Chapter 355 Darkness within the giant wall

   That voice is very close.

  Even though the surroundings were filled with loud music, Fang Chang could still hear that those words were spoken to himself.

  The expression on his face became serious subconsciously, he quickly turned his head and saw the girl who was also sitting at the bar.

  Through the dim light, what caught the eye was a head of deviant short green hair.

   Even in Boulder, this striking hair color is extremely rare.

  She is not tall, with a thin figure. Under the fluffy bangs are a pair of pupils with different colors, and the left eye is obviously distorted. It is probably something like a prosthetic eye or an electronic eye. The delicate bridge of the nose and chin seem to have been cut by a knife, or they are the crystallization of technology.

  Fang Chang's gaze moved down and landed on her left shoulder, where a large piece of metal parts could be seen, similar to the style of Brother Storm.

  However, after all, the metal arm of Guafeng was made by the Pioneer, and it looks obviously much more upscale than the one on her.

  The girl didn't care about Fang Chang's "straight eye" eyes, and continued in a casual tone.

   "If you are interested in the three people at table 12, I can help you find out about them."

  Table No. 12 was exactly where the group that Fang Chang followed were sitting.

"May I have your name?"

   "Dolly... your pronunciation is very strange, do you come from another province?" The girl looked at Fang Chang, her eyebrows raised at an interested angle.

  Dolly?

   What a strange name.

   "Fang Chang," after a pause, Fang Chang continued, "It doesn't matter where I come from... About your proposal just now, how do you plan to find out?"

"I know that dancer, her name is Nicosy, and she is one of the top names here." Dolly pointed to the dancer sitting on the booth, and said without hesitation, "Give me a tip, I I can ask you anything, including her measurements."

   "That's unnecessary."

  Fang Chang reached out and groped in his pocket, after a while he found the smallest chip, and flicked it into her hand with his thumb.

  Dolly clapped her hands to catch it, using the light to see clearly the numbers on the chips and the same hair color as hers, a trace of surprise appeared in her right eye.

   "...the boss is really generous."

  25 chips.

  If you work in a factory, it will take two weeks to earn this amount.

  Dolly's eyes couldn't help becoming more charming, and she looked at the gentle-looking handsome guy in front of her with interest.

"What do you want to know?"

   "What are the identities of those three people, what did they do today, and..." Fang Chang's heart moved, "and ask me if they know the news about the fire in the warehouse area last night."

  There was a hint of surprise in Dolly's eyes, especially when she heard the last sentence, her eyes became slightly alert.

   "You shouldn't be asking that, you're asking... A fool can guess who sent you."

   It was too difficult to go around in circles with the help of a three-legged cat, Fang Chang simply stopped acting, and said with a smile.

   "It's okay, I only said this to you today...Are you scared?"

Afraid?

   Dolly raised her eyebrows and got up from the round stool in front of the bar.

   The thin body twisted, quickly passed through the crowd, and came to the side of booth No. 12.

  I saw her leaning her elbows on the back of the sofa, leaning close to the dancer's ear and blowing, she naturally laughed and fought with her old friend, blending into the atmosphere.

  Watching her talking and laughing with the dancing girl, rubbing the wine glass with Fang Chang's index finger, I felt nervous.

  He suddenly began to feel that trusting a stranger seemed a rash decision.

  What if this guy sold himself?

  Or...Should I pay a deposit first?

   Just as he was thinking wildly, someone patted him on the shoulder.

  He turned his face and saw that the girl named Dolly was already sitting beside him.

   "Are you asked?"

  Dolly hooked her fingers, motioning for him to bring her ears closer, and said softly with her thin red lips.

"...The young man sitting in the middle is named Alec, the security captain of Weijia Trading Company, his sister Sophie is Weijia's lover, and works as an accountant in the cannery under Weijia's name. Today he is lucky, Made a small fortune."

   "What money."

"He didn't say it, but he has been showing off, saying that he can make those powerful and dignitaries have a headache for a day just by talking about it." Dolly's eyes flickered slightly, "My guess, he His boss gave him money to instigate workers to surround City Hall...and he probably took a little out of that money."

   means strike?

  But why do you want to strike your own work?

  Fang Chang was a little curious, he felt that he might have missed some key clues.

