Dark Ruins Dawn

Chapter 90 After the War
Mao Shanwang's caravan was extremely efficient.

In the darkness, several masked cat-men leaped off the truck, their movements swift and silent.

The ammunition box crashed to the ground, raising a cloud of dust.

Four brand-new light machine guns were neatly set up, with boxes of ammunition, Molotov cocktails, and fragmentation grenades stacked next to them.

Cole picked up a rifle and expertly pulled the bolt.

The crisp sound of the mechanism made the eyes of the scavengers light up.

Xiong Er came over and took the fuel from the flamethrower, and also grabbed a few decoy grenades.

If they encounter another horde of zombies, he can help lure some of them away.

Some small anti-personnel mines were buried in concealed passageways, which Watson could detonate remotely.

In addition, there are high-powered fog lights, searchlights, drones, and a large amount of building defense materials.

Mao Shanwang even had ten extra barrels of gasoline brought in, each barrel containing a full 160 liters.

"You stand on the roof, and wherever the horde of zombies is most concentrated, just pour the water on it and then set it on fire."

"Okay, we'll take them all."

But Watson felt that pouring gasoline was too wasteful and that making them into Molotov cocktails would be more efficient.

Finally, Watson gritted his teeth and purchased four industrial androids and a whole case of all-purpose vitamins, spending almost all his money.

After counting the money, Mao Shanwang pointed to a taciturn badger behind him.

"This is Old Badger, a defense expert."

"He will stay for five days to help you plan the base; it's a bonus service."

Watson stepped forward: "Thank you so much, welcome, Mr. Badger."

The old badger nodded in response.

The oversized Wasteland Traveler on Mao Shanwang's wrist suddenly vibrated.

It was an urgent meeting of the Black Gold Trading Company.

He waved his paw at the old badger.

"Old Badger, I'm leaving this place to you."

"to make."

Mao Shanwang led his convoy away first.

A group of twenty masked cat-men escorted the caravan, following behind him, silent and wary.

After a bumpy half-day journey, the convoy stopped at the entrance of a collapsed subway station.

The wall was marked with the logo of a trading company, a faceless man wearing a black cloak.

Four faded stone lions have been converted into automatic machine gun turrets, with their muzzles monitoring everyone who enters or leaves.

Eight powered armored soldiers stood on high ground, holding rotary machine guns, looking imposing.

"Linhai City, Tier 2 Supplier, Maoshanwang".

After showing his token, King Maoshan entered the underground with the caravan.

Mercenaries in power armor and mutants in robes huddled together, moving through the narrow passageway.

The group entered the underground market, and their view suddenly opened up.

A lion-man stall owner, shirtless, was forging a red-hot piece of metal with a huge iron hammer, sparks flying with each strike.

Not far away, a human stall owner wearing goggles was engrossed in repairing a whirring android.

Several werewolves sat around in a corner playing cards and talking in hushed tones, with some dried meat and brown fur laid out in front of them.

The lizardman chef standing next to him expressionlessly cut off a section of his newly grown tail, skillfully coated it with spices, and placed it on the grill.

In the noisiest part of the crowd, pink neon lights flashed, and you could smell cheap perfume.

The catwoman dancer was swaying to the music, with a metal collar around her neck.

Below the stage, a group of wastelanders cheered loudly.

In the corner, the security soldier stood motionless, monitoring every living thing in the corridor.

Repair, consignment, auction, bounty. Black Gold Trading Company provides the most basic transaction order.

The trading company's meeting room is located in a fortress converted from a bank vault.

The person in charge was a middle-aged man whose entire body, except for his brain, had been replaced by prosthetics.

He praised several outstanding teams, then his gaze fell on Mao Shanwang.

"Mao Shanwang, what's wrong with you lately? Both the quantity and quality are declining significantly."

Mao Shanwang sighed inwardly and offered no explanation.

"I'm sorry, I'll try my best."

The person in charge looked around at the dozen or so suppliers present before getting to the point.

"Heavy Hammer Armed Forces has just issued a new requirement to procure a batch of armed supplies."

The suppliers were surprised and began to whisper among themselves. Mao Shanwang's cat ears twitched.

Heavy Hammer Arms is one of the top ten conglomerates and the largest arms tycoon, holding a transcendent position.

This giant company, which specializes in selling weapons, is now procuring them from external suppliers.
The person in charge quickly provided an answer.

