Chapter 102: Chapter 87: Ruins Map, Return to the City
What was supposed to be a relatively simple aid mission had turned into a massive incident, one where they had nearly lost their lives.
It was a major blow to everyone involved.
Lu Chao was no exception. His heart felt heavy as scenes from the previous night replayed in his mind.
Experts with Life Energy exceeding the one-hundred-point threshold... Even submachine guns posed no threat to them. They were practically omnipotent, capable of snuffing out anyone’s life with ease.
’Sandstorm Priestess Mo Li.’
’Lion Yue Zhenhong.’
As he seared the names of the two experts into his mind, Lu Chao couldn’t help but clench his fists.
All the satisfaction he’d felt after breaking through to the Professional Level vanished into thin air. Even the frenzied boost from [Adrenaline] no longer gave him any sense of pride.
’Martial Artist...’
Lu Chao mused silently as a new goal slowly took shape in his mind.
He then gradually reined in his emotions and regained his composure.
Although the mission had been somber, it wasn’t without its consolations.
’Judging by what Captain Yang said, the contribution point reward for this mission is probably going to increase by a significant amount.’ A faint glint returned to his eyes. ’Maybe I can finally scrape together enough points to exchange for a martial secret technique.’
’And the corresponding nutritional resource payout should be higher, too.’
Nodding to himself, Lu Chao glanced around.
As if on a whim, he slowly ambled over to an unoccupied corner by a concrete wall.
He took an object from his pants pocket. It was a tattered, folded piece of stiff paper, vellum-like in material and quite tough to the touch.
Unfolding it, he saw that it contained a great deal of fragmented text and images.
It looked like a map, marked with place names like Red River, Crow Valley, and Red Maple Shelter City. It seemed to depict a secret route through the wasteland.
And at the final destination, there was a topographical drawing of a mountain range. A tiny symbol of a door was marked on it, along with a note written in minuscule script.
’Ruin of the Old World, Nanyun Mountain...’
The information was fragmented. Only those few words remained, suggesting some kind of ruin was hidden there.
’Could it be an armory? Or some kind of underground base?’
A sharp glint flashed in Lu Chao’s eyes.
This was a complete and unexpected windfall.
But...
’...if this is real, why didn’t the original owner go explore it?’
’Or maybe he already did... but it holds some kind of danger that prevented him from staying?’
Several theories surfaced in his mind. Lu Chao reined in his excitement and considered them calmly for a few moments.
He didn’t know how the warlord’s sniper came to possess such a thing, but he knew that regardless of whether the map was real or fake, its destination was deep in the wasteland—far beyond what he could handle at his current level.
He would need to be much stronger—at least Elite Level, if not higher—to even think about exploring it.
’I’ll hold onto it for now.’
’It might lead to a pleasant surprise one day.’
With that thought, Lu Chao quickly folded the map and tucked it back into his pocket.
Just then, the hum of new engines approached.
He looked back to see another seven or eight off-road vehicles arriving. The lead armored car was particularly menacing, its City Defense Department insignia standing out prominently.
With the new reinforcement team’s arrival, they could finally begin the journey home.
...
VMMMM!!
A modified, camouflaged armored car barreled through the jungle.
Several army-green jeeps and pickup trucks followed in its wake. Many of the gun-toting warlord soldiers inside had blood-stained clothes and were wrapped in gauze, their faces etched with exhaustion.
Others, more severely injured, lay in the beds of the pickup trucks, groaning softly.
"Elder Mo..."
Catching sight of his subordinates in the rearview mirror, the warlord commander in the lead jeep felt his expression flicker. Finally, he couldn’t stop himself from glancing at the aged priestess in the back seat.
"Our losses were heavy this time, and we didn’t even capture the target. If we go back like this, the General..."
"The General already knows."
Mo Li glanced at him, her tone calm.
Several bleeding wounds were faintly visible on her body.
Wisps of yellow sand spread across her wounds, quickly staunching the flow of blood and forming scabs.
The warlord commander’s face stiffened. But before he could ask, she continued, "This matter isn’t as simple as you think."
"We may not have captured the target, but judging by Ring City’s reaction... that ’thing’ may no longer be in the target’s possession."
