Dark Ruins Dawn

Chapter 105 Infiltration
Zhuang Fan's breathing paused for half a second.

"Please be more specific."

"Grey Goose, and her little follower Pipi, have been detained by the people of Sharp Edge!"

Mao Shanwang spoke very quickly, revealing his guesses in detail: "They both lost contact at the same time, and the Grey Goose's control panel has fallen into Qiu Shan's hands... This time they're probably going to kill them, and their situation is very dangerous."

Zhuang Fan wanted to try contacting Huiyan, but when he remembered that the panel was in Qiu Shan's hands, he gave up the idea.

"Are they at the headquarters of Sharp Edge?"

"Uncertain, but...very likely."

The two have gone missing for unknown reasons and their addresses are unknown.

Suppressing his inner turmoil, Zhuang Fan immediately pulled up the electronic map of Linhai City and located the marker for the Fengmang headquarters.

The mental deduction ended instantly; Zhuang Fan had made his decision and spoke decisively:
Do you have any extra power armor?

"Yes, there are, but they're all secondhand. I can rent two sets right away."

"Renting two sets is enough. You stay at the base, I'll be there soon."

"Well, wait for you."

Communication ends.

Without delay, Zhuang Fan summoned the core members.

In less than two minutes, Watson and his sister, Cole, Gage, and Xiong Er were all present.

"Grey Goose and Pipi are in trouble."

After he finished speaking, the room fell into a deathly silence, and everyone's eyes were focused on Zhuang Fan.

Zhuang Fan briefly recounted what had happened and then got to the point:

"I'm going to Mao Shanwang's place now to devise a rescue plan."

Zhuang Fan's gaze swept over the crowd, his voice steady.

"Watson, you're in charge of the base. Stop scavenging and clean up the nearby corpses to prevent any potential problems."

Watson nodded emphatically: "Understood."

"Cole."

"exist."

"Take five armored soldiers with you, check the ammunition, and assemble later."

"Yes!" Cole turned and left.

"Xiong Er, you come with me. We need to switch to the Gauss sniper rifle."

Xiong Er nodded and left silently.

"Boss, what about me?"

"Hua Xin, your task is more important. Guard the base with the remaining four armored soldiers and be on high alert."

"Although I won't let the fire reach my own doorstep, there's always a chance of something going wrong, so I have to be prepared for the worst."

Hua Xin opened his mouth, but finally nodded: "Okay, leave the base defense to me."

"Boss, I'll keep digging the tunnel then," Gage muttered from the corner.

"Go ahead, each of you do your job."

Zhuang Fan returned to his room, opened the nano-skin briefcase, and quickly reshaped his facial features.

Soon, the face belonging to the third-class citizen "Pepa" reappeared, and his figure was slightly adjusted accordingly.

He changed into an inconspicuous gray coat and strode out of the base.

Cole parked the truck at the door, where five armored soldiers were already waiting.

Zhuang Fan got into the passenger seat. "Let's go."

After a 20-minute drive, the truck arrived at Mao Shanwang's stronghold.

This is an underground cave located halfway up a mountain. The entrance is hidden by dense vegetation and a huge rock, and it can only accommodate one truck at a time.

Once the zombie horde arrives, simply lowering the heavy alloy gate will keep all dangers at bay.

The cave is a hidden paradise.

Weapons, equipment, and supplies were piled up like mountains, and several masked cat-men moved nimbly among them.

Mao Shanwang lifted boxes of weapons and grenades and carried them all into the carriage.

He saw Zhuang Fan and his group arrive, and a smile appeared on his round face. "Xiong Er, welcome home."

Xiong Er nodded: "Old Cat, you look haggard."

"Yes, I'm tired after a long day."

Mao Shanwang then turned to Zhuang Fan and pointed to the carriage:
"We've put two sets of power armor inside, but we only have eight sets of armor in total, so a direct assault is hopeless."

"I know."

Zhuang Fan's gaze swept over the weapons. "Is your safe house in the city still usable? Let's go into the city first."

“Alright, it will be faster to enter the city via the caravan route; the guards recognize my face.”

So Cole, Xiong Er, and five armored soldiers all went into the carriage to wait for orders.

Mao Shanwang sat in the driver's seat, his huge body filling the seat completely, while Zhuang Fan sat next to him.

The truck started, its engine emitting a dull roar, and slowly drove out of the cave, bumping and jolting across the wilderness.

"This trip will be very dangerous."

Mao Shanwang looked ahead with some emotion, "But I didn't expect you to actually come."

"What nonsense are you talking about? Grey Goose has helped me a lot, so I have to save her out of both compassion and reason."

