Chapter 16: Anomalies in the Ruined City Nuclear Wasteland Area
The contaminated area did not shrink with the passage of time, but instead expanded outwards abnormally.
At least, the continuous beeping sounds from the alarms were already proving to them: the area they were currently in had been incorporated into the contaminated zone.
Without protective measures, the air mixed with various pollutants would gradually corrode the human respiratory system.
The mortality rate from immediate death was not high, but it was very likely to cause cancer, or the highly characteristic mutated diseases of the post-war world.
If infected with the former, one could still linger for a while; if unfortunately infected with the latter, then it would truly be a fate worse than death.
When Zhong Jing first became a mercenary, she had personally seen a patient infected with a mutated disease.
That was one of the most unforgettable scenes for her to date: a huge and deformed chest % part that was already comparable to the size of a basketball.
Every rib was squeezed to the point of deformation and visible under a thin layer of skin.
That was the consequence of the mutated lungs continuously expanding, and they had turned a dark black color.
The infected person’s mouth was wide open, their face contorted.
Their snot, tears, and saliva had already dried up.
The only basis for judging that they were still alive was that faint, weak sound.
Zhong Jing didn’t know what happened to that infected person later, because before they could recover from the intense vomiting, that infected person had already been carried away.
Even though they were now wearing gas masks, this did not mean the crisis was over.
Especially if they wanted to continue the mission, this sudden abnormal situation presented them with a realistic problem—could their filter canisters support them until the mission was completed?
Starting to calculate the consumption of filter canisters from Sector 06 was something no one had expected.
Faced with this situation, the original assumptions could certainly not be relied upon.
The time and range they could operate in the contaminated area would be much less than expected.
“I have spare filter canisters in my briefcase, and they are the latest general-purpose type, enough for us to use.”
“But… Employer, first it was the migration of the Black Rat swarm, and now it’s the expansion of the contaminated zone. Judging from these abnormal situations… shouldn’t we report to the base government first?” Uncle Lin voiced his concerns.
He was not wrong.
All abnormal situations deserved cautious treatment, especially when in the Ruined City Nuclear Wasteland Area.
If he didn't have this mentality, he wouldn't have survived as a mercenary until now.
When Uncle Lin finished speaking, all the mercenaries also turned their gazes to Han Nianling.
Not just Uncle Lin, they all more or less harbored such thoughts.
Knowing how to deal with the fear of the unknown was the most basic condition for survival, so they needed to wait for this employer’s decision.
Han Nianling was not surprised, but quietly looked at Uncle Lin and then said: “If anyone wants to leave, then go. I will not stop them. Those who leave can go to the Chu Sheng City Observation Post. The researcher waiting at the exit will arrange for a vehicle to send them back to Chu Sheng City… As for the reward, it can be halved.”
Han Nianling’s words caused quite a stir in the hearts of every mercenary.
Abandoning a mission midway was tantamount to breaching the contract.
Not being held accountable was already considered good.
They hadn't expected Han Nianling to be so generous as to still offer payment, although halved, the reward was still substantial, and in comparison, they had paid almost no price.
Many people were tempted, but no one showed it on their faces.
They were all patiently waiting for the next sentence.
Since there was a promise for those who quit, there would also be a reward for those who persisted.
Sure enough, Han Nianling’s next sentence followed closely: “For those who continue to complete the mission, not only will the reward be doubled, but I can also use my authority to secure an officer position at or above the rank of standing army captain for each of you. How about that for everyone?”
Han Nianling’s final sentence dropped, causing an explosion in the hearts of the mercenaries.
Even Zhong Jing, who had other motives and was the most indifferent to the mission reward, was extremely surprised by this generous promise.
Don’t look at how mercenaries in Chu Sheng City would taunt the standing army soldiers whenever they had the chance, but in reality, most mercenaries held a ‘sour grapes’ mentality.
Deep down, they were quite envious of the standing army soldiers: standard equipment issued by the military, residency rights in the inner city, basic guarantees from the medical center, a basic salary receivable every month… which of these wasn’t coveted by mercenaries.
It was just that they hadn’t been selected for various reasons.
Speaking of which, most of those who chose to become mercenaries were basically rejects who were unwilling to live a humble life but couldn’t join the standing army.
Perhaps an old veteran mercenary like Uncle Lin would feel disdain for standing army soldiers, but Han Nianling had brought out a position at or above captain rank, and this move immediately attracted him.
However, Zhong Jing’s focus was not on this.
Compared to the rewards Han Nianling promised, what she cared about most was Han Nianling’s purpose.
What was her purpose in generously trying to win over five temporarily recruited mercenaries? Why did she avoid reporting the abnormalities in the JD Ruined City Nuclear Wasteland Area to the Chu Sheng City base government? What exactly in this JD Ruined City Nuclear Wasteland Area was so important to her?
All of Zhong Jing’s questions pointed directly to the truth of the JD Ruined City Nuclear Wasteland Area, which made her heart rate slightly increase.
She strongly believed that this was related to her experiences in the dream.
Han Nianling’s words were very persuasive.
After just a few seconds of thought, the mercenaries collectively made a decision—to continue the mission.
Perhaps the journey ahead carried extremely high risks, but for Han Nianling’s promise, all efforts were worthwhile.
This was the survival method mercenaries had always adhered to.
And even if the contaminated area had expanded, their current location was still in the outer periphery.
Even if there was danger, it wouldn't be unmanageable…
The mercenary team, having stopped hesitating, continued to advance deeper.
Just like when they first entered the JD Ruined City Nuclear Wasteland Area, there was no difference except for wearing gas masks and goggles.
The team, maneuvering through the precarious building ruins, was still advancing.
During the thirteen-minute journey, Han Nianling completed recording work at five more locations.