Her quiet words made the warlord commander jolt, as if he had just realized something.
The atmosphere in the jeep fell strangely silent, leaving only the sound of the wind whistling past the open windows.
「Before long.」
They finally saw the wide Red River flowing through the wasteland.
And finally, they saw the vast, rolling mountain range, and with it, the menacing fortress—a military stronghold built into the mountainside, crouching like a gargantuan beast.
...
「Later that day.」
The fading light of sunset cast a long shadow from the high concrete walls.
Spike-laden steel barricades stretched across the straight asphalt road. A series of blast-proof sentry posts formed a solid defensive line several rows deep. Several armored cars stood guard at the entrance to the passage, while nearly a hundred heavily armed soldiers patrolled the vicinity.
VMMMM!!
Looking up, one could occasionally see Superpower Bureau hover cars streaking across the sky. They flew back and forth between the wasteland and the city circle, leaving trails of turbulent air in their wake.
The returning convoy witnessed this scene as they rolled down their windows.
A gentle breeze blew in through the open windows. Regardless of their injuries, everyone in the vehicles unconsciously relaxed at the sight of the familiar high walls of the city circle, feeling the pressure melt away.
"We’re finally back."
Lu Chao, sitting in the passenger seat of the Patrol Department SUV, breathed a sigh of relief. It felt as though a great weight had finally been lifted from his shoulders.
Even though their escort team was well-equipped and numerous, they had been on tenterhooks the entire way back, constantly on guard for a surprise attack by the warlords.
Thankfully, the journey had been uneventful.
The convoy had finally made it, passing through the outpost’s security checkpoint and entering the Rhombus Ring City Circle.
"That was way too close."
Chen Xiao, in the driver’s seat, spoke in a low voice. His eyes were bloodshot and filled with exhaustion, but a flash of relief flickered within them.
Lu Chao knew exactly how he felt.
This trip into the wasteland had been a profound shock, as if it had brutally ripped away a veil to reveal the raw law of the jungle before his very eyes.
Moreover, after two days and one night on high alert, even with the aid of [Basic Toughness], he still felt weary.
"Hm?"
Suddenly, his gaze sharpened as he looked toward the front of the convoy.
There, among the concrete buildings of the Iron Ring District, several black Sharp Light sedans were parked to the side. More than a dozen burly security guards in suits, armed and wearing earpieces, stood waiting for something.
Then, he watched as a City Defense Department SUV peeled away from their convoy and headed straight for the waiting men.
As if their target had arrived, the guards by the road got into their cars, quickly forming a protective cordon around the SUV before heading straight for the inner city circle.
"Looks like that Miss Su is a real big shot."
Shaking his head, Chen Xiao, who had also seen the scene unfold, said in a low voice, "After last night’s attack, an elite squad from the City Defense Department stuck close to her side. The reinforcements that arrived today also formed a tight protective circle around her."
"And now this whole display... Tsk, tsk..."
He clicked his tongue in amazement, and Lu Chao’s eyes flickered at his words.
When the sniper attacked last night, a loud shout of warning had come from near the barracks, allowing him to react just in time.
The situation had been too urgent to think about it then, but looking back, it must have been the middle-aged man in a suit who was always with Miss Su.
’An Elite Level bodyguard.’
The thought flashed through his mind as Lu Chao watched the convoy depart, reminded once again that there was always someone stronger out there.
He then shook his head, not dwelling on it further.
And soon,
BZZZT! BZZZT! BZZZT!
his comm-watch suddenly vibrated, displaying several incoming messages.
They were from Brother Hao and Zhao Yuanqing, and there was also a message from Senior Brother Zheng.
All of them were asking the same thing, clearly having heard about what happened in the wasteland and worried about him.
A warmth spread through Lu Chao’s chest, his expression softening. This feeling of being on someone’s mind wasn’t so bad, it seemed.
He then replied to each of them, letting them know he was safe.
It wasn’t until the convoy continued on, finally arriving at the Patrol Department where they completed the mission debriefing and returned their equipment, that...
"Whew!"
Lu Chao let out a long breath.
...Only then did it feel like he had truly survived.
