Chapter 7

Su carefully inspected the passage back and forth twice, confirming there were no issues before returning to the N11 base. This meticulous approach made him very popular with large institutions like Payne Corporation, and it also helped him obtain two Payne Corporation licenses smoothly.

The handover process went smoothly, just as Tony had said. Old Anthony was a decent person; after confirming Su's results, he was very generous with the payment and had no intention of reneging. Although he was somewhat surprised by how quickly Su had completed the task.

Old Anthony did not mention the intelligent leader of the zombie nest at all, which of course did not mean he was unaware. However, compared to what Su had encountered in other settlements, Old Anthony could be considered highly trustworthy. In this regard, Tony was not wrong. As for the minor information asymmetry, it was a trivial matter in this era.

A 10 cm test tube filled with dark green liquid was the main part of Su's reward, a basic gene evolution agent. The quality of the agent produced by the N11 base laboratory was not particularly high, as this formula was more inclined to improve psionic abilities, and its effects on other ability domains were much weaker. Although the psionic domain could be considered the most widely applicable ability domain, a gene evolution agent that improved a specific ability domain was far less valuable than a stable, general-purpose agent.

As soon as Su got the agent, he could already sense that it was a semi-general agent inclined towards the psionic domain. If he found the right buyer, this less effective agent could still fetch around 4000 yuan. Although it was 20% less than the expected 5000 yuan reward, Su did not intend to quibble over this detail. Old Anthony might have just been acting out of a businessman's shrewdness. Negotiation required strength, and Su did not believe he had the power to make the N11 base, which had 20 first-stage warriors, back down.

After a preliminary inventory of his equipment and remaining money, Su bought three boxes of rifle ammunition from Tony and refilled a bottle of high-purity water. Then he quietly left the N11 base.

This mission was quite profitable. After deducting expenses and living costs, the estimated net income was around 3500 yuan, not including the half an evolution point gained from clearing the zombie nest. Since Su's abilities had reached the third stage, a zombie that could provide half an evolution point to an ordinary person gave him less than one evolution point. Of course, ordinary people would find it very difficult to survive such intense battles.

It was another sunny day.

The intense sunlight mercilessly scorched the earth, but Su's heavy cloak kept all the sunlight out. He did not walk particularly fast, but his pace was steady, and he stopped only at noon in front of a solitary house ruin. Most mutated creatures would rest in their nests during the bright daylight, so Su often chose to travel at such times, even though his abilities were more effective at night.

Su carefully inspected the villa with a missing half of its roof, confirming that there were no deadly creatures hiding inside and that it was not the den of a large carnivorous animal like an iron-armored bear. Only then did he relax.

He took out the pistol ammunition and used a 10 cm alloy file to engrave strange patterns on each bullet. These processed bullets would explode shortly after firing or upon entering a target, thus doubling their power. The loss of accuracy was not a concern for Su, who never shot from more than 30 meters away with a pistol.

Su calmly processed the bullets, one by one, seemingly never tiring or becoming bored. In no time, a box of bullets was processed, with each bullet head engraved with identical patterns, as precise as if done by a precision tool.

Su carefully stored the bullets and opened the second box, seemingly unaffected by the two hours of repetitive labor. His experience of wandering alone in the wilderness taught him that sufficient patience was essential for survival.

Suddenly, Su frowned, detecting a faint but unusual vibration in the ground. He swiftly put away the bullets and tools, grabbed his rifle, and quickly moved to the wall, peering through a crack. Throughout this process, the only sound he made was the metallic click of the rifle's bolt.

Su's rifle had no sights. The old optical sight was useless for Su, whose vision had been enhanced to the third stage. He kept it only to mislead people in settlements or bases.

Su squinted to avoid the reflection in his eyes and carefully looked outside. Being skilled in long-range shooting, he knew what could reveal his position.

Several kilometers away, a cloud of dust could be seen, indicating a convoy. The vibrations in the ground suggested that the convoy included at least one tank. Judging by the speed of the dust, the convoy was moving at about 20 km/h.

The convoy was heading towards the N11 base.

