RoleplayNovel Chapter 66 A leopard can't change its spots
Chapter 66 A leopard can't change its spots
Following the number given to him by the female registrar, Lin Mo found several tents in a corner of the safe zone.
The tent wasn't big; it was one of those blue canvas tents used for disaster relief, and it could fit four or five people if you squeezed in.
A makeshift stove made of bricks was built in front of the tent, and a black iron pot sat on it, the water inside boiling and bubbling.
A thin man squatted by the stove, holding a bundle of dry firewood and adding it to the fire.
Lin recognized the other party: Hu Zhigang.
"Brother Gang," Lin Mo called out.
Hu Zhigang looked up and paused for a few seconds.
His eyes narrowed, and he stared at Lin Mo for a long while before suddenly standing up, dropping the firewood in his hand to the ground: "Lin Mo? You...you're still alive?"
His voice was hoarse, trembling with disbelief.
"I'm lucky." Lin Mo walked over and squatted down by the stove. "I just came back from outside."
Hu Zhigang opened his arms and hugged Lin Mo.
His arms were very thin, the bones were hard, but he was very strong: "It's good that you're alive, it's good that you're alive."
He released Lin Mo and looked him up and down: "You look... like you haven't suffered much. Much better than me. Look at my belly, I've lost twenty pounds in less than a month."
Lin Mo smiled but didn't reply.
His gaze passed over Hu Zhigang and went into the tent.
The tent flap was lifted, and a woman peeked out. It was Chen Jie. She was stunned when she saw Lin Mo.
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"Lin Mo? Is it really you?" Chen Jie crawled out of the tent and walked up to Lin Mo, her eyes red. "We all thought it was you... You suddenly left that day, and then we didn't hear from you. Manager Wang said you must be..."
"What is it?" Lin Mo asked.
Chen Jie opened her mouth, but didn't say anything.
Hu Zhigang coughed and changed the subject: "Have you eaten? We still have some dry food here, it's not very good, but it'll fill you up."
Lin Mo shook his head and took out several packets of compressed biscuits and several bottles of water from his backpack, which he had prepared before coming.
Hu Zhigang and Chen Jie's eyes lit up when they saw those things, but they didn't reach out.
Lin Mo stuffed the things into their hands and turned to look at the other two tents.
The tent flaps were all closed, so you couldn't see inside.
"Where are Wang Zhen and Zhang Lei?" Lin Mo asked.
Hu Zhigang and Chen Jie exchanged a glance, their expressions somewhat unnatural: "They're still... resting."
Chen Jie said in a very soft voice, "Wait a moment, I'll go call them."
Lin Mo waved his hand: "No rush, tell me how you survived first."
Hu Zhigang sighed and began to speak while unpacking the compressed biscuits.
The situation was roughly the same as in the previous life, except that they did not escape to the basement, but instead followed the crowd to the second floor.
After hiding there for several days, they were thirsty and hungry after getting used to the air. They ran out of the building like it was a gamble. After running for a long time, they encountered a group of survivors and followed them to this safe zone.
"Where's Xu Bing?" Lin Mo asked.
Hu Zhigang lowered his head and remained silent for a few seconds. Chen Jie whispered beside him, "That day... when he was running, Xu Bing tripped and fell. A monster was chasing after him, and he... couldn't escape."
Lin Mo nodded without asking any further questions.
It seems that Xu Bing, too, could not escape the fate of dying early in the game.
At that moment, the curtain of the tent over there moved slightly and then opened.
Wang Zhen emerged from inside, wearing a gray windbreaker and with messy hair. He paused when he saw Lin Mo, his eyes scanning Lin Mo from his backpack to his clothes, then to his shoes, finally settling on the iron sword at Lin Mo's waist.
"Lin Mo? Long time no see." Wang Zhen extended his hand. "You look... doing quite well."
Lin Mo squeezed his hand briefly, then quickly let go.
Wang Zhen's hands were cold, his fingers were long and thin, and his fingernails were filled with black grime.
Zhang Lei also crawled out of the tent.
She was much thinner than I remembered, with prominent cheekbones and deep-set eyes, but her lips were painted with lipstick, the color of which looked unnaturally red, I don't know where she got it from.
Her eyes were also scanning Lin Mo, her gaze lingering for a few seconds on the spot where Wang Zhen had stood.
