Embers Ad Infinitum

The raindrops fell on 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 vehicle through houses that had been abandoned for who knows how many years.

"Damn, I can't see the road anymore!" Thelma stared ahead and tapped the steering wheel.

The vehicle's wipers worked hard, but could only keep the windshield clear for a second.

"Find a place to take shelter from the rain." Sandro, who was in the passenger seat, suggested, "You don't know that there are always all kinds of extreme weather in the wasteland, and it's still summer."

Their team of four are relic hunters who make a living in the wasteland. They often come and go here and are no stranger to similar situations.

"Okay." Thelma sighed, "I thought I could get to the river tonight and return to the city tomorrow morning."

Although you don’t have to worry too much about a car accident no matter how you drive in the North Shore Wasteland, given the population and vehicle density here, even if it rains heavily and the visibility is extremely low, it is a low probability to hit the same kind of thing, but as an "intermediate level" Hunter," Selma knew full well that the danger lay elsewhere.

In this extreme weather, the North Shore Wasteland itself means trouble.

You never know whether there will be a sudden collapse of the ground ahead, and you have no way of confirming how deep the seemingly insignificant depression is. In the pouring rain, your car may disappear while driving, and everyone is confused. Drowned in old world ducts filled with rainwater or buried in passing rivers.

In addition to these, there are also natural disasters such as landslides and mudslides.

Thelma could barely see her surroundings with the help of her headlights.

This was a suburb 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. Single-family houses with lawns and gardens, so at a glance, Selma saw a lot of buildings. Some of them They have collapsed, and some are still intact, but are covered with snake-like green vines.

Under the dim sky and the violent wind and rain, the trees, weeds and houses all gave people a crumbling feeling.

Thelma followed her memory and drove the vehicle to higher ground.

Along the way, they have been looking for shelter from the rain. After all, they cannot always stay in the car, which will increase energy consumption, and they only have one barrel of gasoline left.

As fairly experienced relic hunters, Thelma and Sandro both know that shelter from the rain cannot be chosen casually. Although these buildings left over from the old world seem to be in good condition and can still stand for many years, Some of them were already in dilapidated condition, and they might collapse immediately after being shrouded in heavy wind and rain for a few hours.

I don’t know how many ruin hunters thought they had found a safe place to shelter from the wind and rain, and relaxed their vigilance. As a result, they were buried alive under masonry, wood, and cement.

After sweeping through the houses one by one, Sandro pointed to the place that seemed to be the highest and said:

"That building seems to be okay. It has the best terrain and no major damage. It's just that there are a lot of snake vines growing there. Aedes mosquitoes like this kind of place the most."

"We have insect repellent." Denise, who was sitting in the back row, responded with a smile.

They quickly agreed and let the vehicle drive toward the house on the highest ground from the back under the dark sky and in the violent wind and rain.

The broken and muddy roads caused a lot of obstacles for them. Fortunately, there was no deep water, so there was no need to detour.

Almost ten minutes later they arrived at their destination and turned towards the front of the house.

Suddenly, Thelma's and Sandro's eyelids twitched at the same time.

Inside that house, there was a yellowish light escaping and exaggerating!

"Other relic hunters?" Denise also saw this scene.

This is the most reasonable inference from the current situation:

Other ruin hunters also chose higher ground to take shelter due to the violent storm.

They didn't think about whether the house in front of them was still inhabited, because it was impossible - the farmland in the surrounding area was seriously polluted, and the food grown was inedible. In other words, it was impossible to form a settlement of a certain scale nearby. Merely relying on hunting can only feed a few people. When faced with natural disasters, "unintentional people", aberrant creatures, and bandits, it is difficult for a few people to resist.

Of course, it cannot be ruled out that this is just a temporary cabin for some hunters.

"Do you want to go there?" Sandro asked in a deep voice.

Meeting colleagues in the North Shore Wasteland is not necessarily a good thing, for both parties.

Thelma was about to answer when she saw the corresponding situation clearly.

The rusty iron gate of the house in front of him is open; the overgrown garden has been crushed by the wheels again and again to create a relatively flat road; outside the main building, there is a stone roof to shelter from the rain, and a gray-green Jeep and a car are parked. A dark black SUV; in the foyer, a fire was lit, and a portable stainless steel round pot was set up, cooking something; around the fire, six people, three men and three women, gathered around.

Two of them were on guard, two were looking after the fire, and the remaining two huddled on the brought chairs and single sofas, seizing the time to sleep.

