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

"Can I look at those black sticky things again?" Facing Su He who looked full of hope, he didn't know how many times he asked. Hiiragi had no choice but to fix a small black dot on his fingertips and look. Su's eyes widened when he saw the black liquid emerging from Hiiragi's fingers.

"Wait a minute, don't touch!"

The moment she tried to reach out to touch the liquid, Hiei Jing quickly retracted her hand to avoid Su's contact. Seeing the other person's disappointed mood, Hiei Jing could only comfort her: "This thing is very dangerous. It's better not to touch it. Did you see it?" When you eat this thing, won't you have any thoughts of resistance in your mind, uh...for example, you might feel disgusted?"

"Resist?" Su thought for a moment in confusion, and she couldn't explain such a vague thing very clearly. "I just think this thing might feel cool and sticky to the touch."

Could it be that the disgusting effect of this black liquid is not effective on ordinary humans?

Su's reply made Hiiragi couldn't help but think about it, but she didn't dare to experiment rashly. In her opinion, Su was probably the first human to see this black liquid. She might just be relatively special, and her personality was naturally cheerful and she didn't think too much. There are many things, and I won’t be too sensitive to these things.

I originally thought that after exposing her identity as a witch, Su would definitely distance herself from them, and even inform others to cause more trouble. Unexpectedly, Su became extremely curious about them, and even patted her chest to promise that they would not expose them. Telling things to others, in order to stabilize the relationship and ensure that she can keep her promise, Hiiragi had to satisfy this person's desire to explore in some aspects.

Seeing that Hiiragi Jing's allowed curiosity had been satisfied to a certain extent, Su turned to Ruoxiang and asked: "If you are also a witch, what special abilities do you have? What strange things can you control for me to see?"

"Huh? I can't operate this thing..."

"Huh? Don't be stingy, I just want to see..."

When Su's attention was diverted elsewhere, Castor finally found the opportunity to pull Hiiragi to the corner of the room to talk: "Do you really expect Su to say nothing?"

"You also saw the situation at that time and I had to do this. It is inevitable to expose my ability..." Hiongjing said with a helpless smile, "Even if Su really wants to say something, the person who can talk to him is Wu Kuan. If it is him If so, the problem will be easier to solve.”

"Yes, I also think that Wu Kuan will indeed consciously keep this matter a secret." Custer's view is consistent with Hiiragi Jing's speculation. "Actually, I don't think there's anything wrong with this. Since we're cooperating with humans, the secret of our identity can be properly disclosed to the top brass of the intelligence team. Wasn't I once a warden in human society?"

"With Poluk as the foreshadowing, it won't be difficult to reveal our identities."

"Understood..." The biggest problem for the Witch is the image problem in the message in the wasteland world, but they also established a good relationship during the time they spent with the team. In this way, Custer's suggestion also Then it became feasible, "I will explain to Wu Kuan at the appropriate time..."

……

The long and torturous night was gradually replaced by the white fish belly on the horizon. When the light showed that the sky was no longer covered by darkness, the team members finally plucked up the courage to step out of the protection of the building.

Everyone's eyes were bloodshot from exhaustion. After a whole night of chaos, no one got enough rest. There were even a few new wounded people. For this reason, Wu Kuan had to make the decision to stay for another day. Of course, this For once they won't camp in the village anymore, the cave in the back mountain is the best place they can find.

The burial place for the three fallen members was chosen in a small flat area near the entrance of the village. After a simple burial ceremony, a small grave bag and a wooden sign with the names of the three people were erected in this remote valley. , the tombs here are destined to slowly disappear into the world, and it is destined to be so remote that no one will come to pay their respects. However, long-term peace may also be a kind of salvation in the wasteland.

But what Wu Kuan didn't expect was that their actions seemed to have touched Clay and Aunt Xiong. After the funeral here, Aunt Xiong and Clay suddenly ran towards the center of the village.

When they arrived there, they saw two figures, one large and one small, busy digging beside the dead tree. Those were their relatives and friends, people who had lived with them, and there was no need to communicate too much. If the remaining people arrived, After drawing the procession of burying the bones of the villagers for nearly an hour and burying the mountains of bones, the young and numb boy finally couldn't help but sob softly, holding the ugly face of his mutant. There also seemed to be a human-like sad expression on his face.

