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

How high is it? 20 meters? 30 meters?Or 40 meters?

What shocked Hiiragi was not only the height of this concrete city wall, but also the fortifications on this wall. More than a dozen huge forts were located at certain intervals on top of the city wall in front of him. Those protruding gun barrels All of them were pointing straight towards the distance beyond the city wall.There is also a lot of stuff inside the concrete wall. Just by taking a quick glance, Hiiragi saw a bunch of dense shooting holes at different heights and locations, and there were even dozens of multi-barreled machine guns firing from some larger ones. poked out of the shooting hole.

This is only the firepower of this section of the city wall in sight. At the same time, the full defensive capabilities of this city wall cannot be seen from the outside. However, there is no doubt that the defensive firepower of Changming City far exceeds that of Hiiragi. Quiet any imagination.

"The average height of the south wall of Changming City is about 35 meters, and the thickness is basically more than 30 meters. The city defense firepower is mostly composed of artillery of about [-] mm. In fact, there are a small number of four-unit [-] mm air defense on it. The anti-aircraft firepower composed of artillery can only be seen at the foot of the city wall. Changming City's real heavy fixed firepower is all deployed in the military fortress located in the north of the NC ruined city. The north is the focus of Changming City's defense. The fortress cannon starts at [-]mm."

It can be seen that Hiiragi Jing is shocked by the force displayed by this city wall, but Hu Lan hopes that Hiiragi Jing can understand that Changming City, as the capital of the Southern Federation, has more than this.

"The north is the focus of defense?" Hiei Jing immediately realized the focus of Hu Lan's words. What powerful force must face is an even more powerful threat. Those terrifying weapons dictated by Hu Lan are facing What kind of threat is it?

"NC Abandoned City is very big for the wasteland world, but in the world before the war, it was just an ordinary medium-sized city. In the north, nearly a hundred kilometers away from NC Abandoned City, there are people with a population of thousands. Large metropolitan areas with a level of over [-] are composed of several large cities. That was the real prosperity of the pre-war world... Of course, such prosperity has naturally become the focus of several natural disasters." Hu Lanpingping There was no obvious emotion in his tone, but Hiiragi could hear a sigh from it for a long time.

"The result is obvious. A vast and highly polluted forbidden area for mankind was born. The highest level of anti-pollution clothing in the Southern Federation can only support the wearer to carry out short-term activities in the marginal area. At the same time, countless people were born from it. High-risk monsters and walking corpses are always threatening the northern region of the Southern Federation. Over time, a large number of monsters will be expelled from the ecological competition in that nuclear wasteland. Among them, there are many high-risk monster individuals of the third or even fourth level. Already, Many urban bases and human strongholds were destroyed due to their ravages...

"Changming City has been able to remain peaceful so far because of its large number of solid military fortresses, but if one day a more powerful and terrifying existence emerges from that forbidden land... will this strongest fortress in the Southern Federation be able to survive? "

As Hu Lan's words finally fell, the atmosphere in the car became depressing. This was the first time Hiiragi learned about the situation faced by humans in the Southern Federation. She had witnessed the horror of third-level monsters in the JD Abandoned City. If, as Hu Lan said, there is a monster with strength far above the third level in the forbidden land, then not only Changming City, but also the entire Southern Federation will be in a huge crisis.

Even though this wasteland world has struggled to develop for more than a hundred years, the current situation of mankind is still grim. Just when Hiiragi Jing was imagining the potentially desperate future, Hu Lan, who had just described the plight of mankind to Hiiragi Jing, suddenly appeared. He said: "Ah, is there a queue in front? The queue is much longer than I thought."

"Is it because of that? I thought the peak period of human traffic has passed." Han Nianling stretched out his hand and sounded the horn a few times. After confirming that the marching team had completely stopped, he leaned back and lay on his back with his relaxed body. On the seat behind you.

"Has it become so influential in just six months? The Propaganda Department of the Southern Federation has really put in a lot of effort."

So was I the only one who seriously thought about what I just said?

"what is that?"

