Chapter 84 – When the Roses Bloom (2)
◎ Birds and House Dogs ◎
“These identity documents, why are all the professions mercenaries?”
During the flight, Lin Youyou had some free time, so she flipped through the forged admission applications made by Lu Xiaoyu and noticed a common trait.
“Mercenaries are the best choice.”
Lu Xiaoyu probably thought everyone had the same level of intelligence as him, as he didn’t continue to explain after saying this.
The rest of the people looked at each other in confusion: “…”
They didn’t quite understand, but they didn’t want to ask and make themselves appear ignorant.
Song Ke turned to “Alliance Know-it-All” Zhuang Qingyan and secretly signaled to him.
Zhuang Qingyan cleared his throat and timely explained to everyone: “The social structure of the Mu City society is highly stratified, with people divided into different classes. At the top is the magistrate, also known as ‘General,’ who holds supreme power and authority. He is the creator of the rules, and right and wrong are determined by his will alone.”
“Below the General are warlord leaders and various military officers, who monopolize the channels of military production and enjoy many privileges, even having private armed forces. As beneficiaries of these privileges, they fervently support the rule of the General and become his loyal henchmen.”
“The third level consists of the wealthy and businessmen, who serve as intermediaries for the circulation of military supplies and amass great wealth. They may appear prosperous on the surface, but because of the illegitimate sources of their assets, they must rely on the protection of warlords and are usually closely aligned with them.”
The starship soared across the horizon, and the navigation system indicated that they were nearing the border of District C55.
Surrounding Mu City were several D-level cities, forming a crescent shape around it in the central region.
Zhuang Qingyan quickened his pace of explanation: “From the fourth level and below, you have mercenaries, workers, and the destitute. Mercenaries make up a large portion, they act relatively independently. Workers are often local residents for generations, leading uneventful lives but at least living without worry. At the lowest level are the destitute, also known as the ‘downtrodden,’ with the lowest status, only able to do laborious work and constantly facing the risk of expulsion.”
After hearing the explanation, everyone suddenly understood. It made sense why Lu Xiaoyu had chosen the identity of a mercenary. Officers and wealthy individuals were prominent figures in the local community, and their unfamiliar faces would only invite unnecessary trouble. Workers and the destitute had too many limitations, which wouldn’t be conducive to their operations. Therefore, being mercenaries seemed like the perfect choice.
Lu Xiaoyu slowly reduced the speed of the starship and said, “We can’t proceed any further. Once we enter Mu City’s territory, unidentified flying objects will be shot down.”
Lin Youyou peered outside, but the limited view through the window made it difficult to see clearly. “Is there something ahead?”
Song Ke put on a hood, opened the starship’s cabin door, and hung onto the handrail with one hand, leaning out to look into the distance.
The high-altitude wind blew against their faces, bone-chilling cold. Beneath their feet, there were countless zombies and mutated animals wandering aimlessly between the wilderness and the abandoned cities. The sound of gunfire and howls echoed back and forth, and occasionally, they could hear intense gunfire.
The cities they had visited before, whether it was Ferrara or Tongwan, had relatively clean surroundings, with the nearby zombies having been cleared out. And Sin City, due to its unique geographical location, was far from natural disasters.
However, the current view of Mu City revealed the most brutal side of the apocalypse.
Between several D-level cities, there was a road faintly visible, enclosed by a high-voltage iron net, leading directly into the distance and extending to the base of the city walls.
“This is Mu City’s ‘lifeline,’ and only those who pass through this road are qualified to enter the city,” Zhuang Qingyan explained.
Song Ke fixed her gaze on the endpoint of the lifeline, which was the impenetrable city of Mu City, and at the other end, there seemed to be an endless horde of zombies.
She smiled and asked, “To enter the city, do we have to pass a test?”
“We’ll kill our way in,” he said.
There was no one nearby, and there was no need to hide their abilities. After descending to low altitude, the seven of them successively jumped off the starship. Song Ke drew her twin blades from behind, Su Cha unsheathed his dagger, Lu Xiaoyu’s six mechanical arms were displayed menacingly, Lin Youyou’s singing voice echoed, creating soundwaves around them, and Xu Xing, right behind them, unleashed a barrage of ice blades. V587 cooperated seamlessly, unleashing its full firepower.
A group of ashen-eyed beasts suddenly jumped out. They resembled dogs but were smaller than wolves, surrounding them, baring their teeth and growling. These were the unique and fierce creatures of Mu City, the zombie hyenas.
Song Ke quickened her pace, charging forward with her dual blades spinning to eviscerate the hyenas, slicing their bodies in half in an instant!
Various supernatural abilities shone brightly, and in less than five minutes, a small-scale battle was swiftly extinguished, with V587 effortlessly eliminating the obstacles in their path.
Even Fang Zhixu, holding a spiritual weapon longsword, though he was in the support class, couldn’t always rely on others for protection. He needed to learn to defend himself and, when necessary, could deliver a few blows himself.
