She walked to the entrance and came to a stop, her gaze sweeping over them like a hawk.
She looked at Little Frost first.
Her eyes lingered for two seconds on this woman, who was covered in dirt but stood with an unyielding presence.
She nodded slightly, seemingly acknowledging Little Frost’s resolve.
Then, she looked at Mu Yingying, her gaze falling on the Tang Dao wrapped in cloth at her waist, evaluating her combat potential.
Finally, she looked at White Night, who was sitting in the rickshaw.
The woman’s gaze paused for a second.
But her reaction was unexpected; she showed none of the fear usually seen when encountering a soul body.
Her eyes were deep, as if she were confirming something she had only heard in rumors.
Immediately after, the woman’s gaze shifted slightly downward, landing on the handlebar of the bicycle.
It landed on that old, slightly frayed black bowknot.
The woman’s breathing hitched for a split second.
She stared at the black bowknot, lingering for an extra moment, a flicker of complex emotion crossing her eyes.
Then, she quickly suppressed her reaction and pulled her gaze away, acting as if nothing was amiss.
The woman’s voice was somewhat raspy.
“My name is Gu Jiao; you can call me Sister Gu. I am responsible for the town’s external affairs and defense.
I heard from my people that you have something good for detecting Weirdness? Tell me what you are capable of.”
Gu Jiao got straight to the point.
“We have a special compass mounted on our bicycle that can perceive danger and provide early warnings.”
Sister Gu listened quietly, her expression unchanging.
In the wasteland, the value of the words “early warning” went without saying.
Little Frost raised three fingers, her tone brook no argument.
“In exchange, I want three things.”
“First, an independent dwelling; no sharing the public area, and no disturbances from random people. Second, any information regarding Soul Repair and Hundred Flowers Dew; if your town has it, you must prioritize giving it to us.”
“Third—”
As she said this, Little Frost stepped back half a pace, her hand resting naturally on the frame of White Night’s bicycle.
It was not a simple lean, but a firm grip with her palm pressed against the metal, her five fingers tightening slightly.
This gesture was identical to the unconscious soothing motion she had made while keeping watch the previous night, radiating an inviolable sense of possessiveness and protection.
She looked coldly into Sister Gu’s eyes.
“Her identity is not up for questioning. She is one of us, not the Weirdness you think she is. In this town, if anyone has an issue with her, or tries to harbor any crooked thoughts…”
Little Frost tapped her fingers lightly against the carbon fiber frame, her voice devoid of warmth.
“Have them come talk to me directly. I will teach them reason in my own way.”
Hearing this, White Night’s soul body sitting in the basket brightened, an indescribable sense of safety wrapping around her.
Little Frost did not turn back to look at her, her gaze locked firmly onto Sister Gu’s face.
But the hand resting on the frame remained as steady as a mountain.
Sister Gu watched Little Frost, then looked at the bicycle she was protecting, remaining silent for a long time.
“The terms are negotiable. But regarding the compass, I must see it with my own eyes to believe it. In this day and age, I cannot just take your word for it and waste the town’s resources on you.”
Little Frost’s tone was steady.
“That is fine. Whenever you wish to verify it—”
Woooo—! Woooo—! Woooo—!
A piercing alarm whistle suddenly tore through the silence of the wilderness!
The sound was sharp, filled with desperate panic, blaring frantically from the guard tower at the highest point of the earthen walls!
The calm on Sister Gu’s face was shattered instantly; she whipped her head around and roared toward the wall.
“Which direction?! What is the situation?!”
The sentry on the wall leaned half his body out of the bunker, pointing at the distant wasteland and screaming until his voice cracked.
“Northwest! Three of them! Moving extremely fast! They are charging straight for the main gate!!”
Sister Gu turned back, giving Little Frost a deep look.
“It seems you do not need to pick a day. Now is the time to verify your goods.”
Little Frost did not waste words.
She released the handle of the rickshaw and turned to grab that heavy iron pipe.
Her gaze landed on the distance, sharp as a wolf.
She had found a convenient weapon and was prepared to face this sudden interview.
“Northwest! Three of them! Fast runners!”
Little Frost did not answer; she snatched the sharpened, heavy iron pipe from a nearby guard who had not yet reacted.
The guard did not even see her move, and she had already charged out of the gate like a leopard.