"join us?"

"Yeah!" Clay nodded vigorously, "Aunt Xiong is very strong. You saw it last night, right? Aunt Xiong is really powerful..."

"Big bird, very low... within reach..." Aunt Xiong said in a simple voice with a hoarse voice. She was really just explaining the situation last night. Even as a special individual, she could not understand the profound meaning of humility.

This proposal had actually been expected by Wu Kuan. In the situation of the convoy, it is indeed a good thing to add a combat force, but both the mutants and their nature are too special, so Wu Kuan feels that an explanation is still necessary. of.

"Clay... we are not an ordinary convoy." Wu Kuan considered his words before speaking, "We belong to the Northern Promotion Association. Do you know about the Promotion Association?"

Seeing Clay shaking his head silently, Wu Kuan was also helpless. The war was still far away from here, and the news in the remote valley was even more obscure. He had to change his words and said: "It means that we are the enemies of Ofanto, and we are destined to We want to overthrow those nobles, and there will be countless more dangerous battles than this one in the future... Can you understand that it is not safe to follow us?"

Chapter 59 Encounters in Border Towns

That night's attack seemed to have exhausted the bad luck that enveloped the convoy. In the two days since that day, there had been no accidents near the car, let alone attacks from monsters, even the kind of suspected robbers who blocked the way before. There were no roadblocks on the robbery road, and there was no place to detour or avoid. This calmness made people feel uneasy.

Almost everyone in the convoy was suspicious and fearful that the unpredictable fate would hit them at the end of the journey. It must be said that the experience of that abandoned village left a deep psychological shadow on them. .

Not everyone is so nervous. Initially, Su was silent for a day because of the news of the death of her team members, but she soon became cheerful again. However, in the eyes of outsiders, her emotional release was a bit too much. Apart from her personality, Apart from that, it can actually be seen that her intention is to lead everyone out of the emotional haze as soon as possible.

It’s unclear how much effect it has on other people, but it has a significant effect on Clay, who has just joined the team. Within half a day of joining the team, Clay was already playing with Su. After all, the Witch’s situation is special, and these two are actually the best. Peers who truly have a common language.

But no matter what, this long journey finally came to an end after four days and three nights. The traces of human life in the wasteland became denser as we continued to the east, the terrain gradually became flat, and the vegetation became sparse. Many, they finally arrived at the first human stronghold, which was a medium-sized town stronghold. Because it was located on the edge of the wilderness, the wall was made of cement. Both the height and thickness were much higher than the specifications of Fenlin City. .

Only then did the team members truly relax their nerves. They could finally confirm that the uninhabited wasteland had been left behind, and they had returned to the land of human civilization.

"Kaila, you are responsible for taking care of the convoy. I know the team members are eager to relax but we have not reached the final destination yet, so the activity range is not allowed to go far away from the parking lot, let alone enter the town. We will start again soon... Lali, let’s go.”

The convoy did not enter the city but stopped in an open space outside the town. Because the town was on the edge of the wilderness and there were no special products worth trading, it seemed extremely deserted. There were only sporadic people flowing in and out of the empty city gate. After getting off the car, Wu Kuan turned around. He told Keira, and then took Ellali as a guide and walked towards the city gate. The food for the convoy had been exhausted for several days. The purpose of stopping in the town this time was to purchase.

"This was originally a small village, but it has grown so fast..." Whether it was the map she personally participated in drawing or the memory of this area, there was a huge difference between the scene she saw before her, and Ellali's It's not without reason to sigh. In the wasteland world where all development is slow to almost stationary, it can indeed develop from a village with only thatched shacks with fences and walls to a town surrounded by tall concrete walls in just a few years. It can be said to be an earth-shaking change.

"Prince Baishan seems to be strengthening his borders? Is he worried that the First Prince will be detrimental to him?"

"The First Prince's strength and prestige have increased rapidly during this period, and it is not surprising that he has aroused vigilance from surrounding forces."

"The war in the north will most likely be temporarily suspended. The First Prince needs the existence of the Advancement Council to ensure that he is in the leading position of Ofantuo. After the Advancement Council, he should also take action against other nobles..."

