Chapter 276 The famous "Death Corps"

   Outside Changjiu Farm.

   Parked about twenty people and six two-headed oxen loaded with goods.

  The person at the head should be a merchant, and there are a few mercenaries next to the team, and the rest of the people who are chained to their hands and feet are probably slaves.

  Looking blankly at everything in front of him, Sun Shiqi's eyes were filled with dullness, and he almost thought he was hallucinating.

   "This is... the northern suburbs?"

A person-high wooden fence is entwined with iron wires, and behind it are the trafficked streets and neat brick and wooden houses. Pedestrians come and go on the street, including children playing, vendors selling things, or people who are going to work in the fields old farmer.

  Most of the local residents wear jackets made of hyena skins, but recently the weather has warmed up, and many people have wrapped jackets around their waists, and some wealthy people have already changed into cloth clothes.

   Looking up and looking further away, there are tall concrete walls and sentry towers, on which stood soldiers in black military uniforms with rifles on their backs.

  Looking at the thriving town in front of him, Sun Shiqi took out the map and double-checked that he did not go the wrong way.

  However, it was precisely because of this that he couldn't believe his eyes even more.

   "Weird..."

  Sun Shiqi kept muttering in his mouth.

   "Where did such a large survivor colony come from?"

  He came here twice before winter last year.

  At that time, he was still a poor and white businessman, leading a two-headed cow to make a living in the wasteland, and made a small fortune by doing business with the blue coats in the park.

Having earned the principal, he seized the historical opportunity of the continuous turmoil in the River Valley Province, sold the slaves in Honghe Town to the Jinchuan Province in the south, and bought grain and two-headed cattle from the farmers there. Garbage City and Honghe Town have gradually grown to their current scale.

Recently, the slave owners in Honghe Town and their regular customers fought fiercely on the garbage mountain. Sun Shiqi, who had just returned from Jinchuan Province, immediately sensed a chance to make a fortune, and without a word The livestock were replaced by slaves and mines, and they planned to go to Boulder City to buy a batch of "good things".

However, what puzzled Sun Shiqi was that he remembered that when he came here last year, it was still a deserted place, with weeds and bushes filled with soil slopes and mud pits, and there were even a group of murderous monsters living beside the road out of the city. Where did they come from? What kind of village with thousands of people and endless farmland?

  At the gate of the village stood two guards with rifles on their backs.

  Sun Shiqi stared at them blankly, and the two guards obviously noticed his sight and looked straight in this direction.

  The mercenary next to Sun Shiqi coughed lightly, and lowered his voice to remind him.

   "Boss, you'd better not stare at them for too long...I'm afraid we can't keep you."

   There are only four of them.

   In any case, it is impossible to be the opponent of these people.

   Sun Shiqi, who came back to his senses, immediately realized his abruptness, put on an embarrassed smile, and took the initiative to resolve the misunderstanding.

   "Friend, we are merchants from Honghe Town, may I ask... where is this?"

   "Long Time Farm."

  The guard on duty pointed skillfully at the sign hanging on the door, and seemed to have answered this question countless times.

   "This is the west gate, the village where the locals live. If you are doing business, go to the north gate next door. There are trading posts and hotels there."

  Sun Shiqi said thank you, and hurriedly left here with his team, turned back along the way they came, and detoured to the north gate where they were supposed to go.

  Compared to the village I saw before, the situation here is even more surprising.

   Not only are the streets more spacious, but the staggered and identical roads are also paved with cement. The several hotels, taverns, and post houses along the street should have just been built, and they look well-repaired.

  Sun Shiqi walked to the nearest hotel to the trading post.

  The house here is big enough, and there is a cowshed for tying animals in the backyard, especially the few people hovering at the door are out of tune with the surrounding environment. It is obvious that they are merchants who come here to do business like themselves.

  The sign at the entrance of the hotel is scrawled with the word [Highway], which probably means road hotel.

  The waiter standing at the door saw a group of people coming this way, and enthusiastically helped them lead the two-headed cow into the cowshed.

   "Does the guest eat or stay?"

   "Stay in a hotel."

  Sun Shiqi threw a dinar to the young man as a tip, and told the mercenaries to watch the goods in the cowshed until he came back, and then walked into the shop alone.

