The all-terrain vehicle traversed the vast Desert in the darkness.
Four hours later, at five in the morning, Ye Xing saw Red Iron Town.
It was located at the foot of the mine, with the residential area separated from the industrial zone, and towering chimneys and smelters could be seen from afar.
One high-voltage power tower after another extended from the town's industrial area into the distance.
Jubian pointed at the power transmission towers: "They must have been built all the way from Oasis City, right?"
Shen Quan nodded.
"Yes, Oasis City is still 400 kilometers away. They have a large oil field and monopolize all refined oil, electricity production, and water."
"Who goes there?! Stop quickly!"
The vehicle was stopped in front of the town gate, and three guards aimed their guns with nervous expressions.
They only had bolt-action rifles, while the escort team had brought grenade launchers and anti-material sniper rifles, which had much stronger firepower.
The security captain ran out of the guard room, and Shen Quan jumped out of the vehicle and removed his helmet.
"Uncle Hao, it's me!"
The security captain rubbed his eyes.
"Shen Quan?!"
"Hehe, it's me! Quickly tell them to put down their guns. These people are my saviors!"
"Oh! Let them through! Go wake up the Town Chief, Xiao Liu, Xiao Huang, go get a vehicle and lead the way for them!"
Everyone passed through the industrial zone into the residential area and arrived at the town hall.
A few minutes later, a large group of people with surprised expressions rushed in, led by a tall old man with a kind but dignified face, who looked about 70 years old.
Shen Quan hugged his parents, and the hall was instantly filled with the joy of reunion.
The old man stepped forward: "I have already heard about the matter. Thank you for your selfless help! Please rest for a while first. Can I talk to Shen Quan alone for a few minutes?"
"Of course," Ye Xing replied.
The old man called Shen Quan into a room alone, while the others waited outside. During this time, Shen Quan's parents came forward to introduce themselves and kept expressing their gratitude.
A few minutes later, the old man walked out with a smile.
"Alright! Everyone, if you don't mind, how about going to my house next?"
The entire town was awakened in advance. On the way to the old man's house, the residents stood at the narrow alley entrances, crowded together, and peered out with kind curiosity.
The houses in the residential area were built very densely, blocking out the sun. The old man's house was also like this, the difference being that it had a large courtyard with a metal awning.
The courtyard was already crowded with townspeople who had heard the news. The old man personally brought over a large metal tray with four cups of iced goat milk and bread sprinkled with salt.
Caoyuan turned off the real-time translation.
"I used to work in Desert areas. This should be a common local custom for entertaining guests. After drinking the goat milk and eating the bread, it means we are honored guests."
Oh, so that's how it is.
Ye Xing smiled and stepped forward, removed his tactical helmet, and was the first to taste the bread. The other three followed suit, and immediately, applause and cheers erupted from the surroundings.
The old man bowed deeply.
"I am Shen Hai, the Town Chief of Red Iron Town. Thank you, guests from afar! Shen Quan is my smartest and most capable grandson, and you who saved him are my, and the entire town's, benefactors!"
"I am the Chief Investigator of Cangyuan Future Technology, ordered by the Executive Officer to escort Shen Quan home!" Ye Xing introduced himself proudly.
Next, the Town Chief led the team into his living room and brewed tea for the guests.
He introduced the several people who came in with him, including Shen Quan's father and his two brothers, as well as the town's Chief Engineer, Engineer Li.
The Old Town Chief bowed again in thanks: "I know that material wealth cannot measure your kindness, but I heard from Shen Quan that your camp seems to lack rare metals? If it is convenient, please provide me with the types and quantities of metals you need. Red Iron Town will definitely do its best to help!"
Alright! Since you said so!
Jubian was not overly polite. He took out his Pad, filled out a table of the required metal quantities, translated it into the local script, and handed it to the Old Town Chief.
The other party nodded.
"No problem, but it will take more than ten days. I need to first fulfill the rare metal order from Oasis City, and then... find a way to hide it from them and produce the metals you need."
"Is Oasis City's demand for rare metals high?" Ye Xing asked.
"Very high. Red Iron Town is already the largest metal supplier, but it can only cover half of the supply. In recent months, Oasis City's demand has increased significantly, and they have repeatedly asked us to increase production shifts."
"This has already caused production accidents, all due to worker fatigue!" Engineer Li, who was next to him, said.
The Town Chief waved his hand, not letting him continue.
Ye Xing: "Does Oasis City use the rare metals they buy themselves?"
The Town Chief: "No, most of it is resold to a Celestial company called 'Apollo'."
"What if you can't meet the demands proposed by Oasis City?" Caoyuan asked curiously. "For example, refusing to increase production, or selling the metals directly to 'Apollo'."
"'Apollo' first visited this planet a year ago," the Town Chief said in a deep voice. "At that time, they directly purchased metals from Red Iron Town, offering a higher price than Oasis City. Oasis City said we could trade freely and would not interfere, but the Raiders around us suddenly began to intensify their looting of us."
Engineer Li, who was about the same age as the Town Chief, said: "Almost every household had young girls kidnapped, and it's very 'strange' that since we refused the Celestial's trade request and stated that we were only willing to sell the metals cheaply to Oasis City, the Raiders have returned to their normal level of malice."
Jubian turned off the translator.
"Did I hear that right? The Raiders' actions are tacitly approved by Oasis City, and they even act as Oasis City's thugs when necessary?"
Nan Guo de Xue: "Apparently so."
"Which Raider gang poses the greatest threat to you?" Caoyuan asked with a serious expression.
The Town Chief: "Unfortunately, it is the most powerful Raider warband in this Desert. They call themselves the Stormwind Gang and are based in an underground base from before the catastrophe."
Stormwind Gang.
Everyone firmly remembered this name.
This day was a Saturday in reality, and the players could stay online for a long time, so the four members of the team talked with the Town Chief for a while longer, expressing their friendly intention to engage in trade.
The Town Chief took them to visit the town's metal smelter and mining area.
Around 10 a.m., the four members of the team bid farewell to the Town Chief and Shen Quan and headed back.
Before leaving, they exchanged secret radio communication frequencies with the Town Chief.
Red Iron Town had secretly built a broadcast signal tower on the mine mountain, hidden from Oasis City. Since its height exceeded 1000 meters, it could directly communicate with Devil Mountain Camp 200 kilometers away.
This type of shortwave radio is greatly affected by weather conditions and is generally inefficient, unable to transmit images and videos, but its advantage is the long distance it can cover.