During the conversation, the two arrived at the city gate. The soldiers who had noticed the convoy driving out of the wilderness to the west immediately stepped forward and asked: "Stop, where are you coming from?"

"Vibus Town." Each team has a different plan for answering questions about their origins. As long as it is not Fenglin City, it is enough.

"Where are you going? What are you doing?"

"Xin Caudi, look for business opportunities."

"Business?" The soldier in charge of the interrogation looked the two men up and down and then met Wu Kuan's gaze. "Being able to cross that wilderness is not something that a simple businessman can do."

"The taxes in the west are heavy and you can't survive anyway. I heard that the taxes in the east are light, so you can at least have a chance of survival through the wilderness."

"That's true. Let's go. The market is to the north of the city gate." The soldier nodded to himself and then moved out of the way. Wu Kuan, who was originally prepared to interrupt, was surprised. The most unexpected thing among them was the soldier. He didn't even ask for a fee, and he didn't even have a fee to enter the city. It was Ellali on the side who clarified his doubts.

"Except for the prescribed commercial points, other strongholds do not need to pay entry fees if they do not carry items exceeding [-] kilograms." Elali said and sighed, "In fact, this rule has been implemented in various places in Orfanto for a long time. But there are very few places that can sustain it to this day.”

Passing through the city wall smoothly, the buildings behind the city wall are mostly low-rise houses with no more than three floors. As Elali said, this is a town that has only been expanded in recent years. The paint on the buildings is still fresh, and the walls at the entrance are painted with A large but simple and rough portrait is drawn on black paint. It can only be identified that it is an old man with a mustache. Under the portrait, the identity of the old man is written in words: "The Great Prince of Baishan" .

Similar propaganda can be seen everywhere in the city. You can see the photocopied propaganda poster on the flagpoles on the roadside and on the signs hanging on both sides of the street. Different from the deserted outside the city, there are many pedestrians in the city. According to the name just now. The soldier's warning soon brought them to the town's market place.

The market does not sell many types of goods, and most of them are daily necessities for urban residents. Cans suitable for the journey were not found, but considering that food storage is no longer necessary after arriving at the destination, Wu Kuan insisted on it, and for the first time, he bought a whole leg of beef from the only butcher shop in the market.

It’s not that meat cannot be eaten in the wilderness, but the smell of hunting in the wild is very strong, and meat lacking spices and seasonings is definitely not enjoyable to eat. This kind of meat raised in the wasteland is already a rare delicacy even if it is only seasoned with salt. .

In addition to food, Wu Kuan also bought some cigarettes and wine. Alcohol and nicotine were not allowed into the town as compensation for the team members, and the tired bodies and minds of the team members did need comfort from them.After counting the purchases one by one, the supplies in sacks were quite heavy on Wu Kuan's shoulders. He suddenly regretted not calling a team member to help. Ellali's physical condition was not suitable for carrying heavy objects at her age.

"Do you want to transport goods? I have a cart in the store. It's no problem to deliver it out of the city." The butcher shop owner seemed to notice Wu Kuan's dilemma and said proactively. This big customer's business with just one order was better than him. I made more in just a few days.

"Okay, I'll trouble you, Ellali, just wait." Wu Kuan put down the sack, and then walked toward the depths of the shop at the boss's greeting, crossing the hooks to string up the meat strips surrounded by countless mosquitoes and flies. , stepping on the blood-stained floor, seeing Wu Kuan suddenly getting angry when he reached a place where he would not be noticed by the outside world.

The butcher shop owner, who had his back to Wu Kuan, was pushed to the ground by Wu Kuan before he could react. The machete originally placed on the chopping board to cut the meat was pressed against the back of his neck with blood and grease.

"Guest, guest, you, what are you doing?" The butcher shop owner was pushed down on the stained floor after slaughtering the livestock and still wanted to struggle, but the blade on his neck brought a bit of stinging pain. He immediately stopped moving and could only ask anxiously.

"How do you know I'm leaving the city?" Wu Kuan asked without answering the boss's question, "There should be very few outsiders coming to this town, and my motorcade has not entered the city..."