The space in the store looks as spacious as the outside, the wooden stairs and floors still have the smell of the forest, there are a few rows of wooden tables on the first floor, the back kitchen is busy, and a few customers are sitting in the corner eating Noodles still smell weird.

  The old man sitting behind the counter raised his eyes and squeezed out a reassuring smile on his wrinkled face.

   "Welcome, guests from afar, stay in hotel or eat?"

  Sun Shiqi stared at him for a while, his eyes suddenly showed surprise.

   "Are you... Hook of Highway?!"

  The old man gave him a surprised look.

"you know me?"

  Sun Shiqi smiled and said: "Of course I recognize it, have you forgotten? I bought resin from you last year...but why did you come here to open a shop? Where are your people?"

"This store was jointly opened by people from our town. You said the Camus tree... I really miss it." The cloudy pupils brought a bit of nostalgia, but if Old Hook was asked to go back to plant trees, he would definitely not dry.

  Those camu trees have been transplanted to the planting area in the west, and a few boys from the town are helping him take care of them.

  He, Ye Xiao and his father partnered to open this hotel. Originally, Ye Xiao should also be in the hotel, but the young man couldn't stay idle, so he insisted on going to serve as a soldier. He seems to have been transferred to Yuanxi Town on duty recently.

  Sun Shiqi glanced around and felt that the environment here was not bad, and the shopkeeper was an acquaintance—although the old man didn't seem to remember him at all.

   "Let's stay for one night first... How do I pay?"

   "10 silver coins for one night, plus meals."

   "Silver coins?" Sun Shiqi was stunned for a moment, "Can't dinars or CR work?"

"It's okay, but you have to take it to a trading post or a bank to exchange for silver coins. From here to Yuanxi Town is the territory of the Lord Manager, and we don't want to offend that respectable Lord. It is his grace to open a shop here, Not to mention that he is our benefactor."

   Seeing Sun Shiqi's embarrassment, Old Hook smiled and said, "You don't have to rush to pay, just settle the bill when you leave."

  Jiujiu Farm has not been opened to the outside world for a month, so it is naturally impossible to have guests with silver coins in their pockets.

  One kilogram of double-headed beef costs 7~8 silver coins, and a double-headed cow costs at least 1,200 catties. Whether it is sold to a farm or a slaughterhouse, it can be exchanged for a lot of money.

  Hooker is not worried about them being unable to pay the bill at all. If they really cannot pay, he can also help introduce buyers for them.

  Sun Shiqi glanced at the menu on the counter, and knew the prices here.

   "Give me five rooms."

  Old Hook who opened the ledger glanced outside.

   "Five rooms? Isn't there more than forty people outside?"

  Sun Shiqi said casually.

   "That's my slave."

"Slaves... that's really not suitable for living in the hotel," Old Hook ticked off several consecutive room numbers on the ledger, "Your room is at the end of the corridor on the second floor. Just to remind you, Beijiao Forbidden."

  Sun Shiqi was slightly taken aback, and his expression immediately became tense.

   "Slave ban? Wait...how come I haven't heard of this?"

  If slavery is prohibited here, then his itinerary may have to be adjusted a bit.

"I haven't heard that it's normal. After all, you are here for the first time. The site run by the blue coats will have some strange rules. But don't be too nervous. This place only prohibits slaves, illegal detention, violence and illegal human trading. Have you noticed the trading post next door? You can store your slaves there, and you will be charged 5 silver coins per person per day. No contact is allowed during the storage period, and you can take them with you when you leave."

"Of course, I recommend you to sell directly to the trading post. The price they give is not bad, and they don't force you if you don't want to sell. But don't blame me for not reminding you that slavery is not recognized here, only 'limited ownership' is recognized. So it's best not to wander the streets with slaves, and don't try to take them into the city, and don't beat them with whips or sticks, the guards will not only fine you, but also send you in for two days."

  The slaves bought by the trading post will be sent to the prisoner-of-war camp for a period of time, but their status is not prisoners of war, but "supervised persons".

When they earn enough money to redeem themselves through labor, learn at least one skill for making a living, and can proficiently recite the Basic Law, they will soon regain their status as free citizens, even obtain household registration, and be assigned to factories or assigned to field.

   This usually doesn't take long.

  If it is fast, it will take three to four months, if it is slow, it will be only one year.

