"But now it's only early October, and the rainy season has arrived ahead of time. I've already sent a message to the clan requesting assistance for evacuation. Station Master Chen, I know a bit about your situation. The Chen family definitely won't send anyone to pick you up."
"My suggestion is, why not retreat with us? I won't report your identity to the clan. I'll just say you're a distant relative of mine, working under me."
"..."
Chen Fan furrowed his brows, somehow sensing that this heavy rain might be unusual, "Station Master Wang, let's go inside first. I'm not quite clear on what you mean."
"Huh?"
Wang Kui was momentarily stunned. He hadn't expected Chen Fan to be unaware of this. He followed Chen Fan into the hut, took a deep breath, and patiently explained again, "Station Master Chen, you might not know, but on the wasteland, whenever the rainy season arrives,"
"Eerie Creatures become more active and aggressive. Even staying near the Eerie Fire isn't very safe."
"Eerie Creatures might even rush the Eerie Fire."
"The rainy season usually lasts a full month."
"After the rainy season comes winter. During winter, Eerie Creatures aren't as active or aggressive as in the rainy season, but because it's too cold, most people don't go out during that time. The profits aren't enough to sustain a station, and there is hardly any station running. Only after spring arrives are they reopened."
"But usually, the rainy season comes in early November. It hasn't changed in decades. This year, it arrived suddenly in early October. Last night, nine stations were already attacked and destroyed by Eerie Creatures."
"I was lucky. Last night, no Eerie Creature rushed into my station. I watched my Eerie-hide map all night, not daring to close my eyes. As soon as it was light, I came straight to you, wanting to take you with me to retreat."
"The last time the rainy season came in advance was 37 years ago. That time, an Eerie Tide broke out on the wasteland. The stations that hadn't retreated were all destroyed—total annihilation. No one knows what happened in between. Now, we're facing an earlier rainy season again."
"We don't have much time left. If we don't leave today, we might not be able to."
Wang Kui appeared quite agitated at this moment, all his usual calm and shrewdness gone. He was genuinely anxious. Merely on foot, it was impossible to leave the wasteland in a day; he needed the Wang Clan to send assistance.
But he hadn't yet gotten any reply by the communication talisman, leaving him unable to calm down.
"The death rate is high?"
"Very high!"
"Even with these two Archery Towers, I can't hold them off?"
"No chance!"
A flash of fear crossed Wang Kui's eyes, "In a normal rainy season, with a bit of luck, you might survive. But this time, with the rainy season arriving earlier, an Eerie Tide is highly likely to break out. There's no way to hold out!"
"Alright, I'll go with you!"
Chen Fan didn't hesitate for a moment. He didn't even feel regret about the farmland and Archery Towers he'd just built. If the danger were this real, staying here would be waiting for death. As long as he stayed unscathed, he could start all over again anytime in the future.
But the next moment.
Wang Kui's face suddenly turned pale, his lips trembling as he spoke hoarsely, "Station Master Chen, is there any way… You could upgrade these two Archery Towers?"
"If they were Level 3 Archery Towers, there might be some hope."
"Oh?"
Chen Fan raised an eyebrow, noticing Wang Kui's obvious change in attitude.
"The family has sent word. They said they can't provide assistance. The rainy season came too suddenly, and there isn't enough time. They can only evacuate the stations near the outskirts of the wasteland. As for my station, located deep in the wasteland, they're unable to assist with the retreat."
"One day isn't enough for a round trip. No one knows what will happen tonight."
"They told me to take care and thanked me for my years of commitment to the Wang Clan."
"..."
Chen Fan remained expressionless and silent. If evacuation were possible, he'd rather go along. Although the rainy season, in which Eerie Creatures were more active, could be an opportunity for him, it also represented a great danger.
He was still in the fledgling stage and might not withstand this crisis.
But since there was no way to evacuate, he'd have to start thinking of a way out.
After a long pause, he finally spoke again.
"Station Master Wang, to be honest with you, I'm actually an Architect."
"Hmm…"
Wang Kui's lips quivered. He'd already guessed that; there was nothing to say about it.
"Before my mother passed away, she left me an Architect legacy. This is my foundation. Our only chance to survive now is to place our hopes in me. I'll do everything I can to strengthen this camp and ensure we survive."
"But—"
"The condition is, I'll need your resources and your help."
"No problem."
Wang Kui didn't hesitate at all. He took a deep breath and took out a pouch from his pocket, "There are 137 Eerie Stones in here, all my savings from these years. I'm handing them all over to you, young master. From now on, Qiu Junior and I are at your command, with no objections."
"And from this moment on, I formally break away from the Wang Clan. If we really survive until spring, I'll be your man from then on."
Crippled Monkey, who had been burying the bodies in the farmland under the heavy rain, frowned and looked at Wang Kui. "Young master" was his term for Chen Fan. He'd been serving Chen Fan all along. Even if you wanted to change how you address him, you couldn't just call him "young master."
"I have some too," Qiu Junior hurriedly took out his own pouch, "My savings are less, only 17."
"Good!"
Chen Fan took out the Eerie-hide map and studied it for a moment, then gave the order, "There are two tasks for you now. First, go back to your camp and bring everything usable here."
"Food, water, including clothes, bedding, carts, everything."
"Second."
"If the Wang Clan can't evacuate you, then the people at the other nearby stations probably can't evacuate either. You need to go to the nearby stations as quickly as possible and bring the people and resources from those stations to ours. Tell them we can provide shelter here."
"We'll need quite a few people in the coming days. These people can all work for us."
"But don't reveal too much, and don't force them. If they're willing, they'll need to be thoroughly searched before entering the camp and hand over communication talismans or any other means of contacting the outside world."
"Yes!"
Wang Kui nodded firmly, said nothing more, and immediately dashed into the downpour with Qiu Junior toward their own camp.
The rainy season had come too suddenly.
He'd long wanted to work under Chen Fan but was waiting for the right time. He hadn't expected it to come so abruptly, but… if they could survive this, he could even call it a big stroke of luck.
The key was surviving.
"..."
Chen Fan watched the two figures disappearing quickly into the rain, closed his eyes slowly, and greedily gulped in the rain-soaked earth-scented air.
This rainy season was both a great opportunity and a great crisis for him.
As long as he could get through it, the coming six months would be nothing but his time to develop unhampered. After six months, he would have accumulated enough resources to return to the Chen family and reclaim everything that rightfully belonged to him.
He looked at the two pouches on the floor.
In Wang Kui's pouch, there were 12 Eerie Stones with a greenish hue and 17 with a milky white hue. The panel showed that the greenish Eerie Stones were Level 2 Eerie Stones, equivalent to 10 ordinary Level 1 Eerie Stones each.
The two of them were very sincere.
They'd handed over a total of 154 Eerie Stones, which was no small number.
Combined with the 46 Eerie Stones he already had, he now had a total of 200 Eerie Stones.