Delivering a Message

Chapter 55: Delivering a Message

As Xu Yue led Reiner Brown through the ruins toward Wall Rose, their constant need to evade Titans made the journey seem endlessly prolonged.

On the fifth day after Wall Maria fell, Xu Yue and Reiner Brown were advancing under the cover of night, when Titans could not move, when a sudden voice called out to them.

"Hey, over here! Are you two trying to get yourselves killed? There’s less than an hour until dawn! Those damned Titans will start moving again!"

Following the source of the voice, they saw a man in a Garrison Regiment uniform standing amid the rubble of a collapsed house, waving at them.

Xu Yue paused only briefly before quickly changing direction and heading toward the man. Along the way, he used the darkness to untie the rope around Reiner’s hands.

"If you want to die, go ahead and run."

The cold voice kept Reiner obediently following behind him.

With someone from the Garrison Regiment, it would also be easier to get through Wall Rose.

Otherwise, with Wall Maria having already fallen five days ago, Wall Rose might not necessarily admit scattered survivors.

And because of all the mishaps along the way, this clone had barely any Chakra left. It could not even be certain of reaching Wall Rose!

He now needed to begin carrying out the contingency plan. Even if the clone vanished, he had to ensure that the five vials of spinal fluid in the pouch reached the original body.

"Quit dawdling. Follow me."

The Garrison Regiment veteran, who looked to be in his forties and already bore the marks of hardship, took the lead through the ruins once Xu Yue and the others drew close.

They eventually arrived beside a half-collapsed building. After looking around, he led them inside, then lifted a wooden board hidden beneath a pile of straw, revealing a musty ladder leading down to a basement. He brought them down.

When Xu Yue led Reiner Brown into the basement-like shelter, he found seven or eight people already inside, all of them sallow and malnourished. A faint sour stench lingered in the air.

Most of them were children, along with a woman and an elderly man.

"Uncle John."

A little girl of seven or eight with dry yellow hair looked eagerly at the man who had brought Xu Yue and the others in, tears brimming in her eyes.

"Haha, don’t worry. Look."

The man who had brought Xu Yue and the others set down the small cloth bag on his back, poured out the dried provisions inside, and distributed them among everyone.

Titans only needed sunlight and did not need food, so as long as one dared to venture outside, food could still be found.

Seeing the children wolfing down the food while the woman and old man only ate what was left, Xu Yue gained a rough understanding of the situation.

A responsible veteran soldier, along with several survivors he had saved as best he could.

For now, he could keep going out under cover of night to search for food. But as time passed, edible food would inevitably become scarcer, and the area he needed to search would grow larger and larger. Sooner or later, he would be unable to meet everyone’s needs within the nighttime hours. In the end, dying in a Titan’s mouth was inevitable.

If he abandoned these weak people, he could travel every night using his experience. As long as he found suitable hiding places during the day, he actually had a chance to escape to Wall Rose. But he had given up that path himself.

"John, is it? There’s something I’d like to ask you to help me with."

A strange glint flashed through Xu Yue’s eyes as he looked at John.

"What is it?"

John could not help finding it strange upon hearing Xu Yue’s words.

He had saved quite a few refugees over the past few days, but most had been panicked. And after seeing the elderly, weak, sick, and disabled burdens here, every one of them had quickly chosen to leave on their own.

These two seemed a little different.

"Help me deliver a message. Tell them where I am now. I’ll help you look after them, and I promise to bring them all back to Wall Rose afterward."

Once a clone was dispelled, its memories would be passed to the original body. But before that happened, there was no direct communication between them. Still, the Wood Clone knew the original body’s plans. If he saved that Queen, then based on the Queen’s personality as described in the story, she would certainly be able to exert some influence.

So if his deduction was correct, John would definitely be able to meet the original body.

There really was not enough Chakra left to continue traveling. Remaining dormant as much as possible while protecting these people would also reduce the consumption somewhat.

It was a transaction, then.

"Deliver a message? You are…"

Hearing Xu Yue’s request, the veteran was truly startled. Asking him to deliver a message at a time like this made it clear that the other party’s identity was likely far from ordinary. Could he be one of the powerful people inside the walls?

"I have some personal connections with Her Majesty the Queen, so rest assured. Besides, my partner will assist me. You don’t need to worry about our safety."

Xu Yue’s Wood Clone was already looking somewhat pale, but his expression remained calm. He then silently turned to glance at Reiner Brown, making the boy nod repeatedly.

"Also, I have food here. Even if we don’t go outside to forage, we can still guarantee that everyone survives for half a month."

As Xu Yue spoke, he took out a Sealing Scroll. With the release of a hand seal, large quantities of high-calorie food appeared before everyone’s eyes.

Jerky, compressed biscuits, chocolate, candy, and fresh water.

This was one of the items Xu Yue’s original body had specifically left for the clone, having considered the various emergencies they might encounter along the way!

Xu Yue had specially prepared food-related Sealing Scrolls.

People from the Mission Space had a strong acceptance of other special abilities due to the influence of the space’s will, but they were still extremely shocked to see Xu Yue produce so much food out of thin air.

The bratty children swallowed their saliva while rubbing their eyes, seemingly unable to believe what they were seeing.

"Alright, I believe you!"

Based on the ability Xu Yue had displayed alone, the veteran John chose to believe him. A resolute glint flashed in his eyes.

Of course, he understood that he could only save them for a while. As time passed, he would definitely be unable to feed so many mouths. This was the best and only chance.

"Then I’ll be counting on you…"

After John left on the second night, Xu Yue once again gave Reiner Brown a cold look.

"I may not be able to keep watch over you for much longer. I hope you’ll make the right choice when the time comes. Honestly, I don’t really want to kill you, so don’t force me to."

A soul-chilling sensation rose in Reiner Brown’s heart. Whatever little schemes he had once entertained were scattered by the instincts drilled into him along the way. He could only nod numbly.

Then Xu Yue leaned against a corner of the basement and closed his eyes to rest, preserving what little Chakra remained.

In truth, the quickest and most convenient method now would be to find the most hidden place possible, stash the items there, then dispel the clone and let the original body share its memories and retrieve them.

But there was still a risk. In that case, items he personally set down or buried would not be protected by the space. If there happened to be other Reincarnators nearby with special search techniques, he would be handing them over for free.

Those independent Reincarnators probably had not entered Wall Rose yet.

The current arrangement was the safest. And when necessary, he could still use his final backup measure…

I am guilty—I repent. I’ll post another chapter today after all! Please bookmark, click, and recommend!