Embers Ad Infinitum
chapter-689

Long Yuehong didn't ask why because he could also tell that things weren't that simple.

If it were just two moles stealing some military supplies, the Salvation Army wouldn't take it so seriously. They would send a telegram to the various border settlements and key outposts to describe the wanted moles' looks, height, and attire. They would then point out what the supplies they wanted to retrieve were, and that would be about it. They could provide warrants with photos when someone happened to pass by on the way; there was no need to send several specialized personnel to carry documents to different border settlements and key outposts to inform them one by one.

"What could it be?" Bai Chen muttered to herself as she drove.

Shang Jianyao guessed with interest, "Military exoskeleton? A secret weapon excavated by the Salvation Army or developed by themselves?"

"Is there a possibility that the military supplies are only a cover—an excuse—and that something else was stolen?" Genava's eyes flickered with a red glow.

Jiang Baimian grunted. "We can't rule out that possibility. Gosh, stop guessing. Without any clues, isn't this nothing but fabricating stories yourself?"

"That's right, that's right!" Shang Jianyao echoed.

He then retorted himself, "Doesn't it bring out the atmosphere by fabricating a story?"

"Whoa, your vocabulary must've been enriched from all the Old World entertainment you've watched." Jiang Baimian didn't mind if her team members discussed it. After all, they had nothing to do.

Just like that, they followed the increasingly flat road. In less than an hour and a half, they completely left the mountains and entered a vast wilderness overgrown with weeds.

At this moment, Ding Ling slowed down the car. After the Old Task Force's jeep was beside hers, she rolled down the window and said, "It will take at least eight hours to get to Ubei. We'll find a settlement to get some rest and set off tomorrow morning. Is that alright?"

"No problem at all." Jiang Baimian shook her head first before asking in confusion, "It takes only eight hours?"

She had seen high-resolution maps of the Old World and had also studied the crude maps drawn by Ruin Hunters in the current era. She felt that the distance between here and Ubei was about the same as the distance between Weed City and Redstone Collection. If one was lucky, it would take days. If they encountered inclement weather and multiple disasters, they would need to take a long detour. It wasn't too rare to measure the trip in weeks.

Sensing October Xue's surprise, Ding Ling looked at the road in front of her and explained proudly, "In the first 20 years of the New Calendar, we completely repaired the main road from Ubei to Cloud Mountain. We've kept up with the maintenance all these years.

"From here to Ubei, apart from a few seriously polluted areas that require a detour due to the many problems they have, we just need to drive along the road. One of the Salvation Army's founders, Li Ziren, once made the analogy of food being blood and industry being bones. Roads are the nerves that connect everything."

Clap! Clap! Clap!

Shang Jianyao clapped with all his might.

Jiang Baimian also truly felt that the Salvation Army had a different bearing from the other factions. Although they were believed to have degenerated, they far exceeded large factions like First City in terms of rebuilding.

Similar words often appeared in those places: "In any case, many of the roads left behind by the Old World can barely be driven on. Can't we just take a slight detour in certain places?"

"Where will you get all those supplies to repair the roads? It's not like we can't drive in the wilderness with vehicles with higher chassis!"

"I'm afraid that well-maintained roads will only make it easier for the slaves to run!"

To this day, only the streets and roads leading to the surrounding manors in First City had been repaired and were often maintained. Other places, including wilderness outposts and border settlements, mainly relied on the roads left over from the Old World and relatively flat wilderness.

Coupled with the large pollution zones, no man's land, danger zones, and the effects of extreme weather, the travel time for people increased exponentially.

"As expected of the Salvation Army!" Jiang Baimian also exclaimed in praise.

It was obvious that Ding Ling and her subordinates were rather happy about this. Regardless of whether they had degenerated, they were still rather proud of the Salvation Army's past actions and achievements. They shared the same feelings.

At three in the afternoon, the two cars arrived at a settlement.

This settlement was built around an Old World farm. Beyond the high walls were large patches of verdant fields, waiting to transform into gold.

Thanks to Ding Ling being a senior warrior in the Salvation Army and a captain of a border settlement, Jiang Baimian and the others directly entered the settlement without a pass or introduction letter and followed them to a remote oil depot.

Ding Ling alighted from the car and took out a rolled-up white handkerchief from somewhere inside her black uniform. She carefully unfolded her handkerchief and revealed stacks of small plastic cards in different colors.

"This is an oil negotiable for 50 liters…" After a simple search, Ding Ling took out a small, light-yellow plastic card.

Jiang Baimian noticed that the slightly transparent card had the words 'Standard Gasoline,' '50 liters,' and 'Supplies Management Committee.' It also had an incomplete red seal.