  However, the task did not require him to investigate these insignificant matters.

   It is enough to determine the identity of those people.

   "What about the fire last night?" Fang Chang then asked what he was most concerned about.

"It's not easy to ask about this kind of thing, but he told my friend that something happened last night and I'm sorry that I couldn't come here to accompany her..." When he said this, Dolly's expression was somewhat teasing, but I don't know what they are teasing.

   "Thank you, the information you provided is very valuable." Fang Chang stretched out his index finger, flicked the VM protruding from the cuff, and archived the recording.

  【Task (branch) completed】

  【Reward: 120 silver coins, 100 contribution points, 500 prestige points in the "Big Rock City" area...】

  【Trigger task (branch): Collect information and write a press release】

  【Task requirements: ...】

  Looking at the pop-up window that appeared on the screen, Fang Chang raised his eyebrows with interest.

write an essay?

   He is familiar with this.

"You're welcome, I still expect you to come to take care of my business often. There are not many customers who spend as much as you do." The girl bent her lips and continued happily, "No matter what kind of secret it is, you just need to bring people with you." Come to me, I can pry it out of his mouth."

  Hearing this sentence, Chang Fang chuckled and turned off the VM screen.

   "Wasteland OL" has been circulating three unsolved mysteries.

  How deep is Vault 404, how big is Yayao, and when Gouguang plans to test it publicly.

  Unfortunately, Ah Guang is not in the game.

   Or he really wants to bring his good brother here for a drink, and by the way, ask for some inside information that ordinary people don't know.

   "I'm done with my questions, but I have some personal questions to ask."

   "Speak."

   Today's performance is successful, the girl is not in a hurry to find her next target, she rests her chin on the back of her hand, looking at him with interest.

   "Your eyes are special."

   Dolly laughed and joked.

   "This strike-up is too deliberate... Besides, it sounds fake."

  Normal people would not think that her eyes, which are the same as those of bionics, are beautiful.

  However, she was obviously wrong.

  The man in front of me said "special" literally.

   "No, I'm really curious, where did you get your eyes and mechanical arms?" Fang Chang asked with interest.

   Installing electronic eyes and mechanical arms, it's so cool, isn't it?

  Especially he uses a bow.

  He dared to bet that there is really a place for prosthetic modification, but he is only interested, and other players are likely to be the same.

  Looking at Fang Chang who was full of interest, Dolly froze for a moment, and her face gradually became a little ugly.

   "Your order has ended, this is the second question."

  She originally wanted to use these words to dismiss the man in front of her, but what she didn't expect was that a 50-face value chip landed on the table in a circle.

  Dolly's eyes widened, she opened her mouth, and remained silent for a long time.

"…Are you serious?"

   "It seems that I gave too much." Fang Chang joked.

  He suddenly discovered that this NPC is quite interesting.

   "It's late!" Dolly quickly reached out and put the chip into her arms.

  Fang Chang looked at her and continued.

   "Since you received the money, don't you plan to reveal some of your secrets to me?"

  Dolly was silent for a while, then suddenly beckoned to the bartender, waved two fingers, and then pointed to the top row of the wine list.

   Not long after, two blood-red cocktails were placed on the bar counter.

   "...two cups of 'dragon's blood', take it slowly."

  The pungent smell of alcohol reminded Fang Chang of his apartment in the suburbs of Shanghai, the unlicensed black bar in the back alley.

  The taste of blending with fake wine is really the same.

  The Queen of the Night is one of the best bars on this street, and the living standards of the wasteland people are really worrying.

   Or is this the taste you want?

  Fang Chang intends to pay.

  However, the girl was one step ahead of him, and handed the 50 chip she had given to the bartender earlier.

   Putting the change of 40 chips into her pocket, Dolly picked up her own cup and lightly touched the cup in front of the long table, and took a sip of the spicy "dragon's blood" on her own.

   "It's not a secret... You've heard of the awakening, right?"

"certainly."

  Fang Chang felt a little strange.

  What is the relationship between mechanical prosthesis and awakening?

  Seeing the confusion in his eyes, Dolly continued.

   "A serum produced by Jushi Military Industry, the name is the same as this cocktail, it is called 'Dragon Blood'. As long as you inject it, there is a certain probability of awakening..."

