Translator: AnubisTL
"Greetings, Brother Jiang. I'm Xie Feng, a human player, and the group behind me are all human players as well."
"We heard your voice on the human race horn and witnessed your heroic battle against City 18 at the mine."
"Everyone... everyone wants to join you."
"No need," Chen Jiang said calmly, shaking his head slightly. "But your timing is fortunate."
He pointed toward City 18, visible in the distance.
"Do you see that?"
"Yes, yes, we see it."
A flicker of fear crossed Xie Feng's eyes as he nodded hastily. City 18... the mechanical race's city, now reduced to ashes.
"Good," Chen Jiang said with a nod. "Take your people into the city and gather any useful items or semi-scrapped items for me."
"In return, City 18 will be yours."
"You must understand that having City 18 as a base in the wilderness will greatly improve your situation."
That much was true.
Even though City 18 was now a desolate wasteland, it was still far safer and more comfortable than that abandoned mine.
In the wilderness, finding a place like this to serve as a gathering point was already a stroke of luck.
Since arriving in the wilderness, Chen Jiang and Scar Dog had never slept in a proper bed. Before settling in the wasteland, their only secret base had been that shipping container at the bottom of the river.
Aside from the risk of collapse and the extreme inconvenience of entering and exiting, at least its security was somewhat guaranteed.
"This..."
The man hesitated, then stammered, "Um, everyone wants to follow you, Brother Jiang."
"Can you understand plain language?" Chen Jiang asked, his expression calm as he stared at the man.
Beside him, Scar Dog casually drew a shotgun from his coat, cocked it one-handed, disengaged the safety, twirled it twice in the air, and pressed the barrel against the man's forehead, his expression a sinister smile.
"Yes, yes, yes!" the man nodded frantically, then glanced at the ruins of City 18. "I'll take them in to gather items right away."
"Mm."
Soon.
The man scrambled back on all fours, rushing to the group of human players. After a brief exchange, the entire group began marching directly toward City 18, right in front of Chen Jiang.
Clearly, they were preparing to enter City 18.
"Brother Jiang," Scar Dog said, eyeing the group suspiciously, "do you think someone might find a powerful item and just pocket it, or even run off with it?"
"Anyone who's survived this long in the wilderness isn't exactly known for their unwavering loyalty," Scar Dog added, his voice laced with concern. "Calling them paragons of virtue would be absurd."
"Is that even a question?"
Chen Jiang reclined in the driver's seat, adjusting the seat until he was half-lying down. "It would be stranger if they didn't run. If you were in their shoes, would you stay?"
"Are you kidding me?!" Scar Dog exclaimed indignantly. "Every man for himself! If you don't run now, when will you?"
"Exactly." Chen Jiang shook his head casually. "All we need is a large quantity of ordinary items for enhancement. As for any powerful items City 18 might hold, if we lose them, we lose them."
"After all, compared to the potential dangers lurking within City 18, all of this is insignificant."
"The wilderness is a place where opportunities never run dry."
"But life? You only get one."
"Surviving is the key to unlocking more opportunities."
City 18 had been nearly reduced to rubble by his relentless bombardment. Even the central district had been carpet-bombed by his armored vehicle during the first half of the night.
Yet danger still lingered.
Despite the overwhelming destruction, countless survivors were undoubtedly hiding in the ruins, preparing to deliver a fatal blow to any intruders.
Automatic turrets, landmines buried beneath the rubble, glorious bullets hidden in corpses—City 18 now resembled a parched, ripe woman.
Seemingly ripe for the taking, yet still carrying the risk of being drained dry and left to die.
Such risks were best left for others to bear.
Feeling the cool air from the vehicle's air conditioning, Chen Jiang slowly closed his eyes, saying nothing.
In truth, they still needed one crucial resource.
Energy blocks.
Whether for powering their vehicle or fueling Scar Dog's innate ability, energy blocks were essential.
Currently, they didn't have many.
"I'm getting a bit hungry," Scar Dog murmured, rubbing his stomach as he gazed into the distance.
Chen Jiang didn't reply.
The two sat in silence inside the vehicle.
Then, suddenly—
They both felt a distinct vibration beneath their feet, a high-frequency tremor with an eerie, rhythmic pulse.
The next moment—
Before either of them could react—
The vibration vanished as abruptly as it had appeared, as if it had never existed.
Chen Jiang immediately sat up, his expression alert as he scanned their surroundings without a word.
"A Mutated Beast Horde?" Scar Dog asked, his face tense as he peered around. "Could our commotion last night have attracted them?"
The possibility couldn't be dismissed.
After all, the area still reeked of blood from yesterday's slaughter.
It was highly likely that the scent had drawn in a Mutated Beast Horde.
They hadn't spotted a single mutated beast in the vicinity. Their current location was the wilderness, with no buildings or mountains to obstruct their view.
The horizon stretched out before them, clear and unobstructed.
Yet within that vast expanse, not a single mutated beast appeared.
The strange, high-frequency vibration had lasted less than a few breaths before vanishing completely, as if it were a hallucination.
Chen Jiang and Scar Dog exchanged glances, both clearly confirming that the sensation had indeed occurred.
The feeling was somewhat akin to the ground shaking beneath the thunderous charge of ten thousand horses or the long-distance stampede of a Mutated Beast Horde, though the vibration's frequency was far higher.
Chen Jiang frowned slightly, scanning the surroundings. After waiting patiently for a moment and still detecting no further activity, he spoke with growing unease, "Something feels off."
According to his plan, after resting and eating, he was supposed to head to the wasteland to collect the remaining semi-scrapped items.
On the other side, there was another wasteland, likely containing many more semi-scrapped items.
These items would be invaluable to him.
But now, for some reason, the persistent unease that had been lingering in his mind was growing stronger.
"Time to retreat."
Without hesitation, Chen Jiang straightened his seat, aimed for a seemingly safe distant point, and slammed his foot on the accelerator.
The vehicle shot forward.
Based on his experience in the wilderness, any inexplicable event was never a coincidence.
The sooner he left, the sooner he'd secure his survival.
What Chen Jiang didn't know was that after the strange high-frequency ground vibrations, the depths beneath City 18 and a vast surrounding area had suddenly begun to collapse rapidly.
(End of the Chapter)
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