Chapter 41: 41, Solve it yourself

The staff in the band had reasons to dislike Ren Xiaosu. As the "big shots" within the refuge barrier, they even faced obstacles when seeking a guide in the settlement, as if guiding them were a shameful task.

In their view, shouldn't Ren Xiaosu have proactively approached them like the first guide?

Countless people longed for extraordinary connections within the refuge barrier, for Wang Fugui was right—the big shots there could leak something from their fingertips, ensuring the refugees in the settlement lived well.

Yet Ren Xiaosu's response was nothing but avoiding them.

Thus, their already unfavorable impression of him worsened after the biscuit incident, especially Liu Bu, who now urged Luo Xinyu to return to the settlement for a guide.

"Xinyu, we've only been traveling half a day," Liu Bu said: "Returning to the settlement now would be timely, just wasting a day."

"But that's still a waste," Luo Xinyu gazed out the window.

"But think about it," Liu Bu continued: "This guy seems unreliable. What if he becomes even more unreliable later? We'd waste more than a day. I heard the refugees in the settlement were of low quality, but I didn't expect them to be this bad!"

Luo Xinyu shook her head: "Wang Fugui said if he can't lead us through Jing Mountain, no one can."

"I don't believe that," Liu Bu sneered: "The settlement is so vast, surely someone can guide us through Jing Mountain. Before, we only asked in the settlement. Actually, there are more people in the seven factories around it, some living in the factories. We could ask there and might find something new."

"Now it's six factories," Luo Xinyu corrected.

Just recently, one was destroyed by wolves, leaving only six.

"Then let's check the other factories," Liu Bu said awkwardly.

"That's settled," Luo Xinyu denied: "It's already difficult to get twelve private troops to escort us. Don't complicate things further."

Liu Bu fell silent. Though many believed Luo Xinyu was young and made decisions through him, Liu Bu knew she was a resolute girl, and he was merely her executor.

Now, every major barrier had stars like Luo Xinyu, known as "corners."

But these corners usually had supporters within their respective barriers, making it hard to escape their shackles.

After all, the outside world was not as accessible as before the catastrophe, and hearts were unpredictable. Leaving the barrier meant taking risks.

Previously, a star in Refuge Barrier No. 89 had tried to cross barriers to boost influence, only to vanish after leaving. Her agent and bodyguards disappeared too. Two months later, someone found what seemed to be her remains in the wilderness, her bones riddled with bullets—clearly killed by gunfire, shot in the back.

This made others more cautious.

Yet Luo Xinyu never settled for brilliance within a single refuge. Even knowing the danger, she was willing to take risks—a courage that required great resolve for a girl.

Luo Xinyu looked at the silent Liu Bu: "You can deal with him, but don't disrupt our journey. Let him lead the way. When we return from Refuge Barrier No. 112, you can handle him as you wish."

"Alright," Liu Bu agreed.

The car jolted, the private soldiers acting as drivers, steering cautiously to avoid irreversible damage to the suspension, chassis, or tires. Yet the road was so rugged, leaving them helpless.

When Ren Xiaosu sat in the back of the lead car, directing the driver, the group of twenty—including him—fit perfectly in four per vehicle. But Liu Bu, distrusting Ren Xiaosu's connections, assigned two band staff to flank him, making the lead car carry five.

The two staff in the back sat coldly, originally two people in the back row with ample space, but Ren Xiaosu's presence made everyone uncomfortable.

This team planning to cross Jing Mountain suddenly seemed like they were escorting Ren Xiaosu to Refuge Barrier No. 112...

However, Ren Xiaosu found Liu Bu childish. On the car, one private soldier drove, the other three were band staff.

If he truly wanted to cause trouble, he could leave only himself alive within three seconds.

Thus, these people in the refuge barriers barely understood the refugees' living conditions—only knowing it was bitter and dirty, their knowledge limited to that.

The staff beside Ren Xiaosu glanced at him, then said arrogantly: "You'd better behave. Don't do anything unnecessary."

Ren Xiaosu frowned: "For a biscuit?"

The staff raised their voice: "Is that just a biscuit? I tell you, once you're out with us, you're not your own anymore. Understand? Don't try to smash an egg against a stone!"

The staff in the passenger seat laughed: "Kid, do you know what breaks when an egg hits a stone?"

Ren Xiaosu pondered: "A heart breaks."

The staff froze: "Whose heart breaks?"

Ren Xiaosu replied: "The hen's heart."

Ren Xiaosu was quite satisfied with his answer, a touch of human concern hidden in his wit...

That evening, the convoy smoothly passed through the mountain pass of Yunling, and the scenery suddenly opened up—a vast forest lay behind Yunling. Ren Xiaosu gazed out the window, lost in thought, at nature's masterful work slicing the flat earth into a landscape of staggered ravines.

Teacher Zhang had said this was a unique landform formed by tectonic movements, and sometimes Ren Xiaosu thought humans were so insignificant.

Trees grew tall here, with only a few muddy paths proving human presence. It was here that the band first got lost on their initial visit. Ren Xiaosu once heard Teacher Zhang say that tropical rainforests were so dense they were nearly impassable, but these northern woods were sparser, though the grass grew slightly taller.

As night fell, the convoy finally reached the clearing Liu Bu mentioned. Liu Bu jumped out, laughing loudly: "We'll camp here tonight. Hurry and rest, eat something."

As he finished, Ren Xiaosu headed for the pickup truck, but Liu Bu blocked him first. Ren Xiaosu asked in surprise: "What for?"

Liu Bu sneered: "We didn't bring your food or water. You handle it yourself."