Chapter 419: The real strength is not the level, but the brave heart
Chapter 419: The real strength is not the level, but the brave heart
”Good brother, the task of promoting artworks is handed over to you!”
”Hey, I remember you asked A Guang if you could create a female character? Here’s the chance to wear women’s clothing!”
”Try black silk too!”
”Don’t forget Teng Teng’s artwork!”
”Get out!!!”
Someone shouted at the top of his lungs on the runway of the airport. Amid the laughter and farewells of the crowd, the door of the “Orca” transport plane slowly closed. The
drum-shaped engine sprayed a blue arc of light downward, pushing the huge body to float up from the runway of the airport and fly steadily forward.
Carrying the friendship and blessings of the residents in the southern part of the Valley Province, the faint blue light disappeared into the distant sky.
It will bring more here.
In the crowd outside the airport, Dolly clasped her hands together in front of her chest and silently recited a blessing.
After the plane disappeared, she quietly turned and left the crowd.
Old White, Night Ten and Kuangfeng stood outside the crowd, with a power armor and two exoskeletons, and an “Alpha Dog” beside them. The lineup was quite luxurious.
Walking up to Dolly, Old White tapped his helmet twice and untied his mask.
”We will send you to Boulder City… But, are you really not waiting for him here?”
”I have to go back to work,” Dolly said a little stiffly, looking at the power armor in front of her, and whispered, “That… I can’t afford so much reward.”
Old White smiled and said, “The guy has already paid the reward, so you don’t have to worry about it. We will get you there safely.”
Dolly was stunned.
”How much did he give you?”
”That must be at least three meals,” Old White grinned and said, “Brothers, talking about money hurts feelings. By the way, don’t think about paying for that guy, we don’t recognize others’ invitations.”
Seeing that Old White said so, Dolly was still a little embarrassed, but she still accepted the kindness of everyone and nodded slightly.
Fang Chang told her before leaving that these three were his good brothers.
When he is not around, if you encounter any trouble, you can contact them.
On the other side, at the airport.
Looking at the direction where the plane disappeared, Yi Chuan was stunned for a long time before he came back to his senses and looked at Chu Guang beside him and asked.
”Just now… what was he shouting?”
It seemed that he heard a word “Go away”?
What is “Go away”?
”Uh… Anyway, it means goodbye,” Chu Guang coughed dryly and said with a subtle expression, “In Shelter 404, we only use this word to our best friends.”
Yi Chuan’s face showed a sudden expression.
”So that’s it…’Go away’ means goodbye, your language is really strange.”
Shouting it out loud must be to express the strong feelings and the longing for friends.
This must be remembered.
”It’s been 200 years… It’s normal for the accent to change a little. Everyone has their own problems. Okay, let’s not discuss this matter.” Chu Guang quickly changed the subject for fear that this guy would take it to heart.
Repeating the strange pronunciation over and over in his mouth, Yi Chuan nodded. In addition to remembering this pronunciation, he didn’t take it too seriously.
The world is so big.
There are so many shelters.
Compared with those weird plans and programs, in his opinion, Shelter No. 404 is more normal…
…
In the distant Luoxia Province, in a small town in the northeast, next to the coal mine that looks like a pile of loess, there is a row of shacks.
One side is for slaves, and the other side is for temporary workers.
”Wake up, get up quickly, it’s time to go to work. Damn, you sleep like a pig, do you still want your wages?”
A calloused hand kept slapping on the face.
The warlord who had just logged into the game opened his eyes.
The scorching sun penetrated through the gaps in the wooden wall and sprinkled on his face, but what came into view was not a lovely face, but an old face that was sunburned and peeled, black and red.
That person was the supervisor of the coal mine.
The wrinkled skin reminded the warlord of the gnawer, and his eyes subconsciously released murderous intent.
Frightened by the miner’s glare, the supervisor subconsciously took a step back, but soon realized that he was the supervisor and glared back fiercely.
”What are you looking at? Are you still going to work?”
The guard standing at the door had a revolver on his waist, and his eyes drifted towards this side intentionally or unintentionally. The threatening meaning was as obvious as the shining silver light on the revolver trigger.
However, the battlefield guy didn’t take him seriously at all.
