Dark Ruins Dawn

Chapter 136 Valley
Zhuang Fan ignored Mao Shanwang.

He turned his gaze to the structural diagram of the shelter, his mind racing with calculations.

"Twenty-six million is no small sum."

Zhuang Fan said in a deep voice, "We can't guarantee such high profits every day, so even a conservative estimate would be two months... We can't afford to wait that long."

"You can save the money first."

Mao Shanwang rubbed his backside and limped back. "This is just the initial quote from Chongchui. When you've raised enough money, I can help you negotiate a lower price."

Zhuang Fan nodded: "Then let's save money with all our might."

But his inner world was far from as calm as it appeared.

The rate at which the Firewood Base can accumulate money probably can't keep up with the rate at which Linhai City is collapsing. The council chairman is already preparing to flee, so what about the other officers and soldiers?

Regardless of the southward advance of the northern demons, the nearby hordes of zombies and green tides alone are enough to engulf Linhai City.

There are no eggs left under the overturned nest.

He had to prepare for the worst; after all, the land was inanimate, but people were alive, and he could rebuild his home anywhere.

If the heavy-duty armed forces insist on sticking to their price, he would rather give up the shelter and use the tens of millions of gold coins he has saved to arm a more powerful raiding party.

Then, heading further south, or finding a cave to start building from scratch, is far better than handing your fate over to someone else.

Zhuang Fan was planning a backup plan in his mind.

Mao Shanwang seemed to sense Zhuang Fan's concerns, "Actually, there is also an abandoned refuge deep in the mountains of the southwest, but it's... too far away."

“Distance is not a problem,” Zhuang Fan replied.

"Forget about it. That shelter has already been targeted by the Flowery Rat Clan, although they haven't been able to find a way to get inside in the past few years."

Mao Shan Wang put on his straw hat. "If there's nothing else, this cat will be leaving now."

Zhuang Fan glanced at his perpetually greasy attire, his gaze sweeping over the caravan's patched-up tarpaulins, and casually asked, "What's wrong?"
"Old Cat, you clearly earn just as much money as me, so why does your caravan always have this peculiar...sound of poverty?"

After listening, King Maoshan remained silent for a while, but did not argue: "Because my people are still starving, at least let them eat their fill and keep warm before we talk about anything else..."

His tone was slightly somber: "I'm thinking that one day I can get my people out of the mountains, instead of... hiding them for the rest of their lives."

Zhuang Fan nodded and patted him on the shoulder: "It's understandable. I won't let Xiong Da pat you anymore."

"Get out!"

Mao Shanwang glanced at the warehouse with lingering fear, then quickly climbed onto the roof of the vehicle and crawled into the crab shell.

"Let's set off!"

The base quickly quieted down, but Zhuang Fan felt a slight vibration from the "Wasteland Traveler" on his wrist.

This is an urgent communication from Chu Ningyan.

"problem occurs."

Her voice was brief and concise: “Soren killed one of Harbenson’s combat officers.”

Zhuang Fan looked slightly surprised: "How did you do that?"

"A plane crash."

Chu Ningyan said softly, "They claim it's a mechanical malfunction, but anyone with eyes can see it was done by Soren's men."

Zhuang Fan was only concerned with the changing situation: "So, what is the current balance of power between the two sides?"

"Harbenson's strength was originally far superior to Soren's, but now that he has lost a general, his troops are out of control, and the strength of both sides has been restored to a temporary balance."

She sighed softly, "But this balance is fragile and could be broken at any moment."

Zhuang Fan fell into deep thought.

Soren's camp has a combat commander, who is his son Soren, and then there is a commander to be determined, Qiushan.

At the trial, Soren lost an arm to a black-boneed chicken, and the Qiushan troops, since being attacked at night, had also suffered heavy losses and had not yet recovered.

The Habenson faction has a combat supervisor, as well as a prospective supervisor, Grey Goose, and even the shadow of the Nargacuga, making them extremely powerful.

Now that Harbenson has lost a combat director, its strength has been severely weakened, and the two sides are likely to fight to the death.

"Is Sauron in such a hurry to kill?"

He asked, "Such an obvious assassination attempt will only give Harpenson something to use against you."

