Chapter 95: Small Town
Two days later.
Yellow sand flew through the air, grains landing on the road as a rugged off-road jeep sped past, kicking up large clouds of dust. The tires crunched and crackled over the sand.
In the driver's seat, Su Xiao yawned. He had been driving for two days straight, now traveling on a road through an uninhabited zone. This vehicle was Fatty Ma's prized possession, with excellent off-road performance.
Su Xiao picked up the electronic navigation map on the passenger seat. He was already very close to his destination.
A strong wind blew, and a gust of yellow sand slapped against the windshield, pattering loudly.
After another hour of driving, a concrete bridge appeared ahead. The guardrails on both sides of the concrete walls had been forcibly removed. A battered SUV was parked diagonally on the stone bridge, its windows covered in fine sand, making it impossible to see inside.
From a distance, the gap on one side of the stone bridge seemed wide enough for a car to pass through, but in reality, it was absolutely impossible unless you rammed through.
"Hey~"
In front of the dilapidated SUV, a woman covered in dust waved her arms. Her lips were chapped, as if her vehicle had broken down, stranding her in the uninhabited zone.
Su Xiao slowed down. The woman immediately ran over, leaned against the window beside him, and pounded on the glass while shouting things like "Help me."
Su Xiao turned his head to look at the woman, thinking to himself, *What great acting.* This person hadn't had a single drop of water in at least ten hours.
Su Xiao rolled down the window. The woman sighed in relief and leaned in.
"My car broke down, please help—"
The woman's expression gradually stiffened. She slowly raised both hands and stepped back.
"How can I help you?"
Su Xiao rested his elbow on the window frame, a pistol clearly visible in his hand.
"N-no, it's nothing. We're all just trying to make a living. My apologies."
The woman made a gesture toward the battered SUV. It immediately started up and drove off the stone bridge. As she retreated, the woman clasped her hands together as if apologizing.
Su Xiao started the engine and drove away. As soon as he left, the woman pulled a bottle of water from her waist and drank heavily.
"Thirsty enough to kill me. Waited a whole day, and instead of catching a rabbit, I got a lion. Bad luck."
The woman tossed aside the empty water bottle. Suddenly, her leg bent, her arm coiled, and she drew a dagger from inside her brown leather boot.
Whoosh~
The woman threw the dagger with practiced skill. It stuck into the sand nearby, pinning a gray snake over a meter long to the ground, its head pierced through.
"Dinner tonight is you."
The woman touched her dust-covered cheek. Soon, the battered SUV drove back and resumed blocking the stone bridge in the same way.
The locals called this stone bridge the "Money-Losing Bridge," meaning that to pass through, you had to pay up.
By this point, the area was no longer considered part of any country. This border-zone no-man's-land was nearly a lawless region, where poaching organizations, drug lords, and organized bandit groups thrived.
There were no resources here, just yellow sand everywhere. The most valuable things were the wild animals. As a result, no country would go to war over this barren border strip. Besides, its existence conveniently served the needs of certain powerful figures.
A lawless place didn't mean there were no rules. On the contrary, the special rules here were even stricter. Take the bandits Su Xiao had encountered, for example. They only extorted valuables, leaving victims with some food, water, and enough gasoline to reach civilized areas. Everything else belonged to them.
After another three hours of driving, a checkpoint appeared ahead. Several soldiers in green uniforms, holding rifles, stood in front of it.
These soldiers didn't belong to any country but to a local force. There were six soldiers in total, from four different nations.
Su Xiao's car was stopped. Two soldiers with rifles blocked the way, while the other four formed a loose encirclement.
Don't think this was an ambush for Su Xiao. This was how they treated everyone who came here.
Su Xiao rolled down the window, holding a roll of brand-new currency.
A soldier quickly stepped forward. Seeing the red currency, he visibly relaxed his guard.
"Gabbatema, *****."
The soldier said something Su Xiao couldn't understand at all. It was probably a language from some small South American country.
One of the soldiers blocking the car stepped forward and said in broken Chinese, "You, hello. Carrying firearm, entry fee, increase 3000."
Su Xiao took off his amber-tinted sunglasses, opened the glove compartment, pulled out a bundle of cash, and peeled off about a third.
After taking the money, the soldiers stuck a blue sticker on the windshield and waved him through. They all knew Su Xiao wasn't a good person, and besides, would a good person come here?
On the map, this place didn't exist. Not only on the map, but even the news never reported on it.
The demise of this small town in the uninhabited zone was only a matter of time. But for now, many powerful figures needed it to exist. This kind of "city" had a "shelf life." Once it expired, it would revert to uninhabited land, as if it had never appeared.
Su Xiao drove slowly into the small town. The town was fairly lively. It was noon, and rows of barbecue grills were set up along both sides of the street. Next to each grill were stacks of iron cages, not containing common poultry, but wild animals.
Su Xiao parked by the roadside, didn't even lock the car, and didn't even take the keys.
In a civilized society, this would be very unwise. But here, it was the most correct choice.
It wasn't because the town had good public security. If someone wanted to steal the car, and Su Xiao locked it and took the keys, they would likely smash the window and hotwire it.
Having traveled all the way, Su Xiao had endured wind and dust. His original physical condition was fine, but now his physique was suppressed, and he needed to find an inn to rest.
As dusk fell, Su Xiao carried his travel bag downstairs. The car was still parked intact in front of the inn. It hadn't been stolen, and the blue sticker on the windshield had played a big role.
Su Xiao had never seen this emblem before. It was probably a newly emerging force within the town.
"Small Town" was the city's name. To be precise, it couldn't have a name. The less attention it attracted, the better.
Su Xiao had arrived at the approximate designated coordinates. Sure enough, more detailed coordinates appeared.
Holding the electronic navigation map, he pinpointed the exact location. Su Xiao picked up his travel bag and, with his sword case slung over his back, headed toward the designated spot.
In the night, several pairs of malicious eyes were fixed on Su Xiao.
"Been watching all day. Should we make a move?"
"No. He's cautious and dangerous. Let's find another target. But lately, Bagu's faction is getting more and more nosy."
"What can we do? Bagu calls the shots in this town now."
"Just a drug lord. Damn it, there's been a weird smell lately. That bastard must be mass-producing."
"That's beyond doubt. I'm just curious, where did Bagu get those subordinates? Those guys are like monsters."
The conversation came from a dark alley.
"Bagu?"
A male voice came from behind them.
"Who—"
Pfft, pfft, pfft, pfft, pfft...
The distinctive sound of a pistol with a suppressor rang out. Brains and blood splattered across the alley wall.
"Ah... mmm!"
A man with a bullet-shattered arm tried to scream, but a foot stomped on his face, silencing him.
PS: (Three more chapters coming soon. Feiwen started writing at two in the afternoon and has been at it until now. Starving, going to grab a bite first. The remaining three chapters are already written and need to be proofread.)