125: Chapter 125 Stealing Oil Rats

Back at the hotel, Zhang Mu continued to ponder the matter of weapons.

After half a day with no results, he felt irritable. He got up and went out, wandering the streets of London late at night.

The hotel was located in the city center, which was considered the liveliest area in all of London.

Even though it was just past midnight, the wide streets were still filled with citizens enjoying the nightlife.

The hum of car engines, the chatter of young women and men, the hazy yellow of the streetlights, and the brilliant neon lights lit up at night merged into a bustling street scene.

It was a sight that usually made one want to relax, but it caused the already frustrated Zhang Mu to feel a bit of rage building up inside.

He turned his steps and headed toward the outskirts.

The lights were left behind, the noise gradually faded, and the pedestrians on both sides of the asphalt road became sparse.

Zhang Mu felt much more relaxed.

As he continued forward, not a single person could be seen around him; he was the only one wandering the streets shrouded in the curtain of night.

“Time to head back.”

Seeing a large forest not far ahead, and knowing he would be out of the city if he went any further, Zhang Mu muttered to himself and turned around to return the way he came.

After walking for a while, as he passed an alleyway, a person clutching a fruit knife suddenly rushed out and blocked his path.

Scanning with his Mental Energy, he realized there were two of them.

The one holding the dagger was white, and his companion was black—a matte black, at that, blending perfectly into the night.

Lost in thought, Zhang Mu didn't even see them clearly at first.

“Hey, unlucky mister, you shouldn't be here, but it's too late for regrets.” He brandished the fruit knife. “Now, hand over your wallet and phone.”

A robbery?

After scratching his face and thinking for a moment, Zhang Mu suddenly became happy. He reached out, grabbed the brandished fruit knife, and snapped it: “Thank you!”

Amidst the man's stunned gaze, he stuffed the broken half of the blade back into his hand and sprinted all the way back to the hotel.

He used a fake identity to book a flight to the Middle East for the next morning and went to bed.

At the crack of dawn, Zhang Mu got up, washed, checked out, and rushed to the airport. Over ten hours later, the plane landed in Turkey.

Without wasting a moment, he activated his Shadow Technique as soon as he left the airport, riding a small scooter across the border and into Syria.

In the eastern and western regions of this country, there were many oil ratss.

They were fat and large; if he took out a single nest, the harvest would likely be substantial.

Besides, they were just rats—the kind of vermin everyone shouts at to kill when they cross the street. There was no psychological burden in robbing them.

Zhang Mu thought of the big stuff hidden in the military base—no, the rat's nest—and his mouth almost curled into a crooked grin. He only regretted that even with the throttle pinned, the small scooter was still a bit slow.

He pressed on steadily toward his goal, refueling several times along the way, and successfully reached his destination five days later.

Propping up the scooter's kickstand by the sandy roadside, Zhang Mu stood beside a dilapidated village that didn't make a sound: “It really is...”

After a moment of silence, he strode into the village.

The village seemed abandoned; not a single house was intact, all missing walls or corners. The surviving walls were also stained with the charred blackness of being brutally violated by the smoke of war.

“Clatter—”

To his right, from a ruined two-story building with only half remaining, the sound of rolling stones suddenly came.

Someone's still here?

Walking into the living room filled with rubble, he saw two children with very distinct Arabic features.

He estimated they were only five years old, though judging by their skin-and-bones bodies, their actual age might be a bit older.

At this moment, they were huddled together, looking at him with terrified eyes.

The village was located on the edge of the desert, and the nearest small town was fifty kilometers away.

He had just taken a quick look around; he didn't know if the adults in the village were dead or had fled, but in any case, he hadn't seen a single person.

How did these two children survive?

Zhang Mu moved closer. He put his hands behind his back for a few seconds and then brought them forward, placing two bottles of water and two bags of meat floss bread on the ground.

Because of the language barrier, he didn't try to speak; he just pushed the water and bread a bit closer to them.

Realizing that the man in front of them didn't mean to harm them, the older of the two children tentatively reached out and pressed a hand onto the packaging.

Dark eyes stared at Zhang Mu. Seeing him smile, the child grew bold enough to grab the things, tear open the packaging, and devour them greedily along with his companion.

Zhang Mu, meanwhile, was lost in thought, considering the matter of finding the rat's nest.

He had checked the data before coming; he only knew there was a rat's nest in that patch of desert outside the village, but the specific location was clearly top-secret information.

Even if it wasn't that secret, one certainly couldn't expect to find it with a simple search on the internet.

He had intended to find a local to ask, but he had only encountered this one village in half a day, and it was abandoned.

Tsk, troublesome...

“Sir, thank you for your generosity.”

Eh?

Subconsciously looking at the older child who spoke, Zhang Mu's tone was surprised: “You speak English?”

“Yes, sir. My father and mother were both teachers in the village.”

Although the older child's pronunciation wasn't very standard and he didn't know some words, combined with gestures, it was enough to understand his meaning.

Slapping his thigh in excitement, Zhang Mu hurriedly asked: “Do you know the specific location of the US base in the desert?”

The hand receiving the food froze in mid-air. The older child, who had just calmed down slightly, had panic in his eyes again: “Are you...”

“Don't misunderstand, I'm here to cause them trouble.”

With his Transformation Technique active, Zhang Mu didn't care about exposing his purpose.

“Is it just you alone?” He poked his head out to look at the village road outside.

“Don't bother looking, it's just me,” Zhang Mu said cheerfully. “Just tell me where it is.”

“You will die, sir...”

“From the sound of it, you know?”

The older child looked at the small child in his arms for a while, then gritted his teeth and said: “It's a bit far. I can lead you there, but I hope you will leave some food for my sister.”

A girl?

Glancing at the sister's short hair and pitch-black face, Zhang Mu asked: “How much do you want?”

“At least one bottle of water and three bags of bread. I am worth that price.” After speaking, he tightened his small face and emphasized, “This is the fair price of Haya Village.”

The crouching Zhang Mu was silent for a moment. Just as he was about to speak, the boy hesitantly said: “If you think it's too expensive, then two bags of bread.

It can't be any less...”

“The price you just said.” Zhang Mu took out three bags of bread and a bottle of water and placed them in the sister's arms. “Let's go.”

“Go hide quickly,” the older child instructed his sister, then got up and chased after Zhang Mu, who was walking out of the living room. “Sir, we have to walk for five days, you need to prepare sup—”

“Rumble—”

“Quick, hide in the house!”

The massive roar of an engine came from outside the village. With such a large commotion, it couldn't be a car.

Grabbing the older child by the back of his collar as he tugged at his arm, Zhang Mu quickly rushed to the village entrance.

In the direction of the desert, yellow sand flew all over the sky, and several camouflage-painted armored vehicles could be seen driving rapidly within the dust cloud.

Zhang Mu didn't give chase; the convoy was already far away.

“Get on.” Putting him down, Zhang Mu turned around. “We're set... Fuck!”

The small scooter that had been parked nicely by the roadside was now a pile of scrap metal. It looked like it had been run over directly by an armored vehicle.

Clenching his fists, Zhang Mu's face was contorted: “If I leave you guys even a single grain of rice, my name isn't Zhang!”