Chapter 383.1: Chaotic Roots

The deserted streets were scattered with uncollected trash, derelict vehicles lay across the weed-infested roads, and it was hard to tell if the patches on the metal lamp posts were rust or bloodstains.

Damaged windows were a common sight here, and paralyzed android models still displayed remnants of trendy clothing from 200 years ago, yet no human presence was visible.

This place had never been bombarded with heavy weapons. As such, the majority of the buildings’ main structures were intact.

Even so, it had still been abandoned.

"We should be close now," Sesame Paste, holding a map and comparing it to the surrounding buildings, led the team.

According to the Scientific Expedition Team’s information, the entrance to Shelter 79 was located at 79 Xiangling Street in the eastern district of Lucky Valley Municipality, housed within a library.

The specific entrance details were not specified in the documents, only mentioning that residents reaching the evacuation area should follow the administrator's arrangements and enter the shelter under the guidance of security personnel.

It was presumably for safety reasons.

Walking next to Sesame Paste, Roshan looked around cautiously and muttered softly, "What a pity..."

"Pity?" Tail, perched on her shoulder, tilted her head.

"It feels like this city is completely alright... It’s just that there’s no one anymore.”

"Yeah," Tail rubbed her chin thoughtfully, "Why didn't people return to live here after the war ended?"

Sisi pondered for a moment before relying, "Maybe because there are no people left?"

Roshan didn’t know how to answer. "..."

Sesame Paste paused for a second, before breaking out laughing, "Ah... Haha."

Though she was merely repeating Roshan’s words, Sisi did not regard it as pointless.

As she had seen upon entering the city, it wasn’t the war that had destroyed the city, but the chaos it triggered.

The lack of essential resources like food, water, electricity, and fuel turned the city into a steel jungle even more brutal than a primal forest.

It was especially so during the third year of the war, which plunged the planet into a mini ice age lasting half a century.

After most people had left the city, mutants quickly occupied it, nesting in buildings, roaming through the ruins, and hunting in the dark.

Scavengers never knew whether opening a door would unleash roaches as long as their legs or a swarm of blood-sucking rats. Or perhaps... Something even more terrifying.

"Hush..." The cat ears on top of her head twitched slightly, and Sesame Paste signaled her companions to keep quiet for the moment.

Treading lightly, they reached a crossroad at the end of the street, where she crouched beside a wrecked car, looking towards the street corner on the left.

For a moment, she held her breath at the sight of the enormous creature that entered her view.

A Deathclaw!

With dark green scales covering its body, it stood nearly 6 meters tall across the street with its tail coiled in front of it.

Just by size alone, the creature was even larger than Neeko who slept at the entrance of Shelter 404. Its claws were also sharper, and they were likely different breeds.

Its heavy breathing rustled the bushes nearby, and its dull purring seemed to indicate it was asleep.

Seeing the 2 mutilated bodies lying next to its claws, Sesame Paste’s expression stiffened slightly.

She wasn’t sure if a single RPG could effectively harm the beast. If their ambush failed, they might be wiped out in an instant.

Quietly retreating, she returned to her companions while mumbling nervously, "There’s a Deathclaw blocking the entrance."

Sisi nodded slowly while rubbing her chin. "No wonder we haven’t seen other mutants around."

Roshan couldn’t help but ask, "What do we do?"

"It's okay, there isn’t just one way," Sisi pulled out a paper map, pondering for a moment, "A frontal assault is too risky... we'll circle around to the garage behind the library and climb over the wall from there."

The Deathclaw's had exceptionally sharp instincts.

She had once witnessed a Deathclaw that was sleeping leap into action and swat away an RPG she fired the next second...

Yep, she was the person who shot the rocket back then.

She and Tail were instantly killed by the Deathclaw that rushed at them, an event from several versions ago.

Such an unreasonably powerful creature couldn’t be measured with common sense.

If they were near Dawn City, they would have called for an airstrike. Unfortunately, they were far from any save points or respawn points in Lucky Valley Municipality.

Even the slightest risk had to be avoided at all costs.

