Kingdom of Corrosion
Chapter 920 - 400 Southern Part_2

Chapter 920: Chapter 400 Southern Part_2

Lin Wu: "You realize this is super dangerous, right?"

Maya said, "But there is a lot that needs to be done at the base. It’s definitely not a good idea to pull Lin Wu away now." Lin Wu was Maya’s closest friend; they had faced adversity and survived life-and-death situations together, so there was little hesitation in their emotional bond. She also believed that Lin Wu would want to come, but time was not on the base’s side. If the Railway Bridge Base didn’t make improvements soon, it would face resource shortages after entering the plague era.

Maya shared her earlier thoughts. Lin Wu could head to the southern part of the city by traveling under the Railway Bridge through The Day After Tomorrow River to meet up with Maya, and then they both could trek back to the Railway Bridge Shelter. If all went well, it would only take two days.

Lin Wu discontentedly said, "Aren’t you going to ask if I agree? Do you know how important I am? And let me reiterate, it’s extremely dangerous, okay?"

Maya asked, "So do you want to come?"

Lin Wu: "I’ll reluctantly make the trip."

Maya said, "But it won’t do; the base is more important. I can survive here for a few more days."

Stone asked, "A few more days? Are resources running low?"

Maya said, "There are still quite a lot of resources, but I expect I’ll likely die from an assassination."

"Having great prestige, refusing to submit to upper-class leadership, and not developing your own influence," said Stone. "I support your view. You’re definitely going to get taken out. Lin Wu, Snow Egg, go to the dispersal site tonight and get a rubber dinghy back. Tomorrow, Lin Wu, you set off."

Stone said, "Maya, don’t underestimate us, either. We’re not only able to cope with the current situation but also can stabilize and develop the base."

Lin Wu added, "The last time we were gone, the base was nearly wiped out."

Stone had no response and, out of annoyance and embarrassment, became aggressive: "I swear I’m going to kill you."

Lin Meng hurriedly intervened: "Uncle, you can’t beat him."

"Heh heh." Lin Wu let out a gleeful chuckle and asked, "Maya, can I contact you on this number?"

"Uh-huh, it’s a satellite phone, and it’s been topped up through the system, so it should be fine," Maya said. "Just in case, we should also plan out the timing, location, and other details."

...

With Maya’s remote guidance via phone, the shelter operated seamlessly. Neither the departmental structure discussed between Lin Wu and Stone nor the open system previously deliberated by everyone was as effective as Maya’s ability to put people to their best use. Maya was a collectivist, but in practice, she managed to consider individual differences.

The case in point was Lin Wu; he could be sent on dangerous missions but couldn’t be made to do menial labor. People like Snow Egg, who had strong execution skills, were suited for more tedious tasks. Of course, this also related to Maya’s profession - as a sniper, she should stick to sniping and not think about going off to shoot for no reason.

Without rice balls, only instant noodles were available, so Lin Wu packed a few packs of instant noodles and a box of biscuits, along with two thermoses of hot water. He also carried a bundle of rope, three handguns, and 100 rounds of ammunition. He decided against bringing an assault rifle because if he needed to use that, it meant Lin Wu was already inescapable trouble.

The next day, as soon as dawn broke, Xiao Wu and Snow Egg set out to retrieve the rubber dinghy and brought it down to the river’s edge under the Railway Bridge.

Although water levels dropped within the embankment line, the rapid speed of the river was evident from the floating debris. Xiao Wu and Snow Egg wished Lin Wu good luck, pushed him off in the dinghy, and watched it drift away. As they were about to leave, the dinghy struck a log that had crossed its path and was overturned.

Everyone watched from higher ground and the riverbank as Lin Wu, holding onto the dinghy’s netting, drifted downstream, praying for his good fortune.

Stone reassured everyone, "Don’t worry, disaster leaves a long-lasting scourge."

Shana added, "Alright, everyone, focus on the task at hand. We don’t want them to come back to find the base just as it was."

...

Would Lin Wu die drifting in the river? Theoretically, yes, but not if you consider his extreme sports star status. Without his extreme athlete’s abilities, he would likely survive four out of five times anyhow. The embankment had collapsed days ago, and it had also been days since the last rain. As Day After Tomorrow City’s river is deep and slow due to sand dredging, there’s virtually no risk as long as he doesn’t run into large debris.

Lin Wu let go of the netting and dove underwater, avoiding collision with the debris and flowing along the current towards the shore. Soon, he reached the embankment’s stone wall and floated another hundred meters, emerging on the steps. After climbing out, he checked his gear: whether the satellite phone was waterlogged and if the instant noodles were intact. He then took a handgun out of a small, sealed box.

Most firearms are mechanical and won’t malfunction just due to water. However, water can lead to various issues, such as diluting the gun oil, causing faster wear on the handgun’s components during firing. Plus, if sand gets into the barrel, it could cause a blowout.

Having changed into dry clothes and shoes on the bank, Lin Wu packed the ones he had removed into a cloth bag, squeezing out quite a bit of water with a pull of the drawstring before hanging the bag on his backpack. He put away the handgun and headed towards the street from the steps, surveying his surroundings at the stairway entrance.

The South District, also known as the Outer District and White-Collar District, used to be a hub for blue-collar workers during the city’s earlier development. Nowadays, it’s most famous for the ten large white-collar communities forming its residential areas, mostly composed of 32-story buildings and detached villas, each community home to up to ten thousand households. The supporting commercial facilities mainly revolve around food, drink, entertainment, and leisure.