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

This is the first time the reclamation camp has been attacked since its establishment nearly a month ago, which completely overturns the security assessment level before the establishment of the reclamation camp in this area.

Finally feeling the urgency, the senior management of the reclamation camp immediately began to speed up the construction of the defense force of the reclamation camp: in addition to the camp area, the defenses were expanded to the construction site area, and multiple light weapons depots were set up in different areas to respond to crises that may come at any time. At the same time, the reclamation camp has also stepped up recruitment efforts at the special business processing center.

This hasty effort was quite effective. In just two days, more than a hundred mercenaries arrived at the reclamation camp. The addition of this new batch of new forces finally alleviated the manpower shortage problem in the reclamation camp. At the same time, this also forced the reclamation camp to temporarily add more than a dozen canvas tents to solve the accommodation problem of the mercenaries.

The reclamation camp, which is on track to be built, seems to have returned to its former peace. However, there are always some insiders who can realize that the so-called calm is just an illusion on the surface, and the real undercurrent has already exceeded everyone's expectations.

At least Hiiragi knew that ever since she witnessed the beam of light, something more serious than the headhunting wild dog attack would come sooner or later. However, what she didn't expect was that the target of the incident was not in the reclamation camp, but in the camp where the wild dogs had already attacked. The team of the Southern Federation went deep into the dense forest.

Hiiragi's sleep quality has been low since the day the light beam appeared, and she often has to wait until the middle of the night before she can slowly fall asleep.

Today, my mental state seemed extremely excited, as if I had taken in a lot of caffeine. The clock on the bedside showed that it was two o'clock and two, but even so, Hiei Jing did not feel the slightest nervousness. Feeling sleepy, if nothing else happens, tonight should be another day of sleep.

A little bit of rotating seconds is sending the minute hand past the number '3'. If you don't take any action, you may be able to clearly witness the entire process of the hour hand crossing the same number.

Problems such as poor mental state, difficulty concentrating, and inability to think effectively caused by lack of sleep are intolerable for Ren Xi, who is currently responsible for personal safety, especially as the external security environment of the reclamation camp gradually deteriorates. Look, this is a serious dereliction of duty by a mercenary.

By the way, didn't Ren Xi say that he put a bottle of melatonin in the desk drawer?Taking some may improve your condition.

Thinking of this, Hiiragi stood up and got up. She was already familiar with the layout of the room. She didn't even need to turn on the light. She walked to the door with bare feet in the dark environment. Just as Hiiragi reached for the door handle and was about to pull it down. When he was closing the door, a low cry suddenly came from outside the door, causing Hiiragi to immediately stop what he was doing.

"Lost connection?!"

The low cry came from deep in Ren Xi's throat. It sounded like she was trying her best to suppress her own decibels, but it was still difficult to suppress the surprise contained in it.

Is Ren Xi still awake at this time?And hadn’t she already gone upstairs to rest?

"Yes, no matter it is the ranger or the Southern Federal side, our information is like falling into the sea and we cannot receive any reply."

In addition to Ren Xi's voice, there was another man's voice coming from behind the door. The owner of this voice was also known to Hiroyuki Jing - Li Qing, the general person in charge of the reclamation camp.

It was probably Li Qing who came here to convey new news to Ren Xi, and the news that allowed these two figures to talk secretly late at night was no small matter.

Judging from the few words that were just leaked, the content of their conversation seemed to revolve around the Confederate team.

Staring blankly at the door in front of her, Hiei Jing fell into a new round of struggle in her heart.

Why don't you go back to bed and avoid it for a while? It would be against your ethics as a mercenary to snoop on high-level information... No, how can this be snooping? !This was an unintentional act that I accidentally overheard... unintentional act, unintentional act!

After emphasizing this three times in her mind, Hiiragi tiptoed down and carefully put her ear against the door panel.

This kind of temporary shack accommodation does not have very good sound insulation effect. In addition, I seem to have good hearing after returning from the abandoned city of JD. It is not difficult to hear the conversation between the two people clearly.

"Have you confirmed that you have done everything possible to contact them?"

"Our five forest patrol teams carry a total of two of the most advanced remote communication equipment. The Southern Federation itself also has various contact information. Even if it marches through the dense forest day and night without eating or resting, it is impossible to reach the destination. Get out of the furthest communication range during these times.”

Li Qing's voice was full of anxiety. Although he was only following orders, as the general person in charge here he could not escape his responsibility after all: "The last communication was at ten o'clock yesterday morning. Lu Shengyang and the others reported at At the temporary camp [-] kilometers away from the reclamation camp, when we tried to get in touch with them again at [-] p.m., we found that the connection had been lost, and even the signal point of the communication equipment had disappeared."

After a long silence, Ren Xi's voice sounded again.

