Life as a mercenary turned into a girl is a bit difficult

"What are you doing? We don't have time to accompany you to do testing work here." Crow Crow protested most directly from the side. After the iron bridge was cut off, his attitude towards Han Nianling has been less polite. .

"Twice the pay."

Han Nianling is not worried about the opposition of the mercenaries to her. She clearly knows what these mercenaries want because she knows what they want most, and these are not problems for her.

Sure enough, these four simple words basically eliminated the objections of the mercenaries. After a few people looked at each other, they immediately spread their guard around to provide a safe working environment for this wealthy employer.

Hiiragi Jing was about to leave but was called down by Han Nianling alone.

"You stay on guard around me and are responsible for my personal safety."

Higgin Jing's mind was not slow, and she understood Han Nianling's purpose in an instant. The 02A map attracted her attention. This detection was a part of Han Nianling's mission, and there was also a layer with her. The meaning of being alone is in it.

The surrounding mercenaries hadn't gone far, and Han Nianling seemed to be still focused on playing with the instruments, but her voice came from Hiei Jing's earphones: "I have established a separate channel to contact you, you They won't hear my conversation."

"You should have obtained the detailed map of Area 02A in the dream you described, right?"

"..."

As for Han Nianling's question, Hiei Jing naturally chose to remain silent. The warning she received when she broke the bridge in Area 04 not long ago was still vivid in her mind. She would not easily forget the warning with a slap to humiliate her buttocks. Now it's her turn. Han Nianling had something to ask of her. Things like this didn't happen often, and the joy of revenge made her unable to restrain the corners of her mouth from turning up slightly.

Han Nianling seemed to have known Hijing Jing's reaction for a long time, and did not express his stance on her silence but continued: "I admit: what I am doing now is related to your dream, and some things in your dream Maybe it can provide me with some extremely important clues, and in exchange, I will also provide corresponding intelligence."

"..." Hiiragi Jing didn't say anything. Han Nianling was as shrewd as an old fox. Taking the initiative to agree was giving him the initiative. At times like this, he had to stay calm.

"JD Shopping Plaza."

However, Hiei Jing's calmness did not last long at all. Han Nianling suddenly threw out a place name that made Hiei Jing's body tremble slightly, and all this fell into Han Nianling's eyes: " Judging from your reaction, I should be right, that is the place where you died in the dream."

"How did you..." Hiiragi blurted out in a hurry. Although he stopped immediately, it was too late.

"really."

"Do you still remember the map you drew?" Han Nianling's tone was tainted with a hint of joking, just like when he was in the office building not long ago. "The rough map I drew before deliberately added some small landmarks. It is used to clarify the direction we are in, and the map of Area 02A you drew had the preconceived hint of my previous marking method. You naturally used this method while marking the main road. Remember your first A landmark that you clicked without hesitation?”

JD shopping mall? !

She suddenly woke up and stared at Han Nian Ling with wide eyes. For the first time, she felt a hint of fear towards Han Nian Ling. It was a subconscious action that she had never noticed, but she never thought of Han Nian Ling. The spirit actually gets such important information here.

"There are obviously more important landmarks, so why did you choose this place first? At the beginning, I only knew that this place was extremely important to you, but I was not sure of the details. It was just a random guess, and you The reaction confirmed my thoughts... Sure enough, death leaves the most profound impression on people."

"..."

"Okay, don't be angry, okay? I apologize for what happened just now. You know more than I thought..." As soon as the words changed, Han Nianling comforted Hiiragi Jing in the same tone as coaxing a child.

"I'm not a child..." The other party's attitude made Hiiragi protest very dissatisfied.

"Yes, yes, you are not a child anymore..." The tone was still teasing, and it seemed that she didn't care about her protest. As a result, Hiiragi simply shut up again, telling herself from the bottom of her heart not to reveal any information. Being led by the other party's nose.

