Dark Ruins Dawn

Chapter 134 Deterrence
The Apocalypse Cult, hiding in the shadows of the wasteland, is the longest-standing anti-human force.

The believers firmly believe that humanity is an obsolete species, and the only way to salvation is to abandon our fragile flesh and blood, actively embrace evolution, and welcome the arrival of "God".

Over the past few centuries, from the earliest Earth Alliance to the Star Alliance, and now to the Human Alliance, there have been seven or eight devastating campaigns against the Apocalypse Cult.

However, after each crackdown, the Apocalypse Cult would rise again like weeds.

Especially in this era, the conflict between humans and mutants is becoming increasingly acute, and the doctrines of the Apocalypse Cult have found a wider breeding ground, with the backlash becoming increasingly powerful.

No longer content with sporadic infiltration, they began to seek greater power. According to the latest nuclear intelligence, many "demon generals" have emerged behind the Apocalypse Cult.

"Minister?" Wuji asked, noticing the silence on the other end.

"Let me think about it."

Edward closed his eyes, rubbed his temples, and felt a long-lost sense of unease.

It seems that anything related to the Apocalypse Church becomes incredibly complicated and difficult to understand.

The Apocalypse Cult is ubiquitous in the wasteland, infiltrating everywhere, and even in the heavily guarded Valley, there are probably many of their spies hiding there.

In terms of infiltration capabilities and familiarity with the wilderness, the Apocalypse Cultists have a clear advantage.

But Edward had a vague feeling that things might not be so simple, and another name flashed through his mind.

Zhang Dafan, who has been missing ever since.

That mysterious human from the Common Era, the guy who caused chaos in Vault 331 and ultimately possessed Xu Renyi on the operating table.

This person stole Xu Renyi's vast memories and possesses too many of the company's core secrets. It's hard to guarantee that he won't secretly sabotage things and use the Apocalypse Cult as a weapon.

"Black Chicken, you have two things to do now."

"Yes!"

"First, thoroughly investigate all Apocalypse Cult strongholds near Linhai City, including their whereabouts and movements."

"clear."

"Second, contact Grey Goose. I need her intelligence network to assist in the investigation."

……

The next day, on the outskirts of Linhai City.

The Blue Blade Gang, which had dominated most of the scavenging area in the south of the city, was wiped out by nuclear lightning in just a few days after demonstrating its strong dominance.

All the small scavenging teams breathed a sigh of relief, and the garbage mountains became "lively" again.

But the scavenger wasn't particularly surprised.

In this wasteland, new forces are born every day, and old forces are always crushed.

The demise of the Blue Blade Gang is merely a part of the daily cycle of this wasteland.

After a brief period of calm, the various scavenging teams erupted into even fiercer battles for control of the garbage heaps.

Often, in the struggle for a bare copper coil or a prosthetic part, scavengers will not hesitate to draw their weapons.

Gunshots and curses rose and fell, but were quickly drowned out by the wind, leaving no trace of warmth.

The old scavenger wiped his sweat and chatted idly, "Speaking of which, it's been two days since I've seen those people from Xin Huo."

The one-eyed scavenger next to him spoke with a hint of schadenfreude.

"Hey, they've definitely fallen into the hands of the Blue Blade Gang. They've probably already been chopped up and fed to the sandworms."

The old scavenger sighed and shook his head: "What a pity, that scavenging group was quite good."

The one-eyed man stopped what he was doing and glanced at him: "What's a pity? Just a bunch of short-lived ghosts."

"You don't know anything. I've never seen their benefits in my entire life."

The old scavenger sat on a metal plate, lit a cheap cigarette, and a glint of longing flashed in his cloudy eyes:

“I saw it with my own eyes. Their members were clearly not slaves. They stood up straight, had a different spirit, wore clean clothes, and their warehouses were filled with food and clean water.”

"You can rest for an hour after working for four hours, and they even provide you with high-temperature protective clothing. The treatment is really good."

The old scavenger flicked his cigarette ash, his voice carrying a hint of inexplicable desolation.

"I even considered going over and asking if they were still hiring."

"Ha, is it inviting death?"

The tall, thin man next to him scoffed, "You've lived most of your life, and the eerie fog has ruined your brain? It's precisely because they were too conspicuous that they died so quickly!"

