Mechanic endlessly amassing troops in the apocalypse

Chapter 181 Seeking refuge

"Listen up, everyone!" Old Xu cleared his throat. "Today, everyone from our Lijiazhuang camp will relocate to the Tieshi camp!"

Han Yan has already arranged everything for everyone. Once we arrive, Manager Wu will arrange accommodations and supplies. Stay alert on the way, don't fall behind, and don't cause trouble, understand?

"Yes, we heard you right!" everyone responded in unison.

Old Xu nodded in satisfaction and walked toward the truck, leaning on his cane.

The truck started, and the engine roared to life.

The convoy slowly drove out of the camp gate and headed north along the dirt road.

Han Yan sat in the passenger seat, looking out at the street scene through the car window, feeling extremely smug.

Zhao Guangli left, and Zhou Ping and Ma Xiaofei, those troublesome guys, also got lost. Now the Li Family Village camp was leaderless, and with a little trickery, he persuaded Old Xu to lead all his men to defect to the Iron Stone Camp.

There were seventy or eighty people, which wasn't a large number, but there were several awakened individuals around level ten, and Tie Tou was even a level twenty physical awakened individual, so his strength was not weak.

These people will definitely be assigned to my name in the future.

As for whether Old Xu and his group would have a better life at the Iron Stone Camp than in Li Family Village, a barely perceptible sneer appeared on Han Yan's lips.

Whether things are good or bad, that's none of his business.

The convoy bumped along, and the scenery on both sides of the dirt road gradually became desolate.

Iron Head sat in the back of the truck, leaning against a supply crate, a blade of grass he'd somehow gotten his hands on dangling from his mouth, idly watching the scenery along the roadside.

"Ironhead," a young team member leaned over and whispered, "Do you think Ironstone Camp is really that good?"

"Nonsense." Tie Tou took the grass stem out of his mouth. "Didn't Han Yan say that in a large camp of over a thousand people, the security team alone has over a hundred people? Once we get there, we won't have to worry about zombies besieging the camp anymore."

"But—" the young team member hesitated for a moment, "I heard that the Ironstone Camp is quite harsh on the refugees. They have to pay protection money every month, and if they can't pay, they have to go down into the mines."

"Those are refugees," Tie Tou waved his hand dismissively. "We were introduced by Han Yan, so we're different. Manager Wu personally promised to arrange accommodations and distribute supplies to us. What are you worrying about?"

The young player said "oh" and didn't say anything more.

Ironhead picked up the grass stem again and put it back in his mouth, his gaze casually sweeping across the front.

Just then, he suddenly sat up straight.

At the fork in the road ahead, several figures appeared indistinctly.

"Watch out!" Tie Tou immediately patted the roof of the car twice and shouted towards the driver's seat, "There are people up ahead!"

The truck slowed down and came to a stop.

Old Xu rolled down the car window and squinted as he looked ahead.

Two jeeps were parked at the fork in the road ahead.

Si Ping and his group also saw their group, so they stopped there and seven or eight people got out of the car.

They were all dressed in camouflage uniforms and carrying backpacks, looking like survivors on the move, but the kind of survivors who were quite capable.

The leader was a middle-aged man in his forties with a shrewd look on his face, clearly not someone to be trifled with.

The men following behind him were all muscular and wary, clearly seasoned veterans who had spent years navigating the post-apocalyptic world.

Tie Tou went to the driver's seat and asked, "Old Xu, should we make contact with them?"

Old Xu looked at the group of people and fell into deep thought.

In the past, he would never have rashly approached survivors, especially those who seemed so powerful.

But things are different now. Now, with the Ironstone Camp as his powerful backer, he doesn't need to fear those scattered soldiers. Furthermore, since the Ironstone Camp is actively recruiting capable survivors, if he can bring them over, he might even receive a reward from the Ironstone Camp.

Thinking of this, Old Xu immediately nodded and said, "Let's go, let's go take a look."

The convoy stopped in front of the group of people.

Tie Tou jumped off the truck, walked up to the group of men, looked them up and down, and asked, "May I ask which camp you brothers are from?"

The middle-aged man smiled slightly and cupped his hands in greeting: "My name is Mei Xicai. We came from the south to the camp, and we are here to seek refuge at the Iron Stone Camp."

Tie Tou turned around and glanced at Old Xu.

Old Xu, leaning on his cane, got out of the car, walked up to Mei Xicai, and scrutinized him for a few moments: "Are you also going to Tieshi Camp?"

