Dark Ruins Dawn

Chapter 102 Temperature
Zhuang Fan opened the silver briefcase and activated the nanobot recycling program.

The silver liquid metal peeled off Watson's body and slowly flowed back into the box.

The suitcase lid closed silently, and the display screen on the inner wall displayed a message:
[Nanocluster Integrity: 91%]

[WARNING: 9% permanent loss of nanobots detected, irreparable]

Watson looked at the red warning line, his worry deepening.

"Boss, it's such a waste that such a high-tech thing is just going to be ruined like this."

"Nothing to regret."

Zhuang Fan's tone was calm and collected. "Although it is magical, it is ultimately just a consumable. The rate of damage will probably be even faster in the future."

He knew that the nanobots' life cycle was nearing its end, and each use only accelerated their demise.

Upon hearing this, Hua Sheng subconsciously touched his face, which had returned to normal, and then looked at Zhuang Fan.

"Boss, since I'm staying at the base long-term, I don't need nano memory skin. I can just wear simulated human skin and a mask all the time."

He pushed the suitcase toward Zhuang Fan, saying, "You are our team's biggest asset; your safety is the most important thing."

Zhuang Fan thought for a moment and nodded.

Compared to Watson, he needed to travel more frequently, change identities at any time, and deal with various forces.

Now that the nanobots are being consumed at a faster rate, he has to be more cautious and carefully consider every step he takes.

Half an hour later, Zhuang Fan convened a brief meeting with the core members.

Gage and Xiong Er sat in the corner, one looking focused, the other as silent as a mountain.

Watson sat next to the boss, who was already wearing a realistic hood to cover his real face.

Hua Xin was still on duty at the watchtower, participating in the meeting via holographic projection.

"The first thing is about the abandoned town."

Zhuang Fan tapped on the table, bringing up a simple map with the location of the small town marked in red.

"My assessment is that the number of Greenskins entrenched there is conservatively estimated to be more than five thousand, and could very well reach ten thousand."

"They are stockpiling supplies and building fortifications, presumably in preparation for an attack on Linhai City."

Everyone stared at the map, lost in thought.

"The Greenskins are different from the zombie horde..."

Watson added, "Although they are ferocious and cruel, they are intelligent, organized, and armed. Once they form a green tide, they will be far more dangerous than a horde of zombies, and our base will be the first to be affected."

Gage nodded in agreement, his calloused hands spreading out a sketch on the table:
"Boss, the fortifications at the Torch Base can currently hold off small groups of bandits and zombie hordes, but against tens of thousands of Green Tides... there is no chance of victory."

Everyone looked at Zhuang Fan.

"Yes, I will have Mao Shanwang leak the information to the border guards of Linhai City. If they are willing to send troops to wipe them out, it will be a good thing for us..."

Zhuang Fan thought for a moment and shook his head: "But don't get your hopes up too high. I'm already looking for a safer base. Until we find one, we can only wait."

The atmosphere on the field was somewhat subdued.

Zhuang Fan looked at Hua Xin on the holographic screen, and Cole next to him.

"Starting tomorrow, the scavenging team and the armored squad shall not approach that abandoned town again."

"Hua Xin is in charge of the scavenging team, and Ke Er is in charge of the armored squad. When going out, at least six armored soldiers must accompany the team. If any dangerous situation is encountered, the mission must be abandoned immediately. Safety first."

He paused for a moment, then added, "In addition, to prepare for the worst-case scenario, when you are collecting high-value scrap, you should specifically look for three things: military equipment, weapons, and sapphire crystals."

"Understood." Hua Xin and Ke Er nodded.

Then, Zhuang Fan's gaze fell on Hua Sheng, "Regarding the base's funding, you should also prioritize three things."

He held up his fingers and explained them one by one.

"First, the food and water standards for members will be doubled, so there is no need to save on them."

"As for the food and water reserved for the Jetta team, just use the standard amount. Rats are small and don't consume much."

