Chapter 11: A Small Interlude Before Departure
Every corner of the wide square was filled with a busy atmosphere.
The clamorous sounds never ceased, and the crowds flowed endlessly.
The main road was almost constantly traversed by various modified vehicles, and sometimes even traffic jams occurred.
This was the assembly area in front of the north gate of Chu Sheng City, one of the essential routes for entering and exiting Chu Sheng City, and also one of the most lively and densely populated areas in Chu Sheng City.
Hundreds of standing army soldiers maintained order here.
Mercenaries who had accepted missions waited here for their teams to assemble and leave the city.
Mercenaries returning from outside rested here and took stock of their spoils.
Scavengers would lay out simple carpets here to sell the 'valuable things' they had just brought back from the ruins.
Not far away was the city wall of Chu Sheng City.
The fifteen-meter-high city wall had stood there since she could remember, guarding the nearly one hundred thousand people in Chu Sheng City, becoming a symbol of security in the hearts of all residents of Chu Sheng City.
Once upon a time, like many residents of Chu Sheng City, she longed to hide forever behind the tall walls, to live forever in the safe zone.
However, since the first time she was forced by circumstances to leave the safe zone and scavenge for trash in the outside world, her attitude towards the outside world had quietly begun to change.
It was so dangerous and yet so different.
Leaving the protection of the city walls felt like breaking free from some kind of shackles.
From that moment on, a seed of desire for exploration was planted in her heart.
Even now, as a mercenary, having personally experienced countless life-and-death struggles, this heart had never changed…
But before restarting her mercenary career, she had to get her life back on track.
She took out her memo pad from her pocket.
The pages were yellowed and damaged but still usable.
Opening to a new page, on it was written the mission content copied from the Special Business Handling Center.
The designated assembly time for the mission was from one to one-thirty in the afternoon.
It was almost past the time limit; she had to hurry to the designated assembly point to report.
Firearm, hunting knife, mask, ammunition… After a final check to ensure all her belongings were present, Zhong Jing immediately rushed towards the designated assembly point.
Following the instructions in the mission content, Zhong Jing arrived at the garage area located in the west of the assembly area.
This was the most concentrated area for mercenaries preparing to go out.
After all, in the perilous outside world, a means of transportation was a great help.
Unless one was going out alone or the destination was very close, one would need a vehicle even if it meant renting one.
Moreover, the one who hired them was a high-level researcher from the Research Institute.
It would be unbelievable if they couldn’t provide a vehicle.
This should be it.
Following the instructions, Zhong Jing arrived in front of a garage numbered B-013.
The garage's roller shutter door was still tightly closed, but the small side door was already unlocked, and voices could be heard from the gap in the door.
Presumably, these were the other mercenary members participating in the mission.
Pushing open the door, just as Zhong Jing had thought, four people dressed as mercenaries were sitting on chairs in the room.
The idle chatter came from two of them.
Before Zhong Jing pushed open the door, they had all turned their gazes towards the entrance.
Zhong Jing’s footsteps, which she hadn’t deliberately hidden, had already reached their ears through the wall.
Zhong Jing didn't pay any mind to the gazes directed at her.
From beginning to end, she had kept herself tightly wrapped in a hood, goggles, and a gas mask, not worried that these people could see anything.
While they were observing her, Zhong Jing’s gaze also observed them through her goggles.
All four mercenaries, excluding herself, had arrived.
A middle-aged man with a square face and a full beard had a self-rolled cigarette made from newspaper dangling from his mouth.
He was sitting against the wall, maintaining his gun.
His arms, exposed beneath his short sleeves, were covered in thick body hair.
A young man wearing overalls was chatting animatedly with another short-haired, yellow-haired person.
The conversation in the room primarily came from these two.
In a corner of the room, there was another person, like herself, wearing a black mask with a pattern on it, covering their face.
He was lazily lying on a small platform made of two chairs, his eyes closed, seemingly resting.
The furnishings in the room were simple: seven or eight chairs and a small table.
Due to the climate and the enclosed environment, a slight stuffiness could be felt indoors.
Zhong Jing had never liked dealing with people she wasn't familiar with.
If it weren't for this mission, she usually wouldn't accept tasks that required working with unfamiliar mercenaries.
In her opinion, these strange mercenaries were more dangerous and cunning than mutated monsters.
This kind of unstable factor right beside her could erupt at any time.
Perhaps just a slightly valuable piece of loot would make a comrade-in-arms from the previous second harbor greedy thoughts and shoot her in the back.
Examples like this were countless in this world.
With the idea of not making contact, Zhong Jing had always been active in the mercenary world as a lone wolf.
However, in this situation, contact was definitely unavoidable.
Just as this thought emerged, someone had already taken the initiative to approach her.
“Friend, a few more minutes and you would have been late.”
Seeing Zhong Jing appear, the short-haired, yellow-haired youth immediately stood up and walked over familiarly, greeting her with a smile: “Huh? A C06 submachine gun? That’s a rare weapon, but it suits you well.”
Ha? Zhong Jing’s eyes narrowed slightly.
