Life as a mercenary turned into a girl is a bit difficult

"However, although it eliminates the trouble of reopening an open space to avoid mosquitoes and facilitates the process of stationing, it is not necessarily safe here. If it cannot be cleaned regularly, the aura left by humans here will inevitably attract mutant beasts. At the same time, this place is not necessarily safe. This kind of temporary camp is often targeted by the surrounding looters. If you don't have full confidence in your own weapons, it is best not to use this kind of place."

I see... a temporary camp?

Hu Lan's explanation gave Hiiragi a new understanding. The nature of this kind of place is the same as those camps for people to repair and stay when they participated in the jungle search mission in the reclamation camp, except that this is a public place for passing convoys. Therefore it is more dangerous.

The people responsible for carrying tent camping materials will concentrate their salutes in the open area, while the people responsible for driving will drive their vehicles around the open area, keeping a certain distance between all vehicles and forming a circle to surround the camp in the middle.

After arranging the gunners and observers at the positions of the heavy weapons on the vehicle, the remaining people immediately began to set up the camp.

The tent they carried was the most basic collective tent. It was not difficult to set up. They erected the brackets and covered them with camouflage-colored rainproof canopies, and then fixed the ropes to the ground with nails. The spacious interior is enough to accommodate eight people. , the three collective tents are more than enough to accommodate everyone in the team. Although the four women Han Nianling, Hiei Jing and others occupy the entire collective tent, the beds in the remaining two tents are also enough because the team members need to keep vigil and rotate. of.

Hiiragi has accumulated a lot of experience in outdoor accommodation like this during her time as a mercenary, but she basically built a small camp for just one person to live in. This is the first time she has participated in a large camp like this that also has basic defenses. In addition to building basic tents for living, the team members also poured insect repellent and sulfur powder around the camp.

In addition to the vehicle itself being used as a defense, the team members also built a mobile bunker made of bulletproof panels on the outside of the vehicle. This mobile bunker is nearly two meters high. In addition to being able to be connected to each other, it can even be connected to the Newborn City vehicles. The hooks on the camp were combined with each other, and soon a tight wall was erected around the camp.

It only took half an hour from the beginning to set up a well-fortified small camp to be completely completed. Looking at the camp in front of her, Hiiragi couldn't even believe that she could participate in it. The camps she had built in the past were not even equipped with residences in the slums. All worse.

The long-lost feeling of sitting on the stones moved to the campfire and watching the jumping flames made Hiiragi feel intimate. When was the last time he spent a night in the wild like this?The increase in the number of people not only did not make Hiiragi impatient, but gave him a warm feeling.

"Jing Jing..." At this moment, Han Nianling suddenly came to her side.

"What's wrong?" As soon as Hiiragi raised her head, a white bath towel covered her face, "Huh!?"

"You ask me what's wrong? Go take a bath. The temporary bathroom is by the creek. Don't worry. The water quality is very safe. The filter produced by the institute is still very reliable."

"Bath?"

Hiiragi turned around and climbed onto the roof of the car next to her, looking over the wall of the bunker in the direction of the creek. Sure enough, a simple bathroom made of a tarpaulin and a bracket was erected at an unknown location. The showerhead hung on the top of the bracket was made of The water pipe was connected to the filter on the side, and Hu Lan and Ling Jiu were waving at her.

"Although I got a lot of oil from Xidi City, the filter consumes a lot of money. The bathroom is a bit small, but it is enough to accommodate you and Lingjiu together. Hu Lan is watching you outside."

"Wait a minute, I'm with Zero Nine?!"

Han Nianling's words immediately made Hiiragi realize that something was wrong. Although it was not that he and Lingjiu had never taken a bath together, they did so in the spacious bathroom of their residence. Apart from washing their hair and back, Hiiragi basically had no contact with anyone else. They kept their distance, but the small bathroom at the moment destined her and Lingjiu to basically stick together during the next bathing process.

That image is humbling just to think about it.

"Forget it...forget it, I feel pretty good now, there is no need to wash..."

"It's unnecessary! You're covered in dust and smell of sweat. You've only done a simple wash since you left Newborn City. We're going to be crowded in a tent tonight, and I don't want to do it while sleeping. Put up with your body odor.”