“Every time Master Rat brings people to collect supplies, you must record it in detail, without any omissions.”

Hua Sheng opened his notebook and began to take notes diligently.

"Second, medical supplies, especially medicines for treating external injuries and infections, should be stockpiled in enough quantities for six months, the more the better."

"Third, the defensive fortifications should continue to be reinforced, especially the entrances to underground passages, which must be absolutely concealed."

Zhuang Fan stretched out his hand and tapped on a rough sketch. "You and Gage will coordinate on this part."

"No problem, boss."

Zhuang Fan confirmed that nothing had been missed, and his gaze fell on Gage in the corner.

“Gage, tell me about the underground station.”

Gage nodded and pulled a crumpled notebook from his pocket, which was filled with various structural diagrams and data.

"Boss, I've already surveyed the area. The safest and most discreet solution is to open a tunnel next to the reservoir on the second basement level."

"The tunnel is 200 meters long. At the current pace, it is expected to be completed in a month. The ratmen have sent 100 people who are digging day and night."

"This is a bit slow, can we speed things up?"

“Hmm…” Gage hesitated.

Seeing this, Zhuang Fan stood up and said, "Let's go to the scene and take a look."

"it is good!"

Gage led Zhuang Fan and the others to inspect the tunnel that was being excavated.

The underground space was damp and stuffy, and a few temporary engineering lights illuminated the rock walls in a mottled and dim light.

Gage pointed to a red area on the cross-section and shone his flashlight on the rock strata in front of him.

"Boss, these are high-density granite layers. If we rely solely on our few auxiliary electric drills to dig them out, the progress will indeed be slow."

"To speed up the process, unless... we can get our hands on a small tunneling machine."

"Tunneling machine?"

Zhuang Fan certainly knew that this kind of engineering equipment was extremely sought-after on the black market, but he might not have access to it.

He thought for a moment, then opened the wrist panel and connected to Mao Shanwang's encrypted communication.

The screen lit up, and Mao Shan Wang's round cat face appeared on the screen, with a noisy black market in the background.

"Old Cat, I just sent you the exact location of the Greenskins. Go there as soon as possible."

"Alright, I am a second-class citizen after all, so I also have this responsibility to remind you. Is there anything else?"

"I need a small tunneling machine, do you have access to it?"

Upon hearing this, Mao Shanwang cautiously retreated into his crab shell and whispered:
"Tunnel boring machines? You're up to something big! They've been cracking down on these lately. I heard the Apocalypse Cult has six tunnel boring machines to drill from a depth of 100 meters into the center of Linhai City!"

"It's just for digging secret passages here."

Mao Shanwang clicked his tongue and continued, "Alright, even if we could get one, a small one would cost at least five million gold coins, which you don't have enough funds for."

Five million… Zhuang Fan’s brows furrowed even deeper.

"Boss."

Xiong Er, who was in the corner, spoke up, his voice as deep as ever: "Isn't there a tracked transport vehicle in the warehouse? Take off its engine, find a drill bit, and tinker with it, and it'll be usable."

Upon hearing this, Gage expressed his concerns from a professional perspective:
"The engine power and speed of the transport vehicle are far inferior to those of the tunneling machine, so stability, energy consumption, safety... these cannot be guaranteed."

"It's better than digging with my hands." Xiong Er said simply and directly.

"But there are safety concerns..."

"It can be reinforced."

"What about energy consumption?"

"A diesel generator just needs to burn gasoline."

The two engaged in a brief technical debate, exchanging words back and forth.

"okay."

Zhuang Fan interrupted them, "Let's do as Xiong Er said and try the makeshift method first. Old Cat, can you bring me the drill bit and generator tomorrow?"

"Okay, no problem."

Mao Shanwang readily agreed and then shut down the communication.

Zhuang Fan's thoughts, however, did not stop.

The Apocalypse Sect, six tunnel boring machines, hundreds of meters underground... It seems that the Apocalypse Sect is the main force attacking Linhai City.

