Chapter 41: Freedom? Can Freedom Fill an Empty Stomach?

From the last platinum chest emerged five... geese? Lin Mu stared in bewilderment at the geese, wondering what sort of danger this was meant to be. Were these not simply here to deliver supplies? With a flick of his steel blade, he dispatched each goose with a single stroke. Instantly, his backpack gained five pieces of goose meat, each weighing four kilograms. It truly was a delivery.

Turning to the people behind him, Lin Mu asked, “Have any of you encountered geese before?” Jiang Ying nodded quickly. “I have. Once, a silver chest produced two live geese. They bite painfully and chased me for over a hundred meters before I finally managed to kill them.” So it really does happen. Not particularly lethal, but certainly humiliating.

Lin Mu set out once more, heading toward the distant horizon. Barely fifty kilometers into his journey, a crossroads appeared before him, utterly devoid of any signs. He parked at the intersection, glancing left and right, but saw nothing to indicate where to go. Whether the trees flanking the road or the path stretching ahead, there was not a single mark.

“001, do you have a navigation function?” he asked.

“I’m sorry, Master, I do not possess that function.”

Alright then. Lin Mu didn’t bother turning; he simply continued straight ahead. It didn’t matter which way he went—the outcome would always be the same. As he drove, he opened the regional channel. The number of participants hadn’t changed; those who remained were not lacking in ability.

“I’ve been in this town for two hours and only found ten chests!” one message read.

“You found ten? I only managed five. The whole town’s packed with houses, but there’s no way to search them all,” replied another.

“I was lucky—my town only had four buildings, and the chests were scattered on the ground. Finished in three minutes. Though those geese bite hard, even if they’re tasty, I don’t want to see them again,” someone else chimed in.

“You encountered geese? So did I,” came another response.

“So did I.”

“So did I.”

...

Lin Mu raised his eyebrows, surprised by the wealth of information. So, every town was different. This time, it seemed everyone came across geese—perhaps a kind of benefit, though not an easy one to claim. Oddly, no one mentioned the roadside convenience store.

Was it that no one encountered it, or did those who did simply choose not to share? Lin Mu pondered this. Since no one spoke of it, he decided to keep silent as well.

Twenty minutes later, Lin Mu looked at the town before him. “This town has more buildings than the last,” he observed. For him, this was both good and bad. The upside: more trash to collect, more materials for recycling. The downside: it would take longer to search. He estimated it would take three or four hours at minimum to get through this town. Glancing at the time, he saw it was already noon.

“Does anyone need to use the restroom?” he asked.

“Yes!” Jiang Ying immediately stood up, raising her hand.

Lin Mu was taken aback. “Why aren’t you tied up?”

“Isn’t this tied?” Jiang Ying pointed to the iron chain at her waist.

Lin Mu’s lips twitched as he looked to 001. “What’s going on with her?”

“Master, you didn’t specify to tie her up just now.”

“But didn’t I say before that everyone should be tied up?”

“Master, you said to tie them up after using the restroom. She was helping you just now, not going to the bathroom.”

What? Whatever happened to intelligent robots—couldn’t it be more flexible? Lin Mu took a deep breath, reminding himself not to get angry. It was just a robot; no need to fuss.

“Remember next time: whenever they’re here, tie them up. Understood?”

“Understood, Master.”

“Um... I really can’t hold it any longer. Can I go first?” Jiang Ying twisted her legs, clearly at her limit.

“Go on, go on,” Lin Mu urged.

The other three also voiced their urgent need for the restroom. Annoyed, Lin Mu waved his hand. “001, release them.”

The four climbed out of the vehicle and hurried off to find private corners. Lin Mu pulled out a bag of rice, pondering how best to cook it—should he start a fire and boil it directly? Since he had rice, surely an electric cooker wasn’t far behind.

“001, you... never mind, just cook here. Make enough for five. Stew one goose; that should be sufficient.”

He rolled down all four windows. Cooking inside the vehicle would raise the temperature, no doubt.

...

After leaving the vehicle, Jiang Ying headed toward a house nearby.

“Wait for me, Jiang Ying,” called Wanqing.

“Hurry, Sister Wanqing, I can’t hold it,” Jiang Ying clutched her stomach. She didn’t like it, but years of hardship had taught her to cope; she had no other choice.

The two women entered a room. “Sister Wanqing, you keep watch first. Be careful of those two men. I’ll switch with you afterward.”

“Alright.”

Meanwhile, the chubby boy and Zhao Mingwei went between two houses.

“Chubby, have you ever thought about running away?” Zhao Mingwei asked, glancing sideways.

Tsk—so short, he thought.

Chubby was puzzled. “Why run? We have food and drink, and don’t have to scavenge for resources. Isn’t it great?”

Zhao Mingwei hesitated. “But... we’re tied up every day. Don’t you want freedom?”

“Freedom? Can freedom fill your stomach? I just want to survive. I’ll pretend I never heard that. Don’t say it again. Lin Mu is ruthless; watch yourself,” Chubby shot him a contemptuous glance.

To Chubby, Zhao Mingwei was the classic case of biting the hand that feeds him.

Zhao Mingwei’s lips twitched, and he sighed softly. He did want to run—but where to? Forget it, better accept his fate. Whether they ran or not, it wouldn’t affect Lin Mu much; at most, one less mouth to feed. He’d just find someone else.

Two minutes later, the two men returned first, followed by the women five minutes later.

“Are you all done? If so, hurry and eat—”

“Um... I might need to go again later,” Jiang Ying said quietly, raising her hand.

Lin Mu glanced at her, considering whether to discard her—her bladder seemed to be utterly ruined. How many years since manufacture, and it’s already this bad?

“We’ll see later. For now, eat!”

Eyeing the freshly cooked rice and goose, the four swallowed hungrily. At last, a proper meal.

“Mmm, this rice is delicious. The goose, too—so fragrant,” Jiang Ying said, her chopsticks darting like a starving soul.

Lin Mu rolled his eyes. Her behavior was hardly dignified for a captive. Did she not have a shred of awareness?

Jiang Ying didn’t care. Food and drink were enough for her. Of the four, only Zhao Mingwei hadn’t resigned himself. But even his rebellious thoughts now faded.