Dream Travel

Chapter 258 The rest are the fast runners.
Those who were disarmed were quite unlucky; they had brought a lot of equipment with them, but it was swallowed up by creatures resembling king oyster mushrooms that were active at the higher levels.

Literally, the explorer was swallowed and then spat out, and his weapons, including ammunition and batteries, were digested.

Although the person was unharmed, the screen was completely blank.

Those special creatures devour objects with high energy, and some of them, as extraordinary explorers, are also considered high-energy 'objects' by them.

Because the superhumans were living people, they did not show too much malice and did not completely devour people.

However, those extraordinary individuals who had other ideas didn't fare well; after being swallowed and spat out, they were left with no mana.

The higher-level cities have better things, but the presence of those creatures makes them difficult to explore.

It's not impossible to go up, but you can't bring anything with high energy, or you'll be targeted by those mushroom-like creatures.

They are like purifiers of this world, cleaning up the traces left by humanity. Cities lacking energy to sustain themselves will decay even faster.

If an extraordinary person goes up along with them, they will basically have to experience swallowing a pill.

They were just there to explore this post-apocalyptic dream; there was no need for them to clash with this creature, whom the locals called a 'god' and who didn't seem to have any real malice.

Because these things are really hard to fight. Their bodies can break down steel, and even more dangerous things. They are the decomposers of urban energy and dangerous weapons.

There's even less need to provoke these scavengers; let them do their thing, and let the explorers do theirs, without interfering with each other.

Besides, one thing is certain: the presence of creatures resembling king oyster mushrooms will accelerate the collapse of this ruined city…

As energy-containing items are decomposed, the maintenance work that allows the city to continue operating will gradually cease.

“My employer didn’t say that.” After hearing Talic’s information, Bai Mu couldn’t help but click his tongue.

"Because they are not very dangerous, they do not eat living creatures (dead ones are an exception), and they can observe the entire city, behaving like 'gods'."

"Didn't you even consider arresting one or two?"

“…” Talic shook his head: “They operate in groups, and are safe when not provoked.”

That creature doesn't harbor any ill will towards other creatures, but just because it doesn't harbor any ill will doesn't mean it's someone you can mess with.

There are many reasons why they do not harbor malice. For example, there are few external threats to them, so they do not need to be malicious towards other creatures.

They eat fuel and gunpowder, which they can break down and digest; such beings are themselves high-energy... no, ultra-high-energy beings.

More importantly, they can fly—

"So if you want to go to the upper floors, you'd better be careful."

Talich was more than happy for White Curtain to leave. Even if White Curtain deleted the data on this base, there was still a lot to explore.

"I understand, I'll go check it out tomorrow."

Today... he's going to rest and recharge.

The white curtain had left, but Talic didn't leave. Instead, he looked elsewhere; someone had arrived.

Last night she clashed with another exploration team, won, and obtained their research data.

This wasn't a collaborative effort to take down the facility, so it's a winner-takes-all situation, and the losers can only scavenge for scraps.

There were also people following Talic, so it's not surprising that they found their way here.

Now that the deal with the White Curtain had been made, Talic took on the task of negotiating with those people.

Bai Mu arrived at the room where Yuri and Chito were staying. The two girls were sleeping soundly, embracing each other. He didn't disturb them, but instead found a place to sit down.

He took out a metal storage disk, intending to fill it up.

This device has a built-in power source and can connect wirelessly to electronic devices. It can connect to mobile phones and computers, making it quite powerful.

After watching the content for a while, Bai Mu closed the computer and went to sleep.

There's too much stuff on this storage disk.

Chito gently rubbed her eyes after waking up. She was slightly taken aback when she saw the white curtain in the room, and then looked at Yuri, who was still fast asleep.

With a conflicted expression on her face, she asked, "Excuse me... what are you doing here?"

Even in the apocalypse, she still possessed knowledge of the differences between men and women.

After all, before she fled, she lived in a town on land.

"There are too many people outside, I'm safer here." Bai Mu yawned, still feeling a bit sleepy.

Qianhu immediately thought of the people exploring the city: "Have they found this place? Will a fight break out?"

"It shouldn't be like that anymore. The most important things here have been cleared out, so there's no need for fighting anymore."

Bai Mu looked at Qianhu, thought for a moment, and said, "I'm going to the upper level. Are you staying here or coming with me?"

“…We want to go to the top floor and take a look.” Qianhu glanced down at Yuri.

They didn't know what Bai Mu's purpose was, but since they started their escape, in addition to survival, they also wanted to learn more about something meaningful.

Talking about the past of ancient people, how prosperous they were, etc., at least makes their trip a little more meaningful.

"Alright, let's go." Bai Mu stood up and washed his face.

Chito took the opportunity to wake Yuri up.

Yuri threw off the blanket: "Ah~ Is it dawn already? What are we going to eat next? Shall we play cards later?"

"Put your clothes on first!" Seeing Yuri only in her underwear, Chito quickly put the clothes that were lying to the side on her. After leaving the room, she realized just how 'serious' the problem Shirabe had described was.

