Naming Technique of the Night

Chapter 106: 106, Wilderness

City 18 was adjacent to City 10.

Two numerically nonconsecutive cities, yet geographically, they were only a little over two hundred kilometers apart. This was because the cities were not ordered by importance but by the sequence in which they were established.

If the Federation were likened to a circle, then City 18 and City 10 together would form the circle’s center.

Of course, this metaphor wasn’t accurate, as the Federation was not a regular circle.

Qing Chen had once asked Uncle Li Dong for a map of the Federation. It could be said that the map of the Outer World and the Inner World were not much different, except in the coastal areas.

If these two worlds really were parallel worlds.

Then the crust of the Inner World must have undergone violent movements to have transformed into its current state.

City 18 corresponded to Los Angeles City, and City 10 to Zheng City. Regardless of whether it was in the Inner World or the Outer World, they were always in the Central Plains.

Without the strategic importance of coastal ports, City 7, corresponding to Haicheng, was nowhere near as prosperous as Haicheng in the Outer World.

Within the Federation, the most prosperous cities were City 18 and City 10.

City 18 was the economic center, and City 10 was the political center.

One was in the west, the other in the east, known together as the Federation’s Gemini.

The line connecting them seemed to directly divide the north and south of the Federation.

Countdown 96:00:00.

Another midnight.

About a hundred kilometers south of City 18, more than ten people were gathered around a campfire for warmth, with eight men and four women chatting and laughing in the flickering flames.

A cross of branches on the fire held an iron pot, in which a thick noodle soup bubbled and steamed.

Someone pulled a piece of cured meat from their pocket and used a small knife to cut off several pieces and throw them into the pot.

This was a small temporary campsite.

Nearby, on an open ground, there were nine dark green canvas tents.

The night wind was strong, and two old pickup trucks faced the wind to protect the small temporary camp from the fierce cold wind.

It seemed like there were goods covered with canvas in the bed of the pickup trucks, but it was not visible what was inside.

Windproof rocks were stacked near the campfire, yet despite this, the orange-red flames still flickered unsteadily.

“The thing that the employer wants us to catch is not easy to find, we’ve been turning around this area for a month and haven’t seen even one,” an elderly man by the campfire said: “Why not, let’s head to the edge of ‘that place’, we don’t necessarily have to go in, the edge isn’t that dangerous, I’ve been there years ago.”

The old man was named Qin Cheng, and he was the leader of the group.

The people around the campfire were mostly blood relatives.

They wore combat suits sourced from who knows where, some with patches on the elbows, knees, pant legs, and buttocks, and the sizes were sometimes a poor fit.

“Dad, is the price the buyer is offering worth the risk we are taking?” a young man asked.

“You know, the other side is offering 200,000,” the old man Qin Cheng wrapped tobacco with his somewhat patchy mechanical hand, the nano-plated coating was flaking off his fingers: “With that money, we can get you and Xiao Yi better mechanical limbs, enough to support one operation.”

“Dad, this isn’t what we urgently need, and it’s not worth risking our lives for,” the young man said.

“Hmm,” the old man plucked a half-burned stick from the fire and brought it to his lips to light his cigarette: “The other party also promised a dose of Genetic Potion, a box of BVC antibiotics. Your brother is reaching adulthood soon, our family should have someone less dependent on mechanical limbs, I want to get him some Genetic Potion, it’s a rare opportunity.”

As the echo of his words faded, the young man beside him looked at his brother in disbelief, opening his mouth but speaking no more.

A middle-aged woman next to Qin Cheng said, “Xiao Tong, don’t think your dad is biased. He wanted to get you one too back in the day, but he was deceived.”

The young man, Qin Tong, paused to think and said, “Mom, don’t overthink it. I didn’t mean that. I have mechanical limbs, and my brother doesn’t. If there’s a Genetic Potion for him, that’s only fair. Plus, having the Genetic Potion might make it easier for him to find a wife.”

During their conversation, the sound of snapping dry branches suddenly came from the woods outside the camp.

Old man Qin Cheng suddenly fell backward into a pile of fallen leaves. In an instant, he swiftly pulled out a handgun from his bosom, pointing it towards the source of the sound.

This agile movement didn’t seem like it came from someone of his age at all.

Meanwhile, the others quickly left the side of the campfire and each found a tree trunk to hide behind.

“Hello, no offense meant.”

From outside the camp, a voice arrived first.

In the darkness of the woods, two figures slowly emerged, both dressed in black assault jackets. One was middle-aged, and the other a youth, who also carried a large backpack on his back.

Both of them zipped up their jackets, and the raised collars covered much of their faces.

The middle-aged man in the assault jacket raised his hands, smiling as he spoke, “Just passing through. We saw you had a couple of cars that could break the wind, so we wanted to borrow a spot.”

In saying so, the middle-aged man glanced at the youth beside him.

The youth then took out a pack of cigarettes from his pocket and tossed it near the campfire from a distance, “It’s okay if you disagree. The cigarettes are yours to keep; we’ll leave.”

Watching from the ground, old man Qin Cheng hesitated for a moment, then slowly stood up, his gun still loosely aimed at the two in front of him, “From the city?”

“Yep, from City Number 10,” the middle-aged man chuckled.

“Where are you headed?” the old man asked cautiously.

“Don’t know yet, just taking a walk,” the middle-aged continued.

The old man pointed to an area about twenty meters away, “You can camp over there, but you can’t come near us. If you want to borrow a spot, a pack of cigarettes isn’t enough. Got any medicine?”

“We do,” replied the youth in the assault jacket, saying so as he also threw a small white bottle next to the campfire, seemingly prepared beforehand.

This was hard currency in the wilderness.

Having thrown it, the two then went to a nearby open space.

At the campfire, a young girl watching the youth in the assault jacket whispered to Qin Tong beside her, “Brother, that young man is quite handsome.”

Qin Tong glanced at the back of the youth, “He’s covering half of his face with that assault jacket, and you still think he’s handsome?”

The girl said, “Some people can tell someone is handsome without seeing their whole face.”

“Don’t think about it too much,” Qin Tong added a couple of sticks to the fire, “Did you see their jackets? Just those two jackets alone could trade for both of my mechanical limbs. These people come to the wilderness to travel, we come to survive. We’re just from two different worlds.”

The girl pouted, “I didn’t say anything.”

“I’m just worried you might get entranced by such rich kids,” the young man spoke earnestly, “Those wealthy folks living in the upper 3 district, not a single one is good news.”

“Alright, alright, I get it,” the girl said impatiently.

All the while, her gaze still lingered distantly on the youth.