Free Web NovelChapter 74: Chapter 74: Post-apocalyptic Research Base Plan
Lu Feng watched clearly as the hover vehicle drew near.
The hovertruck didn’t float very high, just a short distance off the ground. Perhaps the technology had only developed to this stage and wasn’t yet at the exaggerated, sky-filling level seen in sci-fi movies.
The hovertruck was carrying over twenty people, making it look crowded.
After the truck stopped, all the members of the Gray Wolf Mercenary Corps jumped out.
Their leader was a man with a scar on his face. With a wave of his hand, the other members of the Gray Wolf Mercenary Corps spread out. Moments later, they found the bodies of the two corps members who had been killed earlier.
Someone immediately reported to the scar-faced man, "Captain, we’ve found their bodies. One was pierced through the chest with a sharp weapon, and the other has gunshot wounds. They must have discovered a Survivor Base here and were then found out."
The scar-faced man grew excited upon hearing this. "If they were able to take down our two men, it means they’re not weak. This could be a fairly large Survivor Base."
At these words, the eyes of the other Gray Wolf Mercenary Corps members lit up.
A larger Survivor Base usually meant a lot of survivors.
The more people it could support, the richer its resources.
Crucially, survivors themselves were sometimes a resource. Many of the more desirable ones could be sold for a good price.
As the members of the Gray Wolf Mercenary Corps were pondering this, they suddenly noticed movement outside a nearby building. Then, they saw a figure dash frantically into the building.
Seeing this, the scar-faced man snorted coldly. "That must be their lookout. They saw the Gray Wolf Mercenary Corps coming and fled in a panic. Take them alive."
With that, the scar-faced man quickly charged toward the nearby building.
The others thought it made sense and immediately followed.
Only four people stayed behind to guard the hovertruck.
Inside the building not far away, Lu Feng entered the lobby, opened the valves on several gas canisters placed there, and then stepped into a stairwell to the side.
’My acting of running into the building in a panic just now should have been convincing,’ he thought. ’It ought to fool those Gray Wolf Mercenary Corps members.’
Sure enough, a flurry of footsteps echoed moments later.
The scar-faced man burst in with the rest of the Gray Wolf Mercenary Corps.
"What’s that smell?"
"This smell isn’t right."
"..."
As soon as they entered, they smelled the gas lingering in the air.
The scar-faced man frowned. "Never mind that. Find him, and remember, I want him alive... He’s behind the stairs?"
Before he could finish, he saw Lu Feng emerge from behind the stairs. He let out a great shout, only to be greeted by the sight of a sparking lighter.
Before the scar-faced man could process what was happening, he was stunned to see Lu Feng’s figure vanish on the spot.
The other members of the Gray Wolf Mercenary Corps saw it happen at the same instant.
Their eyes widened in unison, a look of terror dawning within them.
Then, they saw a cloud of fire erupt before them as the gas in the air instantly ignited.
"Fall back—" The scar-faced man instantly knew something was wrong, but as he yelled, a massive explosion rang out.
The gas canister he had rigged exploded instantly.
Immediately after, the other five gas canisters were caught in the blast, also exploding violently.
A series of thunderous booms rang out.
Flames instantly filled the entire lobby. A terrifying shockwave swept through, and the scar-faced man and his Gray Wolf Mercenary Corps members felt an agonizing, tearing pain all over their bodies.
A moment later, they fell silent.
The massive explosions also instantly drew the attention of Lin Jiao and the others outside. They knew what it meant: the men from the Gray Wolf Mercenary Corps were finished.
The four Gray Wolf Mercenary Corps members guarding the hovertruck were also instantly drawn to the tremendous noise.
They looked over and saw jets of fire and shockwaves erupting from the building their comrades had charged into.
The horrifying scene made them realize their comrades were probably doomed.
But before the four could react, three laser beams shot out, instantly striking three of them.
Lin Jiao and the brothers, Chen Tao and Chen Hao, who were armed with laser rifles, had made their move.
The power of the lasers surpassed that of bullets. In an instant, gruesome wounds were blasted into their bodies, and they fell down stiffly.
The last remaining man’s face turned utterly grim.
’Another one of those terrifying explosions, and now laser weapons... Did we stumble upon a large-scale Survivor Base?’
’And a powerful one at that.’
Then, another laser beam shot out, finishing off this last man.
「...」
「In the warehouse.」
Lu Feng’s figure appeared out of thin air. The next moment, he stared in surprise at the prompts in his mind:
[Congratulations! You have killed a depraved murderer. Reward: 50 EXP!]
[Congratulations! You have killed a depraved murderer. Reward: 20 EXP!]
...
[Congratulations! You have killed a depraved murderer. Reward: 1 EXP!] freёweɓnovel.com
[Congratulations! You have killed a depraved murderer. Reward: 20 EXP!]
Lu Feng stared blankly at the prompts appearing in his mind.