"After all, this aspect is not my specialty, but based on your description I can draw the following two possibilities... That jungle lurks a power that we humans cannot imagine. It can unite people in an instant before anyone has time to send a signal. Killing a well-equipped combat force of more than [-] people and destroying all information equipment...or they entered a signal interference area, which caused our communication methods to fail."

"But we didn't find any contamination..."

"Colonel Li, pollution can cause interference, but interference does not necessarily come from pollution." Ren Xi tapped the table with her knuckles and began to teach Li Qing relevant knowledge. "There are many sources of signal interference, including man-made interference. Equipment, interference dust and other weapons left over from the war, or the associated magnetic field of ether-like matter...even witches, etc."

"Then did you report this news to Newborn City?"

"Not yet..." Li Qing looked bitter when he heard this question, "I thought it was just a temporary technical failure, so..."

"I don't need to talk like that here." Li Qing's thoughts were clear to Ren Xi: it was just a matter of luck and he wanted to delay for a while to see if he could get in touch again.Ren Xi waved her hand to interrupt Li Qing's excuse, "You'd better report it as soon as possible. The longer the delay is, the greater the accountability for you will be. At least on this point, there is no doubt."

"This... I understand, please bother Researcher Ren."

Li Qing's voice deepened, followed by the sound of a door closing and footsteps walking away. The conversation between the two seemed to have ended here.

The Southern Federation team lost contact?So...is she okay?

It was related to the Southern Federation and the reclamation camp. It was no wonder that Ren Xi and Li Qing paid so much attention to this matter. The blue beam of light had not appeared in the past few nights, but the vague uneasiness in Jing Jing's heart was growing day by day.

Just as Hiei Jing was about to get up carefully, Ren Xi's voice suddenly came from outside the door.

"After listening to this for so long, come out."

"?!"

Ren Xi's abrupt voice made Hiiragi half-crouched in front of the door, confused for a moment. She didn't know who Ren Xi was talking to. Wasn't Li Qing gone just now?Or is there a third person besides Li Qing Renxi standing outside the door?

"Hiiragi Shizuo."

Just when Hiiragi was hesitant, Ren Xi bluntly named her for the second time, which made Hiiragi even more confused. How did she know that she was standing behind the door and eavesdropping?Isn't there a surveillance camera installed somewhere in this room?

In any case, since she was named, there was no need to hide anything. Hiiragi opened the door and walked out of the room with a smile on her face that was a bit embarrassed.

Ren Xi was sitting at her desk outside the door. She was wearing a dark blue nightgown instead of the white coat she wore during the day. She covered her mouth with her hand and yawned deeply. At this time, it was very important to her. But when Ke Yan was sleeping soundly, after seeing Hiiragi walking out of the room, she reached out and took out an item from the drawer and threw it towards Hiiragi.

"This is……"

He quickly took what Ren Xi threw with both hands. It was a small white plastic bottle, and the three words "Melatonin" were handwritten on the white bottle with a black marker.

"There is hot water in the thermos." Ren Xi patted her cheek to dispel some of the sleepiness lingering in her mind, "You should have heard what I just said."

"Uh, um." In order to cover up her embarrassment, Hiiragi walked straight to the thermos pot placed in the corner. After all, no matter how much she comforted herself, her behavior actually constituted eavesdropping. This kind of thing really harmed the reputation of a mercenary. .

However, Ren Xi did not pursue the responsibility, but revealed more relevant information to Hiiragi: "The Southern Federation team has lost contact. Regardless of the attitude above, it can be foreseen that the reclamation camp will have to organize a large-scale attack immediately. Search operations, and I will most likely have to go along with them to provide technical support to the search team."

"You are not an external operator of the institute, and this exploration of the dense forest is not within the contract agreed between you and me, so you have reason to refuse...but I still hope for your help. You have been deeply involved in the previous city destruction operation. You also witnessed that inexplicable blue light. The current reclamation camp may really need your help, so your answer is..."

"I'll join."

Chapter 31 The unfolding of the jungle exploration

Just like Ren Xi's previous analysis, the first instruction from the Newborn City was to order the reclamation camp to immediately set up a search team into the forest to carry out a search operation.

Fortunately, after being reminded by Ren Xi last night, Li Qing had already drawn up a search team formation plan in advance, and had already begun to organize the teams. A series of preparations ranging from weapon distribution to logistics command had been made in detail. The regulations will take effect immediately upon the arrival of instructions from the Newborn City.

Li Qing has put in a lot of effort for this search mission.

Including the five existing forest patrol teams in the reclamation camp, a total of more than 110 combat personnel were dispatched. In addition to the 85 mercenaries who have arrived at the reclamation camp, the number of people participating in the search mission exceeded 200.According to Ren Xi, this is definitely the highest number of people dispatched by Newborn City to this dense forest at a time.

