Chapter 70: Cleaning the Battlefield

North Gate of the Outpost.

A burly man, standing on a wooden stool with a rope around his neck, was weeping and begging for mercy.

His name was Badger.

But at this moment, he looked pitiful, like a worm.

"Please, don't kill me. I've told you everything you want to know. You said you would let me go!"

The players nearby felt a bit sorry for him and whispered among themselves.

"Isn't this too cruel?"

"Yeah... This guy has surrendered. Maybe he can become one of us."

"A bit of a waste."

However, Chu Guang's expression did not change at all because of the burly man's pleas.

The outpost had no cells to hold captives, and keeping them in the shelter was even more unrealistic. It was foreseeable that no merchants interested in slaves would pass by here throughout the winter. Keeping these three captives would only waste food and bring hidden dangers.

As for information?

What he had learned from them was not much different from what he had deduced.

Chu Guang had never promised to spare their lives if they confessed.

These raiders, one and all, had committed heinous crimes. Hanging was the most merciful punishment for them.

"Go to hell and repent."

Seeing no hope of survival, the burly man's face twisted, and he began to curse.

"You scum! Liar! I won't let you off even in hell! Wait, the leader will avenge me. He will hang you on a lamppost and make you watch your people being slaughtered and raped!"

Before he could say anything worse, Chu Guang, tired of listening to his nonsense, kicked the stool out from under the burly man's feet.

With a snap, the man named Badger ended his sinful life on the makeshift gallows of Outpost 404.

The gallows' makers, Ward and Yar, stood at a distance, their eyes wide.

Neither of them had ever thought that the gallows they made for fun would actually be used one day.

Looking at the hanging corpse, their faces turned pale, but not too pale.

After all, this was a game.

But the expression on the hanged man's face was too grotesque.

It looked like a real dead person.

"This game is always so realistic in strange details."

"Sin, sin, Amitabha."

Standing not far away, Teng Teng felt a bit melancholic.

"War."

She was a casual player who didn't enjoy the thrill of battle. Of course, this was also related to her intelligence-based attributes and her short legs that couldn't run fast.

Thinking about this made her feel depressed.

Was this fair?

Not at all!

"Not a problem! Big sister will protect you!"

Yaya chuckled, intending to pat her on the shoulder but accidentally placed her hand on Teng Teng's head.

Teng Teng's face turned black, and she clenched her fists.

"Touch me again, and I'll punch you."

Yaya quickly let go, panicking.

"Uh? No, I didn't mean to, I was trying to—"

"Enough, enough, stop talking."

The nearby players chattered, discussing when the next wave of attacks would come and how much stronger they would be.

Confirming that the man on the gallows was dead.

Chu Guang looked at the two players closest to him, took out five copper coins from his pocket, and threw them into their hands.

"Carry these three bodies to the morgue, strip them, and throw them with the other raiders' bodies."

"Once the generator is assembled, send them to the active substance extractor for processing."

The two players came to their senses and nodded immediately.

"Yes, Administrator!"

...

Assembling the generator did not take long.

Many of the players had excellent hands-on skills. Even though they couldn't read the instructions, they managed to put all the parts together by understanding the structure of the generator and a few diagrams.

The entire power generation system consisted of two parts: a wood gasifier and a gas-powered thermal generator.

The former was simple in structure, essentially a sealed column with a lid on top.

As wood was fed from the top, it first dried out and then decomposed due to the internal heat, partially burning in the limited oxygen.

This process produced a lot of heat and formed a layer of hot charcoal at the bottom of the sealed column, which reacted with the steam and other flammable gases produced by the decomposition, ultimately forming a mixture of flammable gases rich in hydrogen, methane, and carbon monoxide.

This was not particularly advanced technology. During World War II, the German army used similar wood gasifiers to power some of their tanks when fuel was scarce.

Generally, 3-4 kilograms of wood was equivalent to 1 liter of gasoline, but the exact consumption depended on the type, density, and dryness of the wood, so it couldn't be generalized.

However, the amount of wood consumed didn't really matter. The outpost had plenty of wood, and all that was needed was someone to clear the waste and feed the wood into the system.

This generator could provide a stable 10 kW of power to the outpost. Even at full load, it consumed less than 10 kilograms of wood per hour, making it very cost-effective.

The generator started running successfully, and the nearby players cheered.

Their outpost finally had electricity!

Many tasks that were previously impossible could now be carried out.

"I'll go dig up some wires!"

"Will the wires from 200 years ago still work?"