After all, that kind of distant problem was not something she had to consider due to her status. In contrast, she might as well ask Han Nianling and Hu Lan about the thing that triggered this peak period of abortion.

"That's it... the Ruoxiang you saw on the poster posted to the new town a few days ago. There will be a performance rally where she will appear before the researcher's academic rating meeting. It is said that it is jointly organized by the Science Department and the Propaganda Department for The purpose of this academic rating meeting is to attract more academic talents."

Performance gathering?

When Hu Lan mentioned this, Hiiragi once again recalled the purple-haired girl she had seen on the poster. Even if she only saw the moving figure from the poster, she could not help but feel a little hopeful about the performance she might see. expect.

The brief exchange between the two completely cleared away the feeling of depression caused by Hu Lan. Hiei Jing also put aside her thoughts and looked outside the car. It was not only the front that was blocked, but also the vehicles coming from the rear would be able to pass. The roads are filled.However, not all lanes are impassable. The lane near the sidewalk is extremely empty at this moment, but there is no car driving on it.

It should be a special-purpose lane... Hiiragi, who guessed this, did not expect that his idea would be verified soon.

"Send the message back! Take the emergency lane into the city!"

A team member suddenly stuck his head out of the window of the vehicle in front and shouted to them. Then Hu Lan, who reacted quickly, also stuck his head out of the window and shouted to his fellow team member in the car behind just like the team member just now. The infantry vehicles of the Newborn City convoy repeated the same slogan.

"Send the message back! Take the emergency lane into the city!"

Not long after the message was completed, the vehicle in front started to change lanes towards the empty lane on the right. Han Nianling pulled on the handbrake and hurriedly followed the convoy in front.

"Let's just say, after all, it is the convoy of the New City Research Institute. It would be unreasonable not to receive some special treatment." Hu Lan said with a sense of pride as he looked at the other vehicles passing by the window and still waiting in place. In a tone of voice, "There are probably some of my colleagues from the Black Tower sitting in these queuing cars. I would be jealous to death if they saw me now."

When talking about this matter, Hu Lan changed her usual calmness, and her active mood was somewhat similar to Ren Xi.

Hiiragi doesn't care about the relationship between Hu Lan and her colleagues. The only thing she is paying attention to now is the high wall of Changming City, which is getting closer and closer to her. The closer she gets, the more oppressive it brings. At the same time, she became more and more excited as the distance between herself and Changming City gradually narrowed. This "long" journey was finally coming to an end here.

Chapter 2 Entering the city and leaving

From the height of the Changming City wall, it is enough to believe that its corresponding thickness must have reached the same exaggerated scale. The city gate is like a tunnel passing through the interior of the mountain. When the vehicle gradually drove into it, Hiei Jing clearly felt the pain on his skin. The temperature of the air in contact dropped a few points, and the noise outside the car windows also gradually subsided in the process. Only the sound of the vehicle's engine and its slight echo could be heard.

Above the head, several high-power lighting lamps placed on the inner wall of the city gate have almost erased the difference in lighting between the inside and outside of the city gate. If you just keep looking straight ahead, you really can't realize the changes in the light above your head. The sky has been replaced by thick city walls.

After gradually passing the motorcade around him, Hiiragi finally saw the long queue extending to the end of the city gate: starting from the city gate, thick cement isolation piers painted with yellow paint compressed the original width of six two-way lanes to only There are two lanes for entry and exit, and there are guard booths on the left and right of the lane to provide passage permission for vehicles or pedestrians entering and exiting the city.

Of course, what really deserves Hiiragi's attention is not the work pressure caused by the long queue at the city gate, but the various armed forces deployed behind the checkpoint. Two simple and huge tanks are located in the driveway. The two sides of the tank seem to be similar to the tanks of the Newborn City, but the body size and artillery caliber are superior. After all, the Newborn City is not a large urban base, and its heavy industrial productivity is very limited. Most large armored vehicles It is also necessary to purchase from other urban bases in the Southern Federation.

In addition to these steel behemoths, the Confederate soldiers are also eye-catching.