Limited by the reclamation camp's own supply capacity and the complex and changeable terrain of the dense forest, these more than 200 people are the current mobilization limit of the reclamation camp.

According to the plan previously explained by Ren Xi, Hiiragi Jing had a preliminary understanding of this operation.These more than 200 people will be divided into eight teams of 30 to [-] people each entering the dense forest from different marching routes, and will eventually gather at the location where the Southern Federal team last contacted the reclamation camp.

The reason for this is to more efficiently inspect the dozens of camps that the forest rangers have built in the dense forest in the early stages of the construction of the reclamation camp.

The facilities of these camps are relatively simple, and many of them are made from local materials. Their original function is to serve as temporary resting points for the rangers during patrols, so a small amount of supplies are also stored in case of emergencies.

Examine the camp to determine the Confederate column's route and gain more detailed information.This is the first goal of the mission.

The breakfast menu for each mission participant was different from the previous dehydrated biscuits. Instead, it was replaced by a glass of milk and a few fist-sized pieces of unfermented dough buns. It was obviously not a luxurious meal, but Hiiragi Jing I tasted the taste called 'happiness'.

After a simple meal, Hiiragi immediately followed Ren Xi to the No. [-] assembly point of their team.

This place is located on the bank of the river. You can smell a rotten smell from a distance. The green algae growing wildly covers the entire river. The dense blue water hyacinth floating on the water makes people feel a little nervous at a glance, but this is not the case. This shows that the water quality is safe. At least there are no problems such as severe pollution that are difficult to eradicate. The water supply of the 10 people in the newborn city downstream also depends on the supply of this river.

Before Hiong Jing and Ren Xi arrived, other members of the team had already assembled here. Li Qing personally led the team and commanded it. Although there were only 21 people, which was the smallest number among the eight teams, all of these team members were composed of the original Composed of elite members of the ranger team.

This made Hiiragi give up on his original idea of ​​letting Xiao Liu, Lin Qin, join this team, and could only ask Ren Xi to help assign Lin Qin to a team with a relatively safe route.

"I'm sorry for being late. It took me a long time to change this equipment."

Li Qing came forward and saluted, while Ren Xi responded with the same military salute. Now her position is no longer a technical support staff dispatched by the institute, but a participating member of the search team.

Just as she said, the usual white coat has been replaced by a camouflage military uniform. This outfit is exactly the same as the first time Hiiragi saw it outside the JD Abandoned City Observation Post.

"It's nothing. There are still 2 minutes until departure time. You should hurry up and get ready."

As he said this, Li Qing handed over two small plastic bottles - insect repellent liquid!

Even though there was no indication on the plastic bottle, only the logo sticker of the institute's Erlenmeyer flask, Hiiragi still recognized the purpose of this plastic bottle at a glance.

Effective insect protection is a top priority for anyone when performing jungle missions. Mosquito bites have always been a route of transmission of various diseases, especially in the post-war world where diseases caused by contaminated and mutated bacteria and viruses are common. Has a very high fatality rate.

Applying insect repellent and wrapping your clothes tightly are essential steps before entering the jungle.

When Hiiragi Jing and Ren Xi were almost ready, Li Qing over there finally issued the latest order on time.

"set off!"

Through his earphones, the order was conveyed to the ears of each team. At this moment, eight teams located in different areas entered this mysterious and dangerous jungle along their own clear routes.

The team members who were resting on the spot immediately stood up, carrying their equipment on their backs and started walking toward this dense forest.

Finally, he was about to enter the jungle that he had been looking forward to exploring for a long time. His body and nerves, which had been relaxed for too long since JD returned from the abandoned city, became excited for a long time.

Hiiragi's heart longs for comfort, but she doesn't want to indulge in daily comfort for a long time. Small comfort has always been just a temporary residence for Hiiragi. She keeps exploring the unknown in this wasteland, looking for traces of the pre-war world. That's her real goal.

As the distance to the dense forest got closer and closer, the humidity in the air gradually increased. The thick tree trunks that occupied the entire field of view gave people an uncontrollable feeling of depression. Before this, it was the largest tree trunk she had ever seen. The tree in question must be the giant tree growing next to the abandoned gymnasium in the abandoned city of JD, and most of the trees seen in this dense forest are no less than that tree.

There seemed to be a clear dividing line between the plains and the jungle. Immediately behind the waist-high weeds were vine branches and low bushes. When they crossed that line, they had officially entered the jungle. area.

The surrounding light dimmed in an instant, and little bits of sunlight could only shine through the gaps in the tree crowns. The unknown insect chirping came from unknown patches of grass and reached everyone's ears intermittently.

The initial journey was not as difficult as imagined. After all, this route was the most frequently used patrol route by the original forest rangers. The vines and shrubs blocking the road had basically been cleared away, and the grass underfoot had also been stepped on to create a trail. .

