Inside the long shuttle-shaped aircraft.
Sitting in a soft and comfortable seat, Li Ke drank coffee while overlooking the joint elimination of mutants by the Enterprise and the Alliance through the four exploration drones dropped into the air near the battlefield.
The gunshots did not last long.
Just as he finished drinking this cup of coffee, the last mutant who was still standing also fell on the steps in front of the ugly altar.
The next step was to clean up the battlefield.
He put the cup on the tray, which was automatically recovered by the assistant robot next to him. He gave a bland evaluation of the holographic memo.
"It's just so-so."
"The soldiers of the Alliance are a bit weird, and their physical fitness is far superior to that of ordinary people, but after all, they are residents of the shelter, so it's normal. Outdated equipment, primitive fighting style... I really don't understand why the Beacon Team lost to this group of people. The quality of talent in the Investigation Department is getting worse year by year."
"As for the Enterprise..."
Li Ke laughed, and the mockery in his eyes became more obvious.
"It's such a waste that the AI core is in the hands of these guys... The presence of those android soldiers is not as good as a few old-time power armors. They are really going backwards."
There is no need to talk about the legion.
Those outdated equipment are only supported by a little legacy.
Combining the performance of all parties, it is naturally stronger for the academy that has improved on the basis of the prosperous era.
Of course, it is undeniable that the performance of the alliance did exceed his initial expectations... If a full-scale war really breaks out, with their fighting will, maybe they can hold on for a few more months.
Li Ke reached out and touched the holographic screen with satisfaction, turned off the memo, and recalled the exploration drone that was released earlier.
At this time, a gentle electronic sound floated from behind his seat.
"Sir, there is a call for you."
"Call? Here?"
"Yes, the Wandering Swamp launched a patrol communication station."
Upon hearing the patrol communication station, Li Ke's expression immediately became serious and he sat up straight in his chair.
"Transfer it to me."
"Okay."
The communication signal was quickly transferred from the server of the research ship to his personal terminal.
Li Ke stretched out his hand and clicked on the holographic window, and the pale blue light and shadow quickly drew a sloppy bust in front of him.
This is the Great Desert.
The signal condition is worse than that of Luoxia Province.
In this case, the only people who insist on using video communication to communicate seem to be those old stubborn people in the Research Department who don't know how to adapt.
"... I am Yang Kai from the Research Department, a Class B researcher. There is my identification band in the communication code. Please verify it yourself later."
As soon as the communication was connected, the other party did not greet him directly, and directly introduced himself.
Li Ke cleared his throat and said.
"Li Ke from the Foreign Affairs Department, Class B, what can I do for you?"
The holographic image flickered for a while.
"Transfer the project of Shelter No. 0 to me."
Hearing this, Li Ke immediately jumped up like a squirrel whose tail was stepped on.
"Why?"
The voice on the other side of the communication channel was still calm.
"This is the order of Dr. Conclusion. You, the Foreign Affairs Department, should do your job honestly."
When he heard that it was Dr. Conclusion's order, Li Ke was like a deflated ball, and he grumbled indignantly.
"Dr. Conclusion... That gentleman really has time."
The other side of the communication channel did not make any comments on this sentence, but simply answered with a flat tone.
"Thank you for your cooperation."
After saying that, the flickering shadow disappeared from just above the holographic device...
...
The Enterprise and the Alliance ground forces have finished cleaning up the battlefield, and the discovery in the "Black Stone" mutant tribe is surprising.
The words of the drone operator under Yunsong really came true.
These gray-black mutants did dig deep caves, using the caves to protect their immature cubs, grow some edible fungi, and raise mutant worms that produce fat and protein.
The most surprising one is a fluorescent solitary growing on radioactive waste, which seems to be able to accelerate the decay of iodine and chromotopes through special biochemical processes and convert part of the energy into light.
It is currently impossible to prove whether this species uses fusion or fission energy to provide the energy required for life activities.
But just the characteristic of accelerating the decay of radioactive substances is enough to surprise.
Yunsong and Lao Bai reported their findings in the mutant tribe to their respective superiors.
After communication between the company and the alliance's top leaders, the two sides decided to share these interesting research materials.
The Iron Heart slowly passed directly above the Black Stone Tribe and lowered the anchor chain on an open space about one kilometer away.
The pod was lowered immediately afterwards.
Five long engineering vehicles drove to the open space one after another and lined up in three rows, with the wheels folded up and the chassis lowered to complete the deployment.
