Magical Girl's Knight Brother

Chapter 548

In the dead of night, the pitch-black sky, as if soaked in thick ink, pressed heavily upon the Arakawa River.

The jagged rocks, cracked, dried-up riverbed, and sparse, withered grass and thorns of the daytime were now blended into the boundless darkness, leaving only blurry shadows. The biting wind, like invisible ice blades, howled across the land, whipping up dust and snowflakes with a mournful wail. The dense snowflakes, no longer gentle as before, were like cold gravel, whipped about by the gale, lashing against exposed skin and the cold rocks with a jarring sound. Visibility plummeted; beyond a hundred meters, everything was a chaotic gray-white.

In this all-consuming blizzard, three tiny points of light, like three lone boats separated by raging waves in a dark sea, are distributed in a triangular shape on the wasteland thousands of meters wide, gazing at each other from afar, yet completely isolated by the thick snow curtain and howling wind.

The rebels' encampment was the furthest away, about three kilometers away, nestled in a natural crevice formed by several intersecting giant rocks.

This was the perfect shelter from the wind. Deep within the crevice, a tiny, almost imperceptible, orange-red flame flickered stubbornly. They had risked everything to light a small campfire with dry grass and gathered thorn roots. Hawke, tall and imposing, sat closest to the wind, shielding the fire and his companions behind him with his own body.

In the firelight, the resolute face was etched with weariness, frost clinging to the stubble. Beside him, the short-haired female warrior's wound throbbed with pain, her face deathly pale. The fire's warmth was limited, but it was their only hope for survival in the freezing night. Their food consisted of dried meat jerky and hardened bread cubes, which, after being slightly softened by the fire, were carefully nibbled at. Hawke's gaze frequently drifted towards Tang Zijun and the distant light from the old chimney, his eyes wary and conflicted.

The old chimney and his men were on the edge of a relatively open depression, with only a few low stones barely shielding them from the cold wind from the side.

He huddled together with his two remaining confidants, like three frozen quails. The other thugs followed suit, several of them huddled together. They had no campfire and could only rely on their bodies to endure the cold. The old chimney clutched the canvas bag he cherished as his lifeblood, containing all his possessions. His body trembled like a leaf in the wind, his teeth chattering. Beside him, one of his confidants was struggling to pry open an equally cold can with a small knife, trying to extract a meager amount of grease.

The lack of food and water made them even more desperate. Old Chimney's cloudy eyes struggled to make out a blurry point of light in the darkness, his gaze filled with suspicion, jealousy, and a hint of longing—that was where Tang Zijun and the others were.

Tang Zijun and Suo Lin were located at the foot of a relatively concave rocky slope, sheltered from the wind.

This location was chosen by Rayson. As expected of a legendary scavenger, although the environment here is also very poor, it is the best of the three camps. This is the "result" of Rayson, Old Chimney, and Hawke's discussion.

Because of mutual suspicion and distrust, the three forces ultimately had no choice but to act separately, keeping a distance of thousands of meters between each other. This way, no one would fall behind, and no one could suddenly threaten the others. The only communication between the three was a hoarse voice, mixed with the noise of the wind and snow and electrical interference, coming from short-range megaphones next to each other every now and then. "Shh... shh... confirmed... location... shh... safe." (Hawk's voice, intermittent)

"Shh...safe...shh...shh" (Lesen's cold, calm response)

"Sand...frozen...frozen to death...sand...frozen...sand."

"...Sand...save...electricity...sand...wait for the snow to stop."

Every communication was extremely difficult; the signal flickered in the wind and snow, and the content was so brief that it consisted of only the most basic safety confirmations and location reports. More often than not, there was only endless "hissing" noise coming from the megaphone.

In the camp, Tang Zijun took out bread and sausages and distributed them to the people around him. But that wasn't all; he also had a lot of instant noodles, self-heating hot pot, and other snacks in his belt space, but he couldn't take those things out in the current situation.

