Chapter 13: Meeting at the Chu Sheng City Observation Post
As the distance to the destination grew shorter, the speed of the infantry fighting vehicle gradually slowed down.
Han Nianling did not continue straight along the main road towards the JD Ruined City Nuclear Wasteland Area, but instead, at a fork in the road in the outskirts, she steered off the main road and turned into a small path on the left.
Entering the JD Ruined City Nuclear Wasteland Area from here required a slight detour but passed by a special place: the Chu Sheng City Observation Post.
The original site of the Chu Sheng City Observation Post was a small town located in the outskirts of JD Ruined City.
The town was very small, covering an area of only 0.25 square kilometers, and was still six kilometers away from the JD Ruined City Nuclear Wasteland Area.
Long before the Chu Sheng City Observation Post was established, this place was already the most frequently visited spot by scavengers and mercenaries from Chu Sheng City.
As a former human living area, it naturally contained a large amount of usable resources.
Such a remote area, lacking strategic value, was spared from heavy attacks during the war and was precisely the best-preserved place.
Therefore, most of the buildings remained intact, providing many places to stay.
For a long time after most of the usable resources here were scavenged, people still chose this place as an overnight stop in the outside world.
However, the good times didn't last long.
This was by no means a safe place: not only was it far from Chu Sheng City, but the flow of people passing through was also very large, and it was targeted by many plunderers who lived by robbery.
Passersby entering the town were ambushed and robbed by plunderers who had long laid in wait here.
Countless such fatal incidents occurred here, so for a long time, this place also became a rather bloody place of death, causing people to avoid it.
At that time, the Chu Sheng City base government, which urgently needed a forward operating base to provide timely information about the JD Ruined City Nuclear Wasteland Area, took a fancy to the intact building complex preserved here.
If this place were chosen as the site, it would save a lot of construction material costs and transportation troubles.
As for those plunderers, the Chu Sheng City base government certainly didn't take them seriously.
A large part of these so-called plunderers were just ill-intentioned mercenaries moonlighting.
The few plunderers who truly lived by robbery and murder dared not directly confront a human base.
Chu Sheng City occupied this place with ease, without any conflict erupting.
Thus, the Chu Sheng City Observation Post was officially established here.
Of course, the stories about this place were just what Zhong Jing had heard from other older mercenaries.
Zhong Jing had been here more than ten times, mostly on missions to protect supply convoys from Chu Sheng City to provide supplies for the forward operating base, but due to her status, she was always stopped outside the gate and could not enter the interior of the observation post.
And the only time she truly entered was in that dream.
As the closest outpost base established by Chu Sheng City to the JD Ruined City Nuclear Wasteland Area, it naturally became the bridgehead for the large-scale military operation in the dream.
The army assembly point and material storage point were both here.
For mercenaries like Zhong Jing participating in military operations, the Chu Sheng City base government naturally lifted the ban on outsiders entering the forward operating base for combat needs.
However, reality and the dream had diverged long ago.
All the predetermined developments in the dream had already changed: that large-scale military operation did not exist, so the 'Chu Sheng City Public Service Construction Plan' was not suspended; the ban on outsiders, including mercenaries, entering this forward operating base was also naturally not lifted.
“Um… Employer, us people…”
The others in the vehicle compartment had obviously also realized this problem, Si Ling reminded in a low voice from the back seat.
“Don’t speak later, don’t get out of the car, don’t make any unnecessary movements, follow all my instructions.”
Han Nianling still maintained her forward-looking posture.
Her simple sentence didn't carry much force, but her status as a high-level researcher was enough to put the mercenaries' anxieties to rest.
Soon, a standing army sentry post appeared ahead.
Chevaux de frise, barbed wire, and cement pier fortifications blocked the road.
Watchtowers on both sides of the road each had a heavy machine gun and a searchlight, their muzzles slowly moving as the vehicle approached.
Stopping in front of the roadblock, a soldier who walked up frowned when he saw the mercenaries sitting inside through the car window.
This standard Chu Sheng City infantry fighting vehicle had initially made him think it was sent by the Chu Sheng City military, but the passengers inside clearly refuted his guess.
