Knights of the Wasteland Fortress

Chapter 3 Advising You To Die
Take Heda and leave the tent of "Hera's Family".

Jiatu and the others walked down the "central spiral staircase" in the center of the residential area.

The dark and humid air roared from the depths of the stairs, filling the nostrils of the two of them.They walked for about four to five minutes before stopping in front of an excavation area that resembled a mine.

The dark yellow torch was burning quietly in the depths of the mine, reflecting the dark gray cave and several men in black standing at the entrance of the mine.

These people in black stood or lay down, leaning against the shadows that the firelight could not shine, leaving only a tall man in front of them, standing in the most conspicuous position in the center of the cave, like a black statue.

"Brother Jiatu..."

Seeing the horrifying scene in front of him, Heda hugged Jiatu's arm timidly.

Jiatu himself was quite calm.

He bent down, bowed to the "statue" in the cave, and then said carefully as his adoptive mother taught him:
"Good midnight, honorable undertakers."

"Good afternoon, the survivors."

The person who was the object of the boy's salute wore a beak-like gas mask on his face. He stared at the two people in front of him through the dirty and blurred eye lenses, and said in a low voice:
"What's the matter, boy? Since you appear here, does it mean that our old colleague, Mrs. Hera, already needs us to greet him in person?"

The mourner obviously knew Jiatu, and after a short greeting, he immediately got to the point.

Cato did not know his name.

But through the gray pupils and old voice behind the lens, he realized that the old man, like his adoptive mother, is a "undertaker" in the shelter—that is, a "mortician" or "gravekeeper". people" work.

So in the face of the old mourner's inquiry, he quickly shook his head and denied:
"No, no, my adoptive mother just has a high fever, there is no need to invite a few people to help..."

The mourners who had already stood up sat silently back in the shadows.

They didn't show any wavering because of this misunderstanding, and even the old man in front of him just asked calmly:
"Then what are you planning to do here? Hera should have told you that you only need to find us when disposing of corpses?"

"Yes, I'm sorry... for breaking the rules of the shelter..."

Jiatu lowered his head and apologized honestly.

In order to isolate the pathogens on the corpse, the mourners are constantly taking turns to rest on a seven-day basis.

Cato knew this very well.

Whenever Hera finishes her work for a week, she has to take off her crow-like isolation suit, go to the cleaning area on the seventh floor, and rinse it off repeatedly.

But even so, she still gets sick from time to time.

Therefore, it is not so rare among mourners to "send away their colleagues with their own hands".

But because the job is so dangerous, the average wage for an undertaker is not bad.

It was because of this that Hera was able to support the three children of Heda, Hena and Jiatu on her own.

Therefore, when the family suddenly fell into trouble, Jiatu's first thought was to turn to these "colleagues" of his adoptive mother for help.

So he considered his words carefully and replied cautiously:
"Hera... Although my adoptive mother is not a big problem, she has been sick for a while, and the food and water at home are almost running out... So I would like to ask you, can you borrow some food from us? ...It doesn't take much... After this period of time, we will pay back right away..."

Jiatu's voice was a little humble, because he felt indifference and indifference from the old man's gaze.

Sure enough, when he finished speaking, the old man immediately asked:

"'It'll be back later'? Boy, have you forgotten what kind of work we have?"

The old man squinted his eyes, looked at Jiatu, and said in an old and hoarse voice, like the howling wind in winter: "Don't talk about the next time, it's not sure whether Hera can survive this time, you are planning to make the most clear This 'us', to ignore the 'dangerousness' of this profession?"

"..."

Jiatu bit his lip lightly and said nothing.

Because he knew very well that what the old man said was the truth——

In the shelter, "favor" means nothing.The vast majority of people here are not yet "rich" enough to think about these things.

Just as Hera raised three children alone, the other mourners also had their own sufferings.

When Jiatu made these requests, he was ready to be rejected.

So he took a deep breath and offered his next "suggestion."

"Then... what do you think of me?" The black-haired boy covered his chest with his right hand, and introduced himself sincerely: "I'm already more than ten years old. If it's a child's corpse, I can move it. If you act as a 'undertaker'..."

"Just you?"

Now, not only the old mourner, but also the others burst out laughing.

They didn't give Jiatu face at all, and laughed loudly: "We have persuaded Hera a long time ago! There is no need to raise you, a little waste! As a cripple, even if you are brought up, what can you do?!"

"You can't even lift a stretcher!"

The old man pushed the iron bracket in his hand to Jiatu, watched him struggle to keep from falling, and said sarcastically:
"Give up! We look down on you! It's not because of what kind of person you are! It's because of your legs that you can't contribute to others! It was a mistake for Hera to pick you back from the very beginning! "

Jiatu forcefully pushed the stretcher to the ground, and dragged Heda to the mourners in a hoarse voice: "But...if I can't, how about Heda?! Although he is young, when he grows up, he can Repay you!"

Sensing the trembling in the young man's voice behind him, although the little guy was a little timid, he puffed up his chest and responded loudly: "Yes... yes! Even if it's just me and my sister! Absolutely! Absolutely! I will treat my mother and Brother Jiatu Well protected!"

"Hena..."

However, the old mourner didn't care about the little guy's statement.

Just thinking silently, he extracted the key words he needed: "That little girl is indeed a bit like Hera back then... But if she can't become a [Explorer], then it won't help."

The old man looked at Jiatu with some pity, and said slowly:
"Hera can afford you because you're still 'three kids'.

When Hera is old and you are a waste, how long can Hena and Heda support you? "

The little guy wanted to say something, but the old man covered his mouth with his hand.

The old man bent down, looked at Jiatu through the pitch-black crow mask and said slowly:

"I persuaded Hera back then, don't take you back... But Hera was very stubborn, I didn't persuade her until the end...

But I never imagined...not only did you get seriously ill, but you also suffered from foot disease after you recovered...If I knew you would have this problem, Hera would throw you back if I said anything...

Even with my own hands..."

The pupils of the old man's eyes turned into pitch black in front of Jiatu.

The cold air made him take a step back.

But the old man straightened his body, shook his head and walked towards the corner:

"Forget it, I couldn't persuade Hera back then, maybe that was a mistake... I know it's against the rules..."

The old man picked up a bag of things from the shadows, handed it to Jiatu, and waved his hand in some annoyance:

"Tell me in advance! This is my first time! It is also the last time I will help you! I gave you this ration, and Hera and I will settle the matter! I will make it clear to Hera when the time comes!"

The old man looked at Jiatu and Heda, and said indifferently: "But I still advise you! If you really have some conscience, then think about how you should go next!"

"If necessary, jumping off from here is also a good explanation for others—"

Pointing to the black cave behind him, the old man said with a cold expression:
"Jump from here, we don't even need to collect the corpse for you..."

Jiatu held the dry food stick in his arms, but did not speak.

Because he knew that at this moment, in the eyes of the other party, he was no longer recognized as a "person".

(End of this chapter)