Chapter 350 The battle between the awakened and the awakened!
"Boss, do you think they will come from here?" The strong man with his index finger repeatedly rubbing the tape-covered rifle and the steel nails on his nose said excitedly.
"Definitely..."
In the middle of an abandoned building covered with moss and vines, a man in a leather jacket holds a telescope and stares intently at the street ahead.
His name is Black, he lives in the slums outside the giant wall, and he is a bounty hunter who fights for his employer.
He is also an awakener.
Although he lives in a slum, the reason is not because of poverty.
For an awakened person, it is not difficult to move into the outer city. No mercenary group will refuse an awakened person to join the group, as long as the ability is not particularly useless.
However, Blake did not want to live a life controlled by others. In the eyes of others, the huge wall was the dividing line between barbarism and civilization, but in his eyes, it was a useless cement cage that only cowards needed.
Others to protect.
The truly strong ones rely on their own fists.
Last night, he received a mission from his client at the Pirate Bay Tavern.
The employer did not want to be named, but he was very generous. He paid him a 1,000-face-value chip for the deposit alone, and said he would give him two more after the deal was completed...
Such large denomination chips are rarely circulated in the market, and are usually used by nobles in the inner city. They cannot be found in ordinary stores, so you need to go to a bank to exchange money.
After Blake saw the deposit, his eyes wished they turned into colorful chips, and he accepted the task without saying a word.
Although generally speaking, the more expensive the reward, the more dangerous the task, but he was not very worried.
Firstly, I have absolute confidence in my own strength, and secondly, the content of the commission does not sound very difficult.
The envoys of the New Alliance are heading to Boulder City. For the future of Boulder City, the mysterious employer hopes that he can intercept the envoys halfway.
He doesn't need to kill everyone, he just needs to launch a sudden attack to teach the country bumpkins in the northern suburbs a profound lesson, let them learn to be courteous and polite, and take the so-called friendly cooperation agreement with them wherever they come from.
.
Blake licked the corners of his mouth excitedly, but as time passed, his eyes suddenly became unnatural.
"...something's wrong."
Why haven't people reached the ambush circle yet?
Was it discovered in advance?
Logically speaking this is impossible.
At this moment, he suddenly remembered a rumor circulating in the Pirate Bay Tavern.
There is a mysterious "intuition system" awakener in the northern suburbs, and a group of mercenaries once fell into their hands.
Blake's expression gradually became a little solemn.
If this rumor is true, maybe the other party has discovered them.
"Everyone is ready to fight."
With a low drink, he gestured to the brothers next to him, then picked up the RPG launch tube on the ground and inserted a high-explosive grenade into it.
He bought this thing from the weapons store.
Although its explosion and armor-breaking capabilities are not as good as the rocket launcher produced by Boulder City Military Industry, it is still better than the short and powerful Iron Fist.
The most important thing is that it is cheap and can be reloaded. Even if the mid-range hit rate is not very good, not everyone needs that thing.
Just like not everyone needs to face evolution.
The brothers next to him were also ready. The submachine guns and automatic rifles in their hands were loaded, and the heavy machine gunner in the building also clicked the bolt.
The silent streets are filled with murderous intent.
Although the fighting has not started yet, it seems that the smell of blood can already be smelled.
Blake waited quietly, adjusting the rhythm of his breathing.
However, at this moment, a loud explosion suddenly came from a window 200 meters away from him.
boom-!
He suddenly looked over there and saw a figure being thrown out of the window, with a long-drawn scream, and was smashed into a pulp on the sloping concrete broken bridge.
That's the direction of the heavy machine gun position!
that was thrown down earlier,
It was his partner! A trace of bloodshot eyes instantly appeared in Blake's eyes, with anger and fear written in his pupils.
"Damn it! Lute!!"
How was he found?!
But now it was too late to think about this problem. Without saying a word, he raised the launch tube and pulled the trigger towards the window.
There was a whooshing sound, and a white tail flame rushed towards the window diagonally opposite.
