Dark Ruins Dawn

Chapter 50 Leading the Sheep
Linhai City was as black as ink.

Two furtive figures, after evading surveillance cameras and patrols, arrived at a corner of an abandoned construction site.

The place was filled with huge concrete pipes. Zhuang Fan identified one of the hiding spots and crawled inside with Watson.

Without pausing, he took out the hidden nano-suitcase, opened it, pressed his finger into the groove, and activated the nano-worm recycling program.

In an instant, the nano-skin belonging to "Danny" was peeled off, turning back into a pool of silver liquid that slowly flowed back into the box.

Zhuang Fan's true colors were revealed, and this was the first time Watson had seen his true appearance.

Zhuang Fan used the system to precisely divide the liquid metal inside the box into two portions, which were just enough to cover the upper bodies of the two people.

"Place your finger on the groove."

Watson did as instructed.

The nano-skin spread rapidly like a living thing, covering his entire upper body.

In the end, he changed into a completely unfamiliar face, that drunken, skinny tall man—George.

Zhuang Fan also completed his disguise, transforming into someone with a face full of scars and fierce eyes—Pepa.

Watson looked at his rough hands, then at Zhuang Fan, his eyes filled with surprise, but ultimately asked nothing.

"Put it on."

Zhuang Fan tossed a smart ring to Hua Sheng, who caught it, put it on his finger, and the metal ring tightened automatically.

The two left side by side, their steps much more relaxed.

Even if there's a city-wide manhunt, the one they're after is Danny; what does it have to do with Pepper and George?

However, to be on the safe side, Zhuang Fan still lifted the manhole cover and chose to leave through the underground tunnel.

The abandoned sewers were dry and stuffy, filled with a thick, eerie mist, and had already corroded many of the pipe walls.

Upon reaching the end, a cloud of black mist sealed off the tunnel.

Zhuang Fan stopped in his tracks.

He could clearly sense that on the other side of the black mist, there was a lot more mixed rat-man eerie mist, several times denser than before.

Is there an ambush?
"Put it on first."

He handed Watson a large black cloak and a simple mask.

"In the future, no matter what you see or hear, do not make a sound."

Watson nodded.

Zhuang Fan also put on a cloak, summoned the dark mist within his body, and completely shrouded his face in shadow.

After doing all this, he led Watson into the deep darkness.

……

Tataji was in a bad mood.

Just a few hours ago, it completed a very profitable deal.

That group of mysterious buyers left a very deep impression on Tataji.

They were all human males, bald, with identical bodies and faces, as if they had been carved from the same mold.

To distinguish themselves, the leader of the group even had geometric patterns carved on his face.

Without further ado, the buyer offered one million gold notes, which is a whole kilogram of gold bars, and bought a relatively well-preserved "Baron" machine.

But the other one was so badly corroded by the decaying fog that they didn't even bother to look at it.

Tataji felt a pang of pain.

It watched helplessly as the steel behemoth languished in the corner, barely managing to stay afloat with its fog lights.

They can't sell them, but they can't bear to throw them away.

It was planning to have the ratman craftsmen dismantle the usable outer shell parts from the mech and sell them separately, or melt them down to make several shields.

Just as it was getting annoyed by this, an even more upsetting message arrived.

That mysterious demon general has returned.

This time, they even specifically named Jetta, an unknown entity, as the sole contact person.

Jetta?

That black rat scum who's only fit to carry shoes?
Tataji felt an unprecedented sense of jealousy, along with a touch of unease.

It rushed back to the abandoned shelter and immediately spotted Jetta standing motionless in the corner, like a statue.

"Where is the Demon General?"

Tataji's deep voice conveyed the authority of a leader.

Jetta bowed slightly, his tone neither humble nor arrogant: "Your Majesty, the Demon General has his own arrangements and has instructed me to wait here for orders."

"Ah."

Tataji responded with a nasal sound. It walked over to Jetta and patted its shoulder with its huge paw: "Since the Demon General wants you to stay, you'd better stay put and not embarrass the Ratmen."

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

Tataji said this, but in his heart he was plotting how to take the contact person's position from Jetta.

Just then, the black fog ahead surged.

Two figures emerged from within.

The leading figure was shrouded in dark mist, obscuring his face; it was none other than the Demon General.

The guy following behind was also wearing a mask, but he wasn't shrouded in eerie mist; he was probably just a lackey.

Tataji quickly stepped forward, his massive body bowing slightly, displaying an almost obsequious humility.

"Sir, you are back."

"Ah."

Zhuang Fan didn't have much affection for Tataji; the guy was cunning and harbored too many schemes.

The dark mist obscuring the other person's face made it impossible for Tataji to figure out what the other person was thinking; he only felt a little uneasy being stared at.

It braced itself and tentatively asked, "Sir, has your visit brought any new instructions? Is it related to the Lord's plan?"

"It's none of your business," Zhuang Fan replied, maintaining his inscrutable demeanor.

Tataji was rebuffed, but his face became even more respectful.

"Sir, I'll take you outside. This way, please."

Tataji led the way himself, his massive body deliberately hunched over.

The group passed through the underground ruins and arrived at an open platform. When Zhuang Fan saw the abandoned "Baron" machine, he stopped.

The fuselage lay in the corner, its armor plates covered with ferocious claw marks and bullet holes, its six mechanical legs twisted into a knot, and its cannon barrel, no longer imposing, was completely covered by dark brown decaying mist.

He recognized the killing machine.

This is one of the two cars that Lolo's team brought.

"What are you going to do with this?" Zhuang Fan's voice echoed in the empty cave.

"Report to your lord."

Tataji quickly explained, "This machine is severely corroded by the decaying fog and has little recycling value. I plan to have some usable parts removed."

"A waste of natural resources."

Zhuang Fan's voice was unreadable, "The mecha itself is indeed useless, but its internal structure is of great research value."

“Yes, yes.” Tataji didn’t understand what he meant.

Zhuang Fan paused for a moment, then said in an unquestionable tone, "I want this one."

Tataji paused, a hint of reluctance flashing in his scarlet eyes.

"Sir, this..."

"have opinions?"

"No...no!"

Tataji instantly realized his foolishness. "It is Tataji's honor to serve you, sir!"

Zhuang Fan nodded, quite satisfied with its attitude.

"very good."

He said slowly, "Tataji, the Lord will remember your gift."

Tataji's breathing suddenly stopped.

He already knew that the demon general before him was not under Tiros's command.

But having two sides and the support of another demonic force is always a good thing.

"Yes! Yes! It is Tataji's honor to serve the Demon Envoy!" It lowered its posture even further.

A scrapped mech can hitch a ride with the Demon Envoy; this is a lucrative deal.

Jetta.

Zhuang Fan stopped looking at it and turned to the figure in the corner.

"Find a few more trustworthy ratmen and get this mech out of here."

"Yes, my lord."

Jetta was quick-witted and remembered the words "trustworthy".

Since the Demon General specifically emphasized this, there must be a deeper meaning behind it.

(End of this chapter)