Even though Flower Scorpion didn't know he was Sha Qu, he also didn't know what Flower Scorpion's real name was.

Cindy, well... she could mostly be trusted, but the old man Spencer was unpredictable, not to mention he also had a dog.

So, besides Spencer and Xue'Er, the other three people were having a hard time holding on.

They planned to rest for five to ten days before setting off again—the exact number of days depended on the weather.

While in the wild, they had encountered at least two cold waves, which they had managed to endure, but it was not a pleasant experience.

No one would be foolish enough to oppose the weather. When caught in the wild, there's no choice, but now they had the means to hide from it, so they should.

At this time, someone unexpectedly came to ask if Qu Jianlei could help repair some equipment.

Qu Jianlei directly refused, saying he wouldn't do any repairs during the winter.

The cold weather made equipment repairs inconvenient, but Zhou Six had a hunting ground here, so the demand for repairs in winter was actually higher.

However, that was the business of formal repair shops, and Qu Jianlei's place was small, unable to handle slightly larger parts.

He made his stance clear to quell any notions people had—don't count on me in the winter.

If he had been easy-going from the start, it would have made others presumptuous.

When Geng Shougong heard that Qu Jianlei didn't intend to help, he wasn't too surprised; he had only wanted to try his luck.

But a day later, someone came to tell him that the person wanted to exchange two hundred books, which did catch him by surprise.

By counting carefully, it had only been forty days since the other person borrowed books—did he really finish two hundred books?

To verify his suspicion, Geng Shougong made a special trip out of the city.

Qu Jianlei greeted him politely, confirming that he had finished, and even gave a bear gall from a Moon Bear as a gift.

A bear gall was not cheap, worth at least twenty or thirty silver coins, even from Zhou Six's winter hunting market.

If it reached the General Settlement, the price could easily double or triple.

But such a gift, though valuable, couldn't be considered a bribe, and Geng Shougong accepted it unreservedly.

He asked curiously, "You finished reading two hundred books and journals in such a short time?"

Qu Jianlei answered frankly, "I took some with me while hunting and read to pass the time when free."

Geng Shougong looked a bit displeased, "Aren't you afraid of losing them?"

"I paid a deposit," Qu Jianlei replied seriously, "unless something happens to me... but if that were the case, the deposit wouldn't matter."

Despite his words, Geng Shougong still felt that his actions were a bit reckless—such knowledge was priceless.

However, having just accepted a gift from him, Geng Shougong couldn't scold him; after all, the deposit had been taken.

So he could only ask, "Did you really finish all those books?"

Qu Jianlei had already figured out how to answer, "Some of the knowledge I had before, so revisiting it was quick."

Geng Shougong also believed this and asked, "Where did you learn your mechanical knowledge?"

Qu Jianlei smiled without answering—I've paid to read the books, you've earned income, so why ask about its origin?

Not wanting to upset him, Geng Shougong said, since he indeed had abilities, "How long have you been learning mechanical knowledge?"

"Over twenty years," Qu Jianlei answered without thinking, not boasting—it included his time on Blue Star.

Out of curiosity, he asked, "Why ask about this, worried I'll spread the knowledge around?"

"Knowledge is meant to be learned," Geng Shougong surprisingly said, which was quite unexpected.

However, he immediately added, "But too few are talented, and the infighting is severe, so it's regulated."

For the first time, Qu Jianlei heard this, realizing the scarcity of Wasteland Maintenance Masters was due to past internal competition?

"Not everyone is fit to master this knowledge," Geng Shougong said plainly, "I'm asking you because there's a wanted notice..."

Not wanting Qu Jianlei to misunderstand but not explaining much, "There's a ruthless individual who knows some mechanical repairs."

Hearing this, Qu Jianlei was startled, and from a distance, Flower Scorpion glanced at him, whether intentionally or not.

Spencer curiously asked, "Did that person come to Zhou Six? Surely they wouldn't target Maintenance Masters?"

He was a bit worried that Qu Jianlei was being targeted, which could disrupt the peace of the winter.

"There's a notice within the Settlement," Geng Shougong also didn't think much of those without an identity, "a wanted poster from the Headquarters."

Hearing this, Spencer obviously sighed in relief, "The Headquarters? Then it must be serious... good that it's not certain they've come to Zhou Six."

Qu Jianlei nodded without a change in expression, "This time's two hundred books... I'll trouble you with them."

Geng Shougong left two hundred books and took away the last two hundred, and collected the two hundred silver coins as rent.

Qu Jianlei picked up the books and went back inside to read.

Flower Scorpion found Cindy, whispering an instruction to have her inquire in the city about who was wanted.

Since returning from the hunt, Cindy hadn't been into the Settlement, so now she braved the cold to make a trip.

She went to inquire and brought back the latest news—indeed, there was a strong man who was wanted.

She wasn't particularly impressed with "Sha Qu's" mechanical repair skills, feeling it wouldn't overlap with "Panda" boss.

Cindy was concerned that "a bounty of a thousand silver coins is really rare, and crucially... that person also has a Mecha."

Qu Jianlei and Flower Scorpion didn't have any reaction.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.