Nearly a hundred aircrews wearing miner exoskeletons traveled back and forth between the material pile and the base of the camp, feeding the metal scraps that the players had taken back from the mutant tribe into the feed port of the engineering vehicle, and soon processed them into plates for building the camp.
These standardized plates, made of aluminum and iron alloys as the main materials, are about one inch thick. The material is loose and porous, and the texture is light, but the strength is not low at all. They can be used as heat-insulating barracks walls, or they can be assembled into square frames filled with sand and soil to build shooting bunkers and base exterior walls.
As the battle ended, the players also joined in the construction of the camp.
In less than three hours, a camp covering an area of 20 acres and nearly the size of two football fields took shape.
The pod was lowered again.
The logistics officer of the Iron Heart walked up quickly, stood in front of Chu Guang, and saluted with a red face.
"Report! Dear Administrator, according to your instructions, we have completed the construction of the camp's outer wall. The next step is the construction of the barracks, which is expected to be completed within 24 hours!"
"Well done," Chu Guang nodded approvingly, looking at the young man and continued, "Go and do your work, don't worry about me."
"Yes!" The logistics officer put his right fist on his chest, and then strode towards the construction site.
Watching the young man's back as he left, Wu Changnian glanced at the busy construction site around him and said with a smile.
"How is it? Is the technology of Ideal City okay?"
Chu Guang said with heartfelt emotion.
"It's pretty good, but it's a bit expensive. It would be great if I could give you a discount."
Wu Changnian coughed dryly.
"This... you have to talk to the representative of Silver Wing Group. The Council cannot interfere with the operation of the production department, and I can't make decisions on orders."
Although he felt sorry, Chu Guang nodded.
"Understand."
This modular infrastructure system called "Camp Workshop" consists of five powerful engineering vehicles. It is similar to the modular production workshops on the Pioneer. They are all production tools designed for the special environment of the wasteland.
It is like a black box in another sense. It can take in metal waste without any restrictions, digest the digestible part, and DIY it into the shape required by the user.
With the cruising ability of the Heart of Steel, Chu Guang can theoretically shoot the base of operations anywhere he can fly.
At that time, he was attracted by this point and decisively introduced this system from Silver Wing Group.
Although such a system is expensive, up to 16 million Cr, Chu Guang still reluctantly placed an order.
As a modular production tool, its function is obviously not just to produce the plates needed for camping.
These five engineering vehicles can also process the input materials into basic weapons including rifles and protective gear such as bulletproof armor according to the input drawings.
Although the production efficiency is not high, the energy and materials consumed and the implicit loss costs are not a small amount, but as a set of "camping equipment", it is still very useful.
Previously, the Iron Heart solved the supply problems encountered during the expedition by raising slaves and carrying a large number of processing tools and machine tools.
Five engineering vehicles can easily replace a production team of more than 500 people, saving a lot of precious space for the airship.
It's a pity that the alliance has only one "aerospace mothership".
Otherwise, Chu Guang really planned to purchase a few more sets from Ideal City.
At this time, the Willant people who came down from the Arbiter also walked over here.
Chu Guang suddenly noticed the look in McLen's eyes when he looked at the engineering vehicles.
Including the captain named Adria standing next to him, the faces of both of them were full of envy without exception.
The industrial capacity of the Legion is not weak, and the manufacturing of heavy equipment is quite good, but the manufacturing of precision equipment is very difficult.
Even if there is such a thing, it is impossible to equip it on the airship.
"Have you found the entrance to Shelter No. 0?" Adria said with a smile when he walked in front of the representatives of the Alliance and the enterprise.
Wu Changnian said concisely.
"We have to find the crew of the Pioneer first. Only they know the entrance to the shelter. If you are in a hurry, you can go back first."
Of course Adria couldn't leave, and continued to ask with a smile.
"Didn't you run back to an employee? He didn't know the entrance to Shelter No. 0?"
"Unfortunately, you guessed right. He was driven away by a group of shameless robbers before he found the entrance to the shelter."
Hearing the bad tone of Wu Changnian's voice, Adria was unmoved, and McLen's face was also expressionless.
The order was given by Griffin.
He was also very annoyed that the guy sent him away.
If he hadn't run after the employee of the enterprise, he wouldn't have fallen into the hands of a group of wastelanders, let alone lost his airship.
"I'm sorry about the Pioneer. That was Griffin's initiative. We will strictly control our people and don't let similar things happen again," Adria said with hypocritical concern. "By the way, I almost forgot to ask, has the Pioneer been found? Are the crew members on it okay?"