"This is, this is a misunderstanding..."

"Mr. Wu, this is indeed a misunderstanding. Don't be nervous. We just want to talk to you." The back door of the store suddenly opened, and the man in plain clothes walked into the room while talking. The black hole in the muzzle of the gun in his hand made Wu Kuan Unable to ignore it, he had to let go of the meat cleaver in his hand and slowly stand up from the boss who was pressed to the ground in a non-dangerous posture.

In order to pass through the city gate smoothly, he did not carry any weapons, but he did not expect that the first human stronghold he entered would be targeted.

"Boss, I'm sorry, the money will be paid. Please suspend the business for now. We have something to talk about." The man said and a dozen more people, most of whom were ordinary civilians, poured in from the back door of the store. Strange people skillfully hung up the sign saying they were closed for business, packed and placed dangerous knives in the store, and even Ellali, who was standing outside the door, was ushered in.

"Talk here?" Wu Kuan reached out and killed a fly that landed on his face and said sarcastically, "Is this how a secret agent treats guests?"

"We are not secret agents." The man smiled and ignored Wu Kuan's sarcasm and put the pistol back on his waist. "Secondly, it was just a few words. This is not a formal communication."

Wu Kuan and Lai Li looked at each other and saw a flash of surprise on each other's faces. Who else could he be if he wasn't a secret agent?

"It's normal that you two haven't heard of us. We are a new department secretly organized by Prince Baishan in recent years. Our name is the Tax Statistics Bureau. In fact, I voted for the name Baiwei..."

"The taste of this name doesn't sound very good..."

Wu Kuan's comment made the man smile helplessly: "Let's get down to business. It's very simple. Our leader wants to meet you in Xinka Audi. If possible, he would also like to meet your team leader He Xiaoyu."

Wu Kuan raised his brows slightly and did not say anything. The man was minding his own business while taking out a piece of paper and placing it on the table beside him: "Don't worry, we have no ill intentions. It's better to say that we are fighting against the champion." We have the same interests as regards the prince.”

"Is that First Prince planning to take action against you?"

"It seems that you didn't know it during your long journey. Just the day before yesterday, the First Prince announced the suspension of military operations in the north, and then drafted a reform plan for the nobility and submitted it to the Kingdom Council... These will be available when you arrive in New Caodi. Got it." The man waved his hand and the people who were standing guard all over the butcher shop dispersed around, "Okay, it's up to you to make the specific decision... But I want to remind you: Prince Baishan will not let him go. There's uncertainty right under our noses...that's it."

Just as he said, he just came here to briefly explain a few words. After that, he left with the dozen or so people without looking back. The butcher shop owner who was huddled in the room on one side also hurriedly stepped out of the house when he saw this. He ran and then stood in the distance to observe their reactions.

"Captain Wu?" Ellari asked first after a period of silence. "Let's go next..."

"Let's go back to the convoy first." Picking up the note left by the man and stuffing it into his pocket, Wu Kuan walked out of the shop with a normal expression, as if nothing had happened just now, but in fact, deep in his heart, he was already occupied by various emotions. His thoughts were lost, and he could not confirm the intentions of those people, but he was now extremely sure of one thing: there was something wrong within the intelligence team.

Chapter 60 The anti-aircraft firepower of the new Caudi

"This is...the desert?"

The wild expansion and growth of greenery in the wasteland world stopped here, and the soil was gradually replaced by dry and loose gravel. It was as if an invisible but distinct line had been crossed, and everything in front of you was a patchwork of yellow and white vegetation. In the sparse desert landscape, who would have thought that just 10 minutes ago they were driving in a wilderness full of green plants.

At the same time, you can also feel that the surrounding temperature has increased significantly, as if you have returned to the hot summer season two months ago, and the distant landscape has become distorted by the direct exposure to the sun.

"Aunt Ellari said that the vast desert to the east was once the ocean..." Even Su, who was responsible for introducing the witches to the witches on a daily basis, was shocked by the scene in front of him. After all, the literal description was still incomparable. It is more intuitive to see it with your own eyes.