Was this person mocking her height right from the start?
“No, I’m sorry, it’s not what you think…” Seemingly realizing the problem with his words immediately, the short-haired, yellow-haired youth waved his hands repeatedly, “Um, my name is Si Ling, this is Xiao Liu, that square-faced uncle over there, we call him Uncle Lin, he’s also Xiao Liu’s uncle. Oh, and that one in the corner…”
The two people who were introduced also smiled and waved or nodded at Zhong Jing respectively, but the last person to be introduced didn’t seem to want to make his appearance in such a peaceful manner.
“Crow.”
Before the blond youth named Si Ling could finish, the person wearing the mask interrupted him.
He slowly rose from his chair, hands in his pockets, and walked over step by step.
Si Ling stopped talking and even stepped back to make way, clearly not wanting to provoke this guy.
Crow, who came before Zhong Jing, looked down at Zhong Jing, who was a head shorter than him, exerting pressure on Zhong Jing with his height and gaze.
After a long pause, he contemptuously threw out a sentence.
“Less trouble, don’t hold us back, shorty.”
Tsk!
The nerve-twitching words made Zhong Jing clench her fists slightly.
She had thought this guy had come to her with some profound statement, but it turned out to be another jab at her height.
Zhong Jing wasn't an easily angered person, but in the past, she would have definitely retorted impolitely.
This kind of impolite fellow wasn't just bored and looking for trouble, but wanted to establish his position in the team from the very beginning, so as to allocate himself more extra gains from the operation.
The more one tolerated, the more trouble would arise.
Letting the other party know one's attitude early on was not an unwise approach.
But now she knew very well that her voice was really not suitable for talking much.
Compared to the potential for more trouble, she chose to ignore it.
Bypassing the path blocked by Crow, Zhong Jing went straight to a chair by the door and sat down, no longer paying attention to the other party.
The ignored Crow’s gaze fixed on the seated Zhong Jing.
Zhong Jing’s behavior seemed to have exceeded his expectations, which made him start to plan his next move.
Although Zhong Jing was short, no mercenary who had struggled in the outside world could be easily underestimated.
Zhong Jing’s attire really made him somewhat wary.
At this moment, due to the confrontation between Crow and Zhong Jing, the entire room fell into silence.
“Haha, alright, alright, since we’re comrades, let’s get along. We’ll be fighting side by side later. Crow, you stop scaring him too. By the way, little brother, what should we call you?”
Just as Zhong Jing was preparing to ignore the atmosphere and find a random seat, the square-faced middle-aged man called Uncle Lin chuckled.
He put down the weapon he had finished maintaining, turned his gaze to Zhong Jing at the door, and gave Crow a way out with a single sentence.
Crow himself had no intention of conflicting with Zhong Jing.
After a light snort, he took Uncle Lin’s offered way out and returned to his seat.
Zhong Jing glanced at Uncle Lin.
She wouldn't let her guard down against this middle-aged man just because of his words that defused the awkwardness.
No one knew what was hidden beneath a smiling mask, but since the other party was willing to show goodwill, Zhong Jing would still respond.
“Stone.”
Suppressing her voice as much as possible, the two simple words, after being physically processed by the gas mask, should not have any voice issues.
Of course, the other party wasn't asking for her real name.
Like all the mercenaries here, Zhong Jing reported her codename.
Mercenary codenames basically had no meaning, purely for convenience in addressing each other during operations.
Sometimes they were changed after a single use.
Only slightly famous mercenaries would use a fixed codename as their signature.
“Oh, Stone, huh? Please give us lots of guidance from now on, Stone.”
“Much… much guidance.”
Zhong Jing’s arrival was just a small interlude here.
Not long after she silently took her seat, the room returned to the same state it was in before her arrival.
Apart from the two people chatting, everyone else was doing their own thing.
And the content of the two people’s chat was of little value, nothing more than Si Ling boasting about his experiences in the outside world, with that Xiao Liu exclaiming and agreeing from time to time.
After observing for the next few minutes, Zhong Jing roughly understood the composition and information of these mercenaries: apart from that Uncle Lin and Xiao Liu being uncle and nephew, the other three, including herself, were individual mercenaries who didn't know each other.
In terms of weapons, Si Ling and Xiao Liu both used the standard C-112 submachine guns issued to the standing army, just with some differences in modifications.
That Uncle Lin carried a B-110 assault rifle, also a standard weapon of the standing army, a very widely used model.
What surprised Zhong Jing slightly was that he actually had a hybrid scope mounted on his rail system, and also a short-barreled shotgun hanging from his waist.
This kind of equipment was considered quite wealthy among mercenaries.
The weapon of Crow, who had been at odds with her earlier, was a conventional B-110 assault rifle and a self-made pistol.
These were all what could be seen on the surface.
As for what tricks they each had hidden, Zhong Jing had no way of knowing.
Looking at it this way, she was probably the most poorly equipped among the five of them.
No wonder that Crow had chosen her as his target.
Zhong Jing could roughly guess that he considered her a newcomer to the mercenary world.
As for the others, they probably had similar thoughts, more or less.
