Reborn as the Darling of the Delta

Page 30

Said: Old Deng, then I'll take your little Hao away. Come here, Hao, look at my new Ghost Fire, isn't it cool!

Zhang Hao: Wow, so cool! Goodbye, Deep Blue Old Deng! I'm going to ride the Ghost Fire to the dam with Said.

Deep Blue: That damned Said, I'm going to see for myself what you really are, and whether you can withstand three of my shield bashes! Take this!

Chapter 62 Team Building

After confirming that nothing else had been left behind, Zhang Hao waved to the elderly people who had stayed behind.

"Goodbye, I'll be back in a couple of days."

"Waaaaah, little Hao Hao, don't forget to take me with you next time you get better, waaaaah, I'll miss you. I promise your room will stay spotless while you're gone."

With tears in her eyes, Mai Xiaowen waved goodbye to Zhang Hao, saying that she couldn't sleep well these past few days without him and without his scent. It seemed she would have to move back to his room to sleep starting today.

With everyone seeing them off, Red Wolf, Deep Blue, Roy, and Zhang Hao boarded a plane to the dam.

. . . . . . . .

. . . . . . . .

"Boss, we're all ready. By the way, why did you bring so many weapons? Don't worry, we're lucky we haven't been targeted by anyone, otherwise they would have been stolen long ago."

The young men looked at Saeed, who was fully armed as if he were about to go to war, and said with some amusement:

"No, you are still too young. People are losing their lives every day in Asara because of the war, and we are no exception. It seems that you still do not understand the Chinese concept of being prepared for danger in times of peace. When you come back, increase the amount of classes."

"Do not!!!"

Said looked up at the sky and saw the helicopter that usually carried the GTI crew flying overhead.

Then, several ropes were lowered from the helicopter, and Deep Blue carried Zhang Hao as they slid down from them, followed closely by Roy and Red Wolf.

"Uncle Said!"

Before Zhang Hao could even run down, Shen Lan stepped forward to block him, looking at Said who was preparing to pounce on Zhang Hao.

"Hello, I am Shenlan, Zhang Hao's acting guardian at the GTI Special Operations Unit."

Deep Blue extended his hand to Said, emphasizing the word "surrogate guardian".

Seeing this, Said immediately knew that the other party had no good intentions, but how could he lose face in front of Xiao Hao? So he also extended his hand and shook hands with him.

"Dam leader, Sayed, I am grateful for your care and support of Xiao Hao."

Deep Blue: ? ? ? Showing off, I'll make you fly (╬▔皿▔)╯

Said suddenly felt the hand holding his suddenly tighten its grip, and the sudden burst of strength startled him. This strength was definitely no less than that of Reis, and if he simply competed with him in strength, he would definitely explode.

However, Sayid immediately noticed Zhang Hao looking at him and Shenlan with curiosity. Out of consideration for his reputation, Sayid decided to confront Shenlan head-on and began to increase his strength.

Unfortunately, the man opposite him was the Soviet superman recognized by the Special Operations Department. Even though he was much better-tempered now that he was older, the mere mention of his name on the battlefield back then struck fear into the hearts of all.

As Deep Blue intensified his efforts, Said felt immense pressure. He had already exerted his maximum strength, but it was clear that he hadn't yet satisfied his opponent. His face, hidden behind his mask, turned red from straining. However, he was still risking his life to avoid losing face in front of Xiao Hao and his men.

"Not at all, it's clearly our Xiao Hao who received preferential treatment from you."

Suddenly, Deep Blue let go of his hand and said with a victor's posture, while Roy behind him had already started whispering bad things about Deep Blue to Red Wolf. Unfortunately, the surroundings were very quiet at the moment, and the rumors that Deep Blue was petty and that he was just jealous reached everyone's ears.

"Cough cough, I didn't hear anything."

When Red Wolf saw Deep Blue turn his head toward them with a "dangerous smile," he quickly said that it had nothing to do with him. As his good brother, he could only quietly nudge Roy, who was still talking, with his elbow.

"Huh? What's going on? Why is everyone looking at me? Am I that handsome? Xiao Hao, what's with that thumbs-up? Ah! Captain Shenlan, you...you all heard that?"

Roy was initially confused when he saw Zhang Hao give him a thumbs up, but when he saw Shen Lan looking at him dangerously, he immediately understood that it was pointless for him to go back.

Deep Blue still gave Roy face and didn't do anything to him here, but his smiling face almost scared Roy to death.

"You heard a little bit, but it's okay. I'm very magnanimous. We'll settle these things properly when we get back."

Said: Roy is a good guy. He went out of his way to draw fire for me. He's really... I consider him a brother.

"What are your plans? Shall we depart now?"

Deep Blue turned to ask, and Said felt his right hand. Hmm, he probably wouldn't be able to use it for a while.

"Sure, you can leave anytime you're ready. I've prepared two cars; the journey takes about an hour and a half."

Deep Blue nodded, indicating that Said could begin leading the way.

"Uncle Said, is your hand alright? Should I ask Roy to take a look?"