"Of course, not everyone is qualified to inject dragon's blood. After all, I heard that the thing is not cheap. Over the years, the tide, the giant stone military industry that assists the militia to recruit mercenaries, will conduct simple physical examinations on the recruits, and one of them The first item is to test the compatibility of dragon blood."

   "If you pass, you will have the opportunity to get a free injection. And once you are successfully awakened and show excellent qualities, you will have the opportunity to become an employee of Jushi Military Industry, and live a life without worrying about food and clothing."

   Fang Chang looked at her unexpectedly.

   "Are you awakened?"

"No." Putting down the wine glass in her hand, Dolly's eyes were clouded, "Even if you pass the physical examination, it doesn't mean that you will be able to awaken. The success rate of dragon's blood is 50%, and the probability of 40% is no response at all." ..."

   "And the remaining 10% will cause irreversible damage to body tissues... In the words of those bastards, this is also an awakening, but just like mutations, not all mutations are good."

  Fang Chang's Adam's apple twitched, and he suddenly understood why the girl in front of him was so resistant to this topic.

   Obviously, her arm and left eye were taken away by the "dragon blood"...

   There is also a new serum alliance that induces awakening, but the success rate of that thing is a mystery. It must have a certain potential to be used, and this potential is difficult to measure stably.

  That kind of potion is useless to the player, it should be a prop used to improve the NPC level in the setting.

  Fang Chang's own understanding is that players and NPCs are completely different power systems.

   Therefore, the evolutionary route is completely different.

but…

  The serum of the new alliance, although the probability of awakening is not high, but I have never heard of anyone experiencing side effects.

   Can you even try two more injections?

   "I seem to have asked a topic that made you sad."

   "It's okay, I know you're not interested in that dragon's blood, after all, a rich person like you wouldn't need that thing." Dolly smiled self-deprecatingly, and tapped her left arm with her right index finger.

"My left eye and this arm were fitted to me by Boulder Military Industry. The bank in Boulder City generously provided me with a loan, for which I have to pay them back 50 chips every month until I am 40 When I was 3 years old. And this **** thing is not as easy to use as I imagined, there will be some malfunctions from time to time, and the machine will be shut down if I don’t pay the money on time, sometimes I think... I should just die at that time.”

  Fang Chang was silent for a while.

   "Sorry to remind you of something sad."

  Although he wanted to sympathize with the girl in front of him, how should he say it?

   is disabled, owes huge debts, and looks like an orphan...

  I always feel that there are too many elements.

   "You don't have to sympathize with me," the girl twitched her lips mockingly, and touched his glass with her index finger, "If you really feel sorry, you can have a drink with me."

  …

   Slums.

  Old Bai and the two players followed the woman's footsteps into Black's house.

  The environment inside is not considered rich, but it is much better than the shacks in the slums.

  The shoe cabinet in the hallway was filled with empty wine bottles, and a cardboard box was thrown on the ground, revealing recycled bullet casings.

   "My name is Mary, what about you?"

   "Old Bai." As he was speaking, Lao Bai gave Brother Sha of the Perception Department a look and asked him to go to the second floor to have a look.

  The dog went to the utility room next door, and according to someone's confession clues, found a locked safe in the moldy ammunition box.

   Also based on someone's confession, there is an unspent deposit hidden there.

   "Old...white? Very rare name."

  While the woman was surprised, she didn't say much.

  She took a candle from the cabinet, lit it in an aluminum tray, brought it to the low wooden table in the living room and put it down, adding some dim light to the dark room.

  Different from the giant wall, the slums do not have electricity. People with conditions use candles or kerosene lamps for lighting, and most people go to bed as soon as it gets dark.

   There are no guards here, after all, and the gangs around here just hate people causing trouble at their door, but that doesn't mean they're bored enough to check the names of every dead body.

  This is a real land of no man. The people living here are like weeds, which will grow again when the spring breeze blows.

  The number of murders and accidents is nothing compared to the number of unlucky people who freeze to death, starve to death or get lost in the wasteland every year.

  Sit down on the sofa, Mary looks at Lao Bai who is sitting opposite, and seems to be hesitating how to speak.

   Lao Bai didn't waste any time, turned on the translation function of the VM, connected the earphones, and then spoke.

