The northern suburbs of Qingquan City.
Trudging through calf-deep snow, five sets of pitch-black power armor marched beneath an abandoned elevated highway bridge, advancing toward Qingquan City.
"...Radio activity detected, approximately four kilometers directly ahead. Low signal activity, unable to decode."
"Can we identify them?"
"Obviously not. We know nothing about the situation here... I suggest we first find a local native to ask around."
"Good idea."
Looking past a road sign marked with place names, Lu Yang gazed up at the dead city ahead, his brow furrowing beneath his helmet.
"So this is Qingquan City."
Qingquan City, located in the southern part of River Valley Province. Once an important hub in the central urban cluster, over a hundred million people had lived here.
As for now, the number of people living here probably didn't amount to a fraction of a percent of that past total.
Lu Yang tapped his index finger lightly against the side of his helmet, swiftly calling up geographic data imagery of the Qingquan area from his database.
Compared to the glory days before the war, this place was now nothing short of hell, reduced to desolation, ruin, bleakness, and death.
"Damn this war..."
Lu Yang checked the map once more, thrust his fist forward, and led his four squad members along the wreckage of the elevated highway.
It wasn't just Qingquan City that had been reduced to such a wretched state; if they wanted to reminisce about the past, they could mourn all the way from the horizon to the Kuiper Belt.
But there was no point in doing that.
The reason they had traveled thousands of kilometers from the East Coast was neither for archaeology nor documentary filming. It was to press on, heading west into the depths of the wasteland in search of humanity's last hope—the legendary Shelter 0.
As for why they had stopped here...
Honestly, Lu Yang hadn't wanted to either.
Unfortunately, their vehicle had run into some trouble.
To repair it as quickly as possible, their only option was to seek help from local survivors.
He had no desire to waste months here.
Based on his experience from the journey, if they stayed put for more than a month, endless trouble would inevitably find them.
"Captain, a drone is watching us."
The marine walking to Lu Yang's left looked up, scanning the airspace straight ahead, and added in an amused tone:
"Cute little thing... Nothing in my database matches its profile, but judging from its appearance, it's probably modified from some pre-war civilian model. Impressive that it can fly so high."
Another marine said lazily, "Looks like there's a shelter nearby. Great, finally don't have to deal with the natives."
"How do you know the people living in shelters aren't natives? Did you forget that bluecoat we ran into last time? Kept claiming he was from Vault 117, then immediately swallowed the chewing gum I gave him."
"Hahahaha!"
Laughter burst uncontrollably over the comm channel as they chatted.
Clearly, they didn't take the little guy in the sky seriously.
"Cut the chatter, someone's watching us."
Drawing the jammer gun holstered at his waist, the marine on the outer flank cast an inquiring glance toward their captain.
"Need me to bring it down?"
"No need."
Lu Yang made a hand gesture signaling his comrades to halt, then waved toward the sky to show that they had spotted it.
"Friends from afar, we mean no harm. If it's convenient, can we talk?"
Not knowing whether the drone had an audio pickup system, Lu Yang switched on the loudspeaker on his power armor helmet and spoke in a booming voice to convey their goodwill.
The voice echoed across the ruins.
Perhaps it heard his voice, or perhaps it realized it had been spotted; the drone descended and flew right before them.
It was a silver-white sphere, astonishingly small, its rotor blades made of some unknown material that spun in complete silence.
Lu Yang watched it hover before him, circle around him once, and then drift slowly toward Wetland Park ahead.
The squad members exchanged glances.
"Is that a friendly gesture?"
"Probably. Looks like it's inviting us over."
"Captain, are we going?"
Lu Yang pondered for a moment, then spoke:
"Wang Yi stays behind. Find high ground nearby to keep watch. The rest of you, advance with me."
"Sir!"
***
The outpost, third floor of the sanatorium.
Looking through the screen mounted on his arm at the four figures entering Wetland Park, Chu Guang's expression turned slightly grim.
Power armor!
Before, he had only heard of such things from the survivors. Seeing them with his own eyes for the first time now, they were even more exaggerated than he had imagined.
Heavy full-coverage armor encased every inch of their bodies, while the rectangular modular rifles gripped in their hands radiated a chilling gleam.
Like humanoid tanks stepping off a sci-fi movie set, they inspired dread.
Chu Guang even wondered if regular-caliber bullets would do anything more than tickle them.
The heavyweight armor and equipment didn't hinder their mobility in the slightest; at least, judging by how effortlessly they moved through the woods, clearing obstacles was child's play to them.
