Chapter 1421 Inquiry
Whether it is street rumors or unknown secrets, they are likely to be captured by their keen ears.
For all parties, these scavengers are undoubtedly the easiest source of information to leverage, and are important chess pieces that cannot be ignored in this intelligence game.
Among the men sent by Li Zhentian, there was one named A Qiang.
He has a slender figure and his eyes reveal a cunning and ruthless look.
At this moment, Aqiang was cautiously stepping into an abandoned factory.
The interior of the factory is as dark and damp as an underground tomb. The stench of decay permeates every inch of the space. It seems like a nest specially created by death, which is creepy.
A Qiang's eyes were as sharp as torches, and he was concentrating on following the vague sound.
Finally, in a remote corner of the factory, he found an old man in ragged clothes.
The old man huddled there alone, his body hunched over.
His body was as thin as a dry leaf that was about to fall, and he couldn't stop shivering in this cold and gloomy environment filled with a foul smell.
The old man is a scavenger with eye-enhancing abilities.
With his enhanced eyes, he can see in the dark, farther and more clearly than ordinary people.
This unique ability allowed him to find a solitary way of survival among the ruins and desolation.
Although it is difficult, it has survived tenaciously to this day.
A Qiang looked at the old man, his lips slightly raised, and took a few steps forward with a hint of disdain and arrogance.
He calmly took out a handful of low-level crystal cores from his arms.
In this dim light where one can hardly see one's hand in front of one's face, the crystal cores sparkled with charming luster, just like the stars that suddenly appeared in the dark and deep night sky, exuding an irresistible magic that instantly broke the surrounding silence.
"Old man, if you can tell me some useful information, all these crystal cores will belong to you."
Aqiang's voice broke the silence. There was a hint of urgency in his words, but more of it was undisguised contempt for the old man.
In his eyes, scavengers like the old man are nothing more than ants struggling to survive in the end times. They can only be manipulated by others and become tools for him to obtain intelligence.
When the old man heard Aqiang's words, he raised his head slightly, and his cloudy but sharp eyes were exposed in the dim light.
Those were the marks left by long-term use of the eye's special powers.
He first subconsciously cast his gaze towards the flashing crystal core in Aqiang's hand, and a trace of unconcealable desire flashed in his eyes.
That crystal core means food, medicine, and an extra guarantee of survival in this doomsday.
But soon, he slowly shifted his gaze to Aqiang, his eyes filled with hesitation and vigilance.
It was as if there were two little people arguing fiercely in his heart, one was shouting for him to take a risk for the crystal core, while the other was warning him not to get involved in unnecessary trouble.
"What do you want to know?"
The old man's voice was hoarse and dry, like an old bellows being pulled with difficulty. Every syllable seemed to have exhausted all his strength, yet with a calmness that came from having experienced many vicissitudes of life.
"Have you seen two armored vehicles nearby recently?" A Qiang asked quickly.
He stared at the old man closely, like a hungry wolf staring at its prey, not missing any change in expression, trying to judge the truth of his words from the old man's subtle reactions.
The old man was silent for a moment, then slowly closed his eyes, as if trying to mobilize the power of his eyes to search for the vague image deep in his memory.
After a moment, he slowly opened his eyes and said in a low voice:
"I think I saw them half an hour ago. They went to the commercial district in the north. But they don't look simple. You'd better not provoke them."
Although the old man's voice was weak, it contained an unquestionable warning.
In this apocalypse, he has seen too many people lose their lives due to recklessness, and he has an instinctive sense of danger.
Of course, he didn't really want to persuade Aqiang, he just didn't want this ignorant kid to bring trouble to him.
After Ah Qiang got the news, he was delighted and casually dropped a few low-level crystal cores on the ground, making a few crisp collision sounds, and said disdainfully:
"Mind your own business, stop meddling in my business."
In his eyes, this old man was nothing more than a coward who wanted more compensation by saying a few alarmist words.
The moment he turned around, like an agile cheetah, his figure quickly disappeared into the darkness of the abandoned factory and rushed towards the base of the Youlong Gang.
Along the way, his footsteps were so fast that the only sound in his ears was the whistling wind.
.........
The base of the Youlong Gang is located in the wilderness on the western edge of the city and was converted from a former detention center.
The base was surrounded by towering walls and wire mesh electric fences. Blue and white electric sparks were crackling and flashing, giving off a chilling atmosphere.
The gate of the base is rusty and tightly closed, with only one side door for entry and exit.
The two guards at the door were wearing tattered camouflage uniforms, their eyes were like hawks, and they were holding homemade guns tightly. The cold light of the metal was eerie and intimidating under the dim light.
As you enter the base, you can hear constant noise and bustle.
The gang members were dishevelled and busy in every corner, wiping their weapons, counting supplies, or arguing and shouting.
The stench of sweat and decay mixed together, making one feel nauseous.
A Qiang went straight to where Li Zhentian was, knowing the route well.
It was a luxurious, carefully renovated office that had once been the core area of the detention center.
Before he got close, A Qiang heard the women's miserable cries and pleas for mercy and Li Zhentian's angry curses and roars coming from inside the house.
The sound echoed in the silent and depressing corridor, making people feel creepy.
His heart tightened, but he didn't dare to stop for a moment. He could only bite the bullet and raise his hand to knock on the door.
The knocking sound of "Knock knock knock" on the door seemed particularly faint in this atmosphere of noise and sorrow.
In a flash, the door was roughly opened with a "crash".
Li Zhentian's fat and greasy body appeared at the door.
He had a big belly, and the fat on his stomach rose and fell violently with his breathing.
The flesh on his face trembled and was distorted by anger.
His sparse hair was stuck to his scalp in a messy manner, and his forehead was soaked with sweat with veins bulging.
There was a raging fire burning in those small green bean-like eyes, as if they wanted to devour everything in front of them.
Inside the house, several women with haggard faces and disheveled clothes were huddled in a corner.
Their hair was disheveled like grass, their eyes were empty and desperate, some had bruises and bloodstains on their faces, and their bodies trembled uncontrollably like candles in the wind.
Tears flowed freely on her dirty, tear-stained face, and she murmured words of begging for mercy, but only received a more fierce scolding from Li Zhentian.
Aqiang glanced around the room with indifferent eyes.
He looked at the dishevelled, terrified women in the corner as if they were withered weeds on the roadside, without giving them even a glance, let alone a hint of sympathy.