The group changed their direction, skirting along the neighboring street to the parking lot behind the library.

However, to Sisi's surprise, the place was not as deserted as it appeared from the outside; it concealed a settlement of survivors!

There were about 200 to 300 households, forming a sizable village.

Not to mention, they established themselves right beneath the deathclaw’s nose!

"Stop!" On the fortified wall made of steel bars and wooden planks, a man in a studded jacket yelled at those outside as quietly as he could.

Holding a shotgun in hand, his eyes were fixed on the giant white bear and the chain of ammunition and light machine gun she carried. He looked both nervous and uneasy.

Even though only 3 ladies stood outside the wall, he wasn’t naive to believe that people who could tame such a mighty beast in the wasteland were harmless.

"Don’t be nervous, we mean no harm," Sisi glanced at the shotgun and then at the iron pipes in the hands of the survivors behind him, not taking them seriously.

After their resupply by the Storm Corps back then, she refitted her bulletproof vest.

Those iron pipe rifles, with their erratic bullet paths and weak power, posed no threat to her.

"Who are you? Are you from the Army or the Enterprise?” The man on the wall looked at her while asking nervously.

"Neither, we're wasteland wanderers from Clearspring City nearby."

The survivors behind the man exchanged surprised glances.

"Clearspring City?"

"I visited when I was young... That’s where Boulder Town is. They use plastic chips as money and you can buy mint-scented soap."

"Really?"

"True! I heard you can eat three meals a day there for a day’s work!"

"Are there really such amazing things in this world?"

Listening to the murmurs behind him, the man eyed Sisi skeptical but eventually lowered his gun and his hostility.

"The Army indeed doesn't have women... As long as you're not one of those guys, it’s fine." He paused for a moment, then introduced himself simply, "My name is Wu Tao, hunter and mayor of Xiangling Town."

"What happened here?" Sisi looked at the man and asked.

"A lot has happened. Haven’t you seen the airship to the northwest?"

Sisi nodded. She didn’t just see it. A few days ago, she was fighting with those bastards who crawled out of the airship.

"Did the Army come?"

"More than that," Wu Tao sneered, "Just the day before, those bandits... Over 100 of them came and said some Enterprise’s team was burning and looting everywhere and we had to move to their camp for protection... Only a fool will believe their crap.”

"We've lived here for over a century. We're not going anywhere, not for the Enterprise and definitely not for mutants. Then those scoundrels started setting fires..." The man cursed as he spoke.

A frown appeared on Sisi’s face as she continued to ask, "What happened then?"

"Then, that creature appeared." As he spoke, Wu Tao glanced nervously behind him, but his gaze wasn't on the library behind him, but rather over the building's eaves.

Sisi knew what he meant and she was slightly taken aback. "Are you talking about that Deathclaw?"

Wu Tao nodded, but slowly. "Yes, though I don’t know where it came from, thankfully it scattered the Army, leaving a few corpses behind, and the rest fled."

Sisi raised an eyebrow and asked, “Aren’t you afraid of that Deathclaw?”

"Of course we’re scared, but that airship is still there, and we’re worried the Army might return." Wu Tao sighed, his voice filled with helpless resignation, "Watching it clean up those bodies, we even threw some mutated hyenas and rats at it. That creature isn’t picky and settled right in front of the library. We don’t know how long it’ll stay, but we’re safe for now. We sent some folks to spy on the Army but none of them returned. It’s hard not to think that they ran into trouble.”

Sisi estimated that the Army probably didn’t want to risk their heavy artillery on that beast. Otherwise, even a Deathclaw wouldn’t withstand a hit from their main cannons.

"We’ve told our story, now it’s your turn." Wu Tao looked at Sisi. “If you’re not from the Army, nor the Enterprise, and clearly not traders... What are you doing here?”

"We’re looking for Shelter 79." Sisi didn’t hide their purpose.

She had thought the man might know something, but his face only showed confusion when he heard her mention a shelter.

It wasn’t a faked reaction. Instead, it was an instinctive look.

He wasn’t the only one. The young survivors behind him too looked like they had never heard of it.