Two Leads

At some point, the drumbeat of explosions and gunfire had fallen silent. Not long after, black smoke rose from the direction of Dust Town. The residents marching along the mountain trail stopped in their tracks. Dropping their packs, they prostrated themselves toward the town one after another. "Great Horned Deer God above..." "May Lord Great Horned Rat be safe and sound." "The Emperor protects." From their jumble of prayers, it was easy to see how chaotic their beliefs really were. Yet the sincerity in their hearts as they prayed for the warriors' safety was without a shred of falsehood. Catching sight of that plume of black smoke from where his hands were bound to the oxcart, Zhang Zhengyang felt a wave of vindication, along with a quiet, gloating glee. His Eminence the Bishop hadn't abandoned him after all! Their allies had sent someone to rescue him! Even so, he didn't dare let his thoughts show on his face. He merely kept his head ducked timidly, terrified that the survivors might notice and vent their wrath on him. Watching the residents prostrating themselves in prayer, Lao Bai stopped at the head of the column and tapped his forefinger against his helmet. "Take a ten-minute break." "We'll wait for them." They were already more than twenty kilometers away from Dust Town, separated by forests and hills virtually impassable to vehicles. There was little reason to fear being overtaken. Thanks to the time the brothers of the Jungle Corps had bought them, they had more than enough leeway to relocate to a safe area. After three or four minutes, the residents of Dust Town pushed themselves up from the ground, brushed off the dirt, and picked up their bundles once more. Morale was low, and few words were exchanged. Yet Lao Bai could see something in their eyes beyond sorrow and bewilderment. It was the same look he had once seen in the eyes of the residents of Dawn City... "Move out." Lao Bai thrust his right fist forward. The evacuating column stretched into a long serpent through the mountains, winding ahead toward the resettlement site nestled among the peaks. Meanwhile, a small, silver fixed-wing drone ceased its circling and glided along a preset flight path down beside an abandoned farm to the north. Two Guards Corps scouts waiting there stepped forward quickly, folded the drone for recovery, and carried it aboard a Viper transport parked nearby. Two hours later. The drone's storage drive was delivered to the Boulder Building, where the combat footage and weapon telemetry were extracted and uploaded to the server. In the top-floor office of the Boulder Building. Standing by the floor-to-ceiling window, Ibers watched the combat footage from start to finish. After two or three seconds of silence, he let out a low sigh, pressed the off switch, and murmured to himself, "I must admit, even hideous organisms can occasionally display a shining moment outside of death..." "Magnificent." According to computer simulations, the Iron Wall exoskeleton paired with the Howler boltgun could at best bring a human soldier's combat capability on par with a mutant's. That meant under conditions where both sides used infantry armor and firearms, with minimal disparity in tactics and numbers, a one-to-one casualty ratio was closest to the projected outcome. After all, mutants were byproducts of the singularity technology known as the Gestalt Lifeform; their very existence was the crystallization of advanced biotechnology. Even with the Jungle Corps soldiers all being Awakened, achieving a one-to-three kill ratio without external fire support would have been no easy feat. Yet the final casualty ratio had reached one to ten! Ibers had no doubt that no corps in Boulder City, even in its golden age, could have attained such combat effectiveness. Twenty against more than five hundred... Even for a squad composed of X-16s, being overwhelmed would have been a matter of minutes. "The data is so splendid that it loses its reference value... Still, your valor deserves to be preserved in the server forever." Flicking his index finger lightly across the glass, Ibers dragged the combat logs and telemetry into an archive folder. This was the combat debut of the XB-1 Howler boltgun. It was also the most shocking weapon trial he had witnessed in a century. Recalling that those men were all dead, a rare flicker of regret surfaced on Ibers's face. "Though you'll likely never hear it, I would still like to tell you: "Your deaths were far more valuable than those of most organisms." Still, he hadn't anticipated that the Alliance's soldiers would be so adept at hand-to-hand combat. His original recommendation had been to disengage once the enemy closed within ten meters. Perhaps he should equip them with melee weapons next time, like chainswords... *** [Side Quest: "First Boltgun Field Test" Complete!] [Requirement: Engage a mutant squad of one hundred or more.] [Ibers: "Your deaths were far more valuable than those of most organisms. I eagerly anticipate our next collaboration!"] [Rating: S+] [Reward: ...] At the exact moment the Jungle Corps players received their quest rewards, the official Wasteland Online forum was in an absolute frenzy. Having gloriously logged off, Scavenger was hammering away on his keyboard, describing the perils of the battle in vivid, dramatic color. He recounted how he had engaged in an unstoppable slaughter amidst a horde of green-skinned brutes, and