Chapter 451 - 423: What Bai Che Saw and Heard
Bai Che reined in his horse, and the dozen or so followers behind him came to a neat halt.
He lifted his gaze toward the nearby Gated Community entrance where a brazier was placed, his expression somewhat complicated.
From his rear diagonal, a half-grown boy urged his horse forward to catch up.
The youth was sturdily built with a boyish face, but his physique was already on par with an adult’s. A circle of fine fuzz lined his upper lip. "Cousin, why did Uncle suddenly have us come live here? Did something happen back at the fort?"
Bai Che turned his head to look at his younger cousin, Bai Jie, and after a moment of contemplation, said, "It has nothing to do with you all. Just think of this as a camping trip."
Bai Jie’s thick eyebrows knitted together as he shook his head seriously. "N-no, that’s not right. Something is definitely wrong. My mom even specifically packed some gold in my luggage. If this was just a trip, she wouldn’t have given me so much money."
Bai Che looked at Bai Jie in surprise. ’His usually careless cousin actually has such a perceptive side.’
Just as he was about to speak, a question came from ahead. "Who goes there!"
Bai Che glanced at Bai Jie and said in a low voice, "Quiet. Stay behind me and don’t wander off."
"Oh, okay."
This was Bai Che’s second time at Yujing River City. He looked at the large, rusted characters above the south gate, his gaze traveling past them to the tall buildings beyond.
As they entered the Gated Community, the sounds of conversation and laughter reached his ears.
A few elderly people passed by, leading children by the hand. Some looked at him curiously. In the garden pathways, one could occasionally see people walking briskly in twos and threes.
Fast and slow—the two tempos merged into one here.
"Grandma, a big horse." A passing child looked with a mix of curiosity and fear at the large brown horse Bai Che was leading.
"Zihao, be a good boy. Don’t touch it. That’s the big brother’s horse." The old woman picked up her grandson and greeted Qin Ziwu, who was leading the way. "Captain Qin."
Qin Ziwu smiled and nodded. "Auntie Zhou, have you had lunch?"
"Just finished. Hah... It’s so dark all the time, you can’t even tell day from night. If it weren’t for the gongs they beat downstairs at set times, I doubt we’d even know when morning is," Auntie Zhou said with a laugh.
"It’ll be better once we clear this map. We should be able to see the sun on the next one." Qin Ziwu stopped and reached out to ruffle the little boy’s bristly hair.
Bai Che spoke up, "Captain Qin, we’ve come this time hoping to stay at your esteemed place for a while."
Qin Ziwu thought for a moment, then shook his head. "Sorry, it seems we don’t have any empty rooms in our Gated Community. They’re all basically full."
This wasn’t an excuse; it was the truth.
Because the Qin Alliance was based in the Gated Community, and because it had walls, everyone in the entire settlement wanted to live inside. The number of apartments was fixed, so besides the original residents, all the spare rooms had been snatched up. Many apartments had four or five people crammed into them.
Then, Qin Ziwu changed the subject. "However, while we don’t have rooms inside the Gated Community, there are some vacant ones in the two buildings just outside. We patrol them regularly, so their safety is also guaranteed."
Bai Che remained silent, but the group behind him began to murmur among themselves.
"Young Master Che, this..."
"Won’t it be too dangerous outside? It’s beyond the walls. What if some monster gets in at night? It’s not safe at all."
Bai Che pleaded, "We can pay rent. We won’t stay for free. Captain Qin, is there really no way to free up a single empty room?"
Qin Ziwu shook his head. "All the rooms are full. At most, I can arrange some of the vacant rooms for you. To make space for you inside the Gated Community, I’d have to kick out the current residents."
"I’ve been rude." Bai Che sighed softly and cupped his fists.
Qin Ziwu had Bai Che and his group wait downstairs. "Wait here. I’ll go talk to my big brother. I can only take you to your lodgings after he gives the arrangements."
Before long, Qin Ziwu came back downstairs. "I’ve spoken with my big brother. Let’s go."
Qin Ziwu led Bai Che and his people toward the west side of the Gated Community.
Bai Che arrived at the entrance of a hospital and looked up. "Renkuan Private Hospital."
A trace of shock flashed in his eyes. ’This is their medical bureau? It’s huge.’
