Chapter 12: Everything is About to Come
The Ruined City Nuclear Wasteland Area, a relic of the pre-war world, a settlement of human civilization over a hundred years ago.
Even if only ruins remained, one could still vaguely see on them the prosperity and peace that the current world could never compare to.
However, it was precisely such a place, once like paradise, that became a forbidden zone for life in the post-war world.
Severe pollution prevented humans from entering it normally, while also nurturing a large number of dangerously mutated monsters.
Some hid in the depths of the nuclear wasteland, while others were attracted out of the city by surrounding human settlements, becoming one of the greatest threats to human survival in the current world.
Compared to the countless ruined city nuclear wasteland areas in the post-war world, the JD Ruined City Nuclear Wasteland Area was relatively small in scale, and its pollution level was also relatively low.
But even so, its existence still brought great trouble to the Chu Sheng City Human Base thirty-seven kilometers away.
High-risk mutated beasts frequently harassing the transportation lines caused Chu Sheng City base government to suffer considerable economic and personnel losses every year.
It wasn't that no one had proposed a plan to 'completely resolve the JD Ruined City Nuclear Wasteland Area', but various difficulties prevented the plan from being approved.
Lack of understanding, distance issues, and a severe imbalance between the cost and the gains from the action meant that the JD Ruined City Nuclear Wasteland Area was left there for a long time.
According to the development of Zhong Jing's dream, if it weren't for the Witch's frequent appearances in the JD Ruined City Nuclear Wasteland Area causing panic in the government base, the Research Institute itself would not have been able to persuade the base government to launch a large-scale military operation.
The infantry fighting vehicle they were riding in sped along the highway.
The scenery on both sides of the road was left far behind them.
The strong wind blowing through the car window hit Zhong Jing's face, forcing her to tighten the strings of her hood to prevent her shoulder-length hair from being blown into disarray.
She tilted her head slightly and glanced at the dashboard in front of the car.
The speedometer needle had not dropped below eighty all the way.
For post-war highways, such a speed was a bit too high…
Although this stretch of road from Chu Sheng City to the JD Ruined City Nuclear Wasteland Area had been cleared and repaired, making the road conditions relatively smooth, and no other vehicles could be seen in front or behind, and Han Nianling, as the driver, had no problem with her driving skills… but these were not the reasons they could maintain such a high speed.
When driving on roads in the outside world, the biggest worry was not some car accident, but attacks by mutated beasts.
Besides the accumulated wreckage of abandoned cars on both sides of the road, there were also large, dense jungles comparable to primeval forests.
Those were the most suitable wilderness areas for mutated beasts to inhabit.
Like animals, mutated plants had grown to several times their original size, and their rate of expansion and growth had reached astonishing levels.
If Chu Sheng City hadn't arranged for personnel to spray growth inhibitors and clear this area every so often, they would probably have already drilled through the asphalt road with their roots and completely occupied this highway…
“Look ahead!”
Zhong Jing, who was focused on the jungles on both sides, didn’t see the scene ahead.
Just then, Uncle Lin, the machine gun operator in the last row, suddenly let out a warning.
Before his words had even fallen, Han Nianling had already sharply turned the steering wheel and simultaneously slammed on the brakes, causing the vehicle's speed to drop drastically.
Amidst a series of ear-piercing screeches of tires rubbing against the ground, the skidding infantry fighting vehicle left two black tire marks on the road.
The unprepared people were suddenly thrown forward.
Fortunately, everyone knew the importance of seat belts, and no one was thrown out because of this.
Although Zhong Jing’s chest, which had been suddenly constricted, ached, it was at least much better than hitting the glass in front.
Having caught her breath, Zhong Jing immediately grabbed the gun placed beside her and prepared for battle.
She knew that Han Nianling would not have slammed on the brakes for no reason.
Since she chose to make such a dangerous move, it must be because she had encountered an emergency that forced her to do so.
Uncle Lin’s warning sound was still lingering in her mind.
She looked ahead on the road, only to see that a hundred meters away, a dilapidated, self-modified pickup truck was quietly parked in the middle of the road ahead.
The surroundings, including the jungles on both sides, were deathly silent.
Bandits blocking the road?
This thought immediately popped into Zhong Jing’s mind, but she quickly dismissed it herself.
The terrain here was not suitable for robbery.
The traffic between Chu Sheng City and the JD Ruined City Nuclear Wasteland Area was also relatively frequent, and among them were many powerful infantry fighting vehicles.
Anyone with a bit of sense would not choose to take such a big risk here.
Then why was this car parked so obviously in the middle of the highway, and where had its passengers gone?
“Get out and check.”
Han Nianling, who hadn't uttered a word since leaving Chu Sheng City, issued a command at this moment.
The employer had spoken, so of course, these mercenaries had to take action.
Soon, Zhong Jing felt someone pat her shoulder.
“Crow, Stone, come with me and take a look,” Si Ling suggested.
They were all closest to the car door, and a team of three was the most basic guarantee for small team operations.
No one objected to this suggestion.
Opening the car door and getting out, the three of them consciously formed a three-person squad formation, holding their guns while carefully observing the changes in the surrounding environment and slowly moving forward.
A faint fishy smell came from the warm air.
No one present was unfamiliar with this smell.
