Dark Ruins Dawn

Chapter 77 Procurement
Tataji had no idea where the sniper was hiding.

A rat's eyesight is extremely poor at night; it can barely make out a blurry outline a hundred meters away, let alone find Hua Xin hiding in the shadows.

However, it has a large nasal cavity and a sensitive sense of smell, which can detect even a trace of gunpowder residue.

Moreover, the ratman is exceptionally sensitive to the scent of its natural enemies; it was certain that it detected a very faint scent of the catman, along with a hint of floral water.

Two hours earlier, the intelligence rat in charge of reconnaissance brought back a message:
A fierce gunfight erupted at the old peddler's hideout, with explosions and the muffled sound of sniper rifles.

All the clues connected in its mind, and the answer instantly appeared.

There's an ambush outside.

In some corner, a sniper rifle is aimed at his head.

Tataji was cautious and dared not take another step forward.

Zhuang Fan saw through its thoughts; this big rat was too cautious.

His deep voice, tinged with an undeniable authority, emanated from beneath the hood.

"Tataji".

"You seem to be very afraid of dying."

Tataji's body trembled violently, and he took a slight step back, his voice filled with humility.

"My lord, I'm just... worried that those remnants of humanity might make a comeback and disturb your peace."

"is it?"

Zhuang Fan's tone was unreadable.

"If I wanted to kill you, I would have a thousand ways, I wouldn't need a sniper rifle at all."

He raised his hand, a wisp of dark mist gathering at his fingertips, and said in a deep voice, "You seem to have forgotten that what I can give you, I can also take back at any time."

Before the words were finished, the wisp of dark mist entered its body.

"Ugh—!"

Tataji let out a muffled groan, clutching his head tightly, his massive three-meter-tall body twitching slightly.

It took a few steps back in fear, then knelt down with a thud.

"My lord, spare me! I... I was wrong!"

"You're not wrong. The eerie mist I sucked out of your body back then is just being returned to you now."

Give it back to me?
Tataji dared not refute, his heart filled with frustration.

"This is a small punishment for your betrayal. Next time it won't be so simple."

Tataji was highly aware of the danger; it retreated into the shadows and quietly had its rat guards protect it from the front.

"My lord, I really wouldn't dare to do it again!"

Tataji wanted to run away, but he was hesitant.

But it didn't know that the "Demon General" who seemed to control everything was already at his last gasp.

After Zhuang Fan forcibly devoured the two demon generals, the cost was enormous; their weak wills still rampaged through his mind.

He had to exhaust his mind to barely suppress this backlash and then gradually erode and absorb it.

That seemingly random wisp of dark mist had drained his last bit of energy.

But he must do it.

When dealing with a cunning and suspicious rat like Tataji, any mercy or concession will be seen as weakness.

Only absolute fear can subdue it.

"get out."

"Yes Yes!"

After confirming that Zhuang Fan had completely left, Tataji struggled to stand up and pushed away the rat guards.

A hint of resentment flashed in its eyes, but it quickly concealed it carefully.

"This Demon General is quite the actor."

It secretly grumbled to itself.

"They can fly, but they insist on walking. They really think they're human."

……

The truck bumped along, crushing gravel and broken logs.

Hua Xin gripped the steering wheel, glancing at the rearview mirror every now and then.

In the mirror, Zhuang Fan leaned back in his chair, his eyes closed, his face beneath the hood unusually pale.

"Brother Ya, are you alright?" she asked softly, her voice tinged with worry.

"fine."

Zhuang Fan did not open his eyes, and his voice was somewhat weak.

"Don't tell anyone about what happened tonight."

"Ah."

Hua Xin nodded and didn't ask any more questions.

It was late at night when the two returned to the base.

Gage was still busy at his workbench, while Watson was dozing off to the side. He was immediately awakened by the noise.

Zhuang Fan gestured for Hua Sheng to come into the room.

He separated half of his nano-skin, restoring Watson's original appearance.

Then he tossed the heavy gold bar over.

"Take it." Watson instinctively caught it, and the cold, heavy touch instantly sobered him up.

Wait, one kilogram of gold?

He was completely stunned; he had never seen so much money in his life.

This huge sum of money is enough to buy a small house in any city in the wasteland and live the life of a citizen.

Zhuang Fan walked to his bunk and fell asleep immediately.

Watson subconsciously looked around, like a thief, afraid of being seen.

He wanted to find a place to hide the gold bars, but found that no place was absolutely safe.

Finally, he wrapped the gold bars in layers of rags and carefully stuffed them into the inner pocket of his breast pocket.

After doing all this, Watson breathed a slight sigh of relief, but his heart remained uneasy.

He would reach out and touch it every now and then to make sure the gold bar was still there before he dared to close his eyes.

As a result, he couldn't sleep all night.

The next morning.

The five members of the scavenging team had already assembled at the entrance of the recycling station.

Hua Xin was wearing a tactical mask and holding an automatic rifle.

"The boss has other things to do, Cole, you'll be in charge of counting the number of people and equipment."

"Yes!"

As the number one employee, Cole had served as a quartermaster and had extensive experience in scavenging, so he naturally became Hua Xin's assistant.

The truck was quickly put into service.

Cole was driving, while Hua Xin sat in the passenger seat, holding a simple map marked with several resource-rich areas.

With heavy vehicles, they can search more distant areas.

The remaining five employees stayed at the base to assist Gage and Watson.

The "Iron Bull" that was dragged back from the old dealer's hideout has been completely dismantled by Gage.

He recut, polished, and welded the armor plates onto two industrial androids, transforming them into mobile steel giants.

Their defenses have been greatly enhanced, and simple hydraulic boosters have been added to their joints, making them look even more formidable.

"boss."

Gage took off his goggles and wiped the sweat from his forehead.

"The defense is sufficient, but we still need to purchase core chips; two units will cost at least ten thousand gold coins."

"okay, I get it."

Zhuang Fan had just woken up and was in much better spirits.

He walked over to Watson and asked, "How are those six slaves doing?"

Watson's face showed a hint of fatigue:
"I got the old dealer's panel back. The ownership of the collars of the six slaves has been transferred to my panel. Now they are staying obediently in the corner of the dormitory area."

"You didn't sleep well?"

"Um, a little."

Zhuang Fan and Hua Sheng walked into the dormitory together.

The six freed slaves huddled in a corner, their eyes filled with numbness when they saw Zhuang Fan.

Zhuang Fan first gave them a hearty meal, and then began to interrogate them one by one.

This time, his questions were more complex and detailed than before, covering almost everything from their birthplaces and family backgrounds to how they were trafficked and their respective skills.

When they questioned the fifth person, Zhuang Fan frowned.

He was a man who looked very honest. He answered all questions fluently, with a slightly ingratiating smile on his face.

Have you ever stolen anything before?

"Absolutely not!"

"Have you ever killed anyone?"

"No, absolutely not! I've never even killed a chicken!"

Zhuang Fan looked at him but didn't ask any further questions.

He took out the Wasteland Traveler, retrieved the slave ownership agreement, and found the man's name.

He pressed the option to terminate the contract.

"Click."

With a soft click, the collar around the man's neck popped open and fell to the ground.

"you can go now."

The man froze: "Where...where to?"

"Go wherever you want to go."

The man hesitated for a moment.

Although he could see that the conditions here were good and he wanted to stay, he longed for freedom even more.

He rushed out of the recycling station and disappeared into the ruins.

Watson looked puzzled: "This is..."

"He lied."

Zhuang Fan continued, "A person who is full of lies is more dangerous than a confessed murderer. I don't need someone like that to stay in the team."

(End of this chapter)