"Then it must have been Miss Emily who put it there. I only told her that you were injured," Brian Cooper said with a grin as he handed Jason Carter a potato. "Since Miss Emily treats you so well, why don't you just accept her?"

Jason Carter almost spat out blood. "You change your attitude faster than flipping a page! When there's food, you praise her; when there's none, you bully her."

"Heh heh," Brian Cooper chuckled as he started eating the potato. The two of them usually didn't eat dinner. Jason Carter always said you should have a good breakfast, a full lunch, and that eating at night was bad for your health.

This was a saying passed down from before the Cataclysm. In truth, Jason Carter knew in his heart that the real reason they didn't eat at night was because they were poor...

"Bro."

Jason Carter turned his head and suddenly saw Brian Cooper lower his head, his voice a bit subdued. Curious, he asked, "What's wrong?"

"Do you remember last year, when you came back after running into the wolf pack, and someone secretly gave us a few pills that saved your life?" Brian Cooper asked.

"Of course, I've been looking for that person ever since," Jason Carter replied.

"Those pills might have been from Miss Emily too," Brian Cooper said. "The place where the medicine was left was exactly the same as today."

Jason Carter fell into deep thought.

Suddenly, Jason Carter heard footsteps outside.

A lot of people.

It was rare to see people walking around the streets of the town at night, but Jason Carter quickly guessed who they were and what their purpose was.

……

The band had to cross the border mountains this time, just as Jason Carter had suspected. Those mercenaries did have another mission. For example, the rulers in Barrier 113 had found some information suggesting that the border mountains were formed by violent tectonic activity, and there might still be things left from before the Cataclysm.

They learned about Jason Carter from the grocer Old Martinez. Although they had doubts about him being "mentally ill," after asking around, it seemed everyone thought Jason Carter was the best choice for a guide.

Some even wondered what was so special about this boy named Jason Carter that he was even a local celebrity.

Curious, they kept asking and finally got a not-so-certain answer: Jason Carter seemed to be the only person in Town 113 who had survived an encounter with a wolf pack.

Last year, when Jason Carter returned to town after hunting, he was completely exhausted, with bloody claw marks from wolves on his body.

No matter how ruthless the people in town were, they wouldn't do anything to a dying boy. Everyone just watched coldly.

But just when everyone thought Jason Carter was doomed, he somehow survived—and now he was doing quite well.

The band members asked curiously how the boy had survived. Old Martinez smiled and said it was all thanks to Brian Cooper going door to door, begging for food on his knees, and in the end, Jason Carter really did pull through. Apparently, someone also gave them a few pills, but no one knew who.

However, everyone in town knew that while Jason Carter survived, he was left with a mental problem.

"By the way, William Martinez," someone in the group said to the accompanying Old Martinez, "when you say he's mentally ill, what do you mean?"

"It's nothing, really, I was just saying," Old Martinez replied with a squinty smile, his wrinkles bunching up. "It's not a big deal, his condition isn't serious. Look, we're almost there."

Old Martinez only dared to walk the streets at night when he was with these important people from the refugee barrier. He deliberately raised his voice, as if to let everyone in town know that he, Old Martinez, had a good relationship with these big shots from the barrier.

"Jason, come out, we have distinguished guests," Old Martinez called out with a smile.

Suddenly, the curtain of the shack was flung open.

Jason Carter appeared, beaming, and grabbed Old Martinez's hand, saying, "Congratulations, father and son are safe! Six jin, six liang!"

Old Martinez: "???"

The band: "???"

The mercenaries: "???"

The band's staff pointed at Jason Carter and looked at Old Martinez: He's this far gone and you still say it's nothing?!

And what's with "father and son are safe"? Isn't it supposed to be "mother and child are safe"?!

The band's staff said irritably, "William Martinez, do you know what happens if you lie to us? This is what you call 'not a problem'?"

As soon as he finished, the band's staff turned and left. They had been looking forward to meeting the legendary Jason Carter, but now they'd run into a lunatic.

No wonder everyone in town said Jason Carter was crazy—wasn't this proof enough?

Chapter 9: If you have any questions, just ask

Jason Carter stood at the shack door watching the band walk away, while Old Martinez kept apologizing to them: Jason Carter might be a bit off, but not like this, please let me explain...

The band's staff couldn't be bothered to listen. "William Martinez, you have six hours to find us a suitable candidate. Even if this kid isn't crazy, we won't use him. We're leaving at dawn, so don't try any tricks!"