As a third-stage agility awakener of the gene sequence, even if he was lying on his back now, there were at least three ways to press these two idiots to the ground like dead dogs.
However…
he couldn’t do it.
”… Do it.”
Shaking his groggy head, the battlefield guy got out of the sleeping bag, picked up the pickaxe next to the shack, and walked towards the hill not far away.
Watching the man’s back, the supervisor breathed a sigh of relief, raised his sleeve to wipe his forehead, and then found that his palms were full of sweat.
There are two types of people working in the mine.
One is the slaves of the mine owner, and the other is the odd-job workers.
The former is easy to manage. According to the laws of the Golden Lizard Kingdom, slave owners have the right to dispose of their slaves in any way, as long as they can provide a fair contract as proof.
However, the situation of the latter is more complicated.
Some are hiding here to escape the pursuit of their enemies, and some are merchants or mercenaries who escaped here after encountering looters and lost their luggage.
For example, the one just now.
That look…
It’s like crawling out of a pile of dead bodies…
At this moment, the battlefield guy who was walking towards the mine didn’t know what the ugly supervisor who was as ugly as a gnaw thought of him. He was silently calculating how many gold lizard coins he would have to spend to reach Oasis No. 9.
This is the town of one-third, also known as the three-point town. The origin of the name is unknown. He only knows that it is located in the northeastern border of Luoxia Province, the southernmost of Oasis No. 8, and it belongs to the territory of the Golden Lizard Kingdom together with the oasis where it is located.
This place is rich in coal mines, iron mines, and the most common slaves in the wasteland.
The locals themselves do not capture slaves, but there are always travelers who lose their property for various reasons and cannot make up enough money to leave the desert. They can only sell themselves to nearby mine owners or local wealthy people.
This place is probably like the predecessor of the Red River Alliance.
However, due to the low output value, there is no futures market.
In addition, the development here is also very low, unlike the southern part of the Valley Province where there are nutritional pastes to buy. The only generator in the town is in the mine, and a clock-in robot modified from a vending machine is probably the darkest technology here. The
cheapest food here is dry black bread, one gold coin can buy about one kilogram, and then there is milk, which is so cheap that the locals will drink it as water.
The battlefield guy calculated that if you want to walk to Oasis No. 9, you have to prepare at least two weeks of water and food, and it is for two people.
Even if you eat bread every meal, you have to prepare at least 32 gold lizard coins, including the cost of fresh water.
A day’s work will give 4 gold lizard coins. I am an awakener. Although I am an agile type, my strength attribute is not low. It should not be a problem to work hard to get 6 gold coins.
”… With this calculation, it will take at least 5 days.”
”Wait, no, I almost forgot to calculate the daily expenses… I can only save 2~3 gold lizard coins a day.”
The battlefield man counted on his fingers and suddenly found that even if he worked hard to mine, it would take nearly two weeks to save enough money for the trip.
”What a crappy game, what the hell!”
He cursed and swung the pickaxe fiercely, hitting the rock wall hard.
Damn!
The sparks that jumped up scared the miners next to him, and they all dodged to the side.
Good guy.
This grandson wants to collapse the mine!
Stay away from him!
Maybe the exaggerated action was too scary, or maybe his expression was too scary. Unknowingly, the battlefield man was the only one left in the entire mine.
The Warlord, who turned his grief and anger into strength, seemed to have turned into a real pangolin at this moment. He could hear the sound of banging and banging continuously, and soon the ore he had chiseled out filled a whole mine cart. He
rolled up his sleeves and worked all day.
Finally, he walked out of the mine exhausted and took today’s wages from the annoying supervisor at the door.
The supervisor wanted to deduct some of the water, but was frightened by the angry look and didn’t dare to reach out to take it.
Weighing the pitiful 6 gold coins in his hand, the Warlord couldn’t help but sigh in his heart.
Compared with these vampires, their managers are so conscientious and gentle!
The minimum hourly wage of the alliance is one silver coin.
Working 12 hours a day can earn at least 12 silver coins, but this is the minimum wage, and since the establishment of the alliance, almost no one has lived on the minimum wage.
Due to the rapid economic growth and the Alliance’s reckless investment in industry, the Alliance encouraged production internally and issued bonds to attract investment externally. All major factories in the Alliance Industrial Zone are recruiting workers.