Chapter 53 A dream that transcends everything

The dust floating in the air looked particularly clear under the sunlight. They slowly and lightly drew a chaotic but elegant flight path in mid-air. Although I was very greedy for this moment of incomparable tranquility, the shaking coming from the corridor The ringtone cheers people up.

"Hey! Shitou, wake up. If you don't want to be scolded by the old witch like last time, get up quickly."

There were slapping sounds and hurried urgings from the pillow. As soon as he turned his head, he saw the face of a boy appearing in his sight. It was the face of A Ming who was sleeping in his lower bunk, but soon He disappeared from sight again. He jumped back to the ground from the stairs and was now hurriedly putting on his white robe.

He was not the only one. Shi Shi, who was gradually waking up, slowly sat up from the bed amidst the squeaking sound of loose metal friction and looked around. The small room was almost filled with such iron frames divided into upper and lower bunks. In the crowded space, there is only a narrow and curved passage connecting all the beds to the door of the room.

Nearly twenty boys of various ages nervously and quickly put on the white robes that marked their identities.

It’s the beginning of another day…

Shitou sighed softly, and like them, he picked up his robe, which was used as a pillow. It was said that the clothes were actually just a piece of cloth with a head cut in the middle and then simply sewn in other parts. It was faintly transparent. The yellow and blue-gray fabric has many patches and wrinkles that cannot be smoothed out.

This is the uniform issued by this orphanage. Although it is a bit plain and simple, it is at least much better than the tatters they wore when wandering in the past. Of course, the most important function is to identify their identities to prevent them from going to the iron fence individually with permission. Getting lost...or running away...

Fortunately, the cold is over and the temperature is gradually getting warmer. Otherwise, getting up would be really troublesome.

He brought the clothes to his nose to make sure there was no obvious odor. He looked at the word "stone" marked with black ink on the chest of the robe for a moment before putting it on his body.

"Hey, come on, come on, everyone else is leaving..." Seeing the other people who had finished dressing, they left the room one after another, and when there were fewer and fewer people left, A Ming couldn't help but climb down the stairs again and walked towards Bu Shi Shi Shi urged.

"I know, I know, if you can't wait, just leave first." A Ming's urging made Shitou reply impatiently. Although he said this, he speeded up a lot. After all, this kind of robe It’s not difficult to wear either.

He left the room with A Ming in time before he became the last person in the room, and then followed the moving crowd along the corridor towards the backyard. At the exit of the passage stood an old man who seemed to be about 50 or [-] years old. Woman, that extremely abominable ringing sound comes from the copper bell that is constantly shaking in her hand.

"Quick, quick, move around boys, the weather is nice today, it's the beginning of a new day."

One child after another found their own place in the grid-shaped cabinets located on the edge of the corridor, and then took out their own toiletries.

Having been here for more than half a year, Shi Shi found his belongings cabinet with ease, a cup made of plastic bottles, a branch used for cleaning teeth, and a piece of cloth that was tangled up and full of holes. It's all there is to it.

He queued up and took out a pinch of white tooth powder from the iron bucket on the stairs at the door. Then he followed the team and squatted down by a ditch near the broken wall. The branches were inserted deep into the mouth for cleaning. During the quiet washing process, there were occasional cries of pain from unskilled children who hurt their mouths.

Shitou did not chuckle like most children. After all, he was one of those clumsy people not long ago. The only thing he could do was to pray in his heart that the trauma in the children's mouths would not develop into serious oral ulcers. .After brushing my teeth, I lined up in front of the only faucet in the backyard to soak the cloth. After wiping my face with a wet cloth with a slight fishy smell, my morning wash was finally over.

Next is morning class...

"Stone, wait a moment."

Just when Shi Shi was putting back the washing tools and preparing to follow the children who had also finished washing to the classroom, the old woman who had just passed by suddenly stopped him.

"What's wrong with you? Mrs. He."

"Have you forgotten what I just told you yesterday? I don't need to say more about what those who are late need to do. Go, put the porridge bucket at the door of the restaurant and take it to the ward." Shitou looked up at He The lady glanced at him, but the other party did not turn her gaze to him but always looked at the children who were still washing in the yard, which also meant that she did not see the smile quietly rising at the corner of Shi Shi's mouth.

"Yes……"

After simply agreeing, Shitou quickly ran towards his goal.