The air waves and flames of the explosion surged out from the dark ruins, even scorching the moss on the walls.
At the same time, Blake roared at the top of his lungs with red eyes.
"Tear them apart!"
On the other side, in the window where the RPG was fired, an agility player got up from the ground, shaking his head.
His D is called [Killing Dagger], and Alpha0.5 version entered the game. Since "Killing" and "Dagger" are not easy to pronounce, buddies who are familiar with him call him Killing Dagger.
As a LV15 agility player, his ability is to convert half of his reflex nerves into perception of the environment.
Although under the current version, the perception system has a faint tendency to inherit the position of the younger brother of the intelligence system, for stealth players, this talent is just right!
The polymer bullet-proof plates of the light cavalry's exoskeleton blocked most of the fragments, but the shock wave of the explosion still shook his internal organs to the point of displacement.
However, since he couldn't feel any pain, he felt even more distressed about his equipment and the flying trophies at the moment.
"Damn it - my original armor!"
And that heavy machine gun!
He was about to seize it, but a barrel was thrown at him and he was blown away.
It’s a killer plot!
Targeted by a dog plan!
Just as he was cursing, Lao Bai's voice came from the communication channel.
"...How is the situation over there?"
"I'm okay...the opponent has heavy firepower."
"Need support?"
"No, no, no," Sha Dagger chuckled, "Leave it to us!"
There are three people in the investigation team. In addition to him, there are also [Kidney Fighter] and [Good names are given to dogs].
One of them is a strength type, and the other is a perception type, with levels 15 and 14 respectively. Like him, they are veteran players who entered the game in Alphat 0.5 version.
Before joining the Burning Legion, the three of them had been working together as a team to complete maps and complete missions.
He stretched out his hand and clicked twice on the side of his helmet. He moved towards the half-collapsed stairwell while communicating with his teammates about the situation.
"Kidney, you bitch, what's going on over there?"
The answer came quickly to my ears.
"...The perimeter defenses have been lifted and are being pushed upstairs. Where are you over there? I thought I heard something explode just now."
"I ate a shot, it's okay... I'm on my way to the support position and I expect to arrive in one minute."
"Copy that, stay safe."
"Quick victory!"
There were loud gunshots and flashes of fire in the ruins.
After releasing the small drone on their shoulders, the two players wearing exoskeletons held rifles in their hands and pushed forward, nimbly shuttled over the damaged concrete ruins.
The light cavalry exoskeleton can exert unparalleled mobility in urban terrain, especially complex ruins. Places that ordinary people cannot reach by jumping can be easily climbed by wearing a light exoskeleton.
The screams of his men kept coming from downstairs.
Listening to the gunshots getting closer and closer, Blake's eyes were filled with fear and anger.
Finally, all the emotions turned into a roar, and the muscles all over his body began to swell outward, like a coiled python, and his eyes were bloodshot.
Exuding a permeating red color.
"I'll fight with you!!"
A steel needle was pierced into his thigh, and with a roar from his mouth, Blake left the bunker, grabbed a rusty steel plate, and hit the flickering gunfire at the other end of the corridor.
Every cell in his body swelled to the limit, and his whole body was like a crazy tank. As he charged with meteoric strides, the floor tiles in the entire corridor screamed.
The bullets hit the steel plate, leaving only dents, and the 7mm powerful bullet was unable to penetrate it!
At such a close distance, it would be too late to use a rocket launcher, and it would be impossible for the investigation team to bring that thing.
"Holy shit! Is this guy crazy?!"
The dog looked surprised, but after playing the game for so long, he had never seen anything.
Before he even looked at him, the Kidney Fighter next to him put down the assault rifle in his hand, and while pulling out the engineer shovel, he let out a low growl.
"Go crazy!"
The strength in his body surged, and he advanced instead of retreating, charging towards the muscular monster.
A hint of surprise flashed across his fleshy face, but it soon turned into an arrogant laugh.