"Is that the nuclear wasteland in the abandoned city of Kaudi?" Custer, who was in charge of driving, suddenly said. After her reminder, everyone turned their attention from the desert on both sides to the side and front of the road where the convoy was traveling. After a series of ups and downs, On the distant horizon behind the gentle sand dunes, you can faintly see the outline of a large stretch of the city. However, this is not its full view. The raised sand dunes block most of the view, but this does not prevent people from appreciating the scale of this abandoned city and making a contribution to it. In amazement.

This is dozens of times larger than the area of ​​the JD abandoned city. It may not be as large as the NC abandoned city nuclear wasteland that isolates the Southern Federation and Ofanto, but it is also the largest abandoned city nuclear wasteland that Hiiragi Jing knows. One of them.

At this time, the convoy had deviated from the original pre-war road, and was driving in the southeast direction along the road that had been compacted in the desert with many ruts over the years, in order to avoid the core of the ruined city of Caodi. In the deserted area, there are barbed wire fences and warning signs with skull icons drawn from time to time along the way.

However, although there are no human settlements in the surrounding large areas, after all, such desert saline-alkali land cannot even grow the most basic food, there are many vehicles traveling on this road, especially trucks carrying bulk commodities. One after another, all the convoys traveling southeast on this road have only one destination, and that is the final destination of the intelligence team's convoy, Xinka Audi.

Earlier, I had learned the basic information about this city through the supplements of He Xiaoyu and Wu Kuan. This is a young city, a brand new city base built by Prince Baishan ten years ago with amazing resources. As for why The reason for building such a city in a saline-alkali desert that cannot even grow basic food and can only rely on external transportation is actually very simple. There are two fully preserved jack-up offshore drilling platforms near the east. Of course, with the When the sea water recedes, the ocean where these two offshore platforms are located becomes land.

After the Prince of Baishan sent a large number of technical personnel to repair one of the drilling platforms, one of the drilling platforms finally began to restore production capacity. Although the production capacity was unknown, the crude oil business quickly became the economic pillar of the Prince of Baishan, allowing him to transform from a large territory located in a barren desert. The last prince has grown into a being who can compete with the current champion prince.

But Prince Baishan is not satisfied with the status quo, because only the first prince in the entire Ofanto community has mastered the crude oil processing technology, and the crude oil produced here can only be sold to the pre-war crude oil processing plant controlled by the first prince, regardless of profit. Whether the sales are still controlled by others, the new truck Audi was built in order to develop its own crude oil processing technology and to protect this extremely important drilling platform.

"Caodi..." At this time, Poluk, who was sitting in the back seat of Custer, murmured to himself, "It feels like a very familiar name..."

"Huh? Has Poluk been here already?" Su looked at Poluk in surprise, but when he thought about her identity as a witch, it made sense again. It shouldn't be a problem to wander around in the wasteland with the strength of a witch. .

But Hiiragi knew that Poluk and Custer had stayed in prison in a small town before meeting her. The memory of Caodi was obviously from the pre-war era. Since both of them had a good reputation before the war, In terms of social status, Kadi was a relatively well-known city before the war, so it is not surprising that he has the experience of visiting that city.

"Look! It's a boat!"

At this moment, Ruoxiang, who was sitting in the co-pilot's seat, pointed out the window. Following her finger, she saw more than a dozen shipwrecks lying on the desert in the distance. They were scattered on the desert sand in various sizes. Most of it was covered by sand dunes and only half was exposed to the air. The hulls were all severely rusted, and the large and small gaps showed traces of natural corrosion as well as neat cuts made by humans.

The deeper they went forward, the more such shipwrecks appeared. They even saw an extremely huge creation near the nuclear wasteland of Kadi Abandoned City. There was actually a high-rise building on its hull. Even though It would probably not be a problem to accommodate a human stronghold with thousands of people.

"Um, ah, that's right... that type of ship is called a cruise ship. It's a place where you can travel and vacation... Anyway, it's a place where you can have a lot of fun." Su thought he looked at his sleeves in a hidden way, but he didn't know that there was a picture hidden in his sleeves. The note filled with small fonts inside was clearly visible to Hiiragi sitting aside. Such a clumsy way of peeking made Hiiragi curl her lips. The password cheat sheet she made to avoid Hu Lan's sight during the exam was incomparable. How much.