Just as Mrs. He explained: an iron bucket placed on a trolley was waiting for him at the door of the restaurant early.Even at a distance from the stone, one can faintly smell the faint fragrance of rice wafting out from the loose gap between the lid and the iron bucket, and the hunger in the lower abdomen that has been suppressed by sleep becomes more and more clear. .

But none of this could distract Shitou at this time. He just wanted to get to the ward as quickly as possible.

After passing several corners, he suddenly stopped at the end of a dark corridor. After hesitating for a few times, he finally knocked on the door with his raised hand. He had never knocked so neatly before. door, so this action seemed a bit unfamiliar to him.

Before he knocked on the door for the second time, a low call came from inside: "Please come in."

As if he had been inspired by something, a solemn sense of mission fell on his young shoulders. Even when he opened the door with his hands, he became extremely careful. Behind the door that gradually opened, as the door shifted, Gradually, the figure that made him miss him for several nights was revealed.

"You came."

The girl in white clothes who was kneeling on the ground was looking in his direction, with a relieved smile on her dusty but delicate face. However, she did not stop what she was doing. In front of her was a man. There was a wounded man with a bloody bandage wrapped around his waist and abdomen. At this time, she was replacing it with another set of bandages that had been boiled in a hot water basin. The bloody bandages that had been uncovered were exposed to the air.

When she realized that such a cruel scene was exposed in front of a little boy of about ten years old, the girl's expression immediately became a little nervous. Shitou naturally knew why she was nervous. After all, she had brought porridge several times before. There have been incidents where children were frightened and cried by such wounds, but for him who has been wandering on the war front for a long time, he has long been accustomed to this scene. It is no wonder that Mrs. He used this incident as a punishment for his tardiness.

"This...congee..."

"Ah, by the way, put it over there. Go back to morning class quickly. Don't get scolded anymore." After seeing that Shitou showed no other abnormalities, the girl turned around and returned to her work. The injured here There were nine of them, most of them orphans whose families had been destroyed. The smell of blood filled the entire room.

Do you need help?

Such words have been brewing in Shitou's mouth for a long time. He has obviously rehearsed them in his mind countless times last night, but at this time, looking at the busy background of the girl, he couldn't say it. Instead, he blurted out something against his will but didn't know how. "OK."

After being stunned for a few seconds, Shitou left the room as if running away. The wind brought by his feet gently closed the door of the ward.

I'm an idiot, what the hell am I doing? !

After running for a long time, I squatted down and held my head. I kept getting upset. I witnessed countless scenes of war, but in that room, I felt nervous for a long time, a strong tension, but that was it. I absolutely cannot go back.

Going to morning class?Forget it... Shitou is no longer in that mood. If he is late again, he might have a second chance to go to the ward.

Why not take a stroll here? By the way, where is this place?

After looking around to check the stones, I realized that due to my panic just now, I ran into a corridor that I had almost never set foot on. This is the corridor connecting the dormitory where girls stay and another backyard. It can be regarded as a boy's stop. Shi Shi, who wanted to leave immediately, suddenly realized that there was another backyard that he had never been to before.

Anyway, Mrs. He is still in the classroom at this time. Go and see for yourself and maybe you can find some way to sneak over the wall.

Shitou, who thought this, immediately took action, but when he stood at the end of the corridor, he realized that the yard in front of him was the same as the boy's side, and the gaps that needed to be filled had already been sealed.

Boring... Shitou felt ridiculous that he actually had such childish fantasies. Just as he was about to turn around and leave, he suddenly caught a glimpse of a person sitting on the wooden stake supporting the clothes drying pole in the corner of the yard.

It was a girl who seemed to be slightly younger than herself. Her unique white dress marked her out from the others in the orphanage. Her figure was not the most common emaciation among the orphans, especially her immature but outstanding face. Shi Shi, who was not good at remembering people, recognized the girl's identity at a glance.

Isn't she the girl who was sent just a few days ago?

Out of curiosity, Shi Shi slowly walked forward and found that her hands were tied behind the wooden stake she was leaning on. Such restraints prevented her from going anywhere. Isn't this familiar punishment mode just for trying to escape from the orphanage? The end?Almost every child who comes here for the first time will experience it once, but this girl seems to have experienced it a little too early. Did she try to escape within a few days?

