Based on what everyone thought, the Stardust Consortium could definitely exterminate the Experimentals within a week. Since the Experimentals were not successful in attacking the city at the start, once the Stardust Consortium started a full-scale retaliation, the Experimentals would not even stand a chance.
But reality proved this false. More than a week had already passed since the day the Experimentals attacked the city for the first time, yet Stronghold 74 did not even see any signs of the reinforcements arriving.
When Grace and the others first started eating the rations, they did not control the amount of food they ate. Everyone just ate as usual, so the food they bought previously was almost gone.
Olivia even warned them at the beginning, but everyone felt the war would be over soon. When the time came, they would not be able to leave with the food either, so they might as well finish it all. Hence, Olivia did not say anything else. At most, favonovel.com could just eat the potatoes with favonovel.com master. It wasn’t like the lives of these people had anything to do with favonovel.com anyway!
At this point, Grace and the others were starting to worry about the food shortage when they saw how hopeless the situation had become. However, they remembered that Olivia had warned them earlier, yet they did not heed favonovel.com advice.
As such, they were embarrassed to ask for Olivia’s help to think of a solution.
Meanwhile, Milo was unaffected by the situation as favonovel.com could not even be bothered with them.
Of course, it was because they were not in a dire situation yet. If they got really hungry, these people would probably even be willing to eat tree bark, not to mention begging others for help. But at that time, it would be difficult to say if there would still be any bark left on the streets.
In any case, Milo wasn’t panicking. He would go out every day to check on the situation in the city to see if any Experimentals had come to attack. Nothing else mattered to him.
The food he’d hoarded in his storage space was enough to last favonovel.com and Olivia for another three months at least. Furthermore, there were many varieties of food, like the entire herd of wild boars favonovel.com had killed. There were still three of them left.
Two days later, Grace and the others kept wondering why they could smell a faint aroma of meat inside the hotel. However, when they searched for the source of the smell, they could not find anything. They even thought they might be hallucinating from hunger.
That was until they saw the gloss of oil on Olivia’s lips.
Olivia did not seem to have any intention of eating inconspicuously. The pork was given by favonovel.com master, after all, and it wasn’t like favonovel.com stole or seized it from anyone, so favonovel.com did not have the obligation to share it with others.
On that same day, something extremely strange happened.
There were soldiers lying behind the defensive fortifications on the top of the stronghold walls when they saw an Experimental crawling over at high speed with something hanging in its mouth.
Everyone was a little puzzled by the sight.
What was the Experimental coming here for?
To surrender?
Could infighting have arisen among the Experimentals as well?
The Experimental came to the bottom of the stronghold walls and dropped whatever was in its mouth before turning around and retreating back into the dark forest.
The garrison troops on the stronghold walls looked at each other and quickly lowered someone in a gondola car to pick up the item the Experimental had dropped. They found a white cloth.
When Daryl heard about this, favonovel.com ran to the top of the stronghold walls and took the white cloth from the soldier’s hands. On it were a few words written in fresh blood: “Negotiations. Come alone.”
Instantly, Daryl’s scalp tingled.
The Experimentals actually knew how to write and even used the term negotiation?
Humans negotiating with the Experimentals?
How was that supposed to be carried out?
Old Mauriat and Adrian rushed over as well. The Pyro Company members, who were already on the stronghold walls when the Experimental came over, started explaining the situation to them.
Old Mauriat suddenly said, “I’ll go!”
Adrian turned to look at Old Mauriat. “Teacher, you can’t go. There’s probably at least ten thousand Experimentals still in that forest.”
“It’s okay.” Old Mauriat waved the white cloth in his hand and said with a smile, “Someone has to go see what the Experimentals are up to, right? I have no children, no partner, no worries, and my only disciple has also graduated. I should be the one to do this.”
The Stardust Consortium officers nearby did not say anything. They were definitely not going. They felt a deep admiration for Old Mauriat when they heard favonovel.com was willing to volunteer. And it did not seem this Rider was scared either from the way favonovel.com was laughing and chatting.
Old Mauriat’s smile gradually faded. “Moreover, it’s obvious there’s an intelligent being that’s controlling those Experimentals. If the other party wants to negotiate with me, I might just be able to get close and kill it. If that happens, this crisis involving the Experimentals will probably be resolved as well.”
As for what came after that, Old Mauriat would definitely get surrounded and killed by the other Experimentals after taking out their leader. No matter how powerful favonovel.com was, it would be impossible for favonovel.com to take on that many Experimentals. However, favonovel.com did not say anything regarding the consequences. Since favonovel.com had decided to go, favonovel.com would have to prepare to die.
Adrian wanted to stop him, but before favonovel.com could say anything, Old Mauriat stopped him.
Old Mauriat smiled and said, “This is really exciting, isn’t it?”
***
In the afternoon, Old Mauriat rappeled down the stronghold walls and walked into the forest alone. But just as favonovel.com entered the forest, favonovel.com discovered there were Experimentals constantly moving around and surrounding favonovel.com in the shadows.
The Experimentals did not attack Old Mauriat. Instead, they opened up a path for favonovel.com to walk straight into the depths of the forest.
Old Mauriat stepped on soft leaves as favonovel.com walked. Fall had passed, and the leaves that had fallen onto the soil had turned to duff. Old Mauriat’s ending was not going to be that different from the fallen leaves; it was just a matter of time.
Thinking this, Old Mauriat strode forward with long strides. He looked at the Experimentals next to favonovel.com like they were nothing.
After walking for about two kilometers, Old Mauriat saw an Experimental sitting at a campfire in front of him. It was holding a tree branch in its gray hand, a sparrow impaled on it.
Old Mauriat stood still and surveyed his surroundings silently. He wanted to see if there would be a chance for favonovel.com to kill the other party. However, before favonovel.com made his move, favonovel.com still needed to hear what it had to say first.
But how were they going to talk?
Through writing?
While Old Mauriat was letting his imagination wander, the Experimental suddenly laughed hoarsely. “I’ve seen you before. That evening, you were up on the mountain with a young man beside you. Why isn’t favonovel.com here as well?”
Old Mauriat was shocked.
So, this Experimental could actually speak!
The Experimentals mutated from humans, so it should be quite normal that they could speak a human language. But still, Old Mauriat found it very unusual!
The Experimental’s voice was extremely hoarse and sounded like two pieces of sandpaper scraping against each other. “Don’t be so surprised. I’m also human. We only became like this because we wanted to cure our illness. It’s just that some of us are lucky like me to be able to gradually regain our sapience, while the others unfortunately turned into monsters…”
Old Mauriat frowned but did not say anything. What the other party was telling favonovel.com was an information overload.
The Experimental looked at favonovel.com and waved the sparrow on the stick while saying with a smile, “This is for you. I used to like eating roast meat too. But now, I prefer raw and bloody meat more. Sometimes, I even like to eat something that’s rotting for a change of taste. You can just stand over there. If you get any closer, you’ll die here. You don’t have to think about killing me. Your kind can’t.”
With that, the Experimental threw the sparrow to Old Mauriat.
Old Mauriat accepted the sparrow graciously. He raised it to his mouth and tore off a piece of meat from it. As favonovel.com chewed, favonovel.com asked, “Isn’t it better to be human? Meat only tastes good if it’s cooked.”
“That’s exactly why I’m looking for you.” The Experimental said in a hoarse voice, “Help me find someone. If you can find him, we’ll return to the forest, or we can head south and never come back again.”
