Kingdom of Corrosion
Chapter 470 - 242: In the Mountains (Part 2)

Chapter 470: Chapter 242: In the Mountains (Part 2)

The march on the other side wasn’t going too smoothly, Troop Leader Peanut tripped and tumbled down, injuring Starlight. Maya had initially planned to have Sunlight accompany Starlight to the waterfall rendezvous point. Considering they were only 400 meters away from the rendezvous point, Starlight expressed that she could go alone, and shook off Sunlight’s hand. Maya, concerned, had everyone rest in place while she personally escorted Starlight to the rendezvous point. By this time, the team members could feel some tension arising between Sunlight and Starlight.

The meeting point was a small waterfall with a hundred-square-meter wooden hut on the high ground on one side, unequipped supply hut established by Left County University. It was mainly for scholars and experts to use for temporary stays during outdoor research, studying everything from caterpillars to leaves.

After his recovery, Lin Wu took one look at the place upon reaching the rendezvous point and fell in love with it—clean, tidy, nestled next to the mountain and river: "Wai, cousin, this is the perfect base for our group of four."

Shana retorted, "The key is that Hunter has to be efficient, or else we’ll all starve to death."

"Ha ha," Lin Wu raised his hand in greeting, "Starlight, I heard you were hurt and came to check on you. Bring out whatever good food and drinks you have."

Starlight was sitting in a rocking chair outside the hut, pointing inside, "I’ve made a pot of coffee."

"Really?"

"Mm-hmm." Starlight got up and led the two into the hut, which had a layout of one living room and four bedrooms, stocked with two boxes of canned goods, as well as supplies like coffee and tea.

Shana looked around, "Not bad, not bad."

Lin Wu puzzled, "Why are you stealing my lines?"

Starlight picked up the coffee, "The lighting inside isn’t good; let’s sit outside."

"Okay."

The three of them settled down, and Lin Wu was about to speak when he felt the ground tremble lightly, so he immediately stood up. Starlight explained, "There have been minor tremors nonstop. I guess it’s due to the water flow creating shockwaves as rocks fall."

"No, it’s a Titan." How could there be a Titan in the wilds? But if there were zombies in the wilds, there was a chance a Titan could spawn. With the ammunition they had, there was no way they could take down a Titan.

Lin Wu released a drone for reconnaissance and after scouting the area, eventually found the Titan on the mountain above the side of the cliff near the hut. However, this Titan’s attire was different from a regular Titan, who usually wore ragged clothing like an overcoat; this one’s clothes were also tattered, but it wore camouflage—evidently, it had been a soldier when alive.

Continuing his search, Lin Wu discovered more clues, including a site that seemed like a helipad and an iron mine tunnel. Although he didn’t know which secret lab it was, he concluded that it was definitely one of them. From the information gathered, this was likely the origin of the Mutant Zombies.

Lin Wu connected with Maya, who agreed with Lin Wu’s assessment and told him that the team would reach their destination in 10 minutes and be able to return to base today, asking the three to wait patiently.

Lin Wu returned to the cabin from the cliff’s edge, finding Starlight and Shana engaged in chess. Although he didn’t understand the rules of chess, it was clear these two women were playing seriously, and he could see Starlight had an abating presence over Shana, whose expression indicated that she was at a disadvantage, struggling under the pressure.

Lin Wu wasn’t just guessing blindly—Shana’s face really did show a dilemma, while Starlight appeared serene, as if strategizing from a tent.

Shana looked at Starlight, confused, "Why are you sending your queen to her death?"

Starlight responded, "Whether I send her or not isn’t up to me, I can’t stop her if she wants to go."

Shana moved a chess piece unfamiliar to Lin Wu, "But I don’t want it."

Starlight also moved a piece, "Whether you want it or not, it’s there."

Lin Wu marveled, the rules of chess really were profound, he couldn’t even understand the conversation between the players.

As they played, Starlight declared, "Check."

Shana, "She’s sending herself to death."

Starlight, "Her death is her business; you just need to make a choice."

The designer of chess was incredible! Lin Wu’s brain was overheating, yet he still couldn’t understand the rules of the game. Why would one side allow their own piece to be sacrificed? Why wouldn’t the other side dare to take the offered piece?

Starlight explained, "If you had stopped her from the beginning, you wouldn’t find yourself facing a tough choice now."

Shana replied nonchalantly, "The move is yours to make, I have no right to interfere."

Starlight, "Now it’s check; can you still ignore it?"

Shana played her move, "It has nothing to do with me, why bother with it?"

Wow! Your king is in check, and you do nothing—could it be that the rules of chess aren’t as simple as I thought?

Starlight asked, "What do you think I should do?"

Shana, "How you play is your business; I will only play my own pieces."

After a while, Lin Wu couldn’t help but ask, "Are these pieces traitors?"

"No," Starlight toppled the king, looking at Shana, "You’re right, it really has nothing to do with you."

Shana, "If that’s what you think, then you shouldn’t concede."

Starlight, "Conceding is my own business. If he’s willing to come back and support me, then of course I can stand up again. To retreat is to advance, to advance is to retreat."

Shana, "Aren’t you worried about going with the flow?"

Starlight, "Not acting now means acting later. If not you, it might be someone else. If I’ve already lost, it’s best to concede early, to stop losses in time."

Holy shit! What rules? Lin Wu looked at Wai, who had been resting his front paws on the table and watching for a long time—surely he understood? Wai oddly looked back at Lin Wu, unsure of what his master was ordering. Lin Wu resigned himself to the fact, even Wai couldn’t understand—it was to be expected. After all, Wai was coded by Dawn, which means Dawn couldn’t understand chess either. That also meant his own intelligence was on par with Dawn’s.

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