Kingdom of Corrosion
Chapter 677 - 321: The Stone Age

Chapter 677: Chapter 321: The Stone Age

Maya’s voice came through the headset, "Lin Wu, wait for me. I’m going to the town hall to get a map." Each small town’s town hall provided an unlimited number of paper maps, limited to towns like North Town and Southward Town.

"Okay," Lin Wu circled around the town hall on his horse. Phantom was extremely powerful, capable of kicking a zombie flying with a single blow when not running, and a double hind leg kick could send a zombie flying ten meters away. It seemed that weight truly was the king when it came to close combat, no wonder Maya dared to bully him so often.

Lost in thought, Maya got the map and they continued on, but as they were about to leave the small town, they encountered players. On the rooftop of a three-story villa at the side of the road, a woman excitedly waved at them: "Hi."

Along with the shout, a male player appeared by the rooftop edge and greeted them with a surprised expression. Being of an inquisitive nature, Maya rode over to chat with them. They were a couple who had commandeered the villa as their base, using Stone and other materials to block off the first floor, and using the second and third floors as their living quarters.

Stone wouldn’t corrode but could be damaged by the pounding of zombies; however, it was very durable.

The husband and wife had acquired a large number of foam boxes placed on the rooftop for growing crops, made their own water collectors, and even kept four chickens. What was most ingenious was that behind the villa was a river; the riverbank was only about eight meters from the villa, so they could get food by fishing. Unlike the people from Cloud Dream tribe, they were genuine challenge players, drawn to survival in the environment as their purpose and finding joy in it.

What would they do during a zombie siege? They hadn’t encountered a high-star siege yet, but if they did, they would switch to Building B, a villa with a similar setup. Building B also had Stone blocking the first floor, chickens kept on the balcony, and crops planted. Connecting the two buildings was a suspension line they had constructed with electrical cables, and with the bonus from their Agility, they could easily move back and forth between the two structures, 20 meters apart.

What Lin Wu found most impressive was that somehow, the two had managed to position four cars on the staircases from the first to the second floor of the two villas. The interiors of the cars were filled with Stone, and the trunks of two cars were packed with unopened building materials. Their architectural needs were simple: First was the basic building materials needed to take over a new base, and second was the materials necessary to construct a medical room and a workshop.

Why not leave the town and live in the mountains? First, because the river provided a bountiful food source. Second, because a mountain base would be secluded, making it difficult to employ siege moving tactics. Third, because the mountains had more ferocious animals and insects.

The couple lowered a basket, containing tomatoes, corn, and sweet potatoes they had grown themselves. With their warm hospitality, Maya chose not to refuse, accepting the gifts. Then, she placed a total of 50 rounds of handgun and rifle ammunition in the basket. The couple, feeling guilty at this, prepared to give more, but Maya took her leave before they could, and Lin Ma continued southward.

"I used to think that in Hardcore Mode, you either banded together or lived in seclusion," Maya said. "Now I see there are other ways to survive. The Cloud Dream tribe avoids the game’s rules, while this couple makes full use of them."

Lin Wu reined in his horse, pointing into the distance, "Look!"

Maya looked to the left, noticing as they left North Town, the highway No. 88 to their left turned away, growing more distant from them. Maya said, "We can’t keep heading south any longer."

Highway No. 88 surely led to Fantasy City, and near Fantasy City would definitely be highway No. 99. Following the county road, they would first reach Right County, then Southward Town within Right County, and only after continuing south from North City would they reach Fantasy City. This route would force them to pass through zombie-infested areas and was more circuitous. On the other hand, highway No. 88 was a straight shot.

Though curious to visit Southward Town to see the Thundercloud base and possibly find a way to charge the drones, they had to objectively consider the choices before them, foregoing the opportunity to charge. Charging was merely an excuse for Maya, who was even more interested in understanding the lives of those still surviving in Hardcore Mode, valuable experiences indeed.

Lin Ma refilled their water near highway No. 88 and followed the road. According to Maya’s estimate, they were still about 500 kilometers from Fantasy City. Lin Wu couldn’t comprehend how this calculation was made; if they had already reached the border of Fantasy City, why was it still so far away?

After running along highway No. 88 for an hour, Lin Wu realized the problem: the road’s designer had a few screws loose. You see, whenever they came across a mountain peak higher than 500 meters on the plain, the designer chose to create winding mountain roads instead of going around the peak from either side. If it weren’t for Little Fight’s battery running low, Lin Wu certainly wouldn’t indulge such madness.

After camping overnight, they set out again at seven the next morning, only to encounter a river wider than Cloud Dream River blocking their way. This time, the bridge on highway No. 88 was intact, but the bridgehead was swarming with zombies.

It was a sentry post similar to one back home, but without a tent area, and with a dozen military tents on both sides of the road. Clearly, this wasn’t a checkpost but an interception post. Maya estimated that the number of soldier zombies exceeded two hundred, with the ordinary zombies numbering more than five hundred. From the drone’s point of view, the zombies crowded the bridgehead as densely as ants. A rocket-propelled grenade blast sent about twenty zombies flying, but the gap this created in their ranks was quickly filled again.

"Scout!" Maya said, annoyed as it was purely a waste of electricity.

Lin Wu piloted the drone to survey along the riverbanks, reporting, "There are mountains on both sides within ten kilometers of here, suggesting this is the gentlest stretch of the river. That means..."