As the team continued to deepen, the plains behind them became farther and farther away from them, and the surrounding light was completely cut off by layers of debris, as if they were swallowed up by the endless dense forest.The gusts of wind blowing from above occasionally set off a rustling wave among the tree crowns, and small branches and dead leaves continued to fall to the team marching below.

'Snapped. '

Suddenly there was a slight impact on the forehead. Different from the crisp sound of branches, this body seemed to be more silent. Hiiragi Jing, who was wearing a tactical mask, didn't know what it was. She subconsciously touched it and found it. Wearing a layer of gloves, he suddenly touched something soft.

what is this?

Confused, she reached out and brought the foreign object she felt to her eyes. What she caught in her hand turned out to be a large white insect. It looked like a silkworm that had been enlarged several times. It was chewing half of a piece on its wriggling mouthparts. Hiiragi, who felt a little disgusted, threw the leaves far away and was thankful that he had put on protective measures such as goggles and a mask.

These bugs that fall from time to time are one of the dangers of the jungle. The most disgusting thing is that some bugs with the ability to live parasitize will deliberately wait on the back of tree trunks or leaves, waiting for other creatures to pass below, and then break away from the area they are clinging to. down to touch the host they are targeting.

These bugs will quickly smear the exposed body parts with paralyzing saliva, then bite open the skin and burrow into the host's body unknowingly. What's more, they will eat away at the host's flesh, flesh and internal organs bit by bit, leaving the host Died in constant pain and suffering.

The team marched for about 10 minutes, and Li Qing, who was walking at the front of the team, suddenly stopped.

"Everyone is on alert."

At the command, the team members immediately dispersed and focused on guarding any possible dangerous areas around them.

Hiei Jing's eyes followed the direction Li Qing was facing... It was a small open space. There were some scorched marks on the ground of the open space that must have been cleared by humans with fire.

A stone-walled bonfire is located in the center of the open space, with dark charcoal blocks piled up inside. There are also several larger flat stones around it, which should be used for others to sit and rest.

There is also a triangular tent built with sticks, rattan and leaves, built against a giant tree, and the internal space seems to be deliberately designed to accommodate two or three people.

Apparently, this is one of dozens of camps.

Ren Xi immediately stepped forward and walked there quickly, and Hiiragi Jing, who was in charge of security tasks, quickly followed.

"This is Camp A1 of the First Patrol Team." Li Qing knelt down and picked up a piece of charcoal from the campfire with his fingers, then crushed it into black powder on his fingertips and rubbed it constantly, "The moisture is not big, it should be Left over recently.”

Then he stood up and walked to the side of the simple tent. He reached out and cleaned up a layer of fallen leaves and soil on the ground, and an irregular wooden board emerged from it.

"here……"

"This is supplies. There are records of storage locations and reserves of supplies in different camps." Li Qing opened the wooden board as he spoke, and the supplies placed in the space below came into Hierarchy Jing's eyes.

Emergency food, bandages, hemostatic spray, ropes... There are many kinds of supplies in the small space, and the ranger is very well prepared.

"A bundle of ropes was taken away, and other things were not used. The Southern Federation should have stopped here for a short time." It seems that this is consistent with the information reported by the teams that followed the Southern Federation into the dense forest. This is indeed the Southern Federation. The first stop for those entering the jungle.

Ren Xi unfolded the hand-drawn map in her hand. What was drawn on it was the result of the exploration of the dense forest area during the reclamation camp. After some comparison, she marked the red dot area marked with 'A1' with an erasable pen. One lap.

But this is all to be expected. This route is the 'safe route' recommended by the reclamation camp to those in the Southern Commonwealth. So far, there has been no reason for them to rashly move to other locations.

"The area has been checked, move on."

Chapter 32 The first battle in the jungle

The road conditions in the dense forest were far worse than Hiiragi imagined. Even with the improvements made day by day by the previous rangers, those efforts were only a drop in the bucket.

The thick tree roots under the giant tree are intertwined with the ground. Only the exposed parts are waist-high. They are like veins and are densely packed on the road.

However, compared to such large tree roots, those relatively low tree roots with a height of less than ten centimeters above the ground are the most troublesome. They are almost everywhere and difficult to detect, quietly hidden under the seemingly flat leaves. , creating trouble for pedestrians passing by at any time.

Along the way, Hiiragi almost stumbled countless times due to the evil intentions of these dense forests. The only effective way to deal with this was to always pay attention to the safety of each foothold and deliberately increase the height of his steps.

She was not the only one who was troubled by the bad terrain, even the experienced ranger members in the team were also like this. After nearly half an hour, they finally arrived at the next camp.

the fourth……

Although this journey is quite difficult, the location of this fourth camp is the best that Hiiragi has seen so far.