But this girl's experience seems to be more than that. Water seemed to have been splashed on her body. The soaked dress was close to her skin. There were also some bruises on her arms. There were also gaps in the white dress that were torn open by force. , these are definitely not Mrs. He’s handiwork, they must be the actions of those girls.

By the way, according to Amin, she seems to be from that neutral country in the south. That country that was recently involved in the war has been a paradise for war refugees for a long time, but the strict border blockade system has cut off many of them. The fantasy of a lucky escapee, and even death for it.

The people there have enjoyed a level of security that others have not had, and have made no secret of their disgust for war refugees. Although there are sympathizers who have spoken out for this, these voices have been drowned out by the ever-increasing blockade levels at the request of citizens.

This level of identity naturally makes her attract most of the hatred from this group of children, most of whom have lived in war since birth. It can be predicted that she will endure a considerable degree of bullying in the days to come...

But there is a different view on this stone.

"Hey, are those girls doing this?"

Shitou shouted and pointed at the white dress on the other person's body. The girl looked over with indifference and vigilance, and nodded in response after a while.

"Although Mrs. He will not allow this to happen, the orphanage is too big and there are many places she cannot see. There are many people who are dissatisfied with you, and their methods may escalate next..."

After catching the fear in the other person's eyes, Shitou knew that now was the best time to strike while the iron was hot: "But don't worry, I can help you. I still have some say here, and I will declare to those children that you are mine." Since they recognize her as their sister, they don't dare to do anything too extreme, but in exchange..."

"You need to tell me something about your country, what the world was like before the war..."

Chapter 54 The Popular Idol of the Confederacy

"This is... a human stronghold?"

The slow-moving motorcade provided Hiiragi with a good experience of looking at the scenes on both sides of the road. Although the crowds coming and going were not as good as human urban bases like Xiangsheng City, they were better than all the human strongholds Hiiragi had ever seen. They are all busy, and the buildings on both sides of the road are mostly made of basic building materials such as rammed earth, wood, and stone. They are not made of the tattered tents or other accumulations of construction debris that Hiiragi has seen in other human strongholds. Shelter.

Although there are no high-rise buildings in the entire stronghold, it can be seen that the residents here have constructed their homes to a considerable extent. The most impressive thing is the road they are walking on, which is a road made of broken pieces. Although the roads paved with stones and fine sand are not as good as the cement roads in human bases such as Xidian City, they are much easier to walk than the fragmented and unrepaired roads outside the stronghold.

From time to time, you can still see the self-organized militia team in this human stronghold on the roadside. They do not have uniforms. A blue-gray headband and a somewhat faded red armband are the signs of their identity. The weapons in each hand are It's even more diverse. Seeing that Hiiragi Jing now knows more or less about the armed situation of this human stronghold.

Compared with ordinary human strongholds, cold weapons such as wooden spears or machetes crudely made from scrap iron account for a minority. Basically every militiaman Hiiragi saw was equipped with firearms, even if there were some like The proportion of homemade firearms such as home-made shotguns is quite high for a human stronghold.

"After all, we have reached a relatively core area in the Southern Federation. Large urban bases are relatively densely distributed. The frequent exchanges between them make different urban bases have to dispatch patrol teams at regular intervals. The mutant beasts in the surrounding area are encircled and suppressed to ensure the safety of transportation lines. As a result, the chances of high-risk monsters appearing are very rare. Even if they are, they can be warned in advance and evacuated in advance. Therefore, there are no external threats. Many human strongholds have settled here. It gradually grew, and some even reached the size of thousands of people.”

Han Nianling slowly followed the convoy in front while introducing relevant information about this human stronghold to Hiiragi Jing. She knew that Hiiragi Jing's range of activities was not large, and the farthest was not as far as Xidi City, so along the way He has been explaining various information related to the Southern Federation to Hiiragi Jing.

A human stronghold with a thousand people? !

In the experience, the largest human stronghold that Hiiragi has seen only has a scale of about a hundred people. It was originally located in a valley wilderness between the Newborn City and Xidi City. Hiiragi Jing once sent a mission to the Newborn City for it The transportation team that purchased daily necessities in the city performed protection missions, but the stronghold was moved shortly after that. This is also the current situation of many human strongholds.

