Since the location of the new mission was not far from the Zhongshan base and there was plenty of time, Xiao Mo and Xue Lihong decided to go back to the base first after discussing it.
After an hour of turbulence, Xiao Mo and his party finally approached the main road of the base. They could see the gate of Base No. 2 in front of them. This is currently the only external entrance and exit on the surface of Zhongshan Base.
Base No. 2 is located to the north of the entire Zhongshan base.
There are only two mountains in the entire Zhongshan base, one is at Base No. 1, which is the center of the base. There is another mountain, which is better said to be a small mountain range. This small mountain range containing thirteen hills is located in Base No. 2, so the outermost walls of Base No. 2 are built against the mountain.
Machine guns and cannons were mounted on the walls, just like city walls in ancient times.
At the beginning, there was only one base in Zhongshan City, which is now Base No. 1. It was originally a military region. After the fall of Zhongshan City, it was converted into a base.
The nameless mountain in the military area is not high at the top, with gentle slopes. The mountainside is hollowed out and used by the military as a weapons depot and machine room. It is still like this.
The central building of the base is built directly in front of this nameless mountain, and behind the building is the military camp.
Wuming Mountain is considered the center of the entire base. It is a single hill, about 800 meters high. There are no high-rise buildings on the mountain or in the nearby open space. The tallest central building is only five floors.
Later, more people came and Base No. 1 was not enough. Four satellite bases were gradually developed on the basis of Base No. 1, namely No. 2 to No. 5. They were located exactly on the southeast, northwest and four sides of Base No. 1, making Base No. 1 perfect. The ground is wrapped in the middle.
The entire Zhongshan base looks like an ancient copper coin with a circle on the outside and a square on the inside when viewed from the sky. The square hole in the middle is Base No. 1.
There are high walls built between the bases, on which people can walk and attack and defend.
Xiao Mo looked out the window and said: "Our government and military here are the ones that respond the fastest. The management is also clear and clear. The relationship between the government and the military is also good. The base was built in a short period of time." , the people's hearts have been tightened again, and the situation has been tightened and loosened, and there has been no big trouble. However, I heard that some cities and towns have been in a mess, many places have been forced to abandon it, and people are fleeing to big cities. Xiaohong, don’t you think more and more people are fleeing to Zhongshan City during this period?”
At the end of the sentence, his tone couldn't help but sink.
Xue Lihong looked up. He was making a small object. "Are you worried that the government cannot control the situation?"
"No, I'm afraid they will give up most of it and garrison a small part."
"This is inevitable. The military strength is limited. If you want to fully protect such a large country, under the current circumstances, it is not enough to fill it all in. It is better to focus on defending some important cities to ensure the foundation and high-precision of industry and agriculture. Supply, then there is hope.”
"More and more refugees have fled into the base recently. The temporary resettlement camp outside the base can no longer accommodate those people. I am afraid that the higher authorities will soon issue a task for people to build the sixth base. But even if there is enough cement, what about food? What if? The food that can be exchanged in the base has been reduced again, what should I do?"
"Didn't I say that the research institute is already researching new types of grains that don't consider taste but only production volume? Don't worry, there is always a way out."
"There are only one man and one woman left in the world, so there are no Jue people, but what about the others?" Xiao Mo didn't understand why he was so worried, as if there was some heavy unknown danger weighing on his heart. Same.
Xue Lihong took his hand and squeezed it. If there were really only two people left in the world, he hoped it would be him and Xiao Mo. Since both men are male, they cannot continue the family line? That's not his problem.
About five hundred meters away from Gate No. 2, there were fully armed soldiers sitting on tanks, directing the diversion of vehicles and pedestrians.
Lei Bing and his team had already entered the base fully armed, but Xiao Mo and his team were a little late because they were distributing first aid bags along the way.
Xue Lihong slowed down the car and warned everyone in the car not to open the windows, no matter what they saw.
When Xiao Mo arrived at the door of his house, instead of relaxing, he became even more nervous. The same goes for Wang Cheng and Qian Yunkai.
Probably the tension between the four of them infected several other people. The two children stopped playing games and all stuck closely to Mr. and Mrs. Wu in a protective posture, which moved Mr. and Mrs. Wu.
The base vehicle was no less than a truck in appearance, with a cool silver-black body and extremely bright hell flowers on the body. It caused a commotion even before it even got close to the base.