He owes Grey Goose more than one favor.

Zhuang Fan paused, glanced at the fat cat, and said, "On the contrary, you, a shrewd businessman who never makes a loss, would go through fire and water for your friends."

"You're blatantly slandering me!"

Mao Shanwang instantly bristled: "I, Old Cat, am a businessman. I have friends all over the world, and my reputation is impeccable!"

"Can those business associates be compared?"

Zhuang Fan emphasized again, "It's about going through fire and water."

A simple rhetorical question deflated Mao Shanwang's imposing manner, and the carriage fell silent.

After a long time, he slowly spoke.

"Sigh, back then... when I first came to Linhai City, I was unfamiliar with the place and the people, and I was severely ostracized. I couldn't open a business for half a month, and the goods in the warehouse were almost moldy."

"Then I met Pipi. She bought a bunch of parts that she didn't need at all, and told everyone that my Old Cat's goods were the best in the world. She introduced a lot of mercenaries to my stall, which was surrounded by them."

“Once, when my cash flow almost dried up, she took out her savings of several years and gave it to me to help me get through the crisis. She even said that she wasn’t in a hurry to buy a house…”

He finally let out a soft sigh, "Pipi is my good friend, I would risk my life to save her."

So it was for Pipi. Zhuang Fan thought...

He looked at Mao Shanwang and suddenly said, "Since you're so loyal, give me a 20% discount from now on."

"no way!"

Mao Shanwang abruptly shook his head. "My goods are all second-hand, but of comparable quality to brand new ones. I don't make any profit at all. The 10% discount is already out of consideration for our alliance!"

Zhuang Fan ignored him, opened Wasteland Traveler, and connected to Jetta's encrypted communication.

The light screen lit up, and the image of the rat-man appeared.

"Good evening, boss!"

"Jetta, have you infiltrated the city yet?"

Jetta's voice carried a hint of awe, "Boss, we just cleared that secret passage today. A section of it was blown up by someone before, but luckily no one found out, so it's still usable!"

Zhuang Fan looked slightly embarrassed and didn't admit that he was the one who blew it up, instead getting straight to the point.

"I need to go to the headquarters of the Sharp Edge Mercenary Group to rescue two people. You need to clear the underground pipe network immediately and ensure there is a safe escape route."

He then added, his tone becoming more somber: "I have sent you a map of the nuclear group's red-line warning zone within the city. Tell your people to carefully avoid it, keep a low profile, and not to clash with any soldiers."

"Don't worry, boss, I'll figure out the nearby pipeline network first!" Jetta was full of energy and confidence.

Communication ends.

Mao Shanwang, who had overheard everything, couldn't help but exclaim, "You've even thought of an escape route... You're really good at planning ahead."

"Never fight a battle you're not prepared for."

Mao Shanwang remained pessimistic, saying, "But this trip is likely to end badly. The biggest challenge is how to rescue the people safely."

“…Not necessarily.”

Zhuang Fan looked out the window. "Let's see what happens."

In the distance, the gray walls of Linhai City gradually came into view.

The closer you get to the city gate, the more oppressive the atmosphere becomes.

At the city gate, there were numerous nuclear soldiers in power armor, who checked every vehicle and pedestrian leaving the city.

In contrast, the entrance to the city is much more relaxed, but the border guards still dare not slack off.

The vehicle slowed down, and a guard's shouts came from outside.

Inside the carriage, Cole and the others instinctively gripped their machine guns tightly; the consequences of being inspected would be unimaginable.

Mao Shanwang was clearly prepared.

He slowly brought the truck to a stop in front of the checkpoint, and discreetly took out a small piece of something wrapped in black cloth from the storage compartment, holding it in his palm.

The vehicle came to a stop, and a team leader walked over. He clearly recognized Mao Shanwang.

"Old Cat, delivering goods again?"

"Yes, Captain, we need to beg for food."

With a broad smile, Mao Shanwang quietly slipped the black cloth into the other man's hand.

It was a small piece of gold, exactly ten grams.

The captain weighed the cargo in his hand, his serious expression softening slightly. "What's in the back?"

"It's nothing, just some doll models made for important people," Mao Shanwang said vaguely.

The captain nodded and didn't pursue the matter further.

“Old Cat, if this were a few days ago, I would definitely have searched thoroughly. Now that Nuclear is only focusing on the area outside the city, it’s much easier for you to enter the city.”

He said in a low voice, "But I must warn you, if you leave the city and something is discovered, I can't protect you. There will be no mercy."

"Understood, understood, thank you for the reminder, Captain."

