Around three o'clock in the morning, the circus began to pack up.
In the open space at the entrance of the village, torches were lit. After untying the cables fixed to the wooden stakes, the circus tent suddenly collapsed like a rubber ball. Everyone moved very gently, trying not to disturb the sleeping villagers.
After about two hours, everything was cleared up. As daybreak approached, the caravan quietly started and drove out of the village one after another.
It was in full swing when I arrived, but quiet when I left. This is the tradition of the Wilderness Circus. Meeting is joyful, parting is painful. Stay happy and leave quietly.
When the villagers woke up, Nuo Da's circus tent disappeared, and their happiness remained in their memories. They then packed up their mood and returned to their original lives.
A few minutes later, the silent wasteland ushered in the first ray of morning light on the horizon.
In the faint morning light, the long caravan moved forward slowly. Margulies sat on the roof of the car, swaying her two white calves, looking relaxed and blowing bubble gum.
"Snapped!"
The pink bubbles exploded, and Mrs. Ursula's lecturing voice immediately sounded from the hood of the car.
"How many times have I said that only female gangsters eat such dishonorable things!" "Okay, okay, I got it!"
The convoy drove slowly to the next location. Perhaps because the vehicle was old, the speed was very slow, only about thirty kilometers per hour.
The wheels bumped along with the ground, and the leisurely time passed quickly, and it was evening in a blink of an eye.
The setting sun slanted down, coating the red wasteland with a layer of pale gold, like the orange-red fire in an iron-making furnace.
"We're almost at the ostrich nest. We'll spend the night there."
A hoarse middle-aged male voice came from the intercom.
After a while, several huge weathered rocks appeared in front. Under the erosion of wind and rain, the edges and corners gradually disappear and become rounded. The name Ostrich Nest is very vivid. These egg-shaped weathered rocks are like a pile of ostrich eggs on the Gobi Desert.
The motorcade stopped, and people got out of the car one after another, stretching and moving their muscles. After a long day of driving, I was a little tired.
"Goofy!"
Just when everyone was a little relaxed, a black shadow suddenly rushed out from the side of the weathered rock and rushed towards the crowd who had just gotten off the car at a very fast speed.
"Be careful, there are corpse dogs!"
"Ah, ah!"
People screamed and dispersed, but a slow-moving old blind man couldn't escape. The corpse dog bit him on the shoulder and let out a painful wail.
A young man carrying a rifle ran over, swung the butt of the rifle, smashed the corpse dog away, and then shot it in the head several times.
The gunshots alerted the corpse dogs behind the weathered rocks, and they all ran out.
There are about two hundred people in this circus, and there are about ten people who are responsible for guarding, but their weapons are very simple, only the most common single-shot shotguns and Black Star pistols.
There were about twenty or thirty corpse-eating dogs, and it took an average of three shots to kill one, and they were relatively flexible. There were only about a dozen people with weapons, and they quickly fell into a hard fight.
Seeing several corpse dogs breaking through the defense line and about to pounce into the panicked crowd, Margulies pulled the safety catch and fired with her Uzi submachine gun.
Automatic weapons are more effective than single-shot weapons. The corpse dogs that rushed over were shot and fell to the ground, or were directly swept away, whimpering in pain.
It didn't take long for the corpse dogs to be wiped out, but the old blind man was seriously injured, his shoulder blade was bitten off, and several holes were bleeding.
Two young men carried the old blind man to the side of the caravan and leaned against the tires. I tore off the strip of cloth and bandaged it, and finally stopped the bleeding.
It was fine at first, but after dinner, bruises began to appear on the old blind man's face, accompanied by a severe cough.
Several acquaintances with disabled people gathered around and gave the old blind man water, but they did not alleviate the symptoms at all.
"He lost too much blood and was infected with the zombie virus. He needs an antidote and a treatment injection." Mrs. Ursula, who had worked as a nurse, came over to check and made a diagnosis.
Several disabled people looked at each other and said nothing.
"Let your leader come over."
At Mrs. Ursula's request, the circus master came over.
"This..." The leader seemed very hesitant. The price of a treatment needle is fifty gold coins, which the Wilderness Circus cannot afford. The antidote is cheaper, but it also costs several gold coins, which is equally difficult to afford.
Seeing the leader in trouble, Mrs. Ursula sighed and said, "I will pay for his treatment."
"Great, the old blind man is saved." "Thank you, kind lady." "Good people are rewarded, and the wild god will definitely bless you." "May you always be healthy!"
However, when the antidote and treatment needles were delivered, the old blind man pushed them away and said angrily, "I'm going to die, I'll leave it all to the children..."
"Madam, kind lady, thank you for everything you have done for me. When I see the God of Wilderness, I will definitely ask him to bless you."
Mrs. Ursula's eyes turned red, she covered her mouth and ran away. She is kind-hearted and doesn't tolerate sad things.