Chu Guang roughly estimated their gear to weigh at least 1.5 to over 2 tons, almost certainly powered by fusion cells.
Just now, he had piloted the Hummingbird in a circle around the lead set of power armor and seen no conspicuous fuel tank or battery pack. If it were powered by fuel cells like solid hydrogen, the energy density could be quite high, but not this high.
Evidently, the power armor they wore was top-of-the-line!
If a conflict broke out, probably the only thing in the entire outpost capable of posing a threat to their armor would be the hammer strapped to his back.
Compared to these guys, the green-skinned muscleheads on 76th Street were nothing.
"Xiao Qi, head back underground for now."
Xiao Qi tilted its camera and looked up at Chu Guang. "But Master, it's only afternoon."
"It has nothing to do with what time it is. I'm not sure if the people outside are friends or foes. If a fight breaks out, I might not be able to look after you. It's safer if you go down first."
"Even though Xiao Qi is happy to hear Master say that, Xiao Qi won't abandon Master to hide all alone! Besides, you really don't need to be so nervous. Those people probably came out of a shelter too, so they shouldn't make things too hard for us."
Chu Guang looked at it in surprise. "You can tell that?"
Xiao Qi said, "Well, not for sure, but the electromagnetic rifles in their hands really look like pre-war standard-issue models. And after spotting our drone, they didn't shoot it down, but proactively showed goodwill instead... If they came with hostile intent, it feels like they wouldn't bother with that. What do you think, Master?"
"Me? I don't know, but I don't usually pin my hopes on the kindness of others."
After a moment of thought, Chu Guang weighed the EMP grenade in his hand and slipped it into his pocket.
While he wasn't sure how effective it would be against power armor, having it was better than nothing.
Even if it only disabled the enemy's electronics for two seconds, that would buy him two extra seconds to react.
Chu Guang planned to keep the negotiation distance within three meters.
That way, even if something went wrong, he could use the Nitrogen Power Hammer in his hand to teach them an unforgettable lesson.
***
North gate of the outpost.
Watching the four iron lumps walking over from a distance, the players at the north gate market all wore looks of sheer awe.
"Holy crap! What the hell is that?"
"Could it be the power armor mentioned on the official website?!"
"Where did these NPCs spawn from?"
"Rational analysis time: this game must have a hidden prosperity stat. Once your prosperity reaches a certain level, it attracts wild NPCs to visit!"
"Their guns are f*cking badass... Not gonna lie, I want to buy one!"
"That'll cost at least a hundred thousand silver. Go right ahead."
"Damn!"
Sisters Qiu Cao and Qiu Ye, tending their stall in the market, also noticed the commotion outside.
Watching the four iron lumps approach the north gate, Qiu Ye blinked curiously.
"Big Sis, what are those? Their armor looks even nicer than the Administrator's."
"I don't know... I think it's called power armor," Qiu Cao said, nervously taking her younger sister's hand and pulling her into her embrace. "Don't stare at them."
Clearly, these newcomers didn't know the bluecoats around them.
When a group of heavily armed strangers suddenly shows up at your doorstep, you can never assume they come with good intentions, no matter the circumstances.
Should she tell the clan leader?
Qiu Cao thought anxiously.
Right then, a figure appeared at the north gate.
Flanked by several bluecoats, the Administrator stepped out of the outpost with a long-handled warhammer on his back.
Watching the man walking toward them, one of the marines beside Lu Yang couldn't resist mocking him over the comm channel:
"Did you guys see that hammer on his back? I've never seen such a bizarre weapon... Wait, is that even a weapon?"
"Shut up."
Giving his teammate a warning glare, Lu Yang stowed the weapon in his hands behind his back. He tapped his index finger against the side of his helmet, retracting the faceplate covering his face as a gesture of goodwill.
"Are you people from a shelter?"
"Chu Guang, Administrator of Shelter 404." Stopping in front of the man, Chu Guang fixed him with a sharp gaze. "Who are you? Why have you come here?"
"Lu Yang, an employee of the Enterprise, serving in the First Pioneer Corps under Silverwing Group's Overseas Business Division. We come from the distant East Coast, heading west in search of something. We bear no ill will; we're merely passing through."
Chu Guang had heard of the "Enterprise" before. It was supposedly a massive survivor settlement located on the East Coast. Some said its predecessor was Shelter 6, while others claimed it was Shelter 66. Their sphere of influence was enormous, reportedly spanning an entire province along the East Coast.
