Chapter 503.3: Why The Fuck Are You Here?!

Old White wasn’t the only one who happened to run into a familiar face.

The brothers of the Storm Corps experienced the same.

Seeing Battlefield Cheerleader sneaking around, Darkest pointed at him and yelled in excitement, “Holy shit?! Pangolin?!”

The shout startled Battlefield Cheerleader, who reflexively glanced around. Only when he realized the shout was in Mandarin did he breathe a sigh of relief.

“What the fuck man?! Can you not yell my codename in public?!” he scolded the idiot who nearly blew his cover.

Darkest just grinned shamelessly. “Relax, bro. We’d never sell you out... But seriously, how did a famous asshole like you sneak into this operation?”

Battlefield Cheerleader sighed, “

Ugh

, it’s a long story. I kind of got sent in without even knowing why.”

Spring Water Commander gave him a strange look. He had a vague idea but wasn’t sure, so he asked cautiously, “Don’t tell me... you’re one of the two representatives the Army sent to investigate Shelter 0?”

Battlefield Cheerleader gave a sheepish smile. “You got me.”

Everyone was stunned.

Darkest’s eyes widened in shock. “Holy shit!”

Ghostbuster also cheered happily.

Kakarot couldn’t hold back. “Damn... Being an undercover agent to this level? I got nothing but respect.”

Originally, the Enterprise, Army, and New Alliance were each supposed to send two representatives, with the Academy sending one. Who would’ve thought the Army would sneak their guy in, effectively giving the New Alliance three people.

Battlefield Cheerleader chuckled awkwardly, “Life is full of surprises. I didn’t expect those big-noses to send me either... Anyway, did you bring the cabins? Quick, let me save my progress! If I die in that dungeon later, I’m screwed.”

Spring Water Commander cleared his throat. “There’s one on the airship.”

Battlefield Cheerleader blinked. “Damn! I have to go back to the airship?!”

Spring Water Commander shot him a strange look. “What else? You think we would drop a Clone Cabin at every stop? It’s a hassle. Best you come in the second half of the night. Hard to snag a spot earlier.”

Saving wasn’t just about lying down and punching a card, it took hours to complete the process.

Usually, people saved in batches. When one was done, they would pull them out to make room for the next.

If one logged off at a public save point, sometimes they would wake up lying on the floor.

Darkest joked with a grin, “Why don’t you sneak out tonight? We’ll cover you.”

Looking at the unreliable fool, Battlefield Cheerleader hesitated for a long time, then gritted his teeth and nodded.

“Alright!”

...

Later that night,

Battlefield Cheerleader quietly slipped into the toilet, locked the door, and performed a little disappearing act. He climbed out the window and snuck out of the Army’s quarters assigned by the New Alliance, making his way to the New Alliance’s airship.

Darkest and Ghostbuster were already waiting. They threw a sack over him and hoisted him unnoticed, smuggling him aboard the airship without a trace.

Though Battlefield Cheerleader thought the sack was overkill, he didn’t resist, since he was the one asking for help, he just let Darkest go wild and do whatever he wanted. Obviously... They threw him in a sack for fun.

He had to lie in the cabin for several hours to save his progress.

Luckily, he was used to squatting in the toilet for one or two hours, so it wouldn’t look suspicious if he took longer that day.

...

Meanwhile, in the captain’s quarters on the Heart of Steel, Chu Guang had returned to the airship and was staring at a scrap of cloth spread on the desk, his brows furrowed. “The Torch Church’s symbol?”

𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝔀𝓮𝒃𝙣𝓸𝒗𝒆𝒍.𝙘𝒐𝒎

Standing opposite the desk, Old White nodded solemnly. “I found that symbol on the mutant priest... There were similar markings on the altar.”

Leaning back in his chair, Chu Guang closed his eyes and thought for a moment.

“Death Coast is south of the Brocade River Province, at least 5,000 or 6,000 kilometers from here... That’s a hell of a distance.”

The straightest path might even pass through the treacherous Tzobar Mountains. It was hard to imagine the Torch Church’s reach extended this far.

Old White suddenly spoke up. “Is it possible... That it’s not the Mutant Humans who are followers of the Torch Church, but that the Mutant Humans and the Torch Church are both followers of a much larger organization?”

Chu Guang gave a blunt evaluation. “That sounds even more far-fetched.”

Old White gave a bitter smile. “Yeah, you’re right...”

If such a powerful organization really existed, one that could simultaneously influence the Death Coast in the south and the Great Desert in the center of the continent, there’s no way they wouldn’t have caught wind of it sooner.

Staring at the symbol on the scrap of cloth, Chu Guang fell into thought.

He leaned more toward another possibility... He thought that those mutants and the Torch Church believers, though isolated from each other, had both been independently influenced by some special force.

It could be a large organization like Old White suggested, or it could be some kind of advanced technological relic with strange powers.

Or maybe... it was just an abstract concept.

Whatever it was, anything with the power to sway minds like that was extremely dangerous.

Thinking about the past of Shelter 117, and the rumors surrounding the self-proclaimed Apostle Wang Yi, Chu Guang closed his eyes and pondered for a long time.

The last time he felt this kind of vague unease was when he learned the Wislanders had brought a nuclear bomb into the Sunset Province.

“We must investigate the origin of this symbol in depth.”

Old White nodded in agreement. “I think so too... I suggest we keep a forward outpost in the Great Desert. Even putting aside these suspicious signs, there’s a lot of valuable stuff worth recovering here.”

Chu Guang nodded. He flicked a finger in the air, expanding a holographic map.

“Not just the Great Desert. We’ll begin southern investigations too. Once this mission is over, I’ll assign you a task.”

Hearing that he’d triggered a hidden quest, Old White lit up and immediately responded, “I await your orders!”

Chu Guang continued, “There’s a location to the south, we need the nuclear fuel stored there. I need you to bring a team and recover it.”

“There are some settlers clearing the area. You can ask for their help.”

Old White clasped his fists before saluting, “Yes, sir!”

...

Night had fallen.

In the ruins not far from the camp, a massive land fortress lay stranded inside a roofless factory spanning thousands of acres.

Its steel armor was buckled and twisted inward, its treads were snapped in several places, its mechanical arms and manufacturing bays were all destroyed. It looked downright miserable.

Judging by the collapsed wall and bullet holes, it had likely crashed through the factory’s wall and engaged in a fierce battle with its pursuers here.

A few beams of light scanned the dust-covered wreckage. Android soldiers stepped forward and began inspecting the damage and gaps all over the land fortress.

Standing nearby and watching, Su Ming couldn’t help but curse under his breath.

“Damn those big-nosed bastards...”

Clearly, it was the Wislanders who had wrecked it this badly.

Just thinking of those smug-faced Wislanders officers made him want to storm the camp and punch each of them in the face.

Standing beside him, Gu Wei sighed, “Remember what it looked like when it left Ideal City?”

Another squadmate added, “... I wouldn’t recognize it at all.”

“Hope the people inside are okay.”

Yun Song glanced at the Geiger counter and found radiation levels were elevated. He motioned for everyone to seal their helmets.

The Pioneer had carried nuclear fuel and even tactical nukes from Ideal City. Judging by the crater nearby, the crew must’ve set one off.

After inspecting the wreck, a bionic soldier walked over to Yun Song.

Before the soldier could speak, Yun Song asked, “Anyone alive in there?”

It seemed unlikely, but he had to ask.

To his surprise, the android soldier nodded. “There’s a weak life signal in the escape pod... probably one or two survivors.”

Joy surged through Yun Song like a thousand-ton weight had been lifted. “Quick! Get them out now!”