"Because if he doesn't act now, he'll miss his chance."

Chu Ningyan said with some concern, "Harbenson has already won over several neutral captains. His progress in consolidating his forces is faster than we expected."

Zhuang Fan understood the implications behind it, and his words were tinged with seriousness: "This is forcing Soren to take action, and Soren has no choice but to take action as well."

"Yes, Harpenson was too aggressive."

The balance between the two sides was broken, and Chu Ningyan originally wanted to profit from the chaos, but the window of opportunity was getting narrower and narrower.

"If Harpenson rises quickly and completely takes control, it won't be good for you."

"Yes."

Chu Ningyan frankly admitted, "I underestimated how quickly he could win people over. The security level around Habenson has been raised to the highest level, and even I can't get close to him."

Zhuang Fan fell into deep thought. If even an S-rank hunter couldn't get close, it could only mean that Habenson was extremely vigilant.

"He doesn't trust you and is wary of you."

"Yes, because I represent the nucleus on my back."

"Since we can't force our way in, and we can't rely on Soren, we can only try to dismantle Habenson from the outside."

Zhuang Fan's thinking shifted quickly: "We need to get solid evidence from Xunlong."

Chu Ningyan nodded: "Let Habenson take down Soren's forces first, and then we'll bring him down."

"That's it."

But Zhuang Fan felt that the plan was too crude and the countermeasures were too weak, so he could only take it one step at a time.

"Then... be careful."

Zhuang Fan gave a final word of advice, a rare expression of his concern: "Take good care of yourself, don't be reckless, and if things get really bad, come back to me."

Chu Ningyan on the other end of the communicator paused for a moment, seemingly not expecting him to say that.

Chu Ningyan nodded slightly: "...I will, don't worry."

After the communication was cut off, the holographic projection disappeared.

at the same time.

An underground bar near the Black Gold Trading Company reeked of cheap alcohol.

"Oh shit!"

Scarface grabbed the bottle and took a big gulp, the liquor dripping down his stubble.

He had just learned from the head of the trading company that Maoshanwang's performance this month not only met the target, but also had a surge in orders, firmly maintaining its rating as a second-tier supplier.

"Why can't I kill that fat cat!" He was filled with frustration, feeling as if a stone was stuck in his chest.

He wasn't entirely jealous of Mao Shanwang's achievements; he was actually craving the catgirls in the opposing caravan.

"Big brother."

One of his men leaned over and suggested, "How about... we ambush them outside the city and rob them all?"

"Rob?"

Scarface suddenly turned around and slapped his subordinate hard on the back of the head, making the man see stars and his prosthetic eye fly out and land in his wine glass with a "plop".

"What the hell are you using to rob me? Are you blind?!"

Scarface, drunk, roared, "Didn't you see the security for that fat cat? Damn it, suddenly there are a dozen armored soldiers, all brand new! You think you can rob them?"

His subordinate covered his head and dared not utter another sound.

Scarface grabbed his glass and chugged it down, then his expression changed drastically. He spat out a round, black ball with a "pui!" and exclaimed, "What the hell is this?"

"Boss, that's mine..."

"Crack!"

The subordinate watched as the prosthetic eye was crushed, and could only swallow his words.

Suddenly, several figures walked through the noisy crowd and went straight to Scarface's table.

One of them pulled out a chair and sat down quietly.

Scarface's henchmen were stunned for a moment. They were about to come over and reprimand him, but they were caught by the man's gaze and didn't dare to stop him.

Scarface, slightly drunk and squinting, sized up the uninvited guest: "Who are you?"

The man was dressed in a well-tailored black suit, completely out of place in this filthy bar.

"Hello, Mr. Scarface."

"Let the fart go."

The man calmly said, "My name is Vincent. I am the head of the investigation team of the Technical Section 1 of the Intelligence Department at the Mori-Ban Networks Coastal City branch."

Scarface's drunkenness was somewhat sobered up by these words.

Morisaka Networks?

His drunken eyes strained to focus as he sized up the man in the suit and tie in front of him.

"What do you want? I'm not reselling your game currency. You've got the wrong person."

Vincent smiled and, without beating around the bush, went straight to the point: "We are investigating Mao Shanwang."

