Chapter 2.1 - Night Assault
The distinct hydraulic pressure sounds of machinery echoed through the depths of the cave. The ventilation hidden behind the rocks released large bursts of steam from its three-meter wide opening. The powerful reinforced steel gear wheel that radiated with a cyan luster slowly lowered into the mountains, but when it made it a meter inside, even though it had only caused this place to rumble a bit, a hidden passageway was revealed.
Even though it was already dusky outside, Su could still see through the rising steam. He saw that there were various weapons hidden within the mountain body and passageways.
“Hey! Turner! It’s truly good to see you make it back in one piece!”
These people had just exited the passageway when a black man over two-meters tall walked over. He gave Turner an extremely powerful embrace.
Turner returned with a similarly strong hug and said, “If it wasn’t for Su, then the problem wouldn’t be whether or not we would return in one piece. You would have to dig out our remains from within the rotting wolves feces, if there was even anything left.”
The black man followed Turner’s gaze and saw Su, who was standing at the very back. He walked over with large steps and offered his hand. He revealed a mouthful of white teeth and smiled. “I’m called Tony! I am in charge of Base N11’s logistics. You saved Turner, so you are already my friend. I welcome you to Base N11!
After a simple scan and quarantine procedure, most of the mission’s soldiers dispersed throughout the base, returning to their residences. Meanwhile, because Su earned the great recognition of saving Turner’s small troop, and also in part because he had Grace Company’s hunter and mercenary credentials, he received generous treatment. Not only did he have his own room, he was even allowed to purchase goods at the price a local could.
Base N11 wasn’t that large. The internal structure only had four hundred or so residents. As for whether there was any extra space, not only had the qualifications to live here reached an extremely harsh state, there were even complex provision in place that strictly regulated the number of guests allowed inside.
Back then, Base N11 was one of many nuclear shelters, and this region was named N11. From its size, it seemed like a rather small refuge. However, inside, there was drinking water, food, shelter, medicine, and even clean air; there was everything one needed to survive inside. A refuge that could protect against nuclear warfare and was self-sustaining would be the same in any country: they were not prepared for ordinary folk. The equipment inside was advanced, and they would be periodically replaced.
When the war completely broke out, refuge N11 was not used at all. Not a single one of the influential officials and wealthy individuals that had the authority to use the refuge were able to make it to the refuge. When the automatic defenses were activated and refuge N11 closed on its own, only sixteen staff members in charge of daily operations were inside..
Fifteen years later, the refuge that seemed to have been closed off forever followed proper procedures and once again opened up. The world from back then had already been buried under the passage of time, and the new era had just awoken.
Base N11 replaced refuge N11, just like how the new age replaced the old.
Su closed his eye. As he cleaned himself within the steady stream of water, the history of Base N11 played in his mind. The base’s capabilities were faultless: there was a life division, logistics division, army division, and a center that controlled the four divisions. In the back of the base was an emergency exit that lead to a natural cave. Rumors had it that it was connected to an abandoned subway network several kilometers out. It was a rather well known fact that those underground tunnels had long become a paradise for many dangerous creatures. As a result, within a map of Base N11, that region had been marked with a glaring red ‘Danger’.
The brief shower only lasted two minutes, yet it used up fifty yuan of Su’s currency. This was already the price that locals paid! The currency of the new age was far different from the old age. A currency that was left behind and difficult to counterfeit could only be an assortment of different coins. As a result, for a normal person or even a local resident of the base, fifty yuan was a number that was difficult to fork over. Even if money wasn’t a problem, the time for showers still couldn’t be that long. Even though the water for bathing had been cleaned, lowering the radiation by a large amount, it was still far from the level of drinking water. Showering for too long would leave irreversible harm on your body. Despite being so costly, one could still wash themselves; this benefit was something that the base was proud of.
The stream coming from the nozzle quickly became weaker and ultimately stopped. The last drop of water dropped somewhat reluctantly on his shoulder, creating a small splash on his bright and clean jade-like skin. It followed the gentle curve of his skin downwards, but once it reached the hips, the drop of water completely disappeared. It was absorbed by his skin.
When the shower concluded, Su’s body didn’t seem to have any traces of water on him. He slightly wiped his body, and bandages were wrapped in circles around him. He had already carefully inspected his room and did not find any bugs installed. In addition, it was unlikely for others to realize that a few galleons was used. After all, this was just cycled water that could not be drunk.
His body’s current condition had been examined while showering. He now had to examine the condition of his weapons, ammunition reserves, money remaining, and then draft up a short-term plan as well as refill the supplies he needed for his travels. This was something that Su would do each time he arrived at a new base.
He still had quite a bit of the common bullets used for his modified rifle, but he only had three rounds of the handmade special bullets remaining. He had to increase it to twenty rounds at the very least. The modified revolver he owned used the rifle bullets of the olden days. These weren’t too difficult to find, and this base should have them in adequate supply, moreover at a fair price.
“I only have 110 yuan left?” Su counted his coins one after another, his handsome brows slightly creasing. This amount of money was probably only enough to purchase food, water, and ammunition. As for his goal, the RF series rifle produced by Carter Roman Company was still a bit far off. As an introductory level firearm product of the new age, the RF series rifle’s standard model needed 3000 yuan. Meanwhile, the various additional subtypes were even more precious than the original rifle. The great companies would even offer them a complete evolution point that could be used for primary gene modification. A single dose of drug was ten thousand yuan, and this was just the common grade drug. The efficacy of the drug was stable, and its biological action could directly bring about a particular effect. Even the lowest cost version would have an effect several times that of similar drugs.
Convenience was an important factor of life in the outside world. No one wanted to carry tens of thousands of coins across the wilderness. As a result, many companies and organizations tried to create their own source of credit, to a point where paper currency and credit cards have been distributed. However, they all faced the same problem, which was that their competitors might not accept their form of credit. Gradually, without the existence of banks, objects became the primary form of exchange. Firearms, weapons, and ammunition all become interchangeable commodities. As for genetic modification drugs, they had already been turned into a currency of great value. Of course, this kind of currency could easily collapse, and they couldn’t be preserved for a long time.
Su’s travel supplies were extremely simple: A standard military canteen, bullet pouch, and a small bag that was ten centimeters long and five centimeters wide. It was used to store money, medicine, and other items. These items could be hung at his belt without greatly affecting his movement. Regardless of whether it was a hunter or mercenary, the less weight one had to bear, the greater the chances of one’s survival were.
Su grabbed a piece of paper and drew out a diagram with a few strokes. After writing out a corresponding number, he then exited the door.