As long as you can read, you can easily find a job with a monthly salary of 500 to 600 silver coins. If you can’t read, you can also enroll in a night school and learn cultural knowledge while doing odd jobs.
If you are a skilled technician, your salary will start at four digits and there is no upper limit.
The only thing he couldn’t figure out was that since “Wasteland OL” always claims to be real, where did all the money come from?
I didn’t see the managers fleecing anyone or cutting anyone’s leeks. I only saw the Alliance Bank throwing money everywhere, and the rewards for the tasks were never vague.
How did this exaggerated quantitative easing hold down inflation?
Puzzled, the Battlefield Man decided not to think about this complicated problem for the time being.
Anyway, he couldn’t figure it out, so he just did the job that the pangolin should do.
With today’s salary, the Battlefield Man did not return to the shack, but went to a nearby town.
There is a burden waiting for him to feed.
He swore.
When the task assigned to him by the manager is completed, he will chop this guy to pieces!
Taking a deep breath, Zhandi Lao put away his negative emotions and pushed open the door of the hotel.
Just after entering the hotel lobby and before going up the stairs, he saw Korwei drunkenly lying on the bar in the lobby, drooling all over the table, with a half-drunk beer next to him.
Noticing the shadow falling on the table, Korwei opened his half-closed eyes and saw Zhandi Lao standing next to him.
Grinning, he waved his hairy arms.
”Ah… Pangolin, you’re back, burp–”
”The beer here is really intoxicating… Let’s have a drink together. By the way, do you have any money on you? Pay for the beer for me, and I’ll pay you back when I get back.”
Zhandi took another deep breath.
Not good.
His blood pressure is fucking high!
Restraining the urge to kill, he looked at the boss behind the bar and asked with gritted teeth.
”How much?”
”5, 5 gold lizard coins.”
The boss stuttered as he was stared at by the murderous eyes, and his hand had already reached for the gun hidden under the bar.
5 coins? !
Hearing this number, the Warlord almost vomited blood, his eyes instantly turned red, and he reached out and grabbed Korway’s collar. He
didn’t care about his identity.
He directly pulled up the drunk Korway and held him in front of him, wanting to poke his nose into his eyes.
”Are you crazy? 5 gold lizards, do you know how much I earn after working so hard for a day?!”
”6! 6!”
”I worked for those bloodsuckers all day and didn’t even have a bite to eat, but you’ve been drinking here all day!”
”Do you still want to go back to the Legion? Are you still a man?”
The warlord roared angrily, cursing and even shouting at the top of his lungs, so that his originally stuttering human language became fluent.
The whole tavern fell silent, staring at this side in amazement… including the boss standing behind the bar.
Legion?
These two… are from the Legion?
His shoulders rose and fell violently, like waves hitting the shore, and the warlord’s eyes were as big as copper bells.
If looks could kill, the guy in his hand would have died countless times, and he killed people from the Legion without mercy.
Damn!
Damn it, I can’t stand it anymore!
He felt like a young wife who worked two jobs to support her family, while her husband was a useless man who only ate, drank, gambled and did not work, and was addicted to alcohol all day.
The Legion was a red name, right?
It was a red name, right?
Red names could be killed, right?
It didn’t matter whether it was in a safe zone or not. He had already thought about it. If he killed this guy, he would commit suicide. Three days is three days. It’s better than wasting three months!
Your NPC is not a human being –
don’t blame me for not being a human being!
”What the hell are you doing -”
Korwe, who was grabbed by the collar, was stunned. He looked at the pangolin who was grabbing his collar and was about to scold him angrily, but suddenly noticed the look of “hate iron but not steel”, and stopped the words on his lips.
A feeling of shame rolled in his chest.
When he rolled up his sleeves in the coal mine to save money for the trip back to his original legion, he actually used his hard-earned money to get drunk, anesthetized himself with alcohol, and escaped from failure and reality.
As a noble Weylander, his loyalty to the Legion and His Majesty the Marshal was actually lost to a wastelander born in the wilderness…
The shame turned into regret, and Korway closed his eyes painfully and sighed.
”I’m sorry…”
”…”
The battlefield guy’s chest rose and fell violently, and he gritted his teeth in hatred.
