Chapter 386.2: Human Wave Tactics

"I hope there aren’t too many of us?” Sideline Slacking asked with a laugh.

"Of course not," Sisi grinned, replying, "Thanks for coming!"

"Haha, no worries, we mainly came to check out the new map. We were planning to come by this area in a couple of days anyway," Sideline Slacking said cheerfully, "By the way, there are about 100 more brothers coming. If the convoy gets full, let me know in advance."

"The more, the merrier. Shelter 79 is like an underground city. It’s bigger than all the shelters within our New Alliance combined. Just a few of us won’t be enough to explore it fully." Sisi continued.

She paused, then added, "Don't just stand outside. Come in."

The gatekeeper quickly lowered the ladder.

Over 20 players from the Death Corps climbed the wall and quickly entered Xiangling Town.

Faced with so many unexpected visitors, the local survivors showed worried expressions on their faces. Though the players looked friendly, their weapons were anything but.

However, the players did not disturb them and headed straight for the entrance to the ‘dungeon’ located on the second floor of the library.

Along the way, Sideline Slacking briefly told Sisi how they arrived.

Around 2:00 or 3:00 in the morning, Buns flew them and their airdrop crates in a Dragonfly transport plane to a mountain area 20 kilometers from Lucky Valley Municipality.

Since the Northern Expedition, the players from the Burning Corps weren’t the only ones who knew how to parachute. A majority of the players in the New Alliance had been practicing how to jump out of planes. Now... Every T2 player in the New Alliance and above could be considered a member of the special forces.

Be it hunting or fighting... It was all in a day's work for them.

"Originally, Midnight Pubg and the others were planning to come, but they received another assignment last night. Their corps had been redeployed to the front lines to support Spring Water Commander and his team." Sideline Slacking shared.

"Lucky Valley Municipality is getting livelier," Sisi commented.

"Yeah, and I heard from Old White that the developers might be hinting in the group chat that the next version will push the borders to the neighboring Sunset Province, making this place the opening stronghold for the western advance," Sideline Slacking said with a smile.

"Let's talk about the next version when it comes. For now, our priority is to clear Shelter 79. The Army's troops came by again last night; who knows when they'll come next. It'd be a real problem if they found out we're hiding a shelter here." Sisi frowned.

looking at Sisi's furrowed brows, Sideline Slacking reassured her. "You don't have to worry too much about the Army."

"Oh?" Sisi looked at him, surprised.

"Before I logged on, Battlefield Cheerleader and the other dudes said that the Army plans to pull a team together in the Falling Leaf Camp to go after the Deathclaw. Anyone who brings back its head will get to command 10 slaves and gain the rank of a centurion." Sideline Slacking continued.

A look of surprise crossed Sisi’s face.

The head of a Deathclaw?

What use is it?

And from his tone, it seemed like the Army was determined to kill that Deathclaw at all costs.

Why shouldn't we worry?

“So... What’s going to happen next?” Sisi couldn’t help but ask.

"What is there to worry about?" Sideline Slacking laughed. "When Battlefield Cheerleader heard about this, he immediately joined that team. They even issued him a rifle, though it's an old bolt-action one."

Raising an eyebrow, Sisi couldn’t help but chuckle. "He's not peeling potatoes anymore?"

"Nope, he said he's done peeling potatoes day and night and the doggy developer went too far. He decided to do something a man should do," Eye Owe Money interjected with a chuckle, "We were teasing him yesterday about becoming a pseudo-army leader and pulling us in with him."

Can they really do something like that?!

Sisi was taken aback.

She hesitated for a moment. "But wouldn't that mean you'd run into Spring Water Commander and his guys?"

"It won't be a problem. We've already discussed it with the Storm Corps. If it really comes down to a fight, we'll just set a time and pretend to shoot at each other," Sideline Slacking explained.

As long as they didn’t lose their gear, there would be no real loss. Whatever it was, either side could reach an agreement and pretend to lose. It wouldn’t take long before all of their spies in the Army would be promoted after successive victories against the enemy...

𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞

After all, the battle would go however they liked anyway.

"... Whatever it is, we’ll have people in the Army. As long as they come up with any major moves, Battlefield Cheerleader will give us a heads-up in the group chat or the forum. We’ll just focus on clearing Shelter 79."

Sisi stared at them, dumbfounded.

These sneaky little shits...

...

Second floor of the library.

They pushed the door open, and like Wu Tao earlier, were startled by the bloody mess of a corpse on the table.

"What the hell is this?"

"It's a barbarian we encountered in Shelter 79... I got a bit curious and brought it back for dissection," Sisi replied casually.

The Construction Boy swallowed hard as he felt both intimidated and curious. All of them leaned in for a closer look, then turned back to Sisi and asked, "Did you find anything?"

