Post-Apocalyptic Survival Modpack

Chapter 29, Section 29: Intelligence

Boom!
The heavy Nether alloy sword struck the guard, sending him flying a great distance.

Wang Ji dispatched the guards one by one with his sword in just a few moves, leaving only a few panicked horses behind.

It moved so fast that even Ryder didn't have time to intervene.

He sheepishly sheathed his magic steel sword and said, "These should all be servants and guards."

Servant guards, an informal fighting force, were on par with the servants who swept the manor. They usually did odd jobs or were sent to deal with ordinary people.

These people are very powerful and domineering, and ordinary people really can't do anything about them.

After all, magic is not something ordinary people can access; no matter how strong the powerful are, it has nothing to do with them.

But today, these people have met their match.

Wang Ji didn't kill them; he struck once and then stopped, leaving the guards barely alive.

Aside from the one who attacked the hardest and was the first to be hit by the arrow, he had already exhausted all his strength.
Ryder stepped forward and said, "Leave it to me. I'll try to get as much information as possible."

But not before that.

"Your Excellencies."

The workers watched the two people, one big and one small, with longing eyes, not daring to move an inch.

Although they wouldn't be executed by the guards, it didn't mean they were safe.

No one knew what the two people in front of them were thinking. A group of people watched as the two, especially the younger one, was dealt with by the guards in no time.

Everyone knows who is stronger and who is weaker.

If these two had murderous intent, they certainly wouldn't be alive now.

No one dared to escape in the chaos, but they were all somewhat at a loss.

Wang Ji glanced at Ryder.

Ryder nodded and went to negotiate with the workers.

This aspect should still be left to the locals.

Ryder addressed the group, saying, "Don't worry, we're from the capital. Those guards violated the laws of the capital and deserve to be punished."

"Now I need your help to tie those people up; I'm going to interrogate them in a bit."

"Yes!"

Upon hearing Ryder's request, the workers immediately perked up and got to work.

The foreman also breathed a sigh of relief.

If you ask them to do something, it means they have value, and if they have value, they can live.

The situation immediately stabilized.

Ryder asked the foreman, "What's your name?"

“Cole, sir, my name is Cole.”

"Um, what do you do, and where are you from?"

Ryder continued to ask questions, his tone quite calm.

However, in Cole's eyes, this ordinary tone was already considered gentle.

"We're all coal miners, and we're also called upon to deliver goods, usually traveling back and forth between the large mines in the west and the Rift Valley mines..."

The two talked while Wang Ji listened from the side.

Next, Ryder asked about the large mines and the Rift Valley mines, including their locations, the managers of both locations, military strength, and production facilities—basically all the things Wang Ji wanted to know.

However, as an ordinary worker, Cole knew very little about these things.

But that's okay.

In the time it took to ask those few questions, the guards had already been tied up.

Now it's their turn.

Ryder then bombarded these people with questions.

At first, the guards tried to fool him by taking advantage of the information gap, or to intimidate Ryder by talking about their masters.

However, after learning that Ryder was from the capital and graduated from the Capital University, his enthusiasm waned.

They can't compare in terms of knowledge or background.

Damn it, how did I run into a guy from the capital?

Besides Ryder himself discerning the truth, there was a group of workers watching intently. Although these workers were not very knowledgeable, they were people who lived in the same place as the guards, and they could tell the truth from the falsehood in many details.

In no time, the guards had been questioned thoroughly about everything they knew.

Ryder compiled the information and told it all to Wang Ji.

First, the workers weren't very clear about the news from the capital; only the guards occasionally heard some of it.

But judging from Ryder's opinion, those people are probably older than Wang Ji himself.

It's unlikely that being targeted simply because a wanted notice is issued in the capital would lead to such a situation.

"There's a good chance that a lot of wanted criminals are gathered here."

“It’s just like the old Chaos Zone.” Ryder sighed and continued.

The workers' destination was the Rift Mine, whose manager was named Adred, who was said to be from the capital and had been here before the empire was unified.

The guards were instinctively afraid when they mentioned him.

As for the large mine to the west, the guards here didn't know much about it. The workers had only met the foreman when they were mining there, and they didn't know much beyond that.

Cole said, "We rarely saw the sun. We spent all day wandering in the mountains, driven by overseers back and forth between the mines and the furnaces."

"As for those nobler people, they are not willing to stay in such places. They would cover their noses just by seeing us."

The questioning has come to an end.

"How to do?"

Ryder asked Wang Ji a question, and the nearby workers were also attracted by this extraordinary child.

Now everyone could see that this child was the key person, and that person from the capital had been helping him all along.

Wang Ji thought for a moment.

The Rift Valley Mine is definitely not a place we can visit for the time being.

The reason is right before our eyes.

The guards sent out had just been killed, and then two strangers arrived. They were most likely to be suspected.

Even if a real investigation were to be conducted, it might not uncover anything, but it could very likely cause a lot of unnecessary trouble.

Wang Ji currently doesn't want to encounter high-level magic users.

In contrast…

"You just said there are furnaces and other things in the big mines, what kind of things are there?"

Wang Ji asked Cole.

Cole was taken aback, seemingly not expecting the topic to suddenly shift to this.

He thought for a moment and said, "There are many different furnaces. Some are very large, some are only a little taller than a person but quite long, and some are powered by magic crystals, making a very frightening noise..."

As Cole spoke, Wang Ji's eyes gradually brightened.

How far is the large mine from here?

"If I walk normally, I can get there in less than three days."

"Let's go take a look over there first."

Wang Ji glanced at his production tool progress bar, then turned to Ryder and said, "I need those things over there."

"what do you think?"

"I have no opinion."

Ryder nodded.

At this point, it was no longer safe to go to the Rift Valley mine. It would take some time for news from there to reach the main mine. It was safer over there now.

This was true for both the two individuals and the workers.

There was not a moment's delay.

After cleaning up the scene, the group set off, heading far away from the area.

Neither Wang Ji nor Ryder could simply ignore these workers and watch them suffer or even die.

Wang Ji announced that he would take responsibility for the operation.

Before setting off, Wang Ji distributed the food from his backpack so that the group of dozens of workers could have a full meal.

He brought plenty of food with him before he left, enough to feed all these people.

And even if you run out of water, you can dig a hole on the spot and fish, which won't take much time.

Some people stared blankly as they received their grilled fish, while others started gnawing on it without a second thought, swallowing large mouthfuls and tears streaming down their faces as they ate.

Some people even swore allegiance on the spot after finishing their meal, leaving Wang Ji feeling helpless.

Ryder looked around and said, "There are too many people in this world who don't have enough to eat. Many of them would actually work for you if they were given a full meal."

"Because it's a very precious experience."

Wang Ji fell silent for a moment.

After the meal, the workers were in high spirits, each looking at the small figure in front of them with grateful eyes.

"Please let me give you directions."

Cole stepped forward from the crowd, acting as the workers' representative, and walked ahead with Wang Ji and Ryder, responsible for guiding them.

The others followed behind, leading the guards' horses.

These horses will still be of considerable use. Wang Ji has not yet tried animal reproduction, but he can use them as breeding stock for experiments afterward.

As for the guards who wielded their knives against the workers, their hands stained with blood, they met their end after losing their effectiveness.

He will pay for his crime with his blood.

(End of this chapter)