Chapter 15: The Call to Arms

The sun hung low in the sky, casting a wan light over the land. It was already late, and returning now would surely be impossible.

Rather than face the dangers of traveling at night, Chu Guang decided it was safer to stay the night in Better Street.

He had learned the hard way, from past unpleasant experiences, just how perilous it could be. Survival was often a matter of luck, and he knew it well.

Chu Guang wrapped the iron-barrel rifle he had bought in a plastic bag and secured it to the sharpened pipe behind him. To an outsider, it would appear as nothing more than an ordinary bundle.

Although Better Street didn't prohibit survivors from carrying weapons, Chu Guang preferred to keep his dealings with the outside caravans discreet, lest the town's watchful eyes noticed anything unusual.

A mere 50 grams of blue umbrella mushrooms exchanged for just 1 chip.

How these bloodsucking leeches could come up with such schemes was beyond him!

He passed through the gates of Better Street and saw a large crowd gathered outside the recycling station—men, women, the old, and the young.

Their clothes were tattered, their faces gaunt, and many carried woven sacks or baskets on their backs, or plastic barrels and other containers in their hands.

Their daily routine was painfully simple: they would exchange whatever scraps they found for chips, and then trade those chips for the essentials of life.

"New stock of soap! Made by the Giant Stone City Chemical Factory! For just 3 chips, you can wash away that disgusting stench from your bodies. Hurry, there are only 30 bars, first come first served!"

"Cooking oil, no matter what it's made from, it's fresh and good stuff, delivered straight from the Brown Farm! Only 10 chips per liter… a little pricey, but you get what you pay for. You'd better find someone to chip in."

"Let me see, oh, and coarse salt! A thumb-sized block for just 5 chips… Don't worry about where it came from. What more could you possibly want? Come and get it."

"And tobacco leaves, whether for smoking or for curing meat, also from Brown Farm… Well, you choose, I'll take a break."

Old Charlie lazily shouted his wares from the doorway. His tone was far from that of a businessman.

In truth, it wasn't really business—it was more like a master's charity to his servants.

Not just Better Street, but within a five-mile radius, many things could only be bought here. The people who lived in these parts had no choice.

And don't think five miles is a short distance.

Though Clear Spring City was nestled in the southern plains, it had long since become more dangerous than a forest, a concrete graveyard…

Old Charlie wiped his sweat and handed the money collection over to his shop assistant, settling into a corner to rest with his eyes half-closed.

Just then, a young man, gaunt and clad in a gray coat, brandished a wooden board and stepped forward.

"Mobilization Order! The Town Mayor's Mobilization Order!"

"By the end of the month, every household must submit 100 kilograms of firewood and 2 cubic meters of furs."

"Spread the word!"

The crowd stirred in a flurry of complaints, but no one dared protest.

After all, it had always been like this in previous years.

Better Street didn't collect taxes, but that didn't mean life here was free. Besides soft exploitation in trade rights, the mayor always found ways to collect supplies one way or another.

The Mobilization Order was one such method, issued every August or September.

And what happened to those who refused to comply?

The punishment was brutally direct.

Anyone aged 16 or older in the settlement, whether living alone or with a spouse, would be considered a single household until they married. Upon marriage, the two would form one household.

If they failed to meet the supply quota, the household manager would strike their name off the register and seize their shelter in Better Street, expelling them from the survivor's enclave.

In a world where life was as fragile as paper, losing one's shelter was as good as a death sentence.

Especially in the cold winter.

Though Better Street wasn't rich, it was far better than the neighboring Brown Farm. At least here, the survivors still had a tiny bit of pitiful freedom.

"Seems like the mayor plans to take advantage of the last caravan of the year to gather some extra goods for the winter feast."

Chu Guang thought to himself but paid little attention to the so-called Mobilization Order.

He would be gone long before winter.

No need for anyone to chase him—he would leave on his own terms.

Avoiding the recycling station, Chu Guang walked straight to his shelter. But as he neared the door, he saw Yu Xiaoyu and a young man arguing.