The most concerning thing is that they are wearing a set of heavy-duty protective gear that looks like armor. Except for the light reflected on the mask and the badges that identify the identity information, the other parts are completely immersed in pure black and chilling. In the aura, you can feel the weight of it just by looking at it with your naked eyes, but they seem to be completely unaware of it. They not only stand simply, but also pace back and forth from time to time out of boredom of standing for a long time. , strolling leisurely as if the heavy armor he was wearing was made of paper.

that is……

When Hiiragi saw a familiar-looking object carried on their backs, she immediately understood the reason - a powered exoskeleton. It turned out that there was a set of powered exoskeletons supporting it under the heavy armor.The batteries behind them looked much larger than those worn by Zero-Nine and the Southern Federation members before.

This level of armament is probably not something that conventional troops can afford, even if it is supported by the financial resources of Changming City.

"It's actually the riot control unit of the Patrol Department. These guys are not common." Sure enough, Hu Lan's sigh confirmed Hiiragi's suspicion. "But on this hot day, covered in cans like this, aren't they hot?"

"It should have a built-in constant temperature system. Look at the grid-like exhaust vents on their backs." The unusual armament of this unit also attracted Han Nianling's attention. "The eight-pointed star and the logo of the Patrol Hall are It was posted temporarily, and it seems that it is a trial product that was recently put out, and has not yet been officially purchased and installed by the Patrol Department."

Their eyes only had time to stay at the checkpoint at the city gate for less than half a minute. After confirming their identities, the Newborn City convoy had already successfully obtained permission to pass. The convoy that continued to move forward gradually cleared the busy checkpoint at the city gate and the The waiting team was left behind, and the exit that kept zooming in her sight finally opened up to Hiiragi the scenery on the other side of the city wall that she had been waiting for.

Her heart, which was shocked by the walls of Changming City, had already calmed down. She was mentally prepared and never doubted how unimaginable Changming City would be after this, but this time she still couldn't suppress her inner excitement. The emotion of life is stronger and more sudden.

This is... Changming City?The number one city base in the Southern Federation? !

It was as if the chest that had been dull for a long time was suddenly filled with a breath of fresh air full of coolness, and even his thoughts were soaring high into the sky at this time.

Architecture has always been the first impression that visitors have of a city. The city walls guarding the city show people the excellent basic defense capabilities of Changming City with their astonishing scale and armed strength. Behind this city wall The various tall buildings and spacious streets demonstrate the prosperity of this city.

The only things Hiiragi knew that could be compared were the two city bases of Xinsheng City and Xidi City.

A large urban base with a population of 50 is naturally not comparable to these two small urban bases. However, for Hiiragi Jing, the biggest difference between the two is not the simple height and scale of urban buildings but the color. The rich colors make This large city is full of vitality everywhere. Signs and banners between buildings display advertisements from various chambers of commerce. The giant display screens attached to large buildings are also constantly changing with different promotional posters from all sides.

Compared to the human urban base in the wasteland world, Hiei Jing feels that Changming City is more like the prosperous city printed in those pre-war travel guides. Of course, Changming City itself is built on the abandoned city, which is why many architectural plans have been adopted. one.

The scene that I thought I could only see in pre-war books actually appeared before my eyes. This was what surprised Hiiragi the most.

She was shocked for a long time until Lingjiu reached out and patted her shoulder. Hiiragi came back to her senses and suddenly found that she was the only one left in the car. The other three people had already got out of the car, and the Newborn City team members in the vehicles in front and behind were also there. They left their cars one after another.

"Although I really don't want to disturb you, you probably don't want the whole team to wait for you alone." Hu Lan, who was leaning against the car window, lit a cigarette in his mouth and let out a puff of smoke. Sighing seems to be a way to celebrate the end of this journey.

"what happened?"

Hiei Jing, who jumped out of the car, asked while looking around for Han Nianling. Soon she saw Han Nianling not far away with Luo Shi, Chengfang and others, and a man in dark uniforms. , the words "Patrol Department" are the same as those on the heavily armored soldiers at the checkpoint. He should be a regular member of the Patrol Department.

