Long Yuehong secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
...
A day later, near dusk, the "Old Task Force" arrived at Iron Mountain.
There was an entrance to the "Underground Ark" here.
As the honorary president of the Underground Ark Management Committee, they of course had to go underground and take a look first.