Zhang Hao approached Said, who then placed Zhang Hao on his shoulder with his left hand and led the group to retrieve the car. Looking at Said's now limp right hand, Zhang Hao asked with some concern.

"Oh, it's nothing. Even if your Uncle Said loses his left hand, he can still protect you."

Deep Blue: Tch, you didn't use enough force when loading the cargo; even your own little cotton-padded jacket is letting in the wind.

Deep Blue couldn't make a scene here, so he silently glanced at Roy behind him, which startled Roy, who lowered his head and quietly shrank behind Red Wolf.

Roy: Waaaaah, I'm always the one who gets hurt.

Upon arriving at the parking lot, Zhang Hao had originally planned to share a car with Said to discuss the recent situation at the dam, but unfortunately, Shen Lan grabbed him and pulled him into another car, saying to Said:

"The children are mischievous, so you just need to focus on leading the way."

Saeed could only nod and get into the car with his three young men.

After getting into the car, Red Wolf drove, Deep Blue sat in the passenger seat to observe, and Zhang Hao and Roy sat in the back.

Zhang Hao was looking out the window, feeling depressed, when suddenly a cell phone was placed in front of him. The message read: "Save me, Xiao Hao! Remember to plead for me when you get back. That old man from Shenlan is really petty. If you don't save me, you might never see me again."

After reading it, Zhang Hao turned to look at Roy, only to see him clasping his hands together and bowing devoutly to him. Helpless, Zhang Hao gave him an OK sign in return.

Roy: Good bro, I'll secretly add a piece of sugar to your medicine from now on.

Unfortunately, Deep Blue saw everything these two did in the rearview mirror. He couldn't make out the other words on the screen, but the words "petty" were definitely magnified in his eyes. Red Wolf Nuri was suppressing a laugh; he could already imagine how Deep Blue would torture Roy when he returned to the Special Operations Department.

"Xiao Hao, don't mind him. Now that you're adults, you have to take responsibility for your actions. And Roy, you've called me petty again. You'll see what happens when we get back."

Roy: The world isolates me, I let it mock me... ╥﹏╥...

Chapter 63 Holiday Village

After a long journey of more than an hour, the group arrived at their destination.

Deep Blue woke up the two people who were sleeping in the back, got out of the car, and took out his large shield from behind.

After everyone had gathered, Zhang Hao rubbed his eyes and looked at the vacation spot. He saw that the village was quite developed, and the houses of each household were basically intact. It was clear that the place was quite developed before the conflict between Hafk and Asara broke out.

After the young men got off the bus, they immediately started calling out to greet the man. Soon after, an elderly man in his seventies came out.

"Grandpa Village Chief, we're back! Oh, we're fine out there, don't worry. Let me introduce you. This is my direct superior, Said, the leader of Dam Zero. He's incredibly strong, and he's done a lot to liberate Asara. Do you remember his father who came to our village before? He's the hunter uncle. He's his son. And those people are the boss's companions, and they're also honored guests."

The village chief was just smiling as he looked at the young men. He was already happy that they were back in their best condition. He would treat the leader as a VIP. But when he heard that the leader was the son of the hunter from back then, he immediately looked at Said and walked over to him with his cane.

"Are you Old Sai's son? How is he doing now?"

Seeing that the old man in front of him seemed to have a close relationship with his father, Sayed answered truthfully:

"I'm sorry, you may never see him again. He has gone to another world."

Upon hearing that the outstanding and powerful hunter had actually passed away, the village chief's expectant gaze instantly turned into confusion, fear, and anger.

"You...you tell me quickly what happened to your father? He was such a strong person, how could he...leave before me?"

"Back then, Hamk and Hafk's group reached an underground cooperation, capturing our people in Asara and sending them to Hafk for human experimentation. Women were captured to become breeding machines, while the elderly and disabled were simply killed. That day, I went hunting in the mountains as usual, but while I was in the mountains, I suddenly saw my village engulfed in flames. When I rushed back for my life, I found that my village had been completely slaughtered by Hamk."

Seeing that the old man seemed unable to process so much information, Sayed quickly called a few young men to help the old village chief.

"I...I'm fine. Let's go inside and talk. Let's bring the guests over there too. Since you are Said's good friends, you are our honored guests. Ah Bao, go and prepare rooms and food for them. You can stay at my house for now."

So the group walked through the village again, with Zhang Hao observing this "unique" village. The contrast in the village was striking, with many walls covered in graffiti and paintings favored by young people. The village's style exuded vitality, evident in the architectural design.

But looking around, almost every household was occupied by elderly people. Occasionally, one or two children could be seen chasing and playing in the street. Zhang Hao looked at a young man accompanying him and asked:

"Brother, where are the young people in your village? There should be a lot of young people in this village, right?"

Upon hearing this, the person gave a wry smile and explained:

“Ah, you’re right, little brother. Our village used to be very powerful. Even when Hafk attacked, we were able to repel him many times. You know, our village was the biggest supporter of the previous King Asara. It was only after the last king took office that our village was surpassed by those small towns in Longbow Valley.”

He pointed to the surrounding buildings as he spoke.

