Chapter 28

As they delved deeper, the ruins around them began to change. At first, they could still see some reinforced concrete structures, but now what Wang Fusheng could see was an endless expanse of metal ruins, and the sound of metal grinding against metal filled his ears.

"This is the place. No doubt about it." The gambler jumped off the pickup truck, his spirit already restored after the rest. In front of them was a pile of metal still flickering with electric sparks. The mechanical dogs around them were larger than those outside. A large metal frame with some coverings around it looked like a dilapidated container. The mechanical dogs beside the container were more densely packed, clearly indicating the location of the boss.

"Do you have any information on the boss?" The group had already put on their communication headsets; typing on electronic devices during battles was too slow and there was no time to look.

"No, this is the first time we're killing this boss. It's like a new challenge, and we have no information at all." The gambler shook his head.

"Where are you, Scavenger?" It was already six in the evening, and Peach Eyes had logged in.

"I'm fighting the boss with others. Can we start the main quest a bit later?" Wang Fusheng recalled the main quest they had agreed to start yesterday.

"No problem, but be careful. We're in a bit of trouble this time."

"What kind of trouble?"

"Check the system's bounty tasks, specifically the ones from Hope City."

System tasks are divided into two types: one is automatically generated to help players level up, and the other is targeted, such as clearing mutated beasts, which gives players points and additional rewards for killing monsters.

For named bosses and player-issued material acquisition or monster-killing bounties, these are targeted tasks. Hearing Peach Eyes' words, Wang Fusheng looked at the bounty tasks on his electronic device, focusing on Hope City, and his expression changed.

The highest bounty task in Hope City was a wanted notice. Two light missiles were stolen from a transport aircraft in Hope City, and the city's authorities were offering a 500-point merit reward for accurate information on the thief. If the two missiles could be found and returned, the merit reward would be 1000 points.

Merit points are harder to obtain and more useful than regular points. In the game "Fate," the level system is based on military ranks, which are divided into nominal and actual ranks. Nominal ranks are accumulated through points, and while they sound impressive, they carry no real power.

Actual ranks, on the other hand, grant military authority at certain levels. There are six levels of privates, and players who want to establish their own forces must pay attention to accumulating merit and reputation when they become non-commissioned officers, as these are required for applying to form armies and build cities.

Killing ordinary bosses can earn merit and reputation, such as the reputation Wang Fusheng gained from killing the werewolf yesterday. Some system-assigned tasks also offer merit rewards, but they are usually small, around 10 or 20 points. A sudden 500 or 1000 points would definitely drive players crazy.

"Damn, they're really generous. I almost want to turn myself in." Wang Fusheng said, somewhat speechless. He had thought that Hope City, after suffering a minor loss, would not make a big deal out of it, as such matters are not good to publicize in real life. However, the city had issued a wanted notice, which he did not expect.

Actually, Wang Zhongxiang had no choice. The robbery of the transport aircraft had happened two days ago, and all suspicious individuals had been investigated, but no clues were found. Not only were the two missing missiles not found, but the core data stolen by the Blade Emperor was even more concerning. Although Wang Zhongxiang used this incident to clean up some corrupt elements in the army, he could not sleep well, as the specific losses could not be quantified. After much consideration, he directly applied to the system for a wanted notice, hoping that the high reward might lead to some clues.

"You're right, I also want to turn myself in. 1000 merit points, that's worth more than 1000 regular points. Players nowadays might not earn that much merit in a week."

"You can't be tempted by money and turn yourself in. Even if you do, don't drag me along." Wang Fusheng was clearing the monsters while chatting with Peach Eyes, showing no signs of strain.

"That's what I was about to say to you." Peach Eyes replied, "What boss are you fighting, and how much longer will it take?"

"It's a mechanical boss, a machine dog in District D. We just arrived near the boss and are clearing the smaller monsters. I haven't seen the boss yet, so I don't know how long it will take."

