Chapter 280.1: Garbage and His Terrifying Attributes

That night.

To the west of the second ring, artillery fire and gunfire continued. The mercenaries were fighting with the swarming mutants under the cover of air strikes and artillery fire.

On the contrary, the north side, which was noisy the night before, was deadly silent.

With a straight-line distance of more than 10 kilometers with debris everywhere, it was natural that the gunfire couldn't be heard from such a distance. However, they found it slightly suspicious that they couldn’t even hear explosions.

However, Zhao Yongxu didn't find it strange at all.

It was a bunch of country hillbillies fighting with fire sticks after all... He found it strange if they managed to handle the Tide.

He felt that the battle the night before probably exhausted them. Even if they weren’t swallowed by the Tide, he thought they would have scurried away with their tail tucked between their legs.

Gazing at the silent night sky to the north, a hint of disdain flickered in his eyes. "These idiots."

They obviously don’t have the ability to defeat the Tide, but they still didn't want to stay out of the Tide's way. They were clearly asking for trouble.

It was well-known that the Tide would advance towards areas with high population density and fewer Slime Mold Mutants. Whether it was population growth or large-scale removal of Slime Mold Mutants, the settlements would accumulate something called hatred value.

Of course, it was normal that those bumpkins didn't know anything about it.

He knew that they could barely remember half of what The Voice of Boulder Town broadcasted, and they probably didn’t even know many words. There was no way to teach them new knowledge.

In his opinion, those people were no different from beggars at the gate of Boulder Town.

Turning his gaze away from the north, Zhao Yongxu, the frontline commander personally appointed by the mayor of Boulder Town, and the leader of the militia, continued to look to the east.

As a military officer of the militia, his main concern was to beautifully solve the threat of the Tide that threatened the prosperity and stability of Boulder Town.

Not far away, 2 arcs of light streaked across the night sky.

As 4 black dots fell one by one, the scorching flames engulfed the entire street, burning up every grain of soil.

A vacuum zone was cleared near the entrance to the underground complex, and mercenaries began to push forward.

The 2 new Hives on the surface in the area between the western third and second ring had been destroyed by air strikes several days ago, but there were still three Hives hidden in the underground commercial complex.

The mutation of the incubation room was random and impossible to predict. Even after a thorough search, there were bound to be some that slipped through the search.

Especially when the mutation occurred underground.

The underground space was connected under towering skyscrapers like a spider's web or a tangled ball of yarn, with a dense and complex network of underground transportation.

It was said that in the distant Prosperity Era, only quantum computers could help people find the fastest way home.

Unfortunately, Boulder Town didn't have a quantum computer to ask for directions, nor did they have strategic weapons that could hit hundreds of meters deep underground. But it didn't matter because they had enough cannon fodder and ample logistics.

With indirect and direct fire support, even an occasional powerful mutant wouldn't stand a chance against them.

Optimistically, they would be able to destroy the Hive that night.

𝙛𝒓𝒆𝙚𝒘𝒆𝓫𝙣𝓸𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝒄𝒐𝓶

If they needed longer, it would take 2 days at the most.

Zhao Yongxu waited quietly for good news from the front line. The next moment, the voice of the pilot came through the communication channel.

"Bombing complete, target cleared... Returning."

"Well done. Go get a good rest. There won't be any more tasks for you tonight." Just as he finished speaking, Zhao Yongxu suddenly had an idea. "By the way, when you come back, take a detour to the north. I want to know the situation near the north of the fourth ring."

He didn't need to worry about what had happened in the northern suburbs. He said that purely to satisfy his personal curiosity.

The pilot executing the mission didn't care that much and replied concisely, "Copy."

The plane left 2 arcs in the sky as it took a long detour to the north.

Zhao Yongxu waited for sometime and not long after, a voice came through the communication channel with a report.

"We have reached the airspace above the north of the fourth ring and found no anomalies."

"What about the gunfire?"

"Didn't see any... It's pitch black here."

It seemed that not only had the shelling stopped, but even the gunfire had completely ceased.

Zhao Yongxu chuckled lightly to himself, thinking that it was exactly as he expected. He didn’t expect the communication channel to continue to buzz with activity.

"Not only the fourth ring, but Changling Elevated Highway is also very quiet, with no visible fire... To the north, around the fifth ring, I can see scattered lights."

Zhao Yongxu was stunned.

Scattered lights?

Hadn't the survivors in that area fled?

Did they already defeat the Tide... But how's that possible?!

With a look of shock, Zhao Yongxu asked, "What about the clock tower on 65th Street? What's the situation there?"

The communication channel was silent for a moment.

Soon, a definitive voice came through.

"We're right above 65th Street now and we've found a lot of fungal spots on the clock tower's walls. We can confirm that it's the remains of a Hive... There was definitely a fierce battle here because there are bodies all over the ground... Anyway, it looks like the Tide was defeated."

The cigarette between Zhao Yongxu's fingers fell to the ground. His eyes widened in shock, and his expression full of disbelief. “Hive remains? Are you sure you didn't see it wrong?!"

The pilot answered in a positive tone. "... I'm sure!"

The patrol mission was over, and the plane turned back.