Sisi's expression turned strange at the question.

"Well, how should I put it... It has two more ribs than a normal person, its leg bones are much thicker, and the distribution of its muscle groups and the structure of its brain are quite unusual. Rather than calling it a barbarian, it's more like this guy is a hybrid of a human and some kind of animal."

"Damn, isn’t that kinda whack?!" Sideline Slacking frowned slightly.

"Are you sure?"

"Not sure, I'm just a junior doctor, don't make it too hard on me...” Sisi sighed, then suddenly noticed Tail crouching in the corner.

"Tail?! What are you up to?"

"I'm greeting the administrator of Shelter 79!”

“Hey, hello, are you there, Mr. NPC, we're coming to disturb you again today." Listening to the crackling static, Tail patted the radio, mumbling and making a final effort to wake it.

"Strange... It was fine yesterday."

Roshan raised her bear paw and scratched her head. "Is it broken?"

Sesame Paste looked troubled. "Should we still bring it?"

"I think it's better to take it with us," Sisi said.

Tail stroked her chin while nodding thoughtfully. "Hm, hm, Tail thinks maybe the administrator just overslept."

"

Emmm

. It's not entirely impossible."

Although the likelihood was small...

Sisi thought it was more likely due to other delays, given the game's settings where administrators were always busy.

Regardless, carrying such a key mission item with them was better for timely communication in case of any emergencies...

...

“Brothers, charge!”

"

Awoo, awoo, awoo

!”

Inside Shelter 79, gunfire rang through the air. The tactics of the Death Corps were as ferocious and relentless as ever.

With the addition of over 20 comrades, the speed of clearing levels had significantly increased.

Wolf spiders, taller than a person's calf, surged towards the players like a tide, but even faced with their dense gunfire, they fell short, dropping like dumplings into an invisible abyss.

Even if a couple of stragglers broke through the overlapping gunfire, what awaited them were rifle butts and bayonets smashing into their faces. Their fates were unchanged.

Building after building between the entrance of the shelter and the central research area was quickly secured, encountering almost no significant resistance.

It was only when they were halfway to the central research area and dangerous species like the Deathclaws began to appear that their progress gradually slowed.

However, what puzzled Sisi was that Mr. Yong, who had helped them open the door to Shelter 79, hadn't contacted them all day.

It was as if he had disappeared.

Sisi didn't make a big deal out of it and continued leading the team to raid the shelter.

That night, the Army's troops came again, but they didn't get too close. All they did was take a look from a distance before leaving.

The players brought their prey out of the shelter and started a fire on the open ground outside the library, quickly spreading the aroma of roasted meat throughout Xiangling Town, making the local survivors drool.

Time flew by, and three days passed.

More players from the Death Corps arrived and the number stationed in Xiangling Town exceeded 100.

Just when everyone had almost forgotten about that radio and the self-proclaimed administrator. Mr. Yong, on the morning of the fourth day, a hoarse voice suddenly rang out from the radio after a long absence.

"... How many people did you call?!"

Sisi, who was munching on dry food in her room, was startled by the sudden sound. She almost dropped the biscuit in her hand. "About a hundred, what's up?"

Sisi was about to continue asking what he had been up to recently, but the person on the radio didn't give her a chance to ask. "Do we really need so many people?! I mean... What if so many people damage the books in the library?"

The voice was slightly nervous.

"Don't worry," Sisi reassured. "We cherish knowledge and won't damage anything here. Moreover, we've already moved those books to an empty room on the third floor... We’ll do our best to ensure the safety of the residents living here along with the books.”

The radio fell silent for a long time, sinking into a prolonged silence.

Sisi couldn't help but find it odd.

Isn't it better to have more people?

In three days, their pace in raiding the shelter was several times faster than when they first arrived. By her estimation, they only needed three more days to successfully extract the serum.

While she could understand the anxiety of having many strangers around, Sisi felt his concerns were somewhat unnecessary.

And...

"By the way, why does your voice sound a bit strange?" Sisi asked casually.

"Strange?"

"Yeah." Sisi nodded, thinking for a moment before she continued, "It sounds huskier than before."

Two coughs came from the radio.

"I've caught a bit of a cold these past few days... It’s nothing important."

"Oh, are you okay? Do you need any cold medicine? Or perhaps you can tell us your location. We’ll bring you away when we retrieve the serum." Sisi offered.

"No need, I'm safe here, and my situation doesn't really matter. The serum in the research area... Please, you must bring it out. It’s for the sake of everyone else in the world!”

"Don’t worry. We’ll succeed soon."

Though she tried to reassure Mr. Yong, Sisi's expression grew increasingly peculiar.

She didn’t know if she was imagining it, but she had a feeling his voice sounded a bit hollow.

Is there really no problem?