"The internal war within the company, between the leadership and the opposition, is nearing a decisive outcome."

"What I've heard is that the opposition has been kicked out of the internal supply system. They have the funds, but no production lines, no transportation, and no warehousing system."

"This is a big spender. Although our southern market is far away, we can't miss it. The tasks have been assigned, so everyone should carry out the tasks according to their quotas."

The person in charge lit up the screen, which displayed the name and workload of each supplier.

End of the meeting.

The suppliers left one after another, but the person in charge deliberately kept Mao Shanwang behind.

He walked up to Mao Shanwang, his eyes filled with complex emotions.

"Old Cat, you don't know yet, do you? Director Cat is dead. His body was found at home the day before yesterday. The company just issued an internal notice."

"."

Mao Shanwang was stunned, and the hairs on his body stood on end.

Everything that the name represented flashed through his mind.

Director Cat, one of the founders of the trading company.

A legend who, despite being human, defied public opinion and implemented a policy of equal rights for mutants and human caravans.

It was this policy that allowed Black Gold Trading Company to expand its territory rapidly in the wasteland.

But decades ago, he was unexpectedly transformed into a cat-human, the breed of which is British Shorthair.

Due to his sensitive status as a mutant, he had no choice but to relinquish his leadership position and become an honorary director.

Cat Director is also the only registered first-class citizen mutant recognized by the Central City.

The person in charge continued, "With Director Cat dead, things aren't going to be easy for you."

"Um"

Mao Shanwang also realized that he was in big trouble.

The cat director was the last protector of these cat-people caravans, and even most mutant caravans.

Now, that only protective umbrella is gone.

The person in charge kindly reminded you: "The quarterly assessment is coming up. Right now, the only thing that can protect you is your status as a second-tier supplier. Don't let yourself fall to the third tier."

"Understood, thank you for reminding me."

Mao Shanwang walked out of the fortress with a heavy heart.

As soon as he returned to the caravan, he saw several burly men in the distance forcibly dragging away one of his masked catwomen.

His men were furious, and tensions were running high.

The catwoman was covered in wounds, and she was still struggling desperately, hissing threateningly and waving her claws.

"Stop struggling, little kitten."

The burly man at the head of the group ripped off her mask, revealing a terrified cat-like face.

He pinched the girl's chin, as if he were inspecting merchandise.

"Not bad quality, Mr. Mao's eye for quality is still so sharp."

Instead of stopping them, the surrounding wastelanders burst into laughter, and some even whistled.

Mao Shanwang strode over.

The burly man's gaze swept across the crowd and landed on Mao Shanwang's figure.

"Boss Mao, I'll take your men back and train them a bit."

Mao Shanwang's pupils shrank to a vertical line.

His spherical body burst with astonishing speed as he charged toward the house crab, gripping the shotgun in his claws.

He turned around and pulled the trigger.

"Bam—!"

The roar of shotguns tore through the noise of the market.

The burly man looked at his bare shoulder, the broken cable still hissing and sparking.

"you"

"Try reaching out your hand again!"

Mao Shanwang's voice was icy, and he raised his gun again.

Catwoman quickly hid behind Maoshanwang, her cat face filled with fear and unease.

Soon, four security soldiers wearing exoskeletons emerged from the shadows, raised their electromagnetic rifles, and locked their guns onto Mao Shanwang.

"The use of firearms is prohibited within the market."

"Bullshit! If you won't take care of things when you should, then I'll take care of them myself!"

Mao Shanwang raised the "Secondary Supplier" token and roared, "I have the right to fight back!"

Upon seeing this, the security soldiers immediately laid down their weapons.

The caravan leader came out, a fake smile on his face.

"Don't be angry, Boss Mao. His subordinates just don't know the rules."

The leader was called "Scarface," which sounded rather dim-witted, but he liked the nickname.

Because his older brother is "Scarface," a captain of the Swift Dragon Mercenary Group, who is also a fierce and ruthless person.

Scarface glanced at his subordinate clutching his severed arm, then looked at Mao Shanwang and threw away the cigarette in his mouth.

"I just heard that Director Cat has left. You're in trouble now. Your performance has been consistently below target. How are you going to get through the quarterly assessment?"

"Boss Mao, why don't you sell these kitten girls to boost your sales? Otherwise, you'll fall behind and still won't be able to keep them."

Mao Shanwang felt a slight unease.

He certainly knew how important it was to maintain the title of "second-tier supplier".