As the distance between them and the modified pickup truck shortened, the expressions of the three gradually became solemn.
The body of the pickup truck and the surrounding ground were covered in congealed bloodstains.
The glass windows had shattered into pieces scattered all over the ground.
There were signs that the car doors had been forcibly damaged.
Countless claw marks that had torn through the outer metal skin of the pickup truck densely covered the vehicle's body.
Zhong Jing, at the front of the triangular formation, stepped forward for a closer inspection, while Crow and Si Ling remained on either side of the modified pickup, maintaining vigilance.
Zhong Jing reached out and tried to pull open the car door, but several attempts were futile.
The deformed car door was jammed.
Zhong Jing could only observe the inside through the broken car window.
The smell of blood inside the car was even stronger.
There were bloodstains on the floor, on the seat cushions, and on the roof of the car.
The broken cotton from the seats was scattered everywhere, making it look extremely messy.
There were also many empty shell casings and bullet holes, indicating that a desperate struggle had taken place in the car, but the outcome was already determined…
“The claw marks and bite marks are very recognizable. Eaten so cleanly, not even scraps left… It must be a pack of Headhunter Wild Dogs.”
After eliminating the nearby danger, Si Ling and Crow also approached.
After a brief look, Si Ling confirmed the culprit behind this bloody scene.
Headhunter Wild Dogs were one of the most common mutated monsters in the outside world.
They were twice the size of ordinary domestic dogs, with extremely sharp teeth and claws.
Their forequarters were particularly robust.
They usually lived and hunted in groups, with one pack led by a leader.
The other members of the pack ranged from twenty or thirty to nearly a hundred.
It was said that their ancestors were once pet dogs or stray dogs of city residents, and after more than a hundred years of mutation and evolution, they became the Headhunter Wild Dogs of today.
Crow reached in through the window on the other side and took out two crude, self-made rifles from inside.
Only scavengers and low-level mercenaries would use these weapons, which were simply pieced together from wood and iron pipes by small workshops.
Crow certainly didn't need such inferior weapons.
He checked the bullets in the magazines and took them all out, putting them into his own ammunition pouch.
This act of taking supplies from the dead was very normal in the post-war world, and beyond reproach/understandable.
Anyone would do the same.
It was just that Crow’s disregard for the small, oval-shaped iron piece that had fallen on the seat made Zhong Jing frown slightly.
That was a mercenary’s qualification certificate.
It had no value in itself.
Its only use was to be handed over to the Chu Sheng City Special Business Handling Center to confirm the death of the certificate’s owner, merely changing their status from missing to deceased…
But for mercenaries, this function alone was already very significant.
It allowed those who cared about them to give up their longing, to relieve the heavy burden in their hearts, to let go of their unresolved feelings, and then return to a new life, to continue striving to live in this world… Bringing back mercenary certificates found in the outside world had become an unwritten rule in the mercenary circle.
Zhong Jing reached out and put the mercenary certificate into her pocket.
At least she was still fulfilling this rule, or rather, it was more like a mission for those who successfully returned from the outside world.
“Alright, since there’s nothing else here, let’s go back. Although it’s blocking the road, our big guy can push it aside without a problem.”
The three returned to the infantry fighting vehicle and reported their findings to Han Nianling.
After confirming that there were no other dangers, the engine started again, and the moving infantry fighting vehicle unsurprisingly pushed aside the modified pickup truck.
Looking through the rearview mirror at the modified pickup truck that had been knocked to the side of the road and was gradually receding, if nothing unexpected happened, this vehicle would become part of the surrounding pile of scrap car wreckage.
Its useful parts and other things would be dismantled by scavengers who came by, and then everything would be as if nothing had happened, except for an additional death record at the Special Business Handling Center.
This was the fate of most mercenaries in the new post-war era.
This world was cruel, and the fragility and insignificance of life were laid bare.
They were always accompanied by danger, and then died during some mission.
Mercenaries whose careers exceeded two or three years were considered relatively experienced, and those who could live to the day of retirement were even fewer.
The small interlude plunged the atmosphere in the vehicle into silence.
Si Ling and Xiao Liu, who had been chatting happily all the way, also fell silent.
They were all mercenaries, and death was something they had grown accustomed to, but it didn't mean they were indifferent to death.
Perhaps one day, they too would fall into a desperate situation, becoming a short record on the death list.
This might be the only trace of their existence in this world.
After driving for a few more minutes, a large, rusty billboard appeared on the left side of the road.
The words "The People of JD City Welcome You..." written on it were severely deformed, and only the general meaning could be barely understood.
The mercenaries in the vehicle swept away the gloom in their hearts.
They all knew that they were about to enter the range of the JD Ruined City Nuclear Wasteland Area.
Since they had chosen the path of mercenaries, it already showed that they were fully mentally prepared.
The life of a mercenary was like this, otherwise they wouldn't have accepted this highly dangerous mission.
The details of the dream were already blurry.
When the familiar silhouette appeared on the horizon, Zhong Jing felt a trace of excitement in her heart, as well as a trace of panic.
She subconsciously reached out and touched her chest.
The hard protective plate blocked her touch, but she didn't care.
All her attention and thoughts were now focused on the ruins of that city.
Was the truth she was seeking here? What exactly had the Witch ‘Tyrant’ done to her? Could she really find the answers here?