Scarface was taken aback.

Vincent took a thin data terminal out of his pocket and pushed it in front of Scarface.

"According to our data model, Mao Shanwang's performance has surged this month, but the vast majority of the goods he recycles are contaminated and worthless scrap."

Scarface was completely sober.

His not-so-bright mind raced as he tried to understand the logic behind it.

"You mean, that fat cat has been using these junk items, repackaging them as high-quality goods, and then deceiving buyers?"

"Not really."

Vincent shook his head, denying his guess.

“We checked the transaction records of Black Gold Trading Company and its downstream buyers. All the goods delivered by Mao Shanwang were of good quality and low price. Even if the goods were very damaged, he would truthfully disclose the defects.”

Vincent paused, seemingly puzzled by the fact.

"Children are innocent."

"Honest and fair dealing with everyone, young and old?" Scarface pondered the phrase, and then realized the problem.

He realized something was wrong: "I remember now! That fat cat used to frequent the trading company, browsing for secondhand goods, but this month... he hasn't come even once! How strange!"

“He has a very efficient way of removing the fog,” Vincent explained to him.

Scarface's eyes widened in shock. "Really? That means he... he's practically cheating!"

"This is our preliminary conclusion, but we are still investigating how he did it."

Vincent was presenting a report:
"Currently, the standard procedure for dealing with items contaminated by the deep brown smog in Zhongdu is to use ultraviolet light in conjunction with nanobugs for cleaning, which takes sixty days in total and is quite expensive."

"However, Mao Shanwang's daily volume of goods is enormous, and he follows a low-profit, high-volume strategy, requiring high turnover. He couldn't possibly use such methods, otherwise he would have already lost money."

Scarface couldn't help but interject, "Have you investigated his underground cave hideout? That place is very well hidden."

"I've checked several times."

Vincent's tone revealed a hint of frustration: "King Mao did not transport the scrap back to the stronghold. His stronghold is very ordinary, just a warehouse."

"But we can confirm that Mao Shan Wang disappears for a fixed period of time every day, and we suspect that he goes to a mysterious place to deal with the decaying fog."

Scarface got excited: "So you found it?" Vincent was silent for a moment, then said truthfully: "Our people lost track of it six times and were completely fooled. That cat has a strong ability to counter tracking."

Ugh, you guys are so useless!

Scarface held back his complaints, squinted and thought for a long time, but still couldn't figure it out.

"With Mori-Saka's network capabilities being so strong, why don't you just conduct a large-scale interception on the road, or simply take that fat cat back and interrogate him severely? Wouldn't that make everything clear?"

"not that simple."

Vincent shook his head:
"First, Morisaka Networks has been dealing with some more urgent matters recently, and our investigation team is short-staffed."

"Secondly, we are only speculating. Without concrete evidence, we cannot obtain authorization from headquarters to carry out this operation. All of this must be done in secret."

Scarface understood instantly.

Everyone in the wasteland knows that the relationship between Morisaka Networks and the Nuclear Group is extremely tense and could escalate into a full-scale war at any moment.

Behind Black Gold Trading Company stands Heavy Hammer Arms, an arms giant. At this critical juncture, Morihan Networks cannot afford to offend another enemy.

Vincent continued, "One last thing: Mao Shanwang is indeed related to the deceased Cat Director, and his every move is being watched by the trading company."

“But you are a second-tier supplier, as is Maoshanwang. Although the trading company prohibits attacks on each other, friction and conflict are always inevitable.”

Vincent smiled at Scarface: "So if you do this, you won't give anyone cause for criticism."

"Hey, I get it."

Scarface licked his chapped lips. Mori-ban Network didn't dare to be blatant, but he certainly could.

"You bunch of 'refined scoundrels' love nothing more than beating around the bush. Just tell me, what do you want me to do?"

"It's very simple."

Vincent interlaced his fingers. "I need you to use every means at your disposal to harass Maoshanwang continuously, preferably with the help of your brother's power with the Nargacuga."

"But the goal was not to rob the goods or kill anyone, but to find out where he sent the scrap for processing."

Scarface frowned: "Wait, what are you Mori-saka planning to do?"

"We will provide you with intelligence support."

