Starting Cultivation in Wasteland-Chapter 362 - 242: Struggling to Make Ends Meet

Two people were quickly selected from the other side, while the rest hid themselves.

One was tall and the other was short; the tall one turned on the flashlight and the short one held a loudspeaker, "Friends, we mean no harm."

"Do you really believe what you just said?" Qu Jianlei replied irritably, "Point the flashlight at your feet, not at me!"

The two obediently followed his command, and soon they walked up to him.

The tall one was a Modified Warrior, and the short one was a C-level Warrior.

He sensed briefly and then asked in astonishment, "Are you a B-level Warrior?"

"At least stronger than you," Qu Jianlei lazily sat by the fire, raising a hand to point at the roast on the rack, "Have some."

"Grilling, huh," the tall one couldn’t help but mutter, "That’s too extravagant."

But despite grumbling, they were not polite at all, grabbing skewers and eating heartily.

After a few bites, the short one asked in astonishment, "Where did you get this meat; it actually has Energy?"

Qu Jianlei rolled his eyes at him and didn’t bother responding, pulling out a cigarette and smoking on his own.

"You’ve got cigarettes?" The tall one’s eyes lit up, then sheepishly asked, "Sir, can I have one?"

"Give you..." Qu Jianlei rolled his eyes at him again, "Why should I?"

"Ah," the tall one took a deep drag of the smoke in the air and didn’t speak further.

"I can buy it," the short one chimed in, "How much are you selling?"

"Not much, I’m not selling," Qu Jianlei waved his hand, "Tell me about Blazing Fire and Black Rain."

As he knew, Black Rain is a Celestial Level Pioneer Team, still ranked in the levels of ’Celestial Profound and Earthly Yellow’.

Celestial Level Pioneer Teams can take on tasks of pioneering planets, Profound Level can only accept tasks below that level.

Earth Level is even worse, only allowed to explore designated parts of planets.

As for Yellow Level, it’s the lowest level, requiring team formation to accept regional explorations.

Blazing Fire is actually an Earth Level Pioneer Team, knowing their brand isn’t strong enough, so they fly Black Rain’s banner.

As for being short of food and clothing, it’s the routine for Pioneer Teams, with cigarettes and alcohol being even rarer goods.

When they found outsiders during patrols, they naturally wanted to score something, but had to quickly change their minds since they might not win.

After a brief introduction, they asked Qu Jianlei about his origin and purpose.

Qu Jianlei’s response was the same as it had been in the Wasteland, claiming to have been attacked suddenly and losing his memory.

This answer is quite cliché; if Blue Star web novels wrote like this, they’d most likely flop, yet he said it naturally.

Then came the old trope; after awakening, he took advantage of the opponent’s unpreparedness, counter-killed them, and obtained supplies from a warehouse.

Anyway, that’s what he said, whether they believed it was unimportant.

"A warehouse?" The short one’s eyes instantly lit up, "What sort of things? We’ll buy them at a high price!"

Qu Jianlei looked at him oddly, "Your Pioneer Team has fallen to this state, can you even afford it?"

Then he shook his head, "I’ve almost used up the stuff, believe it or not, it’s up to you."

"We do have money," the short one answered earnestly, "Even if you don’t trust Blazing Fire, you surely trust Black Rain?"

"You gotta be kidding," Qu Jianlei waved his hand indifferently, "I’ve never heard of any Pioneer carrying a lot of money."

His reasoning was solid, but the short one was anxious, "Black Rain’s supplies prepared a lot, supporting other Pioneer Teams..."

Simply put, when Pioneer Teams were driven out of the control center by Star Thieves, most of Black Rain’s combat power was in external pioneering.

Since it’s pioneering, the front lines obviously need supply stations, which the Black Rain Team prepared well ahead.

No one expected home to be robbed, and other Celestial Level Pioneer Teams quickly fell into a state of material scarcity.

Everyone was poor, but one Black Rain was relatively affluent, various Pioneer Teams jointly exerted pressure on it.

—Star Thieves are our common enemy; if we’re all crippled, can you Black Rain hold on alone?

Though unwilling, Black Rain Team clearly saw the reality of mutual dependence.

Therefore, they did sell some supplies, though at a high price; using the term "support" seemed insincere.

However, the short one wasn’t bothered at all, knowing supplies would become more coveted; selling high was already considering the big picture.

Like Qu Jianlei said, pioneering a planet, it’s indeed unlikely to bring much money.

But having none at all isn’t possible either; some consumables might not be abundantly prepared by each team.

Exchanging goods works too, but carrying some Silver Notes for emergencies is quite normal.

So Black Rain has quite a few Silver Notes now, but given the current situation, they’re barely better than waste paper.

Qu Jianlei chuckled indifferently, casually handing out two cigarettes.

"Forget it, it’s fate to have met; once you’re full... just leave."