In comparison, the ratmen under Tataji's command are utterly useless, working sporadically and unproductive. No wonder even the higher-ups of the Demon Generals have given up on them.

The equipment problem was temporarily resolved. Zhuang Fan turned to Gage and said:

"The passageway must be able to accommodate at least one armored soldier, and three backup emergency exits and refuge points should be set up along the way."

"If we don't have enough manpower, let the Jetta team make the arrangements. I hope to get it done as soon as possible."

Gage pointed outside: "Boss, where's that ready-made escape route?"

"It can be used to mislead the enemy."

"clear."

Finally, Zhuang Fan looked at Xiong Er.

"Xiong Er, tell me your question."

Xiong Er succinctly stated: "We lack snipers and mechanical soldiers, and there's no one to operate the drones and mechanical dogs."

"The mechanical soldiers will be trained by Cole."

Zhuang Fan looked at Xiong Er and said, "As for the long-range firepower team, you are in charge of forming it. Prioritize picking out promising newcomers with shooting talent."

"Then you become the instructor, and you can give Watson a list of the weapons and equipment he needs."

"Okay," Xiong Er replied in a deep voice.

After the meeting, Zhuang Fan contacted Jetta again to inquire about the latest situation of the Skaven.

"Boss, thanks to the strategist's efforts, our clan has grown to 1,500 members."

What is the ratio of brown rats to black rats?

"Seventy percent are brown rats and thirty percent are black rats, but we no longer distinguish between skin colors. All the tribesmen live together. The advisor said that this would make the tribe more cohesive."

"The advisor did the right thing."

He chatted with Jetta for a few minutes, and only after confirming that everything was on track did he hang up.

……

Nuclear Group, Linhai City Command Center.

On a metal wall, a complete city map is displayed, filled with red dots and data streams.

The crow stood in front of the light screen, its back to its subordinates.

"Master... Lei Zheng and his gang stole an armored vehicle from the South City garrison. They were blocked by pursuers all the way into the mountains. Judging from their movements, they are likely heading south."

The crow frowned slightly.

Lei Zheng transformed into a tiger-man and continued south... His only destination was the Demon Capital.

But it's a mutant paradise, a melting pot of all sorts, making it difficult for the Nuclear Corporation's influence to penetrate.

The deputy stood to the side, cautiously asking, "How are we going to explain this to the administrator?"

"Suppress the news for now."

The crow turned around and said, "Tell them that we have found some clues about Lei Zheng, and we are currently searching for him."

He needs to keep the administrators in check and continue to maintain the nuclear power plant's freedom of movement in Linhai City.

"Yes."

The deputy dared not say more and switched the content of the report.

"Supervisor, the search area outside the city continues to shrink, but... we still haven't found any trace of Zhang Dafan."

"As expected."

The raven's tone showed no surprise. "He colluded with those lunatics of the Apocalypse Cult, which explains why he seemed to have vanished into thin air."

"Once all the red zones outside have been investigated, we will transfer all troops back to the city."

"Yes!"

The deputy hesitated for a moment, then steeled himself and reminded him:

"Supervisor, we only have one-third of the funds left for this search operation. Headquarters... just rejected our application for another round of funding."

The crow's temples throbbed with pain again.

He could almost hear his superior's furious roar on the other end of the communicator: "Useless! It's been a month! Not even a shadow of them! Headquarters funds aren't for you to go on vacations outside the city!"
"Use the remaining funds wisely."

Crow suppressed his irritation. "Prioritize compensating those unruly citizens. As for the mercenary groups, they can't be of much help at this stage, so withdraw them all."

He walked to the holographic map and slowly traced his finger across the outline of Linhai City.

"All external forces are withdrawn to carry out a final, thorough sweep of the core area within the city."

He paused for a moment, then said, "When the fishing net is tightened, the rats will eventually show their tails."

Outer city, red-lined area.