"Machine dog? Wait a moment." Peach Eyes said, and about a minute later, he sent another message: "Machine dogs drop the design blueprint for an energy furnace, which is very valuable. Who are you fighting with, and can you get the blueprint?"

The energy furnace is the power system of a mech, similar to a car's engine. It is essential for a mechanic to build a mech, and the energy furnaces sold by the system are very basic. High-level energy furnaces need to be obtained by killing monsters or researching.

"I'm fighting with the team that competed for the boss with us yesterday. They are probably after the energy furnace blueprint. I'll see if I can get some other benefits. We don't have a mechanic, so the blueprint won't be useful to us."

"That's true, but be careful. You killed their people yesterday, and now you're working with them. Watch out for them to backstab you."

"Right, I know. You go do something else first. We'll start the quest after we kill the boss."

Wang Fusheng wasn't worried about the Violent Squad backstabbing him. A soldier's pride wouldn't allow a qualified soldier to do such a despicable thing. If the Violent Squad did, it would only mean that Wang Fusheng had misjudged them, and there would be nothing to say.

The machine dogs near the boss had even harder shells. The outer machine dogs could be killed with Wang Fusheng's sniper rifle without armor-piercing rounds, but here, a single shot without armor-piercing rounds couldn't penetrate the metal on the machine dogs' foreheads.

The speed and strength of the machine dogs had also increased, especially the electric current, which was starting to heat up some of the internal coils of the mech, accelerating its wear and tear. If the internal conductors melted due to high temperatures, the entire mech would be ruined.

Wang Fusheng's expression became more serious as he engaged the machine dogs. After a few encounters, his mech was bitten several times. Although the cockpit was insulated, Wang Fusheng could feel the temperature rising in the mech.

Therefore, Wang Fusheng began to maneuver the mech to avoid attacks, trying not to let the machine dogs hit it. This required more complex operations than simply relying on the mech's metal shell to charge through. The requirements for the operator were higher, but Wang Fusheng still handled it with ease.

While Wang Fusheng, the bandit, and the thief were clearing the smaller monsters around the boss, the gambler was covering the area, and the bandit was setting up mines around the container. Any class could set mines, but for gunners, it was a skill, while other classes had to do it manually.

Although the effects and appearance of the mines were the same, the time required to set them was different. For example, Wang Fusheng had to dig a hole, bury the mine, and then camouflage it and set the safety, step by step. However, gunners didn't need to do this.

Even though the area where gunners set mines could be observed carefully to spot some irregularities, similar to those left by manual placement, the bandit didn't need to dig holes. With the mines stored in his gunner's space, he could use a skill to quickly and efficiently bury them in the designated location.

"I'll mark the mine locations on the map. Be careful during the battle." When Wang Fusheng's group had cleared the smaller monsters, the bandit's minefield was also set up. Not all the mines would be stepped on, so they needed to be cautious during the boss fight.

"What kind of mines did you set?" Wang Fusheng asked curiously. He had seen hand grenades in the game, but not landmines.

"Anti-personnel mines, with a 5-meter effective range and 150 attack power. Each one costs 100 points. I'm really investing a lot to kill this boss." The bandit said, somewhat regretfully.

150 attack power wasn't fatal to the machine dogs; it would just deform their bodies and reduce their combat effectiveness. So, 100 points for a single explosion was indeed a luxury for players.

"Why not use anti-tank mines? They would probably be more effective against these metal monsters." Wang Fusheng asked casually.

"Do you think I don't want to? The cheapest ones cost 500 points each. Do you think the system is my father, and I have unlimited points?" The bandit rolled his eyes.

500 points could buy G5-level weapons and equipment for players, and using them for one-time consumables was not just a matter of being generous; it required the means.

"There are only two anti-tank mines in here, and I've marked them. We'll keep a distance from the boss and try to make it step on the mines to maximize their effect, otherwise, it will be a waste."

Recommendations, recommendations, I beg for recommendations! I need the motivation to update more, and I'm ready to burst, but where is the motivation? ... In the recommendations!

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