The moving convoy continued to move along this main road towards the center of this human stronghold. The crowded residential buildings gradually became sparse here, and the spacious open spaces on both sides of the road gradually became filled with many strongholds. Arrange stalls, make homemade mobile carts with found materials, or put a layer of rags on the ground and erect a simple wooden sign. You can obviously see the increase in the flow of people here, and the speed of traffic has further slowed down. Come down.

Although the scale is small, there are surprisingly many types of products for sale, including game obtained by hunters in the wild, crops grown by residents themselves, homemade daily necessities, and some things dug out from ruins unknown where. For small items, the use of circulation coupons and the barter method of purchasing are quite common.

After all, this human stronghold is located near the transportation line, and the passing of the fleet provides more and more convenient foreign trade methods than human bases elsewhere.

"Wait...here?"

Hiiragi, who was obsessed with the scenery of the streets, did not forget to pay attention to the progress of her convoy. As soon as she looked up, she saw an iron fence with a height of three to four meters in front of the road, and she was standing near the gate of the fence. The several armed personnel are definitely not members of the militia of this human stronghold.

The dark helmets and goggles made it impossible to see their faces, and the tactical vests held up by the protective panels seemed a bit heavy. The firearms they held were also the standard weapons in active service in many urban base armies, and there were hijackers on the chests of their uniforms. Jing saw an eight-pointed star logo at a glance.

Is that the Confederate army?

"After all, this is one of the necessary places to go from the southern region to Changming City, the capital of the Southern Federation. Naturally, there are troops from the Southern Federation stationed here..."

As they spoke, it was their turn to be inspected in the convoy. The armed man stood at the driver's seat and knocked on the window: "Please lower the window and let us take a look at the passengers."

After looking back to confirm that Hiiragi Jing and Ling Jiu were not disheveled due to the sultry weather, Han Nianling lowered the car window as requested.

"Thank you for your cooperation. There are four crew members... Huh? Are you Researcher Han?" When the car window was lowered, the armed man's eyes first looked at Hiiragi Jing and Lingjiu who were sitting in the back seat. Two girls with outstanding faces asked him His surprised gaze lingered for a few seconds longer. After all, it was impossible to see such an eye-catching scenery while on duty in this boring and remote place.

Soon he withdrew his gaze and looked at Hu Lan and Han Nianling. The two young women were of different looks, but soon he realized that the women in front of him gave him a familiar feeling, and then he thought of the cones on the car. He immediately remembered something after seeing the bottle logo.

"Are you... Han... Researcher Han?"

"Oh? Do you know me?" Han Nian was quite surprised to be recognized in such a small place.

"I was a security guard at the rating conference a few years ago. I was lucky enough to see you, Researcher Han, receive an A-level rating at the conference." The armed man smiled and motioned to his teammates standing in front of the car to get out of the way. , "I wish you can get the 'Doctor' rating this year."

"I borrow your good words."

Just as Han Nianling was about to raise the window and move forward, such an armed man suddenly stopped her again: "Can you please wait a moment?"

"Huh? Is there something wrong?"

When Han Nianling turned around, the armed man groped up and down his body, and then took out a small notebook and a pen from the chest pocket of his tactical vest: "Uh... well, I Can you please...sign your name?"

"puff--!"

Hu Lan, who was sitting in the passenger seat, obviously didn't expect such an unfolding. She couldn't hold back her breath and spurted out. Although she stopped her subsequent smile, her actions of covering her mouth and shaking her shoulders were a futile cover-up. Nian Ling glanced at the central rearview mirror in embarrassment. Ling Jiu, who looked calm in the back seat, didn't seem to understand what happened, but Hiiragi's expression was extremely strange.

"Uh... well, I'm sorry. Actually, my daughter is currently studying at Xinhuo Primary School in Changming City. She has always been targeting you to become a researcher. She also really liked listening to my description of what I saw during the evaluation meeting. I have heard about your performance, so I am very impressed by you..."

"I understand." Faced with such a request, Han Nianling naturally would not disagree. He reached out and took the notebook and pen from the hands of the armed personnel. He turned over a page and found a page of duty records. After finding a new page, he added his Sign your name.

"By the way, your daughter's name is..."

"Deng! Her name is Xiaodeng." The armed man replied immediately after realizing that Han Nianling was going to leave additional writing.