"Don't be angry. I just saw that you looked very funny and couldn't help but want to make a harmless joke. Maybe I should re-introduce myself: Han Nianling, A-level researcher at the institute, responsible for witches and dark energy. research problems, don’t worry, our cooperation is a win-win situation.”

Han Nianling was not worried about Hiiragi's silent protest at all, because she had Hiiragi's most irresistible reason: "What if, I said: I can help you find out why you are like this?"

"!"

Witch?Dark energy?Hiiragi skipped the previous words directly, but the last sentence was the most direct one that broke Hiiragi's psychological defense line. The huge wave that exploded made Hiiragi not even come back to his senses.

Han Nianling was right. This was what Hiei Jing wanted to know the most, and it was also her ultimate goal why she took risks and came to the JD Abandoned City Nuclear Wasteland.Compared to a second-level mercenary running around aimlessly, the help given to her by an A-level researcher was more useful and the possibility of getting the truth would be greater. Hiiragi Jing had no way of refusing.

"I...what do you want to know?"

Well, Hiiragi Jing chose to compromise. Compared to the truth she was seeking, it was really not worth the fuss over that matter. Moreover... Hiiragi Jing glanced at Han Nianling unwillingly. This old and cunning guy might still be able to get away from it. She had to put something else in her mouth, otherwise the chips left in her hands would become less and less, so she might as well just exchange them for the information she wanted to know.

Han Nianling nodded slightly and was very satisfied with Hiei Jing's statement. It was much easier to convince this little girl than she expected.

However, just as the two reached a consensus, [-]'s warning suddenly came from the headphones, and this warning made everyone feel empty.

"Corpse tide! A large-scale corpse tide was discovered in the west!"

Chapter 23 Han Nianling’s plan

The so-called "zombie tide" generally refers to a large-scale group composed of walking zombies. It can refer to a pure group of walking zombies, or it can refer to a common group of walking zombies and monsters without large-scale conflicts, but regardless of the former Both the latter and the latter have one important thing in common, which is the huge scale.

The moment the black mass came into view, my scalp instantly felt an uncontrollable sense of numbness. The constantly moving zombies used the most shocking picture to truly illustrate what a real 'sea of ​​corpses' is. Those densely moving zombies The heads of people really surged like waves set off by the tide.

At this time, the mercenary team had already gathered at the first opportunity. They were located on the rooftop of a residential building and looked down from a high position. From this angle, it was more intuitive to observe the scale of the zombie tide.

"My dear...it looks like there are tens of thousands of them..." Uncle Lin took a deep breath, not caring that such an impulsive move would speed up the consumption of the canister, or maybe he would also use it in a short time. This was forgotten.

It's not like they haven't seen corpse tides before. Since the establishment of the New City, they have also encountered several large-scale zombie sieges. The scene was much bigger than what they saw before, but it is no different now than then. They have no tall and powerful people to rely on for defense. There are no well-equipped soldiers and light and heavy fire support on the wall. They are just a team of only six people, and they are still in a high-risk area like Area 02 A, where they can die at any time.

The straight-line distance between the zombie tide and their location was only a few hundred meters. The gathering of so many rotting zombies was not only dangerous in terms of danger, but also the strong stench coming from that direction almost penetrated the gas defense system. The mask made everyone's already blocked breathing even more difficult.

The place where the zombies gathered was a residential area. In the dilapidated area, whether it was the original street gardens or the open space left after the buildings collapsed, nearly half of the area was crowded with walking corpses of all kinds. The roars were loud and chaotic, and they were just crowded there. They were not moving in a certain direction, and only some scattered zombies were wandering nearby.

"What the hell are these guys doing here?"

The crow was impatient and walked back and forth several times, looking in the direction of the corpse tide from time to time. He said so, but in fact the reason why the corpse tide gathered here was not what he wanted most. It was because this group of zombies blocked their way forward. In his increasingly irritable mood, he rubbed the stones under his boots and made a rustling sound.