The old blind man left that night. There was no antidote, so in order to prevent himself from becoming a living dead, the old blind man ended his life with a knife.
The circus people dug a pit and buried him. No funeral, no prayers
Reported, just buried. According to the leader, this is the fate of the wilderness people, come happily and go quietly.
The old blind man's departure did not cause any disturbance. Everyone seemed to be used to it and soon returned to their cheerful appearance. Sitting on the hood of the car, playing the accordion and singing light songs.
Two days later, the circus came to another planned refugee village, Dashi Village.
The lively atmosphere returned again, with a lively parade first, then a circus, bonfire carnival...
Margulies jumped on the fire again and played Swan Lake. The reputation of the Flame Swan slowly spread like this.
In the following period, they arrived at Niujiao Village and Laqi Tribe, getting closer and closer to Orchid Town.
During the trip, Ursula and her friends gradually became familiar with the people in the circus, and many of them could be called by their names.
The convoy walked in the endless wilderness, slowly, happily and leisurely. Margulies sat on the roof of the carport, swinging her little feet and looking at the empty world. Thinking of the separation soon, she actually felt a little reluctant to leave.
Maybe when he gets to Orchid Town, he can convince his master to let the circus spend the winter in Orchid Town. This way they don't have to go to the colder north and can often see their performances.
While thinking, a large amount of dust suddenly rose on the distant horizon. She couldn't help but frown, and then heard the roar of the engine.
In the blink of an eye, dune vehicles rushed out of the dust, then divided into two groups and surrounded the circus convoy.
"There's a situation ahead, stop the car quickly!"
"Don't be afraid, everyone. They might be mercenaries passing by. I believe they won't make things difficult for us."
The stopped convoy was quickly surrounded by more than a dozen dune vehicles, filled with seventy or eighty mercenaries carrying assault rifles.
"Call someone who can speak!"
A big man with a sinewy face jumped out of the passenger seat. His face was full of scars, and the shape was terrifying, like centipedes crawling on his face, which made people shudder.
The group leader took the initiative to step out of the team and negotiate with the other party.
"I am the leader..."
"Haha!" The captain was interrupted by the loud laughter of the other party as soon as he started speaking. Scarface pointed at him and faced his fellow mercenaries behind him, "Listen, he is still the captain..."
"Hahahahahaha!" The mercenaries immediately burst into laughter.
"You're still the leader, come on!" Scarface said with disdain.
"Captain, he is your equal." A young mercenary stepped forward and said, his tone full of ridicule.
"No, no, no, no, I am the one who talks, the one who talks..." the circus leader hurriedly denied. When encountering this group of soldiers and gangsters, I couldn't explain why, so I could only follow the other party's wishes and hope that they would leave quickly.
Scarface held the belt with both hands, walked back and forth, looked at the convoy, and asked, "Are you a circus?"
"Yes." The circus leader nodded.
"That's just right. It's almost the Chinese New Year, so he'll come to our camp to perform," Scarface said.
"This..." The circus leader showed hesitation. Under Scarface's scrutiny, he mustered up the courage and refused, "I'm afraid it's not appropriate..."
Before he finished speaking, the young mercenary who looked like an adjutant next to Scarface kicked him to the ground, pointed at his nose, and threatened, "Our boss lets you perform because he thinks highly of you. Don't be ignorant!"
"But, we have already made an appointment..." The circus leader grimaced, trying to explain to the other party that they had already made an appointment, and if they were delayed, it would be difficult to explain to them.
Unexpectedly, the adjutant did not listen to his explanation at all. He took out the armed belt from his waist and whipped it towards his head.
The circus leader was beaten until he was rolling around on his head and screaming.
Seeing the leader being beaten, a young man from the circus finally couldn't bear it anymore. He rushed up with a shotgun and pulled the bolt, trying to stop the adjutant's violence. However, Scarface pulled out the large revolver from his waist and shot the young man.
"Bang!"
The revolver had a large caliber and could almost be regarded as a hand cannon. It blew off half of the young man's shoulder, leaving him bloody and bloody, and he died on the spot.
"No, don't do it!"
When the circus leader saw the young man's tragic death, he ignored the armed belt that was smashed off and hurriedly shouted to the others to stop them from resisting.
The other party set up their camp deep in the wilderness and killed people casually. They must be a wandering mercenary group.
If the Wilderness Circus is compared to a wandering antelope, then the Wandering Mercenary Group is a group of vicious wolves.
Their essence is a group of organized armed robbers. They are not even welcome in Edge Town and can only be stationed in inaccessible barren mountains. They are basically made up of criminals. When they encounter this group of villains, they can only consider themselves unlucky.
In the third-to-last caravan behind, Margulies, who witnessed the young man being killed, wanted to rush out, but was pulled back by Mrs. Ursula.
"Don't be impulsive." Brook whispered, "I counted, there are eighty-five of them. If you go out, you will die..."