A junkyard occupied by bandits is ablaze with flames and gunfire echoes everywhere.

"Hey! You little gang dare to run wild on my turf!"

The bandit leader stood on a pile of scrap metal, brandishing his chainsaw axe with arrogance.

His mouth was wide open, and saliva was flying everywhere.

"call out--"

The sound stopped abruptly the next second.

A sharp arrow pierced the air, precisely penetrating his mouth and exiting from the back of his neck.

His eyes widened, and he reached out to pull it out. "Boom!"

The arrow exploded with a deafening roar, blasting the leader's head into a cloud of blood mist.

High up, a lithe figure crouches on an abandoned billboard.

Chu Ningyan's face was cold as she tightened her grip on the silver composite bow, the bowstring trembling slightly.

She nocked another arrow, the arrowhead gleaming coldly in the firelight.

"Boo! Hah! Hah!"

Three more explosive arrows were fired in quick succession, precisely hitting the most concentrated enemy firing positions and triggering a series of explosions.

Her movements were fluid and elegant, and each draw of the bow was precise and deadly.

A burst of gunfire erupted from below, and several stray bullets whistled toward her.

Chu Ningyan swayed, sliding away close to the edge of the billboard, the bullet grazing the spot where she had just been standing.

Her gaze swept quickly across the distance, where a warehouse filled with flammable materials stood. She nocked another arrow.

This time, the arrow gleamed silver-white.

The arrow pierced the night sky and accurately embedded itself in the metal wall of the warehouse.

The thermite attached to the arrow was ignited, easily melting through the iron sheet and setting the internal fuel ablaze.

"call--!"

There was no explosion, but flames shot into the sky.

Soon, the bandit hideout was razed to the ground.

Chu Ningyan put away her compound bow, her face beneath the mask bearing a lingering weariness.

Her team then began questioning her.

Apart from rescuing a group of slaves who were being used as food reserves from the cellar, no trace of Zhang Dafan was found.

Chu Ningyan recorded the entire scene using a camera on her shoulder and uploaded it to the mission log.

After a while, the review was approved, and the danger marker for this area on the map changed from red to white.

Pipi came running over, carrying a red rabbit that had just been shot by a team member.

"Team leader, extra food tonight! But... it's so late, do you think Nuclear will pay overtime?"

There is no precedent for this.

As soon as she finished speaking, the Wasteland Traveler on Chu Ningyan's wrist vibrated.

A notification from the nuclear group popped up without warning.

[Termination of Cooperation Notice]

Her movements faltered, and her brow furrowed slightly.

Immediately afterwards, Crow's private message also arrived, polite yet somewhat distant.

[Thanks to Team Leader Grey Goose for her assistance. Due to internal strategic adjustments within the group, we do not need external assistance at the moment. If Team Leader Grey Goose is willing to join Nuclear, I will personally introduce her.]

Chu Ningyan politely replied with a thank you, and then closed the call.

She stood still, her gaze passing over the ruins to the distant outline of the coastal city.

The fact that the nuclear group is reducing its forces means that Zhuang Fan's strategy of luring the enemy away from their stronghold has worked.

She ordered her team members: "Mission complete, you can return to the Edge Outpost now."

The group members nodded and left.

Chu Ningyan's gaze lingered for a moment on the backs of several unfamiliar figures.

Those are people from Qiushan.

After the other group members left, Pipi came to her side and whispered:

"Team leader, what's our next step? Do we have to go back to working for Fengmang again?"

Chu Ningyan sensed the reluctance in her voice, "What, you don't want to stay at Fengmang anymore?"

"Yeah, the pressure here is too much."

Pipi kicked away a pebble at his feet. "There are monthly assessments, and if you don't meet them, your pay will be deducted. My mom told me last night that she wants me to go back to Zhongdu and find a stable job, instead of fighting and killing in the wild all day."

Chu Ningyan couldn't help but laugh: "You're a military doctor, and I've never seen you fire a gun."

