"Building on past achievements, valorous above all armies! What a great name!"
From He Jijun’s marksmanship, stance, vital energy, and that old military uniform on him, Wang Tao could guess that he had likely served as a soldier before.
Therefore, complimenting him in this regard should be well-received.
Indeed, as soon as Wang Tao spoke, the cold look on He Jijun’s face diminished somewhat.
"Would the old master care to get in the car for a chat? I’ve only been in Wuyang City for a few days, and I’m quite unfamiliar with the situation here. I’d like to exchange some information with you,"
Wang Tao said, smiling.
He Jijun was clearly reluctant.
The main reason was Wang Tao’s eerily bizarre Ability, and since he was unaware of Wang Tao’s background, he had seen too much of the ugliness of human nature in his journey thus far.
However, Wang Tao’s invitation was somehow also a bit of a threat...
"Oh right, I have some fine liquor in the car. I don’t drink myself, and nobody among us does either. If the old master likes, I can join you for a small drink or two,"
He Jijun’s eyes lit up when he heard about the liquor, and he gritted his teeth.
Since Wang Tao had invited him with such sincerity, it would have been inappropriate for him to refuse any longer.
"Is the old master alone? Do you have a car?"
As they got in the car, Wang Tao asked.
He Jijun shook his head.
"It’s already dark. Shall we find a place to rest, old master?"
Now that he had gotten into the car, He Jijun no longer dwelled on it.
Wang Tao had already found a suitable place to rest when he was searching for the gunshot earlier, and now they could head over there.
It was a civilian house by the roadside with a large garage capable of accommodating several cars. Even though ivy covered the outside of the house, the inside was still clean and free of zombies.
After parking the car, Wang Tao took a bottle of wine down from the vehicle.
He had promised Colonel Luo Guozhong, the parachuting plane pilot he had contacted earlier, to treat him to a drink upon meeting. Wang Tao was a man of his word, so naturally, he had prepared the liquor.
Lan Yulian had helped him ready several bottles of this strong drink, and taking one out now left enough for later use.
Seeing this bottle of wine, He Jijun, who had been grim-faced the whole time, had his eyes light up.
Wang Tao didn’t drink, so he didn’t know much about liquor.
However, Jade Lotus had mentioned that these bottles had been quite expensive before, so they must be of good quality.
Xu Xiaojun cleared the table inside the house, and Wang Tao laid out some food and the liquor. Then, he invited He Jijun to take a seat.
"Old master, please take a seat,"
He Jijun snorted coldly and sat down carelessly.
He had boarded Wang Tao’s car out of compulsion.
In that situation, had he refused, he wasn’t sure what Wang Tao might do to him; he had to get in the car. His expression had been quite cold in the car.
Wang Tao didn’t mind this at all. He personally poured a drink for He Jijun and then raised his glass.
Seeing Wang Tao being so polite, He Jijun found it hard to keep up his stern demeanor. He picked up his glass, clinked it with Wang Tao’s, smelled the aroma of the wine, looked intoxicated, and then drained it in one gulp.
He Jijun exclaimed instinctively.
It had been so long since he had last tasted alcohol, and now, suddenly relishing such fine wine, his expression softened considerably.
Wang Tao seized the opportunity to ask:
"Is the old master from Wuyang City?"
There was an old saying about how one’s mouth was indebted to the one who fed them, and He Jijun wasn’t "cold" anymore. He shook his head.
"No. I came from Chunhua Province,"
As soon as he said this, Wang Tao and the others all gasped.
Chunhua Province was separated from Wuyang Province by Cangsong Province! That was a long way from here!
Wang Tao gave a thumbs-up.
Had He Jijun been an Ability User, Wang Tao might not have been so shocked, but he was an Ordinary man, even with 1000 HP he was still ordinary. For an ordinary person to travel such a distance was certainly surprising!
Feeling the astonishment from Wang Tao and the others, He Jijun didn’t show any smugness. Only he himself knew the hardships encountered on the road; there was nothing to celebrate.
"Then what is the old master’s purpose for coming here?"
"Looking for someone."
This reason resonated with Yang Changhong, who said:
"I’m also here to find someone. I’m looking for my little sister; I heard she came to Wuyang City. I don’t know if she’s alive or dead..."
He Jijun glanced at her.
"I hope you find your sister."
"Thank you! I hope you find the person you’re looking for too,"
Yang Changhong replied politely.
But upon hearing that, He Jijun’s expression suddenly turned wistful, though he didn’t say more.
"I’m quite curious; how did the old master come to Wuyang City? Did you have a team before? Did the team disband?"
"No, I’ve always been alone. But sometimes I’d travel through the wilderness where there are fewer zombies."
Wang Tao suddenly understood.
If He Jijun avoided big cities or going into the cities, opting instead for the wilderness, and further had extremely good luck in not encountering any monsters, theoretically, he could have made it here alive.
But that was just in theory; in reality, it would be much harder. After all, he was an ordinary person, and not to mention anything else, even food and sleep would pose big problems...
"By the way, how old is the old master this year?"
Even though they had already guessed that He Jijun wasn’t young, hearing the age of sixty-six still shocked everyone.