Chapter 378 Murder in the Darkness

   "Big, my lord... I'm just a businessman, is there any misunderstanding between us?"

   Looking at the dark muzzle in front of him, Jep, who was slumped on the ground, did not dare to take a breath, and shivered and pleaded.

   However, the stern-looking man standing in front of him at the moment was indifferent.

   Playing with the Pu-9 submachine gun he picked up in his hand, the man said in an interrogating tone.

   "Where did this gun come from."

   Hearing this question, Jep complained in his heart, but he didn't dare to hide it, so he could only tell the truth honestly.

   He had already guessed the identities of these people.

   They, like the group of men in black in the morning, all came from that ridiculously large airship, and they all came from that **** legion!

   "I, I picked it up."

   "Where did you pick it up."

"East, five or six kilometers east, along the edge of the forest, there is a place called Katyn Post... In the morning there was a group of people dressed in similar clothes as you, and they clashed with some people, and then they fought... By the way, I heard other mercenaries say that they seem to be from the alliance."

  Jep said tremblingly, but the stern face of the man standing in front of him gradually became gloomy.

   "...Alliance."

  He had never heard of this name when he first came to River Valley Province. He thought that it should be a regional powerhouse that has risen in the vicinity in recent years.

   This kind of thing is not uncommon.

  Man itself is an animal that likes to cuddle together for warmth.

   But whatever that alliance was, now they not only provoked the Legion, but also killed the crew of the Heart of Steel.

The last survivor settlement that did this thing, not only the head of the settlement was hung on the airspeed tube of the Heart of Steel, but the men, women and children of the settlement were even caught by them on the airship and became slaves. .

   Finally, the airship arrived at the port. Not one out of ten were sold to the mine. Most of the rest died on the way, and the causes of death were also varied.

   There may be officers who restrain their subordinates and treat prisoners well, but they are definitely not their respected General McClane. The barbarians standing in front of them have only two endings, either surrender or perish.

   Vito's stern face opened with a cruel smile.

   He didn't care about that Herrick, the weaklings who couldn't even beat a few natives were not worthy of sympathy. What made him happy was that he had new fun to find.

  Frightened by that perverted expression, Jep said shiveringly.

   "I, I don't know those people, I just happened to pass by..."

   "How many are they."

   "Three, three..."

   "Three?"

"Also, there's a talking bear! And one who can't talk... They were driving an armed truck, and they seemed to be planning to go to Luoxia Province, but after that happened, they didn't continue to go west. , but turned back... Yes! I remember! They went east! You will find them by walking east along the edge of the forest!"

   As if he had grabbed a life-saving straw, Jep said incoherently, pouring out all the information he knew.

  Vito thought quietly.

  Talking Bear…

   He had never heard of such a strange thing, but this is a wasteland after all, and anything can happen. I think it was the bear who killed Herik and his brethren.

  Standing behind Vito, a muscular man with knotted muscles stepped forward for half a step and said in a dull voice.

   "Maybe it's a trap set by those guys and ruined our airship."

   He had two bloodstained hatchets hanging from his waist, and a shotgun with a sawn-off barrel on his back.

   Although he can obviously end the opponent's life with bullets, he enjoys the pleasure of splitting the opponent's head with an axe.

   "This possibility is not ruled out." Vito thought for a moment calmly, and said slowly and softly, "We have to make them pay the price."

   said another thin man.

"How to say?"

   "Report the news to Lord Rachel first, and then continue to track eastward... Maybe the wounded of the enterprise are also in their hands."

   After a pause, Vito continued.

   "If the culprit who damaged our airship and the employees of that enterprise can be caught at the same time, maybe General McClane will personally reward us."

   While the three legionnaires in black capes were discussing, Jep glanced at the goods scattered on the ground and the **** two-headed cow, and his heart ached.

  Today is really a **** mildew for eight lifetimes.

   He was blasted out of his tent by a group of crooked-nosed legionnaires, and then a group of people fought next to their cargo.

   Before he could think about what happened, a truck with a machine gun rammed over him and threw up his tent.

  Those people were reasonable and paid him 3 dinars.

  Although this amount of money is not enough to compensate him for his losses, it somewhat makes him feel better.

   Years of experience in walking on the wasteland told him that it is not suitable to stay here for a long time. Therefore, he didn't think much about it, and immediately packed up and left the land of right and wrong.

   However, he shouldn't, he picked up their weapons and belongings from the corpses.