how he had claimed the head of the giant mutant in the midst of the swarm. Listening to his abstract description of "snatching one head with my left claw and another with my right," an outsider might have thought he had wiped out an entire century single-handedly. Eventually, someone couldn't resist asking how many he had actually killed, and Scavenger gave an uncharacteristically honest answer. Hearing "only twenty," a long string of jeers erupted below the post. Lord Proud What Can You Do: "Heh, only twenty and you're bragging? Back when my brother went down to Southeast Asia to do business, he ran into a gang of drug traffickers—a good hundred of them. Every single one of those bastards was built like a brick shithouse, toting AKs and SAWs. My brother carved right through them with a single combat knife. Found out later they were a local warlord's private army." Scavenger Lv99: "Pfft, your hundred drug runners wouldn't mean shit on the wasteland! They wouldn't even beat marauders!" Elaina: "I feel like the moment you started debating Brother Proud, you already lost. (Funny)" Elven King Fugui: "Did my memory fail me? Wasn't his brother a special forces commando on a secret mission in the south? (Funny)" Makabazi: "Hahahaha! I remember that too!" Elaina: "So the question is, what the hell did Brother Proud's ancestors actually do? (Funny)" As usual, Brother Proud dropped his line and bolted, giving no one a chance to pin him down in an argument. It made one wonder if the guy was secretly browsing on his phone under a school desk. Returning to the post itself, unlike armchair players, most seasoned players knew just how terrifying mutants were. Especially the Alpha test veterans. The impression of the mutants' horrific regenerative ability was practically etched into their minds. So when Scavenger claimed he had taken twenty heads, even his teammates didn't believe the K/D. Wo Xiang Jingjing called it fake at a glance, while Qiangren Suonan shouted that the guy had definitely counted the two heads he took toward his own score, making Scavenger fume with indignation. It wasn't until Midnight Chicken Slayer logged on that the record was set straight. The guy really hadn't been bragging. If the final big brute hadn't been so absurdly strong—the kind that could snap a tree with a single kick—he likely would have racked up even more kills. That brute had a name, meaning he could easily qualify as a purple elite mob. Scavenger Lv99: "...Sigh, speaking of suffering, you guys had it worst. Twenty sets of Iron Wall exoskeletons, not counting those boltguns, must have cost around three hundred thousand silver coins altogether, right?" Although he had lost a set of Hunter exoskeletons himself, that was just mount gear and not terribly expensive; losing it was no big deal. Wasn't gaming all about having fun? He had enjoyed himself, his believers were safe, and plenty of people had lost far more than he had. That life had been worth it! Midnight Chicken Slayer: "Oh, you mean the exoskeletons and rifles... Those were quest items. If they broke, they broke. It's not like we paid for them." Piltover Paratrooper: "+1. Did you forget? We usually just wear the KV-1 welded with steel plates or the Miner I." Prone Hardworker: "Goblin Tech is number one under heaven! (Funny)" Scavenger Lv99: "???" A quest? What the hell?! Scavenger was dumbfounded. Seeing the three question marks, Midnight Chicken Slayer typed back, "Didn't you get the quest?" Scavenger Lv99: "...What quest? (Baffled)" Midnight Chicken Slayer: "The Boulder Military Industries quest. Didn't I tell you from the start? We came here to die." Scavenger Lv99: "Holy fuck?! Are you serious?!" Midnight Chicken Slayer: "Yeah." Seeing that "Yeah," Scavenger nearly spat blood onto his screen. Brother Chicken really had said that at the time, but he had assumed the guy was just trying to sound badass and hadn't taken it to heart. It turned out there really was such an outrageous quest?! Thinking Brother Scavenger didn't believe him, Midnight Chicken Slayer continued typing, "It was a side quest from Boulder Military Industries asking us to take on a '20 vs 100' challenge and see how many we could kill. We got quest gear for free. I was originally planning to save it for later, but the opportunity presented itself... Anyway, we got an S+ rating, and the silver coin reward was pretty generous." Makabazi: "Hahahaha!" Elaina: "Scavenger: Turns out the chump was me. (Funny)" Elven King Fugui: "My condolences. If I were Brother Scavenger, I'd already be crying in the bathroom. (Funny)" Scavenger Lv99: "Fuuuuck me sideways!