How many people were looking at the base car, and many people who hated the rich had gleams of hatred in their eyes. They decided that the people inside were either from the rich generation or from the official generation. Some were not popular enough, so they picked up rocks and secretly threw them at the car windows. There was a flash of lightning as he got closer, and the stone broke into pieces.
This scene was seen by many people, and those who wanted to take action were frightened. They didn't think it was the defensive function of the vehicle itself, just that there was a person with superpowers in the vehicle.
No one dared to attack the vehicle anymore, but the number of abusers increased explosively.
If the appearance of the base car could be a little more tattered and have more traces of war, it might not arouse so much hatred. However, the base car looks as brand new as if it had just left the factory. And the car has been maintained so well over the years and can be driven. Who are the people who buy new cars? No wonder the majority of refugees hate the people in the car so much. This car almost nakedly proves a sentence: the road is frozen to death, and the wine and meat of rich families are smelly.
Xiao Mo looked at Xue Lihong, who was sitting next to him with a calm face, and sighed in his heart. He actually preferred a low-key life.
"Why do you care so much about other people's opinions?"
"Um?"
"It's fine if we don't have the ability to protect ourselves. Since we do, why not live a more wanton life without violating your conscience and principles? Besides, boss, didn't you say you like luxury off-road vehicles?"
Xiao Mo was silent for a long time, "...Actually, you have been holding back for too long, and you want to be arrogant when you have force."
Xue Lihong reached out and pulled his ear.
Xiao Mo wanted to hide away, but he was so angry that he gritted his teeth and bullied others when he was told.
The soldiers responsible for command and diversion also saw the base vehicle, and some soldiers blew whistles.
"Whose car is this? I've never seen it before."
"I don't know. Anyway, we don't have such a cool guy in our base. If there were, this car would have been snatched away by our Thunder Team."
It seems that Lei Bing's reputation as a bandit has spread throughout the military region.
"Coming from outside? But why is this car so new?"
"Wait! They're not from outside, they're taking the left passage."
"Huh? Could it be that I went to the wrong place?"
Vehicles and pedestrians issued with base passes should go left, while all other vehicles and people should go right.
The people and convoys on the left moved faster, while those on the right hardly moved at all.
Soldiers sitting on the tank can command the vehicle, but they cannot completely prohibit humans from passing through the passages on both sides.
Seeing the vehicles and pedestrians on the left moving forward, the people on the right couldn't wait any longer. Some people had been waiting since yesterday.
"Bang bang!" The car window was banged, and someone asked loudly: "Brother, is there any water? Give me a drink!"
Xiao Mo held down Xue Lihong's hand and refused to allow him to play with people.
Xue Lihong's eyes suddenly split into two and merged again. Seeing Xiao Mo startled, he smiled.
Xiao Mo had a feeling that the old boy was getting more and more naughty as he lived.
"Do you want to see my eyes full of pupils?" The young man leaned close to Xiao Mo's ear and asked him in a low voice.
Xiao Mo imagined it for a moment and shuddered, "Don't!" It will wither, really!
"Then do you want to see me grow three mouths, each with jagged fangs?"
"I know you are in a special psychological period now, please stop making trouble!"
"Yes, ever since I found out I could turn into a monster, I feel very inferior. Boss, you have to comfort me."
Xiao Mo: "...Yes, yes, you have low self-esteem. There is no one in the world who has more low self-esteem than you."
Xue Lihong's eyes were filled with smiles, so much so that he didn't particularly want to electrocute them when he saw those people tapping the car windows outside.
"Bang!" The face of a child about two or three years old suddenly pressed against the car window, and the woman's cry and begging followed: "Please, give my child a way to survive, please bring him in, as long as Just give him a sip of water and a sip of food every day and let him live! I beg you!"
The child's mouth was chapped and his eyes were full of confusion. His little gray-black fingers with long nails were digging at the dusty car window, making a harsh sound and leaving traces at the same time.
"What's going on? Why is there such a shortage of water? Can't drink the water outside?" Xiao Mo has been out for more than a month and doesn't know the latest situation. He also wonders why people on the road look so thirsty. .
