Chapter 186: Failed To Pose A Great Image

Although these people seemed a bit like bleeding hearts, at least their character was somewhat guaranteed.

If they could be taken into the Shelter, there would be plenty of time to slowly cultivate them.

However, for now, Vikram planned to first inquire about some information.

The Shelter had been stationed in this area for so long, yet Vikram realized that besides hunting, he had never properly greeted his nearby neighbors.

For example, he had only just learned that there were brain-dead Survivors collecting protection fees in this vicinity.

But thinking about it carefully, in the early stages of the Wasteland, he mostly avoided other Survivors while traveling.

The location of his Shelter was also carefully chosen by him, coupled with various hidden constructions outside.

With that in mind, it was quite reasonable that he rarely encountered other Survivors.

"It seems my Shelter’s camouflage is still very good; no other Survivors have ever found their way to it." As he thought this, his gaze shifted over the three people.

Standing at a distance before, he could only vaguely make out their worn-out clothes, and he merely sighed about it.

Now, upon closer inspection, it wasn’t just worn-out; he noticed that the clothes they were wearing looked as if they hadn’t been washed in a long time.

Waves of sour smell also emanated as he got closer, making Vikram wrinkle his nose involuntarily.

"It seems that trying to be a Survivor who sticks to their principles in the Wasteland is even harder than imagined."

He didn’t believe that they lacked water to wash their clothes; the Wasteland World was covered in snow, so such a thing was impossible.

That left only one explanation: even though their clothes were worn, they were the only cold-weather supplies these people had.

It’s worth mentioning that although Vikram’s Shelter didn’t have many cold-weather supplies, it had enough for changing and washing.

Although there were only three exquisite-grade cold-weather suits, there were quite a few other rare-grade warm clothes.

Not to mention the Epic-level wolf fur coat Vikram himself was wearing; after wearing it for so long, Vikram only just realized that this thing seemed to never get dirty.

At the moment, the three people felt a bit unnerved by Vikram’s gaze, becoming suspicious of his stare.

Especially Ron, who had fought with Vikram earlier, a chill rose in his heart, "This kid doesn’t have some disgusting fetish, does he? Staring so intently at us big men."

Fortunately, this creepy gaze didn’t last too long, and Vikram finally spoke, "You should all be survivors from this area, right? Are there only a few people in your shelter?"

He asked directly.

The middle-aged man was about to answer him, but the people beside him all reached out to stop him.

The intricacies of this were actually understandable.

These two simple questions, if answered, would reveal a lot of important information, and ordinary Survivors would certainly not answer easily.

After all, exposing one’s location could very likely cost one’s life.

However, the leading middle-aged man completely ignored his companions’ dissuasion.

After realizing that Vikram had no malicious intent, he still revealed the truth.

"Yes, the few brothers in our Shelter are all here, and the Shelter is only a few hundred meters away."

"Although we are a bit short-handed, we can barely make a living." Harry finished speaking, his gaze sweeping over Vikram’s eyes.

He seemed to have discovered something, as if he let out a sigh of relief, revealing a kind smile.

This action, of course, did not escape Vikram’s notice, but he did not do anything further.

He merely thought to himself that although this middle-aged man’s strength wasn’t great, he certainly had the capital to be a Shelter leader.

At least in terms of reading expressions and intelligence, he was much more reliable than the other Survivors beside him.

Not doing evil doesn’t mean being willing to be slaughtered; don’t look at him now, appearing utterly timid and revealing everything.

This, on the contrary, proved that he had some brains.

Just a glance earlier, he was able to read that Vikram had no greed for their Shelter’s supplies, which was why he let out a long sigh of relief.

"Alright, no need to probe. I’m not interested in the supplies in your shelter. Let’s be straightforward."

"I’ll be honest, I find you survivors quite agreeable, and I want to ask if you have any intention of joining my faction?"

He told them his true purpose in one breath, then watched their expressions.

Struck by such a sudden question, their faces, as he expected, showed more bewilderment.

They hadn’t expected things to turn out this way; one moment they were fighting, the next they were being recruited?

"Young brother, isn’t this a bit sudden? We don’t even know the situation of the other party’s shelter yet..."

Before Harry could finish speaking, Vikram interrupted him.

"You don’t need to make a decision so hastily. Whether you want to join or not, I won’t force you; you can think about it."

"I have other matters to attend to later and no time to chat idly with you."

"As for the situation of my Shelter, I can confidently tell you that my Shelter is definitely dozens of times better than an ordinary Survivor’s Shelter; it’s up to you how you choose."

With that, he stopped looking at them and turned to leave, leaving them with a slightly mysterious back.

"Hey, Vikram, where are you going?"

"We haven’t seen the good stuff upstairs yet, aren’t you going to collect it?" Before he could finish putting on his act, Anjali called out to him.

Hearing this, he, who was still striking a handsome pose, stumbled, thinking that Anjali really knew how to pick her moments.

He has decided, after going home, the first thing he will do is, punish Anjali.

Vikram could do without some ordinary supplies, but he really couldn’t ignore electronic components and the like.

He could only awkwardly turn around, then glared at Anjali.

He laughed and rubbed his forehead for a moment, then, as if nothing had happened, followed her to explore the items inside the house.

His previous profound and mysterious image was shattered by his somewhat rash actions, leaving Harry and his group speechless.

He even heard that Ron couldn’t help but burst out laughing, clearly amused by this failed attempt to show off.

However, Vikram was thick-skinned; he just pretended not to see it.

Being a bit more down-to-earth was actually good; perhaps it would make them lower their guard even more and join the Shelter.

Coming back to his senses, he realized that since entering the house, he hadn’t properly observed the environment inside.

Now, his gaze swept around the room, and he found that there weren’t as many collectible items as he had imagined.

Most were just simple pieces of furniture, and they were all either too old or already damaged.

Perhaps he could obtain the necessary construction resources from them, but there weren’t too many ready-made usable items.

For example, various electrical appliances; the biggest gain was the television in the living room.

This was also why they had all remained silent before, and only when Anjali mentioned the television did people appear.

Seeing that the items downstairs had already been mostly collected by the two of them.

Now, only the second floor remained. The three exchanged glances and went upstairs simultaneously...