The lifeline was about six to seven kilometers long, and along the way, they encountered other teams hunting zombies. Each time they killed one, they recorded it with their terminals. When Song Ke and her group passed by, the people in those teams were intimidated by the aura of death on them and took two steps back, leaving the zombies behind as they ran away.
Judging from their abilities, it was evident that the others were also awakeners.
Song Ke was puzzled, “What are they doing?”
Zhuang Qingyan answered, “They should be ‘Clearers.'”
“What are ‘Clearers’?”
“Mu City’s specialty is that most of its population consists of mercenaries and the destitute, responsible for clearing the monsters outside the city to prevent the outbreak of zombie hordes,” Zhuang Qingyan explained.
As they passed by abandoned buildings along the way, they occasionally saw signs of human activity, half-built camps, and unfinished drinking water…
Song Ke furrowed her brow and asked, “Why live here? It’s all zombies nearby, and sleeping out in the open doesn’t seem like a good choice.”
Zhuang Qingyan’s eyes darkened, “Without admission applications, they can only wander around the outskirts.”
Lu Xiaoyu accessed the new laws enacted by the general after the apocalypse and said, “Mu City revoked the permanent residence rights of the destitute within the area and replaced it with a quantitative approach. They release 300 temporary slots for the Clearers every day. Only those who complete the clearing tasks are allowed to enter the city.”
Lin Youyou frowned, “Isn’t this essentially forcing people into dangerous situations? Accidents happen all the time when hunting zombies. While the destitute have a lowly status, this kind of oppression is too much, isn’t it?”
Fang Zhixu, who had been silent, spoke coldly, “In the eyes of a tyrant, all destitute are like pigs and dogs. What’s there to care about with pigs and dogs? Just call them twice, and they stop in their tracks.”
The others sighed at his words.
This was a brutal city.
After walking for half an hour, the number of zombies gradually decreased. At the same time, the towering city wall, with no visible end, gradually appeared in front of them. At regular intervals along the wall, there were rows of dark tanks and heavy artillery, and patrol drones circled the sky. It truly lived up to its reputation as the Alliance’s arms depot, with these heavy weapons serving as a glaring deterrent to outsiders.
At the city gate, there were several long lines of people, stretching as far as the eye could see, all of them Clearers who had come to complete their tasks.
As Song Ke and her group walked along with the crowd, they overheard hushed conversations among those waiting in line.
“Did you meet the criteria?”
“I did, but I came back late, afraid I won’t get in.”
“Who’s on duty at the gate today?”
“Godanwei.”
“…That lackey. Forget it, don’t bother waiting in line, try your luck tomorrow.”
“Godanwei?” Song Ke’s sharp ears picked up on the unfamiliar name.
When they got closer, the group chose the line marked “Green Channel (Mercenaries Only),” where there were noticeably fewer people.
A sentry on duty asked in a routine manner, “Show your admission permits.”
Song Ke held up her terminal, tapped it against the interface, and Lu Xiaoyu’s forged identity information appeared on the screen.
The sentry glanced at it and processed their passage through the instrument. “Proceed to the checkpoint ahead for verification.”
“Just a moment,” a deep voice suddenly rang out, followed by the heavy footsteps of military boots on the ground.
The sentry stood up, looking somewhat fearful. “Lord Godanwei, what are your orders?”
Godanwei was dressed in the uniform of a mercenary, had tanned skin, and had a robust, imposing physique. He squinted his eyes slowly and asked, “Are you mercenaries? Whose mercenaries are you? I’ve never seen you before.”
Song Ke’s heart skipped a beat, and she couldn’t help but feel nervous. She thought, ‘Uh-oh, this Godanwei is also a mercenary, and he seems quite knowledgeable about the situation in Mu City?’
In response to Godanwei’s questioning, Zhuang Qingyan remained calm and composed, saying, “We are freelance mercenaries. We left Mu City for a mission before the apocalypse and have just returned. It’s not surprising that you haven’t seen us, but ignorance cannot be your excuse to hinder us.”
Godanwei stared at him for a couple of seconds, snorted, and then meticulously examined the identity information of each member of the group. Their hometowns were indeed in District C55, Mu City, and he couldn’t find any discrepancies. However, he had an animal instinct, and these people didn’t seem like local mercenaries.
He pointed at Song Ke and said, “You, undergo verification.”
Silently, Song Ke walked forward, with Godanwei following closely behind her.
Song Ke reached the checkpoint and entered a machine similar to a scanner. Numerous beams of light covered her from head to toe, capturing her facial and body data, and the screen displayed the message “Verification in progress.”
As time passed, the result was still not visible.
Godanwei’s expression grew cold, and he pulled a particle gun from his waist, aiming it at Song Ke’s head, ready to pull the trigger.
“What are you doing?” Lin Youyou shouted, her heart pounding.
