Chapter 48: 48, All human motivation comes from death

Why did Xu Xia's corpse vanish, and where did the vanished corpse go? These two questions linger in everyone's heart like an unshakable shadow.

Ren Xiaosu had been pondering a question: if the other side could make such a large corpse disappear without a sound, why not target the living?

With their strength, they could surely inflict tremendous casualties on the entire camp in the dead of night.

Something was amiss.

Everyone sat inside the vehicles, except Ren Xiaosu, who was in the bed of the pickup truck. On the way here, everyone had their windows open, chatting and laughing, even singing!

Now, all the windows were tightly shut, as if fearing some unclean thing might suddenly invade and take their lives.

They believed that an extra layer of glass could make them safer.

Ren Xiaosu sat in the truck bed, watching the retreating forest. The swaying leaves seemed to conceal deadly intent. Even he felt a flicker of fear.

But what could he do? Eat a cookie to steady his nerves...

Every time Ren Xiaosu thought of a possibility that might frighten him, he ate a cookie to steady his nerves...

In truth, Ren Xiaosu felt that sitting in the vehicle or the truck bed was equally unsafe. His physical condition was good, and the truck bed offered a wide view. Should danger arise, he could quickly find a way out and a plan.

After all, in the entire convoy, except for Yang Xiaojin, whose strength was unclear, no one could outrun him.

Ren Xiaosu had never considered whether to save others when danger came—he wasn't foolish!

This group had not provided food for their guide and made him sit in the truck bed. Ren Xiaosu was already being generous by not taking revenge!

Everyone fled forward as if monsters were truly chasing them from behind. Liu Bu, still in the vehicle, urged Xu Xiance: "Sir, let's go back and explain to the stronghold. Your superior wouldn't really be so heartless as to drive you out of the stronghold."

Xu Xiance remained silent. If it were someone else, the superior might not be so ruthless, but he was different.

Both Wang Zongyang and Xu Xiance, officers of the private army, had offended the boss above. In fact, Ren Xiaosu had already noticed this.

In the middle of the night, when something happened in the wilderness, Wang Zongyang was the first to be sent out. After Ren Xiaosu and Luo Xinyu requested Wang Zongyang's replacement, the other side sent Xu Xiance.

Those officers who could maneuver freely within the stronghold enjoyed a life of comfort. Only those who were not favored were pushed to the wilderness to carry out missions. Who would willingly leave home in the middle of the night to fight?

Before the catastrophe, soldiers had a sense of honor. But these private forces, in Ren Xiaosu's view, lacked such qualities.

In fact, both Xu Xiance and Wang Zongyang held awkward positions in the private army. Their superiors wanted to suppress them. This time, with a legitimate excuse, if they failed to complete the mission, they might never return.

Yet Ren Xiaosu still had doubts. He glanced at Yang Xiaojin and whispered, "Is such a force reliable? The stronghold relies on them for defense, yet when danger arises, they act like a mob."

Yang Xiaojin glanced at him and said something that left Ren Xiaosu puzzled: "The consortium's army is the consortium's army, and the stronghold's army is the stronghold's army. The consortium does not wish for these strongholds to possess powerful armed forces."

Ren Xiaosu was stunned. What kind of army was the consortium's? Xu Xiance was clearly more cunning and fierce than the other soldiers. Along the way, Ren Xiaosu had never seen him smoke or slack off. His back was always straight.

Which officers had been marginalized? At least two were known to Ren Xiaosu: Wang Zongyang and Xu Xiance. Xu Xiance aside, Wang Zongyang had shown meticulous logic even when searching Ren Xiaosu, unlike the private army soldiers. He had even openly expressed disdain for the private forces in front of Ren Xiaosu.

So were Xu Xiance and Wang Zongyang marginalized because they refused to join the corruption?

Ren Xiaosu even speculated with the worst intentions—perhaps even cigarettes were provided by the consortium. After years of careful planning, the consortium had finally turned the stronghold's armed forces into useless relics. Ren Xiaosu couldn't confirm if his speculation was correct, but Mr. Zhang from the academy had said that if technology was controlled by a few, it was only natural for armed forces to be controlled by a few as well.

Yet he still wondered about Xu Xia's case—were living people not attacked? Otherwise, why were the living unharmed?

Why was the stronghold so interested in the pre-catastrophe ruins hidden in the Jingshan mountains? Could the dangers they now faced all originate from this pre-catastrophe site?

Xu Xiance spoke coldly, "I now take over everyone's wartime command. Any plans from now on, you have no right to question."

Liu Bu opened his mouth but held back, realizing Xu Xiance was serious.

At noon, the convoy made a brief stop at a place called Caishi Wall. The formation of Caishi Wall was related to tectonic movements—a cliff formed by plate compression, with colorful rock layers on the stone wall. It was named after the private army's past campaigns to eradicate beasts in the forest.

Liu Bu leaned against the stone wall, wiping his sweat, and said, "It's almost winter. Why does it get hotter the further north we go?"

Ren Xiaosu sat nearby, belching, and replied, "There are several active volcanoes in the Jingshan mountains ahead, with frequent internal activity."

Many in the group were surprised, as they had always thought volcanoes were distant phenomena. They hadn't expected several to exist in the Jingshan mountains.

However, Xu Xiance clearly understood the terrain of Jingshan, so he wasn't surprised. After all, the private army would have provided him with some information. It was only natural that he had seen the volcanoes before.

Yet Xu Xiance was puzzled—how unprofessional had the predecessors in the private army been to eradicate beasts in Jingshan without even mapping the area?

Now, even the major strongholds lacked an accurate map of the entire region!

Liu Bu went to the pickup truck to fetch food for everyone, only to find the cookies had dwindled so much he nearly fainted. He trembled and asked Ren Xiaosu, "How did you eat so many cookies!"

"Burp," Ren Xiaosu patted his chest. "I'm sitting in the truck bed alone. Is it wrong for me to eat a few cookies to steady my nerves?!"

Suddenly, a piercing sound came from the north. The sound was eerily strange. All the private soldiers raised their guns toward the northern road. Only Ren Xiaosu said, "Quick, help me up. Let me eat another cookie to steady my nerves..."

Liu Bu: "......"

Luo Xinyu looked at Ren Xiaosu: "You must know what that sound is."

Xu Xiance pointed his gun at Ren Xiaosu: "No concealment!"

Ren Xiaosu raised an eyebrow and said, "It's the sound of Old Wind Mouth. We're not far from the Jingshan gorge passage. When the massive wind crosses the gorge, it makes this sound. No need to panic."

Only then did everyone realize that having an experienced guide was useful. It was only at this moment that they began to acknowledge Ren Xiaosu's value in their hearts. At least now, upon hearing the howling sound, they weren't so afraid.

The original plan would have taken three to five days to reach the gorge. Yet fear had accelerated their pace. If nothing went wrong, they would reach the front of Old Wind Mouth Gorge by tonight!

Mr. Zhang from the academy had once said that all human actions stemmed from death.

Because they didn't want to die, they ate. Because they didn't want to die, they fought desperately to survive.

Now, everyone was in a mountain where death could strike at any moment. Death acted like adrenaline, making all the more alert and desperate to live.

...

Special circumstances today, early update