  Old Hook didn’t know why the manager made such a troublesome operation, but it was a smart idea after thinking about it carefully.

  Most of the merchants in the wasteland have done slave trading, and a complete ban will not work. They can choose not to come here. Buying it and releasing it directly will easily lead some people to take advantage of the loopholes of the system, such as selling themselves, or selling their wives and children.

  Sparse but not blocked, seek common ground while reserving differences, centralized supervision is a compromise solution, at least it can prevent merchants with slaves from bypassing here.

  Before hearing him mention the word manager, Sun Shiqi felt strange in his heart, but this time he heard the blue coat, and he was more convinced of his guess.

   He asked in a tone of disbelief.

   "This...is the site of Vault 404?"

   "Of course," Old Hook threw the key on the counter and gave him a strange look, "It seems that you really haven't been here for a long time."

  After giving him the key, Old Hook told him a few more words, try not to go into the city these few days, because there is a wave breaking out here.

  When he came in through the door before, Sun Shiqi did hear from several other merchants that the roads in Qingquan City are not easy to walk these days.

   When he came to the door of the backyard, Sun Shiqi happened to see his mercenary talking with a merchant.

   Seeing his boss coming out, the mercenary immediately pointed at him.

   "Our boss is there, you can tell him, I can't make the decision."

   Before Sun Shiqi could ask, the merchant greeted him and said with a friendly smile.

   "Hello! My name is Zhou Nan, a merchant from Hope Town."

  There are hundreds if not ten places in the wasteland called Hope, Dawn, Beauty, and Tomorrow. Just by hearing the place name, Sun Shiqi doesn’t know where he came from.

   But judging by his clothes and accent, he is probably south of Jinchuan.

   "Sun Shiqi, from the east...what's the matter?" Sun Shiqi looked at him and said.

   Zhou Nan continued.

"We are planning to go to Boulder City, but there is a wave breaking out there. I brought six guards, counting the two friends I just found, it is no problem to gather fifteen people, we plan to go there together, if you plan to go there too , we can be together."

  Sun Shiqi asked.

   "When are you leaving?"

  Zhou Nan replied.

   "Three days, or if there are enough people, we may go on the road earlier."

  Sun Shiqi thought for a while, but did not agree to him immediately.

  The situation in the northern suburbs of Qingquan City exceeded his expectations. Although the population here is not as large as that of Boulder City, and it is not as prosperous as Boulder City, the potential displayed here is surprising.

  For a businessman, it is the same wherever he gets rich.

  He intends to explore here first, and then decide whether to continue to Boulder City.

  He came to buy weapons.

  If he can buy what he wants here, why bother to walk an extra 20 kilometers?

   And still risk the tide.

   "I'm going to take a look and decide."

   Not surprised by his answer, the businessman named Zhou Nan shrugged helplessly.

   "Okay friend, anyway, I've probably been here for the past three days. If you're interested, you can come to the hotel next to me and just give me my name."

  Sun Shiqi nodded.

   "Okay, I'm staying at the road hotel, we can have a meal together tonight."

  After saying goodbye.

  Sun Shiqi didn't waste time here.

  I threw the key to the mercenary who had been with me the longest, and told him to take some worthless packages to the room, and then I took the rest of the people and goods to the trading post next door.

  The trading post here, like the hotel on the side street, has just opened.

   Several shelter residents are also here, looking around curiously, wearing a VM to find someone to say something confusing.

  Sun Shiqi could recognize them at a glance, they were those people in the park, their demeanor and movements were carved out of the same mold.

  Although they don’t understand the language, the locals are quite respectful to them, and those blue coats are also very polite, but some of them seem a little dazed.

   Not wasting time with those who couldn't communicate, Sun Shiqi went straight to the booth closest to the door.

  The trader on duty here is a good-looking young girl, and he still prefers to find young people than to do business with those weathered old guys.

   First, it is pleasing to the eye, and second, it is easy to deceive.

  Stopping in front of the booth, Sun Shiqi looked at the girl in front of him and whistled.

   "I have a shipment here, but I want to see what you have first."

   The trader looked up at him.

   "From Honghe Town?"

  Sun Shiqi was surprised for a moment.

   "Yes, how do you know?"

  The trader smiled slightly.

   "Guess, the slave behind you can't be caught by yourself."

  Sun Shiqi coughed twice.