’I get experience for killing people in the game world, too?’
But based on the prompts, it didn’t seem like just any killing would grant experience.
The description was "depraved murderer."
This was clearly referring to the members of the Gray Wolf Mercenary Corps. In this post-apocalyptic world, they plundered other survivors, trafficked slaves, and killed the innocent wantonly. It was no exaggeration to call them depraved humans.
Although fighting and plundering were common in the apocalypse, most survivors still retained their humanity. Lin Jiao and her group, for example, wouldn’t kill just for the sake of killing.
Apparently, the experience from these people ranged from 1 to 50. This likely wasn’t due to a difference in strength or power. If it were based on power, the Mutant Beast Slaying Dog was worth 100 EXP.
’So, it’s probably determined by the extent of their evil deeds,’ he mused. ’Why else call them ’depraved murderers’?’
The deeper their depravity, the higher the experience; the less evil they were, the lower the experience.
This method of evaluation was far more surprising than the strength-based experience system for monsters and zombies.
’All I can say is, the system is awesome.’
Lu Feng also checked his character stats: LV 8: 1434/12800.
This wave had clearly netted him over 300 experience points.
Looking at the game world screen again, the lobby was now a scorched black mess, pockmarked by explosions and littered with the dismembered remains of the Gray Wolf Mercenary Corps.
With a thought, he entered the game world. The smell of blood and scorched flesh immediately assaulted his nostrils.
Then, seeing the limbs scattered everywhere, he couldn’t help but feel a wave of nausea. Witnessing this firsthand was a completely different feeling from watching it through the god’s-eye view of the game screen.
It was his first time facing such a visceral scene, and the revulsion was uncontrollable.
The psychological impact was the worst part.
After all, he was the one who had personally dealt with them. This was his first time killing people, and so many at once.
Lin Jiao and the others ran in from outside.
After surveying the scene inside and confirming there were no more threats, Lin Jiao reported, "Boss, the ones outside have been taken care of too. If these men don’t return, the Gray Wolf Mercenary Corps will surely come for us with everything they’ve got next time. If they don’t get rid of us, and word gets out, their fearsome reputation will take a massive hit."
Lu Feng naturally understood this logic.
’That’s why the gas canisters in the bank are waiting to welcome them.’
Once outside, Lu Feng walked over to the hovertruck with great interest.
Back in the real world, hover cars had always been one of the hottest topics in cutting-edge technology.
But the problems with hover technology weren’t so easily solved. That was why major car manufacturers were currently focusing their efforts on developing electric cars, and with great success.
With the real world’s current technology, it was unlikely that hover cars would be available to the public within the next thirty years.
’If I could bring the technology for this thing back to the real world, it would shock the entire planet.’
But as the saying goes, a thousand-mile journey begins with a single step. He didn’t understand the first thing about hover technology right now, and in the real world, he lacked the basic resources to produce it anyway.
’So, after we take over the Gray Wolf Mercenary Corps’ base, we can develop that residential area. I’ll have Lin Jiao and the others recruit more pre-apocalypse tech experts.’
’I can build an apocalyptic version of a research facility there, slowly reverse-engineer the technology from this game world, and then bring it back to reality.’
And in this game world, the most precious resource was just food. He could easily purchase food in the real world and transport it here. For him, that was a tiny price to pay.
What was the one thing the real world didn’t lack? Food.
Grandpa Yuan’s technology had given everyone the capital to eat until they were stuffed, to the point of being bored out of their minds.
Xu Bin inspected the hovertruck and said, "Boss, this truck has a tracking system. Should I disable it? Otherwise, the Gray Wolf Mercenary Corps will have an easier time finding us next time."
Lu Feng smiled. "I want them to have an easier time finding us. Drive this truck back to the bank settlement. You guys know how to drive this, right?"
His words made Lin Jiao and the others inexplicably think of the gas canisters back at the bank.
The Gray Wolf Mercenary Corps had a notorious reputation; they should have been wary of them.
But for some reason, they now found themselves somewhat looking forward to their arrival.
’Taking over the Gray Wolf Mercenary Corps’ base with the boss... that would be pretty exciting, wouldn’t it?’
"I do!" Xu Bin said without hesitation, immediately claiming the driver’s seat.
The brothers, Chen Tao and Chen Hao, clearly wanted to volunteer too, but they were a step too slow.
No matter the era, vehicles were clearly one of men’s greatest passions.
Even though this was just a truck—crude in appearance, not cool or flashy, and certainly not beautiful—this was the apocalypse. Any vehicle was a rare treasure.
Xu Bin quickly started the hovertruck and drove it directly toward the bank settlement.
It was Lu Feng’s first time riding in a hover vehicle, and it was a truly strange and wonderful experience.
Moreover, the floating sensation of the hovertruck was incredibly comfortable, far beyond what any real-world car could compare to.
