Chapter 285: A toll fee.

With extreme caution and care, they entered the settlement. Up close, it was ten times worse than what they’d seen through their X-ray vision.

The heavy floods had completely wrecked the wooden houses, leaving rotting wood and moldy straw scattered everywhere. A foul, sour stench hung thick in the air. Along the dirty streets, tall piles of bodies were stacked up like logs, waiting to be burned. The living didn’t look much better than the dead_ most locals wore light medical masks, while others just had filthy rags tied tightly over their noses and mouths. But their eyes had a look of hunger and desperation.

The moment the team stepped onto the main road, a group of desperate beggars sitting in the mud scrambled to their feet. Shaking rusted tin cups, they limped toward the group, begging for anything to eat or even the lowest grade of energy stones.

Panicking, Taylor jerked his rifle upward, pointing the dark barrel right at a shivering family. "Stay back! Don’t get any closer to me!"

The little kids let out ear-splitting screeches and hid behind their mother. "Mother, he wants to hurt us!" They cried.

The mother looked at Taylor with tears burning in her eyes. "Please, we have not eaten in days, and we are sick. The floods destroyed our farms and everything that we had."

The kids came forward, shaking the tins and begging, with big desperate tear-filled eyes. Hunter could not believe that there were beggars in the Wild lands! Beggars in a normal city were to be expected but in the wild lands, it was crazy. This was not exactly a hub for ordinary people. Who would spare an energy stone for them?

Taylor froze, on the other hand. Seeing the terror in the children’s eyes hit him right in the chest. "Ah, damn it," he muttered, quickly pulling the gun aside. Feeling guilty as he thought back on the half-bitten rabbit thigh and hard buns he had thrown away in the morning, he dug into his pouch, pulled out a small medium-grade energy stone, and tossed it to one of the kids. "Here. Just take it and don’t look at me like that. Begging won’t save you, pick a weapon and learn to hunt."

The mother bowed, lowering herself as far as she could. "Thank you, kind Sir."

That kind act instantly backfired. Seeing the energy stone, dozens of sick beggars suddenly perked up.

"Me! Give me one, I am starving too."

"Please, master, my child is dying! I need to buy medicine from the capital."

Within seconds, a hungry mob started swarming them, screaming and demanding for alms as if they were owed.

Hunter’s eyes snapped wide under his helmet, and he growled in fury. "For fuck’s sake, Taylor! We were supposed to move through this territory quietly!"

Hunter’s hand dropped toward one of his blades, ready to draw, but before a fight could break out, heavy footsteps echoed down the street. A crew of rough-looking men armed with wooden spears marched over, shouting and shoving the sick people back into the dirty containment houses.

"Why are you outside! Get in now!" One man shouted.

A man who carried himself like their leader stepped forward. He looked at Hunter’s squad, his eyes lingering on their weapons and sealed hazmat suits with deep curiosity.

"Are you doctors?" the leader asked, wiping sweat from his forehead. "Did the capital send you to contain the plague such that it does not cross to the mainlands? I will tell you all that you need to know before you get started. It started with a simple flu, but then the boils started popping up on everyone’s skin. Some people are coughing; others have a red rash around the mouth. It’s hard---"

"I will stop you right there," Hunter cut him off smoothly. "We’re not doctors sent from the capital. We’re just passing through."

The man’s eyes narrowed slightly, but he quickly put on a greasy smile. "Ah, passing through! That’s fine, that’s fine. But nobody uses our roads for free. You have to pay the toll fee."

Behind Hunter, Vince sneered under his breath, and Nero let out a soft chuckle. It was obvious to everyone_ this guy was just using the road as an excuse to extort travelers.

Hunter didn’t bother arguing. Getting into a bloody fight over pocket change was a waste of time. "How much is this toll fee?"

"One high-grade energy stone," the leader smirked.

Hunter sighed, "Listen...."

"Kidman." The man cut in quickly, introducing himself.

"Hunter nodded, "Listen Mr. Kidman, I can pay two low grade stones maybe, but anything more than that is theft."

"Then I am afraid that you will have to go and pass through the sandy mountains that are infested with beasts and who knows what." Kidman said coldly. His smile had already vanished.

Hunter did not want to drag the issue on, he reached inside his bag and pulled out a medium grade stone which he tossed into the man’s hands, "That is all I can pay."

"Much better," Kidman said, then he motioned at his men to let them pass.

The men stepped aside to let them pass. But as Hunter walked by, he didn’t miss the sharp glint of pure greed accumulating in the Kidman’s eyes.

Hunter paused, looking the man dead in the eye. "We’re just travelers and we are not easy prey either. We’re not looking for any trouble. I advise you to keep any dangerous thoughts to yourself or the plague will be the least of your worries."

"No dangerous thoughts here Sir, we are all friends, as far as I am concerned. Safe travels," the leader replied smoothly. "Take the left route, it is shorter and closer to the main road beyond the hills. If that is where you are heading."

Kidman, watched the heavily armed group march away until they disappeared down the road on the right path, exactly the opposite of what he had told them. The moment they were out of earshot, the polite smile melted right off his face.

Kidman turned to his men, his lips curling into a wicked grin as he weighed the energy stone in his palm. "Follow them. I want everything those bastards have_ down to the very hazmat suits off their bodies."

The men nodded eagerly and set off immediately, following Hunter’s team from a far. Times were tough, and they too wanted whatever the strangers had.

Hardly had Hunter’s team stepped out of the territory when Big Vince winced, "They are coming after us aren’t they?"

"We all know they are." Nero answered. He patted his gun as if he was urging a baby to relax. "Why don’t people ever take kind advice?" He muttered to himself.