"If you want to die, I will make it happen for you!!" Blake roared angrily and hit the steel plate.
Exoskeleton?
Drone?
Those precious gadgets are nothing compared to pure power!
His muscles are the most powerful engine!
Boom!!!
The collision of metal and metal made a sonorous roar.
However, the person in front of him was not knocked out as he expected.
The steel plate he held in his hand seemed to have hit a wall, shaking slightly and then not moving at all.
A trace of surprise appeared on Blake's face, but it was quickly replaced by anger.
He suddenly opened the steel plate, pulled out the mace hidden inside the steel plate, and pointed it at the head of the exoskeleton.
The sonorous chirping sounded again.
I saw that the man was holding a shovel with a very different style from the high-tech equipment in his hand, and he actually took his blow forcefully!
Blake was frightened and frightened, especially when a slight tingling came from his tiger's mouth.
"Haha! Good luck!"
The man shouted something he didn't understand, and the engineer shovel in his hand drew an arc and slashed toward his head.
Blake hurriedly raised the mace in his hand to block, and there were two loud clanging sounds, which actually made him take two steps back.
The man seemed tireless, and the engineer shovel in his hand was waving like a windmill.
Even though the steel had been deformed by the smashing, it still kept greeting him at the door.
Blake was scared, with a trace of fear written on his face.
No matter how stupid he is, he clearly realizes at this moment that the person in front of him is an awakened one!
And his strength is not inferior to him at all!
With the support of the exoskeleton, the warhead driven by muscles and motors at the same time comes like a violent storm.
Not only was he not tired at all, but he became more and more courageous as he fought.
Body functions are on the verge of reaching their limits.
Black couldn't resist anymore, so he pulled away and knelt on the ground with a thump, raising his arms to beg for mercy.
"I surrender!"
The few younger brothers who survived behind him were stunned on the spot and looked at each other. However, seeing that the boss surrendered, they finally put down their weapons.
Staring at the level wave SS kneeling on the ground, the player named Kidney Fighter was slightly startled, and the raised engineer shovel stopped in the air.
He was in high spirits.
Why did you vote?
Get up and continue!
Blake, who was kneeling on the ground, was trembling and cold sweat broke out on his head. The look in the eyes of the man in front of him made him feel instinctively uneasy.
However, he really couldn't move anymore.
At this time, the two players heard the panting sounds of their teammates.
"Damn it, I've arrived at the support position. Which floor are you on? Why did the gunfire stop? Are you okay?"
"...It's over, the SS has voted," the dog said with a subtle expression, "You can go down."
Killing Dagger: “%￥#@!”
On the roof of the building not far away, a woman covered in alloy stood quietly there.
The black mirror and helmet covered her entire head, and her gender could only be determined from her body shape.
At first glance, she seems to be wearing an exoskeleton, but upon closer inspection, you will find that the helmet and mirror are non-detachable parts, growing directly on her neck.
She has no name, only an X-16 number written on her left chest and on the processor buried in her chest.
A small and exquisite electronic sparrow landed on her shoulder, and a string of dark green strings flashed across its lively black eyes.
X-16 nodded silently, looked straight ahead with the pitch-black mirror, and spoke in a cold electronic voice.
"…bait captured."
"Do we need to activate Plan B?"
The answer came from the communication channel.
"No need, come back."
X-16 nodded.
"yes."
Not long after he finished speaking, the figure standing on the roof of the building left quietly.
It's like it's never been here before...
the other side.
Blake and his five dejected men, under the supervision of three players wearing exoskeletons, walked out of the devastated abandoned building with their heads in hands.
When he saw the seven soldiers standing next to the mission, Blake couldn't help but show a trace of despair on his face.
Until a few seconds ago, he naively thought that the three people he met just now were already the strongest combat force of the New Alliance Mission.
However, the seven warriors wearing exoskeletons standing in front of him at this moment were no less imposing than those three.
Especially the person standing at the front, his strength is unfathomable!
