Unusual Fate Records

Chapter 354, Section 46: The Talks (Part 1)

"Shall we go for a walk outside?"

Chen Xingtong mentioned it.

"it is good."

Chen Ruolan readily agreed.

So, Chen Xingtong led Chen Ruolan out of the room.

Chen Ruolan looked around curiously. It turned out to be a prefabricated house. The frame was made of blue corrugated steel panels, and there seemed to be other solidifying materials added in the middle of the sandwich panels, so it was difficult to notice the difference from the He family residence when inside.

The distant view wasn't of a bustling city, but of lush green forests, with only construction equipment like excavators making sputtering noises.

"The outskirts?" Chen Ruolan asked.

“In the mountains.” Chen Xingtong didn’t shy away from the topic. Looking into the distance, he saw groups of people dressed as farmers working in the fields. “The original inhabitants here are from District 16. They came here by chance to escape the Others.”

"And your people..."

"We are outsiders. After negotiations, they agreed to let us build a shelter here. Construction has been going on for two years, which is why it looks like this now."

Chen Xingtong chatted casually as she led Chen Ruolan into the outdoor path.

Besides the rows of prefabricated houses, there are also many wooden houses. Smoke from farm cooking slowly rises from the chimneys. Old stone mills and plows are displayed on the side, along with bicycles from the 1970s and 80s, like retired cadres taking a nap under the sun.

Occasionally, they would see people carrying weapons on their shoulders, and they would simply nod in greeting, having long been accustomed to their presence.

"I'm quite curious, how did you convince them to let you modify and construct as you please?"

Chen Xingtong was about to answer when she saw Chen Ruolan staring at a woman not far away, who was feeding a baby with a bottle.

The woman had lowered her eyebrows and eyes, her expression was serene, and her hair fell from her ears. She raised her hand to gather her hair back, looked up and met Chen Ruolan's gaze, and then smiled in a friendly manner.

Chen Ruolan smiled and nodded in greeting, then couldn't help but walk forward.

"So cute." She winked at the baby and whispered in Japanese.

The young mother smiled slightly and said, "Thank you."

How old is the baby?

"It's been more than three months." The woman said, giving a nod in the manner that He Shi was accustomed to.

"Oh~ what's his name?" Chen Ruolan wanted to reach out, but was afraid that getting too close would scare the child.

"Kiryu, Kiryu Katarō." The woman's brows were gentle as water, and her gaze fell upon the innocent faces of newborn babies.

She was not much older than Chen Ruolan, and was in her prime (25).

"Miss Reina, I'm sorry to bother you." Chen Xingtong clasped her hands together.

"Not at all." The woman smiled gently. "Miss Qi is our benefactor. Without you, Kohe Taro would not have been able to be born into this world, and Kosuno would not have such a cute little brother."

"Speaking of which, where is your husband?" Chen Ruolan looked around.

"Ahem, I'm taking a walk with a friend. See you later, Miss Reina." Chen Xingtong abruptly interrupted and pulled Chen Ruolan away.

"Ah."

The woman still wore that sweet smile.

……

Chen Xingtong pulled Chen Ruolan a short distance away before saying, "Miss Lingna's husband was eaten by the White Walkers. When we arrived, she was about to give birth. The White Walkers wanted to try out the fresh baby, so they spared her life."

Chen Ruolan remained silent, unable to resist turning back to look at the heartless woman again.

"Where were we? You asked them how they agreed, right?" Chen Xingtong tried to change the subject.

Chen Ruolan turned around and muttered to herself, "No need, I already know the answer."

For the weak, being able to receive protection is already extremely fortunate.

In this oppressive urban life and bloody terror, it is impossible for them to maintain a pure land on their own.

"I thought your stronghold would be some kind of armory, with a bunch of grown men shirtless, wiping weapons, scarred on their heads, smoking pipes and sweating."

"Tch, those are mercenaries. Don't be fooled by our name, 'Armed Mercenaries Alliance.' In reality, we don't have many members. We rely on our management system. The mercenaries you're talking about are just some of our partner groups. They're not the same as us."

“Hmm…” Chen Ruolan stroked her chin, “In other words, you are the platform, or the higher-level overall management, and the mercenaries below are the personnel to be dispatched.”

"almost."

Chen Xingtong nodded: "In the early days, because humans fought each other, once they were driven by interests, they would turn their backs on each other regardless of whether they were their own people or enemies. You couldn't really make them unite, so we suffered a lot."

"Later, we simplified the core layer and eliminated problems such as bloat and inefficiency by controlling high-end elite combat forces."

"It's just that the Alliance branch in District 16 suffered a devastating blow before me and has been struggling to recover for a long time, so they had to draw manpower from District 9."

Chen Xingtong introduced.

"After all, there aren't many human experts left who are willing to step forward openly."

She sighed quietly.

"Human experts suffer from severe internal strife. When force becomes the deciding factor, those who adhere to the principle of 'there is no first in literature, but there is no second in martial arts' will take this idea as their guiding principle. Over time, few people are willing to be the first to step forward. It is common for the older generation to suppress the newcomers, and for the newcomers to be dissatisfied with the old guard."

"On the contrary, the White Walkers have accumulated thousands of years of experience in this regard, so there are different classes and large-scale internal conflicts rarely occur."

"Compared to them, human development is practically stagnant. Only a small elite group persists in resisting them, leading the ignorant and fearless ordinary people to live on the edge of a precipice in this world."

Chen Ruolan walked with her in silence.

The White Walkers' class society seems to be more superior than that of humans, but this is not absolute.

"The world of the White Walkers also has its own problems, such as class stratification, pressure from high-ranking nobles, and lower-ranking bloodlines barely surviving."

She tried to speak.

Chen Xingtong used Qi Tongshan's face to reveal a mocking expression that was difficult to decipher:

"Are you stupid? No matter how low the bloodline of the White Walkers is, they are still superior to humans. Even if they are oppressed or coerced, they will never be at the bottom."

As she spoke, she looked at the farmers in the distance and muttered to herself, "They have their own outlets for breathing."

"This is why the conflict between humans and the White Walkers is irreconcilable. Humans are the weakest in the food chain. No matter how decent humans live or how passionately they strive, they cannot break through this species barrier and are not even as good as slaves in primitive societies."

"To the White Walkers, they are nothing more than food to be slaughtered..."

Chen Xingtong gazed into the distance, her eyes filled with an indescribable mix of pity and sorrow.

Chen Ruolan followed her gaze and sighed:

"Class...is that so?"

(End of this chapter)