Kingdom of Corrosion
Chapter 62 - 61: Going Home

Chapter 62: Chapter 61: Going Home

The trade convoy had simply set a trap, wanting to find out who was tracking them; they had not discussed whether to drive away the other party or to kill them. In Lin Wu’s view, there was no need to discuss expulsion or killing; they were definitely going to take them out. The reason was simple: kill them, and when they revived, they could each hate you individually. Drive them away, and they would unite in their hatred for you.

Moreover, the two parties had exchanged words before, and since the others had a book on agriculture, it would be inconceivable not to kill them.

As soon as Lin Wu fired his gun, everyone else followed suit. Compared to zombies, it was harder to land a headshot on a player. After one volley of shots, only Lin Wu’s first sneak attack resulted in a headshot. Fortunately, the convoy’s firepower was strong, taking two lives in a single round.

At this point, the remaining three made a fatal mistake: one tried to escape through the tunnel while the other two fought desperately against the trade convoy. Having been ambushed and lacking real combat experience, they were unable to cause any substantial harm to the convoy.

Lin Wu targeted Black Coal, who was obviously fleeing quickly due to his increased agility. However, today wasn’t a race between people but rather a race between a person and a bullet. Lin Wu easily hit Black Coal, who was fleeing in a straight line, pulled the bolt on his rifle, and fired again, bringing Black Coal down to the ground.

Lin Wu approached the body and fired another shot, not expecting the body to flip over and stand up cursing, "Fuck XX."

Black Coal’s feigning of death had two ideas behind it. If Lin Wu went to loot the body, he would ambush Lin Wu. If Lin Wu didn’t loot, he might be able to escape the ordeal. It turned out that this guy was crazy; even though he was motionless, Lin Wu still took another shot.

Lin Wu fired again, but still missed the head. Seeing that the others were more than ten meters away, Black Coal pulled out a big cleaver and charged at Lin Wu. Lin Wu slung his rifle, drew his dagger, and swiftly dispatched Black Coal with a stab.

Players and zombies were entirely different; without a sneak attack, achieving a headshot was very difficult.

"Got it," Little Knife shouted, "Agriculture."

Hun Dan’s two advocates argued for expulsion, not extermination. At this moment, Little Knife’s shout, tinged with excitement, made them feel this was a premeditated robbery rather than self-defense, which left them somewhat uncomfortable. Of course, they didn’t voice this, as there was nothing inherently wrong with killing and no one could fault them for it.

Those who advocated killing had their own differences of opinion. Shana believed they had made their refusal clear, and if they still followed, they were asking for death. Lin Wu’s reasoning was the most direct and brutal; they had Agriculture, and that gave them the reason to kill. How could they not kill them and stay true to themselves? Maya believed that dealing with the problem at the tunnel entrance, where there were few zombies, was the wisest choice.

Little Knife had no particular thoughts on the matter; when others shot, she shot. Not killing was fine, and so was killing. Not looting a backpack was fine, but so was looting. She wouldn’t be unhappy without spoils of war, yet she would certainly be delighted with them.

...

The first time traveling through the tunnel, unaware of the Blood Plague, they hovered on the brink of life and death. On the return journey, they were prepared for the Blood Heart section of the train. Simply put, the solution was to ask the Wanderer’s base for some firecrackers, light them to attract zombies to the right-hand corridor of the train, and the convoy would take the opportunity to pass through the left-hand corridor.

During this time, Maya made a discovery: though the noise disturbed the Blood Plague, it didn’t spawn more powerful zombies, not even Blood Zombies. This meant that as long as the Blood Plague wasn’t attacked, it wouldn’t initiate an attack on the players. This revealed a weakness of the Blood Plague. The Former Shadow Base currently had 20 tubular bombs. Snow Egg proposed they craft ’C’4 from the tubular bombs to use as makeshift claymore mines, significantly increasing their power.

Su Shi could use the crafting table to produce F4, but because he lacked the relevant skill, there was a risk involved during the crafting process, and it would consume more materials. Shana’s Chemistry Skill provided no bonuses to the crafting process, and without any Intelligence points, her involvement would waste even more materials.