   "Your friend accepted a commission that shouldn't be accepted."

   "Is he still alive?"

   "Alive, but will probably spend the rest of his life in prison."

   "Prison?"

  There was a hint of confusion in the woman's eyes, but she didn't dwell on this issue.

   It could be seen that she didn't care much about Black's final fate.

  The man would occasionally bring back some money, but never with her.

  If this meal ticket is gone, she has to make plans for tomorrow as soon as possible.

  This kind of situation is not uncommon in the slums. Not everyone has the courage to look directly at hell. Attaching to the strong is also one of the options.

   "Ask any questions."

  She put her legs on her knees, leaned slightly against the dilapidated sofa, and looked at Lao Bai who was sitting opposite.

  Lao Bai didn't go around in circles, and put the previous 100-face value chip next to the candle.

   "What did he say to you before he left?"

  Mary stretched out **** to hold the chip, and said lightly with her red lips.

"He said we were going to get rich, and there was a generous customer who gave him a lot of money just for the down payment. He also said that he had deposited the money in the bank, and when the commission was completed, he would bring me Go live inside the giant wall."

  When she said this, she didn't have any longing in her eyes, after all, her ears were almost callused after hearing those words.

   That guy can't save money, and he can't stand life in the city.

   It was the man in front of her who gave her a chance to live a good life.

   "Did he mention who the client is?" Lao Bai continued to ask.

"A man named Bit is an old acquaintance of his. He lives in an apartment on 71st Street in Boulder City. The rent there is not cheap. I heard that he needs 2,000 chips a month." When Mary said this, the eyes in Mary's eyes A trace of envy floated up.

   "Have you seen that bit?"

"Of course, he is completely different from the rude Blake. He is a polite man, not only has a gentle manner, but also has clear and clean eyes. It is said that he helps the big shots in the city to do business. If only that guy could learn from him, we don't have to Live in a stinking ditch."

  Mary couldn't help complaining, and Lao Bai silently wrote down this clue.

   Looks like that Black wasn't quite telling the truth.

  He and the man named Bit didn't meet by chance, and they didn't meet in some Pirate's Bay tavern at all.

  Besides, Lao Bai sent a message to Fang Chang who was in the city, asking him to visit the apartment on 71st Street.

  However, unexpectedly, Fang Chang didn't reply to his message?

   It seems that this guy is not offline...

  Old Bai had a weird expression on his face.

   After waiting for a while, he guessed that something was wrong with Fang Chang, so he sent the message to another teammate who was still online.

  The news came back very quickly this time.

  【Kidney Fighter: Got it! I'm going to check it out! 】

  【Old Bai: Confirm the target location first, and be careful not to startle the enemy. 】

  【Kidney Fighter: Understood! 】

   Hope he really understands.

   Withdrawing his index finger from the screen, Lao Bai looked at the woman sitting across from the candle.

   "...do you understand what that bit is doing?"

"He seems to have said..." With her index finger on her chin, Mary thought for a while, "Is it ammunition? I remember he said that farmers in the south need heavy machine guns to deal with mutants with thick skin and thick flesh. Large-caliber weapons are very rare there." Bestseller."

  A trace of surprise floated in Lao Bai's eyes.

  Arms dealers attacked them?

   This is the most unlikely thing.

   "...Could it be the giant stone military industry?"

   Shadao who came down from the second floor happened to hear it.

  Looking at the translator on the VM, he exchanged glances with the dog walking out of the side door.

   "This is terrible... Hey, but it doesn't make sense logically," Gou Dong muttered, confused, "I heard that the negotiations between the New Alliance and Boulder City, didn't they make concessions on arms sales?"

   Killing Dagger nodded subtly.

   "...I heard that too."

  The weapons of the new alliance no longer enter the market of Boulder City, and Dawn City does not prohibit the weapons of Boulder City.

  In exchange, Boulder City opened up markets in other fields, and gave each other preferential tariffs with Dawn City.

  Anyone has reason to be dissatisfied with them, but the arms dealers in Boulder City have no reason to hate them.

  He couldn't help thinking in his heart, it would be great if Brother Fang Chang was here.

  That guy has a lot of twisted intestines, so he can definitely analyze a bunch of nonsense indiscriminately.