%#@!" Midnight Chicken Slayer: "(Goofy grin)" Brother Mole: "To be fair, losing gear really does sting; it hurts just watching it. I think the game could add an insurance system, like EVE where ship losses refund a percentage of ISK. If an exoskeleton blows up, refund sixty or seventy percent of the silver coins. Basic weapons like assault rifles wouldn't need coverage." Elaina: "So the question is, given how often players trash their gear, what percentage of the total equipment cost should the premium be? (Funny)" Brother Mole: "Uh, that really is a problem." If the premium was too high, insurance became pointless. But if it was too low, Wasteland Online's nearly realistic economic system would drive the Alliance straight into bankruptcy. He had always been interested in running a private insurance business. Yet in a business where you were betting against glaring, inevitable risks, any calculation ended with him going broke. After all, as a player himself, he knew better than anyone how recklessly players played... *** While the forum drifted off-topic with chatter, nearly three hundred households from Dust Town and the Burning Corps finally reached the mountainous border between River Valley Province and Jinchuan Province. The terrain here was treacherous. To the south lay only a single winding mountain path, while to the north flowed a river fifty to sixty meters wide, its steep rocky cliffs rising directly from the water. Across the middle stretched a bridge built back in the Human Alliance era. Although the roads on both sides had mostly been erased by time, the nameless bridge remained structurally intact, leaning only slightly off-kilter. It was likely caused by subsidence in the strata beneath the piers. Yet on the wasteland, this precarious bridge posed no obstacle. It was already one of the few passable routes. The Alliance's supply trucks were parked at the bridgehead. The Burning Corps players were busy unloading supplies, coordinating with the accompanying logistics personnel to construct an operating base. Before erecting watchtowers and machine-gun emplacements, they needed to widen the road surface at the bridgehead so ammunition and weapons could be brought in smoothly. Under current conditions, even turning a truck around was difficult. Just looking at the road conditions on the other side of the bridge, Ye Shi wasn't sure whether to admire the driving skills of these guys or the Alliance's factories. To drive vehicles out here, they could probably pass a Class A commercial license test back in reality without breaking a sweat. "Long time no see! Where's Scavenger? Did he wipe out again?" Seeing Lao Bai's group, Dagger of Murder sauntered over with a grin to greet them, but when he saw the dense crowd following behind, surprise registered on his face. He wasn't the only one surprised. The survivors of Dust Town caught sight of his wok-sized hands and jumped back in fright. Several timid children shrank nervously behind their parents, and a few younger ones even burst into tears. Dagger of Murder looked thoroughly embarrassed. No matter how he thought about it, he wasn't nearly as terrifying as Scavenger. Why did every single NPC look at him like they had seen a ghost? Still, not wanting to frighten the kids, he made a show of hiding his oversized fists behind his back and asked Lao Bai in a low voice, "Why are there so many people?" Lao Bai shrugged helplessly. Just as he was about to explain, Ye Shi cut in ahead of him. "They're all Scavenger's believers." Dagger of Murder: "Pfft..." Kidney Fighter: "Believers? You're kidding." "Anyway, it's pretty much as Ye Shi said. Brother Scavenger asked us to look after them," Lao Bai said concisely. "Besides, the enemies were mutants. Even without Brother Scavenger's request, we couldn't just leave them to their fate." "True enough..." Dagger of Murder nodded in wholehearted agreement. Mutants weren't human. Though a cliché, it was the truest description of their deeds. Compared to mutant tribes, any marauder gang was practically amateur hour. Lao Bai had already reported the situation in Dust Town to the Administrator. Although the Alliance lacked the surplus capacity to look after refugees seven hundred kilometers away—especially while Dawn City and Boulder City were both gearing up for the spring Tide—that merciful lord had still stated he would send personnel from the Refugee Home to settle these people on-site. At that moment, the mayor of Dust Town walked over. Behind the old man followed a young man, both looking as if they had something to say. Looking at the pair, Lao Bai asked gently, "Is something the matter?" Qin Baitian didn't speak right away. Instead, he bowed respectfully. While Lao Bai was still taken aback, the old man raised his head and spoke earnestly, "Thank you for saving us time and again. I know we could never repay your kindness in a lifetime, but at the very least, we don't want to become a burden to you and bring shame upon the Great Horned Deer God and the Great Horned Rat... If there is anything people like us can help with, please don't hesitate to instruct me. I will pass the word to the townsfolk." The young man beside Qin Baitian nodded vigorously and added with resolve, "Please give us a chance... We want to do our part for you!" A few months ago, he had accidentally ingested a nafruit, nearly plunging the entire village into the green plague. It was the Great Horned Deer God who had forgiven and saved him. That lord had not only pardoned the sin he had committed out of ignorance, but had also bestowed precious medicine, carrying him through his darkest hours. Only now was he fully recovered. From that day forth, he had sworn to spend the rest of his life serving that lord. Seeing the conviction in their eyes, Lao Bai fell silent for a moment, swallowed the words on the tip of his tongue, and changed his tack. "We plan to build a supply outpost here, and eventually a railroad connecting Qingquan City to this area. "If you want to help, start by compiling a list of able-bodied men and women between the ages of sixteen and forty who are willing to work. I'll pass the roster to logistics so they can assign jobs. You'll also receive a wage—though it usually