The man appeared to be about seventeen or eighteen, not tall, and seemed familiar—he was Wang De Fu, the third son of the Wang family. Chu Guang didn't know him well, but he remembered him as a neighbor from the far corner of the settlement.

For some reason, this Wang family son had come to his doorstep.

"Move aside."

Wang De Fu pushed Yu Xiaoyu aside with a look of impatience. The young girl stumbled back but stubbornly kept her arms outstretched to block him.

"I won't move. This isn't your home."

"Nor is it yours."

"But he asked me to watch over the house!"

"What's there to watch over a dead person's house?"

"He's not dead!" Yu Xiaoyu glared at him, her eyes as wide as a goldfish's.

"Stop lying. That outsider hasn't returned for four or five days."

Wang De Fu impatiently continued, "You Yu family just wants a share of the spoils, I'm not trying to take it all. Here's the deal—I'll take the beams and the door, the rest you can have."

When a house is abandoned due to a person's disappearance, it is usually divided among the neighbors.

There's no set rule for how many days someone must be gone before they're presumed dead, but when no one returns after several days, the consensus is that they've either been taken by slave traders or torn apart by mutated beasts.

No one could survive long out there.

Even seasoned hunters would struggle.

Yu Xiaoyu bit her lip hard, her eyes still fixed like a small fish staring, refusing to move, but too afraid to act.

Wang De Fu, growing impatient, decided to push past her, but just as he was about to do so, a hand landed on his shoulder.

"Who says I'm dead?"

Wang De Fu jolted upright, startled, his hair standing on end. He spun around to see Chu Guang, and his beast-like eyes glinted with caution. Yu Xiaoyu quickly slipped behind Chu Guang, whispering her report.

"He came back yesterday, said he was going to tear down your house."

"Thanks."

Chu Guang smiled slightly, looking at Wang De Fu before adding, "Are you leaving on your own, or shall I escort you?"

Wang De Fu knew he had no grounds to argue. He shot a glance at the steel pipe behind Chu Guang, now stained with dried blood, and without another word, turned and walked away.

He wasn't afraid of the Yu family, nor of this outsider, but no one in their right mind would challenge a strong, solitary man without any apparent weakness.

As he watched the man leave, Chu Guang couldn't help but feel a bit of pity.

Some people, though alive, had become no different from the wild dogs and vultures outside.

He had once witnessed a mutated hyena tearing apart an injured comrade to feed. At the time, he had thought nothing of it, chalking it up to the natural order, but now he found himself with a strange sense of empathy.

He had only been gone for a few days, and already, these people were stirring like wolves.

Yu Xiaoyu, still hiding behind him, hadn't left. She figured if she waited a little longer, she might get some more of those delicious candies.

She had never tasted anything so sweet before, almost chewing on the plastic stick as well.

Noticing the large eyes staring at her, Chu Guang blinked in surprise. Then he realized what was happening, reached into his pocket, and pulled out a forgotten lollipop, handing it to the little girl.

"Thanks for looking after things these past few days."

"It's nothing!" Yu Xiaoyu eagerly tore off the plastic wrap, stuffing the lollipop into her mouth and mumbled through it, "I didn't have anything else to do, I'll always watch the house for you."

At that moment, Yu Xiaoyu's brothers returned from the recycling station, carrying their spoils in bulging bags. It was clear they had a good haul.

When she saw her father, older brother, and second brother, Yu Xiaoyu quickly ran back inside.

Getting candy was a side job; her real duty, as instructed by her elders, was to keep an eye on the outsider. She hadn't forgotten the warnings given to her.

However, no matter how fast she was, she couldn't outrun the eyes of a hunter.

Yu Xiaoyu's father—an older man with a solid build and deep wrinkles on his face—gave Chu Guang a glance but didn't speak. He and his eldest son, who was carrying two bags of green barley, went inside.

Yu Xiaoyu's second brother, Yu Hu, however, stopped in front of Chu Guang.

Chu Guang recognized him.

Few people in the settlement spoke to him, but this boy, only eighteen or nineteen, was one of the few who would.

As usual, his speech was blunt and straightforward, just like his name.

"I thought you were dead these past few days."

Chu Guang responded,