"That's right." Mei Xicai nodded.

"What a coincidence." Old Xu chuckled, getting out of the car with his cane. "We're also going to Tieshi Camp."

Mei Xicai's face lit up with joy: "That's wonderful. May I ask your name, sir?"

"My surname is Xu, and I am the manager of the Lijiazhuang camp." Old Xu pointed to the convoy behind him. "These are all people from our camp. Today, we are all relocating to the Tieshi camp."

"Li Family Village?" Mei Xicai paused for a moment, then gave a meaningful smile. "Oh, that's the Li Family Village."

"What? You've heard of it?" Old Xu raised an eyebrow.

"I've heard of him, I've heard of him." Mei Xicai nodded repeatedly, his smile undiminished. "We've heard a lot about Captain Zhao Guangli. A level 20 Awakened One, he's quite a figure in this mining area."

Old Xu's smile froze for a moment.

Zhao Guangli.

This name is now disliked in the Lijiazhuang camp.

"Zhao Guangli is no longer in our camp," Old Xu said casually.

Mei Xicai didn't press the matter, but simply smiled and nodded, changing the subject: "Since you're both going to Tieshi Camp, why don't you travel together? That way you can look out for each other on the way."

"Alright." Old Xu thought for a moment and nodded in agreement.

The group resumed their journey.

Mei Xicai led his men ahead, with the convoy from Lijiazhuang following behind.

Sitting in his car, Mr. Xu looked at Mei Xicai's convoy ahead and felt that something was off about the man. But he couldn't quite put his finger on it, so he simply stopped thinking about it.

Iron Head came over and whispered by the car window, "Old Xu, those people don't look like ordinary refugees."

Look at the way they walk; their steps are synchronized and their coordination is perfect, like they've received professional training.

"There are plenty of trained people in this world," Old Xu waved his hand. "As long as they're not targeting us, it doesn't matter where they come from."

"And it would be even better if they were capable. Taking them to the Iron Stone Camp would earn them a higher regard from Steward Wu."

Tie Tou responded and retreated to the back.

The convoy continued its bumpy journey forward.

As the sun gradually rose higher, the morning mist dissipated, and the scenery on both sides of the road became clearer.

In the distance, the distinctive gray slag heaps of the mining area are already visible, and a faint smell of sulfur begins to permeate the air.

"We're almost there." Han Yan leaned out of the passenger seat and pointed ahead. "Go around that slag heap, and then walk another three miles, and you'll reach the gate of the Iron Stone Camp."

Old Xu nodded, but a sense of unease welled up in his heart.

But he quickly suppressed his nervousness.

What's there to be afraid of? He was introduced by Han Yan, and Steward Wu personally agreed to take him in. Besides, although Li Family Village doesn't have many people, there are still seventy or eighty, and they brought a lot of supplies. They won't be treated as ordinary refugees anywhere.

Thinking of this, Old Xu subconsciously straightened his collar and sat up straight.

He glanced at Mei Xicai and his group walking ahead, a hint of superiority creeping onto his lips.

Those people said they were going to join the Ironstone Camp, but they didn't even have an introducer.

Once they get there, they'll most likely be treated as ordinary refugees.

Living in shacks, digging mine tunnels, and paying protection money, life wasn't easy.

After thinking it over, Old Xu decided to give these people some pointers.

He told the driver to stop the car, then walked over to Mei Xicai with his cane, his tone carrying a hint of encouragement: "Xiao Mei, do you know anyone at Tieshi Camp?"

Mei Xicai smiled and said, "No, not really. I just heard they're taking in refugees over there, so I thought I'd try my luck."

"That won't do." Old Xu shook his head, speaking with the air of someone who'd been there before. "Although the Ironstone Camp accepts refugees, the rules are very strict. Without an introduction from someone you know, you'll only be able to stay in the outer shacks, and you'll have to pay protection money every month. If you can't pay, you'll have to go down into the mine tunnels to dig for ore, and that's no job for humans."

"Oh?" Mei Xicai raised an eyebrow. "And what about you, sir?"

"We're different." Old Xu puffed out his chest, a hint of pride in his voice. "We have connections. Manager Wu personally agreed to take us in, arranging accommodations in the core area and providing us with twice the supplies of ordinary refugees. If you went there on your own, you wouldn't even dream of getting such treatment."

Mei Xicai and his men behind him exchanged glances, their faces showing strange smiles.

"That's really thanks to you, sir," Mei Xicai said with a smile, his tone unreadable, whether it was flattery or something else.