He was thinking about how to arrange a death for this guy, but he didn’t expect to hear the three words “I’m sorry” in this mouth.
”…I know that my escapist look is ugly. My cowardice and incompetence have failed your loyalty. I am not a good leader.”
Looking at the furious Pangolin, Korway’s Adam’s apple moved, and the guilt in his eyes became more and more intense.
Suddenly, as if he had made up his mind, he spoke.
”Pangolin.”
”What?” The battlefield guy said viciously.
He was angry when he heard the name Pangolin now, and he was so angry that he wanted to chop himself.
Korway looked at him.
”Kill me.”
The battlefield guy was slightly stunned, and was confused by the expression on his face and this sentence.
Seeing that he didn’t speak, Kolway continued in a calm tone.
”Take my head back to the River Valley Province, and the survivor settlement there… should give you some money. I am ashamed of my decadence and self-abandonment. I am not worthy of your loyalty. This is the last reward I can give you. I hope it can compensate for your disappointment.”
Looking at the sincere eyes, the battlefield guy fell into silence, and the hand holding his collar loosened, and then tightened again.
This bastard…
”…I walked for a week… no, two weeks, just for the head of a centurion?”
Who cares about your head! Do you really think
that the Alliance is a native who cuts scalps?
Staring at this guy, he squeezed out a sentence from his teeth.
”…If you still have a little self-respect and pride in your heart, slap yourself twice, and then stand up from here! You lost, but you are still alive, and there is still something you can do, that is, die! Die on the way back!” The
battlefield guy let go of his hand and pushed him, throwing him back to sit on the bar.
Killing a person is easy.
But a dead person is worthless.
Zhan Di admitted that he was indeed a little impulsive just now, and he thought about giving up.
It’s just a game.
Do I need to be bullied?
But after calming down and thinking about it, he finally let go of the anger in his heart.
Especially when he recalled the few girls who fought bravely with the pursuers of the Legion in the forest that night, he felt his face blush.
People who came into contact with this game later than him and were weaker than him could persist optimistically and fight bravely to the end…
What qualifications did he have to give up easily?
He did a good job along the way. Not only did he successfully gain the trust of the Legion officers, but Korwe even promised to introduce him to General Griffin. He was only a little bit away from success…
He was far from the end of his rope.
”…It seems that I am not strong enough.” Looking at Korwe who was lost in thought, Zhan Di Lao muttered in his heart.
For different reasons, the two seemed to fall into reflection and calmed down at the same time.
However, at this moment, Zhan Di Lao suddenly noticed that everyone in the tavern was looking at him.
Also noticing the pairs of eyes watching, Korway’s expression suddenly became a little awkward, and he whispered.
”…Did you just say the Legion?”
It was useless to deny it at this time, because the people around him had obviously heard it.
Zhandi’s Adam’s apple moved and he nodded slightly.
”Hmm…”
Damn, it was hasty.
There were more than twenty people in the lobby, all of them carrying guns. Although they had drunk some wine, they didn’t look like weak chickens.
With his skills, he was afraid that he would be beaten to a pulp after only half of them were eliminated.
This was still a relatively optimistic situation.
But to his surprise, no one made any move.
Was he waiting for an opportunity?
Just as he was thinking about it, at a round table near the door, a man who looked like a merchant exchanged a few words with two mercenaries next to him, stood up from the table, and walked towards the two people.
Zhandi’s nerves were tense, staring at him intently, and his right hand had already touched the table knife on the table.
Not only to be on guard against this man.
But also to be on guard against the innkeeper behind the bar.
The movement under the table was obvious, whether it was the sound of opening the safety or pulling the trigger, the bearded middle-aged man had already grabbed the gun hidden there.
And it was a revolver.
Zhandi calmly observed the situation in the lobby, and he had already made a plan in his mind.
If the boss pulled out the gun, he would immediately use the table knife in his hand to cut the guy’s throat, and then throw Korvi behind the bar, using the bar as a cover to engage in a firefight with the remaining people in the lobby.
This is the border of the Golden Lizard Kingdom. The camels are tied in the backyard of the hotel. It should not be difficult to rob the supplies of other caravans and escape into the desert…
”Don’t be nervous… We have no ill intentions.”