Whether it's instant noodles, hot pot, or even a packet of spicy strips, the aroma is enough to waft far and wide. If the old chimney and the resistance fighters find out, it'll probably cause a lot of trouble. Yedi was placed in a spot near Tang Zijun, wrapped in a tattered coat. She took the food Tang Zijun offered, thanked her, and began to nibble at it in small bites. She was curled up, her eyes filled with wariness of this cold, unfamiliar environment, but she wasn't afraid. It was as if sitting next to Tang Zijun made her feel incredibly safe, only occasionally glancing at the howling snow outside with her large, watery eyes.

"Want some? Authentic Harbin red sausage." Tang Zijun gestured to Scáthach across from her with a sausage in hand.

Scáthach wasn't with the rebels, and Hawke and the other rebels seemed used to it, so from the moment they split up, Scáthach joined Tang Zijun's group. "Thank you." Reaching out to take the food, Scáthach didn't stand on ceremony. Although she was once a god, she still needed to regularly consume certain substances to sustain herself. Rayson quickly stuffed the food into his mouth, brushing the crumbs off his hands. "It seems we can't continue tonight. The snow shows no signs of letting up. If we go any further, we might lose our way. You all rest tonight; I'll keep watch."

"Keep watch?" Suolin shook her head upon hearing this. "I can handle that; there's no need for you."

"You...?" Leisen frowned, looking at Suolin with an extremely distrustful gaze.

"What's wrong with me?!" Seemingly angered by Leisen's gaze, Suolin immediately exclaimed. "As long as I have enough energy, I can keep running forever. If you're not convinced, how about we have a contest to see who blinks first? I'll make your eyes dry to death, you believe me?"

"..." Leisen's eyes twitched, and he ignored her.

Suolin, on the other hand, proudly raised her head as if she had won a battle. "See? See? I can't handle it anymore. So, leave the night watch to me, you guys can rest assured." "That's why I'm worried..." Tang Zijun smiled, then reached out and ruffled her hair. "Alright, Suolin, let's leave the night watch to the professionals. Leisen is a veteran scavenger, he's more sensitive to this environment."

"I...I can do it too!" Suolin protested, pushing against Tang Zijun's hand.

"Come on, you can't even give a proper weather forecast. Three hours ago, who was bragging about guaranteeing there wouldn't be any extreme weather? Look around here, the snow is already as tall as a person in no time." Tang Zijun rolled her eyes at her, then turned to Lei Sen. "Go ahead, and keep an eye on the others for me while you're at it."

"Um."

Leisen nodded, got up, and prepared to leave. However, he was stopped by Tang Zijun as soon as he took a step. He turned around in confusion and met Tang Zijun's slightly serious gaze. "No matter what happens here, don't make a fuss. Just make sure there are no androids or monsters around, understand?" If anyone else had spoken to him in such a commanding tone, Leisen would have punched them long ago. But after experiencing so much, he wasn't stupid. He listened silently to Tang Zijun's words without responding, only nodding quietly.

"Please." Tang Zijun smiled.

Leisen glanced at Tang Zijun, then at Scáthach, slung his laser sniper cannon over his shoulder, and strode out of the camp, disappearing into the vast snow. Watching Leisen's departing figure, Suolin was still somewhat resentful.

"Can this big oaf really guarantee our safety? I have my doubts. And what did you mean when you said you were worried because it was me? Is this all I am in your heart? I'm so tired of this!" "I told you to spend less time online. Even an old Tang Cao might not understand your jokes." Tang Zijun flicked her forehead.

"I just wanted to help. I'm pretty capable too. Even though I only have a head left, I can still be useful." "I know." Tang Zijun smiled slightly. "That's why I entrusted the night watch to Leisen. I have something more important to entrust to you, and only you can do it." "Really!?"

Upon hearing this, Suolin became much more excited.

"Hehe, tell me, what is it?"

Tang Zijun didn't speak immediately, but first exchanged a glance with Scáthach before whispering, "You saved all the information you had before, right? Records about consciousness uploads and data from these experimental subjects?" "Brother Bao."

Suolin replied without hesitation.

"A total of one hundred and seventeen test subjects: seventy-seven wastelanders and forty alien species. All the records are in my head." "Very good," Tang Zijun nodded. "I need you to go back to the real world and contact Director Shangguan. Have her immediately select one hundred and seventeen agents to be on standby." "One hundred and seventeen agents on standby!?"