Kingdom of Corrosion
Chapter 738 - 345 Bright Base

Chapter 738: Chapter 345 Bright Base

Lin Meng, with her excellent qualities and strong will, was attractive, guileless, and always smiling at everyone except for that person. In addition to that, Lin Meng was a treasure. Not only was she a treasure in her own right, but her identity was also a treasure to Shadow.

A safe house could add a lot of entertainment for Shadow, and her Fortress agent status allowed her free access to the airport. She could even buy cars that could be driven freely in Leimeng Town at the airport. But the Sentry Card only recognized people, not cars, so others still couldn’t enter the airport.

However, this treasure of a girl had a flaw: she was poor. Her points were so pitifully low that not to mention buying a car for Bright Base that could move freely in Laimeng, she could hardly afford her favorite shrimp crackers. Therefore, to make better use of the treasure, Shadow had to work for Lin Meng first.

Of course, the first step was to relocate the safe house.

Early in the morning, as they watched Lin Meng pass through the Sentry Card and walk toward the airport, Stone couldn’t help but worry, "What if she stands us up?" He knew that the only reason Lin Meng had joined Shadow was out of fear of Lin Wu’s malign influence. Now that she had the chance to escape his clutches, would she come back?

Maya flatly denied, "She won’t."

Stone said, "We’ve talked before, and you said you’re not good at interpersonal relationships."

Maya responded, "At my age, don’t be as childish as Lin Wu and play these kinds of word games."

Lin Wu chimed in, "Hey! I’m right here."

Stone chuckled, "That’s what I mean. Why are you so sure about Lin Meng? You always say that people are the biggest variable in any plan and that your greatest weakness is the inability to judge people."

Maya replied, "What I said was that I am not skilled at understanding others’ inner thoughts and managing their emotions. As for Lin Meng, I’ve only been in contact with her for two days and one night, and I’m not certain what kind of person she is. But..."

Lin Meng walked several kilometers to fetch materials, all for less than a liter of fuel. This act wasn’t important, what mattered was that even though life was so hard, Lin Meng did not complain about her life or show dissatisfaction with reality. She still maintained her smile and worked hard at living.

The chief culprit for Lin Meng’s bankruptcy was Lin Wu, who had felt her up six times during a train event, stripping her of all her possessions.

Even so, Lin Meng never showed any resentment towards Lin Wu. She would blame him for stealing her shrimp crackers but never blamed him for her destitution.

Maya was someone who didn’t listen to what you said but watched what you did. After her explanation, Shana and Stone nodded repeatedly, clearly agreeing with Maya’s assessment. The only one who felt awkward was Lin Wu, who seemed to be portrayed as an antagonist in Maya’s description.

Without giving Lin Wu time to think it over, Maya started delegating tasks, "Stone at Point A, Lin Wu and Shana, your daytime work targets are next to the small supermarket: the building material, home improvement, and hardware stores. There are three floors, and a lot of zombies. One thing to be particularly aware of: our safety zone is about twelve meters from the entrance to the store, and this twelve-meter stretch is covered by surveillance."

Maya continued, "Yesterday, we cleared the zombies on the first floor of the small supermarket near the road, so you can move back and forth along the sidewalk outside the supermarket, but you cannot directly cross the 12-meter area. Of course, emergency situations are a different matter. Once the surveillance alarm is triggered, everyone must return indoors to the base within one minute, no matter the situation on the scene."

Maya added, "I know you prefer to make decisions based on the situation at the time, but in the face of the threat from system drones, this is the first rule that everyone in Shadow must follow. It’s like drinking and driving; maybe nothing will happen a hundred times, but if it happens once, that’s the end. After being captured by surveillance, return indoors to the base within 1 minute. If you can’t make it back to the base, find shelter indoors. If you can’t get back to the base and you can’t find indoor shelter, abandon your important gear and items in the original place or somewhere relatively safe and then deal with the drones."

Lin Wu thought the rule was too strict. He had his own ways to counter drones, Little Fight, and he was especially fast, so there seemed to be no need for such a strict rule. Later while working with Shana, she explained his doubts. Maya’s rules weren’t targeted at just Lin Wu; they were for everyone in the base, including those working on the rooftop garden and the plaza, like Stone.

The two biggest threats to the base personnel currently were suicide drones and Fortress agents. For the former, they lacked effective means to counter them and could only rely on exploiting the mechanical nature of their operation.

As for the latter, the solution was to hang banners.

After securing a package of building materials and setting up a production room, Su Shi used the Splintered Wood and torn fabrics obtained from deconstruction the day before to make banners. The self-important Stone used four bottles of ink to write a line: "Shadow Base, kill first, strip later. Sincerely, Lin Wu."

Shana and Lin Wu used ropes to secure the banner between two lampposts at the highway bridge exit, making it very conspicuous.

Should someone fear Lin Wu and see the banner, they would naturally retreat quietly, saving face since no one would know. On the other hand, if some people or a small group didn’t take Lin Wu seriously, they might destroy the banner both as a sign of disdain and to boost their morale. This would enable Shadow to quickly identify any Fortress agents threatening their safety.

The other role of the banner was to attract attention. Shana had planted landmines in certain locations at the highway bridge exit. The first spot was where Lin Wu lay in wait the previous night; it was a spot concealed from light at night and accessible by climbing over the railings from the highway bridge. The second spot was at the edge of the bridge where a tripwire had been stretched across the railing. If anyone tried to move forward hugging the railing instead of taking the proper path, they would trip the wire.