Chapter 88

"Most of the debris on the roads near the safe base has been cleared, and some of the roads have been repaired over the past few days. We can drive in, take a detour through the forest, and then get on the highway. I'll turn the mecha into a pickup truck, and we'll drive into the city. We can hide them in the truck," the scavenger said after a moment's thought.

In the past, vehicles were not allowed in the safe base, not because of the safe base's laws, but because the roads inside were not well-maintained, with potholes everywhere, making it easier to walk than to drive.

Since the city-building mission was announced, this situation has changed a lot. The roads in the safe base have been repaired, and even some of the roads outside the city have been cleared. Traffic lights have been installed at some major intersections, and there are even traffic police patrolling some sections, making it more like a real city.

"That's a good idea. Let's do it. However, once we leave the debris, our surveillance cameras won't be able to help us anymore. To take a detour back, we'll need you to lead the way," the scavenger said. At this point, they had already moved a considerable distance away from the debris that could be monitored, so the surveillance cameras could no longer help the team track the movements of the monsters.

"You seem to have overlooked a problem," Lei Gong said from the side.

"What problem?"

"Are they willing to go back with us?" Lei Gong pointed to the werewolf and Sang Sang, who had returned to their original forms. The scavenger and the others were taken aback. Yes, they had only been thinking about bringing them into the safe base, but whether they were willing to go in was still a question.

"Are you willing to go back with us?" The scavenger was taken aback, then looked at the werewolf, and finally fixed his gaze on Sang Sang.

"Are you really willing to help us?" The werewolf looked at Sang Sang in silence, while Sang Sang looked at the scavenger with fear, then at Tao Hua Yan, who was sweating and eating an apple, and said in a hoarse voice. The hoarseness felt a bit like the discomfort of speaking after a long silence, with a hint of something else.

"The main quest I received has changed from bringing you back to finding the truth about the case from years ago, because I let you go last time. And I killed a human injected with werewolf genes in the safe base, earning this medal," the scavenger showed the初级猎手 (初级猎手 means "初级猎手" in Chinese, which translates to "初级 Hunter" or "Junior Hunter" in English) medal on his chest.

Although the game is designed to be as close to reality as possible, there are still some differences. For example, if the Junior Hunter medal were just a medal in reality, it would only be a symbol of honor with no other functions. In the game, however, the scavenger not only gained the Insight Eye skill but also felt a warm current enter his body when he wore the medal, increasing all his attributes by 11%. When he took it off, he felt as if something was being drawn out of his body, a very peculiar sensation.

"If you help us, I can tell you the truth about what happened back then. But you can't harm Da Mao," the little girl seemed to make a decision, her face showing a determined look as she spoke. It was strange to see such determination on an eight-year-old girl.

"Da Mao, is that the werewolf? Don't worry, I won't harm you. Otherwise, why would I save you?" The scavenger glanced at the werewolf, trying to make his expression as gentle and trustworthy as possible.

"You need to catch Sang Bo. He's a big bad guy. Because of him, I can never grow up. They also wanted to take Da Mao for experiments. Later, the villagers found out. They brought in many werewolves and werewolf mechas and killed everyone in the village," Sang Sang's face showed fear, and her body trembled.

"Using werewolves for experiments, bringing in many werewolf mechas and werewolves to kill everyone in the village?" The scavenger raised an eyebrow, thinking about the changes in Sang Shan and the werewolf's hatred when he saw the scavenger in the werewolf mecha. But what kind of experiment could make a little girl never grow up? The scavenger was confused.

He looked at his main quest on the task panel, which had become bright from its previous gray state. The requirement had changed from investigating the truth about the case to investigating Sang Bo's background, but there were still no additional clues, leaving the scavenger unsure how to proceed.

"Can you tell me more about what happened back then?" The scavenger asked after a moment's thought.

"I... I don't know what happened. I only know that I fell asleep. When I woke up, they wanted to take Da Mao and me to a place. I refused and wanted to find my mom. They tried to take us by force, but the villagers found out. Da Mao took me and ran away. Later, I found out that everyone in the village was killed. After that, many people tried to catch me, and Da Mao kept taking me on the run."

"Who are 'they'?"

"Werewolves like Da Mao who can transform, people like you in mechas, and people with animal heads. There were many of them."

"Captain, come over here." Tao Hua Yan, who had been watching the little girl, felt a bit sorry for her, but the computer in his hand suddenly captured an image, and he called the scavenger over.

"Who is this?"

"Kaplin, the mentalist from the Blue Bay River, where is his big spider?" Kan Tu, who had joined them, said in surprise.

Yes, it was Kaplin, the mentalist the scavenger had met in the Blue Bay River. Kaplin walked into the debris the scavenger had just escaped from without any obstacles, and all the monsters gave way to him. Kaplin walked smoothly into the building the scavenger had cleared and disappeared from the surveillance camera after passing through the first-floor staircase.

"Basement, there's a basement under this building. The boss of this debris we've been looking for might be in the basement," Tao Hua Yan's face showed a hint of regret. When they entered the building, they had only thought about installing surveillance cameras on the roof to monitor the entire debris area, but they had overlooked the basement.

"Pete said Kaplin was one of the police officers investigating the case from years ago. It seems there's a hidden secret between him and Sang Bo. The monsters that shouldn't be in this debris are here to stop the city-building plan of the safe base. Kaplin must be an important figure," the scavenger said with a serious expression.

"Can we capture him and ask him?"

Tao Hua Yan adjusted the surveillance camera at the first-floor staircase to monitor the entrance to the basement. When they entered the building, they had cleared the first floor of monsters and didn't notice any monsters coming from the basement. So the surveillance camera was mainly focused on the outside of the main door. They had gone directly to the second floor without checking the basement, which was a regret for the team. If they had found and eliminated the boss earlier, they might not have had to flee.

"Let's go into the forest first." The scavenger felt very regretful that the target they had been looking for was in the basement of that building. But seeing the pursuing monsters still in sight, he patted Tao Hua Yan's shoulder.

Lei Gong didn't stay behind but led Tao Hua Yan, the werewolf, and the little girl into the forest. The forest was dangerous, and they needed an experienced person to lead the way. The scavenger and Kan Tu stayed behind to cover the rear.

"Captain, can you help with something after this mission?" Kan Tu looked relaxed, not showing the panic he used to feel when seeing monsters or the tendency to fire his gun wildly. Although Kan Tu's close-combat skills still needed improvement, he was much better than before.

"What is it?"

"U You Jing Ran and the others received a task they can't complete and want me to help. The task is a bit difficult, and I'm not confident doing it alone," Kan Tu scratched his head, a bit embarrassed.

His embarrassment wasn't because he felt ashamed for not being able to complete a task after learning for so long. It was because he felt awkward about introducing the scavenger to U You Jing Ran. In real life, Kan Tu knew U You Jing Ran, and he knew that after the last battle with the Earthworm King, U You Jing Ran had logged off and seemed to have cried. Although she didn't say anything about it afterward, Kan Tu had a feeling it was related to the scavenger.

"What task?"

"Monsters are coming, we'll talk later." As Kan Tu was about to answer, a wild boar grunted and charged toward them. The scavenger turned and jumped into the mecha. Kan Tu put his thoughts aside and started fighting.

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