“It’s not my fault… Every time I finish bandaging my wound, my parents call me. When they see me covered in blood, they’re bound to overthink things.”

After she finished speaking, she turned to look at Chu Ningyan: "Team leader, what about you?"

"I?"

Chu Ningyan gazed into the distance, her voice soft:
"I'll return the 90,000 gold coins to Fengmang first, and then I'll resign and go back to Zhongdu to rest."

She's been constantly on the move and fighting all these years, and she's a little tired.

"real?!"

Pipi's eyes lit up instantly, "Then let's go back to Zhongdu together, and I'll follow you from now on!"

"If you follow me, you'll only ever live paycheck to paycheck."

"No, the team leader is reliable, responsible, and has a warm heart despite her cool exterior. She's very caring!"

"..."

Feeling a little awkward from such a direct compliment, Chu Ningyan said, "Let's go, I have other things to do."

The two arrived at Mao Shanwang's stronghold, rented a hovercar without GPS tracking, and flew towards the Xin Huo base.

Compared to her last visit, Chu Ningyan found that the Torch Base was completely different.

The cement exterior wall was covered with a layer of spliced ​​steel plates, on which welding marks remained.

The main gate was made up of tracked plates and blast doors, and several automatic machine guns were mounted on the roof and in the corners of the warehouse, forming a crossfire network.

Several drones hovered at low altitude, and two mechanical dogs lurked in the shadows of the corner.

On the rooftop, four soldiers clad in power armor stood imposingly.

Meanwhile, on the highest watchtower, the dark muzzle of a sniper rifle was firmly locked onto them, only moving away after confirming Chu Ningyan's identity.

Zhuang Fan and Hua Xin walked out of the base.

"Sister!" Hua Xin greeted Chu Ningyan with joy, quickly taking her arm.

Zhuang Fan walked over and nodded to Chu Ningyan, "The situation was urgent before, and I didn't have a chance to formally thank you. The Torch Base owes you a favor."

"It's okay, it's easy."

Chu Ningyan lingered on his face for a moment, "You've fully recovered."

"It was alright, I had a very tiring dream."

Zhuang Fan didn't exchange many pleasantries, and stepped aside, saying, "Come in, it's not safe outside."

The four then went to the semi-open platform on the second floor.

This place was originally a breach created by the Corpse Monster, which was later turned into a balcony by Gage.

Chu Ningyan walked to the edge, looking down at the night view of the ruins, where she could still see the crescent moon distorted by the eerie mist.

Seeing this, Pipi winked at Huaxin.

"Hey, I just killed a Red Devil Rabbit, but I don't know what to do with it. Can you teach me?"

Hua Xin was stunned for a moment before she realized what she meant: "Oh, okay, let's go!"

Chu Ningyan glared at Pipi.

Pipi pretended not to see anything, grabbed Huaxin's hand and quickly left, a sly look on her face.

Only Zhuang Fan and Chu Ningyan remained on the platform.

The atmosphere became somewhat awkward for a moment.

"The nuclear team has left."

Chu Ningyan broke the silence, "The risks outside the city have been largely eliminated. As long as you don't go to those red-line areas, you are basically safe, but it will be more dangerous inside the city."

"Understood. Thank you for your mediation during this time, otherwise we would have been in trouble."

Chu Ningyan resumed her cool and aloof tone: "Any action that can disrupt nuclear weapons is something I'd be happy to see."

Zhuang Fan knew that she hated Xu Renyi, and everything about the Nuclear Group.

"So you're going back to the Edge Base later?"

Chu Ningyan nodded. "Okay, I'll go back and apply for my resignation, then go back to Zhongdu with Pipi."

"Go back to Zhongdu, and then what?"

"take a break."

Zhuang Fan shifted his gaze from her to the distant ruins.

After a moment, he finally spoke: "We're short-staffed right now. Would you like to consider joining us?"

"Let's see later."