"..."

Scarface looked displeased.

Those bastards from Morisaka only wanted to hide behind the scenes and use their brothers as pawns to charge into the trap.

"This job... is a bit tricky. What kind of compensation can you offer?"

A very faint smile appeared on Vincent's usually stern face.

“Mr. Scarface, our system has detected that you have lost two million tokens in Sin City, with overdue interest of six hundred thousand, and it is increasing every day.”

Scarface's face darkened: "What do you mean? Are you threatening me?"

"Of course not. To show our sincerity, we have already cleared all the debts in your account and recharged each of your brothers' game accounts with two million tokens."

Vincent smiled gently and said, "If things go smoothly, I will apply for another grant for you, two million tokens per person, how about that?"

A total of eight million tokens...

Scarface secretly calculated that if he could launder the money through the black market, he could exchange it for exactly four million gold coins, which would definitely be a huge sum of money.

Just as Scarface was getting excited, Vincent added, "However, these tokens are linked to accounts, so they cannot be transferred, including the equipment and items purchased with them."

what?
Scarface's smile froze. Can't be transferred? Then it's just a bunch of worthless data?

He then thought that in "Sin City," two million tokens could buy top-tier cybernetic devices and weapons, so being an emperor in the virtual world wouldn't be bad.

"If you want to add more money, the minimum initial investment is four million tokens."

"make a deal."

Scarface hadn't expected the other party to be so agreeable, and he regretted not asking for more. Perhaps for these big companies, it was just a matter of adjusting a number.

Scarface suppressed his displeasure and nodded in agreement.

"Alright, I have plenty of ways to deal with that fat cat. I guarantee I'll dig out his hiding place."

Vincent's eyes lit up: "Looking forward to good news from Mr. Scarface."

The next day, Mao Shanwang arrived at the agreed meeting point.

After a while, Lao Cui brought six heavy trucks. After jumping out of the cab, he looked a little uneasy.

"Boss Cat, all the goods are ready, but... I have a bad feeling."

Mao Shanwang was inspecting a batch of scrap circuit boards when he heard this and looked up: "Oh?"

Old Cui handed him a cheap cigarette, then lit it himself, took a deep drag, and looked around.

"Just now, a group of people were staking out the landfill, openly watching us load the goods."

He exhaled a puff of smoke: "The other party didn't make a move, but they just kept staring at me, which gave me the creeps."

Mao Shanwang narrowed his eyes: "Did you see the other side clearly?"

"The one in the lead looks unfamiliar, but I recognize the one standing next to him; he's one of Scarface's henchmen." Old Cui took a deep drag on his cigarette, clearly uneasy.

Scarface may be a good-for-nothing, but Scarface is a ruthless man who has survived countless battles and now commands hundreds of mercenaries, making him an absolute local tyrant.

"Heh, that must be Scarface."

Mao Shanwang lowered his head again and continued inspecting the goods, seemingly not taking it seriously.

"Boss Cat, are you alright?"

"fine."

Mao Shan Wang watched his men load the scrap onto the cart, then picked up his palm-leaf fan again, looking completely unconcerned.

"It's just an enemy trying to cause trouble, a routine greeting, but knowing too much will only hurt you. Go do your thing."

After he finished speaking, he took out a stack of gold coins from his pocket and stuffed them into Old Cui's pocket.

"Here's a reward of 10,000 yuan. Please keep a close eye on things and contact me if there are any new developments."

"well……"

Old Cui felt the thickness of the contents of his pocket, and his inner panic subsided considerably.

Delivery completed.

Six trucks fully loaded with scrap, six empty trucks, a total of twelve heavy trucks and four armored vehicles, drove away from the landfill in a grand procession.

Mao Shan Wang sat on the back of the navigating Fang Xie, seemingly dozing off, but actually scanning his surroundings vigilantly.

Several dilapidated, abandoned vehicles were following cautiously at a distance behind the procession, appearing and disappearing in the distance.

With his keen observation skills, the cat-man noticed a mirror-like reflection on a distant hill and some figures moving about, though he wasn't sure if they were scouts.

He raised his wrist; the advanced wasteland traveler came with battlefield AI analysis, which could quickly identify sources of danger.