The problem he mentioned is also a problem on the minds of most mercenaries. It is indeed too abnormal for a group of nearly ten thousand zombies to gather here without moving.

The reasons for the formation of zombie tides in the post-war world can be roughly classified into two types. The first is to be attracted by something specific to form a zombie tide. It may be a trapped survivor or something else that is attractive. Things gather together to form this kind of zombie tide. There is no pattern in the movements. Maybe it will disperse on its own after a few days or weeks, and it will turn back into the walking zombies wandering in the wasteland.

But as for the second possibility, the situation is completely different...

"The commander who discovered the corpse tide..."

"!!!"

The words spoken by Han Nianling, who was holding a telescope, completely dispelled the luck in the minds of the mercenaries. Even though the name "Commander" among the people is the official unified name of the base government, this name has a very direct and appropriate explanation of the other party's intentions. specificity.

It will be even more dangerous for humans, and the zombie tide formed is no longer just a collection of walking corpses, but a whole that can at least unify the direction of action.

This alone is dangerous enough, because this is a real zombie wave.And behind this is one of the advanced types of walking zombies that has completed the evolution of crystal nuclei in the brain - caused by the commander.

Under normal circumstances, the commander's head is huge, accounting for one-third of the overall volume and one-half of the weight. The thin, monkey-like body cannot even support its brain, so that he needs to be parasitic on the body. Only powerful zombies or monsters can carry out activities.

The reason for this form is that the crystal nuclei located in their hindbrains are more developed than other animals of the same order. More viruses and pollution focus on the evolution of the brain, causing it to continue to expand. During this period, the crystal nuclei begin to gradually control the dryness in the skull. of the brain and begins to activate some functions in the brain, producing a certain degree of intelligence.

Although physically weaker than ordinary zombies, its existence is actually more dangerous than any other type of zombie.

What makes the commander so dangerous is not just intelligence. The important reason why the commander can gather the scattered wandering zombies like an army is that he releases a kind of power from his body that is only effective for walking zombies. Pheromones, these pheromones are like instructions that can only be received by the zombies, and the zombies who receive the instructions will make corresponding actions and behaviors under the stimulation of the crystal nuclei.

Judging from the current public information from the institute: the higher-level commanders are able to control a greater number of zombies, and the higher-level zombies can issue more instructions.

The particularity of the existence of a commander also had a huge impact on people when it was first discovered.

A few people believe that high-level commanders can create a set of hierarchical orders and even social orders that are popular among the walking dead, and can even communicate with humans and join forces with humans to deal with monsters and rebuild civilization.

But most opponents believe that the leader of the walking dead is no longer the original human brain, but the parasitic crystal nucleus. Humans are still written on their recipes, and this is a more serious problem faced by humans than monsters. threaten.

No matter who is right or wrong on both sides, it is enough to show the power of the commander. If possible, the mercenaries are absolutely unwilling to have this zombie wave. The second possibility is, however, reality will never give way to the opponent. It makes people who have expectations easily get their wishes.

"The commander is in the middle of the zombie tide, parasitic on the back of a second-level swift zombie..."

According to Han Nianling's instructions, everyone raised their telescopes to look at the past, except for Hiiragi Jing... Apart from weapons and poison canisters, she did not buy any extra things to participate in this mission. In the past, she It was entirely possible to obtain a clearer vision through a long-range sight, but now that her weapon was impounded, she naturally couldn't do it.

"have a look."

Suddenly Han Nianling handed the telescope in front of her, and Hiei Jing subconsciously shrank back like a frightened bird. Hiei Jing, who had already experienced the power of Han Nianling, was always concerned about Han Nianling's every move. Full of vigilance.

"Don't worry... I just want you to see the current situation clearly. After all, you are the one who knows the terrain of Area 02A best among us." Han Nianling spread his hands to show his helplessness, and Hiiragi Jing also realized that he had just The reaction was a bit extreme. In such a severe situation, no one dared to make any mistakes.