Cheng Zai was in contact with the inside of the base. He asked smoothly after hearing the words. After getting the reply from the other party, his expression was blank, and he turned to tell Xiao Mo and everyone in the car: "It is said that the metal content of various water sources seriously exceeds the standard, and many people drink the water because of Drinking it will make you sick. Because the water source changes gradually, this incident did not break out until recently. The reason is that people in some small bases and villages have all turned into monsters due to heavy metal pollution in the water source."
"Monster?" Xiao Mo asked the system hurriedly, "Is this another virus?"
The system answered him this time: "No, this is a type of natural variation. If my analysis and inference are correct, the earth's water sources and food will contain a large amount of metals in the future, and they will slowly increase until a saturation value . And people who can secrete alloy particles from their own bodies may be fine if they drink such drinking water, and may naturally mutate. But people who cannot secrete alloy particles cannot consume this kind of drinking water at all."
Xiao Mo sorted out the questions and asked Cheng Zai and the people at the base to confirm.
"Ahem, I was just about to tell you about this, but I didn't find any opportunity ahead." Qian Yunkai pushed up his glasses and signaled to Cheng Zai that he didn't need to ask anymore. He only knew more than others in the research institute.
Everyone in the car looked at Forensic Doctor Qian.
Qian Yunkai said: "A large number of facts have proven that people who cannot secrete alloy particles will die in up to three months if they drink drinking water with seriously excessive metal content for a long time. Now this time limit will increase as the metal content in the water source increases. It is further shrinking. A large number of people who can secrete alloy particles have their bodies rotten and mutated. Many people have brain lesions in the later stages or go crazy because they can't bear the pain. The people in those small bases and villages are those who have gone crazy. The mutants were slaughtered."
This incident made everyone in the scavenging team silent.
Xiao Mo picked up the communicator and was about to call the satellite phone left at home.
Qian Yunkai added: "At present, the base has developed a filtration facility that can barely keep the metal content of drinking water within the acceptable range of the human body. People in the base do not have to worry about water pollution for the time being."
Xiao Mo took his hand away from the communicator.
"Where are the superpowers?" Xue Lihong suddenly asked.
Qian Yunkai understood what he was asking and replied: "People with superpowers have a stronger ability to accept metal-excessive water, but it's just a little stronger. There are also superpowers among those mutants, and just because there are superpowers , that’s why it caused so much damage.”
Xiao Mo thought that from the time he came out until now, Xiaohong had tried his best to let him drink mineral water and rarely let him come into contact with external water sources. Has he been aware of the changes in the water quality of the water sources
Qian Yunkai paused and then said: "This is not the biggest problem. The biggest problem is future food. All water sources within the known range currently contain excessive metal content, and the farmland irrigated with this water, do you think? What kind of food will grow?”
The whole car was silent, and Xiao Mo waited for a while before saying: "I think the farmland on the roadside is growing well."
"In fact, the batch of grain harvested in autumn across the country has been found to have a significant reduction in yield and excessive metal content. However, this batch of winter grain is strangely growing well, but its stems and leaves are said to take half a day to be cut with a sickle."
Qian Yunkai's words once again silenced the team members. Everyone was thinking about what their future and the future of the earth would be like.
Outside the car, the woman holding the child refused to leave and followed the car forward.
Xiao Mo looked at the child's little face and wanted to open the window and give the child a bottle of water, but he didn't dare. He had done something stupid like this before, delivering food instead of water. As soon as he delivered it, the child didn't get it, but was robbed by others, and the child's head was even broken. He got out of the car to save the child, but the child's family asked him to be a guarantee to ensure their entry into the base and help them arrange accommodation.
There were also a bunch of people pestering him, grabbing him, and pulling him. Some begged him, some insulted him inexplicably, and some secretly kicked and beat him.
Both of his arms were grabbed, and he couldn't even fight back. Those people even came to touch his belongings and snatched away the daggers, watches, even belts and leather shoes he was carrying, and almost even lost his clothes.
There were wounds all over his body. He was scratched on his head, face, and arms. He was kicked so hard that his thighs were so painful that his knees were almost broken.
Fortunately, he had been able to control his abilities at that time, otherwise, in front of those people, his wounds would heal and hurt again, and the wounds would heal again. Not only would his abilities be exposed, but those people might even pounce on him to eat his flesh. Drink his blood.
