Su Na looked at Shang Jianyao's smile, slowly raised her hand, and took the "United 202" pistol.
The cold, hard touch transmitted to her brain, making her feel as if she was holding a cane to help her walk, and she felt a surge of power within her.
"Can you use it?" Jiang Baimian asked.
"I've used hunting rifles and shotguns before," Su Na said hesitantly. "I think it should be about the same."
"I can use it. I used it in our Weizi," another girl in her early twenties blurted out.
Jiang Baimian smiled and asked her:
"What's your name?"
"Li Qiong." The girl looked at the beautiful woman in front of her with bright eyes.
"Anyone else who can use them? Including submachine guns and various rifles," Jiang Baimian looked around.
Several women from the original group of Ashlands prostitutes slowly raised their hands.
Jiang Baimian smiled gently:
"You will be responsible for teaching everyone how to use these kinds of guns. The more people there are, the stronger you will be, and the better you will be able to gain a foothold in Initial City.
"Is there a place to practice?"
"Yes," Su Na replied quickly. "There's a shooting range in the basement of the building. The boss used it for practice."
"Auge," Shang Jianyao emphasized that he was no longer their boss.
"Right, Auge." Su Na glanced at her former boss, now a servant, and said the name.
Jiang Baimian said, "Okay,"
"Don't be afraid to waste bullets. Empty shells can be recycled, and you can buy new ones. If you die, you'll have nothing left.
"We'll get a batch of bullets over later. There's a discount, the lowest price in the entire Green Olive District."
"Okay, okay." Su Na, Li Qiong, and the others nodded frequently.
Jiang Baimian glanced at Bai Chen, Long Yuehong, and Genaeva, who were instinctively scattered around, monitoring the entire area. She pondered for a moment and said to the group of women who were still a little confused and apprehensive:
"Actually, I know that just relying on a restaurant, even if it really succeeds, it will be very difficult to support so many of you. It might have been possible when the Old World hadn't been destroyed, but in the New Calendar, maybe we'll have to wait another ten, twenty years, or even longer.
"Besides the restaurant, you have to desperately look for other opportunities and work hard to do all sorts of things to truly fill your stomachs and be able to imagine the future.
"It will be very tiring and full of risks. Do you think it would be better not to be rescued and to maintain your previous state?"
As soon as she finished speaking, several women in the group answered in unison:
"No!
"We've been hoping to be rescued every day."
Bai Chen, who wasn't too far away from them, was stunned and turned his head to the side.
"Really?" Jiang Baimian asked back.
Among the group of women, a tall woman, close to 1.7 meters, with a rather charming appearance, took a few steps forward and said with a bitter smile:
"I've been here for almost three years. Only four or five have been here longer than me. Why do you think that is?
"No one here cares about our bodies, no one cares if we get sick, if we get infected. Many people have only been here for two years and are already very ill. Their bodies are ulcerated, and then they are carried to a small room and locked up, hoping to be easily cured, but most of them die not long after.
"That's still with hope of being cured. Those without hope are directly carried to the port and thrown into the river. In another year, in a few months, maybe I'll be like that, they'll be like that."
Another woman sobbed and added:
"I had a good friend. We were sold here together. She got a venereal disease in less than a year. Her body was covered in things… When she was dying, she lay in that dark room, moaning to the air, ‘Xiao Zhen, I want to see the sun… Xiao Zhen, I want the potato pancakes Mom used to make…’
"She, she was only nineteen!"
The woman named "Xiao Zhen" suddenly squatted down and wailed.
The original group of Ashlands women began to wipe away their tears, some sobbing, some crying bitterly.
At that moment, Long Yuehong suddenly felt a little ashamed.
He had hesitated before about whether to stop Shang Jianyao.
When the crying subsided a little, Jiang Baimian sighed:
"Then we need to unite even more and protect each other.