At this moment, he finally realized how stupid it was to take on this task.
The seized weapons were gathered together.
Looking at the RPG launch tube on the ground, Lao Bai had a hint of surprise on his face.
"Bazooka, where did you get it?"
He used Renlianyu in this sentence.
Blake answered cautiously.
"...the black market in the slums sells this stuff."ωwＷ.八⑦7zω.còΜ
There is actually a weapons store in Boulder City, but it doesn't have much space on the shelf and only has a small launch tube.
Explosives with an equivalent weight of more than 50 grams are not allowed to be brought into the giant wall. After payment, you need to pick up the goods at the trading post outside the giant wall.
Survivor settlements in the wasteland seem to be like this.
Luka came over, looked down at Blake who was squatting on the ground with his head in his hands, and said in a deep voice.
"Who sent you here?"
Seeing that the plot was triggered, the surrounding players looked here with interest.
"I have no idea…"
Blake said tremblingly, and suddenly saw the unkind looks in everyone's eyes, and hurriedly explained, "I really don't know, I, I also work for a fee, and the person I contacted was a regular at the Pirate Bay Tavern, his name is Bit...
You can ask the bartender there, they all know that guy."
"Collect money to do things?" Luka frowned and stared at him, "What did those people ask you to do? How much did they pay you?"
"My boss only told me to let me lead people to ambush you here, and then gave me... a deposit of 1,000 chips," Black begged with a flattering and flattering look on his face, "I am willing to give all my property to you.
I give it to you, I just ask you to let me live."
He didn't listen carefully to the bounty hunter's plea for mercy, and there was a trace of solemnity on Old Luca's face.
Although he had expected that his trip would not be peaceful, in order to avoid long nights and many dreams, he deliberately arranged the signing time very close, so as not to prepare anything for those with evil intentions.
However, unexpectedly, they were still targeted.
Lao Bai gave Luca a questioning look.
"What to do with these prisoners?"
Luka thought for a while and then said.
"Leave it to the manager to handle it."
After that, he showed the coordinates set on the map, and then looked at Lao Bai.
"The Guards Corps will send people over to recover the prisoners. Please arrange for two people to wait here for a while."
Lao Bai nodded and looked at the two agility players aside.
"The NPC who is taking the captives is on his way here. Please stay here for a while and then follow after the handover is completed."
They both nodded.
"Ook!"
"no problem!"
The prisoners and trophies were left where they were, and two people were separated to guard them, while the group continued on their way.
If you back down because of this difficulty, you are undoubtedly playing into the other party's plan.
Old Luca made up his mind in his heart that no matter what happened, he must take that agreement back.
At the same time, in the outer city of Boulder City, inside a building with a full industrial feel.
A man in formal attire is sitting in the office, quietly studying the holographic image projected on the desk surface.
Although it is an office, there is nothing simple about it.
The entire room is completely designed according to the standards of the presidential suite of an inner city hotel.
From the table in front of him to the bed in the next room, every piece of furniture was imported from Ideal.
His name is Ibbers, the chairman of Jushi Military Industries.
As the underground emperor of the outer city of Boulder City, he is the only one in the entire outer city who has the financial resources to enjoy all this.
Only he deserves such enjoyment.
Standing next to the man, the secretary with a slightly older face said softly.
"...Their strength is amazing."
Ibbers nodded and said expressionlessly.
"Well, he should have mastered some kind of technology that can induce awakening."
"And the strength shown by the awakening is not weak."
Although inducing arousal is not easy, it is not impossible to achieve.
When a population is in a life-and-death crisis, one or two strong and unreasonable individuals will always be born.
Superimposed on the achievements of the People's Federation era in the field of genetic engineering, this special situation has been infinitely magnified, leading to the so-called "awakening" - this is the most mainstream view.
Even without relying on any technical means, awakened people can be born naturally in some survivor colonies.
And if some technical means are used, it is also possible to induce individuals with potential to actively awaken.