Selma, Sandro and others are most concerned about not the number of opponents, but what weapons they carry.

"Short neck"... assault rifle... "United 202"... After quickly confirming the situation in this regard, Thelma considered and said:

"It wouldn't be a good idea to just leave like this. It would be dangerous if they fired a few cold shots while we were going down and blew out our tires."

In such weather and on such roads, once a tire blows out, the consequences will be disastrous.

"Well, it's not too late to go say hello to Liang Liang before leaving." Sandro agreed.

Denise followed up:

"Perhaps we can also exchange useful information."

Selma, who was supported by her companions, drove the vehicle towards the gate of the house, and stopped on her own initiative when the patrolman from the ruins hunter team on the opposite side raised his gun and took aim.

"Where did you come from?" Thelma pressed down the car window and asked loudly.

"First City!" Shang Jianyao responded with a louder voice before his companions, "What about you?"

Those who were hiding from the rain and preparing dinner were the "Jiudiao Team" who had successfully escaped from the original city, Han Wanghuo, and Zeng Duo. At this time, Jiang Baimian and Shang Jianyao were tending to the fire and heating cans. Long Yuehong and Bai During the morning patrol, Han Wanghuo and Zeng Duo, who were not in good physical condition and had been running around for more than a day, took the time to rest.

As for Gnawa, he is also idle, exploring every floor and every room of the house to see what books, newspapers and information from the old world he can find.

"Bei'an Herford." Selma's voice penetrated the wind and rain and penetrated into the ears of Jiang Baimian and others.

North Amherford refers to an area of ​​the wasteland on the north bank of the Red River, derived from similar place names in the Old World.

This regional division has no clear boundaries and is a product of pure empiricism.

Before Shang Jianyao and the others could respond, Thelma shouted again:

"Can we chat for a few words?"

"You can park your car over there and come here." Shang Jianyao stood up and pointed to a place on the side of the house.

There are shelters along the way from there to the foyer.

Thelma seemed to be calm but actually carefully drove the car to the predetermined location. Then, they each put on their weapons and pushed the door down.

One of them is using a "Trongo" assault rifle produced by "Prime City", one is carrying a "Sour Orange" submachine gun, one is carrying a portable light machine gun, and the other is carrying an "Eagle Eye" sniper rifle. The firepower is fierce.

This is one of the reasons why they are always treated kindly.

Before they even approached the foyer, they both smelled the strong aroma of food, and felt the breath penetrate through their lungs and into their hearts.

"Canned beef and potatoes... these supplies are very rich..." Thelma and others cheered up and walked towards the foyer.

By the light of the fire, they finally saw clearly the faces of Jiang Baimian, Shang Jianyao and others.

The Gray Earth people... have been genetically modified? A little background... As her eyes lit up, Selma's mind flashed with multiple thoughts.

As experienced relic hunters, he and his companions had dealt with members of the "White Knights" and knew the various manifestations of genetic improvement, and Shang Jianyao and Jiang Baimian perfectly matched the corresponding characteristics.

This made Selma and the others even more solemn.

"You came from North Amherford?" 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, and you can stay there for a longer time..." When Thelma answered, she felt the smell of beef and potatoes pouring into her mind one after another, almost disturbing her train of thought.

They had been taking risks in the North Shore Wasteland for nearly two weeks, and they had long been tired of eating dry food and wild game that had a thick texture and a strange taste.

Jiang Baimian did not stand up to say hello, but glanced at them and said with a smile:

"If you don't mind, we can eat together.

"Of course, I can't allocate beef and potatoes to you. These belong to my companions, but you are allowed to use dry food to dip into the soup."

Thelma, Sandro and others looked at each other and felt that this was not a bad thing.

The other party also wants to eat these foods, so just don't let down your guard.

While Sandro and Denise each held their weapons in preparation for the unexpected, Thelma and Toller sat down by the fire.

"How is the situation over at Bei'an Heford?" Jiang Baimian asked.

Thelma thought about it and said:

"It's no different from before. It's just that a certain army in the 'First City' seems to be doing exercises. Once they get close to certain places, they will encounter them and cannot go deeper."

That's it... Jiang Baimian turned sideways and glanced at Zeng Duo, who was sitting on the single sofa next to him.

The lady has opened her eyes.

Thelma took the opportunity to ask:

"What's happening in the city recently?"

Jiang Baimian pondered for a few seconds, then said "hmm":

"The 'Hand of Order' is chasing a group of people, causing a storm in the city."