Xu An did not come forward to explain; she merely stood quietly to the side.
"I know! She has her own food, she doesn't need ours. We just need to find her a place to stay!"
Xu An quietly watched the argument between the two people in front of her, standing in silence. To put it bluntly, even though she was indebted to Hao Weile, if it were her, she would absolutely not take in someone of unknown origin, regardless of their identity.
She had suffered losses like this in her previous life.
Later, however, Xu An learned why Hao Weile had chosen to override the objections and bring her into the sand fort. The reason was simple: Hao Weile was a border guard. To him, everyone was a citizen of Hua Xia, and if he could save one within his capabilities, then he would.
On the other side, Hao Weile, after reaching some sort of agreement with the man, walked towards Xu An. His face, now free of its mask, held a touch of rustic honesty.
"They've agreed to let you in, but you need to pay an entry fee. It's not much, just a jin of rice. If you don't have rice, you can pay with other items, but only food... This is the lowest price I could negotiate..." He scratched his head sheepishly, his voice trailing off and becoming quieter towards the end, as if he felt some shame.
Xu An didn't mind. Even in her past life, the "entry fee" for simply entering a land base was never this low. She could tell that Hao Weile was speaking truthfully.
"I don't have rice. Can compressed biscuits be used? I can offer four."
"Yes, yes, you can give me three. Don't worry, these three biscuits won't be for nothing. This desert is home to monsters at night. By staying in the city, you'll be protected!"
This was also why Hao Weile insisted on bringing Xu An back.
One could not survive in the desert alone, let alone since the apocalypse when something seemed to have awakened in the desert, specifically appearing at night. Many people had already perished.
"Monsters?" Xu An took out the biscuits from her backpack and handed them to Hao Weile, asking, "What kind of monsters?"
"We haven't seen the monsters ourselves, but they should be similar to snakes. We've found tracks in the desert, but they are much larger than those of a giant python."
"We had a vanguard exploration team before, ten people in total. They all died a few kilometers away in the Gobi Desert. Not a single one returned. When we went to look, only remains were left."
"In the desert, after a person dies, their bones wouldn't decay so quickly. They must have been eaten by monsters."
After speaking, Hao Weile took the compressed biscuits from Xu An and walked towards the man inside the gate, reminding Xu An in a low voice.
"Inside, be sure to keep a close eye on your food... Once you're in, I can't help you much more."
Heeding Hao Weile's reminder, Xu An nodded, indicating she understood.
"Here, she's paying with compressed biscuits."
The man looked at the biscuits in Hao Weile's hand, a hint of greed in his eyes. His pale tongue licked his dry, chapped lips from long-term dehydration. "Is that all? Does that woman have a lot of supplies?"
The man received a warning look from Hao Weile. "Stop having ideas about her. Once the entry fee is paid, she's under the protection of Sand City. Keep your ulterior motives to yourself!"
The man curled his lips in disdain. Although Hao Weile was indeed capable and the nominal "captain" of their team, anyone with eyes could see that the so-called "captain" was doing thankless work. Since no one else would do it, this arduous task fell to Hao Weile.
Listening to the man nearby speak rapidly in a dialect with an unfriendly expression, especially as the man opening the gate kept glancing at her, Xu An couldn't understand what they were saying. It was likely their local language.
After completing the entry procedures, Xu An followed them in. Above the city, a large black net woven from unknown materials was spread, enveloping the entire Sand City, protecting it from sandstorms and also blocking the scorching sun.
In the hot air, various pungent and unpleasant odors permeated the surroundings.
On both sides of Sand City, several open-air sheds were erected. On the sandy ground, countless tattered straw mats of various sizes were laid out, with a dozen people sleeping scattered on them. Thumb-sized insects swarmed and flew around people's heads, disturbing them and making them toss and turn restlessly.
Seeing people entering the city, the crowd that had been lying on the straw mats suddenly sat up, their eyes filled with predatory intent. But upon seeing it was Hao Weile and his group, a sense of fear returned.
Some people cursed, spat to the side, and lay down again.
Xu An observed that the group ahead was moving quickly and not looking sideways; almost no one paid attention to the surrounding people.
"This is the outer city. You don't need to mind them. These people are the fringe elements of Sand City, specializing in robbing lone individuals."
"Don't you have anyone to manage them?"
Hao Weile shook his head helplessly. "We can't. No one listens to orders here, and there's no order to speak of. It's all about strength. Whoever has a gun, whoever has harder fists, has the greater say."
Xu An glanced at the machine gun in Hao Weile's arms, which was likely why no one dared to come forward and rob them.
However, Xu An hadn't expected that there would be such a refuge completely without authority.
In her previous life, even the smallest refuge would have someone like a leader. They would establish rules and order for the refuge.
It was similar to what was being done at the lighthouse, except the lighthouse's model was more inclined towards the reconstruction of a nation, while those smaller refuges, to a greater extent, were more like private territories being cultivated.
Moving swiftly, Xu An looked ahead. Within a semi-circular stone archway, a row of small buildings was erected. Although still dilapidated, compared to the open-air sheds outside, they at least provided shelter from the wind and rain.
But just as they were about to pass through the archway, a hoarse cry came from behind Xu An.
"Sister... Sister..."
Xu An turned around and saw a young girl with greasy hair, wearing a darkened long dress, standing in front of her. Although her expression was timid, her eyes were fixed on the package behind Xu An.
This kind of gaze was not unfamiliar to her.
As expected, the next second, the woman stated her purpose, "Sister, can you help me? I haven't eaten in three days. Just give me a bite to eat! I'll do anything you want me to do..."
"No!" Xu An refused without hesitation before the other party could finish.
"Please, sister, I'll kneel for you. Just take pity on me... Give me a bite to eat..."
The girl said this and was about to kneel down to Xu An.
Xu An sidestepped, avoiding the girl's move to kneel. She had seen too many such tricks in her previous life. For a bite to eat, let alone kneeling, many people were willing to sell their bodies.
If kneeling could earn them a bite to eat, perhaps many would be willing to wear out their knees, because in the face of food, what was dignity?
Moreover, Xu An looked at the girl's slightly bent posture; she wasn't actually in a kneeling position. Were they too lazy to even complete their act?
Xu An sneered, her face hidden by the mask full of chilling intent.
"I'm already kneeling for you, what more do you want?"
Seeing Xu An's indifference, the girl gritted her teeth, and her body "thumped" as she knelt down straight, stirring up a cloud of dust.
"You chose to kneel, what does that have to do with me? Did I force you?"
After speaking, Xu An, with a cold expression, no longer paid attention to the girl's look of wanting to tear her apart. She turned to the people beside her, "Aren't we going? Or do you want to give this poor girl a bite to eat?"
The man who received the entry fee looked at Xu An with interest and strode forward, completely ignoring the girl.
Hao Weile, frowning, said, "Ana, that's enough. Don't forget our agreement." Then he also turned and walked forward.