Chapter 184: Shi Yue Bai Really Is a Damn Monster

Bai Hansong was so furious he just wanted to rush in and kill someone.

After all these years in the wasteland, Xu Xuejiao was still as proud as ever, and that was infuriating.

Everyone else had been forced by the harsh reality to become neither quite human nor ghost.

So what made her think she could stay the same as before?

Wasn’t she just selling herself?

And even brought her two daughters along to do the same.

If you’re selling, what difference does it make who you sell to?

Why couldn’t she just sell to them?

“Completely clueless,”

The men behind Bai Hansong grumbled.

But it was just too cold, so they had no choice but to turn back.

Besides, there was plenty to do within their own team.

They really didn’t have the time to waste here.

Bracing themselves against the increasingly heavy snow, they turned and left.

Inside the second wall, Xu Xuejiao hunched her neck against the cold and snorted,

“What a bunch of idiots.”

Shi Yue Bai didn’t respond. She just kept her head down, drawing and scribbling with a long stick at the base of the wall.

Her protective array still wasn’t finished.

Because the formation was so complicated, and her own abilities limited, she’d only managed to complete less than a tenth of it.

But even that small part was enough to keep out the cold.

It was still cold, of course.

But compared to the temperature outside the second wall, Shi Yue Bai’s lair was at least one or two degrees warmer.

While she kept working, she instructed Xu Xuejiao,

“It’ll probably get even colder tonight. You and Ah Hong go check the supply depot and see if there’s any more gear for keeping warm.”

“Hand some out to everyone, including the people we captured from Scarface’s gang.”

It wasn’t that Shi Yue Bai cared about their lives.

But in this weather, making Ying Ruoying wear a qipao to seduce prisoners was just pitiful.

If someone died, they’d just have to go capture more.

Might as well make do with the ones they had.

Ying Ruoying, Xiao Jiao, and Second Sister Shi had been pretty effective.

In just one night, using the “fishing” method, they’d lured all fifteen of Scarface’s men hiding near the villa into the courtyard.

Then they knocked them out, dragged them onto the teleportation sub-array in the basement, and transported them over.

Now those fifteen new laborers were shivering by the canal.

Xu Xuejiao immediately followed Shi Yue Bai’s orders, and went with Ah Hong to the supply depot with a flashlight.

A while later, Xu Xuejiao hurried back and said,

“Yue Bai, we found over a thousand hot water bottles. Should we hand these out?”

“There are also 975 fleece blankets, 532 puffer blankets, and 690 self-inflating camping mattresses—double-sized ones.”

All of it was brand new.

Mercenaries had given all this to Shi Yue Bai as payment when the weather was still good.

No one had expected that, after five years without snow in the wasteland,

It would actually snow?!

Shi Yue Bai had a bit of a hoarder’s instinct; she didn’t care if she’d need it or not.

Might as well stash it away—who knows when it might come in handy?

“Give everyone two hot water bottles, two mattresses, and two blankets each.”

“Get a group to start boiling water.”

Shi Yue Bai looked up at the sky.

Snowflakes drifted down, passing through an invisible transparent dome, sending out ripples.

It actually looked kind of pretty.

The snowflakes would pause for a moment on the dome, then flutter down into the protective array.

Shi Yue Bai told Xu Xuejiao,

“Don’t waste my water. Have them collect the snow on the ground, boil it, and fill the hot water bottles.”

Shi Yue Bai’s water wasn’t exactly valuable, but the snow was dirty and yellowish, and looked disgusting.

Since it had to be swept away anyway, might as well put it to use.

While Shi Yue Bai and Xu Xuejiao were talking, a thin layer of snow had already built up on the ground.

Xu Xuejiao quickly sent people to take care of it, worried that as the night got colder, someone might freeze to death.

The fifteen new captives from Scarface’s gang were cursing by the canal.

The others stayed silent.

Especially those who’d been captured earlier—they all kept their heads down.

“Why don’t you run?”

The new laborers shouted at the old ones,

“We had it good in the big city, and now we’re suffering here. Damn it, let’s team up and escape!”

The old laborers still said nothing.

If running was an option, they’d have done it already.

It wasn’t like they hadn’t tried—but the price for that?

It was bloody!!!

This batch of new laborers seemed pretty indignant.

But what good did that do? They couldn’t escape Shi Yue Bai’s grasp.

Shi Yue Bai really was a damn monster.

But before the new guys could even find a chance to escape,

They were beaten down by the cold.

Everyone under Shi Yue Bai got their own tent.

And not just cheap single-layer tents, but professional camping tents.

The kind meant for camping enthusiasts in extreme cold.

Before the wasteland, these tents would have cost thousands, even tens of thousands, apiece.

The angry, shouting new laborers didn’t get tents at all.

They didn’t even get a hot water bottle.

All the new laborers were shackled by the ankles by Cao Lingyun and tossed aside.

He and Da Jiao handed out the warm supplies one by one.

They had the old folks sweep up the snow, light a fire in the open space, and boil the snow.

Those who got hot water bottles would come get hot water before going to rest.

Then, clutching their steaming hot water bottles, they’d crawl into their tents.

Everyone was bundled up and looked like they weren’t afraid of the cold at all.

By around three in the morning, the fifteen new laborers curled up by the canal just couldn’t take it anymore.

Their throats were hoarse from cursing, and the cold had left them stiff all over.

So they swallowed their pride, squatted outside the old laborers’ tents, and pleaded,

“Bro, let me in for a bit.”

“It’s too cold out here, seriously, ahhh, it’s freezing.”

The old laborers inside the tents didn’t want to move.

In the middle of the night, their tents were warm and cozy—perfect for sleeping.

If they opened the tent flap, the cold air would rush in and they’d freeze too.

If they didn’t sleep well tonight, they’d have no energy to dig canals tomorrow.

Honestly, they’d gotten used to this life.

Back when they were with Scarface, every day was about fighting and scrambling for food.

They’d done bad things, sunk deep into the abyss.

But now, they didn’t have to think about anything. Every day was just digging, eating, and sleeping.

It was like life only had a few things to do, and it was actually pretty simple.

Sometimes, when Cao Lingyun was in a good mood, he’d let them rest for a bit.

Then they’d listen to the old folks chat.

Sometimes, it was actually kind of interesting.

(My printer at home is broken.)"