However, due to their unique model of expansion, the Enterprise exercised very weak control over the "subsidiaries" within its domain. The assets genuinely under the direct control of the "Enterprise" might amount to no more than a survivor settlement slightly larger than Boulder City.
Many caravans that had nothing to do with the Enterprise, and traveling merchants who didn't even originate from the East Coast, also liked to do business under its banner.
As for Silverwing Group, it was likely some subsidiary of the Enterprise, perhaps newly founded to accomplish a specific objective; in any case, Chu Guang had never heard of it.
The straight-line distance from the East Coast to River Valley Province was over a thousand kilometers, and the actual travel distance was even farther—possibly up to ten thousand kilometers.
Over such vast distances, any news reaching this far was likely distorted.
In short, regardless of who they answered to, the mere fact that they had marched all the way from the East Coast to River Valley Province meant their equipment and prowess were not to be underestimated!
Although deeply curious about what the Enterprise was searching for in the west, Chu Guang knew the man likely wouldn't tell him even if asked, so he didn't press the matter.
After studying Lu Yang for a moment, Chu Guang asked, "Is what you're looking for here in Qingquan City?"
Lu Yang shook his head. "Of course not. River Valley Province is at best the middle of this continent. The west we speak of is far beyond here."
Pausing for a moment, he looked at Chu Guang and continued: "Let's be frank. Our main force is encamped in an open area about ten kilometers from here. If possible, we wouldn't want to linger either, but unfortunately, our *Pioneer* ran into a bit of trouble, so we had no choice but to come here seeking help."
Chu Guang asked, "What is the *Pioneer*?"
"You can think of it as our transport vehicle. It was originally four SC-500 crawler transport platforms, but we modified them slightly, chaining them together and adding modular facilities suitable for long-distance travel. As for what it looks like specifically..." Lu Yang wasn't sure how to describe it either and could only gesture vaguely. "In short, it's massive!"
"Crawler transport platforms?"
Baffled by his vague description, Chu Guang couldn't help but frown. "Can you be more specific? For instance, its length, width, or tonnage..."
Lu Yang thought for a moment, then said with certainty, "In terms of tonnage, about twelve thousand tons!"
"???"
What the hell?!
Twelve thousand tons?!
Hearing this number, Chu Guang was stunned on the spot.
If he remembered correctly, the Gustav railway gun was only 1,500 tons, wasn't it?
Even the crawler-transporter used to carry massive rockets like the Saturn V only had an unladen weight of about 3,000 tons and a maximum carrying capacity of 8,000 tons...
Twelve thousand tons!
Did they drive a cruiser onto land?!
Chu Guang didn't ask whether that twelve thousand tons was net weight or maximum load capacity; either way, the figure far exceeded his comprehension.
It was hard to imagine how such a monstrosity could "sail" across the wasteland.
In any case, it certainly didn't run on gasoline.
Snapping out of his shock, Chu Guang took a deep breath, looked at the expectant Lu Yang, and shook his head.
"I'm sorry to disappoint you. While our shelter has some engineers... the kind of machine you're describing is clearly beyond their capabilities. I'm afraid we can't help you with this!"
Never mind being beyond their capabilities.
A vehicle of such tonnage could probably only be understood by his little players as part of the game's lore setting.
Chu Guang suddenly felt a bit curious about what this thing actually looked like.
If possible, he wanted to take a picture and post it on the official website.
Seeing that the Administrator had misunderstood him, Lu Yang waved his hands in a hurry to explain.
"No, no, no, my friend, you've misunderstood! We aren't asking for technical assistance. We have our own engineers and production tools, and we know how to repair the damaged parts. The problem is, we're short on hands, and our reserves of materials and energy are running dry."
To sum it up: short on people, raw materials, and power?
But I'm f*cking short on those too!
Chu Guang looked at him and asked warily, "So what is your proposal?"
Lu Yang said with reasonable sincerity, "We hope you can lend us some manpower to help scavenge usable resources in the vicinity. Besides that, we need a guide familiar with the local terrain! We know where to find the things we need! Of course, we won't ask for your help for free—we will pay compensation."
Hearing the word "compensation," Chu Guang finally developed some interest in the conversation.
And judging from what he said, did they know where to find fusion fuel?
Now that was good stuff!
A pleasant smile broke out on Chu Guang's face, and he extended his right hand.
"Of course, no problem at all, my friend! Helping others is the noblest of virtues!"
"Though it looks like the snow is falling heavier and heavier. If it suits you, please step inside with me so we can talk."
Chapter 134