"What else can we do? Of course we need to change the car. No matter how big-hearted the Changming City Committee is, we can't let these heavy weapons run around on the streets." Hu Lan rolled his eyes rudely at Hiiragi Jing, "It's not just the vehicles. , thermal weapons carried with you also need to be registered and turned in before entering the city, and the gun ban in Changming City has always been very strict."

"The staff from the Newborn City stationed in Changming City will send a car to take you to your arranged accommodation in a while. Take a good look around in the next few days. There are still many places worth seeing in Changming City."

you?

From Hu Lan's words, Hiei Jing could tell that the other party's next itinerary seemed to be different from his own: "Aren't you coming with us?"

"I'm going to the Heitali branch in Changming City to report on the work. There are a lot of things like this and that, but there should be time after the meeting... Okay, the car to pick me up is here, don't think too much about it. Me." Hu Lan said, twisting out the sparks from the half-full cigarette in his hand and putting it back into the cigarette case, then walked towards an approaching black car not far away.

"have fun."

After watching Hu Lan board the car and leave, Hiiragi looked around - the S02 assembly area.The LED display screen erected not far away informed her of her current location. In addition to the area name, the upper part of the display screen continuously scrolled with the words "Changming City welcomes you." Tiger balm welcome phrases can be seen everywhere in the city base, while other parts of the screen describe various rules and regulations in the city base.

It was nothing more than the surrender of weapons, prohibition of fights, prohibition of trespassing in military areas and other routine matters in most urban bases. Just as Hiiragi raised his eyes and roughly browsed the information above, the sound of approaching footsteps led his eyes behind him.

"Ai Cheng?"

Close to her were formal Ai Cheng and his bodyguard Genn. Genn had been recuperating in his car since leaving Xidi City. Even when eating, Ai Cheng took him there. Today is the first time we see each other since leaving Xidi City. It's time for him.

The effect of long-term training seems to be very good. His steps are a bit sluggish, but his mental state has returned to the same level as before.

"Well, how is Mr. Gen's recovery going?"

"Thank you for your concern. My movements are basically unaffected. I will take care of myself next."

After simply replying to her concerns, Ai Cheng took over the conversation with Hiiragi: "We said goodbye when we came this time. My family members will come to pick me up soon. As for the rating meetings and gatherings, I’m afraid I won’t be able to participate in anything. I originally wanted to act as a tour guide and take you to have fun in Changming City…so I wanted to give this to you and Lingjiu before leaving.”

As he spoke, Ai Cheng took out two black cards from his pocket. These cards were not pure black. The golden patterns merged into a series of different numbers in the upper right corner of the cards.

"this is……"

"With the Ai family's VIP card, you are basically free of charge at places where our family has shares."

"Huh? This..."

"Take it, it's useless in my hands anyway." Before Hiiragi Jing could refuse, Ai Cheng couldn't help but put two cards into her and Lingjiu's hands respectively. After doing this, Ai Cheng turned around without any hesitation. He left, leaving only one sentence, "I hope you have a good time in Changming City. See you soon."

To be honest, Hiiragi's impression of Ai Cheng has always been good. He showed a calm side when dealing with crises in the shopping building, but also showed disdain and ego when facing low-level mercenaries in the experimental field. .

However, Hiiragi knows that everyone is complicated. As a young man from a powerful family, he can never be called a bad person. At least when faced with danger, he did not abandon his companions to escape. Perhaps it is just that the education he received did not allow him to escape. Just teach him how to deal with low-level mercenaries in a friendly manner.

"Well... goodbye."

Chapter 3 Interlude in the assembly area and the track of Changming City

Turn it over and manage it - the weapons control measures here are basically the same as those in the gathering area of ​​Newborn City. In other words, the gathering area management system of Newborn City is originally intended to learn from Changming City. All the armed vehicles that traveled along the way were in Several assembly area drivers drove towards the row of garages on the west side of the assembly area.

Mostly due to the special privileges of being an important team, they did not need to take the initiative to go to the registration office to hand over their weapons. Instead, there were soon more than 20 staff members in gray and white uniforms pushing a cart of large silver-gray portable weapons. The box is coming here quickly.