The merchant who was walking towards the two of them showed a friendly smile and raised his hands to indicate that he had no weapons.
”My name is Adan, from the Bugera Free State… Are you two from the Legion?”
Zhandi was slightly stunned.
”Yes.”
The merchant named Adan continued with interest.
”It’s really strange… This is Oasis No. 8, have you already fought here?”
Zhandi exchanged glances with Kolwe who was standing beside him.
The latter cleared his throat, stood up from the bar, and took up the aura and style of an officer again, and took over the conversation from Zhandi.
”We encountered a little accident and got separated from the main force.”
Hearing this, everyone in the lobby breathed a sigh of relief and stopped looking at this side, but the clinking of glasses was somewhat tinged with topics related to the war on the front line.
The merchant named Adan nodded in realization, looking up and down at the man in front of him, as if he was thinking about his identity.
Touching his chin, he said thoughtfully.
”So that’s it… In other words, the battle at Oasis No. 9 is not over yet?”
Kelway’s expression was a little embarrassed.
Originally, the Iron Heart was going to return to Oasis No. 9 to join forces with the front-line troops. However, no one expected that they would run into a group of desperate natives who actually shot down the airship that could not fail.
Without the firepower support and high-altitude reconnaissance of the Iron Heart, the battle situation of the Falcon Kingdom and the Legion in Oasis No. 9 obviously did not meet expectations.
If they had successfully joined forces, I’m afraid Oasis No. 9 would have been taken long ago.
As if he had misunderstood the expression on Kelway’s face, Adam smiled and said.
”Don’t be nervous, we have no ill intentions. In fact… We just happen to have a batch of supplies to send to Oasis No. 9. If you don’t mind, we can go together.”
An officer in distress.
This identity itself is full of stories.
If this unlucky guy can be sent back to the Legion, the Legion will never be stingy with the reward.
What’s more, this favor is absolutely beneficial to merchants like him who do business with the Legion. Many people in the Bugera Free State have made a fortune with these big noses.
Kolway’s eyes lit up, but he soon became alert and narrowed his eyes slightly.
”How do I know you won’t sell me to the Lion Kingdom?”
Although he was drunk,
his IQ was still online.
Adan made a helpless expression, put his hand into his arms, and took out a list under the vigilant gaze of the two.
”You should recognize this order?”
Cole narrowed his eyes and looked at the words written on the order, and surprise suddenly appeared in his eyes.
The battlefield man noticed the change in his expression, but he had no translation tools and could not recognize the words written on the paper, so he could only ask in a low voice.
”What’s written on it?”
”Eight thousand rifles, 1.2 million rounds of ammunition… This is a purchase contract, stamped with the seal of the legion and the signature of the logistics chief. I recognize that guy’s handwriting.”
Kolway looked at the businessman named Adan, and his eyes were no longer vigilant, but excited.
”Are you going to Oasis No. 9?”
”Of course, it seems that you are the same,” Adan smiled and took the order back into his arms, then stretched out his right hand to Kelway, “In that case, if you don’t mind, we can go together.”
Kelway held his right hand and shook it, his eyes unconsciously drifting to the surroundings, and asked in a low voice.
”Are these people okay?”
Seeing the worry in his eyes, Adan smiled and said.
”What’s the problem? Respecting the teachings of the spirit of the sea of sand, according to the ancient covenant, although the kings in the desert have sent a declaration of war to the Falcon Kingdom, only the Lion Kingdom has actually sent troops.”
”The Camel Kingdom is at the southernmost end of the desert, too far away, and doesn’t want to fight. The royal family of the Golden Lizard has long been not so pious… It seems a bit inappropriate for me to say this here. In short, they prefer those nerds who can bring them strange and weird gadgets to the illusory existence. You know who I am talking about.”
Kelway frowned.
”College?”
”That’s right.”
After a pause, Adan said with a smile.
”Anyway, it’s safe here. The locals may not like your nose, but they don’t want to cause trouble. Our trade route has been running for some time. The guards of the kingdom know where these arms are sent, but no one will check it carefully. Everyone turns a blind eye.”
Hearing this, Korwe breathed a sigh of relief, with a relieved expression on his face.