   It was these things that brought him the calamity of death.

Three men in black in cloaks caught up with him, first shot the head of the mercenary he hired, and then another eccentric man with muscular knots rushed up and chopped down the rest with two axes. Two guards.

   He even had a feeling.

   The three people in front of him were stronger than the twenty or so people he had seen in the camp before.

   These people are not only Awakened, but 80% of them have undergone body modification surgery or something similar. He clearly remembers that the brawny guy with the muscular knot was shot, but now he is like a normal person, and even bandages are useless!

   The three seem to have reached an agreement and are ready to leave.

  Jep breathed a sigh of relief, thinking that he was finally saved.

   However, just as he thought so, the man with a grim expression pointed the Pu-9 submachine gun in his hand at him.

   "Big, my lord?"

  Jep's heart rose to his throat for a moment, and he begged for mercy in a panic, but before he could finish his words, the sudden sound of gunfire knocked him into a sieve.

   Looking at the wastelander lying in a pool of blood, Vito threw the submachine gun he picked up.

  The brawny man with muscles and knots glanced at the goods scattered all over the floor and the two-headed cow that fell to the ground, and smacked his tongue regretfully.

   "What a waste."

   "Don't waste time, the task is important."

   No more nonsense.

  Vito took his team and accelerated towards the east.

  …

   "Deflector shield?!"

  Camp 101.

   Looking at the photo displayed on the screen, Pai opened his mouth wide in surprise after hearing Chu Guang's description, and blurted out this word that was somewhat unfamiliar to Chu Guang.

   It took a long time to digest the shock in her heart, she whispered.

   "How on earth did you provoke that kind of monster..."

  Chu Guang sighed and said with a headache.

   "We didn't mess with them, but they came straight to us. This is a wasteland, and even if we don't do anything, trouble will come to us."

   Thirty W-2 attack aircraft.

   No one will survive!

   Those fifteen rockets were the last stubbornness of the pilots.

Although    did not cause any damage to the airship in the end, thanks to the sacrifices of those players, the sanctuary gained valuable information.

  If it is time to put all the chips on the table, only to find that the weapons on your side can't break the defense of the opposite side, then it is really finished.

   And now, he at least has time to think about countermeasures.

   However, having said that, the shield is beyond Chu Guang's cognition and beyond the knowledge of the players.

   Up to now, Mosquito is still shouting unscientific, crazy Aite him on the forum, demanding to cut the new version of the BOSS.

  Chu Guang thought.

   But after all, he is not a real planner, and this world is not a real game, and there is no such thing as a console for him.

Most of the prizes drawn from the sanctuary are mainly "non-lethal weapons". Occasionally, one or two pieces of equipment that look very strong are only suitable for personal self-defense. In large-scale wars, they are not even as good as players. Our own DIY weapons are easy to use.

   After thinking about it, he could only ask the friends at Camp 101 for help.

   Hearing that Pai used the word "monster", Chu Guang's expression gradually became solemn.

   "Is that deflector shield difficult to deal with?"

   "Um...where do I start?"

   Pai thought for a while and continued.

"Deflector shields are standard for every starship in the Human League era, mainly used to defend against meteorite impacts, as well as kinetic energy weapons and chemical-powered missiles launched by some illegally modified armed transport ships. The principle of the shield is based on the gravitational field. Correlation effects, while the efficiency of deflection is primarily related to the momentum and direction of the flying object."

   "...What do you mean?" Chu Guang asked with a headache.

   Pai continued.

   "Simply put, the faster the speed and the smaller the angle of incidence, the greater the deflection force obtained in the direction of the shield's horizontal plane, and the more obvious the change in the vector direction of the deflector shield."

  Chu Guang asked bluntly.

   "Is there a way to crack it?"

   Pai on the screen nodded.

   "Of course, deflector shields are not omnipotent. For example, for particle weapons, deflector shields are almost useless, including but not limited to neutron bombs or optical weapons!"

"For example, some high-mass and low-speed objects can also effectively break through the defense of the shield... But the actual combat effect of such weapons is often very poor. After all, most ships will be equipped with at least one point defense artillery or electromagnetic gun as a shield system. supplement."

   "However, the simplest and crudest method is actually kinetic weapons."

   "Kinetic energy weapon?" Chu Guang was stunned for a moment, then hesitantly said, "Didn't you just say... that the shield's deflection effect on high-speed objects will be great?"

   Pai blinked and continued speaking as a matter of course.