"In Initial City, in the Green Olive District, a single person, or even two or three people, can easily be bullied by gangs. You can't count on the constables. Only by holding your weapons tightly, so many of you back to back, can you carve out your own living space."
The women nodded one after another, with tears in their eyes.
At this time, Su Na hesitated and said:
"I have another question."
"What is it?" Jiang Baimian asked with a gentle smile.
Su Na pointed to Auge and the others:
"You said before that they would be our servants for a short time, listening to us, not resisting. But we don't understand Red River language. We only know some words related to cooking. We can't communicate with them, can't order them around."
Jiang Baimian had already considered this issue and took a machine out of her tactical backpack.
"This is a translator. It can help you translate Red River language into Ashlands language, and vice versa."
The translator was one of the gains of the "Old Task Force" in Tarnan. Anyway, electronic products there are very cheap.
After teaching Su Na, Li Qiong, Xiao Zhen, and the others how to use the translator, Jiang Baimian cleared her throat lightly:
"I want to emphasize one more thing."
The women looked up at the same time, their eyes fixed on her.
"The translator is just a stopgap measure. Uh, what I mean is, there are many problems. What if it breaks down one day? And how can one translator be enough for so many of you?" Jiang Baimian saw that the women were listening intently to her, and said her intention seriously. "You have to master Red River language as soon as possible, at least to be able to handle daily communication. Well, this translator can be used to help you learn Red River language. I will also compile a simple textbook and give you lessons for a while."
None of Su Na, Li Qiong, and the others felt embarrassed. They responded with a mixture of surprise and joy:
"Okay!"
"Yeah!"
"Okay!"
"…"
Their eyes were filled with longing as they looked at Jiang Baimian.
Jiang Baimian cleared her throat and then said:
"We'll handle Auge and the people and things related to them. What you need to do now is to take over this place with the servants. Uh,
The 'Wolf Den' business definitely has to stop. The excuse is that there's a strange infectious disease. The marijuana business can be maintained temporarily, mainly to avoid regular customers from noticing anything unusual…"
She systematically arranged what everyone needed to do and distributed the guns that Auge and the others possessed.
During this process, Bai Chen helped her supplement any omissions—this focused on areas where she lacked experience.
Then, under the guidance of the "collaborators," Shang Jianyao took the compiled list and visited those in the building who had close relationships with Auge and the others, successfully "persuading" them to happily choose to cooperate with Su Na, Li Qiong, and the others.
By the time all this was done, it was almost ten o'clock, and the night was very deep.
Shang Jianyao walked out of the eight-story building where the "Wolf Den" was located, looking at the list in his hand, and said casually:
"There's only one person left, the second boss of their 'Black Shirts Gang,' Terrence."
Previously, the "Old Task Force" had learned about the background of the "Wolf Den" from Auge:
It was a property of the "Black Shirts Gang," an important source of income for them, directly managed by the second boss, Terrence, with Auge as his confidant.
—The "Black Shirts Gang" is one of the largest gangs in Initial City, with inextricable links to the upper echelons.
Jiang Baimian said, "Okay,"
"Don't rush. Visiting Terrence so late at night could easily make him realize something's wrong. Let's take Auge over tomorrow morning."
Shang Jianyao put away the list and mentioned another detail:
"In Auge's memory, Terrence is a bit mysterious and unpredictable, as if he's involved with some religious figures…"
Saying this, he raised his hand and wiped the corner of his mouth.
"Be careful then." Jiang Baimian nodded.
After discussing this matter, she subconsciously turned back and looked at the building where the "Wolf Den" was located.
Some rooms on the upper floors were dark, and some were lit with yellowish lights.
Jiang Baimian withdrew her gaze and sighed with a smile to Shang Jianyao, Long Yuehong, Bai Chen, and Genaeva:
"I can finally deeply understand what An Ruoxiang meant by that sentence."
She paused, her expression becoming very complicated, and said:
"There really is light in their eyes."