Salt Well Town.
It is located at the foot of the mountain on the north side of the Four Mountains, backed by the well salt mine, and defended by a simple stone wall.
Because the town produces salt, the surrounding human settlements of all sizes will regularly exchange supplies with Yanjing Town. Merchants from Colossus City will also come to Yanjing Town every month to buy salt and bring high-end supplies from Colossus City.
Where there is production capacity and trade, there is food and weapons.
This made Yanjing Town the largest settlement in the Four Mountains area, and it was renamed from a small village to a 'town'.
The total population of the town is about 500, and it is quite prosperous.
Moreover, there are many guns, so looters will not easily come to Yanjing Town to rob, so it is relatively safe.
Early in the morning, the hunters went out with their shotguns and trap tools. Their target was the mutated species on the four mountains.
The harm caused by nuclear radiation is reflected in all aspects of the world.
There were few normal animals left from before the war, and new species were appearing at a rate that even humanity's greatest biologists could not bear.
Therefore, they are collectively referred to as mutant species.
"Uncle, uncle! Can I really go hunting with you today?"
"Of course, you are already 14 years old this year. You are a grown man now. It's time to learn real wasteland survival skills. The Wang family is born to be hunters! Come on, uncle will take you to hunt a blood deer today, and stew bone soup for you in the evening. It's very nourishing! Hahaha!"
Two men wearing animal skins and a boy less than 1.6 meters tall were sorting their equipment at the gate of Yanjing Town.
In Yanjing Town, a 14-year-old is already considered independent.
The boy blinked his innocent eyes and said, "Uncle, can you please leave some meat from the prey we hunted today? I want to eat meat."
"Stop joking! One pound of meat can be exchanged for three pounds of beans. Why eat the meat? Put the beans in the bone soup and cook them and they will taste like meat. They will taste the same."
Another square-faced man said with a frown.
"But the meat tastes so good when you chew it..."
"I'll beat you up if you say that again!" the square-faced man frowned.
"Hey, hey, hey! Brother, why are you so mean to Xiaohao? The child has been eating beans for a month, so what's wrong with him wanting to eat some meat? Uncle will take charge. When we kill the prey, cut a big piece of meat for Xiaohao to eat!"
There was a look of surprise in Xiao Hao's eyes.
"You... don't always spoil your child. In the wasteland, being thrifty with food is a compulsory course. If he eats a bite of meat today, he may be hungry for a day tomorrow. Meat is eaten by the mayor and the big shots in Colossus City. My mother told me since I was a child that children from poor families have to grow up early..."
But as the light in the child's eyes gradually disappeared, the words behind the square-faced man were stuck, and he turned his head and said in a muffled voice: "Just this once today, and it won't happen again."
"Yeah! Long live Dad! Long live Uncle!"
Xiao Hao jumped up with joy.
Looking at the child's carefree face, Wang Qian deliberately showed a smile on his stern face.
In the wasteland... hope is the most valuable thing.
He believed that in the future his child would become a better hunter than him, and would catch so many prey that he wouldn't need to exchange them all for beans to survive... Oh, and maybe he could even go to Colossus City to be a soldier and become a city dweller.
"Dad, is the blood deer powerful? What if it attacks me?"
Wang Qian put the cleaned hunting rifle into the slot on his back and took out a homemade crossbow from his pocket.
"Haohao, the blood deer is a less threatening mutant animal. Because of its strong blood-forming function after the mutation, blood sometimes breaks through the skin and oozes out, so its body is often covered with a layer of red blood scabs, which is called a blood deer. It is easy for us hunters to track its tracks."
"It is a rare pure herbivore among the mutant animals. It has no desire to prey on us humans, so it generally does not actively attack. It will only fight back when threatened. It is very fast and its horns are extremely sharp. An adult who is hit head-on by it will lose his combat effectiveness on the spot, or even... die."
"So, we have to hide behind obstacles and attack it from a distance. Take this crossbow and aim according to the method I taught you before..."
Wang Qian patiently explained the knowledge to the young hunter. These are essential survival courses for hunters.
After listening, Xiao Hao nodded, then looked at a young man walking in from outside, his eyes lit up.
"Brother Feng!"
"You're back? Great!"
"My uncle said last night that you might have died outside, and I had a quarrel with him. I knew you would come back alive!"
Another man, Wang Wan, looked slightly embarrassed: "Xiao Feng... You've been out for a long time this time. I thought... Oh! Just come back alive. When we kill prey tonight, bring your beans and come to our house for bone soup!"
Wang Qian patted Cheng Shaofeng on the shoulder and said, "What took you so long? Did you encounter that thing?"
Cheng Shaofeng shook his head: "No, I encountered a predator on the way back... I escaped death."
"The looters... deformed monsters! They've been rampant again recently. Last night they came outside our town and yelled and screamed. We turned on the lights and fired a few shots to drive them away... We really should let the mayor take people to clear out their camps!"
"Yeah... That's right! Brother Qian, Brother Wan, are you taking Xiao Hao hunting today?"
"Yes, he should learn to survive on his own. Otherwise, we don't know if he will suddenly disappear like your Bai Ge and Shi Ge one day."
Cheng Shaofeng nodded: "I understand... By the way, Brother Qian and Brother Wan, don't sell the prey you two hunt today to the town. I want to buy it. It's useful."
"You... ? Okay, then I'll come back and pull you into the house."
Xiao Hao asked pitifully: "Then my meat..."
"I'll leave one piece for you, you little glutton!"
Wang Qian and Wang Wan took Xiao Hao out of the town.
Xiao Hao's voice could still be heard faintly.
"Dad, can I go out with Brother Feng to pick up trash? He has a lot of fun toys..."
"Scavengers... Their job is more dangerous than hunting. It was fine when my grandfather was alive decades ago, but now... All the supplies from Yanjing Town to Colossus City have been rummaged through by scavengers, leaving nothing behind. If you want to find something useful, you can only go to the ruins of Red City, right under the noses of those creatures..."
"Hunting is what you should learn."
The voices of several people faded in the wind, but still reached Cheng Shaofeng's ears.
"A scavenger... Yes, my predecessor was a scavenger, and the last thing he picked up was a watch..."
The last memory of his previous life was unclear. Cheng Shaofeng vaguely remembered that he picked up a watch in a city.
Then he fell down in the wilderness of Sishan.
And that watch... He looked at his wrist.
"Natural Disaster Nanobase, why... did you say that in the first sentence?"
This question has always been on Cheng Shaofeng's mind, but he was almost dying yesterday and did not delve into it any further.
He asked Zero about it while lying down last night, and Zero said that it was a preset setting by the base.
Who preset it
have no idea.
Shaking his head, Cheng Shaofeng decided to do what he should do first.
After entering Yanjing Town, he felt his body slightly cool, just like walking from the sun into the shadows.
"This chilly wind... No wonder people always tell ghost stories, but it's still pretty cool in the summer."
Cheng Shaofeng greeted a few people he knew on the way, and then walked into the shed he had built before.
Inside... there's nothing there.
All the sleeping mats were swept away.
Cheng Shaofeng was not surprised. Nowadays, scavengers take several days to go out, and home... has never been a safe place.
He turned and walked into the shed next to him.
All his supplies were laid out in the corner!