Mao Shanwang thanked him repeatedly, and the captain waved his hand, signaling them to let him pass.

The truck drove through the gate and smoothly entered Linhai City.

"Sigh, it's really strict to leave the city now, mainly because those bastards from Nuclear are checking."

Mao Shanwang glanced at Zhuang Fan and said, "Now the whole city knows the name of Nuclear Raven. It's all your doing."

Zhuang Fan refused to take the blame, saying, "I just wanted to focus the Nuclear Group's attention on the city, otherwise we wouldn't be able to do the scavenging outside the city."

“That’s true,” Mao Shanwang agreed wholeheartedly.

The truck made several turns before finally entering a secluded residential warehouse.

This is one of the safe houses that Mao Shanwang rented in the city. It has an excellent location, quiet amidst the hustle and bustle.

Cole, Xiong Er, and the others jumped off the train carriage and stretched their stiff bodies.

Mao Shanwang led everyone into the house.

Zhuang Fan didn't delay: "Cole, you guys take off your armor and wait in place."

"Okay, boss."

Zhuang Fan went to the window, and Mao Shanwang followed, pointing into the distance:
"That's the headquarters of the Edge Mercenary Group, about five kilometers from here."

Zhuang Fan's mind raced, trying to recall Xu Renyi's memories of the size and strength of the Fengmang Mercenary Group.

But Xu Renyi's memory is from a few years ago, when the elite force only had twenty armored soldiers.

The data we have today is probably outdated.

"How much do you know about the latest troop strength of the Vanguard?"

"I'm not sure about that."

Mao Shanwang shook his head, "But I have a way. Go directly to the 'Flintlock Guild' website, post a specific bounty mission, and we should be able to find the mercenary group's information."

Flintlock Guild...

Xu Renyi's memories were vaguely triggered, and Zhuang Fan carefully searched them.

This guild was founded in 2600. Its leader is Chen Dapang, and the guild's backer is Heavy Hammer Armed Forces, one of the top ten financial groups.

Anyone can post bounty missions in the guild after paying a certain service fee.

Among them, the handling fee for murder bounties is the highest, and the process is the most complicated.

Mao Shanwang skillfully opened the holographic screen and logged into the flintlock guild's website. A badge icon occupied the top of the holographic screen.

It was a circle of intertwined thorns surrounding an ancient shield, with two crossed flintlock muskets beside it.

The combination of thorns and shields...

Zhuang Fan frowned slightly. Wasn't this the exclusive badge of the first officially recognized S-rank mercenary group in the wasteland, the [Fence Mercenary Group]?
“Old Cat, this badge… is very similar to the one of the Fanli Mercenary Group, the only difference is that it has two guns.”

Mao Shanwang smacked his lips, narrowed his eyes, and thought for a moment:

"Fanli... that's a really old name. I heard that it was very prestigious back in the day, but it ended up threatening the interests of the conglomerates and was dismantled by them in a joint effort."

Zhuang Fan pondered for a moment, "Do you think this could be Fan Li changing his appearance, or being resurrected through another body?"

"impossible."

Mao Shanwang categorically denied it, saying, "This guild is a dog kept by the Heavy Hammer Armed Forces, dedicated to gathering intelligence for them and doing dirty work that can't be seen in the light of day."

Zhuang Fan stopped dwelling on the issue and focused his attention on the number of registered hunters in the guild.

There are tens of thousands of registered hunters, but only a handful of 160 are the top-ranked S-class hunters.

"Can I see the Grey Goose's data panel?"

"Let me try."

Mao Shanwang logged into his Level 2 Citizen account and attempted to post a reward of 10,000 credits for the lost item.

A message pops up on the screen: The mission reward is too low to specify an S-rank hunter.

Mao Shanwang continued to pay the deposit, increasing the bounty to 100,000 credits.

This time, the option for S-rank hunter is available.

He typed in the name "Grey Goose," and a simple information panel popped up.

[ID: Grey Goose]

[Age: 24 years old]

[Registration date: 2705]

[Hunter Career: 5 years]

Promotion History

* 2708: Promoted to A-rank Hunter

* 2709: Promoted to S-Class Hunter

Current Position: Sharp Edge Mercenary Group

Specialized Skills: Stealth, Compound Bow, Firearms

[Health Status: Risk of Spider Mushroom Infection]

Mao Shanwang couldn't help but click his tongue in amazement, "A 24-year-old S-rank hunter... must be the youngest in the guild, his promotion speed is too fast."

What are the requirements for promotion to S-rank?

"Complete an S-level mission independently every two years."