"Lin Mo, why did you suddenly leave that day?" Zhang Lei's voice was soft, but Lin Mo sensed the probing in her words: "We've all been looking for you."
"Something came up unexpectedly," Lin Mo said without further explanation.
A few people sat down by the stove, around the pot of boiling water, and chatted idly.
Hu Zhigang and Chen Jie didn't talk much, only occasionally asking about the situation outside.
Wang Zhen and Zhang Lei asked the most questions: Is it safe outside? Are there any monsters? Are there any other safe zones? Is there any news about the army?
Lin Mo answered each question directly, neither perfunctorily nor in detail, but only touching on the essentials.
As they chatted, Zhang Lei suddenly asked, "Lin Mo, that sword you have... is it real?"
Lin Mo glanced at her, took the iron sword from his waist, and placed it on his knees: "Really, I found it outside."
"Can I take a look?"
Lin Mo handed over the sword.
Zhang Lei took the sword, weighed it in her hand, and pulled out half of it.
The sword was silver-white, gleaming coldly in the firelight.
She looked at it for a few seconds, then handed the sword back to Lin Mo and smiled, "Not bad."
Lin Mo did not respond.
He hung the sword back on his waist and took a ring out of his pocket.
The ring was silver, with intricate runes engraved on its surface, shimmering with a faint blue light in the firelight.
Zhang Lei's eyes were immediately drawn to the ring.
"What is this?" she asked, her voice filled with barely concealed curiosity.
"It's nothing, just a little trinket." Lin Mo put the ring in his pocket, stood up, and dusted off his pants. "It's getting dark, I'll find a place to pitch my tent."
Hu Zhigang stood up: "Come and squeeze in with me. The tent is small, but we can sleep if we squeeze in."
Lin Mo shook his head: "No need, I can build one myself."
He walked to the edge of the safe zone, found an open space, took out a waterproof tarp and some ropes from his backpack, and began to set up the tent.
Hu Zhigang and Chen Jie came over to offer their help, and Lin Mo did not refuse.
The three of them quickly set up the tent together.
After exchanging a few polite words, Wang Zhen and Zhang Lei went into their tent one after the other.
The two people sat facing each other, knees touching.
Wang Zhen held a half-burnt candle in his hand, and the candlelight cast distinct light and shadow on the faces of the two people.
"Did you see that? The ring on Lin Mo's hand." Zhang Lei's voice was low, but Wang Zhen heard it clearly.
"I saw it," Wang Zhen said. "And the sword at his waist. Neither of these items are ordinary. I've seen similar things for sale in the safe zone, priced at two hundred gold coins."
"Two hundred gold coins?" Zhang Lei's eyes widened. "How could he get something like that all by himself?"
Wang Zhen was silent for a few seconds: "He must have had a miraculous encounter. Didn't you notice? He just said he had been out there for a month, but he didn't have a single injury on him, and his clothes were clean. That's not normal."
"You mean... he found something good?"
Wang Zhen nodded: "That ring might be the kind that can control monsters. I've heard people in the safe zone say that some people are lucky enough to find special things that can control those monsters."
Zhang Lei bit her lip, a greedy glint in her eyes: "What if we got our hands on that ring..."
"Don't overthink it," Wang Zhen interrupted her. "That belongs to someone else."
"Wang Zhen, are you stupid?" Zhang Lei's voice rose slightly, then immediately fell back down. "What kind of world is this? Do you think it's still the same as before? Before, when you were the manager, he was your employee, and you had to protect him. Now? Now, whoever has the bigger fist calls the shots. He has that ring, so why can't we have it?"
Wang Zhen remained silent for a long time.
His fingers tapped lightly on his knee, as if he was hesitating.
"Think about it." Zhang Lei's voice softened, as if she were coaxing a child: "Once we get the ring, you can control those monsters. With those monsters, we won't have to wait to die in this crappy safe zone. We can build our own territory, like Teacher Xu, with you as the lord and me as the lord's wife."
Wang Zhen's fingers paused for a moment: "How do you know that ring can definitely control monsters?"
"I don't know, but how will we know if we don't try?" Zhang Lei reached out and grasped Wang Zhen's hand. "Think about it, what was Lin Mo like in our company before? A junior programmer, no background, no resources, no skills, and he still managed to get where he is today. Why can't we?"
Wang Zhen's breathing became somewhat rapid.
After a while, as if she had made up her mind, she said, "I'll listen to you. Tell me... what should I do?"