"How about we go home with you? If we let you go and you run away, it would be hard for us to find you. We're just common pioneers, and it's our first time coming to Blackhot City. We're not familiar with this place!" Staring at Zhang Tie's expression, Snade said in an amiable voice.
Zhang Tie pretended to think about it seriously. "Fine! But you have to pay me three … no, five gold coins first. This is the deposit. After all, I found that thing. If you want it back, you have to pay me something … "
Snade and Huck glanced at each other. Zhang Tie could feel that they were exchanging a cruel message with their eyes. The man called Huck's mouth curved, revealing an indescribable sense of terror and disdain.
"Fine, lead the way!" The five gold coins turned into a streak of golden light and were thrown into Zhang Tie's hand. Grasping them tightly, Zhang Tie hurriedly put them into his pocket. He then pointed at the pile of items on the table in the distance. "Can you give them back to me?"
"Of course …"
Like what Zhang Tie had expected, Huck and Snade lived in a large pioneer's hotel near the railway station of Blackhot City. Huck and Snade asked for a remote suite with a single door. Zhang Tie didn't know how they had brought him in, but given Huck's exaggerated figure and strength, as long as Zhang Tie put him in his pocket, carried him on his back, and covered him with a cloak, no one would suspect him. Pioneers were all temperamental and eccentric, and had many taboos. Therefore, no one would suspect that there was a person hiding in the pocket under Huck's cloak.
When Zhang Tie arrived, he was still in a coma. When he left, Snade told him to put on a cloak. If you put on a cloak, you might hurt someone. Therefore, no matter who you meet, don't make us nervous with any words or movements. It's good for us, understand? "Walking out of the hotel, Snade told Zhang Tie in a gentle way.
Zhang Tie nodded obediently, but his mind was racing.
It was almost nine o 'clock in the evening, which was not the time for curfew in Blackhot City. Therefore, there were many people coming and going on the streets. The three of them walked along the street, with Zhang Tie and Snade putting their arms around each other's shoulders, while Huck followed behind them. They walked towards Zhang Tie's "home". On the way, they met two groups of patrolling City Guards. Zhang Tie knew that they couldn't save him, so he didn't do anything. At this moment, Zhang Tie was most afraid of meeting his acquaintances. If he met them, he might be killed that night. Fortunately, Zhang Tie didn't meet any acquaintances. Additionally, after missing two batches of City Guards, Zhang Tie's honesty made Snade and Huck, who had been tense the whole time, slightly relax. The tense atmosphere between the three of them was slightly relieved.
"That piece of wood seems to be made of Red Thunder Pine. It's very common. Why is it so important to you?" Walking on the road, Zhang Tie pretended to be relaxed as he asked Snade.
"Nothing. You know that pioneers like us sometimes have some secret trade and contact methods. That piece of red Thunder Pine is a piece of keepsake. It's just a small part of us pioneers' hand. Since the grains and materials of red Thunder Pine are very special, there would never be two pieces of red Thunder Pine with the same grains. Therefore, if we split a piece of red Thunder Pine into two pieces, it would be a keepsake that nobody could fake. When the two pieces of red Thunder Pine are connected, it means that we've found the right person. Once we get that piece of wood and finish our task, we'll leave. You're really lucky to earn 10 gold coins so easily …" Snade replied in a relaxed manner.
Not until then did Zhang Tie understand the function of the red thunder pine. It seemed that the two people wanted to find someone in Blackhot City. They used that piece of red thunder pine as a token of contact. Unexpectedly, they had lost the token of contact. Therefore, they hurriedly came to find Zhang Tie.
"I'm really sorry. If I hadn't bumped into you, you wouldn't have lost your item. How about this, I only want 8 gold coins from you!" Zhang Tie said shyly.
"10 gold coins it is. It's your luck and our carelessness. We'll just treat it as a lesson for ourselves …"
"Hehe, thank you. These gold coins are enough for me to use for a long time. My family usually doesn't give me so much pocket money. It's only 10-20 silver coins a week. It's enough for me to find a woman twice …"
"Hahahaha …"
"Heh heh heh heh …"
The two of them chatted as they walked, each with a belly full of ulterior motives, just like two good friends.
"By the way, what's your name?" When Zhang Tie was relaxed, Snade's sudden question almost caused him to blurt out his real name. Thankfully, Zhang Tie was very clear-headed tonight and had already prepared a plan to save his life. The moment he heard Snade's question, he immediately answered without thinking.
"I'm Du Shaofeng …" After saying that, Zhang Tie hurriedly covered his mouth and stared at Snade, not knowing what to do, as if he had said something wrong. A trace of pride flashed across Snade's eyes. "This brat is still a bit green."
The three of them walked on the streets of the Upper East City for more than 20 minutes. After a short while, they arrived at the residential area where Zhang Tie's "home" was located.
