Early in the morning, Lin Yuan stood by the window of the single dormitory, holding a steaming enamel teacup, looking at the street view outside the window.
The dormitory was very old, with paint peeling off the wooden frames of the doors and windows, and the beds were small wooden ones. But the room had obviously been cleaned well in advance, the utensils had been replaced with new ones, and the view was also very good, you could see the foggy sea in the distance.
The hot water in the cup was brought to her by the sentries early in the morning. The tea leaves in the cup were specially brought to her by a bird yesterday, saying that she had personally picked wild tea from the cliffs.
When I lived in the Baita Academy, there was hot water available all day long, and the black tea brewed by the life manager was very high quality.
But for some reason, Lin Yuan always felt that the steaming wild tea in his hand seemed to taste much more fragrant. Perhaps the things picked from the cliffs are indeed different.
Lin Yuan wiped the misty window glass with his sleeve and looked down. The residents near the sentry post lived very crowdedly. Various shabby low houses were crowded together. In the distance, a circle of walls was erected, enclosing all these living beings and the small sentry tower within the high walls.
Although it was still early, the nearby streets were already bustling with activity.
A ragged little boy, clutching the bread in his arms tightly, ran out of a bakery like a rabbit. The proprietress chased him out with a broom in her hand, cursing all the way.
[Hunger, Fear, Anger]
Several sentinels walked past the window. The one in front said something that angered the bird. Powerful white wings appeared, and the female sentinel with a human-faced eagle flapped in the air and knocked the man down with one move. The sky overlord's powerful eagle claws firmly pressed the opponent's neck to the ground.
"Surrender, surrender." The defeated male sentry was provoked to conjure up a long lizard-like tail, swung it on the ground, and begged for mercy.
They look like they are fighting, but they are actually having fun. Humans sometimes express their emotions in completely opposite ways.
[Happy, Relaxed, Pleasure]
The noisy early morning at the seaside is filled with the hustle and bustle of life.
A variety of emotions were conveyed.
Lin Yuan was upstairs, looking at the busy streets through the glass. She could read and see all the emotions, joy, anger, sorrow, and fear.
But it’s often like now, separated by a layer of glass, and I am always just a spectator on the balcony.
Lin Yuan put on his backpack, hung the gun he got from the airship on his waist, and checked his bullets. The small Scorpion submachine gun weighed only about 1.5kg, which was very friendly to the guide and would not cause too much burden.
She summarized the patterns while on the airship.
The most efficient combat mode is to use mental attacks in conjunction with physical attacks. It is efficient, large-scale, and labor-saving.
Lin Yuan felt sorry, but there was no other way. It was impossible for her to encounter such a tacit and powerful sentinel anytime and anywhere.
You can only rely on yourself to do anything.
Lin Yuan packed up his weapons, went downstairs, and went to the treatment room to see the injured person from yesterday.
It was still early, the lights in the treatment room were dim, and there was white noise playing in the room, the kind of sound of leaves rustling in the wind across the fields.
Rachel was well taken care of on the bed. His messy blond hair was combed and his complexion looked much better. The gag on his mouth was removed and the heavy chain around his neck was taken off. The straps were temporarily kept to prevent him from getting hurt.
Although he still looked fragile, at least he looked more like a human being, no longer a dying beast chained to the bed.
Rachel woke up at this time. His eyes were a little confused at first, and only after a moment did his soul regain some focus. His weak and somewhat dazed eyes fell on Lin Yuan outside the window.
Facing a sentinel whose mind was polluted by the mutants and whose mental image had just been destroyed by him, Lin Yuan was a little unsure of what to do.
She tried hard to recall Shu Jingtong and Nicole's behavior and tried her best to imitate a smile.
He waved to the sentry on the bed and gave a gentle smile.
Walking out of the sentry post, the weather was a bit cool in the early morning. The sea breeze brought a little fishy smell of sea water. The streets were very muddy. Lin Yuan lifted his foot to look at the mud stuck on the sole of his shoe and continued walking forward.
The residents living here are completely different from those in the imperial capital.
Most of them had patched clothes, tanned skin and unkempt hairstyles.
A girl like Lin Yuan with fair skin and a slim figure walking on the road in the early morning would soon attract malicious glances.
A few scoundrels followed Lin Yuan for a while, laughing and joking, and then stopped her at the entrance of an alley.
"Where did this girl come from? She's so pretty. The brothers have something to say to you."
Lin Yuan walked into the alley with them very calmly. Not long after, he walked out with a calm face and reached out to smooth out the non-existent wrinkles on his clothes.
[Ouch, I feel like vomiting]
[I want to wash my hands]
[Don’t assign this job to me next time]
A jeep braked suddenly in front of Lin Yuan.
Xiaoniao jumped down from the car, grabbed Lin Yuan, and looked him up and down.
"Why did you run out by yourself? Did anyone bully you? I heard some bad noises."
Another four or five sentries rushed into the dark alley with their sleeves rolled up and looked menacing, but soon came back with strange expressions on their faces.