Another scavenger earnestly chimed in: "Without matching strength, that's not a benefit, that's suicide. If the Blue Blade Gang doesn't wipe them out, who will they wipe out?"

"Trying to treat scavengers as human beings is a joke. The junkyard only recognizes fists and bullets."

The old scavenger felt uneasy upon hearing this.

These people loudly proclaimed the cruelty of the wasteland and the law of the jungle, as if they were already the top predators, not maggots scavenging in the garbage heap.

The old scavenger didn't argue anymore, silently finished his last puff of cigarette, and stubbed it out.

"Anyway... the Blue Blade Gang set a bad precedent."

He sighed softly, "In the past, when people fought over territory, they would follow the rules. This piece is yours, that piece is mine. They would always sit down and discuss it to avoid conflict."

"Now everything is in chaos. Relying on their numbers and superior weaponry, they dare to occupy all the garbage cemeteries. Their behavior is disgusting."

Before the words were finished, a muffled rumble came from afar.

"Boom—rumble—"

The scavengers fell silent instantly, each one grabbing their weapons warily and looking in the direction from which the smoke and dust were rising.

A huge convoy of vehicles drove up in a grand procession.

A dozen menacing "hedgehog" vehicles led the way, their bodies welded with sharp steel bars and machine guns mounted on their roofs.

Five heavy warehouse trucks were positioned in the middle, their thick armor plates covered with spikes and wire mesh.

A large number of motorcycles weaved through the air on both sides, kicking up clouds of yellow dust, and the riders let out strange howls.

This is an armed force with a post-apocalyptic punk style, which sends chills down your spine at first glance.

A sharp-eyed scavenger recognized the large wolf head emblem on the vehicle, "...It's the Wild Wolf Gang!"

"Weren't they in the west of the city? How did they end up in the south?"

"They came last month, but they haven't been active in this area. When the Blue Blade Gang was around, they kept a low profile and didn't dare to utter a single word."

The convoy did not slow down, but drove straight over the ruins and stopped in front of the garbage mountain.

The car door slammed open, and dozens of fully armed bandits jumped out.

They were well-equipped, with fierce eyes, clearly having just been in a fierce battle, their bodies still covered in undried blood.

A man whose chin had been replaced with a metal prosthetic kicked aside a motorcycle blocking his way, jumped onto the roof of a truck, and roared through a megaphone:
"Listen up, you scum! My name is Wolf Lung, and this whole area belongs to the Wild Wolf Gang! You have thirty seconds to get the hell out of here!"

“Da da da da—!”

The machine gunner pulled the trigger and fired wildly into the sky, the hot shell casings clattering to the ground.

There were hundreds of scavengers on the scene, most of whom dared not speak out and lowered their heads to gather their belongings.

Some who refused to believe in the evil spirits argued a few words, but were immediately shot dead by concentrated fire, their bodies riddled with bullets.

Another bandit grinned and threw a grenade into the densest part of the crowd.

"boom!"

The blast wave sent seven or eight scavengers flying, their screams echoing through the air.

"roll!"

"Get the fuck out!"

The thugs of the Wild Wolf Gang burst into laughter, raised their guns and fired at the feet of the crowd, enjoying their game of driving them away.

The old scavenger, pulling his companion along, disregarded their tools and scrambled into a rubble shelter.

Just as the Wild Wolf Gang was showing off, another roar of engines came from the other side.

Eight heavy armored trucks lined up, rolling over scattered scrap metal and gravel, and drove into the garbage graveyard.

These trucks have been heavily modified, with machine gun firing positions welded to the roof and flamethrowers added to the front. They are neatly painted and look imposing, quite different from the cobbled-together trucks commonly found in the wasteland.

Wolf Lung had just lit a thick cigarette when he saw the convoy, and the fat on his face instantly tightened.

"Oh shit!"

He had just used bloody methods to "clear the area" and assert his sovereignty, yet there were still fools who dared to break in.

Wolf Lung glanced again at the huge wolf head emblem on the vehicle. "Such a big wolf head, are they blind?"
The scattered scavengers in the distance hadn't scattered; they were hiding behind the ruins watching the show.

"Put on those metal lumps!"

