Nightfall descended.
Eight vehicles split into two small groups, setting up camp on a sheltered hillside.
The group cleared the snow, creating a space, and drove stakes into the ground at the four corners of the tents, erecting tents with insulated layers, securing them tightly with windproof ropes.
Inside the tents, they laid down a cold-resistant mat, topped with several layers of snow rabbit pelts.
Following this method, seven or eight tents were quickly set up.
Camp was successfully established.
Du Xiu and Lian Ruofei, one with an axe at his waist and the other carrying firearms, brought over some tree trunks as thick as an arm from afar.
Under the damp, snow-covered trunks, they placed firestones. The moment the sparks hit the firestones, a flame leapt up, burning the dozens of dark logs above.
In an instant, thick smoke rose, carrying away the moisture from the trunks.
The rising smoke grew denser, and a few minutes later, it turned into flames.
The fire blazed brightly, dispelling the darkness and casting a red glow on the faces of those around.
The two groups sat distinctly around two fires to warm themselves.
Not long after, Zhou Yuan walked over to Du Xiu.
Du Xiu looked up, the imposing figure of Zhou Yuan, along with the three M134 Miniguns and a 107mm Cannon mounted on the vehicles behind him, exerted immense pressure on him.
Currently, these weapons of mass destruction were manned, and their operators' eyes roamed over Du Xiu and his group.
Apart from Du Xiu and Lian Ruofei, the mine slaves Zhou Yuan glanced at all lowered their heads, not daring to meet his gaze.
Zhou Yuan confirmed that there were no experts among this group.
"Kid, what are you doing in the No-Man's Land?"
"Transporting supplies."
After a moment of silence, Du Xiu replied in a low voice.
"With just a few shrimp soldiers and crab generals like you?" Zhou Yuan sneered.
Faced with Zhou Yuan's mockery, Du Xiu was not provoked. He turned the meat he was roasting and lifted his eyelids, saying, "Of course not, the captain took a few people to hunt down a feral beast."
"What feral beast?"
"A Level 2 Snow Wolf."
Zhou Yuan's eyes flickered.
No wonder this kid was so confident.
An Origin Cultivator capable of hunting a Level 2 Snow Wolf must be at least in the Aperture Opening Realm.
The realms above Meridian Unblocking are controlled by major forces like the consortium, inaccessible to ordinary people.
Zhou Yuan himself was only in the Qi-Blood Realm, and not just him, most hunters in the Wilderness were in the Qi-Blood Realm.
Aperture Opening Realm was already the ceiling.
But... is this kid telling the truth?
Zhou Yuan scrutinized Du Xiu, whose Ma-style guard uniform was ill-fitting, with sleeves and shoes too large.
Not only him, but those around him also kept their heads down, not daring to breathe loudly.
They didn't look like consortium people at all, more like slaves.
Would a strong Aperture Opening Realm cultivator really accompany such a group of misfits?
What would drive a strong Aperture Opening Realm cultivator to lead this bunch of useless people?
Despite the many inconsistencies, Du Xiu's calm demeanor still made Zhou Yuan wary.
What if?
He didn't dare to gamble.
It was widely acknowledged that Origin Cultivators and heavy firepower weapons were at odds.
Origin Cultivators were weak in the early stages but strong later on.
Although he wasn't afraid of an Aperture Opening Realm Origin Cultivator with his heavy firepower, this was only in theory.
The most notable feature of Origin Cultivators was their single combat capability and sustainability.
If an Aperture Opening Realm expert were to tail his convoy, it would be extremely troublesome.
Moreover, he worried that this Aperture Opening Realm expert might be a Gunslinger.
In the Wilderness, consortium people relied on powerful firearms to plunder resources and occupy resource points, causing dissatisfaction among many hunters.
Where there is oppression, there is resistance.
Over time, Gunslingers emerged.
The Origin Power Firearms crafted by Weaponsmiths, driven by Origin Power, offered more terrifying power and longer range than ordinary firearms.
They became the hunters' favorite.
Due to the emergence of Gunslingers, consortiums gradually restrained their actions in the Wilderness.
Seeing Zhou Yuan's hesitation, Du Xiu felt a slight relief.
Initially, he thought that proving himself as a consortium member would allow him to muddle through and temporarily ensure his safety.
But soon, Du Xiu discovered a new problem.
Previously, when identifying herbs for Captain Ma, those delivering supplies often mentioned a small town 200 kilometers from the Miwu Mine, a place for hunters to rest and resupply, where herb prices were discussed to lower the price and buy Captain Ma's herbs cheaply.
That town was on the route from Bote City to the Miwu Mine.
Now, after traveling nearly 300 kilometers, there was no sign of the town.
This indicated they weren't heading to Bote City.
Recalling the surprise when they mentioned Bote City as their destination, it was clear they realized they were lost.
Yet they didn't warn him, instead letting him follow them.
Initially, Du Xiu didn't understand their intentions.
When Zhou Yuan mentioned "shrimp soldiers and crab generals," Du Xiu suddenly realized.
Zhou Yuan wasn't leaving him alone out of consortium camaraderie but was planning to gauge his capabilities before making a move.
The so-called Level 2 Snow Wolf was, of course, fabricated.
Du Xiu had to concoct a strong figure to protect himself.
He bet they wouldn't dare take the risk.
And he was right.
Upon hearing that the 'captain' was hunting a Level 2 Snow Wolf, Zhou Yuan ceased his aggressive stance.
Watching Zhou Yuan turn and leave, everyone finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Beside Big Python.
A man with triangular eyes subtly nudged the person next to him.
The two exchanged a glance, their eyes filled with hesitation.
The campfire flickered as night deepened.
In pairs, everyone returned to their tents.
The triangular-eyed man whispered to the young man, "Don't sleep too soundly tonight. At midnight, we'll leave here."
"Brother, are you sure? In this snowy terrain, how far can we run? Wouldn't it be better to stick with the Young Sir for mutual support?"
"Support, my ass. I don't know how far Bote City is from here, but we've been traveling for nearly two days now. We should be close.
Before we ran into that bearded guy, we could have destroyed the vehicles and snuck into the city. Now we can only rely on the consortium identity to enter.
But entering the city as consortium members is a death sentence, isn't it?"
The triangular-eyed man snorted coldly.
"Didn't Big Python say the Young Sir has a way to help us escape, and we should just keep quiet and follow along?"
"Are you really that stupid? Du Xiu is an Apothecary. Even if he's exposed in the city, the consortium's profit-driven ways won't lead to his death. But what about us? We're bona fide slaves. Do you think we'll have a good time entering the city?"
The triangular-eyed man glared at the young man, exasperated at his ignorance.