"They are so pitiful," Margulies said.
"If you fall into their hands, you will be even more pitiful." Brooke said, "Calm down first. When I find the opportunity, I will cover you, grab a car and run away!" These big guys
The caravan is old and can't drive fast. The only way to escape is by snatching the opponent's dune buggy.
"What about you?" Margaret's eyes widened.
"Run if you can. If you can't, just think of it as..." Brooke sighed, "I'm repaying my debt to Sister-in-law Ghost Fox."
Mrs. Ursula looked at Brooke, her eyes flickered, and she opened her mouth, but no words came out.
After a moment of silence, crying suddenly came from outside. Looking through the gap in the hood of the car, I saw a woman throwing herself on the dead boy, crying hard.
After a while, the agreement seemed to be settled, and the convoy began to move slowly. The dune buggies on both sides immediately dispersed and followed the movement of the convoy.
Just a few minutes after the vehicle started moving, the circus leader ran over and got into the carriage.
"You have also seen the situation. We are going to the other side's camp now." Brooke wanted to speak, but was stopped by the leader who raised his hand, "Let me finish first..."
"I bought a Great Wall bike last year. It's on the truck at the back. The fuel tank is full and it can run for one or two hundred kilometers. It's going to be dark soon. Wait a little longer and you can run away when it gets dark."
"Then, what should you do?" Margulies couldn't help but ask.
"What else can we do, just put on a show for them." The group leader sighed. He knew better than anyone else that if he fell into the hands of this group of people, he would probably have a narrow escape. Then he added, "You are noble people. Unlike us hopeless people, you cannot fall into their hands."
Noble ladies and eldest ladies fell into the hands of wandering mercenaries, just like fat sheep falling into the mouth of a tiger. It is not difficult to imagine the fate that awaits them.
"Okay, I'll cover you and run away when I find the opportunity." Brooke said. The motorcycle could only seat two people, so Ursula and her daughter were able to leave, which was considered a living up to their trust.
"Madam, Miss, you can run away and don't worry about us." "As long as you and Miss are fine, we'll be relieved." said the cook and maid.
In just a moment, Margulies's eyes were blurred by tears.
"Everyone..." Her voice was choked and she was speechless.
"Miss, you will do great things in the future, so you cannot die here." The old housekeeper said.
"Yes, the old housekeeper is right. You and your wife don't have to worry about us. We are used to hardship and it will be fine." The gardener also advised.
Margulies said nothing, staring blankly at the gap in the car's hood. From time to time, a dune buggy whizzed past, accompanied by the excited shouts of the mercenaries.
Mrs. Ursula didn't speak, just looked at her daughter quietly.
There was a deathly silence inside the car hood.
As time goes by, it gets darker outside.
"It's about time," Brooke said.
"I, I won't leave!" Margulies, who had been silent all this time, shouted, her fair face covered with tears.
"Snapped!"
Mrs. Ursula slapped her daughter on the face, leaving a bright red palm print.
Margulies covered her face and looked at her mother aggrievedly.
"Margulies Ursula, now is not the time to be willful." Mrs. Ursula's face was cold and her eyes were stern. "You have to escape from here, find your master, and come back with reinforcements!"
Before she could get angry, Margulies heard a deeper meaning from her mother's words, her eyes widened, "Mom..."
"It's too heavy for two people. The chance of walking alone is greater," said Mrs. Ursula. She was not an evolver, and her movements were clumsy and would be a drag on her daughter. Moreover, as a noble, she had her pride, so she chose to stay.
"Madam, if you stay, you are likely to be raped, even..." The circus leader gritted his teeth and finished the second half of the sentence, "Even more than one person."
"If this is fate, I accept it," Mrs. Ursula said calmly.
Her eyes swept across everyone's face, "I am Kelly Ursula, the wife of an officer of the Imperial Guard..."
"The honor of the Ursula family must not be tarnished by me!"
"So, I will not abandon the people who have been following me and my friends!"
"Father's, glory..." Margulies murmured softly. Gradually, her gaze became firm.
"Everyone..." Margulies looked at her mother and then at the others, clenching her fists and saying, "I will definitely find Master and come back to save you..."
"Until then, please take care of yourself!"
After saying that, Margulies jumped out of the car, climbed into the last truck under the cover of night, and got into the carriage.
"Wow!"
When the canvas was lifted, a motorcycle appeared in front of us. Margulies got on the motorcycle, started it, and after several attempts, she suddenly turned the accelerator and sped out from the rear of the motorcycle.
"Someone ran away!" "Hurry up and chase!"
Several beams of bright light shone at the same time, and shouts came one after another. But the locomotive was moving very fast, and it was already dark. In the blink of an eye, he disappeared from the sight of his pursuers.
"It seems to be a woman." "It looks like she has a good figure, but it's a pity." "Keep an eye on me, or the cooked duck will fly away."
The pursuers sighed and turned around one after another.
