Chapter 534: Remnant Stronghold
The temperature in the stone forest was high, and they were still burning corpses, making it hardly a good place for conversation. So Gao Peng led Xu Huo and Zhuo Wangsun back to their base.
The vehicles they used were sand motorcycles. Xu Huo and Zhuo Wangsun each rode with Gao Peng and Cen Lu. The powerful motorcycles ran effortlessly, their roar deafening.
"Won't such loud noise attract the xenomorphs?" Zhuo Wangsun shouted.
Gao Peng, carrying Xu Huo and riding alongside Cen Lu, laughed and said, "That would be best. My brothers haven't had their fill of killing today!"
Several other motorcycles roared past them, gunning down xenomorphs that poked their heads out in the distance.
Xu Huo could tell that these people were excellent shots, rich in combat experience, and not primarily players.
Beyond the stone forest lay vast dune fields. The motorcycles constantly climbed over gentle slopes. Once they reached flat ground again, a straight road appeared ahead, and at the end of that road was a city full of towering buildings!
"There's actually a town here!" Zhuo Wangsun said in surprise.
"Don't say that. The Cleanup Zone originally belonged to Clown City. How could it not have urban buildings?" Gao Peng said. "But that place has been abandoned for a long time. Now it's a dwelling for remnants and xenomorphs."
"There are xenomorphs inside too?" Xu Huo interjected.
"Yes, quite a few," Gao Peng said. "But don't worry. Xenomorphs usually stay underground. Even outside the stone forest area, the temperature here isn't low. Not only do people fear it, but xenomorphs do too. So most of the time, they hide underground and only come out when searching for food."
"We've cleared out a stronghold in the city center," Cen Lu spoke up. "An old master fixed the water and electricity. Living there, we lack for almost nothing."
"There's clean water in the city?" Zhuo Wangsun asked curiously. "Isn't the air here toxic?"
"How could the air be toxic? We've been here for almost half a year and nothing's happened." Cen Lu found it amusing. "You must have eaten some poisonous mushroom in the jungle area and started hallucinating."
"As for water, we pump groundwater. It's purified before entering the water supply system. Very safe," she added.
As they spoke, the vehicles entered the city limits.
It was much like the apocalyptic worlds seen in films and television. Abandoned buildings and roads showed cracks from erosion by high temperatures and strong winds. Traces of battles were everywhere—shattered glass, bent metal, collapsed houses, and wrecked vehicles.
Due to the climate, even after long abandonment, no vegetation had grown here. The smell of rust permeated everything—this was a completely dead city.
While traveling through the city, Gao Peng and the others slowed down and controlled the vehicle noise, trying to skirt the edges rather than directly entering the central thoroughfare.
"Xenomorphs ahead?" Xu Huo looked forward.
"There's a crack about ten zhang wide in the city center. Quite a few xenomorphs are hiding underneath," Gao Peng said. "We're heading home now, no need to disturb them."
Xu Huo sensed a few people watching from a distance. Based on their movements, they should be Gao Peng's companions, not the xenomorphs he mentioned.
After circling nearly half the city, Zhuo Wangsun couldn't help but say, "The xenomorphs here are pretty quiet."
"The ones hiding in the ground cracks lack combat capability," Cen Lu said. "Most of the time, they don't come out to cause trouble, so we just leave them alone."
Zhuo Wangsun nodded and glanced toward Xu Huo.
This explanation was far-fetched. If you were establishing a stronghold in a city, dealing with such a dangerous neighbor should be the top priority. How could you leave them be just because they weren't fierce enough?
But both of them tacitly chose not to press further.
The vehicles soon stopped under a commercial building. A few sentries appeared at a distance, not too close. Gao Peng raised his hand to them, and the building's remote-controlled door, reinforced with metal, opened. The group walked in, and the people inside eagerly came over to greet them.
Gao Peng acknowledged them and said to the crowd, "Good harvest today. Everyone can rest for two days. Just take turns on duty."
There were over a dozen fighters on the first floor. They all looked happy at this news. One of them, with a lightning bolt symbol shaved into his hair, sized up Xu Huo and the other man, then asked, "Are they players?"
A noticeable change came over some in the crowd. Apparently, they didn't care much for players. They stopped smiling and moved a little farther away.
Gao Peng said, "Old Wu and Zhuo Wangsun. They came in with the Clown City fighters. We've fought together as comrades!"
The shaved-head man said, "Players are not our comrades."
The resistance in these people was too obvious. Zhuo Wangsun instinctively moved closer to Xu Huo.
"They're not bad people." Gao Peng didn't explain much and led Xu Huo and Zhuo Wangsun into the elevator.
The first floor was for sentry duty and handling the first wave of attacks. The main activity area for the stronghold members was on the thirtieth floor, in the middle of the building.
The elevator had power, and of course, the hotel on the thirtieth floor did too. Before the elevator doors even opened, deafening music could be heard from inside. Three or five young people were jumping and swaying on the sofas, while an older man was assembling mechanical equipment.
"Master Tu." Gao Peng greeted the older man. Cen Lu went over and turned down the music to introduce them.
Master Tu was the old master they had mentioned who was good at fixing water and electricity. He was actually a teacher in mechanical engineering, with strong theoretical knowledge and practical skills. What he was assembling at hand was a simple surveillance device made from outdated materials he had collected in the city.
The young people also had their own specialties, clearly having received professional training.
Their attitude toward Xu Huo and the other man was lukewarm. After a few words, they had Cen Lu take them to find a room to rest.
So Xu Huo and Zhuo Wangsun went down to the twenty-ninth floor.
"It seems they're really unfriendly toward players," Zhuo Wangsun said, standing under the air conditioner vent. "Probably afraid we'll contaminate the clean water."
"If they were really afraid, they wouldn't have brought us here," Xu Huo said flatly. "Players can leave after completing their tasks. They can't stay and help."
Zhuo Wangsun was taken aback. "Then why did Gao Peng so enthusiastically invite us here?"
Xu Huo glanced at him but said nothing. Zhuo Wangsun couldn't help frowning. "They say the air is fine, but why did Jin Dong suddenly degenerate into a xenomorph?"
"There might be other reasons," Xu Huo said casually before heading into the bathroom. After washing up, he checked his body. There were no signs of infection.
Although he had been wearing the "Oxygen Supply" item, his skin had also been in contact with the air. During that time, he hadn't experienced any symptoms like emotional abnormalities or hallucinations. This meant the air was probably fine, or at least that Gao Peng and the others were all normal.
What had affected the people killing and burning bodies in the jungle area might have been the food or water.
(Chapter End)