“Excuse me, outsiders are strictly prohibited from entering the observation post…”
“I am carrying out a classified mission for the Research Institute. These are my private employees. If you don’t want trouble… Do you understand what I mean?”
Before the soldier could finish speaking, Han Nianling had already taken out her identification.
The gold-stamped words ‘High-Level Researcher’ on the small leather booklet were extremely eye-catching, stunning the soldier standing there on the spot.
“Still need to check?”
“No, no need… You! Open the gate! Allow passage!”
Hearing this question, the soldier immediately showed his attitude with practical actions.
Seeing that the passage was cleared, Han Nianling nodded with satisfaction and said, “Thank you for your hard work on guard duty.”
“Not at all, just doing my duty…”
“Remember, this is a classified mission. I haven't been here, and you haven't seen me. You should understand the rules of the confidentiality regulations, right?” Before that soldier could say much more, Han Nianling’s tone changed again.
Her calm tone fell on the soldier’s ears, but it made him shiver.
“Yes!” He lowered his head slightly and didn't even dare to look at the scene inside the car window again.
Amidst the roar of the engine, the vehicle continued to move forward, gradually leaving the sentry post behind them.
At this moment, Uncle Lin, who could no longer hold it in, let out a chuckle: “Pfft… haha, these soldiers chickened out, hahaha…”
“Hahahaha…”
Starting with his laughter, a series of cheerful chuckles immediately sounded in the vehicle compartment.
Those standing army soldiers were usually arrogant and treated mercenaries poorly.
Many of them considered themselves superior and referred to mercenaries as ‘wild dogs’.
Now, seeing these soldiers acting so submissively, the contrast with their usual behavior was so great that it naturally made these mercenaries feel a burst of satisfaction.
Of course, they also understood that today they were just borrowing the employer’s status to act imposingly.
Zhong Jing did not participate in this warm atmosphere belonging to the mercenaries.
At this moment, she was wholeheartedly observing the small town they were entering, the garrison of the Chu Sheng City Observation Post.
On the sidewalks on both sides of the road, many patrol teams were walking back and forth.
The dilapidated buildings on both sides should also be boarded up with wooden planks and piled with cement bags to become small defensible strongholds.
The flower beds had been converted into vegetable plots, and the scale was not small, allowing the observation post to be self-sufficient to a certain extent.
Everything completely matched her fragmented memories of this place.
And in the distance, the antenna of a radio could be vaguely seen on the roof of the tallest building.
If she remembered correctly, that was the core area of the entire observation post, the location of important facilities such as the communications department, arsenal, and granary, guarded by several walls and countless heavy firepower points.
Just as they were about to drive out of the small town, the vehicle slowed down again and pulled over to an empty space on the side of the road.
At the same time, a short-haired woman in a white coat carrying a black briefcase was walking towards them from a nearby building.
Needless to say, the other party's attire naturally indicated she was also a researcher.
The reason Han Nianling chose to pass through the observation post was definitely because of this person, or rather, the black briefcase in her hand.
“Nianling, are you really going to do this?”
As soon as Han Nianling rolled down the car window, the person walked up with a solemn expression.
After just a glance at the mercenaries in the car, she immediately expressed her dissatisfaction directly.
It was clear that she was acquainted with this Han Nianling: “With your status, if you apply to the government, the military will at least provide you with two squads of soldiers to ensure your safety.”
“Chen Fang won't let me have my way. You know how many times my applications have been rejected by him. He will definitely know in advance about any military deployment. Hiring mercenaries, on the other hand, doesn't require any procedures. For me, it's actually safer.”
Han Nianling’s expression, which had been unwavering from the beginning, showed a slight curve at the corners of her mouth after seeing the other person.
“Alright, stop talking. Where’s the stuff I want?”
“It’s in here.” Knowing that she couldn't persuade Han Nianling to change her mind, she could only helplessly hand over the briefcase in her hand.
After taking the black briefcase and weighing it a few times, Han Nianling nodded in thanks.
“Farewell.”
After a simple farewell, the infantry fighting vehicle left behind a cloud of dust and gradually drove away.