Chapter 286: Chapter 276: Apocalyptic Beggars’ Gang

Tang Mo had long heard that while the Apocalypse Garbage Dump didn’t abide by the Alliance’s rules, it had its own gangs.

Mutant beasts rarely ventured into the Apocalypse Garbage Dump, so the people there survived by scavenging. As a result, the local gangs were a bit like the beggars’ guilds of ancient times.

Except they weren’t begging, but scavenging.

Tang Mo climbed out of the tunnel and began searching for people throughout the garbage dump.

Over the past two days, while her group was rummaging through the junk, the original inhabitants of the Apocalypse Garbage Dump hadn’t bothered them. Instead, they had all kept their distance, clearly wanting no interaction.

This time, however, Tang Mo wanted to approach them herself.

After all, she had finished mining the entire Crystal Stone Mine in the tunnel. As for what came next, the bigger the commotion, the better.

The bigger the commotion, the faster the secret would be exposed, making it easier for her to fish in troubled waters.

"Little girl, where are your parents?"

Tang Mo looked around and noticed that many of the people scavenging in the Apocalypse Garbage Dump were young children.

Everyone said the people of the garbage dump were incredibly fierce, a bunch of desperados. She had expected to see brawny, intimidating men.

The little girl, who had been focused on rummaging through some junk, was startled when a stranger spoke to her. Once she recovered from the shock, she immediately backed away a few steps and then ran off.

’Am I that scary?’ Tang Mo wondered, touching her face. She thought her tone had been quite gentle.

With no other choice after scaring the little girl away, Tang Mo could only look for another target.

But to Tang Mo’s frustration, she tried approaching several other people, but every time she got close or opened her mouth, they would immediately run away. They clearly wanted nothing to do with strangers.

This was making things difficult.

At this point, Tang Mo actually wished the locals were as vicious as the rumors claimed and would come looking for trouble. That would at least give her an opening.

But now, they scattered like mice from a cat the moment they saw her, making it impossible for her to move forward with her plan.

Just as Tang Mo was at a loss for what to do, she suddenly saw a small baby crawling toward her feet.

"Sweetie, come back!"

Not far away, a seven- or eight-year-old girl was shouting anxiously, apparently calling to the baby.

Tang Mo casually scooped the baby into her arms. The child was about two years old and bundled in thick clothes. Its hands and feet were covered in protective sleeves made of beast hide, likely to prevent it from getting scratched while crawling through the ruins.

The baby wasn’t afraid of Tang Mo at all; it just giggled happily at being held.

"Give my sister back!"

The little girl’s heart clenched seeing her sister in a stranger’s arms. Remembering Mr. Hu’s words, however, she didn’t dare to get any closer.

"Come here."

Tang Mo said, looking at the little girl who was too afraid to approach.

’She had just been wondering how to approach the inhabitants of the Apocalypse Garbage Dump, and now a little hostage had delivered itself right to her. This was almost too easy.’

"You!"

The little girl glanced worriedly at her sister, then stomped her foot and ran off.

Tang Mo wasn’t worried. She just sat to the side, holding the child, and waited.

’Judging by the way that girl ran off, she’s definitely gone to get help. As long as I have this child, I don’t have to worry about people not showing up.’

Sure enough, just as Tang Mo was playing with the child in her arms, the people the girl had gone to fetch arrived.

"Sister Tang Mo?"

A familiar voice called out.

Tang Mo focused her eyes. "Xiao Mo?"

Tang Mo never expected to run into an acquaintance here. Xiao Mo was a girl she had met not long after the apocalypse began.

Back then, Tang Mo had arrived at a small base and was nearly sold off, but Xiao Mo had secretly freed her.

Although Tang Mo hadn’t needed the girl’s help at the time, she still admired her. In that kind of environment, the girl had dared to defy her own mother to do what she believed was right.

She remembered the girl coming to her afterward, saying she wanted to be her friend.

’With that kind of bravery and defiant spirit, a person could survive in this apocalypse.’

"Mr. Hu, this is my friend, Tang Mo. She’s a good person."

The girl before her had grown into a young woman. Tang Mo remembered the last time she’d seen her was two years ago, when Xiao Mo was only twelve years old.

"Tang Mo?"

The man beside Xiao Mo, addressed as Mr. Hu, was a mild-mannered man in his thirties with glasses. He had the distinct look of an intellectual.

"Are you *the* Tang Mo? The one who’s number one on the Huaxia Rankings?"

Even though they lived in the garbage dump, disconnected from the outside world, the people here still kept a close eye on information from beyond.

They made sure to remember the names on the Huaxia Rankings in particular.

"Are you the leader here?"

Tang Mo walked over and placed the child in Xiao Mo’s arms. Since they were acquainted, there were better ways to cooperate; she didn’t want to resort to violence.

Besides Mr. Hu, Tang Mo saw only Xiao Mo and the seven- or eight-year-old girl who had run off earlier. None of them looked like fighters.

"A visitor is a guest. Since you’re a friend of Xiao Mo’s, please, come to my humble home for a while, if it’s convenient."

Mr. Hu extended the invitation, his words and actions perfectly proper.

’He knew, of course, that someone like Tang Mo couldn’t possibly be a child trafficker. She must have had a reason for using such a method to attract his attention.’

Mr. Hu’s invitation was exactly what Tang Mo wanted, so she didn’t refuse and followed them directly.

The "humble home" Mr. Hu spoke of was built in a corner of the ruins. This corner was concealed by massive slabs of rubble, leaving only a small opening for one person to pass through. Even that opening was hidden by a large billboard. Without a guide, no one would ever guess that people were living back there.

Stepping through the entrance revealed a completely different world.

Behind the massive rocks stood a few small, intact, and habitable houses. In the other open areas, the ground had been cleared of all junk, and small wooden shacks had been built.

It was a small settlement. Most of the inhabitants were women, children, and the elderly. They were currently in an open area, sorting through junk they had scavenged from the dump. There were very few able-bodied young men.

Mr. Hu invited Tang Mo into one of only two proper houses, then took out a very clean cup and poured her some mineral water.

"Our resources are limited, so please don’t mind the simple accommodations."

How could Tang Mo possibly mind? She raised the cup and took a sip.

The place was simple, but it was clear that everyone took great care in maintaining it. It was, in its own way, a cozy haven.

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