After all, let alone going out, even if he was in the outpost, he would put his exoskeleton on.

Though normally, he just treated it as weight-bearing training without switching the power on.

Half of the 2 kilograms of crab legs were shells, but the remaining half of crab meat was still enough for Chu Guang. After Chu Guang finished eating, he clapped his hands and put out the fire.

At this moment, a player walked in from the outside while pushing a native wearing a coat forward.

The captive was taken to the main building of the nursing home. Gale stood upright and reported to the administrator. "Dear administrator... We caught a marauder scout!"

"A captive?" Chu Guang wiped his mouth and looked at the person in front of him.

The man was covered with snow, mud, and dead leaves. A broken arrow was embedded in his thigh, and half of his pants were stained with dark red blood, looking terribly battered.

He gritted his teeth and said. "Is this your way of hospitality?"

"Our hospitality is reserved for our guests." Chu Guang felt that the man didn't look like a marauder, but he also didn't look like a scavenger nearby, so he continued in an interrogating tone. "Who are you? Why did you enter our territory? There are signs at the three entrances of the wetland park, all clearly written that this area is strictly prohibited from entering. Even if you can’t read the characters, you should recognize the skull sign."

"I'm here to meditate!"

"Mediate?" Chu Guang squinted his eyes, his tone a little unkind, "Are you from the Bloodhand clan?"

"No! I don't belong to anyone!" Feeling the underlying hostility in his tone, the person’s body tensed up and he clarified quickly. However, the wound was so painful, plus his tense body affected the wound again, it caused him to stop talking and grit his teeth in pain.

It took him a while to finally be able to endure the pain. The man tried to stay awake and said with difficulty. "... Can you let me treat my wound first? I may die if I don’t do something about my wound."

‘Hmmm..’

‘He looks so calm, so he probably won’t die that quickly.’

Chu Guang thought to himself, but he didn't give the man a hard time either.

Giving 5 silver coins to Gale, he sent the player away first, then he took out a roll of bandages he got from the blind box from his pocket and threw it to the man.

He had never tried the effect of this thing, so he could conduct an experiment on this man.

The man obviously knew how to use it. After taking it apart expertly, he broke the arrow shaft first, then took out the arrow using a tool while enduring the pain.

Blood instantly flowed out like the water from a faucet, running down the trouser leg.

Chu Guang frowned as he watched from the side and couldn't help being speechless, but the man was relieved after gritting his teeth and tying the bandage as if nothing had happened.

"Feeling better?"

"Mhm," the man nodded, took a deep breath, and continued the topic, "My name is Hein, and I’m a merchant from Red River Town."

"Why does a merchant of Red River Town mix with a group of marauders?" Chu Guang looked at him with interest, and continued, "And it’s at least 50 kilometers from Red River Town to here, right?"

"Fifty? Hehe, that's a straight line distance. If you want to go around the city cluster, you have to walk at least 130 kilometers! Of course, if you want to be safe, you have to go around the highways and bridges... almost 150 kilometers. "

"So?" Chu Guang looked at him and lifted his chin. "You didn't answer my question. Why did you mix with marauders?"

"Ah, we’re not ‘mixed’ with them, per se. It's just... we’ve done some business with them."

Hein's gaze drifted a little, and he continued to speak after a moment of embarrassment. "Okay, let me put it straight. I am a merchant.. or an employee of the Red River Town Horseshoe Firm. Because of my boss, we occasionally do human business with some trusted marauder tribes in the southern River Valley province. Don’t look at me like that. Without us, those captives wouldn't be able to survive the winter. At least we gave them a chance to live!"

"So you are in the slave business?" Chu Guang stroked his chin with interest, but did not visibly show it on his face.

"Yes!" Hein nodded and continued, "This time, I was sent to Qingquan City by my boss to buy some slaves from them. But when I got here, I heard that you were at war with each other? "

Chu Guang smiled kindly and said, "Yes, and the enemy of your trading partner is considering one thing at the moment. Suppose your boss doesn't know that you've been here--"

Haien swallowed and interrupted Chu Guang nervously. "I know what you want to say, but it's useless. People die every day in the wasteland, and my death will mean nothing to my boss"

"Oh yeah?"

"Rather than how to kill me, don't you want to listen to my proposal first?"

"Go on."

Hein continued quickly. "The Bloodhand clan wants to have a truce with you. They are willing to pay a ransom of 20 chips for each prisoner.. Of course, if the captives lack arms and legs, they are only willing to pay half."

