Chapter Forty-Six: Truly Utterly Foolish

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Seeing the complicated expression on Gao Lang’s face, Fang Yun immediately realized that something had happened again on Dongming Mountain. Normally, the military was always short on supplies, but not to the extent of having to barter with them. Yet now Gao Lang was asking to exchange cold-weather supplies with them, which felt off. However, Fang Yun wasn’t interested in probing the situation on Dongming Mountain; after some thought, she was willing to help the military. After all, she had already helped many times before and didn’t mind doing it once more.

Li Wangcheng glanced at Fang Yun but didn’t immediately agree, merely saying he needed to think it over. While Gao Lang sent someone to bring supplies up to Dongming Mountain, Li Wangcheng took Fang Yun aside to discuss. “What do you think?” Li Wangcheng bluntly asked for her opinion.

Fang Yun pretended to ponder for a moment. “We can exchange, but for what?” They weren’t lacking anything essential, and even if they weren’t short, they wouldn’t give things away for free. They had already given the military some supplies, and giving more would be too conspicuous. The key was what the military had that they needed.

“Ask if they have any snow vehicles,” Li Wangcheng said, glancing into the distance.

Fang Yun looked at him in confusion. They already had two snow sleds, so why would they want more? Also, such vehicles usually ran on gasoline—did the military even have any? “There are only two snow sleds, and we’re over a dozen people, so they aren’t enough. Plus, moving around openly like this might attract unwanted attention,” Li Wangcheng explained with a helpless smile.

Only after his explanation did Fang Yun begin to understand. “Would they agree to exchange?” Compared to cold-weather gear, vehicles were not quite equivalent. But when people were freezing to death, iron machines were useless.

“How would we know without trying?” Li Wangcheng didn’t give a definite answer.

After agreeing on this, Li Wangcheng went to negotiate the exchange with Gao Lang while Fang Yun waited nearby. She stood not far from the entrance of Dongming Mountain, looking at the place where she had perished in a past life, suddenly feeling it was nothing special. Now, Dongming Mountain was reduced to just a peak; the once towering mountain was buried halfway down. Like humans, once the dominant force on Blue Star, it now shrank to a small patch of territory.

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Even in such dire circumstances, people still schemed and formed factions. Human greed was heavy and would ultimately bring ruin upon itself. Wasn’t she the same in her past life? Knowing full well Chen Yuanlin no longer loved her, she refused to believe it, clinging to him as family and to his promises. What did she gain in the end? Lowering her gaze, she hid the self-mockery in her eyes. How foolish she had been.

“Fang Yun.” A voice suddenly brought her wandering thoughts back. She looked up to see Li Wangcheng watching her intently, his focused gaze making her momentarily dazed. She quickly composed herself, hiding the emotion barely concealed.

“So, what do they say?” She was grateful for the scarf covering half her face, preventing others from noticing her unease.

A flicker of something strange flashed in Li Wangcheng’s eyes but vanished so quickly Fang Yun didn’t catch it. “They agreed, but the quantity they want in exchange is a bit high. I’m not sure if you have enough yet, so I haven’t agreed.”

Then Li Wangcheng listed the military’s demands. Small items like cold-weather clothes and cotton-padded jackets were expected, but even socks were requested, making Fang Yun doubt if she heard correctly. The larger demands were coal or charcoal, likely because these scarce resources were too precious to request in large quantities, and the numbers were negotiable.

Fang Yun could provide the clothing but was reluctant to part with coal. Although the system was generous and supplied her with plenty of resources, coal was something they used sparingly. Now, the military was asking for half her stockpile—she was not about to give that away. She was willing to help but not at such a cost. They wanted something; she would give something in return.

“No, that’s too much. We don’t even know where we will settle after leaving here. If we give them that much, we lose a layer of security. That won’t do,” Fang Yun rejected outright.

“How much can you give? I’ll negotiate again,” Li Wangcheng asked without objection to her refusal, only wanting to know her limits.

She calculated silently, taking five minutes before giving him exact numbers. While she appeared to be thinking, she had actually asked the system to tally her coal reserves. To her surprise, she also found a stash of timber from some earlier sign-in rewards and hesitated before deciding to allocate some of that as well.

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With her confirmation, Li Wangcheng returned to negotiate with Gao Lang. This time the talks dragged on, with Gao Lang making multiple trips back to Dongming Mountain, likely because he couldn’t make decisions alone and had to consult his superiors. How Li Wangcheng persuaded them was unknown, but eventually, they reached an agreement.

The military agreed to their supply demands and provided them with two “iron machines” reputed to glide effortlessly over snow. Their only flaws were that they leaked air and consumed fuel heavily, which was why the military had sidelined them. With so many scarce resources, the military was reluctant to use them and reserved them for critical moments.

Fang Yun and Li Wangcheng prepared the supplies while Shang Xingbing and the others waited there. On the way, Li Wangcheng shared some news: Ma Qibo was not dead and was even making a comeback. She was startled and asked how he knew.

Li Wangcheng explained that during negotiations with Gao Lang, they casually discussed the aftermath of Ma Qibo’s rescue. It was assumed Ma Qibo and his group had been wiped out or forced to leave Dongming Mountain, but unexpectedly, he had a backup plan. Just last night, he and his men went to the military camp and exchanged scarce fuel resources for their old base. This meant Ma Qibo was free to roam Dongming Mountain again.

After hearing this, Fang Yun was silent for a long time, staring at the distant white glow with an oddly calm heart. “We’re leaving anyway. Whatever happens to them no longer concerns us,” she said.

Li Wangcheng gave her a long, deep look but said nothing. Their eyes met—Fang Yun smiled on the outside, yet her eyes were filled with coldness. The military could not remain so constrained forever. Even if she didn’t intervene, Ma Qibo and the others would not have a good ending. But in the process, many innocents would be caught in the crossfire.

Surviving in the apocalypse was already difficult enough, let alone living under such people. Even having experienced it once, Fang Yun still found it suffocating to think about.