As a result, the light screen indeed scanned out one or two red shadows hiding behind the heat insulation board. The images were blurry and easily overlooked.

This means that at least ten times more spies in the vicinity went undetected by him.

"The Morisaka group has also increased their bets."

Mao Shanwang sneered and shifted his bulky body into a more comfortable position in the driver's seat.

He remained calm and issued a new order: "Change course ahead and turn left to execute Plan B."

So the convoy turned at the next fork in the road, instead of taking the usual trade route, and slowly drove into a desolate mountain path.

But the spies had a plan in place and followed cautiously, keeping a close watch on the caravan.

Scarface sat in the wrecked car, holding binoculars and staring at the convoy in the distance, sneering, "Let's see where you run now."

To Scarface's surprise, the Maoshanwang caravan seemed to be heading deeper into the valley, and its speed was increasing without stopping.

Scarface became suspicious. This didn't match the information Vincent had given him. Could the hideout be hidden in the mountains?

The closer you get to the canyon terrain, the more complex the surrounding environment becomes.

Because it is on the shady side and never sees sunlight, a strange fog accumulates here year-round, forming a natural signal blind spot.

Sure enough, several quadcopter drones that were following behind attempted to take off, but as soon as they flew into the edge of the valley, their signal indicator lights flashed wildly, and they spun out of control and landed.

The moment those mechanical dogs stepped into the eerie fog, their electronic eyes turned into a screen of static, and they spun around in place.

When Scarface's men chased into the valley, cursing and swearing, all they found was an empty space.

Mao Shanwang's twelve-car convoy simply vanished into thin air.

"Where is he?!"

Scarface jumped out of the car and angrily kicked a stone on the ground, but the stone didn't budge, and he was in so much pain that his face turned red.

The ground was originally a hard rock road, and the tire tracks had been carefully concealed, making it impossible to determine the other party's whereabouts.

"Chase!"

Scarface was not giving up and continued to search deeper into the valley, where he soon discovered a huge cave entrance at the end.

The flashlight beam shone inside, revealing a vast underground cavern with countless branching paths unfolding before them, winding and intersecting.

The damp rock walls were covered with various fungi, the air was filled with the smell of decay, and the eerie fog was so thick that it gradually turned black, revealing a dangerous atmosphere.

"Wori!"

Scarface was so angry that he cursed, "On the first day of staking out, that fat cat got away!"

He had made that boast to Vincent.

"Search for me!"

Scarface's men roared, "Even if it's a rat hole, you'd better crawl into it! Keep chasing!"

As one of Scarface's men was about to venture into the hole, his hand gripping the gun trembled, and his voice suddenly broke into a tremor.

"Boss... Boss, look over there!"

The bandit's powerful flashlight trembled violently, its beam swaying towards a thicket of bushes deep within.

Scarface squinted, initially seeing nothing.

"What the hell are you looking at..."

Before he finished speaking, a pair of small red dots lit up in the bushes.

Then came the second couple, the fourth couple, the tenth couple...

In just a few seconds, from the ground to the tree trunks, a dense cluster of red eyes lit up in the shadows on both sides of the valley, numbering at least a thousand!

They just stared at each other quietly, their sheer number making one's scalp tingle.

One of his men, his face ashen, exclaimed, "...It's ratmen! This really is a rat hole!"

A dozen or so "poisonous rats" that were two meters long crawled out of the shadows. Behind them were more upright rat-men who held bone knives in their hands.

A chilling feeling gripped Scarface; he realized he had stumbled into a trap.

This must be a "cat and mouse game" deliberately set up by Mao Shanwang, but Scarface can't understand how cats and mice, who are natural enemies, can be so in cahoots.

Scarface suppressed his fear and cautiously said:

"Don't back down. We have advanced weaponry. We'll retreat slowly now. All armored soldiers will cover the rear. Under no circumstances should we fire and provoke the enemy."

That's what they said, but Scarface was the first to retreat, and he ran faster than anyone else.

Boss...?

Seeing this, the thugs under his command no longer dared to stay behind, and they scrambled to escape, jumping onto the truck and speeding away.

Fortunately, the dark, swarming army of ratmen did not pursue them.

(End of this chapter)