The two took the cigarettes, exchanged a glance, and then the short one spoke, "If you doubt us, I’ll call the Captain over?"

The Earth Level Pioneer Team requires at least a B-level leader, that’s the hard rule.

Qu Jianlei clicked his tongue helplessly, "If you think your leader can persuade me, then suit yourselves."

He wasn’t thinking of eloquence, but rather that the other party might choose to use physical persuasion.

Seeing his carefree demeanor, the two were increasingly puzzled: What could he possibly have up his sleeve?

The short one gave a signal, and the tall one hesitated for a moment, then swiftly grabbed two skewers of barbecue before reluctantly leaving.

He didn’t go far, probably ran about three or four hundred meters, and started calling his companions with a walkie-talkie.

Although he was a Modified Warrior, he was dispatched to negotiate due to his convenient ability to communicate, concisely introducing the situation.

The companion on the other end had a more powerful radio set, and upon hearing this, didn’t dare to delay, quickly contacted their leader.

The leader of Blazing Fire knew his small team went to deal with strangers and had always been quite concerned about this.

No option, with resources increasingly scarce, if no solutions are found, the morale will soon crumble.

Upon receiving the message that the opposite side was alone but at least a B-level Warrior, he couldn’t sit tight.

So, he took a vice leader and five fully armed C-level and Modified Warriors.

The leader himself had a Fire Attribute; that’s the origin of the name Blazing Fire, while the vice leader had a Water Attribute at B-level.

He didn’t solely intend to escalate the situation; the key was... the other party’s background was unclear.

If it was a trap targeted at Blazing Fire, that would be trouble—a Star Thief would go to any lengths to ambush Pioneer Teams.

The seven of them rushed over in just half an hour.

To prevent misunderstandings, a Modified Warrior held out a Cold Light Stick to show "we’re not here to ambush."

Qu Jianlei just sat boldly by the fire, looking at them coldly.

The leader sensed the other’s aura and felt his heart sink: Why does it feel unbeatable?

Both leaders, one fire, one water, basically could suppress a B-level, but the other side... truly seemed enigmatic.

He took the lead, walked forward, then raised his hand in greeting, "Greetings to this friend, I am Mu Guoguo, leader of the Blazing Fire Team."

Then he pointed to the vice leader beside him, "This is my sister, Mu Huahua."

Choosing names... so casually? Qu Jianlei’s expression was a bit peculiar.

However, he paid no mind to such trivial matters and slightly nodded, "One fire and one water... quite the recognition of my power."

Mu Guoguo had already devised a way to respond, and he answered very directly.

"Sorry, but Star Thieves have so many tricks, we have to be vigilant."

Qu Jianlei raised his brows at this, "Then why not just let me pass by?"

"That’s not possible," Mu Guoguo sighed lightly, "Black Rain ordered us to guard this area..."

"The point is, your way of passing by is a bit too high-profile, we really can’t pretend not to see."

"So it’s still my fault," Qu Jianlei chuckled indifferently, "I just figured you’ve set your eyes on my belongings!"

"There’s definitely some factor of that," Mu Guoguo replied straightforwardly, "We’re almost out of supplies."

Qu Jianlei lazily questioned, "Your shortage of supplies, what’s that got to do with me?"

Mu Guoguo replied solemnly, "It’s everyone’s duty to fight evil... it was part of the oath taken during our gene modification!"

Qu Jianlei didn’t actually intend to argue confrontationally with them, he simply didn’t want to come across as too agreeable.

Being nice gets you bullied, being gentle gets you ridden, the Ultimate Warriors particularly stress strength.

So he continued to speak lazily, "Then how can I prove I’m not a spy for the Star Thieves?"

Mu Guoguo answered confidently, "Selling the resources you have is the most direct method... Star Thieves wouldn’t arm their opponents!"

Qu Jianlei laughed in anger, "So, I must accept being requisitioned in disguise?"

He indeed wanted to interact with the Pioneer Team but if the process was so humiliating, then it’s better not to interact!

Mu Guoguo rebutted, "It’s not requisitioning, we’re purchasing... high-priced purchasing!"

Qu Jianlei looked at him with a subtle smile, "If I refuse... does that mean I’m a Star Thief spy?"

"That’s not what I meant," Mu Guoguo shook his head, responded seriously, "If you don’t sell goods, then you must prove yourself!"

This demand... well, it’s a bit much, but he said it so righteously.

Mainly because the infiltration of Pioneer Teams by Star Thieves has been a bit too intense.

Long-term lack of supplies among Pioneers also led to panic, resulting in numerous defections over time.

After all, it’s a group of Adventurers, not afraid of death, but there’s little loyalty — perhaps only loyal to Silver Notes.

"Prove myself..." Qu Jianlei took out a cigarette, lit it, then squinted his eyes and spoke slowly.

"How can I prove myself?"