Once you drop to the lowest tier, level three, all benefits will be canceled.

Transportation routes no longer enjoy priority, tax rates have increased by 20%, bargaining power has been lost, and the right to hire security personnel from trading companies has been revoked.
Even more fatally, his cat-man team was no longer protected by the trading company, and all his goods would be plundered at will.

His business has been greatly affected recently, and it's all because of these two brothers secretly causing trouble.

"Boss Mao, I'll take that as a yes. Men, take this kitten girl away."

Mao Shanwang pointed his gun at Scarface. "Dare to try, I'll shoot you first."

The other party's smile remained unchanged, showing no fear.

"Boss Mao, I forgot to tell you, there are a few mercenary groups that have been loitering around the mountains in the southwest lately."

"I don't know what they're looking for, but I guess they might be looking for your cat people's lair."

The crowd let out a strange laugh.

Mao Shanwang watched them leave, a chill running down his spine.

My hometown is about to be discovered.
Inside the recycling station, everything was bustling with activity.

The threat from the Apocalypse Church is like an invisible whip, lashing at everyone.

Under Old Badger's expert guidance, the entire recycling station was transformed into a high-speed, operational war fortress.

"The walls here are too thin and there are blind spots; a truck could easily crash into them."

"The sentry tower's firepower must be able to cover 300 meters, and the machine guns' firing arcs must intersect, leaving no gaps."

The old badger used its strong claws to draw several key points on the simple sketch.

Gage and Watson listened attentively, and then immediately led the group to begin a large-scale transformation.

The welding arcs burned continuously throughout the night.

Armor plates dragged from the ruins were cut into pieces and welded to the cement wall to form metal patches.

They raised the walls and built defenses on the roof and in key locations using scrap steel plates.

Six drones patrol the air 24 hours a day, overlooking the surrounding ruins.

Cole was forced into the role of instructor.

He trains newcomers with the strictest standards.

He made the new recruits practice loading, aiming, shooting, and changing cover repeatedly, and any unnecessary movement would be met with merciless reprimands.

Those who have no talent for shooting will be responsible for logistics and supplies, which will be arranged by Watson.

At the firing position atop the tower, Hua Xin lay prone on the concrete ground, practicing his sniping skills.

Xiong Er instructed her to adjust her breathing rhythm and gun-holding posture, and to practice the basics.

Midway through, Chu Ningyan secretly came by.

She walked to the bedside, took off her gloves, and gently probed Zhuang Fan's carotid artery with her fingertips.

The pulse is steady and strong.

She then placed the back of her hand on his forehead; his high fever had subsided and his temperature was normal.

Looking at the young face that had regained its color and the short hair that had turned black again, she breathed a slight sigh of relief.

Zhuang Fan's physical indicators were all improving, but his consciousness was mired in an abyss, and he was unresponsive.

Chu Ningyan withdrew her hand and murmured softly.

"You're doing so well, lying around so comfortably, while the family was almost brought down."

How to properly awaken Zhuang Fan has become a major problem for everyone in the base.

Chu Ningyan returned to the first floor.

At that moment, Gage and some employees were carrying a coffin-shaped metal object out of the underground warehouse.

"This is..." Chu Ningyan recognized it.

"We're going to sell the older virtual cabins to recoup some funds."

Chu Ningyan's gaze lingered on the virtual reality pod for a moment, and a thought suddenly flashed through her mind.

She immediately found Watson.

"What if we let him lie down inside and connect his consciousness to the virtual world?"

Upon hearing this, Watson's eyes lit up instantly. "That's right! Maybe it can wake up the boss!"

As a core member, Gage already knew that the boss was lying upstairs in a deep sleep.

He frowned and calmly analyzed the situation:

"There's a problem. This is a product from Morisaka Networks, and it's missing the most crucial 'neural transcriber,' and it requires a cracked version; otherwise, it won't be compatible."

"Is it important?" Watson didn't understand.

"Of course it's important. Without this, how would you enter the virtual world?"

The excitement on Watson's face faded. "How much will it cost?"

"I don't know, but it's probably tens of thousands."

Hua Sheng was stunned; he simply didn't have enough funds.

Chu Ningyan noticed their predicament, so she asked for the specific model of the translator.

"give it to me."

She didn't linger and turned to leave the base.

Inside the hovercar, she contacted Mao Shanwang.

"Old Cat, Morisaka Network Virtual Pod, AF model, I need a cracked version of the neural transcriber."