Although this comes with its own set of risks, including reproductive isolation.
Ibers had heard of this type of technology, and he even knew of more than a dozen technical routes for inducing awakening.
Jushi Military Industry has mastered two of them, and there is no point in mastering one more.
They will regularly produce a batch of cloned babies, select a few who have the potential to awaken, and train them intensively, while those without potential will be thrown into orphanages in slums or disposed of.
Although the screening is not 100% accurate, as long as the overall yield rate is greater than 80%, it is enough for them.
For Jushi Military Industry, the Awakener is just a "high cost performance, low output" piece of equipment. Their military industry capabilities rely not just on one or two pieces of equipment, but on the entire system.
However…
What scares Ibbers is...
The new alliance has too many of these cost-effective equipment.
The secretary standing next to him obviously thought about it with him.
"...If their ordinary soldiers, the Awakeneds, have such combat power, I'm afraid they will have to mobilize militia groups to deal with them."
According to the intelligence they investigated, the New Alliance has an Awakened Corps with a size of between 1,000 and 3,000, and this is also the reason for them to announce the Northern Expedition.
Although their high-tech equipment is limited, sometimes quantity is a terrifying power.
"...Moreover, these people always give me the feeling that something is wrong."
Ibbers asked casually.
"Which aspect are you talking about?"
"In every sense of the word, after a pause, the secretary continued clearly, "They don't look like normal people, but they don't look like clones either. They look more like special existences in between."
"I suggest that we increase communication with them, and it is best to find out what is going on with these people."
There are so many strange things in the wasteland, but this incident happened at their doorstep after all.
Ibers thought for a moment and nodded slowly.
"You're right, this really needs to be studied."
The old secretary said respectfully: "Do you need me to arrange for the director of the city hall to meet with you?"
"No need, I called him last night and things are developing in the direction we expected."
The old secretary continued: "Although I say so, Mr. Dulong seems to have encountered some trouble."
Ibbers raised his eyelids.
"What trouble."
"Workers surrounded the city hall. They are not satisfied with the outcome of the negotiations between Dulong and the new alliance and demand renegotiation."
Ibers was stunned for a moment, then laughed.
"interesting."
…
A long time ago, Boulder City was not a city, nor could it even be called a settlement of survivors, but just a building.
Like other survivors in the apocalypse, the people living there struggled to survive the apocalypse.
However, at this moment, a group of people came here and told the people in the building——
"We will build high walls for you, and we will give you swords, seeds, and torches."
"But the unreliable alliance is collapsing, and our lifespan is in the wind."
"For the future of all of us, please hold on to the last fire."
"till the end"
Later, as time went by, more and more people gathered in front of the "flame".
Everyone gathered firewood and the flames were high, and the fire burned more and more fiercely. Although it was not as good as the prosperous era, it still retained a trace of warmth.
Gradually, the original building and surrounding blocks became the inner city, while the buffer zone between the inner city and the giant wall developed into the outer city.
Until now, even the huge outer city is not enough to accommodate all the people. People who cannot enter the giant wall have built shacks outside the wall, or spread to the surrounding areas, forming villages like Beit Street.
Of course, if you are unlucky, you may be caught by slave traders and sold to a place like Brown Farm.
"...Or, simply become the food for mutants, predators, and alien species."
After listening to Xia Yan's "history", Chu Guang spoke thoughtfully.
"That group of people...is it called the Post-War Reconstruction Committee?"
He had seen Dr. Principle's video repeatedly. Although there was no mention of Boulder City in it, it did mention the mysterious organization of the Post-War Reconstruction Committee many times.
Two centuries ago, there should have been no big forces such as companies, legions, or colleges in the wasteland. The Torch Church only appeared more than ten or twenty years ago.
It is only possible to build such a towering giant wall on the ruins.
"Then I don't know. I heard there are other versions, but these are the stories I know."
Sitting on the sofa in the reading room, Xia Yan held a cup of hot milk with cocoa in her hand and blew on it gently.