He roared, "Everyone, show us your weapons! Let these newbies see what they're made of!"

At the order, the Wild Wolf Gang members sprang into action.

They took out their most prized possession from the carriage: the only six sets of power armor they had left.

These armors were rusty, varied in model, and some were even missing a shoulder armor piece, making them look dilapidated.

But for those scattered scavengers, this remains an unshakable force, giving the Wild Wolf Gang members immense confidence.

Seventy or eighty bandits picked up shotguns and rifles, yelling as they charged forward, surrounding the eight trucks along with the six powered armored vehicles.

Wolf Lung's gaze swept over the well-maintained armored trucks, his eyes filled with greed.

He grabbed the megaphone and shouted:
"I've got my eye on these junk cars of yours. Get out of them, all of you, and surrender!"

After the engines of the eight armed trucks were turned off, the drivers showed no panic, only making a hand gesture through the truck windows.

"laugh--"

Almost simultaneously, the rear cargo doors of all the vehicles opened rapidly.

A figure stepped out of the carriage. It was an armored soldier, his entire body covered in matte black standard paint, with smooth and cold lines.

He held a rotary machine gun in his hand, shouldered a grenade launcher, and his tactical goggles flashed a faint red light.

One, two...

Wolf Lung curled his lip in disdain when he saw five armored soldiers jump down from the opposite side.

"Five tin cans aren't enough to fill our sacks..."

The thugs behind him initially laughed along, but their laughter quickly caught in their throats.

More figures in black emerged from several other trucks—six, eight, ten…

Ten uniformly designed powered armored vehicles stood silently in a straight line, their machine guns and grenade launchers pointing outwards.

Wolf Lung's smile froze, and his gaze turned serious.

People kept pouring out of the carriage—fifteen, twenty, twenty-five…

Damn it, it's not over yet!
When the thirtieth armored soldier stepped out of the vehicle and silently joined the ranks, Wolf Lung's breathing became noticeably heavier, and he even unconsciously took a step back.

However, the dull footsteps continued.

Thirty-five, forty...

When forty powered armored vehicles formed a semi-circular firing position in front of the Wild Wolf Gang, the chilling aura made the air seem to freeze.

The last trace of color drained from Lang Fei's face, replaced by utter horror.

Forty powered armor units!
Which conglomerate's elite force is this? What terrifying resources they have!
He looked back at his seventy or eighty men with their tattered rifles and the six dilapidated machines that looked like they could fall apart at any moment, and felt a chill creep up from the soles of his feet.

The Wild Wolf Gang members stood frozen in place, their hands gripping their guns trembling slightly, not daring to move an inch.

Silence. A deathly silence.

In the distance, amidst the ruins, an old scavenger, peering through binoculars, saw a familiar insignia painted on the shoulder armor of the armored soldiers—a cluster of burning flames.

The old scavenger said with a touch of emotion, "It's the Torch Scavenging Team... they've returned."

The tall, thin man who had previously scoffed at the idea of ​​"inviting people to their deaths" was now hiding behind another pile of rubble, his heart pounding wildly.

He stared intently at the forty powered armored vehicles, feeling as if his throat was being gripped tightly by a hand.

The tall, thin man muttered a curse under his breath, it was unclear who he was cursing, "Damn it, this is called... a short-lived wretch?"

"Put down your weapons, all of you fucking put down your weapons!" Wolf Lung roared at his stunned men.

Wolf Lung was the first to throw away his rifle, raise his hands, and force a smile that looked more like a grimace.

"Friend! It's all a misunderstanding! A huge misunderstanding!"

He moved forward step by step, afraid that moving too fast would attract deadly fire, his posture extremely humble:

"I didn't know this was our territory! We're leaving right now! We won't get in your way!"

The black-armored ranks remained silent, and the invisible pressure they exerted almost suffocated him.

At that moment, a powered armored vehicle stepped out of the queue.

Its shell is more slender, and its shoulder armor and breastplate are coated with a striking cherry blossom pink.

A clear female voice came through the armored loudspeaker. "You are Wolf Lung, the second-in-command of the Wild Wolf Gang."

Wolf Lung's heart sank; the other person actually knew him.