"How can it be…"

   It seemed that he also realized that his joke was not very funny. The trader stopped talking nonsense and skillfully handed out a tablet.

"You are here to buy a weapon. Everything is on it. I solemnly recommend you the LD-47 assault rifle. The price is only 200 silver coins. It is very useful whether it is in the jungle, desert or swamp. The 7X50mm full-power bullet can Provides you with firepower comparable to a machine gun, even if Deathclaw sees it, it will have to walk around... But I recommend you each take a step back."

"In addition, we also provide the KV-1 exoskeleton with higher strength and lighter materials, the 20mm light cavalry gun from No. 81 Steel Plant, and the 88mm mortar from Goblin Technology. If it is a large customer, we also provide 'death weapons' Screaming' rockets and a larger caliber 37mm heavy lance."

   Looking at the tablet, Sun Shiqi asked casually: "How can I become your big customer."

   The trader laughed.

"With a deposit of 1 million silver coins in the bank, they will give you a black VM, which can store and identify your identity information. As long as you wear it yourself, as long as you are in a place with a signal, you can use it to pay. "

   Sounds a bit like a bank card from Boulder.

  Sun Shiqi simply calculated and flipped through the list of goods, and silently calculated the account in his heart.

  The price of a slave is around 1000 silver coins, an LD-47 only costs 200 silver coins, and a 7mm bullet costs 1 silver coin.

   In other words, one slave can exchange for at least five assault rifles!

   And if it is in Boulder City, although weapons are also very cheap, a drone assault rifle only costs 150 chips, but the price of slaves is also not high. According to his past experience, a slave can exchange two or three guns at most.

  Ore is the same.

  I brought 2 tons of copper ore and those large and small bags of sulfur, tin ore, nickel ore, tungsten ore, molybdenum ore and other rare ores, and I went to Boulder City to exchange at most 2000~3000 chips.

   But you can get at least 8,000 silver coins here!

   After calculating the account, Sun Shiqi held his breath for a moment, his eyes wished they could become the color of silver coins... although he had never seen what silver coins looked like.

   "I have twenty slaves here, and goods full of six cows, please make a price."

   The trader asked with a smile.

   "Is the cow also sold together?"

  Sun Shiqi said quickly.

   "That's not for sale."

joke.

   After selling the cow, he used two legs to bring the goods back?

  Although the price they offer is really attractive.

   The trader standing in front of the booth quickly called in the employees of the two trading posts to take his slave's temperature, examine his teeth, fingers and toes, and weigh him.

   Those goods are the same. After careful inspection and weighing, the trader gave him a list with quotations written on it.

   There are a total of 29,724 silver coins, which is actually a thousand higher than Sun Shiqi's own estimate, and this also made him happy for a while.

   "I need 100 rifles and 9,000 rounds of ammunition, and the rest should be paid in silver coins..." Returning the tablet to the trader, Sun Shiqi said eagerly, "How long will it take to see what I want?"

   Send this batch of munitions capable of arming a centurion to Red River Town, and the slave owners there will definitely regard him as a benefactor!

  He can't wait for the second trip!

"Before tomorrow evening, if it is soon, it will be fine in the morning." The trader glanced at the two-headed bull behind him with a little pity, and said, "Actually, sir, if you are from Honghe Town, you might as well consider our 'electric mule' '."

  Sun Shiqi was stunned and asked.

   "E-Mule? What's that?"

The trader smiled slightly and said: "The light truck produced in the Beijiao Industrial Zone has a rated load of 1.8 tons. In fact, there is no problem with overloading by two or three times. It can even easily cross a one-meter-wide trench with rubber tracks. The price is only 50,000 silver coins, high quality and low price. Although it cannot be driven into the urban area, it is very easy to run in the wild, and we all use this model ourselves.”

   "Fifty thousand?!" Sun Shiqi's eyes widened, "I don't have that much money."

  Fifty slaves for a car?

   Can this be regarded as high quality and low price? ?

  The trader said with a smile.

   "There is a 10% discount now. If you are willing to sell those six two-headed cows, it will definitely be enough."

  The ore in Honghe Town is much cheaper than slaves, and the minimum denomination of blue tickets starts at 1 ton, and the cost is all on transportation.

  If you can use trucks to transport goods, you can make more money in ore trading than slave trading!