   "Yes, but energy is conserved."

   "The interference of the deflector shield on the flying object will consume a lot of energy. The cost of launching a mass bomb with an electromagnetic accelerator is far cheaper than the cost of deflecting a mass bomb."

"Substituting intensive firepower for a short period of time may not only cause the shield capacitor to run out, but also overheat the shield generator, thereby physically breaking through the shield's defense... Ah, yes, this idea seems to have no reference value for you. ."

   seemed to remember something, and she changed the subject.

   "If the airship was powered by a fusion reactor, your shells would probably be drained before the shield capacitors... I remember you seem to be still using chemical energy shells?"

  Chu Guang: "..."

   Then you are talking about a hammer.

   took a deep breath, Chu Guang looked at Pai on the screen and said.

   "Thank you for the information, at least we now figure out what we need to face."

   This thank you seemed to be very useful, Pai raised the corners of his lips proudly, and said generously.

   "You're welcome! If there is anything you don't understand, just ask me!"

   Looking at Pa Yi who was happy because he helped, Chu Guang couldn't help but be infected by her optimistic mood, and a smile appeared on his face.

   "Well, I will."

   After the communication ends.

  Chu Guang thought for a moment, then called Shuyu, who was far away in Boulder City, and said straight to the point.

   "Tomorrow's Daily Survivor, I would like to see the Legion's airship take up a full page of the headline panel."

   Hearing the manager's order, Shuyu was stunned, his eyes blank.

   "Army... Legion's airship?"

  Although the photos of the Iron Heart have been uploaded crazy on the official website of "Wasteland Online", very few residents of the new alliance know about it.

   After all, "NPC" can't go to the official website, only Chu Guang himself can log in to the official website in the game.

   Therefore, when he heard the words of the manager, his mood was not so much shock, but rather hesitant to understand the situation at all.

  Chu Guang knew that he probably didn't understand the situation at the moment, so he continued without waiting for him to ask questions.

   "The specific situation, I will explain it to you in detail later, including the photo of the airship, the weapons on the airship, etc..."

   "However, none of that matters."

   "The key is that we have to make the survivors of Boulder City realize that more dangerous savagery than the Bone-chewing tribe is advancing towards Qingquan City. The giant wall can block the tide, but it definitely can't stop the 400mm mortar."

   "If they don't plan to do something, when the airship flies to their doorstep, wash their necks and wait to die."

   "Of course, and most importantly, we need to let their town halls, banks, factories, etc... as well as the nobles and city lords in the inner city know."

   "The neighbor who borrowed 200 million chips from them, the one who is making a good life for them, is in trouble now!"

  …

   It was late at night.

  In the eastern suburbs of Ruigu City, in a valley about 20 kilometers away from the "Heart of Steel", there is an "electric mule" loaded with cargo.

   The airship is almost invisible here, and naturally it will not be seen by the other party. It is an excellent camp site.

   Relatively rugged terrain and dense vegetation can also block campfires well.

  The White Bear Knights chose to camp here, while Kaliman continued on the road with his guards and went to Qingquan City for help.

  Siss finally did not agree to his request to go with him. After all, she had no way to verify his identity, not to mention she had no plan to return to the northern suburbs.

   They have to wait here to join the Storm Corps, build an operation base, and then decide on the next step—whether to deal with the legion that was killed halfway, or to find an opportunity to enter Vault 79 first.

   In fact, Sisi prefers the latter.

  What if there is a secret weapon against the airship hidden inside?

   Although this possibility is not high, it can be expected.

  As a professional planner, Aguang will never put two unrelated things in the same version.

   No matter how real it is, this is a game after all.

   Sitting next to the bonfire surrounded by stones, Sesame Paste fiddled with the silver card in his hand, his face illuminated by the firelight with obvious confusion.

   "What is this thing for?"

After    handed this card to her, that Luo Hua fell into a coma again and didn't give her time to ask clearly.

   "Could it be a key or something?"

   Rourou, who was sitting in front of the bonfire, tilted his head and muttered in a simple and honest voice.

   "I remember... The Pioneer seems to be looking for Refuge 0 in the desert. The official website's setting set says so."

   "But why did he give us such a valuable thing?" Sesame paste was confused.

   "Perhaps because we are their friends?" Rou Rou said in an uncertain tone, "It's better to put it here than to let the Legion get it."

   "...I have a different opinion."

   Looking at the notebook in his hand, Sisi, who was sorting out information, suddenly broke into the topic and said.