"Ocean Gem." Poluk, who thought he was just touched by some familiar impressions, suddenly blurted out.

"what?"

Neither Hiiragi nor Su responded, and Poluk immediately repeated it again: "The name of the cruise ship, Ocean Gem, number 3134...operated by Diamond Holy Land Company..." More and more memories emerged. , Poluk almost unconsciously repeated the fragments that suddenly appeared in her memory. She felt like she was getting closer and closer to something, but it suddenly stopped. This kind of desire that could not be given up made her extremely uncomfortable, even the blood The condensed long knife also twisted.

"me……"

"Poluk, what's wrong with you?"

"If you can't remember it, don't think about it..."

Poluk, who was holding his head with a look of pain on his face, was almost collapsing as the blood knife kept twisting. Custer, who was in charge of driving, heard his sister's painful moans...*but he couldn't turn back because he needed to pay attention to the road ahead. He said comfortingly.

Worried that the uncontrolled blood would cause harm to Su, Hiiragi Jing was about to summon the black liquid as a precaution. Irene, who was sitting in the last row, suddenly leaned forward, and then slapped Poluk hard. On the forehead.

"Snapped!!!"

The crisp and loud sound stopped all the noise in the car. Even Poluk, who was suffering from a headache just now, stopped and looked at the roof of the car blankly.

Hiiragi Jing, Su and Ruoxiang were staring at the forehead that had just been slapped by Irene. A bright red palm print was emerging on Poluk's smooth forehead at a speed visible to the naked eye.

"Forcibly exploring those blocked memories is a very dangerous thing. When it is time to stop, you should obey your own reason." As if she had done something trivial, Erin said as she sat back on her chair. Location.

"You dare..." The spreading and strong burning sensation on her forehead made Poluk come out of his dazed state. After recalling what just happened, anger appeared on Poluk's face, and she grabbed the seat. The lever on the side of the chair lowered the back of the chair that blocked the gap between her and Irene, and then he pounced on Irene with his hands like claws: "You dare to hit me! I'm going to kill you!"

"I'm doing this for your own good." Irene reacted quickly, reaching out to restrain Poluk's hands and wrists. Her calm expression and such words made Poluk's anger instantly rise, and he fell down on Ai Lin. Lin originally tried to persuade them a few words, but after seeing that the two sides were just wrestling and not using their abilities to fight, Hiiragi simply ignored them and continued to communicate with Su and others.

But the information about the cruise ship that Poluk just told her was secretly remembered in her heart. Something must have happened on that cruise ship...

The existence of the nuclear wasteland in the abandoned city of Kaudi undoubtedly greatly lengthened the distance to Xinkaudi. Until the sky gradually dimmed, the outline of the city base named Xinkaudi finally appeared in front of the road.

Traffic jammed here, and a long queue formed to prepare to enter the city base. Soldiers wearing yellow desert camouflage that was completely different from those in underground facilities were at the checkpoint to check the entry of vehicle cargo and passengers in an orderly manner.

The height of the fence in Xin Ka Audi is not very high, and is slightly larger than the newly built town where we briefly stopped before. After all, Xin Ka Audi's geographical location and special desert environment do not require it to deal with the threats of large herds and hostile human forces. , however, as the traffic continued to approach the city, Hiiragi discovered that the height of the city wall itself was indeed not high, but the towers built along the city wall were about twice as high. There were many tall cylindrical towers in all directions. There are openings for shooting.

Not only that, there are numerous anti-aircraft gun positions on the city walls and around the city. Even the simplest trenches are equipped with anti-aircraft weapons simply modified from machine guns.

Is the threat from the new Cam Audi coming from the sky?

The special ratio of armed forces in each city base has its own reasons. For example, in order to deal with the nearby NC abandoned city and nuclear wasteland, Changming City built the exaggerated heavy artillery and bunker group in the north, and in front of this The over-saturated anti-aircraft firepower of new trucks and Audis is certainly not something the Prince of White Mountain has too much spare money to spend.

The horror of flying monsters was something all members of the convoy learned that night.

So what kind of monsters do these anti-aircraft weapons deal with?