Wu Changnian stared at him and said.
"Our people have already found it according to the coordinates you provided. It's best if they are still alive."
Adria shrugged his shoulders.
"I also sincerely hope that they are safe."
The Pioneer was previously controlled by the Legion.
But the crew members, including Lu Yang, were not captured by the Legion, but moved outside before the Legion controlled the Pioneer.
Except for Luo Hua who was sent to ask the Alliance for help, the rest of the employees hid under Lu Yang's leadership and were not found by the Willant people.
As the day of war was approaching, Griffin did not have much time to waste in the Great Desert, so the task of searching for those people was subcontracted to the Black Stone Tribe.
According to the description of the mutant captives, those big-nosed humans offered a price of "one corporate employee for ten human women".
But at present, those mutants obviously did not find the missing corporate employees, otherwise they would have taken them to the Weyland people to claim the reward.
Regarding the problem of the Pioneer, the Legion put all the blame on Griffin.
As for McLennan, he did not know much. During the time he was captured, he had already explained everything he could.
The Legion did not care about the life and death of the crew on the Pioneer. They were only interested in the No. 0 shelter discovered by the Pioneer.
The same was true for the academy.
Without taking Captain Adria's hypocritical courtesy seriously, Wu Changnian turned and walked to the company's station.
McLen stared at Chu Guang fiercely, but he just stared fiercely, said nothing, and walked away with Adria.
At this time, a long shuttle-shaped aircraft gathered the arc of light sprayed from the bottom and slowly landed in the center of the camp.
Its name is Comet 300. It is a scientific research ship independently produced by the academy based on the drawings left over from the prosperous era. Because it is equipped with an ecological circulation device and an anti-gravity device, in theory, this thing can not only drive to any corner of this planet, but also fly to outer space.
However, the environment in outer space is much worse than that on the ground. Unless there is a special mission to be performed, it is generally not driven there.
Just after cleaning up the battlefield, Lao Bai took a look at the scientific research ship with a very sci-fi style, and suddenly found that it was a little different from the one that landed in Falcon City before.
Just at this time, a man and a woman walked out of the open hatch.
Lao Bai was surprised to find that he actually knew one of them.
The man obviously noticed him and took the initiative to walk over here.
"We meet again."
Walking up to Lao Bai, Zheng Hao took a look at the power armor on him, with a hint of surprise on his face, "Dragoon?"
"You're quite knowledgeable."
Zheng Hao curled his lips.
"I've seen a lot of wreckage of this thing, and there are all over the nuclear bomb crater next to the Great Rift Valley."
"Really? I'll have to go take a look someday," Lao Bai smiled faintly and continued, "What about you? Why are you here?"
"Thanks to you, with that sample, my team and I were transferred from the Investigation Department to the Research Department, and now I work for Professor Yang Kai, a Class B researcher. He is currently in charge of the investigation of Shelter No. 0... He is in that research ship."
When he said this, Zheng Hao's expression was a little complicated.
In that battle, the Beacon Team suffered heavy losses, and many of his brothers died.
And because it was an unrecognized battle, the families of his dead brothers did not even receive the full amount of pensions. He took out some of his G points to buy some daily necessities for their families.
Understanding the expression on his face, Lao Bai said nothing, but just skipped the unpleasant part of the topic.
"That shelter... will you go there? Or that B-level researcher?"
To Lao Bai's surprise, the man in front of him shook his head.
"Neither."
As he said, Zheng Hao looked at the girl next to him with a reserved expression and long black hair.
"Let me introduce you, Jiang Xuezhou, a D-level researcher... She was my team member before, and now she is at the same level as me. Yang Kai is her mentor. Thanks to her relationship, we were able to successfully sell the sample at that time."
Jiang Xuezhou stared at Lao Bai vigilantly and nodded reservedly.
"Hello."
She had seen this man in the drone camera, and many of them died at the hands of him and his team members... including her good friend Chen Yutong.
Although she knew that both sides were fighting for their own positions and there was no simple right or wrong, she still couldn't believe the man in front of her.
Zheng Hao looked at Lao Bai.
"You should be the one sent by the Alliance. Please take care of her after you go down."
Lao Bai made a helpless expression.
"Although I really want to help you, I am not involved in this operation."
"Not you?" Zheng Hao looked at him in surprise.
Before getting off the research ship, he heard that the Alliance would send a powerful awakener to follow them into the shelter.