This is not some exaggeration or scaremongering, this is the real thing. After the country explicitly banned the arrest of people with superpowers, some people came out from nowhere and said that eating the flesh and blood of those with superpowers would allow them to gain their superpowers. This made people with superpowers, especially those with weak abilities, For a long time, people with superpowers did not dare to reveal their superpowers casually.
In the end, Xue Lihong got out of the car, rescued him from the crowd and put him into the car, and finally returned to the base.
He knew Xue Lihong could have gotten out of the car earlier to save him, but he didn't move, just to let him learn a lesson and see if he would dare to be soft-hearted in the future.
And that lesson really made him dare not be soft-hearted again.
People in the car did not open the windows, and everyone ignored the pleas of those outside. Soon, the pleas turned into yelling.
The sound of banging on the windows became more and more intense, and some people even used sticks to smash the windows.
Wu Xiaoyuan frowned fiercely and moved his little fingers, wanting to release the power grid.
Lin Xiaofei was also very angry, but he held Wu Xiaoyuan's hand sensibly and patted his back gently like an adult, "Don't be afraid, they are not bad people, they are just having pink eye. The captain didn't tell us to move, Let’s not move.”
Wu Xiaoyuan looked up at him and nodded reluctantly.
Old Wu rubbed his son's head, but Wu Xiaoyuan shook his head and refused to let him rub it. The old Wu fan was sad.
The soldiers standing on the tank saw those people smashing the windows, but no one took care of them. They did not dare to do anything for fear of causing public outrage. They could only raise the loudspeaker and kept shouting: "Those who don't have a Zhongshan Base pass should not leave." In the left channel, please return immediately when you reach the barrier in front. Anyone who attempts to enter will be disqualified from entering the Zhongshan Base, and will not be able to receive the most basic domestic water and food! Those who do not listen to the advice and insist on entering by force , you will most likely be injured or killed! Please cherish your life, you have come this far, and please wait a moment for the base to make arrangements for you in turn."
The shouts were recorded as electronic sounds and repeated over and over again. However, it is still impossible to completely eliminate people who want to take shortcuts and fast routes.
The soldiers silently prayed for the people sitting in the cars, hoping that their car windows would be strong enough to allow them to reach the base.
After advancing another hundred meters, the left and right sides of the road were separated by a net made of thick plastic ropes.
More soldiers guarded the stone wall at the left crossing, their guns pointed down in unison.
A banner was hung on the wall, with eight characters written in large bold red fonts: Anyone who forcibly enters without a license will be killed!
The same slogan is being played on a rolling basis here.
Some people clearly saw the banner hanging on the wall and heard the shouting, but they still followed the vehicles and pushed forward without fear of death.
However, vehicles and pedestrians must stop and be inspected when they arrive at the door. Those without passes will be immediately forced to leave the vehicle at gunpoint. Even if you get under the car, you will be found out.
Some people did not believe in evil and gathered a dozen people to rush forward together. The result was a burst of shooting.
Bullets kicked up dust in front of their toes.
These people screamed and pushed me back in a hurry.
Anyone who dares to do it a second time will be shot in the leg.
If Xiao Mo still had some sympathy for those who patted his car window before, he really had no sympathy for these people at all.
People who dare to do this are not bold, but are determined that "the law does not punish the public." These people are usually rarely real weaklings, but mostly strong bastards.
These people work as gangsters in peaceful times, and they are even more comfortable in this chaotic moment when the strength of the legal system has been reduced to the edge of danger. They even wish to be more chaotic.
After driving away these people who were following the car, it was finally quieter around the car.
And here is the real first level. In the past, everyone was crowded here, resulting in extremely poor work efficiency every day, and there were several large-scale conflicts and casualties. Later, the cordon was gradually extended until it was now five hundred meters away.
There were two cars ahead of them, both off-road vehicles.
But the two off-road vehicles stopped in front and didn't go in for a long time.
Xue Lihong was tired of waiting, so she simply opened the door and got out of the car, and Xiao Mo followed.
After asking at the front, they found out that neither car had a base pass. However, they took a chance and saw that the passage on the left was much faster than the one on the right. They wanted to get through here. Maybe the car owners thought that they only needed to pay a deposit for entering the city or have a guarantor. Can be accommodated.
But once the rules are established, they must be followed. If everyone holds this idea, there is no need to create two passages.
The two car owners were still there shouting that they wanted to see so-and-so because they had super powers.