“Look at these paintings. Back then, the three of us brothers also doodled on them. But then Hafk’s invasion was too fast, so the village summoned all the young men who were capable of fighting and sent us out to join the Asara Guard. He said that the old folks could protect themselves and that we, the able-bodied ones, should go and defend our country. The three of us were assigned to Longbow Valley, but that bastard Reis didn’t treat us like human beings at all. I saw many of my fellow villagers being beaten to death by his personal guards. So we quickly escaped and ran to the dam where we met Commander Said and escaped with our lives.”

As they talked, they arrived at a village home. A young woman in her early twenties came out. Seeing so many people gathered at her doorstep, she was momentarily at a loss, until the young man called out:

"Sophia, it's been a long time!"

The woman named Sofia then came to her senses, stepped aside, and pulled him aside to ask:

"You're back? Who are they?"

"See that guy with the red mask? He's our boss. I invited him back for a visit. The others are his friends, coming over for a few days."

At this moment, the village chief said:

"Sophia, go boil some water. These are our honored guests."

So Sofia, still a little confused, ran to the kitchen to boil water. Before entering the kitchen, she glanced at Said, who claimed to be the leader of the group, but unexpectedly, his gaze swept over her as well. After a brief eye contact, Sofia quickly turned around and ran into the kitchen.

"Wow, he looks so serious and fierce."

The village chief and Said started discussing things again. The two young men couldn't stay still, so they slipped out one after the other. Red Wolf and the other two listened with great interest, and Deep Blue even began to change his opinion of Said.

"The water's here, be careful it's hot! Wow, little brother, you're so cute, come and take it!"

"Thank you, sister. You look beautiful too."

Sofia brought over the hot water she had poured and handed it to everyone. When she saw Zhang Hao, her eyes lit up. She had never seen such an adorable child before. He was so cute, especially in the little dress she had sewn...

As she handed the water to Said, Sofia secretly observed the mysterious man with the red mask again. She didn't know why, but she had inexplicably become curious about him the moment she saw him. The trio who received the water also thanked her quickly.

After handing out the water, Sofia stood behind the village chief, listening to Said's story just like the others.

After Said finished recounting everything that had happened, the old village chief, fuming, sat down heavily, panting, and began to curse:

"That damned Hamk, he claims to be a royalist outside, but all he does is harm the people of Asara. He was a lackey of the former king. I never thought he would be so depraved as to turn his knife against the people of his own country."

Sofia, standing nearby, also expressed her utter disdain for Hamk, showing that the villagers were quite dissatisfied with the former king.

"So this time I have also reached a cooperation agreement with the leader of Longbow Valley, and it may not be long before we join forces to cause trouble for Hamk."

After Sayyid finished speaking, he looked seriously at the old village chief:

It's very unsafe for you here now. My first reason for coming is to see the place my father used to visit, and secondly, to ask if you need my help. I can only say that your place being attacked is inevitable sooner or later. If you need my help, then perhaps…

Said stopped talking and looked back at Zhang Hao for help. He had forgotten the draft he had written and didn't know how to formally begin what he was going to say next.

"Uncle Said means that he will send someone to take over this place, which is equivalent to stationing troops here to protect you, but in return, he will occupy some of your territory for military purposes."

Zhang Hao also stepped in to speak for Said, explaining the situation to the old village chief.

Chapter 64 A dark and windy night that kills people

"Governing troops? You mean you're putting our villages under your control?"

Saeed quickly explained that he was there to help them, not to seize their territory.

"No, village chief, what I mean is to give us some land to settle our people. You can still manage your own villages. We are only responsible for your safety."

Seeing Said hurriedly explaining himself, the old village chief smiled with relief:

“Oh, it’s alright. Even if we give you this village, it won’t matter. To be frank, almost every family here has received help from your father. A long time ago, this place was blocked by Hamk’s people. It was on the day the former king was about to take office. He called Hamk over because he was afraid we would cause trouble.”

"How does that relate to my father?"

“Alas, back then, Hamk blocked all our supply routes. He wanted to trap us in this village and kill us. We fought many battles with Hamk, but we still couldn't get out. After so many days without supplies, everyone was almost at their breaking point. That's when your father came hunting with a group of people and saw the situation. He went back and gathered his men, and together with us, we drove Hamk's men away. That saved the lives of our entire village.”

Said also recalled that when he was young, his father did come back and call away a large group of people, but he was too young to go with them.

“I understand your thoughts, but you must know that I am getting old now, and this village really needs a new leader. Saeed, I believe you can be as great as your father.”

After the village chief finished speaking, he looked at Said expectantly, only to find that the person he was looking at had already turned his head toward the little boy with white hair.

"Xiao Hao, what should we do? I didn't intend to take over this place under my jurisdiction."

Zhang Hao shook his head and said:

"It's simple. As more and more people come to your place, just let them over. The elderly who are not in good health and the children who need to study can go to the dam first. Some can get treatment, some can study, and then they can choose where they want to go. This way, you just gain more territory. Anyway, you don't usually have to manage these things, so what are you afraid of?"