He guessed at the time that the person might be the Lao Bai he had met.
However, Lao Bai told him that it was not him.
Is there a stronger awakener in the Alliance?
"Well, it's another one..." Looking at Zheng Hao who was surprised, Lao Bai smiled and said, "But don't worry, I will tell my good brother——"
"No need," Jiang Xuezhou interrupted him, looked at him vigilantly and said, "I will take care of myself, just... don't bother you too much."
As she said, she nodded politely and turned to leave here
Looking at the back of her colleague leaving, Zheng Hao's expression was slightly embarrassed, and he coughed lightly and said.
"Sorry, that day... she lost a team member who had a good relationship with her."
Lao Bai shrugged.
"It's okay, I understand, but don't expect me to apologize to you. We have exercised the greatest degree of restraint. You opened fire first."
Zheng Hao nodded silently.
"I know... I didn't say it was your fault, but I... hey."
Halfway through his words, he suddenly didn't know how to continue. After considering the wording for a long time, he finally just sighed.
This damn confidentiality system...
Some things he could only hold in his heart.
Understanding his difficulties, Lao Bai said nothing, but patted him on the shoulder encouragingly, then turned and walked away.
…
It was not just Lao Bai who happened to see an acquaintance.
There were also the brothers of the Storm Troops.
Looking at Zhan Di Lao who sneaked over, I Zui Hei pointed at the guy's nose and shouted excitedly.
"Fuck! Pangolin?!"
The shout scared Zhan Di Lao, and he looked around reflexively. Suddenly he realized that I Zui Hei was shouting in Mandarin, and he was relieved.
"MMPD, can you stop calling me this vest outside!" Zhan Di Lao cursed at the guy who almost ruined his mission.
I Zui Hei said with a nonchalant expression.
"Don't worry, brother won't sell you out... By the way, how did you sneak over here, a guy with thick eyebrows and big eyes?"
Zhan Di Lao sighed.
"Well, this is a long story. I was sent here without knowing anything."
The commander of the fountain looked at him strangely. He guessed something, but he was not sure, so he asked tentatively.
"Among the two representatives sent by the Legion to investigate Shelter 0... could it be you?"
Zhandi Lao smiled shyly.
"You guessed it."
Everyone was shocked when they heard it.
I am the darkest: "Fuck!"
Grave Ghost Catcher: "6666!"
Kakarot couldn't help but say: "My God... I have nothing to say to you who is undercover."
Originally, the enterprise, the legion, and the alliance each sent two representatives, and the academy sent one. Who would have thought that the legion would pick this guy in, and the representatives of the alliance directly became three.
Zhandi Lao smiled embarrassedly.
"Life is full of surprises. I didn't expect that group of big noses would send me here... By the way, do you have the save file? Save it for me quickly. I'm afraid I'll die in it when I go to the dungeon later."
The commander of the fountain coughed.
"It's on the airship."
Zhandi was stunned.
"Damn! Do I have to get on the airship?"
The fountain looked at this guy strangely.
"What else? It's so troublesome to put down the hibernation capsule every time you arrive at a place... And I suggest you come in the second half of the night. It's probably not easy to grab a spot in the first half of the night."
The save file is not saved by lying down and punching in. It takes several hours to read the bar.
Generally, people will save in batches. When the person in front saves, the person behind wants to save, so they drag the person in front out of the incubator.
So if you choose to log off at a public save point, sometimes you will find yourself lying on the floor when you wake up online.
I'm the darkest and said with a hippie smile.
"How about you sneak out at night? The brothers will pick you up."
Looking at that unreliable guy, Zhan Di Lao hesitated for a long time, but finally gritted his teeth and nodded in agreement.
"Okay!"
...
Later.
Zhan Di Lao carefully went to the toilet, locked the door, and then escaped from the window. He left the camp assigned to the legion representative by the Alliance and secretly went to the Alliance's airship.
I Zuihei and Fen Tou Zhuogui, who had been waiting there to pick him up, put a sack on him directly, and then carried him to the pod, and got him on the airship without anyone noticing.
Although Zhan Di Lao felt that the sack was completely unnecessary, he was asking for help and it was difficult for him to resist, so he let my Zuihei grandson do whatever he wanted.
It takes several hours to lie in the hibernation capsule to collect data.
Fortunately, he usually squats for one or two hours, so no one would suspect him if he squatted for one or two more hours.
At the same time, in the captain's room of the Iron Heart.
