Wasteland Hideout: Upgrading from the Sewers

Chapter 257: Black Rock Caravan, Vice President Zhou Yuan

[Lone Wolf: Er Xiao has confirmed over the past few days that this Zhou Yuan stays at the Black Rock Caravan's headquarters every night, and this man has a good reputation.]

[Wolf Den · King: Understood!]

Yu Yuan closed the Virtual Light Screen.

He stored the radio components he had just disassembled into the Rabbit Ring, left the Radio Station building, entered the sewer, summoned Mie Mie, and headed north towards the Northern District.

Before long, they arrived at the Dicang Logistics Company building in the Northern District.

This was the location of the Black Rock Caravan's headquarters.

Yu Yuan carefully lifted the manhole cover and looked outside. He could still see only a few rooms sporadically lit within the building.

Behind the windows of some rooms, there were also flickering human figures from time to time—those were the Black Rock Caravan's lookout posts.

Yu Yuan climbed out of the manhole cover. Once his entire body entered the [Concealment] state, he quickly moved towards the logistics building.

Along the way, he encountered two patrolling thugs, wearing thick, warm clothing and looking very reluctant."Damn it! What kind of hellish weather is this? A month ago, the temperature was still around 20 to 30 degrees. Now, in just half a month, it's gotten so cold. Did summer just hand over directly to winter? Did we skip autumn?"

One thug muttered a complaint.

"No kidding! It's been downright spooky lately. A couple of days ago, I was driving a truck transporting supplies and ran straight into a thunderstorm with ball lightning halfway. Scared the piss out of me! I watched that ball lightning burn a tree into charcoal with my own eyes. It was terrifying!"

The other thug said in deep agreement.

Soon, the two finished their patrol and returned to the logistics building, pounding on the tightly locked main door.

"Hank, open up!"

It wasn't until more than ten seconds later that the alloy door was opened, revealing a dimly lit hallway and a sleepy-eyed thug inside.

"Hurry up and come in..."

"Haha, Hank, give your descendants a break! Stop tormenting them..." the patrolling thug laughed and cursed.

Little did they know, a stranger had also entered the building.

After entering the building via [Shadow Stride], Yu Yuan immediately moved to a dark corner.

"Zhi Zhi, open the Shadow Dimension."

The Black Furball, Zhi Zhi, on his shoulder extended its tail and gently swiped. An entrance to the Shadow Dimension appeared before Yu Yuan.

Yu Yuan immediately ducked inside. As the entrance closed again, Yu Yuan began searching within the Shadow Dimension for the location of the Black Rock Caravan's Vice President, Zhou Yuan.

But even after Yu Yuan searched the entire building, he couldn't find Zhou Yuan's room.

Finally, after some thought, he went to the main entrance area. Next to the door, he saw a slightly ajar door.

Pushing it open, he saw the yawning thug from earlier, already back in bed and snoring soundly.

The slightly open door was clearly left that way on purpose to hear others knocking.

Yu Yuan looked around, confirmed there were no other thugs nearby, and then left the Shadow Dimension.

He entered the room, closed the door behind him, struck the thug on the back of the neck, and then stored him inside the Loser's Cube.

Using the Escape Key to enter the Motel Main Guest Room, it took Yu Yuan only three minutes to get the answer he wanted.

But he didn't directly kill the thug.

Returning to the room, he placed the unconscious thug back on the bed. Yu Yuan looked at the thug and released [Diagnosis - Amnesia].

Only then did he leave the room.

More than ten minutes later, the thug slowly woke up.

"Ahh~~"

He instinctively reached a hand to the back of his neck, still feeling a piercing pain, but he couldn't remember at all what had happened.

"Strange? Did I sleep wrong?"

As for Yu Yuan, after leaving the room, he entered the Shadow Dimension again and arrived in front of an inconspicuous room on the third floor.

Looking at the doorplate marked [Records Room], Yu Yuan confirmed he hadn't come to the wrong place.

The [Eavesdropping Stethoscope] appeared in his hand. He placed the earpieces in his ears and pressed the chest piece tightly against the wall.

The sounds from inside the room immediately became clear in Yu Yuan's ears.

"Uncle Zhou, the 'Humpback Whale' is summoning us again tomorrow. What do you think their real intention is?"

"Hmph, in my view, this 'Humpback Whale' isn't really any different from that so-called Mechanical Vanguard Society. Their words sound noble, but it's just because they see we have no other choice."

This was a young man's voice, revealing his strong dislike for the Humpback Whale.

Soon, a middle-aged man's voice sounded in the room.

"Xiao Yuan, you're still so impatient. The Humpback Whale's intentions are clear not just to us, but to the other three families as well. But the difficult situation we face is indeed real."

"Whether it's the Aurora Animal Assistance Association and the Black Shield Police Department, or the Thug Prison and the Mechanical Vanguard Society behind it, these are all forces we cannot match. Although they are currently hostile to each other, who can guarantee that one day in the future, they won't join forces to carve up Green Forest City together?"

"That's precisely why we were worried such a thing might happen that we formed the [Ring East City Resistance Alliance] together back then..."

The middle-aged man sighed.

"But to be honest, if that day really comes, we simply don't have the strength to resist them. So even though we know the Humpback Whale and the others are also cooperating with us with the mindset of taking a share of the pie, we have no choice."

"The situation in Green Forest City where various forces were separate and independent is gone for good. If we don't huddle together for warmth under these circumstances, we'll just be eliminated along with the other forces..."

The room fell into a brief silence.

"Alright, it's getting late. Head back early! Your father will return tomorrow. Let's hope he brings back good news..."

The room door opened. A young man in his twenties walked out, and a man in his forties saw him to the door.

"Well then, Uncle Zhou, get some rest!"

After saying this, the young man turned and left.

Watching the young man's departing figure, Zhou Yuan only let out a deep sigh after the other had disappeared down the hallway.

"Sigh... I hope the President can bring back supplies tomorrow!"

As he spoke, he prepared to return to the room. But the next moment, he felt a sharp pain at the back of his neck, and then he passed out.

Splash.......

A basin of cold water brought Zhou Yuan back to consciousness.

Zhou Yuan looked at the unfamiliar surroundings and the figure standing before him, struggling to remain calm.

Although there were no restraints or bindings on him, Zhou Yuan became even more cautious because of it.

He tried hard not to do anything that might cause misunderstanding.

"You... who are you?"

Yu Yuan was also sizing up Zhou Yuan.

"Zhou Yuan, Vice President of the Black Rock Caravan, right?"

Yu Yuan handed a towel to Zhou Yuan, pulled over a chair, and sat down in front of him.

"I am Zhou Yuan..." Zhou Yuan took the towel, wiping the water off himself while studying the person before him.

"I'm still alive, so your purpose in finding me probably isn't as simple as killing me. If you have business, please speak plainly..."

Yu Yuan looked at Zhou Yuan, who had already regained his composure, and felt a slight stir in his heart.

"Not bad for someone who has survived in the wasteland until now. This level of calm is worlds apart from those thugs."

But Zhou Yuan was right. Yu Yuan had gone to so much trouble to find him not to kill him or simply extract some information.

Thinking this, a bottle of Blazing Rum appeared in Yu Yuan's hand...

Seeing this, Zhou Yuan's eyes instantly narrowed.