The first Weirdness came sprinting from the northwest; it was grey-skinned with disproportionately long limbs, moving like an elongated zombie dog.
Little Frost charged to meet it, not retreating in the slightest.
She gripped the iron pipe with both hands, using the strength of her waist and back to whip the pipe in a circle through the air, smashing it heavily onto the creature’s head.
“Hiss—BANG!”
A dull, thunderous sound rang out.
The moment the pipe struck the skull, a faint hissing sound emerged, like hot metal being submerged in cold water.
The creature’s skull shattered upon impact, black sludge burst forth, and its body surged forward for two more steps due to momentum before crashing to the ground.
The guards on the wall were stunned.
After the strike, Little Frost lowered her eyes.
A faint dark red trace was visible on the surface of the rusted iron pipe, emanating a scorching heat. But the red marks only lasted for a few seconds before fading away, restoring the pipe to its originally cold and rusted appearance.
Little Frost lowered her head, staring intently at the hands that had held the pipe, her palms slightly burning.
She said nothing, merely clenching her fists tightly.
The second Weirdness lunged from the side; Mu Yingying had already drawn the Tang Dao from her waist.
As she lunged forward, an old injury in her right shoulder flared, causing the angle of her strike to be off by an inch.
The blade did not land in the center of the creature’s neck, but rather on the side.
But it was fast enough, and ruthless enough.
With a “Splutch” sound, the creature’s head tilted ninety degrees, hanging by only a layer of grey skin as it swayed twice before the entire body went limp.
Mu Yingying flicked the black blood off her blade and winced slightly; she had pulled her shoulder.
Two down.
But in the rickshaw, White Night stared at the compass in her mind; the needle was still spinning.
It was not pointing northwest, the direction from which the first two had come.
The needle snapped to the east.
The third one had not chosen a frontal assault; it was circling around behind them.
“East wall base! The third one is circling around!”
White Night’s soft but clear voice came from the rickshaw, piercing through the wind and falling clearly into everyone’s ears.
Sister Gu whipped her head around, giving White Night a complex look.
Then, she roared at the wall without hesitation.
“East wall! Send people to guard it!”
The patrol on the wall reacted instantly, rushing toward the east with their weapons.
When they reached the base of the east wall and looked down, they found the cunning creature creeping along the wall corner, preparing to climb up.
Several sharpened spears were instantly thrust down from above, pinning it firmly to the ground.
The crisis was averted.
Little Frost walked back and casually returned the iron pipe to the guard.
The guard’s hands were shaking as he took it back, looking at Little Frost as if she were a humanoid tyrannosaurus.
Sister Gu stood at the gate, having seen everything.
She walked up to Little Frost.
“You have impressive skills; there is no need to verify the compass.”
Sister Gu’s voice was still raspy, but it lacked some of its previous caution.
“Come on in.”
No extra talk was needed.
She called a subordinate to lead the way, assigning them a flat-roofed cabin leaning against the corner of the wall.
The cabin was made of mud walls with a wooden door; it was not large, but it had the benefit of being a standalone unit, with a sturdy iron latch on the door.
Little Frost took the key and pushed open the wooden door to survey the space.
Inside was a wooden bed frame, a table with a missing corner, and a water vat in the corner.
Enough.
Mu Yingying followed her in, looking around with bright eyes.
“Not bad, it has a door, a lock, and a bed; this is much better than sleeping in the ruins.”
White Night’s physical body was pushed in by Little Frost and leaned against the wall.
She did not speak, her translucent soul body floating above the basket, observing the town through the gap in the door.
People were coming and going outside.
…
Someone was squatting by the roadside repairing tools, someone was leaning against a wall chewing on a dry biscuit, and others were huddled together exchanging information.
Further away, White Night’s gaze paused.
It was deep within the town, where a large area was tightly enclosed by towering sheets of iron.
The iron was painted with a thick layer of black, airtight and opaque, making it impossible to see what was hidden inside.
Two fully armed guards stood at the entrance to the forbidden area, their backs straight.
The moment White Night’s gaze landed on that area, the needle of the compass in her mind shifted once again, a hint of oppressive dark red flashing across the tip.
This time, White Night was sure she had not misread it.
Something was definitely wrong with that forbidden area enclosed by the black-painted iron.