Upon hearing this, Zhuang Fan felt a chill run down his spine.

Only then did he clearly realize just how significant his S-class bounty status truly was.

"What S-rank mission did she complete?"

"Let me check."

Mao Shanwang quickly found out, "Holy crap... she hunted down a Green Goblin!"

Zhuang Fan was also taken aback.

Green Goblin, standing eight meters tall, is one of the kings of the Greenskin tribe, possessing intelligence comparable to that of humans.

For every ten green skins, one Hulk will appear;

But for every million green skins, probably not a single green devil will be born.

After carefully reading about the greylag goose's hunting exploits, Mao Shanwang suddenly realized:
"It turned out to be a green goblin that had just completed its evolution and was still in a weak period. The gray goose tracked it for a long time and finally killed it with a large number of explosive arrows from a distance... There was an element of luck involved, but this achievement is enough to make it a legend."

Mao Shanwang exited the S-rank hunter interface and opened the S-rank mercenary group option.

The number one mercenary group is called "Fat Brother Mercenary Group". Its headquarters is located in Zhongdu and it has three thousand mercenaries.

"This Fatty Mercenary Group was founded by Chen Da Pang himself, the president of the Flintlock Guild."

The two continued reading.

The second is the Swift Dragon Mercenary Group, headquartered in Texas. It is Scarface's group and has two thousand mercenaries.
The third is the Sharp Edge Mercenary Group, headquartered in Linhai City, with two thousand mercenaries, including thirteen S-rank hunters.

Mao Shanwang opened the information on the Fengmang Mercenary Group and gasped.

"We can't hold on! Just the armored soldiers on the surface alone number a full 150!"

This number brought the atmosphere inside the room to a freezing point.

Zhuang Fan also found it troublesome; his last shred of hope was gone, and the gap in strength between the two sides was too great.

Mao Shanwang's expression grew increasingly grave: "One hundred and fifty armored soldiers... Brother, this is no longer a problem that can be solved with just a few guns."

Zhuang Fan didn't turn his head, but he knew that everyone was watching him, waiting for him to give them a magic bullet.

It's unclear when exactly, but he has become the sole backbone of this team.

He sighed softly: "To be honest, I'm not a god either. I just have to take it one step at a time. There's a high chance that Grey Goose will get caught up in factional infighting, and there are only two possible outcomes..."

"The first option is to be executed quickly, and then we will have no chance to save them;"
"The second approach is procedural justice, which involves thoroughly convicting Grey Goose and then issuing a notification to the entire regiment."

Zhuang Fan's thoughts became clearer:

"But judging from the cautious actions of the Hill Mountain faction, the nuclear re-employment of the Grey Goose, and the precious S-class hunter quota, it can be confirmed that they are pursuing the second process of justice. We still have some time and there is no need to panic."

"An important piece of evidence is that Grey Goose still holds the title of hunter, and she can accept bounty missions, which means that she is temporarily safe and the two factions are still vying for power."

"Furthermore, I think they might not necessarily be confined to headquarters, as there are too many uncontrollable factors involved."

Mao Shanwang wholeheartedly agreed, "That's right. What if we go through all that trouble to sneak in, only to fall into a trap instead of finding the person? That would be the end of us."

Mao Shanwang added, "Throwing meat buns at a dog is like throwing them away; they're gone forever."

"so."

Zhuang Fan looked at him and said, "Before we take action, I need to confirm their location."

His gaze returned to the map, and his fingertip lightly touched the red mark on the headquarters of the Sharp Edge.

"To find out if the Grey Goose is inside, we can just send someone to test the waters."

"How to test?"

Mao Shanwang spread out his fat paws. "We can't just walk in and ask, can we?"

Why should we go ourselves?

Zhuang Fan shook his head. "Just send someone else."

Mao Shanwang narrowed his eyes.

"Old Cat, can you climb walls?"

Mao Shanwang patted his round body and gave a wry smile: "It's a bit much for this fat body to make me climb to the roof."

"I can."

Xiong Er spoke in a low voice, "Their outer walls were baked, and there are many cracks, making them easy to climb."

"No, I'll do it myself. Xiong Er, you have a more important task."

Zhuang Fan turned his gaze to him: "You need to find a concealed sniping spot and snipe an important target."

"Fire in the city?"

Mao Shanwang's voice tightened: "We must be careful. Those drones are not to be trifled with. Once the gunfire starts, we'll be targeted very quickly."

"I know."

Zhuang Fan continued looking at Xiong Er, "Assuming you can kill him with a single blow, how far away can you go?"