Maya believed that if Shana were to focus on producing medical supplies, on the off chance that she could advance her life skills, she would evolve into having a Pharmacy Skill. Conversely, if Shana focused on producing bullets to gain experience, she might develop her advanced skill into a specialty skill related to gunpowder.

...

The fact that Left County had more mountains than people was advantageous; nobody bothered visiting the remote tunnel entrance. Cars and motorcycles were well-preserved. After leaving the tunnel, everyone worked together to remove the coverings, refill with gasoline, and drove back to the base.

Back at the base, everyone rested. Little Knife headed to the highway near the base to seek trouble with zombies’ heads. Horse Soul and Snow Egg went to the cliff’s edge for a secret talk. Maya flipped through collected magazines and newspapers, hoping to find game information. Shana took a colored marker and a stepladder to doodle on the church’s exterior walls—graffiti and drawing were Shana’s hobbies. Lin Wu claimed the Silencer at the first opportunity, sitting on the cliff facing the commercial street, aiming while contemplating how to hit a moving target in the head. As for Emerald Feather, she had already been taken away by people from Invincible Base.

At the base entrance, Stone gave everyone a warm welcome and then went alone to the warehouse to take stock. After finishing, he had a conversation with Maya, who brought up Shana’s chemistry specialty. Believing Stone had a knack for understanding people, she gave him the background and asked, "Do you think Shana will stay long at Shadow Base? If she stays for the long term, I support her taking the gunpowder route. If she can’t stay, I support her going down the medical route. In the early stages of the game, medicines are precious, but as the game progresses, gunpowder will directly reflect one’s strength."

"The Ring of the Fortress," Stone said somewhat emotionally, "Every one of you 5% must want to get The Ring of the Fortress, right? I really admire Shana for honestly stating her desires. Wanting it is just that—wanting it, with no beating around the bush. I like her character, so of course, I hope she can stay long term at Shadow Base. But there’s only one winner for The Ring of the Fortress, and assuming you’re undying, with her current strength, it’s hard for her to surpass you in terms of points."

Maya said, "From a population of a million immigrants, 5%, that’s fifty thousand people competing for The Ring of the Fortress. I’m just doing my best, without too much hope."

"I like your serious attitude toward everything you do even more," he said.

Maya responded speechlessly, "You have a way with words."

"I’m not joking," Stone said. "I also like Little Knife’s innocence and simplicity—her character infects others with energy, allowing them to live more positively. I like Lin Wu’s character as well. You mentioned that Shana might leave Shadow Base, but I’ll tell you Lin Wu is even more likely to leave the base. With the Silencer toy in hand, he’s completely absorbed in playing with guns. People who love to play find it hard to stay in one place unless they constantly find fun or have nowhere else to go. The damned thing is, his Hunter’s skill allows him the chance to fly solo as a lone wolf."

A Hunter provides one food each day, and dismantling base structures recovers 100% of materials. Without skills, attributes bonuses or penalties, one building material pack yields four units of material, and four units are just enough to make one bed. As long as Lin Wu had one material pack, he could survive as a lone wolf. Of course, lacking a medical room, Lin Wu could not afford to get injured. Objectively speaking, as long as Lin Wu did not provoke Mutant Zombies, he would hardly be injured.

"Don’t worry too much; Lin Wu won’t leave Little Knife behind. Have you ever thought about why Lin Wu is the only one in the entire base playing with guns?" Stone asked.

Maya pondered, "That does seem a bit strange now that you mention it."

"It’s because I denied others’ claims. Fortunately, Lin Wu has contributed enough that nobody objects to his special treatment. Lately, I’m more worried about Snow Egg and Horse Soul," Stone said.

Maya did not understand.

"From what I know of their characters, I believe they have become good friends after the Hun Dan incident. Two good friends both like the same girl; I’m worried that Shadow Base will have a melodramatic turn of events," Stone explained, sighing lightly, "People are the easiest to manage, yet also the hardest."

Maya nodded, "I prefer rigid doctrines over the fickleness of human nature. Are the things organized?"

"All set," shouted Stone. "Brothers and sisters, it’s time for a meeting."

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