When taking the telescope from Han Nianling, Hiei Jing immediately realized that this was another high-end product. Compared with ordinary telescopes, this one was much lighter and easier to carry. The scene seen through the lens was clearer. It is surprising, as well as ranging and low light. At least Hiiragi has used so many different types of telescopes, and this one can be said to win by a crushing advantage.

"The target is eating in an artificial garden in the middle of the zombie tide. It is surrounded by a circle of first-order zombies. It is easy to see."

As Han Nianling said: The location of the commander was not difficult to find. According to Han Nianling's instructions, the target soon appeared in her sight. Even though she was prepared in her heart, the first sight still made her feel... Somewhat nauseating.

She had also fought against the zombie tide on the walls of the city of birth, but she had not come into contact with the real commander except through photos, and the one in front of her had a stronger visual impact than the one in the photo.

The huge, deformed head is like two basketballs stacked on top of each other. The blue-grey skin is wrinkled, and the eyes that are oppressed by the brain are very protruding. What's even more disgusting is that it has no lower body, but is the same size as another body. The backs of the strong and swift zombies were connected together. Where the two were connected, the exposed dark red blood vessels and internal organs were clearly exposed in the air.

"Uncle, can you hit it?"

Xiao Liu put down the telescope and said with lingering fear.

"It's too far, too dangerous... This is not a specialized sniper rifle. I'm not sure whether it can kill you with one hit."

Uncle Lin very frankly admitted that he was unable to do it. The risk factor of sniping the commander was too high. Generally, only professionals equipped with large-caliber sniper rifles would dare to do it. If it failed or the commander did not If they are killed on the spot, then the zombie tide will launch a crazy revenge. Facing such a huge zombie tide, their team is not even qualified to fill the gap between their teeth.

"Then... Stone, can we avoid it by another route?"

Si Ling's words made other people look at Hiiragi Jing. In response, Hiiragi Jing could only shake his head slightly after being silent for a while: "If you don't want to go to the beast's nest deep in Area 02A, then you have to go through this community. "

This news plunged the team into a dead silence. A zombie wave of this size was definitely not something they could take the initiative to provoke, but no one could guarantee that their poison canisters would allow them to hold on until the zombie wave left on its own. However, 02A Deep in the area is another large beast's nest where monsters gather. Setting foot there is no better than facing the tide of corpses in front of you. It seems that all the ways out are completely blocked at the moment.

"I have a plan."

"!"

The sudden voice of Han Nianling immediately became the focus of everyone's attention. In everyone's hopeful gaze, he took out a cube wrapped in dark green plastic.

Facing everyone's gaze, Han Nianling explained: "This is 500 grams of new plastic explosive..."

"I brought it over because I might need it. Don't worry, it's very stable and won't explode without explosives."

Seemingly noticing the strange look in the mercenary's goggles, Han Nianling continued to explain. In fact, within a few words, the mercenary vaguely guessed Han Nianling's plan.

"what do you mean……"

"Create an explosion large enough to attract the zombie tide, forcing it to move out of the way."

Chapter 24 The alarmed monster

"Ugh..."

Accompanied by the staggering steps, the weird and meaningless low roars from the trembling and shriveled vocal cords gradually approached. They should have been corpses that had bid farewell to this world long ago, but under the control of mutated viruses caused by pollution, But they continue to wander the world as monsters, thirsting for the flesh and blood of the living in this world. Their instinct drives them to ingest more active cells to promote the evolution of this dry body.

But immediately this withered body regained the eternal sleep that should have belonged to it but was deprived of it by the mutated virus.

A black shadow shot out from behind the corner it had just passed through. A simple step and jump made up for the height difference. Before the zombie could react, an arm bent from behind and wrapped around its neck. , avoiding the mouth full of mutated viruses and holding it tight.

'puff--! ! ! '

The hunting knife pierced the side of the neck, which was more fragile than the skull. When the sound of metal cutting into the flesh was heard, the walking zombie also stopped all activities of the body at this moment. After briefly confirming that the walking zombie was really completely out of danger. , pulled out the hunting knife, wiped the black blood stains on the clothes of the walking corpse, and then sheathed it again.