After finishing his noodles, Mao Shanwang smacked his lips and said, "I'll give you 90,000 then."

".How many?"

Chu Ningyan's breathing paused for half a second.

“The virtual pod isn’t expensive, a second-hand one costs around 300,000, but cracked translators are rare. This price is already very fair.”

Chu Ningyan looked slightly embarrassed.

She was silent for a moment, then said softly, "Okay, I'll come get it later. You can prepare it first."

Pipi, sitting in the driver's seat, saw her hang up the call and whispered, "Team leader, I still have 20,000 left."

"No need, you still have to pay the mortgage."

"but"

"It's okay, I have a solution."

Chu Ningyan initiated another encrypted communication.

On the screen, a man in uniform appeared; he was the financial officer of the Sharp Edge Mercenary Group.

"I want to receive an advance on my salary for the next three months, and exchange it all for 1000 gold coins."

"Team Leader Grey Goose, according to regulations, an advance payment of salary requires a 5% handling fee, and resignation is prohibited."

"can."

"Please wait a moment, the 90,000 gold coins have been transferred, and the total handling fee is 4,500."

Communication ends.

At almost the same time, Qiu Shan, the direct supervisor, also received a record of Grey Goose's advance salary payment.

Qiu Shan frowned.

"She spends all of her salary every month, but it seems she never spends in advance."

"Go and check where this money was used."

The goods were delivered to Chu Ningyan in less than half a day.

Gage took the translator, his face serious.

"Leave it to me, I'll do my best to fix it."

"Well, hard work."

To speed things up, Xiong Er also came over to help repair the virtual pod.

Xiong Er walked into the underground warehouse and immediately saw the dismantled "Baron" mech.

He walked forward in silence, his fingertips tracing the metal casing as if touching a work of art.

Gage was welding parts in the corner. He glanced at Xiong Er, his voice weary.

"This was brought back by the boss, but it's too intricate. I've never touched it before, so it's taking a long time to repair."

Xiong Er turned around, his eyes filled with fervor:

"You handle the virtual pod, I'll take care of the Baron. I don't think the external structural damage is too bad; it can be repaired in a few days."

Gage froze.

"Wait, you know how to fix this?"

"Ah."

Xiong Er nodded, but he quickly realized something was wrong and walked around the wreckage of the mecha:
"No. What about its core control unit and AI-assisted combat module? Were they all dismantled?"

Gage casually replied, "The boss said we don't need the core anymore, which will save a lot of money."

"Don't you want the core?"

Xiong Er stopped what he was doing, turned to look at him, and for the first time, confusion appeared in his raccoon eyes.

Gage shrugged: "The boss said he can just go in and do it."

Xiong Er froze completely.

He looked at Gage with the eyes of someone looking at a madman, his tone incredulous.

“Your boss is messing around, so don’t join in. This isn’t a toy that you can turn on by hand; it’s a direct bioelectric signal connection. Forcing it to start could really kill someone.”

He paused, his voice becoming deeper.

"Once connected to the nerve fiber bundle, the mech's sensor data stream will be directly fed into the pilot's brain."

"And the core is a filter. Without it filtering signals, your brain will be steamed on the spot."

"The best outcome is to become a vegetable."

He stated the most terrifying consequences in a calm, factual tone.

Hua Sheng, who was working quietly nearby, glanced at Xiong Er and then quietly left.

The eldest son is practically in a vegetative state now.
Gage shook his head: "I don't really understand either. The boss just said he has his own way."

Upon hearing this, Xiong Er stopped trying to persuade him.

After a long pause, he softly remarked, "...Interesting."

He picked up his tools and patted Gage on the shoulder:
"Hurry up and fix it. If this thing really gets going, it'll probably be more powerful than we think."

Ten days have passed.

The old badger stayed for five more days to complete all the work, greatly reducing Gage's workload.

Under his guidance, the recycling center was transformed into a true war fortress.

"The rest is up to you."

"Thank you, Master." Hua Sheng expressed his sincere admiration.

The badger nodded to him, then slung its tool bag over its shoulder and left silently.

Surprisingly, the Apocalypse Cult members didn't come, as if they had completely forgotten about this recycling center.

Everything seemed unusually calm, yet it was more unsettling than any gunfire.

Storm is coming.

　From now on, I'll combine two chapters into one, each 5 words long, which will make writing smoother.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)