Su's heart raced. He sat quietly for a few minutes, then slowly stood up, crouched, and ran towards the N11 base at a steady 25 km/h.

Although he was not friends with the residents of the N11 base, Su decided to go and check. The N11 base gave him a warm feeling, somewhat like "home." This was a new experience, so even though he knew the N11 base's independence could not last, he still wanted to see what was happening.

With the ability to process water and possibly a hidden water source, the N11 base was the biggest piece of meat in the area. No one could resist the N11 base. It would either be eliminated or have to rely on a more powerful force like Payne Corporation to survive. After all, Turner's twenty men were not enough to defend a base that could process clean water.

Su almost arrived at the N11 base's perimeter at the same time as the convoy. He had already figured out the composition of the convoy.

At the front and back of the convoy were two old tanks. In the middle were three trucks filled with soldiers, and the most prominent was a wheeled armored command vehicle.

The convoy's target was clear. Upon arrival, the two tanks moved to the front, blocking the N11 base's exit. Over a hundred soldiers from the three trucks set up two lines of defense behind the tanks. Although these soldiers were not as capable as Turner's team, with only a few having first-stage abilities and less advanced equipment, their fivefold numbers and two tanks were enough to overwhelm the N11 base's defenses.

Several warriors jumped out of the armored command vehicle, distinguishable by their dark camouflage, modern automatic rifles, and agile, fierce movements.

Hidden a kilometer away, Su's pupils narrowed. These warriors were all second-stage, with two being third-stage! Seeing one of the third-stage warriors with a high-quality sniper rifle, Su hid even more carefully.

The soldiers in front began using a loudspeaker to call for surrender, while several special forces cautiously entered the cave. The command vehicle's top opened, and two officers stood up, surveying the hill that concealed the N11 base.

"Listen up! This is the direct guard of Roxeran Corporation! This base will now be taken over by Roxeran Corporation. You have three minutes to open the base gates and surrender. The base facilities must remain intact! Otherwise, you will be responsible for the consequences!"

As the loudspeaker's repetitive and monotonous but effective threats echoed, the cave suddenly erupted with dense, muffled gunfire. Although far away, Su immediately recognized the sound of the base's automatic defense platform. Soon, several special forces retreated from the cave, two fewer than when they entered, and their packages were missing.

A moment later, a massive explosion shook the hill, sending a cloud of smoke and debris into the air. The hillside cracked and crumbled, and almost half the slope was blown away!

Debris rained down, hitting the tanks and the prone warriors. The Roxeran Corporation warriors, equipped with helmets and bulletproof vests, were mostly unharmed. Despite the shockwave that lifted the command vehicle a meter off the ground, the two officers stood straight, as if nailed to the vehicle.

After the hillside was blown away, the N11 base's gates were exposed. The automatic defense platforms outside the gates were gone, and the gear-shaped gates had collapsed inward, exposing the traction mechanism. Another explosion or a few direct hits from the tanks would open the base gates. Although the gates were sturdy, the explosion's power was not enough to destroy them so thoroughly, but somehow, the gates were damaged.

At this moment, an unexpected event occurred. The intense vibrations reached a kilometer away, causing a row of abandoned two-story buildings to collapse. Su, who was on the roof, had to jump down and land lightly on the ground.

As soon as he revealed himself, the two officers on the command vehicle noticed him! They simultaneously raised their binoculars and looked in his direction. The elite warriors around the command vehicle also spotted Su and aimed their guns, but only the third-stage sniper with the Carterov RF1000 sniper rifle posed a real threat at 1200 meters.

Su landed, immediately knelt, and set up his long rifle, aiming at the third-stage sniper. The ground continued to tremble, and the shockwave's strong wind whipped his cloak. However, his rifle did not waver. When the shockwave hit, Su saw the sniper's barrel move slightly.

Su's pupils contracted into a cross, but he did not pull the trigger.

At this distance, without any optical sights, Su recognized one of the officers on the command vehicle as the woman who had burst into his room that night—Lige!