"The insulated ones should work. If not, we can melt them and make new ones. I'll think of a way to make a transformer and voltage stabilizer. Then we can use an electric furnace for steel smelting."

"Awesome!"

Listening to the players' conversations, Chu Guang felt very pleased.

The active substance extractor, which had been covered in a thick layer of dust, finally started working, extracting active substances from the bodies fed into the furnace.

From ten bodies, they recovered about four units, finally making up for the deficit caused by a small player.

"Is the battle over? Did we win?" Xia Yan, waiting by the elevator, asked as Chu Guang approached.

Chu Guang replied casually.

"Didn't win, it wouldn't be me."

Xia Yan continued to ask.

"Were those people from the Blood Hand Clan?"

Chu Guang glanced at her.

"You know?"

"Not necessarily, but they are the most famous in the northern suburbs of Qingquan City."

Making a helpless expression, Xia Yan warned.

"Be careful. This time, they might not have sent many, but they are not as weak as they seem. A merchant, probably seeking revenge or something, hired a team of twenty mercenaries from Boulder City. Do you know what happened?"

"I don't like guessing. Just tell me."

"Alright... In the end, only one person escaped, and he lost an arm," Xia Yan said, taking a deep breath. "The mercenary team was well-equipped and had good combat skills, including two former professional soldiers from the Boulder City militia. But fighting raiders is different from fighting mutants, especially in the city."

"They set up iron can landmines, bait bombs, lured the feeders into shops from the subway entrances, and even tamed mutated hyenas... According to the survivor, the battle was like a nightmare. They faced feeders who could shoot, take cover, support, and ambush."

Whether it was a DIY pipe rifle or the most advanced assault rifle, hitting a vital spot was a one-shot kill. Even if they missed, it was just another shot.

The mercenaries from Boulder City were not regular soldiers and couldn't afford the best armor. Most had wire frames with steel plates to protect vital areas, and only a few could afford exoskeletons and full-body bulletproof armor.

"Maybe those mercenaries underestimated them." Chu Guang said casually.

"Maybe. People from Boulder City tend to look down on the countryside."

"Like you?"

Xia Yan looked embarrassed and quickly explained.

"Of course not me."

Chu Guang smiled, not caring.

Although he hadn't been to Boulder City, the admiration in the Bet Street survivors' eyes when they talked about it made it easy to understand the sense of superiority.

After all, it was the only "city" in Qingquan and the last "place of order" in the area.

People living there, even if they were poor, were still above those outside.

"By the way, why don't you seem scared?"

"What's there to be scared of? You tore apart a crawler. How could you lose to them? Plus, you have so many people here," Xia Yan looked at Chu Guang strangely, not understanding why he asked such a strange question, "Why are you so nervous? From the gunfire, there were only about seven or eight people, and it was in an open area."

"..."

Emmm...

That makes sense.

Chu Guang didn't know how to argue.

...

Night fell.

In the abandoned tire factory in the northern suburbs of Qingquan City.

Looking at the man kneeling on the steps, Bear, leaning back in his chair, said lazily.

"How's Badger doing? Did he bring back the loot?"

According to tribal tradition, the one who captured the loot had the right to enjoy it first.

After bringing it back, everyone would share it, without distinction.

Usually, if they captured a survivor stronghold, the raiding team would stay a while, have some fun, like a party or a cat-and-mouse game, and loot some more.

As the clan leader, Bear understood his subordinates.

But it was already dark, and they shouldn't have taken this long.

"...No news yet." The man on the steps pressed his forehead to the ground, not daring to move an inch.

"No news?"

Bear's caterpillar-like eyebrows furrowed, and a hint of displeasure appeared on his face. "I remember they left in the morning."

"Yes."

"Too slow."

Bear's face darkened as he stared at the man on the steps. "Send someone to check. If they meet them on the way, urge them to hurry. If your people get there and they haven't left, come back and tell me."

"Yes!"

Watching Hacha walk out of the tent, Bear stroked his beard, feeling inexplicably irritable.

A stronghold of thirty survivors, how could it take so long?

Did something happen?

But that was unlikely.

Shaking his head, Bear decided not to think about it and stood up from his chair.

Even if the target was tough, Badger's alertness would have allowed him to escape.

The lack of news could only mean one thing: they were having too much fun or taking their time looting.

Bear relaxed, feeling much better.

Especially when he thought about the almost broken "toy" lying in the room, a chilling smile appeared on his rough, ugly face.

This winter wouldn't be boring.