"No one is there," Da Hu fanned his nose and whispered to Xiao Niao, "There are only a few cowards in the alley. I don't know what frightened them so much that they lost their minds and collapsed on the ground crying. There was a strong smell of urine."
They breathed a sigh of relief and asked Lin Yuan, "Where are you going alone?"
"Go to contaminated area No. 5." Lin Yuan said as a matter of course.
"Going to the contaminated area? Oh my god, you actually want to go to the contaminated area by yourself?" The sentinels were shocked. "Why didn't you ask us to come with you when you went to the contaminated area?"
They mean to accompany me to the contaminated area? Why should I accompany me? That is clearly my job.
The sentries and Lin Yuan both showed incredible expressions and looked at each other in confusion.
"A guide actually wants to go to a contaminated area."
In fact, Lin Yuan has heard a lot of such words. Since knowing that she had found a job in the Research Department, countless people came up to her and said similar words with exaggerated expressions, even including her only friend.
"Oh my god, a guide wants to run around."
"It's so funny. Why is the guide going to a polluted area?"
"It's so worrying. Why would you want to go to such a dangerous place?"
Those people said it in front of her in a fuss.
But Lin Yuan didn't take it to heart. She had grown up to know that if she really wanted something, she had to accomplish it by herself.
She has never relied on anyone and rarely received help from others.
Therefore, other people's surprise or ridicule has no meaning to her and will not affect her behavior.
She had heard that besides the sentinels, there were also ordinary people living near the contaminated areas. People risked their lives to enter the contaminated areas and exchanged the materials they found for money, and many even made a living from it.
Lin Yuan thought that since ordinary people could go in, then a guide who also had hands and feet could certainly go in and try.
But soon, she discovered that the sentinels here were different from those before.
After they said, "Oh my god, a guide is going to the contaminated area," they did not continue to make a fuss or obstruct. Instead, they began to check Lin Yuan's equipment and told her how to enter and exit Area 5 and what to pay attention to.
"The gun you carry is pretty good, light and suitable for you."
"Let me see. In addition to hot weapons, you should also bring some cold weapons. Bullets may run out at any time. They may not be replenished."
"I'll give you my dagger. It's very sharp. I've used it for many years."
"You should use mine. It's smaller and more suitable for you."
"This is the map of Area 5. Take it and familiarize yourself with it. We have it."
"Here are the monster's attributes and approximate locations, as well as how to get the key. Area 5 is an old area, and we are all very familiar with it."
The sentries started talking.
It seems that it is not a big deal for a guide to go to the contaminated area. Since you want to go, we will teach you how to survive in it.
Finally they just said that they must go with them.
Lin Yuan was pulled into the car in a daze. The jeep was driving very fast and she sat on a velvet cushion that belonged to her.
[There is a smell of a little girl on the mat] A tentacle emerged and said.
In a warmly decorated little room, a little girl was pouting and asking her mother who was cleaning the dishes at the sink.
"Is my baby really never coming back?" There was a cry in her voice.
The mother sighed, wiped her hands on her apron, and squatted down in front of the girl.
The child was sad for two whole days because his only doll was taken away by his father.
"Yes, Madoka, Mom told you that she's been demolished. To help Uncle Rachel."
The girl's eyes turned red, and the tears she had been holding back welled up in her eyes. "Did she do anything? Did Uncle Rachel save him?"
"Yes, she played a very important role." The mother reached out and touched her little head, "Because your doll turned into a soft cushion and brought the guide back. Uncle Rachel finally didn't have to die. This is all thanks to you, Xiaoyuan. Xiaoyuan, you also like Uncle Rachel with golden hair, right?"
The girl thought about it and finally stopped crying and laughed. Although she liked her only toy doll very much, she also liked the uncle with golden hair and didn't want to never see any of the uncles and aunts who often came to their home for dinner again.
"Mom, what exactly is the contaminated area? Why do my uncles, aunts and dad go there so often?"
"What is the contaminated area?" The mother went back to the sink to wash the bowl in her hand and thought for a moment. "I don't know what other contaminated areas are like, but Contaminated Area No. 5 was my home when I was a child.
Ni Ji stood up from the smoke, with a few strands of hair falling from his forehead and bruises on his wrists from being strangled. He looked a little disheveled.
But he finally escaped from the mutant's clutches and was not dragged into the thick black smoke.
The thin and long black palm, which had just been shattered by Ni Ji's gun, had now reunited, wandered in the shadows of the streets and houses, and retreated unwillingly.
What a pity, he was able to get rid of it like this, that kid Ni Ji is too alert. Tan Shu stood not far away, narrowing his eyes and thinking in his heart.
But he quickly showed concern on his face and rushed over, "Ni Ji, are you okay?"
"Strange." Tan Shu pretended to be puzzled. "District No. 5 is an old district. Countless people have been in and out. Our maps and strategies are very detailed. How could such a powerful monster suddenly appear in a place like this?"
Ni Ji wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and looked at him with a half-smile.
"Yeah, that's weird," he said.
(End of this chapter)