   And there is no risk of riots...

  However, Sun Shiqi is still sober. It is impossible for him to buy transportation with all his belongings. After all, he is a merchant, not a driver.

   What's more, this car probably consumes electricity, right?

  I don’t know how much the electricity costs here, but it’s not cheap in Honghe Town.

   "Next time... I have to save some money for business."

  The trader was slightly regretful, but he didn't say anything, and handed seven hundred-yuan bills and twenty-four silver coins to him.

   "This is 724 silver coins for you, please check it... The truck is just my little suggestion, the choice is of course yours."

Pity.

  The most profitable is selling trucks.

  I heard that the cost of an electric mule is less than 12,000. The steel body and wooden cargo box are very cheap, and half of the cost is on the battery and motor.

   If one can be sold, the commission can be equal to her two months' basic salary.

  Sun Shiqi put away the money and was about to leave, but at this moment, there was a commotion outside the trading station, and two groups of mercenaries had a quarrel.

   There are quite a few of them, there are about a dozen of them on both sides, cursing ugly words, blushing and thick necks, some even rolled up their sleeves, and they are about to fuck.

   Listening to the content of their quarrel, it seems that it is because of some grievances outside.

   This kind of thing is very common.

  Everyone is their own master, maybe they were drinking and bragging together yesterday, and tomorrow they will meet each other in some corner of the wasteland.

  In most cases, everyone will act as if nothing happened after the commission is over, but it is inevitable that someone will come to the head for the dead sibling or head.

  The fuse may be just a look or a joke.

  These people are quite sensible. Although they were bluffing and fighting each other, no one took out their guns.

   But it's hard to say whether they can always be so rational.

  The four mercenaries led by Sun Shiqi consciously stood in front of the employer, not because they had professional ethics, but because they could only get the rest of the money from the business after the boss was safely sent back to Honghe Town.

   "...Are you going to fight again? This is the second time this month."

  The little girl standing behind the booth didn't seem to be worried that something would happen. Her usual calm made Sun Shiqi look at her twice.

   "How do you usually deal with it?"

  The trader said calmly.

   "If someone draws a gun, he's out of luck. If it's just a fight, the guards will send them to a cell for two days and fine them a fortune."

   "What if you can't afford the money?"

   “The brick factory, the cement factory, even the mill or the farm next door, there are jobs and there’s always something they can do.”

  Sun Shiqi suddenly found this little girl quite interesting.

"May I have your name?"

   "Frost River."

   "Shuanghe, that's a good name... When do you get off work? You tell me so many things, I want to treat you to a meal."

  Shuanghe said with a smile.

   "If you bribe us, you will be sent in too. I heard it starts in three years."

  Sun Shiqi smiled mischievously.

   "Forget it then."

  He admitted that he had the idea of ​​in-depth communication. Although he may not be able to get a discount from her, he can at least get some information that ordinary people don't know.

   Do business.

   What you earn is the information difference.

   But judging from her attitude, she is obviously not interested in herself, and she is keenly aware of his hidden intentions.

  Honestly, the work ethic is astonishing.

  Recalling the attitude of the hotel owner, Sun Shiqi silently wrote down a clue in his mind.

  The manager of shelter No. 404 has a strong dominance over this place, and the local residents respect and thank him from the bottom of their hearts, abide by the laws he made, and take pride in maintaining order.

   If there are no major problems, this dominance will last at least ten or even twenty years, until this generation grows old and their children grow up.

  Honestly speaking, Sun Shiqi's attitude and behavior towards these people is not too strange.

  In the history of the rise and fall of any survivor settlement, most of them can see a glorious beginning. Even a ghostly place like Honghe Town did not become a paradise for slave owners on the first day.

   What really surprised him was that the man... probably called Chu Guang, actually did all this in only half a year.

  Even if there is a lot of knowledge and talents in the shelter, it is not an easy task to complete this great cause.

  Especially in the stormy Valley province...

  I really want to see him.

  Sun Shiqi couldn't help recalling the last time we met, the man exchanged jerky with himself for a can of ants and a few bags of game coins.

  How on earth did it snowball to turn that poor asset into a survivor colony?

  If possible, he even wants to worship that man as his teacher.

  But he also knew in his heart that he may not be able to see him now...