   "...Who is that big guy? Giant Stone Military Industry?" Lao Bai did not interrupt, staring at the woman in front of him and continued to ask.

  Mary looked bewildered.

   "I don't know...maybe?"

  Time passed by every minute and every second, and before I knew it, the candle had burned out.

  According to the information listed on the VM, Lao Bai then asked a lot of questions, and the sky outside the window became completely dark.

   "... I have understood the basic situation, thank you for your cooperation." Lao Bai reached out and clicked on the VM, turning off the dim light on the screen.

   "Is it over?" Mary's expression was slightly disappointed.

  Old Bai nodded.

   "Well, if necessary, I will contact you again."

  Unwilling to just give up, she didn't get up to see off the guests, but turned her gaze out of the window.

   "Look, it's getting dark outside, and you have to pay double the city entry tax if you enter the city after seven o'clock... If you don't mind, you can stay here for one night and go back after dawn."

  The voice seemed to carry some kind of hint, or perhaps an invitation.

  Old Bai was slightly taken aback.

  This game...

   Is it really for all ages?

  Intuition told him that no matter whether he chooses yes or no at this time, it will not affect the plot behind the game.

   Just like the one he picked in The Witcher 3.

but…

   Will there be a black screen skip here?

   At this time, a knock on the door came from outside the house, breaking the sudden ambiguous atmosphere in the living room.

   "...It's probably that bastard's drinking buddy again, I'll go and see."

  Hearing the sound from outside, Mary muttered and got up from the sofa.

  At this time, she suddenly noticed Lao Bai sitting on the sofa, with an embarrassed expression, and whispered.

   "...Well, can I trouble you to keep silent?"

  Although Black probably won't come back, if she can't leave here immediately, she still has to take some face into account.

  It is also convenient for her to find another home.

   Lao Bai nodded, expressing his understanding, and gave the two teammates not far away a look, signaling them to avoid it.

  Mary breathed a sigh of relief, twisted her graceful body, and reluctantly walked to the door.

   There was the sound of turning the doorknob, and then the door creaked open, and it seemed very quiet in the flickering candlelight.

  There was a voice coming from the door, but it wasn't clear.

  Old Bai took a deep breath to calm himself down.

  However, at this moment, there was a "bang", which made him bounce off the sofa reflexively, and at the same time, he gripped the submachine gun hidden under his clothes.

   There was more than one shot.

  When he arrived at the door, Mary had already fallen in a pool of blood, her body was covered with bullet holes, and the entrance was scarlet.

   The two men standing at the door were stunned for a moment, apparently not expecting that there were other people in the room.

  The man holding the PU-9 submachine gun immediately pointed the smoking muzzle at Lao Bai.

  However, Lao Bai was obviously one step ahead of him, and the dagger that came out of his hand directly pierced his forehead.

  The huge kinetic energy brought the muzzle of the gun up, and the shuttle swept the ceiling with a chug.

  Old Bai strode forward, stretched out his hand, pulled the dead man with the dagger in his head and the living one into the room, and kicked the door shut.

  The corridor was dark, and the ground was sticky with blood.

  The man who was grabbed by the neck was completely frightened and said in a trembling voice.

   "Don't, don't kill me... I, I am also following orders. If I knew you were still alive, I would definitely not dare to go into this muddy water.

  He obviously mistook Lao Bai for Black.

   Brother Sha and Brother Gou, who heard the gunshots, also rushed out of the room and looked at the two corpses on the ground with surprise on their faces.

"what's the situation?!"

   "Old Bai, are you okay?"

  Why did they suddenly start fighting?

"fine."

  Old Bai pushed the man to the ground, aiming his submachine gun at the back of his head.

   "You, you are not Blake?" The man begged tremblingly, his voice incoherent, "Don't...don't kill me, please, the door is so dark, I can't see anything."

   "Who sent you here?" Lao Bai said in a deep voice.

  The man said tremblingly.

   "Our boss...he said that the Awakened one who lived on our street messed things up and offended people who shouldn't be offended. He asked us to come here to clean up..."

  The street outside was very quiet.

  The doors and windows of every household were tightly closed, and no one came out to watch the excitement.

  Old Bai noticed the tattoo on the neck of the man under him.

  The pattern looks like a dagger.