Two groups of soldiers came out of the checkpoint, pointed guns at them, and forcibly pulled the people out of the cars. The vehicles and supplies were confiscated, and all the people were detained.
The superpowers wanted to take action, but after seeing the military superpowers easily cut off the weapons they were holding, they all honestly allowed the soldiers to take them away.
There were several women and children in the two cars crying, but none of the soldiers showed sympathy for them.
It's much worse than these people. If the two cars of people queue up on the right side, and with someone's guarantee, as long as the physical examination is fine, they can quickly enter the base, but they insist on challenging the rules of the base. , the result hit a wall. In troubled times, rules are enforced. If the punishment is not harsher, no one will take the base rules seriously.
This is not the first case like this. Even if the soldiers in front of the diversion team repeatedly warned, some people still tried to take shortcuts.
Seeing that the matter was resolved, Xue Lihong and Xiao Mo got in the car, pressed down the car window, and showed the base pass, which was their team's mercenary card, to the soldiers at the checkpoint.
The vehicle successfully passed the first checkpoint.
After passing this stone wall checkpoint, the next 300 meters of road will be much easier to drive.
There is another inspection at the base gate, which is more detailed and cumbersome, but no one is blocking the road or blocking the road, and it is actually faster than the first checkpoint.
The first level checks whether there is a base pass, and the second level checks whether any live or dangerous creatures have been brought in, and whether the people leaving are infected. Infections include the known bulimia virus and angel virus, and now a living dead virus has been added.
Xiao Mo opened the door as required and allowed the soldiers to get on the bus for inspection, and they got out of the car for physical examination.
The physical examination is not as troublesome as imagined. It means taking off all clothes and checking whether there are any particularly rotten wounds on the whole body. Then each person contributes a drop of blood to check whether he is infected with several currently known viruses.
After the two soldiers got on the car, they were very envious when they saw the spacious and comfortable interior layout, but they did not touch around or take anything casually. I only carefully opened and checked all the boxes and cabinets, and did not touch the water when I saw it.
A soldier walked to the back of the car and saw two closed doors. He opened the left one first and took a look. He saw a small storage room with two boxes of instant noodles, two boxes of mineral water, and a large package inside. Toilet paper, and some scattered food.
The door on the right opens, revealing a small bedroom. Standing at the door, you can see the rear window. The things in the bedroom are also very simple. There are some toys on the bed and a quilt that looks like a child's bed. There were some steel pipes and other weapons placed under the bed, and there were cabinets for clothes behind the door.
The soldier entered, looked through it briefly, saw nothing special, and came out.
The two soldiers got out of the car and told the inspector that the car was just an ordinary off-road RV. There were no special items inside, and naturally there were no monsters hidden in it.
Xiao Mo and his team also all passed the physical examination. Cheng Zai and Lao Wu were newcomers. It was their first time to come to the base. In addition to the inspection, they also had to register. However, with the guarantee of the scavenging team and Lei Bing, they passed with almost no delay. , base passes with their mugshots were issued on the spot.
There is an electronic chip embedded in the pass. In addition to the name and number of their mercenary team, it also has their personal details and contribution points. These are also their mercenary certificates and can also be used in other bases. The main reason is this With the mercenary certificate, they can take over tasks in mercenary task halls everywhere.
The contribution points are related to whether they can buy some base-limited items, such as ammunition, gasoline, pure water, etc.
At this point, we can finally enter the base.
Most newcomers who enter through the right channel have to wait for arrangements at the reception desk, so they can't just walk in and walk around.
After entering the base, Xue Lihong changed the car to manual driving and drove along the main road towards Taibao Mountain on the right.
Pedestrians are not allowed to walk onto the driveway on the main road and can go straight without obstruction. But on other non-main roads, cars have to honk their horns desperately if they want to move forward. Some roads are so crowded with people that it is impossible for vehicles to even get in.
Fortunately, there are not many people who can afford gasoline or diesel. A large number of cars are parked outside the base. Except for some relatively powerful teams and individuals, the main means of transportation in the base are currently dominated by manpower.
There are a total of thirteen hills in Base No. 2, the highest of which is no more than 200 meters. They are numbered for the convenience of management and are known as the Thirteen Taibao Mountains.