isn't much, just the minimum standard." "How could we accept that? You've helped us so much; how could we take your money..." Qin Baitian protested awkwardly, but Lao Bai raised a hand to cut him off. "The Alliance does not let anyone work for nothing. If there is work, there must be pay; that is a law everyone must abide by. Please understand. Just as you wish to do something for us, we do not wish for you to work for us on your own dime." Qin Baitian was stunned. It was not because of the man's insistence on payment, but rather his very first phrase. "The Alliance is..." "It's the alliance in the southern part of River Valley Province. We haven't had a chance to tell you, but we don't actually have an Emperor—only an Administrator. That lizard is one of ours, that rat is too, and so is the man who was with them. We are all residents of Shelter 404..." Seeing their bewildered expressions, Lao Bai figured they probably couldn't even point out River Valley Province on a map. He offered a wry smile and stopped. "Too difficult to understand? Then think of it as... a collective made up of many large settlements." Before Qin Baitian could respond, the young man asked blankly, "Is it like Pinecone Farm?" "Pinecone Farm? Definitely not tiny like a farm..." Lao Bai assumed it was something like Brown Farm and shook his head with a chuckle. To his surprise, hearing this left the young man looking completely shocked. "Even bigger than Pinecone Farm..." Ye Shi chimed in curiously, "What kind of place is that?" Qin Baitian answered slowly, "A settlement of over fifty thousand people, located toward the east of the city ruins. It's quite far from us, but still within the borders of Jinhe City... The master of the farm is called Zhao something, and he has a lot of soldiers under him." Ye Shi and Kuang Feng exchanged glances. Fang Chang, who had remained silent, rubbed his chin, a thoughtful look appearing on his face. "Dust Town was the last settlement uncorrupted by nafruit... In other words, shouldn't Pinecone Farm belong to the Church of the Torch by now?" With a flicker of thought, Fang Chang turned to Qin Baitian and asked, "Are there any settlements larger than Pinecone Farm around Jinhe City?" Qin Baitian thought for a moment, then shook his head. "There shouldn't be. As I recall, that farm was formed by merging several settlements. If memory serves, back when I was a child, there were three or four farms there..." Fang Chang pressed immediately, "Have you been there?" Qin Baitian shook his head, a hint of wariness in his eyes. "I wouldn't dare go to that place... I've heard that some of the slaver parties around here are actually guards working for Master Zhao. Aside from scavenging and hunting, we rarely dare wander far from our settlement. The previous old mayor was said to have had some ties with Pinecone Farm, but a lot of things happened later... If you're curious about the situation there, I can ask the town's hunters for you." Fang Chang nodded. "Yes, please do." They were merely the advance vanguard sent south by the Alliance; having arrived only recently, their grasp of local intelligence was still far too thin. He needed more information. Whether to uncover the secrets hidden in the "Champion" Biopharmaceutical Research Institute or to locate the "Sanctuary" and the bishop hiding within. As the largest survivor settlement in the area, Pinecone Farm might prove to be a solid breakthrough point. And then there was that "Iron Tower" organization. Fang Chang looked toward Lao Bai. "Speaking of which, what is the Administrator's take on the 'Iron Tower' organization?" Lao Bai snapped out of his contemplation and said, "His advice is that we can cooperate with local resistance groups, but we must stay vigilant about the risk of infiltration within such loosely structured organizations. The people we met might be safe, but the rest require a question mark." Fang Chang gave Lao Bai a surprised look. To be honest, he had thought the exact same thing. Last night's assault had been practically suicidal. Rather than whittling down the opposition, it had looked more like whittling down their own numbers. In fact, that had indeed been the case—the cybernetic mutant the enemy sent was exceptionally formidable. If Ye Shi hadn't drawn aggro, that guy Li Jinrong and his brothers would have certainly been killed. What surprised Fang Chang was that he had reached that conclusion because he had been on the scene; he was the one who had rescued the man. Yet the Administrator, glancing at a combat report from eight hundred kilometers away, had already considered that angle. This NPC really had some serious depth... "...Indeed. There might be Torch informants inside Iron Tower. We can't trust them completely, but we can also use that to our advantage—feeding false intelligence through them to our enemies to make them expose flaws." "Good idea..." Lao Bai nodded in approval, then added, "Still, this is all just conjecture for now. It's entirely possible last night was simply an accident." Fang Chang continued, "So we need to pursue two leads simultaneously. On one hand, we make contact with the Iron Tower people to identify who among them is trustworthy and who isn't. On the other hand, we can use Pinecone Farm as a lead to trace information regarding the 'Sanctuary.'" Lao Bai nodded solemnly. "All right. Then I'll figure out a way to get in touch with Iron Tower first."