Seeing Qin Ziwu walk into the building, Bai Che quickly led his people to follow.
Upon entering the hospital, the faint smell of disinfectant filled the air. It was the first time Bai Che had ever smelled it, and he found it a little unsettling.
"You all can stay in these two rooms for now. They used to be inpatient wards, but they’re actually quite clean." Qin Ziwu led them to the third floor and assigned them two rooms across the hall from each other, at the end of the corridor by the windows.
Qin Ziwu instructed, "Let me explain a few things. First, food and water. If you’ve activated a Home, you can cook for yourselves inside it. You can spend contribution points to buy ingredients."
"But since you’re just staying temporarily, you’ll need to go to the dining area in the second-floor hall. People bring food over at mealtimes every day. You can spend contribution points to get a meal, and different dishes have different prices."
Bai Che asked, "Captain Qin, how do we earn these contribution points? Can we buy them with Silver Coins?"
A smile spread across Qin Ziwu’s face. "My big brother said that since you’re partners, we can run a little pilot program. We’ll issue each of you a temporary ID card. You can earn contribution points by working."
Bai Che was stunned. ’I came here to... perform manual labor?’
This was a little different from the refuge he had imagined.
"Your money is useless to us. We don’t lack for silver." Qin Ziwu knew his big brother had just acquired two hundred thousand taels of silver from a warlord.
They already had more money than they could spend, so there was no need to take this paltry sum.
As for supporting them for free, that was out of the question. Even members of the Qin Alliance couldn’t get a free meal, let alone a mere group of outsiders.
Around here, there was no special reverence for newcomers.
Bai Che asked, "Then what kind of work will we be doing?"
Qin Ziwu said, "The Hunting Team."
He saw the troubled look on Bai Che’s face and immediately chuckled. "Don’t worry, the risk in our Hunting Team isn’t high. We won’t deliberately send you to dangerous places. As long as you follow orders, you won’t be in any danger."
A troubled expression returned to Bai Che’s face. "Are there no other jobs?"
"No." ’Even if there were, it wouldn’t be your turn,’ Qin Ziwu added silently.
’Big Brother’s Home does have plenty of jobs, but they all require entry into the Home. It’s impossible that we’d let you into such a core location.’
"We’ll need to make arrangements for the Hunting Team. You’ll join the hunt tomorrow. I’ll cover the contribution points for your dinner tonight, so you can just go and eat when the time comes." After saying this, Qin Ziwu left in a hurry. He had a lot to do.
That evening, Bai Che led the members of the Bai family downstairs to the cafeteria. The place was bustling, with hundreds of people lined up in several long queues. The air was filled with the aroma of food.
Bai Che had thought that his group’s arrival might attract some attention, but after getting in line, he realized no one was paying them any mind.
Everyone else was busy with their own conversations.
A few men ahead of them were talking, their voices rather loud.
"Work in the gathering team is exhausting. My hands are all sore and numb."
"Sigh, that’s what it’s like when you don’t have a special skill. If only I’d signed up for medical school back during the college entrance exams."
"I heard the Alliance has a place for training. You can go hone your martial arts as long as you spend contribution points."
"I’m thinking about it too. I just feel like I never have enough contribution points. I also want to exchange them for some supplies to improve my living conditions. If only I could earn a few more points each day."
"Then join the Hunting Team. It’s a little more dangerous, but you really earn a lot of contribution points."
From the adjacent line, a man with glasses interjected, "It’s not that easy. The Hunting Team has standards. Nowadays, the squads mostly recruit for themselves. The more famous teams require you to be skilled in martial arts, and you need a five-star physical fitness rating."
Someone said, "You could always join one of the lower-ranked teams first."
"Even the lower-ranked teams have high requirements. Many of them ask for a four-star physical fitness rating. You don’t understand—four stars is basically special forces-level fitness! Guys like us would get taken down in a second."
"Then why don’t we form our own Hunting Team?"
The man with glasses said, "I’ve looked into it. It’s not that simple. You can’t just form a Hunting Team because you feel like it. It’s like driving a taxi—you need a license to operate. Without a license, you’re not an official Hunting Team, and the Qin Alliance won’t buy what you hunt. You can only sell it on the black market, and the prices there are at least half of the market rate."
...
...