The woman wore a crisp high-ranking officer's uniform with a shining gold star on her shoulder, her short hair tied under a beret, and her face was cold, her eyes flashing with a killing intent. At that moment, Lige was a ruthless military commander, far from the drunken and seductive woman from that night.

The officer next to her pointed at Su and shouted, "Kill that man!"

The third-stage sniper responded, tightening his finger on the trigger and beginning his final aim.

Su remained statue-like, his green eyes magnifying the sniper's movements, even the slight muscle twitches on his face. Su did not shoot first; at this distance, he could shoot and dodge if the sniper showed any signs of firing. Moreover, he had a strong intuition that he should not shoot first.

"Stop!" Lige immediately ordered, pressing down the officer's hand.

The sniper, recognizing the true commander, immediately released the trigger. The heavy pressure on his heart suddenly vanished.

"Sir, that man is suspicious. He seems to have been following us, and he appears to be a sniper. It's better to kill him..." The officer did not agree with Lige's order.

Lige coldly interrupted him, "I said let him go! Don't provoke him!"

"But..." The officer was not easily convinced.

Lige's face darkened, "Do you want to challenge my order for the third time? Answer me, Lieutenant Colonel!"

The officer snapped to attention and loudly replied, "I fully obey your order! General!"

Despite being young, brave, and having a good military talent, the officer did not dare challenge her authority a third time. Although he keenly sensed some undisclosed relationship between Lige and the distant sniper, the burning jealousy did not cloud his judgment, especially after Lige's third reiteration. In Roxeran Corporation, besides his outstanding military talent, everyone knew Lige's decisiveness, ruthlessness, and lack of scruples on the battlefield. She allowed her subordinates to question any of her orders, but only twice. Anyone who tried a third time never left the battlefield alive.

The plan to annex the N11 base was typical of her style—no chance for peaceful negotiation, just a direct assault with a large amount of high explosives to blast open the base gates, followed by so-called negotiations. In Lige's view, a turtle without its shell had no bargaining power. After the gates were blown open, the remaining people in the N11 base had two choices: unconditional surrender, becoming slaves or free people depending on her mood, or death if they resisted.

Lige glanced at the elite warriors around the command vehicle and coldly said, "Put down your guns! Do I need to repeat myself?"

The elite warriors immediately put down their weapons, knowing that executing her orders required absolute obedience, with no extra movements or words that could be misinterpreted. On the battlefield, Lige was a butcher, to both enemies and allies.

After subduing her subordinates, she looked at Su in the distance. By intuition, despite the distance and lack of sights, she knew Su could see every expression on her face.

She raised her hand, pointing at Su, a faint, ambiguous smile on her lips, her eyes bright as if they could shoot fire. She believed Su could understand her meaning.

"You will be mine eventually!" her left eye said.

"I will catch you!" her right eye said.

Su remained silent, not thinking about what might happen in that hypothetical scenario. He put away his modified rifle and disappeared into the ruins of the wilderness.

Lige turned to her adjutant, her face still wearing that ambiguous, desire-filled smile, making the adjutant's eyes almost blaze with fire.

She extended her left hand and lightly touched the adjutant's forehead, saying, "I know you're not convinced. But at this distance, he can easily blow your head off!"

The adjutant's face was pale, not believing that anyone could hit a target 1200 meters away without a sight. However, his peripheral vision suddenly caught the third-stage sniper he relied on. The sniper, half-kneeling, was pale, drenched in sweat, and only the support of his sniper rifle kept him from collapsing.

At this moment, the adjutant was truly astonished. He knew how many battles the sniper had fought and his glorious record. A veteran who had crawled out of a pile of corpses, using a Carterov RF1000 sniper rifle against an old, sightless modified rifle, and the standoff lasted less than a minute, how could he be so exhausted? This seemed inexplicable.

The new era had too many inexplicable things, and this was just one of them.

The adjutant's face remained pale, not challenging Lige's authority on the battlefield, but it did not mean he feared her. In the company, his backing was higher than Lige's.

The scorching sun finally disappeared behind the clouds, and the sky began to darken, gradually enveloping the ubiquitous ruins in darkness, another starless, moonless night.

4960