Staring blankly out the window at the sky to the north, Zhao Yongxu remained silent for a long time without saying a word.

He couldn't understand.

Without air support, how did those people armed only with crude artillery shells and iron pipe rifles manage to kill the mutants in a surging Tide?

After a long silence, he finally muttered half a sentence, “How... How is it possible?”

...

"Damn, that explosion last night sounded like thunder... Do any of you know what happened there?"

"You mean in the south? I heard it too!"

"It must be the Tide. Those blue coats have been dealing with it for the past 2 weeks. I heard that there had been a lot of action on the front line."

"Tide? I've been to Clearspring City many times, but it's the first time I've heard that the Tide spread north."

"Maybe this year is different from previous years? After all, it wasn't so lively last year."

"It's so strange. How does the Tide know which place has more people?"

"I knew you would ask this. My uncle is a Boulder Town militia. He told me that every Cruncher you killed outside would come back to you in the form of a Tide in the spring of the next year."

"Stop talking nonsense. If it was really as scary as what you said, the survivors of Clearspring City would have been dead already!"

Longevity Town, North Gate Street.

The first floor of the Road Hotel next to the trading station was bustling with activity.

Everyday when it got dark, it would become a tavern for mercenaries, traveling merchants and caravan guards.

Some people were eating and drinking, some were playing drinking games or cards, and some were talking with strangers next to them about what they had learned or heard on the road, just to earn a glass of beer.

Where there were drinks, there were stories. Although many of them were made up, there would occasionally be some useful information sprinkled in between.

Regardless of whether they were busy or not, mercenaries and traveling merchants loved to kill time there.

"My guys and I need to stay another night." Sun Shiqi walked over to the bar and woke up Old Hooke who was dozing behind the counter.

It surprised him a little bit that the old man could fall asleep in such a noisy place.

Opening his cloudy eyes, Hooke looked at the young man standing in front of the bar counter, and yawned, "No problem... Why do you suddenly plan to stay for another day? I remember you were in a hurry to go back and make a fortune?"

"I'm having bad luck. My order has been delayed..." Sun Shiqi muttered annoyingly, sitting in front of the bar counter, "Give me another beer. One that's not diluted with water."

In fact, not only was his order delayed, but all the export arms orders in Longevity Town were postponed for a day. It was said that all the inventory in the industrial zone had been sent to the front line.

The young girl named Frost River even came to the hotel to apologize to him in person, and said that the trading station was willing to compensate him with 10 silver coins for the accommodation fee.

However, the cost of staying in the hotel for an extra day would not be just 10 silver coins for Sun Shiqi. After all, he needed to pay for the salaries and board and lodging of the mercenaries himself.

Originally, Sun Shiqi wanted to complain, but seeing the young girl apologizing to him quite sincerely, he didn't give her a hard time.

Besides, it was useless even if he had given her a hard time. It was something she had no control over.

They were still fighting with the Tide, so it was impossible for him to ask the bullets that had been sent to the ammunition depot.

When encountering an unreasonable survivor settlement, it was not impossible that they would delay the order until the following year, so it was not too much to postpone it for a day or 2 .

Besides, it was impossible to do business in the wasteland without taking some risks.

"This place is not Boulder Town. We don't sell watered down alcohol."

When selling things, Hooke still didn’t forget to shittalk his competitor. He walked unsteadily to the wooden barrel, turned on the silver faucet, and filled up the wooden cup as thick as a thigh. Then he went back to the counter and placed it on the table. "5 silver coins."

"Put it in my tab." Taking the beer cup made of wood, Sun Shiqi glanced inside. What he saw made him fall silent instantly.

He didn't know if the beer had been mixed with water, but the foam alone had filled half a glass.

He finally discovered that the hotel didn't make its profit from the rooms, but the consumption of their guests.

If he sold it that way, a barrel of beer could be exchanged for a cow! It was just too scammy!

"What's the situation in the frontline?"

Old Hooke replied casually, "It's over."

"It's over?" Sun Shiqi showed a surprised expression on his face, suspecting that he had misheard. "You mean the Tide is over?"

Hooke raised an eyebrow and mumbled, "What else can it be?"

Restraining the surprised expression on his face, Sun Shiqi said with a smile, "I just didn't expect it to be this fast."

The Tide would normally end in late March.

It wasn’t even the end of February!

Without further inquiring about the Tide, Sun Shiqi habitually approached the beer cup and sniffed, smelling the fragrance of wheat malt. "You brewed it yourself?"

Hooke replied casually. "The malt and hops are from Brown Farm. Combined with the special fermentation process of Shelter 404, I promise, this is a brew that you will never be able to drink anywhere in Boulder Town."

The old man spoke without pause, and it was so fluent that Sun Shiqi felt like the guy had memorized it beforehand.

However, that was not the focus of his concern.

Sun Shiqi pointed to the beer barrel behind him and asked curiously, "How much does this barrel of beer cost?"

Hooke's eyes lit up, and a pleasant smile appeared on his wrinkled face. "Are you interested? I can sell it to you for 500 silver coins."

500?!

This wooden barrel is only 50 liters at most, and it might only be about 40 liters. I doubt it can even fill 100 beer cups.

Only fools will buy it!