Chu Guang, who had returned to the airship, was staring at the rags spread out on the desk, and his brows wrinkled unconsciously.
"The symbol of the Torch Church?"
Standing opposite the desk, Lao Bai nodded seriously.
"I found this symbol on the mutant priest... and there is a similar symbol on the altar."
Leaning back in the chair, Chu Guang closed his eyes and thought for a while.
"The Death Coast is in the south of Jinchuan Province, at least 5,000 to 6,000 kilometers away from here... it's too far anyway."
If you go in a straight line, you may pass through the natural dangers of the Zhuobar Mountains. It's hard to imagine that the Torch Church can still reach here.
Lao Bai suddenly said with a thought in his mind.
"Is there a possibility... that the mutants are not believers of the Torch Church, but that both the mutants and the Torch Church are believers of a larger organization."
Chu Guang commented concisely.
"That sounds even more outrageous."
Old White said with a wry smile.
"That's right..."
If this organization is really so large that it can affect the mutants on the Death Coast in the south of the Central Continent and the Great Desert in the middle of the continent at the same time, it is impossible that they didn't hear any news.
Looking at the symbol on the rag, Chu Guang couldn't help but fall into deep thought.
He is more inclined to another possibility...
That is, these mutants and the believers of the Torch Church were all isolated from each other and were affected by a special existence separately and at the same time.
It can be a huge organization as Old White said, or it can be a technological creation with magical power.
Or, it may just be an abstract concept.
However, no matter what it is, the kind of thing that has the power to seduce people is full of danger.
Thinking of the past of Shelter No. 117 and the rumors about Wang Yi, the self-proclaimed Son of God, Chu Guang closed his eyes and pondered for a long time.
The last time he felt this kind of uneasiness was when he learned that the Weilant had deployed a nuclear bomb in Luoxia Province.
"The source of this symbol... must be investigated in depth."
Lao Bai agreed.
"I think so too... I suggest keeping an outpost in the Great Desert. Even if we put aside these noteworthy clues, there are still many things worth recovering here."
Chu Guang nodded, and his index finger gently swiped in the air, unfolding the holographic map.
"Not only the Great Desert, but also the investigation in the south will be carried out at the same time... After this incident is over, I will give you a task."
Hearing that the hidden task was triggered, Lao Bai was delighted and said immediately.
"Please give me your orders!"
Chu Guang continued.
"There is a coordinate in the south, where we have the nuclear fuel we need. I need you to take a few people there to recover it."
"Some residents of the shelter are reclaiming the land there. You can ask for their help."
Lao Bai clasped his hands together, his eyes sparkling.
"Yes!"
...
The night was dark.
In the ruins not far from the camp, in a leaky factory building covering thousands of acres, a huge land fortress was anchored.
Its steel shell was twisted and concave everywhere, the tracks under the chassis were broken, the mechanical arm and the production workshop and other structures were damaged, and the situation could be described as miserable.
Judging from the collapse of the wall next to it and the bullet holes on the wall, it should have broken through the wall of the factory building and rushed in, and then a fierce exchange of fire broke out here with the pursuers.
Several beams of light shone on the dusty wreckage, and the android soldiers who walked forward carefully checked the damage and gaps on the land fortress.
Standing not far away and watching, Su Ming couldn't help but curse in a low voice.
"Damn... these big noses!"
It was obviously persecuted by the Weilantes into this ghost.
Thinking of the indifferent look of those Willant officers, he wanted to go back to the camp, grab those big noses and punch them in the face one by one.
Gu Wei, who was standing aside, said with emotion.
"Remember what it looked like when it just left Ideal City?"
Another commando sighed.
"... I can't recognize it at all."
"I hope the people inside are okay."
Yunsong glanced at the Geiger counter and found that the radioactive dust content here exceeded the standard, so he waved his hand to signal everyone to close their helmets and turn on the internal circulation system.
There are a lot of nuclear fuels stored on the Pioneer, as well as tactical nuclear warheads taken out of Ideal City. Looking at the nearby crater, it should be caused by those crew members.
After checking the status of the Pioneer, a robot soldier walked back to Yunsong.
Yunsong asked immediately without waiting for the robot to speak.
"Are there any living people inside?"
Although this possibility is very small, he still asked this question.
However, to his surprise, the android nodded.
"There are life activity signals in the escape pod, but they are very weak... I guess there are only one or two people."
Yunsong was ecstatic when he heard this, as if a huge burden had been lifted off his shoulders.
"Quick! Get him out!"