Xiong Er carefully estimated:
"With a Gauss sniper rifle, the rate of fire can be increased to Mach 8, which is 2744 meters per second."

"If we eliminate the interference of the fog, I can hit the target every time within four kilometers."

"Death is certain?"

Xiong Er was certain: "As long as it hits the target, it will surely die. The kinetic energy is too great, and the target will shatter directly."

"Gauss sniper rifle... This thing can eliminate muzzle pops, but it can't prevent sonic booms."

Mao Shanwang warned again, "Those electronic guards will quickly pinpoint your location, so you need to act swiftly."

"Okay, leave it to me."

Zhuang Fan briefly explained his plan.

After listening, Mao Shanwang and Cole looked at each other, both seeing surprise and doubt in each other's eyes.

Mao Shanwang frowned: "Are you really going to provoke the nuclear people? Be careful not to get burned!"

"This is the only way. I have access to the nuclear intranet and can view the action logs, so I can find out where Grey Goose is."

Mao Shanwang's forehead furrowed into a deep frown: "But you're just gambling. You're betting that the people who gamble on nuclear weapons will value the Grey Goose, and that it will be written in their action log. But what if they don't value it?"

"Everyone is gambling to survive in the wasteland."

Zhuang Fan silently took out a completely anonymous wasteland traveler and put it on his wrist.

"Some people bet that there were no bullets in the gun, that there was no ambush around the corner, that there wouldn't be a horde of zombies, and that tonight's peaceful sleep wouldn't be eternal..."

"Some people gamble even more extravagantly, betting that others are more foolish than themselves, betting that their companions will sacrifice for them, and betting that a moment of kindness will not be met with betrayal."

"They're gambling on luck, gambling on probability, trying to beg for a little hope from this messed-up world."

After loading the magazine, Zhuang Fan looked up:

"But I never beg."

"I only believe in things that don't change, like greed and fear. As long as the bait is big enough, the prey will definitely bite."

"So I never gamble on whether they will come or not; I just wait to see when they will come."

After a long silence, Mao Shanwang slowly said, "It's getting dark, be careful."

"Will do."

Afterwards, Zhuang Fan and Xiong Er changed into black stealth suits, and their figures quickly blended into the night.

The coastal city was eerily silent under the cover of night. Most areas were without power, and the malfunctioning surveillance provided a convenient basis for this covert operation.

"What do you think of that high-rise building under construction?" Zhuang Fan pointed to a skyscraper in the distance.

Xiong Er shook his head: "It's too high. The fog-dispelling lighthouse can't cover it completely, which will affect the trajectory of the ballistic missiles."

Zhuang Fan nodded and continued walking through the shadows, soon finding another suitable vantage point.

It was an abandoned office building, about eighty meters high, with a wide view, offering a panoramic view of the entire headquarters of Fengmang.

A night breeze swept across the abandoned building rooftop, carrying a hint of coolness.

Zhuang Fan contacted Jetta.

"Boss, Jetta, ready to go!"

"I just sent you the coordinates. My men will carry out a sniping operation here, and then they'll evacuate through the underground pipe network. You guys are responsible for providing support and clearing a path."

"Understood. We will plant explosives along the way to slow down any pursuers!"

"how long it takes?"

"Everything will be set up within an hour!"

"very good."

After the communication was cut off, Zhuang Fan looked at Xiong Er, who had set up his sniper rifle beside him, and said, "I will notify you immediately when the target appears."

His voice was low and deep. "You can only fire one shot. Whether you hit or not, you must evacuate immediately."

"clear."

After explaining everything, Zhuang Fan stealthily made his way towards the headquarters of Fengmang alone.

He scurried along the wall, avoiding several patrolling guards, and quietly approached the building surrounded by high walls.

He looked up, his gaze sweeping over the cracks in the wall left by the scorched earth. He took a deep breath, dug his fingertips into the cracks, and began to climb upwards.

"Thirty meters to the left, two fixed sentries, a rooftop, four mobile sentries, and two snipers."

Xiong Er used a remote aiming scope to inform him of the guards' locations.

"Received," Zhuang Fan replied softly.

But in fact, Zhuang Fan had already formed a dynamic map in his mind of the positions of the rooftop guards through the eerie fog.

His figure was like a ghost, precisely avoiding all electronic eyes and thermal imaging scans, nimbly vaulting onto the roof and dodging several snipers who were smoking.

He crouched in a dark corner, opened Wasteland Traveler, recorded a voice message for "Zhang Dafan," and then sent it.

"Crow, you must have had a hard time finding me. I want to discuss a collaboration with you. I'm at the headquarters of Sharp Edge."

(End of this chapter)