As before, what she did was take out that tool that looked like a rangefinder, place it in an open area, fiddle with it for a while, and then write down data.
Not only Zhong Jing, but even the others in the team had become curious about this…
“Hey, what do you think this Researcher Han is doing?”
“I don’t know, she’s always so mysterious.”
Si Ling and Xiao Liu once again gathered together during their guard duty leisure to discuss in low voices.
They had discussed this question among themselves several times along the way without reaching any conclusion.
“Stone, do you know anything?”
If I knew anything, I wouldn't be guessing until now… Faced with the question of being drawn into the discussion, Zhong Jing could only shake her head with a wry smile.
“Because of previous work involvement, I heard it’s related to some kind of dark energy, and that instrument is also related…”
And just then, Crow, who had made a high-profile appearance at their first meeting but had been extremely low-key since then, suddenly spoke up.
And his first sentence threw out a term that greatly interested the three of them, including Zhong Jing.
“What is dark energy?”
Xiao Liu unabashedly showed his thirst for knowledge.
Crow glanced at Xiao Liu, then at Zhong Jing.
It was clear that after so long, this person was still brooding over what had happened in the garage lounge earlier.
However, he continued.
“I don’t know the specifics either, only that it’s a special kind of energy produced by the post-war environment. This power is the driving force behind the creation of this world.”
Driving force? Not pollution?
This was a novel statement, but it was unknown whether this was truly information obtained through special channels as this mercenary named Crow claimed, or just something he made up for a moment of self-satisfaction.
“Hey! You guys, come over quickly, there’s a situation!”
Uncle Lin’s voice suddenly came through the communication headsets.
Everyone, including Han Nianling who was debugging her instrument, stopped their actions.
Don’t look at how everyone appeared nonchalant; in reality, everyone had raised their vigilance to the extreme.
Upon hearing Uncle Lin’s shout, they immediately reacted and rushed towards the direction Uncle Lin was patrolling.
Soon they arrived at Uncle Lin’s location, the entrance of a half-collapsed office building.
Uncle Lin looked at the arriving others with a solemn expression.
He stepped aside slightly, revealing the scene behind him to everyone.
“These are…”
Zhong Jing’s brow furrowed instantly.
Behind Uncle Lin, in the lobby of that office building, was a scene of utter carnage.
Dark red blood was splattered everywhere—on the ground, on the walls, and even on the chandelier on the ceiling, it was all bloodstained.
Fragments of blood-soaked clothing were torn and scattered everywhere.
A floor full of shell casings and bullet holes were a testament to the battle that had taken place here.
“I didn’t go in to check, but judging by the situation, it was left by a few unlucky fellows. The monsters treated this place as a ‘restaurant’. The blood hasn’t dried yet, so it should have been left not long ago.”
Uncle Lin said while observing everyone’s expressions.
He couldn’t help but feel a little surprised when he saw Han Nianling’s calm expression.
He hadn’t expected this seemingly weak and only beautiful female researcher to remain so composed.
It seemed this employer was not simple.
“Xiao Liu, you stay outside and ensure the employer’s safety. The rest of you, come with me to clear out the danger. No objections, right?”
Uncle Lin, the oldest and best-equipped, was essentially the default commander of this mercenary squad.
Hearing his words, Zhong Jing and the other two also obeyed the arrangement.
After receiving unanimous agreement, Uncle Lin was the first to rush into the lobby of the office building, and the other three followed through the door.
In such a narrow environment, the concentration of dust was higher, and the light was dimmer.
Everyone turned on the flares attached to their gun muzzles and advanced inward, stepping on the debris and glass shards on the floor.
Although it was only separated by a wall, upon stepping inside, Zhong Jing immediately felt the temperature drop by several degrees.
Blood and silence cast a chilling gloom over their heads.
“It’s mercenaries…”
Uncle Lin, who squatted down to examine the clothing fragments, gave his conclusion: “A mercenary squad of three or more. Their weapons are old B-99s, without sound suppressors. They were probably dismembered by whatever was attracted by the gunshots. Reckless fools, daring to come to the Ruined City Nuclear Wasteland Area with such things. They deserved it…”
Uncle Lin shook his head and sighed as he spoke: “Search carefully. If there’s no danger, let’s withdraw.”
“Roar roar roar roar…”
Just as Uncle Lin finished speaking, a strange low growl came from the depths of the corridor to the right of the lobby, accompanied by a dragging sound.
Under this stimulus, everyone immediately raised their muzzles and looked towards the entrance of the corridor.
No one dared to move their muzzles carelessly, because the light from the flares could very well expose their position.
The scene in the lobby indicated: it was very likely that the culprit behind all this had not yet left, and might even be hiding and resting somewhere in this building.
Uncle Lin made a hand gesture and approached the corridor.
The four of them split into two teams and quickly pressed themselves against the left and right walls of the corridor entrance, then cautiously peered into the corridor.
It was a half-figure crawling on the ground.
The figure only had an upper body, and it was already tattered.
It dragged a long trail of blood and internal organs behind it.
Judging from its clothes, this person should be one of those ‘unlucky fellows’.
This was a person who should have died, but the contamination had allowed this soulless body to still possess the ability to move.
Of course, that was all.
Only the instinct for blood remained within these ‘resurrected’ bodies, merely monsters without any intelligence.
“Low-level walker.”
Seeing the source of the low growl, they breathed a slight sigh of relief.
As long as this most common type of low-level walker in the outside world hadn't evolved, even an ordinary person with some combat experience could deal with it, let alone them, the mercenaries.
Uncle Lin adjusted the fire selector, then raised his gun and fired.
A bullet accurately drilled into the half-walker’s head.
Destroying the brain was the best way to eliminate walkers.
With a slight gunshot, the walker completely stopped moving and collapsed to the ground.