  He didn't care about any gang, let alone the Dagger Gang.

   A wilder and more brutal marauder than this bunch of villains, he killed at least three figures in Xizhou City.

   What really surprised him was that the huge military-industrial group dominated the entire city...

  Whether it is inside the giant wall or outside the giant wall.

  Every part seems to revolve around the core hidden under the water surface.

  Those people can freely decide the life and death of everyone, or even a group of people, like manipulating chess pieces.

   without any hiding.

  Old Bai suddenly discovered unexpectedly that there might not be real order here.

   Or civilization.

  The lights inside the giant wall are brightly lit, maybe even darker than the wasteland outside the giant wall...

   Seeing the voice behind him, the man seemed to be mistaken, thinking that the man behind him was weighing whether it was worth offending the Dagger Gang for a woman.

  Thinking of this, he lowered his voice smartly.

"...my friend, the light here is very poor, I can't see your face, if you let me go, I will say that the unlucky guy who shot you was stabbed in the head by that woman... Our boss will not ask about this Son."

   "...But if we both confess here, this matter will definitely not be left alone."

   Lao Bai didn't quite understand the first sentence, but he did understand the latter sentence.

   He laughed.

   "Good guy... threatened."

  Old Bai stretched out his hand to lift the man, turned that face to himself, and said with a smile.

   "Now you can see clearly."

  The man's face was pale, and his eyes were full of horror.

   Just when he thought he would be silenced, he was thrown to the ground.

   "It's time to withdraw."

  Old Bai didn't look at that person again.

   He gestured with his teammates next to him, and walked out of the **** smelling house.

  At this time, the screen of the VM on his arm flickered slightly.

  【Kidney Fighter: I have arrived at the destination, but the apartment was separated by guards... There were many people around, and I heard that there was a murder. 】

   Not very surprised, Lao Bai typed back a message.

  【Perhaps 10% of people are already cold, you should come back first, and see you in the archives later. 】

  【Kidney Fighter: OK】

   Glancing at Fang Chang's icon, Lao Bai couldn't help being a little worried because he hasn't replied to his message yet.

   I will go offline later and ask.

  …

   After Lao Bai and his party left, Black's home.

  The man who found himself unexpectedly alive struggled to get up from the ground.

  He felt that except for his pants, which were hot, the rest of his body was cold.

"Oh shit…"

   He cursed, vented his fear in swear words, and limped towards the door.

  The door opens.

  The cool wind blows on the face.

   For a moment, he felt good to be alive.

   Just then, a group of people appeared in his sight.

  Looking at the leader, a trace of surprise appeared in the man's eyes, and a flattering smile immediately appeared on his face, and he greeted him in three steps.

   "...Master West, why are you here?"

  The person in front of him is the boss' confidant, and also the leader of the street.

   West glanced at the door behind him and frowned.

"What happened?"

  The man immediately told the truth about what happened just now, and even added details.

  West listened quietly and suddenly asked a question.

   "Do you remember what that person looked like?"

   "Yes! Of course I do!"

  The man nodded quickly, with excitement in his eyes, and said viciously, "I can recognize that face even if it is burnt to ashes. As long as I see him again, I will definitely recognize him!"

   Wade nodded, glanced at the subordinate standing beside him, then turned and left.

  The quiet night was broken by a gunshot.

   Not long after, Blake's house caught fire, engulfing the three bodies.

at the same time.

  The city hall in the outer city.

  The lights are on in the conference room.

  Durong faced his staff with high spirits, vividly describing the genius plan about the 200 million chip loan.

  Deputy Director Jaeger's face was full of bewilderment.

  He didn't know what the madness of the man in front of him was, and he didn't know what ecstasy soup the group of gophers had given this guy.

   But if he were to pick a fault with this plan, he really couldn't think of it for a while.

   After all, such a thing has never happened in the past two hundred years.

  The bank president, Melvin, who was sitting at the table, kept frowning and loosening his brows again and again.

  He also had concerns in his heart, but he couldn't ignore the temptation of that cake.

   A loan of 200 million chips...

  Although it is not without risk, it is much safer than lending money to merchants and mercenaries.

   After a long time, he nodded.

   “…although there has been no such precedent before.”

   "But it sounds like a good idea."

  (end of this chapter)