Chapter 133 Internal Friction

"Who knows? Maybe in most people's eyes, internal friction is like boiling a frog in warm water. A long pain is worse than a short one." Han Xiao shrugged.

The Battle of Andia, the final battle of a long war, the key battle that laid the foundation for the six nations'格局 (geju, situation).

Andia was the name of a landmass. Some countries used to exist there, but when the war broke out, the countries of other continents seemed to have an unspoken agreement, all using the Andia continent as the main battlefield, controlling the scope of the war and not wanting the war to destroy the ecology of the entire planet. Countless missiles, tanks, and planes bombed the continent, and hundreds of millions of people lost their lives in Andia.

After the war, Andia was desolate, scorched earth was everywhere, and life was ruined. The rivers and lakes emitted the stench of rotting corpses, and the fertile mountains were covered with a dark yellow haze, turning into a dead zone. The six nations patted their butts and withdrew their troops, leaving behind a mess, completely abandoning the Andia continent, like heartless scumbags. Now the survivors on the Andia continent are sparse, and all are extremely hateful of the six nations.

Han Xiao noticed the calluses on Hu Hongjun's palms. "Were you in the military before?"

"Yes, I served in the military for more than ten years."

"I thought soldiers of fallen countries would choose to join the Germination Organization."

Hu Hongjun shook his head and said, "My country was annexed by Xing Long through military negotiations. Those leaders compromised, so why should soldiers like me be so hostile? Although I don't like the six nations, I cherish the hard-won peace. The war has lasted for so many years, and it's about to end, but the Germination Organization suddenly appeared, shouting slogans to overthrow the six nations, attracting countless soldiers of fallen countries who share the same hatred, wanting to start the war again. Alas, I'm just a rough guy who doesn't understand the concepts of the six nations and the Germination Organization. I don't want to be dragged into the war again."

An interrupted, "Yeah, the war is too cruel. My eyes were blinded by a dud flashbang grenade that suddenly exploded. Old Hu took me around, and we finally settled down. Although the life of a drifter is a bit hard, it's much better than before."

As they spoke, the meat in the pot gradually emitted a fragrance. Han Xiao greedily sniffed and curiously asked, "You can't see, so how do you cook?"

An said unhappily, "Don't look down on people. Although I'm blind, I still have a sense of smell, hearing, and touch. I'm nimble and not a useless person."

Hu Hongjun smiled bitterly, "She has a strong personality and won't let me take care of her."

"I can't be a useless person and burden you." An's tone was full of tenderness.

Hu Hongjun scratched his head awkwardly, seemingly unaccustomed to flirting with his wife in front of outsiders, and hurriedly changed the subject. "By the way, let me show you my treasure."

Han Xiao's expression changed slightly. He thought of some unhealthy things and quietly moved back a little.

Fortunately, Hu Hongjun did not pull out his big宝贝 (baobei, treasure). He opened the box next to him, took out an old rifle wrapped in cloth strips, and proudly said, "See if you know your stuff."

[Saber Rifle (Old)]

[Quality: Gray (White)]

[Basic Attributes: Attack Power 38~40, Rate of Fire 0.9 rounds/s, Magazine Capacity 20 rounds, Effective Range 200 meters, Output Energy 25, Durability 5/300]

[Attribute Bonus: Agility +1]

[Length: 0.77 meters]

[Weight: 7.1 pounds]

[Additional Effect: Precision - Stable trajectory, extremely low wind influence]

[Remarks: This weapon has followed its owner in many battles.]

"Good gun!" Han the Great Technician's professional skills burst forth, and he exclaimed, "Although it's been used for many years, the feel is still so smooth. The barrel is long and straight, the ammunition has enough acceleration distance, the spraying force is absolutely strong, the appearance is dark and shiny, murderous, and upright. Yes, it's a real killer."

Huh, why is the atmosphere suddenly gay? Or is it just my imagination?

"This is my old buddy, it's been with me for almost ten years." Hu Hongjun laughed. "Don't look at the new appearance, that's because I often oil it. In fact, the internal components are aging. I haven't used this gun for hunting in a long time."

The two chatted happily, and it was getting dark before they knew it.

An made dinner, a pot of fragrant meat soup, the soup was rich and pure white, with a milky texture. The meat was stewed until tender, and the oily soup surface was floating with slices of wild vegetables, dotted with patches of emerald green, making people's index fingers move.

The aroma of meat was like a seductive little fairy, firmly locking Han Xiao's gaze. He swallowed, and his stomach, which had been tortured by dry food for seven days, grumbled straight. His favorability towards Hu Hongjun kept popping up +1+1+1.

After wolfing down dinner, Hu Hongjun invited Han Xiao to stay overnight.

It was hard to refuse, and considering that it was not easy to travel at night, Han Xiao agreed, using a curtain to separate a compartment in the tent. Hu Hongjun and An made a bed for him.

"Your backpack is too big. I'll put it outside for you," An said.