"Not at all, not at all." Old Xu waved his hand, speaking modestly, but he couldn't hide the smugness on his face. "I was just lucky to know a reliable middleman. In this apocalypse, connections are more important than anything else. Look at you guys, you seem to have some skills, but unfortunately you don't have connections. If you go there, you'll only be able to start from the bottom."

Mei Xicai smiled and nodded, but did not reply.

Mei Xicai chuckled and replied, "Thank you very much, but we came in the name of the camp, so we won't be joining for the time being."

"In the name of the camp?" Old Xu was taken aback and asked, "What camp?"

"A new world," Mei Xicai replied with a smile.

"New World?" Old Xu's lips curled into a sneer. Just hearing this name, he knew it was something some ignorant young man had come up with. Such a camp was probably tiny.

Thinking of this, he no longer bothered to talk to Mei Xicai and led the group forward.

After rounding the slag heap, the outline of the Ironstone Camp gradually came into view.

Looking at the rusty iron gate in the distance and the steel watchtowers standing on either side of it, Old Xu felt a surge of excitement.

We've arrived, we've finally arrived.

He walked briskly at the front, leaning on his cane, and the people from Lijiazhuang behind him quickened their pace.

Tie Tou whispered to the team members next to him, "Look, look, now that's what you call grandeur. A camp of over a thousand people, with two watchtowers alone. Our old, dilapidated wooden door is nothing compared to that."

The team member nodded repeatedly, feeling quite excited.

The group soon arrived at the gate of the Ironstone Camp.

Old Xu walked to the front, looked up at the two armed guards standing on the watchtower, cleared his throat, and said loudly, "Please inform them that all personnel of the Li Family Village camp have come to join us today at the invitation of Manager Wu!"

The guard on the watchtower glanced down at him, then turned away expressionlessly.

Old Xu waited a few seconds, and when there was no response from above, the smile on his face froze slightly.

"Ahem." He cleared his throat again, raising his voice a few decibels. "Please report! Li Family Manor camp..." "I heard you." The guard on the watchtower interrupted him impatiently. "No notification received. Wait."

After saying that, the guard turned away and ignored him.

Old Xu stood there, stunned, and unconsciously poked the ground twice with his cane.

Didn't receive a notification?

He glanced back at Han Yan, whose expression also looked rather unpleasant.

"Han Yan, what's going on?" Old Xu lowered his voice, his tone carrying a hint of accusation.

Han Yan quickly stepped forward, looked up at the guard on the watchtower, and shouted, "I'm Han Yan! I already arranged with Steward Wu that everyone from the Li Family Village camp would be coming today. Please check again!"

The guard turned and glanced at him, a smile immediately spreading across his face, but he still didn't open the door. "Oh, it's Captain Han Yan. But the manager said that some important guests will be coming today, and we are instructed to maintain order here and not let any unauthorized personnel in."

"Unauthorized personnel?" Han Yan's face froze completely.

Old Xu's face turned extremely grim.

The people from Lijiazhuang behind him began to whisper among themselves.

"What's going on? Didn't we agree on this?"

"Why are you being blocked at the door?"

"Didn't Han Yan make a guarantee?"

Tie Tou frowned and walked over to Old Xu, lowering his voice: "Old Xu, could there be a mistake? Han Yan clearly said that Manager Wu personally agreed—"

Old Xu's lips moved, but before he could speak, he caught a glimpse of Mei Xicai and his group walking to the door.

The annoyance he felt earlier dissipated considerably. It would be very upsetting if one person suffered a setback, but it was much easier to accept if everyone suffered a setback together.

However, Mei Xicai seemed completely oblivious to his gaze, walked straight to the door, looked up and clasped his hands in a fist salute to the guard on the watchtower, his voice neither humble nor arrogant: "Please inform Steward Wu." He paused, his tone flat: "People from the New World have come to seek refuge."

The words fell.

The two guards on the watchtower turned around at the same time.

A few seconds later, hurried footsteps came from behind the iron gate.

A large door creaked open from the inside and was suddenly pulled open.

A middle-aged man in overalls strode out, beaming, and stretched out his hand from afar: "Oh! Distinguished guest of New World! Rare guest indeed! Please come in, please come in!"

It was Wu Qiming.

Old Xu's fingers, gripping his cane, trembled slightly.

He looked at Wu Qiming's smiling face, then at Mei Xicai's calm demeanor, and something seemed to explode in his mind.

What exactly is the New World camp?