She didn't know why Chu Guang suddenly became interested in the story from 200 years ago, but she happened to have heard a little about it.
For the sake of chocolate, it doesn't hurt to chat with him for a while.
Chu Guang nodded thoughtfully and pressed a few buttons on the keyboard.
Xia Yan looked curiously at Chu Guang, who was staring at the computer meticulously. The slightly curved bionic prosthetic body was casually placed on the other well-shaped leg.
"Are you writing in a diary?"
"Diary?" Chu Guang was slightly stunned, then smiled and said, "Why do you think so."
Xia Yan blinked.
"Because it feels like you are writing every day."
After stopping what he was doing and thinking for a moment, Chu Guang spoke.
"...Well, it's not so much a diary as it is weaving a dream."
Xia Yan rolled his eyes helplessly.
"You are saying something difficult to understand again."
Chu Guang smiled faintly and said nothing.
Everything he said was true, but he rarely finished a sentence.
In this regard, politics and sales are really similar.
It's just that the items sold are different.
After completing the world view in the setting collection, Chu Guang logged into the official website forum and took a look.
It's not time to go offline yet, the players are all in the game, but the excitement on the forum has not diminished at all.
Two hours ago, the silver coin trading platform was reopened, and the trading price had gone through more than a dozen roller coasters, which made the onlookers who were eating melons say that it was simply off the charts.
"Damn it! It's broken!"
"Awesome!"
"Why did it drop to single digits?!"
"Big guys, please give me some help! Don't sell anyone, just raise your silver coins to the sky!"
"Damn! Who is throwing it!!"
Since communication on related topics is prohibited in the gossip section, similar posts flooded the trading section.
The leeks focused on the price, but Chu Guang was flipping through the information on big orders in the background.
Even without using Xiaoqi's computing power, he can roughly judge based on the flow of funds that major forces in reality are consciously increasing their holdings of the air coins he issued.
We even hired professional traders.
"...It seems that this battery has quite a lot of energy."
A smile appeared on Chu Guang's face.
If they decide to misunderstand themselves as an extraterrestrial civilization and regard "Wasteland O" as some kind of fable containing enlightenment, then let them continue to misunderstand it.
This isn't a bad thing.
It is only natural to reward those who work hard.
Although he can't go to that world, he still hopes that his little players can live a better life.
At this moment, Xiao Qi's voice suddenly floated over.
"Owner."
The assistant AI was almost ptsd in that it reported worries but not good news. Chu Guang nervously looked at the puppet sitting at the corner of the table.
"What's wrong?"
Being looked at so directly, Xiao Qi showed an embarrassed expression and a shy smile.
However, that doesn't make the bad news good news.
"You only have the last two qualifications left for the closed beta test."
Chu Guang was stunned for a moment.
"There are only two left? Didn't I say that the distribution volume will be reduced when the qualifications for the closed beta test are almost exhausted?"
Xiaoqi said aggrievedly: "I'm doing what you ordered... Last week, the number of qualifications distributed per day was reduced to 10, and this week it has been reduced a little bit, but the number is only that much."
Although it also wanted to help Chu Guang recruit more players, the "recruitment limit" was there and it had no choice.
Chu Guang didn't speak today, Xiao Qi whispered.
"Do you want to change it to one every day?"
Or you can get one gold coin every day and collect 10 coins to exchange for a discount coupon to buy a helmet.
Xia Yan tilted his head, not understanding what Chu Guang and the ornaments on the table were talking about.
"That's not necessary, just send the last two directly."
After taking a look at the tasks in the work log, Chu Guang pinched his eyebrows with a headache.
"...It seems that contact with Vault 101 must be put on the agenda as soon as possible."
In order to make Pai happy, he specially sent a well-behaved, sensible and cute little fish to act as her "exclusive customer service".
I don’t know what the situation is like over there...
(Thanks to the leader of "czhang59 for the reward!!!")