Chapter 13 – Ruins
They stood halfway up a hill, overlooking a small mountain village not far away.
From beneath the snake-like greenery, he could see some bricks and tiles.
Xia Lu Nong stared at the nearly collapsed houses beneath the foliage and whispered to his brother, “Brother, was the base like this before?”
The giant wolf let out a soft “Awoo.”
Xia Lu Nong couldn’t make out the meaning of his brother’s words and could only let out a low sigh.
They lingered on the hillside for a while.
Liao Cheng, now a big yellow dog, took the lead, running on all fours, arching his back and leaping down below, sniffing around as he went.
Yan Xi Nian, transformed into a giant tiger, quickly jumped down too, moving through the ruins of Xiaoman Village like a gust of wind.
Moments later, the two of them called out one after another.
Xia Huo Qu ran into the village, stopping in a spot with fewer scattered trees, turning his wolf head to glance back at his brother.
Xia Lu Nong had a moment of enlightenment. “So, I can get down now?”
The giant wolf’s eyes held a playful glimmer as he crouched down, lying on the ground.
Xia Lu Nong used both hands and feet to slide off his brother’s back.
Over there, Liao Cheng and Yan Xi Nian had already reverted to their human forms, taking out clothes from their backpacks to wear.
Xia Huo Qu also transformed back into his human form and began putting on clothes.
Xia Lu Nong looked around and saw giant trees and vines everywhere. A few houses that hadn’t completely collapsed were also half in ruins, with floors and debris piled on top, bricks scattered everywhere, and doors and windows rotting. There was no indication that these places held any value for salvage.
This was nothing like what he had imagined—going to some deserted houses to scavenge.
“Let’s go.” Xia Huo Qu, who had somehow put on his clothes without him noticing, walked over and signaled for him to follow.
“Brother,” Xia Lu Nong turned to look at him and asked, “Where are we going next?”
“To the ruins,” Xia Huo Qu replied. “While the sun isn’t too high yet, let’s explore a bit. Once the sun is overhead, we’ll have to go hunting.”
Xia Lu Nong hurriedly followed behind his brother toward the nearest residential ruin.
Yan Xi Nian and Liao Cheng also came over to join them.
The four men cleared vines and grass, rummaging through one ruin after another, and they only found wood and stone.
There were also a variety of scattered, decayed remnants, like wardrobes, mattresses, mirrors, and books, all rotting under the sun and emitting a musty smell.
They used iron hooks with gloves to carefully sift through the debris, much like the scavengers who collected scrap before the Great Disaster.
This was physically demanding work, where the time and effort spent far outweighed the rewards.
Xia Lu Nong carefully sifted through the rubble, and it wasn’t long before his back started to ache.
He finally understood why many people in the base would rather farm than come out to gather supplies; given their efficiency today, traveling such a long distance for a chance encounter was indeed less practical than diligently farming.
The harvest from farming was guaranteed, and it didn’t require expending energy on the road.
Seeing Xia Lu Nong’s tired expression, Yan Xi Nian chuckled. “What are you thinking about?”
“Nothing much.” Xia Lu Nong straightened his back and rubbed it. “Brother Xi Nian, do you guys usually look for supplies like this?”
As he spoke, he couldn’t help but wipe away sweat. The sun was making his face red, and sweat dripped down his face, irritating his neck.
Yan Xi Nian said, “It depends on where you go. In a small village like this, there’s less to find. In big cities, there’s much more—treasures everywhere, just waiting for people to dig them up.”
Xia Lu Nong felt a surge of longing at his words. “Then why don’t we go to the big city?”
“Big cities have their advantages, but they’re also dangerous.”
Xia Lu Nong asked, “Are there stray cats and dogs?”
“Not just that,” Liao Cheng interjected. “Stray cats and dogs are the least of it. The most terrifying are the rats. Did you know that the rats nowadays work together? They come in swarms, and each one is bigger than the cats before the Great Disaster. If you’re not careful, they could bite off a chunk of flesh.”
Xia Lu Nong was stunned. “Is that for real?”
“Why would I lie to you? The rewards in big cities are great, but the risks are even greater. If you don’t have some skills, you wouldn’t dare go there to get yourself killed. I went once and never wanted to go back again.”
Xia Lu Nong turned to his brother for confirmation.
But his brother said, “There are rats in big cities, and there are rats in small villages too; just stay alert.”
“I know! We just walked through the village in our animal forms, and we didn’t smell any animal scents, so there shouldn’t be any rats here.”
Xia Lu Nong let out a quiet sigh of relief.
Yan Xi Nian looked around the rubble they were searching through and said, “There’s nothing here. Let’s move to the next pile.”
“Alright.” Liao Cheng took the lead, striding forward.
Xia Lu Nong followed, with his brother protecting him from behind.
Yan Xi Nian remained at the rear as usual.
After walking a few steps, Xia Lu Nong’s gaze fell upon a dark purple wrapper beneath the vines.