After the oil warehouse guard took the small plastic card and began to fill up the green mountain car's tank, Shang Jianyao curiously came to Ding Ling's side and looked at the small plastic cards. "Are these your Salvation Army's negotiable instruments?"

"Yes, there are oil negotiables, pork negotiables, beef negotiables, mutton negotiables, fish negotiables, rice negotiables, flour negotiables, cloth negotiables, and clothes negotiables…" Ding Ling briefly introduced them. "It's best if you exchange for some negotiables with supplies in the future. This will make it more convenient to replenish what you want."

"Oh, oh, oh." Shang Jianyao wore an enlightened expression.

Jiang Baimian took two steps forward and smiled. "Why don't we exchange some from you first?"

"Alright." Ding Ling didn't refuse and even joked, "Use the pickled vegetables and pork canned food you ate yesterday to exchange for it. That taste from yesterday has really whet our appetite. We keep salivating!"

Jiang Baimian chuckled. "This was originally produced by your Salvation Army. It was smuggled across the border, allowing us a chance to obtain it…"

As she spoke, she glanced at Ding Ling and her subordinates' expressions and realized that they didn't care much about smuggling.

After some negotiation, the Old Task Force used the portion of canned food and biscuits they were sick of to exchange for some negotiables. This included pork negotiables that were calculated in pounds.

Long Yuehong watched the transaction and realized that Ding Ling still had a negotiable called 'woodcutting negotiable.'

"This is?" He pointed curiously.

Ding Ling looked down and chuckled. "All of the Salvation Army's resources are integral. If we want to cut down trees and get some wood, we also need a negotiable."

Shang Jianyao thought for a moment and pointed at the solar charger board on the top of his jeep. He asked seriously, "Do you also need a negotiable to obtain solar energy?"

Pfft… Why don't you ask about the payment for a tan? Jiang Baimian scoffed inwardly.

Ding Ling was clearly stunned for a moment. "No, there's no need."

After the mountain car was fueled, Ding Ling and her subordinates led the Old Task Force members to a camp in a corner of the settlement.

On the way, they encountered men and women who seemed to be Ruin Hunters.

Jiang Baimian felt that they should be Ruin Hunters because they gave off a different vibe from the residents and soldiers in the settlement.

They were even more undisciplined and unrestrained, and they ignored the gazes of others. Among them, there were even people standing on the car roof, playing music, and gyrating their bodies, making Shang Jianyao's eyes glow.

One could call them Ruin Hunters, but these were different from the ones west of Cloud Mountain. They didn't have the unique bearing of depression and indulgence, nor did they look like they had suffered from much hunger and cold.

After parking the car at the camp, Jiang Baimian found Ding Ling and her subordinates and pointed at those people. "Are they Ruin Hunters?"

"Yes." Ding Ling nodded first. Upon seeing Long Yuehong and the others' confused expressions, she smiled and explained, "In our Salvation Army, it's not trivial to become a Ruin Hunter."

"Huh?" Shang Jianyao replied cooperatively. Of course, he was indeed very curious.

"Apart from children and elderly, everyone in our Salvation Army has their own jobs and duties. How can they be a Ruin Hunter just because they want to be one? You might not believe it, but in our sphere of influence, there are no wilderness nomads anywhere apart from the few mountains and unexplored polluted areas." Ding Ling revealed her inborn pride again.

She then said in detail, "In the beginning, we didn't welcome such professions at all since there were specialized teams in charge of exploring ruins and gathering supplies. But as the city population increased, the original positions gradually became insufficient. Even if a few new jobs were set up, it was still not enough. Only then did we assign a batch of willing people to join the Hunter's Guild. Therefore, in our Salvation Army, one has to obtain approval to become a Ruin Hunter."

This… Long Yuehong's horizons were broadened at first, but he felt that this was no different from the company after some thought.

If he, Shang Jianyao, and the others hadn't been assigned to the Security Department and had a certain level of freedom outside, how could they have become Ruin Hunters?

In addition, they can also use the Hunter's Guild to obtain basic information about various parts of the Ashlands… Jiang Baimian thought about the Salvation Army's implemented changes from a different perspective.

Ding Ling glanced at the Ruin Hunters and said with a slightly complicated tone, "These people now like to mock us for being old-fashioned and conservative, but they don't even seem to realize it. Who gives them something to eat when their explorations end up fruitless? Who allows them safety from bandits when out in the wilderness? It's their families and regular troops like us!"

The captain's feelings were shared by her subordinates as they nodded.

At this moment, a few Ruin Hunters ran out of a settlement and shouted, "There are clues regarding the two moles!"