"Oh, where's the contract they gave you?"

"Me? Contract? What contract—"

"Okay, stop pretending," Chu Guang said, impatiently looking at Hein who was pretending to be stupid. "Do you think you can fool me? You said that people die every day in the wasteland. Without any benefits, why would someone risk their lives to do this? Or is it that our truce is good for you?"

Hein said with a smile. "I didn't deliberately conceal anything... I don't really have a contract with them..”

Chu Guang stared at him blankly without saying anything.

“Okay, I'll tell you the truth. Their leader promised me that as long as I can bring their people back, they are willing to sell the wounded to me at a cheaper price. But it's actually good for you, isn't it?"

"No one wants to have a war during winter, and your neighbors are also very troubled by the horrible weather. It's better to sit down and talk about it peacefully. In fact, this is not a conflict that must require bloodshed. The misunderstandings here can definitely be resolved."

"I can take the prisoners back for business, and you can receive a sum of compensation and be at peace with your neighbor... It’ll be a win-win situation!"

Chu Guang smiled.

But the curvature of the corners of his mouth was cold.

Misunderstanding?

Resolved?

Hahaha.historical

He had never heard such a funny joke.

If it were other survivors' strongholds, not to mention what would happen to the captives, even their bones would have been sucked clean by those bandits long ago.

Make peace?

Those people are just waiting for an opportunity.

For example, when the snow stopped.

"Mr. Hein, I think you are trying to make me laugh. Reconcile with marauders? Do you really believe what you just said?"

Hein's expression shifted into something a bit more awkward.

In fact, he already had a hunch before he walked into this outpost. This group of people was not the same as the survivor stronghold he had visited before.

Walls, trenches, sentries on duty, sentries for hunting...

No one here was a professional soldier, but everyone seemed to be able to fight very well, and the most important thing was their daring to fight.

They were wearing blue coats, but they didn't have any illusions about the kindness of this world.

This negotiation will probably fail...

"I understand, you have your problems. Since you don't want to negotiate, I won't force it.. But can you let me go? I will be tight-lipped about everything I saw here." Hein understood the intention of Chu Guang in less than a second.

However, Chu Guang did not speak, instead holding eye contact motionlessly for a long time.

The latter's heart palpitated faster as he was stared at, feeling like he was being stared down by a creeper as sweat gradually oozed from his back. Unable to bear the pressure, he spoke with trembling lips. "Even if you kill me, it won't do any good to you... Why bother? You and I have no grievances with each other. You can continue to fight with those marauders, and I promise that we will not get involved."

"But it doesn't do any harm either."

For a moment, Hein felt that even his heartbeat had stopped.

However, Chu Guang's next sentence ignited his hope. "You mentioned that you are in the slave business?"

"Yes, yes!" As if grasping the life-saving straw, Hein nodded in a panic, "Do you need a slave? We do not only import slaves, but also export, and we also provide door-to-door delivery. If you need—"

"Follow me."

Seeing the man walking outside, Hein was forced to stop talking. He swallowed, dragged his injured leg, and limped to follow Chu Guang.

The snow outside was piled on thicker and thicker, and the wind that blew on his face felt like knives sinking into his skin, especially on the wound. Hein felt that his blood was about to be frozen.

Fortunately, it was not far.

The man took him to a simple shed and then said a few words to the old man on duty at the door. The old man nodded, turned back to the shed, and took out a wooden box.

Chu Guang weighed the box, then handed it to Hein.

Hein looked at the man who handed him the box in confusion.

".... This is?"

"Open it and take a look."

There was an ominous premonition in his heart, but Hein still freed a hand and opened the box.

When he saw the jewelry made of finger bones in the box, the blood in his whole body seemed to solidify, and his face instantly paled.

Of course, he knew what these things were.

Those people would treat the index finger of their prey as a trophy. They would use it to make jewelry and hang it on their necks, like it was their lifeblood.

This blue-skinned demon!

They didn't keep anyone alive...

"Winter is coming, and I don't have so many cells here. I'm afraid you can only find the prisoners you want from here."

Looking at Hein who was terrified, Chu Guang smiled casually. "Let's make a deal."

"I promise, you will get a large number... a large number of prisoners. If you are lucky, you can even bid farewell to your dangerous career."

"And I can solve the trouble in the north once and for all."