"Yes, I am Wolf Lung. It's all a misunderstanding. We'll vacate the space right away."

"No need to give way."

Hua Xin tilted his helmet: "If I kill you all, wouldn't it be quiet here?"

Wolf Lung's expression changed drastically, and his legs went weak, almost causing him to kneel on the ground. He realized that the other party was not joking.

Eliminating problems at their root to prevent future troubles is the rule of the wasteland.

"No! Don't do it!"

He was terrified and no longer cared about his reputation as a gang leader. He staggered forward a few steps and almost knelt down.

"Heroine! We were blind to the true value of Xibo Peak! We were so wrong!"

He whirled around, pointed at the six armored vehicles frozen in place, and roared with all his might:

"What the hell are you standing there for! Get out here! Leave your power armor behind! And all your weapons too!"

The six drivers scrambled out of their power armor in a panic, rolled to the side with their hands raised.

Wolf Lung then took out five more gleaming gold bars from the car, weighing a total of two kilograms, and respectfully handed them over with both hands.

The wolf's lungs trembled with a sob:

"All our weapons, gold bars, armor, and vehicles... are yours! We'll be heading back to the west side of the city tomorrow, I swear!"

His heart ached so much he was convulsing, but to survive, he had to cut off a piece of his own flesh to save himself.

Hua Xin watched in silence, recalling some of Zhuang Fan's instructions: establish authority appropriately, but try not to make enemies everywhere.

She stood there, letting the fear fester for a full thirty seconds, before saying in a cold voice:
"Take your men and get out of here immediately."

Her voice was full of warning: "Don't try anything funny with me. I know where your rat holes are hidden. There are our eyes and ears everywhere in this suburb."

"I wouldn't dare! I absolutely wouldn't dare!"

Wolf Lung apologized again, then turned and roared at his terrified subordinates:

"Get in the car! Get out!"

The bandits, as if given a new lease on life, scrambled into the three large trucks and fled in disgrace, leaving behind a pile of weapons and spiky trucks.

The cemetery has returned to quiet.

In the distance, amidst the ruins, the scattered scavengers witnessed the entire confrontation.

They saw that the forty terrifying black mechs showed no intention of dispersing them.

But this newly upgraded "scavenging group" only quietly took over the eastern section of the cemetery, showing no interest in the waste piles in the western section.

A few minutes later, a daring scavenger picked up a sack and tentatively approached the edge of the western district.

The members of the Fire Spirit organization did not disperse them.

Seeing this, the others also came out of their hiding places and cautiously returned to start digging again.

There is an invisible boundary between them and the armored soldiers carrying the torch; they do not interfere with each other, yet they are clearly distinct.

In the Torchbearer team, cat-men donned power armor for the first time while scavenging, and the experience was so good it felt unreal.

The full-coverage armor perfectly concealed the cat-people's features, so they didn't have to worry about being coveted by the slave-catching team.

My sense of security has also been greatly enhanced.

The intense heat of the wasteland is kept out, and the built-in circulation system blows out cool air, preventing you from sweating profusely.

The occasional gunshots from afar no longer startled me; the bullets merely grazed the armor in vain.

Most importantly, their scavenging efficiency is frighteningly high.

In the past, when Hua Xin was scavenging, she and Cole had to be very careful, using crowbars to pry open layers of garbage and carefully check for hidden explosives or leaks of corrosive liquids.

In addition, one must always be wary of various mutated insects hiding in the garbage dump, such as poison canister ants, bullet locusts, and elusive lungfish monsters.

Only after confirming safety repeatedly can one visually assess the value and quality of the scrap.

It often takes an hour of careful searching to find one or two pieces of equipment worth recycling in a dangerous pile of garbage.

But now that we have armor, everything has changed.

Hua Xin manipulated the alloy iron hand to easily lift the half-ton steel plate. She didn't even bother to look at the venomous ants wriggling under the steel plate and simply crushed them with one foot.

"boom!"

Not far away, a landmine hidden under the feet of another armored soldier was detonated. The soldier didn't even stop moving, and the machine only shook slightly.

They can even easily determine the value of scrap.

The helmet's tactical visor automatically scans and highlights valuable alloy materials and complete electronic components in green.

All they had to do was bend down, pick it up, and throw it into the warehouse truck behind them.