This may not be the first time for Luo Shi and other team members to come to Changming City. Long before these staff members arrived, they had already begun to unload the various weapons and equipment hanging on their bodies, and then handed over their work to those who came to them. in the hands of personnel.

These experienced staff were divided into teams of two, and one person skillfully operated the firearm in hand, unloaded and cleared it, opened the safety, and quickly inspected it. After the above process was completed, it was quickly wrapped in a layer of dark green oil paper and stored away. In the suitcase, the retired bullets were counted one by one, and the other person took banknotes and recorded the information of these weapons. In addition to the weapon model and place of origin, information such as the caliber and type of the bullets were also recorded one by one. record it.

As the elite force of the newborn city, the types of weapons carried by the guards naturally include more than the most basic ones. The management department of the storage and storage area for weapons such as grenades, launch tubes, and grenade guns has arranged corresponding arrangements. The staff were responsible for operating inspections. Looking at these busy but orderly staff, Hiei Jing had to admire the professionalism of Changming City's training for these personnel. These are indeed not things that can be easily learned in Newborn City.

But...why didn't anyone come to her?

Hiiragi took the initiative to approach the busy crowd, but no one looked at her. Most likely they treated her as a curious child.I am afraid that it was determined from a distance that she was not an armed person based on her body shape. In addition, the custom-made gun body on the back was a bit too small and the exposed barrel was not noticed.

Regardless, this is not the first time this has happened. Hiiragi also knows how deceptive her current appearance is. Although she doesn't like to disturb other people's work, since no one is paying attention, she should take the initiative herself.

"Please wait a moment...my things..." He held the gun in his hand and fixed his eyes on a figure who was packing a suitcase in the busy crowd. At this time, he was just loading a box of ammunition that had been counted. After getting on the transport truck, Hiiragi immediately stepped forward and said after finding the opportunity.

"Huh? Little sister? What can you do..." After hearing Hiiragi's voice, the staff member who had been immersed in moving boxes raised his head. To Hiiragi's surprise, there was a piece of hair exposed under the brim of the gray work hat. Zhang's rather youthful face looked like he was only about two or three years older than her and Lingjiu, which made people wonder whether he was really old enough to be legally employed.

The young man was also stunned for a moment when he saw the quiet appearance in front of him. There are thousands of people of all kinds who work in this assembly area every day, but there are very few who are as touching as the girl in front of him. Not to mention In terms of temperament and appearance alone, I'm afraid he is no less than Miss Ruoxiang. He unconsciously had the idea to continue the eye-catching process, but his professionalism allowed him to quickly get rid of this idea of ​​​​delaying work and noticed Hiiragi Shizuki wanted to show him something.

"Is this gun... yours?"

"Yes, I am a guard employed by researcher Han Nianling in the Firstborn City. This is my sidearm."

"A hired guard? A mercenary?"

The boy's eyes widened slightly, and his surprised gaze looked up and down the girl's body again. It was obviously due to the inconsistency between the identity and personal image expressed in Hiiragi Jing's self-introduction just now. Such a girl How could Researcher Han Nianling, who was engaged in such a dangerous profession and had so many elite team members to protect his safety, bring along a girl who didn't seem to have much fighting ability as a bodyguard?

But soon the boy thought of something. The girl's skin was fair and delicate. It was definitely not the result of being exposed to the wind, sand, pollution and sun for a long time. The gun in her hand was different from what he had seen before. It should be a custom-made product with excellent performance.It seems that the answer is very clear. She should belong to some big family or some big force. The trip with this convoy is probably a commission made to satisfy the young lady's willful desire for adventure while ensuring her own safety. .

Thinking of this, the young man immediately restrained his gaze. No matter what the reason for this girl to obtain this position, it was not something he should understand. What he needed to do now was his own job.

"I'm very sorry! This is because I was negligent in my work, so I will arrange registration for you." The young man apologized one after another. Since the identity of the other party has been confirmed, a corresponding attitude is necessary. A young lady like this is something she can never do. The neglectful service recipient. Since the other party is so immersed in her role, then their series of neglectful actions just now may have made her dissatisfied. If she wants to avoid being settled, she must have an attitude of making amends.