  The dispute in the trading post attracted the attention of the guards. Five guards in black military uniforms came over with sticks, as if they were going to warn these blind thorns.

  However, those mercenaries may be relying on their large numbers, so they didn't pay attention to those guards at all. But what they didn't notice was that the blue coats around them were looking at them with bright eyes.

  That expression, that demeanor doesn't look like watching a show.

   Almost urged them to do it quickly.

  The atmosphere at the scene became more and more tense. Seeing that the group of mercenaries were about to fight, the merchants in the trading post avoided one after another.

   However, at this moment, a group of soldiers wearing gray coats and helmets suddenly walked in from outside the trading post.

  They carried automatic rifles on their backs, and the engineering shovels and bayonets hung on their waists were covered with shocking bloodstains, and they wore gas masks on their faces.

  The murderous aura rushing to his face stopped the scene in an instant.

   It was at this moment that Sun Shiqi suddenly had an idea.

  The batch of arms I bought was worth it!

   "The heroes are back!" Standing behind the booth, Shuanghe's eyes sparkled, and Sun Shiqi saw the light of admiration in the little girl's eyes.

"…hero?"

   "En!" Shuanghe nodded vigorously, but did not explain.

   Not far away, the mercenaries who had been yelling and clamoring to do something before, fell silent like dumb for a moment, and looked at the group of people with fear in their eyes, as obedient as sheep.

  The mercenary standing next to Sun Shiqi, after seeing the group of soldiers in gray coats, also had a trace of fear in his eyes, and his expression gradually became serious.

   “…Death Corps.”

  Sun Shiqi froze for a moment.

  Although he knew that this group of people was not easy to mess with, this was the first time he had heard of this name.

   "...Death Corps?"

   "You just came back to Honghe Town from the south, so you might not know..." Another mercenary next to him whispered, "This group of people beat up the Bone Chewing Tribe in Lutou Mountain, north of Honghe Town."

"I saw it with my own eyes, and I was also present at that battle..." the bearded mercenary nodded, his eyes full of shock and said, "Twenty of them chased more than a hundred predators all over the mountains and plains, That screeching whistle chased into the woods, and I heard from the captured marauders that fighting them was a nightmare..."

   "I heard that each of them is an awakener!"

   "Are you so ruthless!"

   "I didn't expect the Death Corps to come from here..."

  Looking at the little girl with shining eyes, Sun Shiqi glanced at the group of valiant soldiers not far away, and swallowed unconsciously.

   "How did they come back?"

   The mercenary next to him whispered.

   "Maybe because of the tide."

   "... Something big is about to happen recently."

  He stopped in front of the troublemakers, took off his gas mask by paddling on the edge, stared at that person, and said in non-standard joint language.

   "I heard that there is trouble here? Is it you?"

   Twenty or so mercenaries shook their heads in unison, and the two strong men who made the most noise smiled coyly, hooked each other's shoulders, and pretended to have a good relationship.

   "We were just kidding."

   "Old friends meet... catch up."

  The arm is obviously still struggling.

  The guard with the stick stared at the two troublemakers, and said with a half-smile.

   "Reminiscing about the past? How about another place."

   "The space in the guard post is big enough."

  The two mercenaries were not afraid of the stick in his hand.

   But the group of soldiers in gray coats next to them is too bluffing, the blood on the engineer shovel is obviously not like that of a wild beast...

   At this time, their boss finally rushed over from the hotel and tried to intercede with them, but the guards ignored them, and didn't even look at them.

  According to the Public Security Management Regulations, those who gather to make trouble will be taken for record registration, which is a routine procedure.

   The first time was a warning, either squatting for a day or paying a fine of 10 silver coins, and the second time was a ten-day tour of the small black house, and there was a fine of 100 silver coins.

  With ten thousand reluctances in my heart, the two thorns had no choice but to follow the guards.

  The pop-up window of task completion flashed on the VM.

  I picked up an experience bag as soon as I came back, and I pretended to be a **** by the way, and I was very happy when I was paddling on the edge.

   But this good mood did not last long.

   Greetings from an old friend came from the side.

  Battlefield atmosphere group: "Fuck, edge?"

  Ye Shi: "Hey?! You came back alive?"

-

   (Thanks to the leaders of "Qu Lin", "Yiqianbei", and "Aoao Sesame Paste" for their rewards!)

  (end of this chapter)