Chu Ningyan's answer was somewhat vague: "In the short term, I will stay in Zhongdu to help Hope Home with something, as their profitability has not been very good."

“Hope Home…” Zhuang Fan murmured softly.

"Yes, it's a charity that takes in orphans, founded by an elderly couple."

Chu Ningyan explained briefly: "In previous years, they even adopted mutant children, but they were reported and shut down for a period of time."

"Currently, funds are in short supply, and fewer and fewer people are donating. I can only do my part."

Through Xu Renyi's memories, Zhuang Fan saw an even more cruel side of Zhongdu.

Due to the misuse of cloning technology, a large number of unfit abandoned babies and children have been created, and the number of orphans that Hope Home can take in is very limited.

Many more abandoned babies and children ended up in the centrifuges at Charlie's Sugar Factory.

Zhuang Fan suppressed that memory and continued to ask:
"Those children need to find their own way to make a living, right?"

"Yes, they all started as child laborers, digging coal mines, cleaning chimneys and underground tracks. They were very tired every day, and the foreman only provided one meal."

Chu Ningyan was silent for a while, then said softly, "They won't grow up, and they won't live to adulthood."

Zhuang Fan looked at the ruins in the distance and spoke slowly, "Do you know those older children?"

"Yes, I know each and every one of them."

Zhuang Fan looked into her eyes, his tone becoming serious:
"Grey Goose, I'm short of trustworthy people on my side."

"If they are willing to come, I welcome them anytime. I can guarantee them food and lodging, and enable them to take up arms, survive, and not be enslaved."

"We will teach them how to survive, how to fight, and make them a force to be reckoned with in the team, not an appendage of anyone."

"Let them live with dignity."

Chu Ningyan was stunned.

For the first time, she realized that the future this man described actually carried a touch of real warmth.

She re-examined him, and a glimmer of light, unnoticed even by herself, appeared in his clear, cold eyes.

Zhuang Fan said in a deep voice, "Once I find a safe enough area, I will rebuild my home."

Chu Ningyan looked at him for a long time before nodding.

"I'll ask the older kids for their opinions. I can't guarantee anything, but... thank you."

"This trust is mutual."

After the matter was concluded, Chu Ningyan turned and left, her back view as aloof and straight as ever.

"and many more."

Zhuang Fan called her over and handed her a stack of gold notes and a gold bar.

"There are a total of 150,000 here."

"That's too much, 90,000 is enough to pay it off."

Hiding in the corner, Pippi sighed and facepalmed.
"Oh no, the team leader forgot to calculate the handling fee again. That's four thousand five hundred gold coins..."

Zhuang Fan remained silent.

He stepped forward, took her hand, and placed the bag of money in her palm.

Chu Ningyan's fingertips curled up almost imperceptibly.

She tried to pull her hand away, but was a fraction too slow; she felt a warmth on the back of her hand.

Zhuang Fan's reason was quite frank: "If those children want to come, I'll cover their travel expenses."

She recoiled as if burned, quickly pulling her hand back and only letting out a soft "hmm".

Wow! Did you see that? He grabbed it!

Pipi kept shaking Huaxin's arm, "Will they get together?"

Hua Xin shook her head, as if analyzing tactics: "Impossible. Brother Ya and Sister Ya are both reserved people. It will be difficult to achieve without a push."

"Wait a minute... Sister saw us." Feeling guilty, Hua Xin immediately slipped away.

Chu Ningyan had already walked over and glanced at Pipi:
"What are you daydreaming about? Aren't you coming?"

Pipi stuck out her tongue, glanced at the man in the distance, and followed behind Chu Ningyan.

After leaving the gate, she moved closer to Chu Ningyan and noticed that the other woman's ears were slightly red.

"Team leader, how are you feeling?"

"Yeah, I'll beat you up after you get in the car."

"Why?"

Chu Ningyan stopped and turned around, her face full of anger.

"...We can hear you talking very clearly from here."

(End of this chapter)