"Um...uh..." Such a big reaction from the young man caught Hiiragi off guard. Was it necessary to do this step after obviously just explaining it a little?Could this be the service etiquette of Changming City? Although it is very thoughtful, is it too exaggerated?

"Okay... okay." After awkwardly taking the registration form handed over by the boy and handing over her weapon, Hiiragi immediately stepped aside. Even with good intentions, such warm treatment was still embarrassing. .

She is upset.

No matter how dull you are, you can still see Hiiragi's discomfort, let alone someone who is good at observing words and expressions.

Is it because my apology lacks sincerity, or is my words and deeds too pretentious, or maybe this young lady is still thinking about the offense just now... Forget it, it's too late to consider these now, even if I receive this complaint, I will at best A small salary penalty will not lead to being fired. These people living in another world will soon forget the existence of such a nobody after enjoying life in Changming City for a few days.

"Your pick-up key will be sent to the Newborn City office by the staff of the collection area management department later. In addition to the registration form, the other form is the evaluation form. If you are interested, you can give it to our service. Rate it and put it in the mailbox on the street or in the trash if you don’t have time, we’ll be happy to serve you…”

"Okay... okay."

Seeing the professionalism in the management of large-scale human bases and the enthusiasm of Changming City's service industry, this small episode did not affect their next trip.

In just a few minutes, the procedures for handing over the weapons were completed, and the convoy responsible for picking them up arrived at this time.

Ten black cars were gradually stopping across the barrier in the assembly area, and the blue conical bottles printed on the doors were particularly eye-catching.

To be honest, although she is now Han Nianling's personal operator, Hiiragi Jing does not think that she has much relationship with the institute to which she belongs. However, it is still surprising to be able to see this familiar symbol thousands of miles away from the newborn city. People can't help but feel a little emotional.

Without any unnecessary instructions, the team members boarded the car one after another while chatting and laughing. After handing over their weapons, the nerves that had been tense along the way were relaxed a lot.

Naturally, Hiiragi Lingjiu and Han Nianling shared a car. When they left the gathering area, they truly entered Changming City.

The motorcade merged into the main thoroughfare of Changming City from an exit in the assembly area. The traffic flow in the city was a few notches higher than that outside the car. Hiiragi Jing was lying down by the car window in great interest, almost pressing his face against it. Looking at the glass, she was overwhelmed by the many things worth paying attention to, whether it was the nearby streets or the tall buildings in the distance, and soon, a new discovery made her even more excited.

"Nian...Sister Nian Ling, what is that?"

It looks like an abandoned subway underground in JD Abandoned City, but the wooden body is much smaller than the subway, and the moving track is also extremely light. It seems to sink directly into the metal groove on the opposite side, which does not hinder the normal movement of vehicles on the lane. Judging from the number of vehicles and passengers, this seems to be part of Changming City’s public transportation system.

"That's called a tram. It's an electric-driven rail transit vehicle that was found in many large cities in the pre-war world. I've also said before that the abandoned city area where Changming City was located is relatively complete, and it has its own tram The track system has naturally been preserved and re-opened after repairs in recent years." Han Nianling's explanation was not limited to the tram as he watched the tram full of passengers disappear from the corner of the street.

"Changming City's rail transportation is quite developed. In addition to trams, there are also trains. However, at present, Changming City's railway is only connected to a few military fortresses in the north. It is used for the transportation of materials and troops. However, it is said that Changming City will be built this year. A standard gauge railway connects to a nearby city base, and relevant engineering teams are currently conducting surveys along the route. Maybe we will have the opportunity to take a train to different city bases in the Southern Federation in our lifetime."

train?

Hiiragi had seen abandoned tracks covered by dense vegetation, and also seen overturned and overly damaged train cars, but that was all she knew.

I only heard that these vehicles traveling along the railway tracks were very fast. In the pre-war world, they were densely packed all over the earth. People could cross thousands of miles in less than a day, from one city to another. If there really was a line connecting the newborn If there is a railway line between Changming City and Changming City, then the journey should not be so long and boring.