The once deserted base has now become quite lively. The people operating here are fully armed, using all new weapons, and none of them look like they're to be trifled with.

Especially since someone was injured, it looked even more dangerous.

Chito gripped Yuri's arm tightly, making her somewhat nervous.

"So you're the one who took over this base? Let's make a deal."

Someone blocked Bai Mu's way. It was a group of people who looked quite intimidating. Bai Mu glanced at them and said, "I've already made a deal with someone else, and I don't plan to do it a second time."

After saying that, he pushed aside the burly man blocking his way and gestured for the nervous commander behind him to follow him and leave together.

The burly man who was pushed away looked surprised and stared at Bai Mu's back without saying anything more.

The actions taken here are aimed at avoiding killing if possible; maiming is within the bounds of regulations, but killing is illegal.

But other methods besides murder can also be used, such as... forced transactions.

But the brief probing earlier made him realize that Bai Mu was not someone to be trifled with.

"They all look so dangerous," Qianhu whispered behind the white curtain.

Although Bai Mu was also very strong, he seemed much easier to get along with compared to those people.

If I had to describe it, it would be that the white curtain didn't have that intimidating aura.

"Don't worry about them. If a conflict breaks out, I can kill most of the people here." Bai Mu's voice wasn't deliberately lowered, and some people heard it, their gazes towards Bai Mu becoming more hostile.

"What about the rest?" Compared to Chitoge's nervousness, Yuri seemed much more carefree. She put one arm around Chitoge's shoulder, like a mother hen protecting her chicks.

At the same time, she was also a little curious about what Bai Mu had said...

"The rest are the fast runners and those we can't chase because they're protecting you."

"Who is he? How can he be so arrogant?" Some members of the exploration team were very unhappy.

The research data at this base has been completely deleted; apart from the logs left by people who used to be there, there is basically no useful information left.

As for the main control computer, the system that is still running is just for maintaining the base's operation; it's completely useless!
It's the same as always. If it were them, they would delete all the data here completely, but they get very unhappy when others do it.

Moreover, the base's firewall was too powerful, rendering their hacking tools useless; however, the White Curtain still managed to delete the data.

This means that something else is hidden in this base, and they have completed some kind of authentication here, which is why they have the authority to do so.

As for how to complete the certification, since Bai Mu doesn't have a special identity, it's naturally whoever comes first will get certified.

After all, in a post-apocalyptic world, many sealed-off bases can be regarded as sparks of civilization, so the certification process is naturally not too troublesome.

Unfortunately, they missed it and didn't get the information. What they can confirm at present is that the base is open to the public.

The 'card' robots that maintain the system can also communicate and provide basic information, but that basic information is not very useful.

At most, it can help them understand the status of this base more quickly. As for the weapons and such, they are meaningless if they can't bring out the Dream of the Otherworld.

If you force him to go out, then you can only say that the young man has ambition, dreams, and courage, and is truly unafraid of the power of dreams.

"Anyone who can go it alone must be confident in their abilities..." a teammate said.

He then noticed that the expressions of the exploration team not far away were strange, and immediately said to the person next to him, "I'll go and find out."

Not long after, the person who went to gather information returned and told his teammates what he had found.

"He is a dream walker from Rota City, with a bounty of over thirty million in the City of Gold."

"...Holy crap, you managed to find out such important information so easily? Did you sell your ass?"

The teammates were shocked.

"Fuck you!" Feeling insulted, the teammate cursed, "If you dare say that again, you'd better wear a bulletproof vest over your ass when you sleep!"

Bai Mu arrived at the base's main control room and set things up. The base was functioning normally, but if anyone maliciously tried to sabotage it, the defense robots could be deployed...

After setting it up, Bai Mu released the message and then left, moving so quickly it was as if he were deliberately avoiding something unclean.

Talic said to those around him, "Let's continue to rest. There are many places to explore in this base."

She didn't care what Bai Mu would do next; she had already made a deal with him, so she could just focus on exploring the base.

Even if the information obtained through the transaction is incomplete, the information we have is enough to make full use of this base.

The protective measures Bai Mu left behind when she left were advantageous to her.

This base is so well preserved; there are many valuable things here, such as miniature nuclear batteries!
While miniature nuclear batteries cannot be made in reality, many places require this type of energy. If just a few can be taken out of the country, they can play a significant role.

Compared to massive weapons, small items like miniature nuclear batteries are easier to carry out, but there are risks involved, as they are high-energy items.

Small items have the advantage of being portable, while large items are difficult to try, but small items are worth trying.

Even if a dream eclipse occurs, as long as the dreamwalker reacts quickly enough, the worst that can happen is losing an arm.

It's different when it's a large object. After a dream erosion occurs, there is a very high chance that the dream walker will be directly enveloped by the dream erosion.

If the Dream Erosion intensity is high, the Dreamwalker is doomed.

(End of this chapter)