After this clean assassination was over, Hiiragi secretly breathed a sigh of relief. So far, the melee tactics improved based on his own changes and combined with his previous combat experience are effective against these walking zombies, killing them with one blow. There were no surprises in the process.

Compared with the inconvenience caused by the physical changes in daily life, the most fatal impact on her fighting habits is: the decrease in strength, the lightness of the body, the shift of the center of gravity, and even the changes in her walking and running postures, etc., all mean that she has The effective set of tactical movements and habits no longer apply to her now, and these changes are crucial to combat.

For example, the insertion point of her hunting knife just now, choosing to pierce the neck was a last resort change. In the past, she would have broken open the skull of the zombie more directly and hit the back of the head.

However, after bringing down three zombies, she noticed that her physical strength had dropped significantly. The hardness of her skull made her feel a little troublesome, especially the soreness in the thenar area under her thumb, which forced her to stay here. The killing location of the walking zombies was changed once.

But this body is not all bad, at least it has made great progress in flexibility... Hiiragi thought with a little self-comfort.

"This is Crow, all zombies in the target area have been cleared."

"I'm [-], and it's the same here."

Immediately, reports from other mercenaries came from the communication earphones. Their mission was the same as Hiiragi's, to clear away the wandering zombies around the blasting point and provide a safe working environment for the deployment of new plastic explosives. Some distance away, but there are still many walking corpses wandering around.

The commanders were extremely vigilant. In order not to alert the enemy, they even gave up using suppressors, and instead used close combat assassinations to clean up these wandering zombies.

"This is a stone. All the zombies in the target area have been cleared." Hiiragi Jing couldn't help but look towards the rooftop where Han Nianling, who was in charge of commanding the operation, was located.

After Crow and Four Zero, Hiiragi reported the information that the mission had been completed. Although there was nothing strange through the communication earphones, Hiiragi vaguely noticed that the other mercenaries in the team seemed to be relieved.

In the original task assignment, she was still assigned to Han Nianling to protect her employer's personal safety. Whether it was because of her gender or to take care of her injuries, this biased arrangement was certainly in line with her fear of trouble. Personality, but it makes Hiiragi feel very uncomfortable.

In layman's terms: I always feel... unhappy.

In the past, she would have gladly accepted it, but now she always had the urge to have a chance to prove her personal abilities.

Maybe when they killed the first-order zombies, they would expand the element of luck in their opinion, but this time the personal action situation was different, so she forcefully requested to participate in this action mission and declined the care of others, even though Hiiragi himself also knew that his behavior was a bit childish.

"Uncle Lin, how is the situation over there?"

After being silent for a while, Han Nianling asked Uncle Lin, the key person in this operation.

"Following the employer's instructions, I have pasted a certain amount of plastic explosives on several load-bearing columns of this half of the abandoned building to ensure that there will be no small movement." Uncle Lin smiled softly, obviously very confident in his own work. .

After receiving a positive reply, Han Nianling immediately issued an order: "Everyone gather towards me. The detonation delay is set to 10 minutes. If the corpse group causes a commotion due to the explosion and achieves the expected effect, take action immediately. Once If an emergency occurs, we will take appropriate emergency measures immediately. We only have one chance."

Emergency measures...

When she heard this word, Hiei Jing subconsciously touched the blinding bomb on her waist. This was the emergency measure Han Nianling said. Everyone was distributed a blinding bomb. These were Han Nianling's emergency measures. of the entire carrying capacity.

As Han Nianling said, they only have one chance. Once they are discovered by the zombie tide, they have no way out. There is only one option left for them: to take a strong attack and quickly attack the zombie tide with fierce firepower. Breakthrough, such an approach would lead to a narrow escape from death. How could they confront the zombie tide head-on unless they had to?