Suddenly, the sound of the garage's roller shutter door opening was heard.
The door to the room they were in was also pushed open by a figure, and a figure familiar to Zhong Jing appeared at the doorway.
“Assemble, prepare to depart!”
It really was her… Han Nianling.
At this moment, Han Nianling’s image was vastly different from last night.
Her tea-colored wavy long hair was tied into a simple ponytail, just like Zhong Jing’s.
The white coat was replaced by an urban camouflage combat suit.
Black leather boots replaced high heels.
The gas mask hanging around her neck was the latest model of the security forces that Zhong Jing had seen in her dream.
Hanging from her waist was a pistol of a model unknown to Zhong Jing, but judging by the other party’s status, it was clearly also the latest model pistol of the base government, not something mercenaries like them could access.
Dressed like this, Han Nianling exuded an aura of competence and martial spirit.
Coupled with her already outstanding appearance, it momentarily stunned everyone in the room.
Such an attractive woman naturally made people stare.
However, Zhong Jing’s own changes had long since made her unable to have any other thoughts.
Even if she wanted to, there was nothing she could do.
After simply looking Han Nianling up and down with appreciative eyes for a few moments, she stood up from her chair.
Her movement also startled the others awake, and they hurriedly followed Zhong Jing’s footsteps to assemble outside.
“I didn’t expect our employer to be such a great beauty, huh…”
“Shh, keep it down, she’s a high-level researcher…”
Si Ling and Xiao Liu, walking at the back of the group, whispered to each other.
They were different from Zhong Jing.
Unprepared, Han Nianling’s appearance had shocked them too much.
Were those guys who spread rumors that researchers were all scruffy old men blind?
The shock didn't stop there.
When they arrived in front of the opened garage, the scene inside once again made their eyes widen, and even Zhong Jing felt her heart pound.
It was… it was actually a standard infantry fighting vehicle of the standing army!
Unlike the modified armed pickups or vans that most mercenaries used, this was a genuine military vehicle.
The thick steel plates could withstand bullets from ordinary assault rifles at close range without a problem.
The powerful engine, combined with the ramming plate at the front of the vehicle, meant there was no need to worry about the wreckage of disabled vehicles blocking the road.
Even more eye-catching was the heavy machine gun mounted at the back of the vehicle.
With sufficient ammunition, this kind of weapon could easily tear apart ordinary mutated beasts.
Truly worthy of a high-level researcher!
This was the only thought left in the minds of all the mercenaries present.
“Get in the car.”
After Han Nianling dropped this sentence, she twirled her key ring and率先 took the driver’s seat.
Uncle Lin, quick-witted and nimble, climbed into the machine gunner's position.
He excitedly adjusted the machine gun, a middle-aged man behaving like a child who had just received a new toy.
“Wait, this isn’t where you sit.”
Just as Crow pushed aside Si Ling and Xiao Liu and was about to get into the co-pilot seat next to Han Nianling, Han Nianling suddenly spoke again and pointed at Zhong Jing, who was standing in place, saying: “You sit here.”
“Huh?”
Zhong Jing, who was originally troubled because both the separate machine gunner position and the co-pilot position had been taken, her body being too soft and likely to arouse suspicion if she squeezed into the back seat with Si Ling and Xiao Liu, hadn't expected Han Nianling's words to solve her problem in an instant.
Although she didn’t know why, Zhong Jing was very happy to take Crow’s place.
She didn’t care about Crow’s murderous gaze.
If he really wanted to trip her up, she wouldn’t mind personally downsizing this team.
The other three wouldn’t object to an extra person’s pay.
‘BOOM—!!!’
Once everyone was in the vehicle, Han Nianling turned the car key, and the wild roar of the engine instantly made them the focus of attention for the mercenaries in this area.
Amidst countless envious gazes, the infantry fighting vehicle drove out of the garage and headed towards the north gate.
Because of Han Nianling’s status, they didn’t even have to queue.
After a simple registration, they drove straight out.
This once again allowed the people in the vehicle to experience the convenience of being a high-level researcher.
Just being able to work for someone of this status was already an achievement worth boasting about for a mercenary…
Outside Chu Sheng City, on both sides of the main road leading to the periphery, were farmlands.
This month was precisely the season for grain to ripen.
People dressed as farmers were engaged in agricultural work in the vast golden fields.
Continuing forward for another hundred meters, when the vehicle crossed the bridge spanning the moat of Chu Sheng City, they had officially left the territory of Chu Sheng City.
Although there were still many vehicles on the road, everyone involuntarily tightened their grip on their weapons and became vigilant.
They had entered the outside world, and danger would henceforth accompany them.
This was something deeply ingrained in their consciousness.
Looking at Chu Sheng City receding in the rearview mirror, Zhong Jing only felt a sense of relief.
She carefully pulled open her gas mask to create a small gap and took a deep breath.
The smell of smoke mixed with vehicle exhaust in the air was not pleasant, even worse than the air in Chu Sheng City, but she didn’t care.
This was the reason she became a mercenary.
JD Ruined City Nuclear Wasteland Area… I’m back…