Chapter 203: 203, Exemption from military service

The armored truck's compartment rattled, and the biting cold wind blew in through the open cargo bed, scraping against faces like knives.

At first, Ren Xiaoshu's greatest worry was that the transport would separate men and women, sending them to different places—perhaps women directly to factories as laborers—but that didn't happen, which temporarily eased his mind.

Wang Fulgui said with a worried frown, "We couldn't even bring our bicycles."

Upon hearing this, Ren Xiaoshu's face darkened...

This was probably the first major loss the team had suffered since leaving the 113 Wall.

On the wasteland, possessions were trivial; sometimes they were simply discarded. Even human lives were treated this way, let alone bicycles.

Now, even if both Ren Xiaoshu and Chen Wudi were extraordinary beings, it would be difficult to withstand an entire army.

As the Li family's private army continued toward the 109 Wall, Ren Xiaoshu felt he might never see them again, for he didn't believe this army could hold its own against over a thousand test subjects in street fighting.

Unless the Li family directly used heavy firepower to blast the wall.

But a wall was built to protect nearby resources—would the Li family be willing to abandon such a complete wall? Certainly not.

After all, the cost of rebuilding a destroyed wall would be too great.

The vehicle had been traveling through snow for seven or eight hours. During this time, several vehicles in the convoy had broken down, and only then were the passengers allowed to step out for some air.

The private soldiers guarded them like prisoners. Ren Xiaoshu exchanged glances with Xiao Yu and Jiang Wu from afar, but neither understood the meaning behind the other's eyes...

Once the vehicle was repaired, they continued on their way. Throughout, Wang Fulgui chatted and flirted with the private soldiers—this was his strength. Soon, he had even befriended the soldiers guarding their vehicle.

After reboarding, Wang Fulgui whispered to Ren Xiaoshu, "It seems we're heading straight to the 108 Wall's settlement. But we all know what these private soldiers are like. Maybe I can use money and antibiotics to convince them to secretly exempt us from military and labor service."

Labor service referred to conscripting displaced women to work in factories.

It had to be said that having someone like Wang Fulgui in the group meant information wouldn't be too scarce. Ren Xiaoshu and the others weren't skilled at dealing with people, so this task had to fall to Wang Fulgui.

Ren Xiaoshu asked in a low voice, "Did you ask them about the current state of the other Li family walls?"

"I asked. Nothing's happened," Wang Fulgui replied. "But they've entered full alert now. The Li family has declared a wartime state, as if preparing for war."

"It seems they're not just dealing with the test subjects," Ren Xiaoshu sighed. If it were only the test subjects, there would be no need to seal over ten walls.

But what grounds did the Li family have to start a war? Surely not relying on nanobots.

Yang Xiaojin had once said that although they had seized the research data before it could be destroyed, the Li family must have already transferred the data via their controlled satellites, so their research wasn't in vain.

At the time, Ren Xiaoshu had questioned this—if that were the case, then the portable hard drive seemed deliberately left behind. If Yang's side intended to use it, it would be best to check it, otherwise it might be a trap.

That was Ren Xiaoshu's nature. Others might not think much of it, but in his eyes, anything unusual would make him cautious and alert.

Now, using wealth to avoid military and labor service was the best solution. The private soldiers on the vehicle cursed and grumbled, seemingly dissatisfied with having to work in such cold weather—this was similar to all the private soldiers Ren Xiaoshu had encountered...

Such troops were also very greedy. While on the vehicle, Ren Xiaoshu and Wang Fulgui quietly exchanged their most valuable items, stuffing them all into Ren Xiaoshu's storage space, fearing the soldiers might harbor ill intentions upon seeing precious goods.

The refugees on the vehicle looked lifeless. They had thought the Li family's army would save them, but instead they received devastating news.

The contrast between being wall residents and becoming refugees was hard for them to accept.

As they neared the wall, the private army's convoy suddenly stopped. A disheveled officer, with two thumbs hooked into his belt, began speaking: "Well, we don't want you all to suffer through hard labor, but we've received orders from above and have no choice."

A refugee pleaded, "Sir, my knees are bad—I really can't serve in the military."

A woman cried out, "We really don't know how to sew—we've never done this before."

The private officer chuckled, "You'll learn. But I have another way. I'm well acquainted with Li Zong, who handles conscription. If any of you have ideas, I can help speak to him. But this can't be done just by talking. Let me be clear—I won't profit from this. I'm only helping you petition."

Ren Xiaoshu understood—this was the moment to ask for benefits.

Someone immediately removed their wristwatch: "Sir, this is a FeiNiao brand watch, a new one from last year."

The officer immediately beamed, "Register it... Anyone else want to avoid conscription or labor service?"

Wang Fulgui quickly stepped forward and pulled the officer aside: "Sir, my name is Wang Fulgui. I have 100 doses of antibiotics here, and five of the finest watches. It's just that we have quite a few people wanting to avoid service."

Upon hearing about 100 antibiotics, the officer's eyes nearly popped out. When he heard about the five watches, his eyes lit up!

Wang Fulgui whispered, "We mainly have over twenty students here. Think about it—what can students do? They can't do anything, and students are the foundation of our future. If they go into the military or factories now, wouldn't that be a waste?"

The officer glanced at Wang Fulgui, "Female students can be exempted, but male students cannot. Honestly, eligible males must enlist—this is the bottom line. If I cross this line, I'll be shot tomorrow."

Wang Fulgui panicked. Others could be ignored, but Ren Xiaoshu couldn't be conscripted. He pointed at Ren Xiaoshu and said, "Didn't you just exempt someone from conscription?"

"That person exempted from conscription wasn't hiding anything—he's too old and not within the conscription age range," the officer laughed.

Old Wang finally understood—labor service could be avoided, but conscription was unavoidable. The man who had just handed over the watch was merely a scapegoat. He changed his approach and said, "That person—you shouldn't judge by his young face. He just takes good care of himself. I won't embarrass you by saying this, but he's my uncle..."

"Crap," the officer laughed, "Old Wang, are you trying to sell your face? If I say no, it's no. These antibiotics and watches can only exempt female labor service. They're of the right age—conscription cannot be avoided."

Wang Fulgui sighed. Wang Dalong and Yan Liuyuan were not of age, so they didn't need to go. But now, it seemed Ren Xiaoshu and Chen Wudi were destined for conscription, along with the eight male students under Jiang Wu.

...