"You two wait here. I'll go in and get something and then come back to you." Zhang Tie's heart pounded violently, but his tone was as calm as before.
"Does your home live here?" Looking at the heavily guarded residential area with bright lights outside the high walls and two rows of fully armed city guards standing at the gate, Snade and Huck asked with a gloomy face.
"Yes, my elder brother is a military officer in Blackhot City. This is the residential area for the families of military officers in Blackhot City. Of course, we live here …" Zhang Tie said naturally. "We didn't live here before, but since my elder brother became a military officer, a house was allocated to him in Blackhot City. Since then, our family has moved here. Wait a moment, I'll be back soon!"
The moment Zhang Tie moved, his shoulder had been tightly grasped by Snade. A cold light flashed across Snade's eyes, and the tenderness disappeared in a split second. Instead, he stared at Zhang Tie's face like a snake that was about to catch its prey.
"You're familiar with the guards here?"
"Yes, I live here. Of course I'm familiar with them!"
"Then let's go in together!"
"Fine …" Zhang Tie smiled and said in a relaxed manner, "It's just that this residential area is strictly managed. You two are new faces. If you want to go in, you have to ask your family members to come out and take you in. I'll tell the guards to let my elder brother come out and take us in. Let's go in together …"
Zhang Tie then took a step forward …
The three of them walked towards the gate of the residential area. Each step Zhang Tie took was like a hammer hitting his heart. At this moment, Zhang Tie felt his mouth dry and his eyes dazzled. He felt like he was walking on a tightrope. Beneath his feet was a bottomless cliff. If he was not careful enough, he would be smashed into pieces. As long as the guards said that they didn't know him, he would be finished. Zhang Tie was betting on the fact that Snade and Huck were even more afraid of being exposed than he was. Zhang Tie felt that the two of them were extremely afraid of the City Guards of Blackhot City. On the way here, Zhang Tie felt that Snade would hold him tighter each time they met two batches of City Guards, as if warning him not to act recklessly. Common City Guards might not be in the eyes of the two, but military officers in Blackhot City were at least LV 5 fighters. This was the residential area and dormitory for military officers on active duty. Zhang Tie didn't believe that the two of them would dare to go in with him. His only chance of survival tonight was to convince the two of them that he could get the wooden block. If he could get it, then they would achieve their goal. If he could not get it, then he would die. If he could not get it, then he would die in despair. Only when the two of them wavered between getting it and not being able to get it would he have a chance to survive. Only then would his life be valuable to them.
These principles were taught to him by Donder when he worked in the grocery store in the past two years. Give those desperate people a glimmer of hope, that is to say, give yourself a glimmer of hope. Make yourself useful, but don't make yourself useless. This was the way for the weak to survive when they were in a desperate situation.
If these two fellows believed his words in the end and let him go with the thought of giving it a try, then he would be able to escape from this place alive.
As Zhang Tie drew closer to the two rows of city guards who were on sentry duty at the gate of the residential area, he pretended to be calm. Actually, he was so weak that he could barely move his feet. He was getting closer and closer to those soldiers...
Sixty steps …
Fifty steps …
Forty steps …
Thirty steps …
Seeing the three of them approaching, some vigilant soldiers looked over. Finally, when they were about 20 steps away, Zhang Tie felt a tightness on his shoulder. Snade had forcefully pulled Zhang Tie to another direction and walked away.
"I've changed my mind …" Hearing Snade's words, Zhang Tie felt relieved. "Pioneers don't like to deal with uniformed people. Some simple things will become very troublesome when they are messing with us. We'd better think of another way!"
"What's so troublesome about it? It's very simple!" Zhang Tie pretended to be confused. "Either I go in and take out the item, or we go in and take it out together. Then the deal will be done …"
"Snade, I always feel that there's something wrong with this brat …" Huck, who was following behind them, said in a muffled voice, causing Zhang Tie's heart to pound …
When they turned into an inconspicuous corner, Snade glanced at Zhang Tie coldly. "Huck, you keep an eye on this brat. I'll go take a look around and see what's going on here …"
After Snade left, Huck's big hand fell onto Zhang Tie's neck. "Brat, I just feel that there's something wrong with you. Don't play tricks with me. If you don't behave, I'll break your neck …"
Zhang Tie nodded obediently …
Ten minutes later, Snade, who had disappeared for a while, returned. His face looked even worse. "Let's go back first …"
"Let go of me. I'll go in for two minutes and then I'll take out the wooden block for you!"
"Shut up!" Snade shouted in a low voice. Huck tightened his grip, causing Zhang Tie's neck to feel like it was wrapped by a steel bar. In an instant, Zhang Tie's face turned purple …
"Don't kill him. Let's talk about it when we get back …"
… …
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
