Chapter 300 - 299
"It’s not the same kind of dungeon run as Jiang Che’s; mine is just a regular dungeon."
"Here, you just need to find the exit to clear the level and leave. Once you find the exit, go kill the Lord, and the dungeon can be swallowed and taken over by evil spirits." Guo Xu took a deep breath and continued, "You know, in dungeons like mine, humans are the Guardians, and the strongest among them need to kill the evil spirits coming to clear the level, just like back when humans broke into the evil spirit dungeons."
Xiong Jie stayed silent; he knew exactly what Guo Xu meant.
The dilemma Guo Xu was facing was one faced by countless others in this turbulent, chaotic world.
He nodded gently, then said, "I’ll send someone to pick them up, and you can follow us out."
"Once you’re over there, you don’t need to worry." Xiong Jie looked at him with genuine comfort.
"Haha, just give us something to eat, that’s enough. I know times are tough for everyone right now." Hearing Xiong Jie’s agreement, Guo Xu laughed out loud, a laugh filled with relief and ease.
"If you guys have any conditions, just say the word. As long as I can do it, I’ll do it!"
"We don’t really have anything, just brought a few people who mouthed off to the Lord’s wife, so they need to move out," Xiong Jie said.
"But still, I hope they’ll be able to live well here." Xiong Jie took a deep breath.
"I know, it’s hard for everyone." Guo Xu nodded, and signaled to his subordinate beside him, "It’s already late now, I’ll have someone arrange housing for them. Don’t worry, as long as I don’t die, they definitely won’t die." His tone was resolute.
"Does Jiang Che need anything else? You happen to have a car, I’ll send someone to pack up some supplies for you to take over." He wanted to offer some materials, hoping to trade for a better life for his wife and kids on the other side.
"Brother Guo, no need to be so polite." Xiong Jie waved his hand; he could feel Guo Xu’s sincerity but didn’t want him to think of this as a transaction.
Jiang Che really doesn’t lack much right now.
"If you really want to give something, just pack a few extra boxes of salt," he said quickly.
Even going into the Dark Forest now, the old city supplies are rotting, so he needs to help Jiang Che prepare a bit more.
Sometimes he and Flying Tiger and others would joke and call Ding Ning the Salt Prince, but honestly, the Salt Prince was celebrated with sack after sack of salt.
"Salt? What kind? Industrial salt?" Guo Xu frowned, full of confusion.
Industrial salt really isn’t easy to find; they mostly had table salt. His brow knit tightly as he thought about his territory’s inventory.
"How much do you need? I’ll check if we have it stored." Guo Xu pressed, looking serious and earnest.
"..." Xiong Jie went silent.
"No, table salt." He looked up in despair—as expected, nobody would ever think of their troubles as being about eating.
Guo Xu froze for a second, then nodded firmly.
He was amazed; he knew Jiang Che wasn’t a regular guy, but hadn’t expected the territory’s conditions to be this bad.
No salt to eat?
If not for the need to get his wife and kids to safety, he really wouldn’t send them away.
Leaving his familiar domain for an unknown environment was always risky, always uncertain.
But his strength just wasn’t enough, and outside was way too dangerous, full of terrifying threats.
The suffocating pressure outside constantly reminded him that he couldn’t offer his wife and kids enough protection.
"If it’s table salt, we’ve got a lot here, plus there’s a city nearby that got swallowed by the Dark Forest."
"That city still has plenty of supplies in storage."
"If you need, I can head out and fetch some more," Guo Xu said quickly.
He wanted to give as much as possible, so his wife and kids could at least eat better in Jiang Che’s territory.
Xiong Jie nodded; he really did need to stock up a bit more.
Thinking about Ding Ning’s use of salt, he couldn’t help but smile wryly.
Ding Ning’s consumption was absolutely ridiculous.
As they talked, Guo Xu called the person who just left, telling them to settle the newcomers first, then check the warehouse and get some salt ready for Jiang Che’s group to take with them when they leave.
Once they confirmed it was table salt, the person who answered the phone was dumbfounded.
No salt to eat over there?
"You guys got thrown out for talking back to the Lord’s wife?" They eyed the group of fifty-some people with curiosity.
But when they asked this, dozens of faces turned dark and grim.
Their expressions were ugly, full of resentment and unwillingness, but unable to voice it.
Those grim faces were telling of their inner frustration and helplessness, but they still had to endure others’ misunderstandings and speculation.
At first, people just thought—these guys must have gotten themselves thrown out on purpose, right?
"It’s better for you anyway. Our Lord isn’t very powerful, but since most people went over to Leng Feng’s place, we’ve got plenty of resources now."
"Pretty clever of you, coming up with this method to get out."
The other person laughed along, a look of admiration in their eyes.
Seeing these people get out safely, get a new territory to live in, they genuinely thought these guys were sharp as hell.
You have to realize, nowadays you can’t just switch territories whenever you want—if you leave, the only place you can go is Leng Feng’s.
But Leng Feng’s place is so crowded it’s ridiculous, it’s barely habitable at all.
There are even rumors going around that people living at Leng Feng’s are basically waiting to die.
"You’ll be staying here from now on." They pointed to the four-person dorm ahead.
It’s pretty spacious here, but still technically full—just a lot better than before when people were packed in like sardines, sleeping in giant bunk rooms.
"Four to a room, bed up top, desk below. Nice, right?"
"How did you live over there?"
"We built our own houses..." The newcomers looked around at the tidy, clean rooms, with air conditioning even; the whole environment was really quite nice.
This place was hundreds of times better than Leng Feng’s, and even better than what they had before going to Jiang Che’s, honestly.
But standing here, looking at everything, their hearts just weren’t at ease.
"Huh?" Hearing that they’d built their own houses, the few people were instantly stunned.
Building houses themselves? Isn’t that just like Leng Feng’s place, basically constructing cells—one cell packed with dozens like drawers.
"Never mind, forget the past. You’ll be staying here from now on."
"We..." They opened their mouths to say something, but swallowed the words.
Because in their territory, everyone had agreed to keep quiet to outsiders.
Even now, after getting thrown out, they didn’t want to talk to these people.
They talked about getting revenge on Jiang Che, but now that they’re actually here, seeing the outside environment, that desire for revenge faded away completely.
If they behaved themselves out here, could they still go home?