The army occupied the last and highest three Taibao Mountains. The first to six Taibao Mountains in the front were used for growing crops, and the four Taibao Mountains from 7 to 10 were divided up by more than a dozen large and small forces.
Relying on the good cooperative relationship with the military, and at Xue Lihong's strong request, Xiao Mo gritted his teeth and spent all his contribution points to buy the thirty-year rights to use one and a half acres of land in Eleven Taibao Mountain.
Eleven Taibao Mountain is only 180 meters high and covers an area of only fifteen and a half acres. Because it is close to the city wall, it is relatively dangerous.
But even in the most dangerous places, in the base, you can't occupy such a large place if you want. At present, no mercenary force dares to occupy an entire mountain, because in addition to paying a lot of contribution points to purchase land, The right to use it requires sufficient strength to be able to hold on to the property.
Other large mercenary forces are busy guarding their own territories, but Xiao Mo and his team have settled in the Eleven Taibao Mountains in the military territory. Although the original contribution cost more, it has to be said that it is well worth the money. , for example, when they usually go out on missions, there are some ordinary people at home, and they don’t have to worry about anyone coming to trouble them or grab their territory.
"We're home." Xiao Mo looked at a cement building courtyard at the foot of the mountain at the east end, exhaled a long breath, and looked obviously relaxed.
This area is all home to military families, and they are the only mercenary team.
There were soldiers standing guard when they entered the foot of the mountain, but when they saw Xiao Mo coming out to say hello, they smiled and let them go without even checking.
Xiao Mo didn't give them anything. The Zhongshan base was strictly controlled. They could do anything in private as long as they were not discovered. But on the surface, people at various checkpoints and work departments were absolutely not allowed to collect any bribes, let alone take cards. .
Such strict requirements do give Zhongshan Base a different spirit from other bases. At least most of the people who can stay here can sleep peacefully at night.
The cement building belonging to the scavenging team was built in a concave shape, with three floors, a flat roof, and a large courtyard in the middle. The cement building did not have exterior tiles, but was coated with a waterproof coating. It also had no shape. It just squatted there in a square shape. It looked earthy and ugly, but only those who knew it knew how strong and solid it was.
"Captain, is that the home of our scavenging team?" Lin Xiaofei held Wu Xiaoyuan's hand and ran over to ask.
Xiao Mo smiled and rubbed the hair of the two children and replied: "Yes, don't worry, the place is big enough for you to live in. I guarantee that each of you will have a room."
Cheng Zai looked at the house not far away and truly commented: "It's so ugly."
The corners of Xue Lihong's mouth twitched.
Wang Cheng and Qian Yunkai laughed heartily. Now the two of them also live here, as does Wang Cheng's family. Qian Yunkai's parents have research work at the base and have another place to live, but they also maintain a house here.
"Don't think it's ugly. This is the design of our boss Xue. It was constructed by the engineering team. There is a lot going on inside. And the most precious thing is that we have a sweet water well in our yard. There is plenty of water. As long as it is filtered, it can satisfy all of us. This is much more cost-effective than many people using contribution points, alloy particles and bases to buy water." Wang Cheng proudly introduced.
Qian Yunkai also secretly flattered him, "The location of this house was chosen by Boss Xue himself. He later said that he could dig a well, and everyone didn't believe it. But then he actually dug it out. You don't know how thunderous he was at that time." Many soldiers and military personnel regretted it and kept clamoring for a price increase."
Cheng Zai quickly changed his mind: "As ugly as it is, it should be very practical. Are those reflectors on the roof solar panels?"
Seeing Xue Lihong's lack of interest in answering, Xiao Mo nodded with a smile, "There are also facilities to collect rainwater, dew and snow water, which can be used even if they are filtered. It's all your snow team's idea. There is a boiler in the basement, and there is a boiler in the house. There are heating pipes inside, and we brought back so much coal this time that we won’t be afraid of the cold in winter.”
Qian Yunkai sighed: "This is the south, but not many houses have heating pipes. At first, Boss Xue said that he would lay heating pipes and even brought a boiler back. We all thought he was unnecessary. Now think about it... Boss Xue still had the foresight. .”
Xue Lihong didn't look at anyone else. He only looked at Xiao Mo, looking at him with an expression like "Boss, I'm so capable, why don't you give me a salary increase?"
Xiao Mo stood up, put his hand on his face, and pressed it hard.