"Maybe the company is just to drag us into the conflict between them and the legion. Anyway, even if the key is in our hands, we have no chance to use it. And if they ask for it back, our manager will definitely give it back to them. ."

   The bonfire made a crackling sound.

   Sesame paste and Rou Rou looked at each other and whispered.

   "I don't think so... He may just have no one to rely on, so he chose the only one he could trust."

   She prefers that it is less complicated.

   Rou Rou, who was sitting next to him, nodded his furry head in agreement.

   "I also think... those people make me feel pretty good."

   As for Teddy, he couldn't understand what the owners were talking about, so he just licked his paws in a daze.

  Siss didn't refute his teammates' point of view, and his eyes never left the notebook in his hand.

   "Emmm... maybe, I'm just making a hypothesis."

  People themselves are complex things, and there can be many kinds of motives, but people with simple minds are relatively rare.

   Not to mention, it is not certain whether that card is a key or not.

   The only clue they have is that the Pioneer has found something incredible in the desert, and it is likely to be the legendary Refuge 0 that can end all suffering and restart the prosperous era.

   However, she still remains skeptical.

   Not to doubt if they really found it.

   But doubt that such a convenient thing really exists?

   Even in-game…

   Looking at the notebook in Si Si's hand, Rou Rou asked curiously.

   "By the way, what did you write in your notebook?"

   She often sees Sis writing something on it.

   "Some collected intelligence."

   "Including the guy who claimed to be the prince, the setting about the Luoxia Province mentioned, and the rumors I heard from the mercenaries and traders... I will sort it out in the post later."

   These news are definitely more shocking than a few photos of airships.

   Maybe there is still a chance to be included in the setting collection of the official website like the big guys who often write strategies.

   "I admire the big guy who can write the guide, I can't even do the travel guide..." Sesame paste looked at Si Si with envy.

   Rou Rou also nodded his head in agreement and said with emotion.

   "+1, I feel that Sisi in reality must be a very reliable type."

   was a little embarrassed to be praised, Sisi said with a light cough.

   "Nothing at all, in reality I have enough troubles."

  Sesame paste looked at her in surprise.

   "Huh? Really?"

  Rourou also showed a surprised expression.

   "Totally unimaginable!"

   "It's normal, like Awei, don't look at her not very smart in the game, but in reality..."

   Having said this, Scar paused.

   Seeing her gradually subtle expression, smelling the fleshy flesh of the gossip, he immediately asked curiously.

   "In reality?"

  Siss involuntarily looked away.

   "emmm...Although not too smart, but at least quite quiet."

  Sesame paste couldn't hold back, and burst out laughing, while Rou Rou patted his head blankly.

She can imagine how    is not smart.

   But the quiet look...

   is completely unimaginable.

   casually flipped through a page of notes in his hand, Sisi continued thinking.

"Actually, I personally feel that the image of the virtual world is not so much the projection of the personality in reality, but more like the kind of person I want to be... Maybe it is because I am not so reliable in reality, so I think Will change the way of living in 'Second Life'."

   "Well, you say that, I feel like I have a little bit. In reality... I'm actually a little bit socially afraid, but it's fine in the game."

   had a slightly shy smile on his face, the cat ears above his head swayed gently, hugging the sesame paste sitting under the tree with his knees, and a little embarrassed to hide his chin in his arms.

   Every time she talks about things in reality, she always feels embarrassed, so she quickly changes the topic.

   "By the way, speaking of it... Where's the tail? Why haven't you come back yet?"

   "She's going to recover the VM dropped by the pilot, it should be soon..."

   closed the notebook in his hand, Sisi opened the VM screen, and was about to take a look at how far Awei was from here.

   But at this moment, a strong premonition of crisis suddenly climbed into her heart.

   That feeling was like being stared at by some kind of dangerous beast.

   Apparently it wasn't just her who noticed.

   The cat ears that had been swaying slightly before stood up, and sat on the sesame paste opposite the campfire, with both hands already clenching the Pu-9 submachine gun and dagger on the side.

   "I seem to have heard something just now..." She whispered, her pupils focused, scanning the dark forest.

   Without the slightest hesitation, Si Si stretched out his hand and put the iron pot on the campfire, quickly extinguishing the campfire.

at the same time--

   Six projectiles bound by magnetic force were already suspended by her hand, alerting to the approaching killing intent.

   "Be confident..."

   "It seems like it can be removed."

   (end of this chapter)