”It seems that I was worried for nothing… Thank you for your information.”
These two days, even when drinking, he didn’t dare to show his nose, but covered it with a scarf.
It made him uncomfortable!
”You’re welcome, you are our important customers,” Adam nodded slightly and said in a happy voice, “There are many caravans here that are heading from the Bugela Free State to Oasis No. 9… General Griffin is very generous, thanks to that adult, we have also made a lot of money.”
Looking at Korwe who was talking happily with Adam, the battlefield guy standing aside was secretly surprised.
Good guy.
Isn’t the Bugela Free State a vassal of the Great Rift Valley?
The merchants there are actually doing business with the Legion! ?
What’s even more outrageous is that the battle situation in Luoxia Province is also different from the information disclosed on the official website.
There is no kingdom coalition at all. From beginning to end, it was the Lion Kingdom that supported it alone. The kings declared war on the surface, but they were all appeasing each other behind the scenes.
The Golden Lizard Kingdom in the far north is even more awesome.
These smart people actually turned a blind eye to the enemy supply lines in their own territory and acquiesced to the equipment of the Bugla Free State being sent from the northern part of the Valley Province to the front line of Oasis No. 9.
Do you think you won’t be beaten if you have the academy behind you?
This is too cool!
”My lord… I’m tired and want to go back to my room to lie down for a while.” The battlefield guy whispered, with a tired expression on his face.
He was not tired at all.
Now the important thing is to quickly log off and go back to the official website to share this exciting news with everyone.
After the last update, the official website forum also has a task bar. This kind of heavyweight information is not only rewarded with silver coins, but also huge contribution points!
Hearing the voice of the pangolin, Kelway turned around.
Without caring at all about his subordinate’s previous rudeness to him, he nodded slightly and spoke in a gentle tone.
”Go… By the way, you don’t have to go out to work tomorrow. I can’t let my loyal men do such menial work.”
The gentle eyes gave the battlefield guy goose bumps.
Not noticing the strangeness in his men’s expressions, and without any doubt about his loyalty, Kolwe turned around and looked at Adan.
”Can you lend me some money? I guarantee with my honor that I will pay you back double when I arrive at the legion’s base.”
”You are too polite. It’s just some personal belongings. Consider this money as making friends.” As he said this, Adan smiled and put a bag of gold coins on the table.
There were a full 200 dinars in it.
Being able to recognize the signature on the order, this alone is worth investing in him.
Grabbing a handful of gold coins from the bag and slapping them on the table, Kolwe looked at the boss behind the bar.
”Is this enough?”
Looking at the gold coins on the table, the boss’ eyes were straight, and he didn’t care how annoying the protruding nose was. He nodded and smiled.
”Enough, enough… For dinars, 10 will be enough!”
He reached for the gun under the table because he was afraid that these people would default on their debts.
As for now, he didn’t have to worry about this problem at all. A bag of gold coins was enough to stay at his place until the end of next month.
Looking at the hotel owner who was carefully counting the money, Kolwe’s face was no longer drunk and decadent. The glory of the legion seemed to have returned to him.
He raised his chin, looked at the owner with his nose, and said lightly.
”No need to count. Use the remaining money to get another room for my warrior. I want the most spacious one in this inn!”
”Also, prepare a bucket of hot water and clean towels, as well as a pound of cooked beef and the best beer and send them to his room!”
”Remember, I want the best beer,” Korwe tapped the table with his index finger, pointing at the half-cup of beer, and squinted at the innkeeper, “If you dare to fool my people with this kind of swill, the next time you pass by here, I will bring people to tear down your house!”
”Okay, sir!” The boss, who didn’t care about the threat at all, was so happy that he immediately took the gold coins on the table and went back to the kitchen behind the bar to tell the servants to get ready.
Korwe turned around and looked at Pangolin again, and said in a gentle voice.
”Thank you for waking me up, reminding me that there are things in this world that are more important than life… Go back and rest, take a hot bath, eat a full meal, and then go to sleep.”
”We’ll be on the road early tomorrow morning.”
Being looked at by those gentle eyes, the battlefield guy felt goosebumps all over his body falling to the ground, and his scalp was numb as if he touched an electric switch.
Damn it.
I have to lock the door tonight…
(End of this chapter)