His hands moved faster than his brain; as soon as he saw it, he crouched down and reached out to pull it.
Xia Huo Qu nearly kicked him as he didn’t stop in time. “What did you find?”
Xia Lu Nong turned his head, pinching the object he had just discovered between his fingers, his expression somewhat difficult to describe. “This?”
Xia Huo Qu took a closer look and realized it was actually two individually packaged condoms with ribbed texture.
Yan Xi Nian chuckled from behind, “Good stuff.”
Xia Lu Nong initially wanted to toss it aside but, upon hearing that, retracted his hand slightly. “This thing is still useful?”
After some thought, he realized it probably was useful; there was never a shortage of people eager for a harmonious life, and he felt his face flush as he quietly tucked it away.
Seeing the expression on his brother’s face, Xia Huo Qu understood what he was thinking. “It has many uses: as a tourniquet, a water storage device, an isolator, etc. It’s much more convenient to carry this than other items when you’re out.”
Xia Lu Nong looked at the small square in his hand, which was hardly bigger than a coin. “A tourniquet, a water storage device?”
“Sometimes you need to fetch water from a river. If you don’t have a water bottle, using this is much more convenient than cupping it in your hands,” Xia Huo Qu said. “Just keep it; you’ll learn its uses slowly.”
Xia Lu Nong obediently stashed it in his backpack, while Liao Cheng exclaimed beside him, “I told you, beginners have all the luck. It’s been ages since we found something like this.”
Xia Huo Qu said, “Let’s head to the next spot.”
Liao Cheng understood the hint and smiled, stopping the discussion on that topic.
The four of them turned to another pile of ruins next door.
This time, Xia Lu Nong found a bag of half-melted candies—like the ones eaten during the New Year. The packaging was still intact, but it felt a bit sticky to the touch, and most of the candies inside had melted.
Xia Lu Nong stared, holding the candy bag up to his eyes. “Can this still be eaten?”
Xia Huo Qu replied, “Let’s take it back for now. If it doesn’t smell off, we can eat it.”
Xia Lu Nong nodded in agreement.
Over the next hour or so, they found a mostly soggy bag of dried vegetables and dried chilies, a bag of beans that had become infested with bugs, several bags of salt, and some usable soy sauce and vinegar.
All three of their bags were stuffed full.
There was still half the village ruins they hadn’t explored, but judging by the space in their backpacks, they couldn’t carry back any more items.
Xia Lu Nong felt a bit regretful.
Xia Huo Qu patted his head. “Your brother Xi Nian has some leather straps in his backpack. If we find anything useful this afternoon, we can tie it to him and bring it back.”
Xia Lu Nong felt relieved. “That’s good. Otherwise, after coming out here, if I only brought back this much, it would feel like such a loss.”
Xia Huo Qu reminded him, “Gathering so many useful items already shows good luck; don’t be too greedy.”
Liao Cheng said, “What’s wrong with being greedy? We’ve worked hard to come out here; of course, we want to bring back as much as we can. Don’t you think so, Xia Lu Nong?”
“Yeah!” Xia Lu Nong nodded vigorously in agreement.
Xia Huo Qu replied, “Sometimes you still have to know your limits. Forget it, you’ll understand after a few more trips. Let’s go hunt and prepare lunch.”
Liao Cheng offered, “I’ll go.”
Xia Huo Qu rubbed his head. “It’s better if Xi Nian and I go. There’s a group of mutated chickens north of the village; we should be able to find a few to eat.”
Upon hearing that there were chickens to eat, Liao Cheng’s eyes lit up. “Then you guys go; I’ll make sure to keep an eye on Xia Lu Nong. How about I transform into my beast form to watch over him?”
“No need; there nothing strange in the village, so there shouldn’t be any medium to large wild beasts around. We won’t go far,” Xia Huo Qu said. “Just be careful.”
Liao Cheng and Xia Lu Nong both nodded in agreement.
Xia Huo Qu and Yan Xi Nian moved a little further away and transformed back into their beast forms. They leaped forward like the wind, covering seven or eight meters in a single bound and quickly running off.
Xia Lu Nong then realized that his brother had slowed down their running speed to accommodate him on the way here.
Otherwise, they would have reached this place much earlier.
As he watched his brother’s silhouette, a hint of envy flickered in his eyes.
Liao Cheng waved his hand in front of Xia Lu Nong’s face, bringing him back to reality. “We shouldn’t rest either, let’s gather up the collapsed wood, find a big pot, and boil some water and make lunch when they come back.”
Xia Lu Nong retracted his wandering gaze. “Do we need to go outside to fetch water?”
“Isn’t there a well behind the village? Let’s go get some well water,” Liao Cheng said, leading him skillfully towards the back. “Let’s see if I can find a bucket.”
Xia Lu Nong followed him. “Brother Liao Cheng, is hunting difficult?”
“It depends on who’s doing the hunting,” Liao Cheng laughed. “I can’t do it; my dog paws are too dull. Unlike them, as felines, it’s hard to catch prey.”