The tent space was limited, and his compartment was very small, with only enough space for a bed. It was indeed impossible to fit the backpack full of guns.

He thought for a while, asked Hu Hongjun for a piece of animal skin, picked out the extra guns from his backpack, unloaded all the bullets, removed the triggers, wrapped them tightly in animal skin, and placed them in a corner. He was careful and clipped a leaf to the animal skin package. If the package was moved, he would be able to find out the next day.

His backpack contained all the ammunition, which was just the right size to be placed at the end of the bed. Han Xiao loaded a Type 73 Wasp pistol with bullets and pressed it under his pillow. Although he was grateful for Hu Hongjun's hospitality, he could not relax his vigilance.

However, as soon as Han Xiao's head hit the pillow, the fatigue that had been building up for seven days exploded, and he fell into the deepest sleep almost instantly.

Hu Hongjun heard a slight snoring sound, smiled and shook his head, and whispered to An, "It seems he's very tired, don't disturb him."

An nodded, lightening her cleaning movements, holding the pots and bowls and walked out of the tent to wash the dishes outside.

…

"Uncle, Uncle! I'm hungry!"

Hu Fei broke in rashly, covered in dirt, with a large bump on his forehead caused by being hit by a hard object. If Han Xiao were awake, he would have recognized this guy as the long-haired youth who robbed him during the day, and also Hu Hongjun's nephew.

Hu Hongjun frowned and said, "Where did you run off to today? I haven't seen you all day."

"I...I went hunting outside." Hu Fei was submissive. Since his father died, he had been living with Hu Hongjun, and he was very afraid of his uncle.

Seeing his nephew's cowardly appearance, Hu Hongjun knew he was lying. He grabbed Hu Fei's ear and scolded in a low but stern voice, "Are you out messing around again! I told you last time, if you go out and scare passersby with that broken gun again, I'll break your three legs!"

With his ear twisted, Hu Fei's tears came out, and he felt very aggrieved. Your nephew stepped on a tough stub today, was beaten up, and was tied to a tree for most of the day, dizzy from hunger. I'm the one who suffered. Uncle, can't you be reasonable?

"Don't, Uncle, leave me a leg." Hu Fei said with a sad face.

"Then do you want to keep your left leg or your right leg?"

"The one in the middle..."

"Don't even think about it, I'll definitely fracture that one." Hu Hongjun raised his palm, and suddenly remembered that he couldn't disturb Han Xiao's sleep, so he let go of Hu Fei and said hatefully, "I'll beat you up tomorrow."

Hu Fei noticed that there was one more person in the tent, and curiously poked his head over. He looked past the curtain, wanting to see who the guest was. It would have been better if he hadn't looked. The moment he saw him, Hu Fei's face turned pale.

Isn't this the fierce man from the daytime!

Ouch, my forehead hurts even more.

"What are you looking at? Go sleep outside tonight." Hu Hongjun said angrily. To his surprise, Hu Fei didn't even refute, looking like he had seen a ghost. He scrambled out, making Hu Hongjun look inexplicable. He touched his face and wondered, am I that ugly?

…

Hu Fei ran out of the tent in a panic, and only realized it after being blown by the night wind.

"That's not right, why am I running? This is my home!"

That fierce man was unlucky enough to run into my hands. Can I let him off so easily? Hu Fei was about to turn back when the scene of Han Xiao beating him up flashed in his mind, and he instantly chickened out, not having the guts to settle the score with Han Xiao.

Afraid as he was, it would be a lie to say that Hu Fei didn't resent Han Xiao at all. He didn't dare to trouble Han Xiao, but he was unwilling to let it go.

"Hu Fei, Hu Fei, show some manly courage, take revenge for every wrong!"

Hu Fei gritted his teeth and thought of a way to retaliate. He was very curious about Han Xiao's bulging backpack. He had noticed the animal skin package in the tent just now. Hu Fei clearly remembered that there was no such thing at home, so it must be the luggage of that fierce man.

…

In the middle of the night, everything was silent, and everyone in the settlement had fallen asleep. Hu Fei, who had been waiting for a long time, finally began to act, tiptoeing and sneaking into the tent like a thief, carefully reaching for the animal skin package.

"Hehe, let me see what you brought."

Opening the layers of animal skin, Hu Fei's eyes widened instantly, almost scaring him into falling on his butt.

Guns!

All of them were fine guns!

Hu Fei's face was ecstatic, his eyes greedy. Sure enough, they were good things!

He wanted to take all the guns, but when he thought of Han Xiao's ferocity, his courage shrank immediately. If that fierce man found his luggage missing, he would definitely beat him to death.

"I can't take them all..."

Hu Fei was reluctant, gritted his teeth, and picked up two Type 73 Wasp pistols, not having the courage to take more.

"Forget it, my uncle treated you well anyway, it's not too much to take two of your guns." Hu Fei convinced himself, restored the animal skin package to its original state, and tiptoed away.

With only two small pistols missing, that fierce man shouldn't notice, right?