This left the scavengers in the distance dumbfounded and astonished.

They've seen people use power armor to scavenge for trash before; some wealthy small teams do it too.

But using dozens of standard armored vehicles to scavenge trash is a first for me; it's too extravagant.

Four armored soldiers, armed with machine guns, stood guard on high ground around the perimeter, while the remaining thirty-six armored soldiers were scavenging for treasure in the garbage dump.

In just over half a day, the six armed trucks that the Torch Relay Corps had brought were completely filled.

The carriage was filled with high-value scrap, none of which was worth less than five hundred gold coins.

When the scavenging team finally started their vehicles and left the cemetery in a grand procession, the pressure that had been weighing on everyone finally dissipated.

Evening, at the torch relay base.

After listening to Hua Xin's briefing on the conflict, Zhuang Fan affirmed her actions:

"They're just a bunch of rabble. If you really make a move, they won't last ten minutes."

Hua Xin nodded. She did have that thought at the time; with the new armor, everyone wanted to try it out.

"but."

Zhuang Fan changed the subject, "They're similar to the Blue Blade Gang; they're probably the black gloves of some force in the city. If we really wipe them out, their nearly two hundred men at their western headquarters will soon come looking for revenge."

"Our foundation is unstable, so maintaining an appropriate level of deterrence is enough."

"Well, I see."

Hua Xin was actually annoyed that the line "I'll kill you all" that she recited on stage today seemed too stiff, more like reading words, lacking real ruthlessness.

In terms of intimidating presence, she's still far from it.

Yes, I need to practice more.

An hour later, Mao Shanwang arrived with his convoy.

He jumped out of the driver's seat, looking utterly dejected.

"Those guys from Morisaka are like ghosts, I need to get rid of them at night. Their search operations are getting more and more frequent."

Upon hearing this, Zhuang Fan paused for a moment; this was indeed a problem that could not be ignored.

Mao Shanwang's trade route is currently his only sales channel. If Mori Saka cuts it off again, his speed of accumulating wealth will be greatly affected.

"Let's go into the warehouse first," Zhuang Fan said without further ado.

The backs of six trucks were opened, revealing they were filled with waste corroded by the decaying fog.

Zhuang Fan entered the warehouse, closed the door, and then removed the dark brown, decaying mist that lingered on the surface of the scrap.

An hour later, Zhuang Fan opened the door and came out, looking somewhat pale. The scrap in the warehouse had been completely transformed.

Mao Shanwang directed his men to take inventory, while he held a data board and quickly compiled statistics on the screen.

“After deducting the costs from Lao Cui’s side, you guys made a net profit of 600,000 yuan in one day. Tsk... I’m really envious.”

"Old Cat, stop pretending, you've made a killing too."

"Well..." Mao Shanwang chuckled.

After all the goods were loaded onto the truck, Mao Shanwang moved closer to Zhuang Fan, his憨笑 (simple and honest smile) fading slightly.

"By the way, my old client, the deputy director of the security bureau, suddenly contacted several of our merchant caravans for a private chat today."

Zhuang Fan looked up at him, waiting for him to continue.

"They are quietly selling off a batch of diatomite."

Mao Shanwang lowered his voice even further, "The quantity is not small, and he specifically instructed us to sell it as quickly as possible."

Pyroxene.

Zhuang Fan knew that this thing was the most important strategic resource in the wasteland, even more valuable than gold.

"how much is it?"

"The price is great."

Mao Shanwang stretched out a few claws and said, "Calculate it yourself. Our cost of goods is sixty gold coins per gram."

Zhuang Fan immediately began to make plans.

Standard fog lights on the market are crudely made, with only a thin sheet of iron and wires on the outer shell. They have little technical content, but one of them can sell for two hundred gold coins.

All the costs are concentrated on that single gram of sapphire in the wick.

Buying Brilliant Crystals for sixty gold coins and reselling them for one hundred and fifty is an easy way to make a huge profit.

Zhuang Fan realized that this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and he had to buy in large quantities, even if it meant stockpiling them first.

But he knew even better what could drive the deputy director of the security bureau to recklessly sell off strategic materials...

Something big is probably about to happen in the city.

(End of this chapter)