Fang Zhixu and Su Cha’s palms also tightened their grip on their weapons. Xu Xing, being young, had a tense expression, and his lips quivered slightly.
Zhuang Qingyan moved at just the right moment, placing himself between Godanwei and Song Ke, his expression still calm.
Song Ke was anxious and stole a quick glance in Lu Xiaoyu’s direction, silently praying, ‘Lu Xiaoyu, please come through for us!’
Lu Xiaoyu sat in his wheelchair, looking unperturbed, and even yawned as if saying, “Are you doubting me?”
Zhuang Qingyan subtly nodded in her direction, and Song Ke, for some reason, began to relax a bit.
After five seconds, the scanner’s screen finally displayed “Verification passed, welcome home, mercenary.”
Song Ke straightened up her posture, maintaining a composed expression, but inside, she let out a huge sigh of relief.
Godanwei shifted the barrel of his gun to the side, gesturing for Song Ke to move along, but he still didn’t lower the weapon. He said, “Next one.”
The remaining six members of the group took their turns in the scanner one by one, and all of them passed without any issues.
Godanwei finally holstered his particle gun and said in a peculiar tone, “Welcome home, freelance mercenaries.”
The group entered Mu City under Godanwei’s watchful gaze, and they felt the uneasy sensation of his eyes on their backs until it disappeared from view.
Song Ke muttered, “Who is that guy?”
Lu Xiaoyu slid his fingers across the terminal and replied, “Just checked the information. Godanwei is a private soldier raised by the warlord Miao Lun’s family. And to add, Miao Lun’s reputation in Mu City is extremely notorious.”
In Mu City, mercenaries were divided into two categories: freelance mercenaries, nicknamed “Flying Birds,” who had no constraints and could choose the contracts they wanted to take, and private soldiers loyal to the powerful, derogatorily referred to as “House Dogs.” Although they enjoyed a comfortable life, their reputation was often tainted by the actions of the warlords.
“Lu Xiaoyu, you’re really amazing,” Song Ke genuinely praised him.
While she was standing in the scanner, there was a moment when she had a fleeting thought of the image of “verification failed” in her mind, causing her heart to race.
Lu Xiaoyu accepted her praise with composure.
Xu Xing followed behind them and discreetly glanced at Lu Xiaoyu. He moved closer to him, his big eyes shimmering as if he had made a decision.
When they turned a corner, the entire city of Mu City lay before them. Compared to other C-level cities, Mu City’s level of technology wasn’t particularly impressive, and its architectural style was quite ordinary. It resembled the D-level cities they had visited, such as Hua City and Luli Port. However, the air here was thick with the scent of gunpowder, mercenaries walked the streets armed to the teeth, and you could encounter restrictions and private guards wielding weapons on every corner. Military factories were ubiquitous and belonged to different factions. In the distance, at the tops of the mountain ranges, there was a grand golden palace, with its spires piercing the sky, symbolizing authority.
Massive holographic projections hung on both sides of the streets, displaying the image of a middle-aged man with striking silver hair, dressed in the attire of Mu City’s supreme ruler, adorned with numerous medals and ribbons. He had a stern face, prominent eyebrows, and a sharp, imposing hawk-like nose.
“Nai Kang,” Fang Zhixu exclaimed, looking up, trembling all over. He called out the man’s name heavily.
Nai Kang, the tyrant, was the highest executive officer of Mu City, the general at the top of the pyramid, and the person Fang Zhixu wanted to kill but couldn’t.
“We will succeed,” Song Ke reassured him, placing her hand on his shoulder.
Fang Zhixu’s reaction was a bit exaggerated, and they were currently on the streets, which could easily arouse suspicion from others.
Zhuang Qingyan suggested, “Let’s find a place to stay first.”
As they were planning to stay in Mu City for a while, they decided to rent an apartment.
“Regarding the situation in Mu City, we should take some time to explore, and in the next few days, we can split up to gather more information,” Zhuang Qingyan said with gravity.
“It’s okay; we have plenty of time,” Song Ke said in a relaxed tone.
Since they had already infiltrated the city, their registered hometown was Mu City, and they wouldn’t have the problem of lacking access permissions. As long as they were cautious, they wouldn’t be discovered.
“Beep beep.”
At the same moment, their terminals displayed a message.
This was a broadcast message intended for all residents in the area, and it could be received by anyone in Mu City.
“Starting today, the modification of access restrictions’ validity period is implemented. Please strictly adhere to the following regulations: The validity period for destitutes is reduced to three days. Permanent residency rights for workers and freelance mercenaries are revoked. Workers have a seven-day access period, and freelance mercenaries have fifteen days, with the possibility of extension by completing municipal tasks.”
Zhuang Qingyan’s voice suddenly grew solemn, “The General has issued a new law.”
This was the power of Mu City’s “tyrant,” who could modify local laws at any time.
Their identity documents displayed an additional line of information: “Remaining validity period of your access application: 14 days, 23 hours, 59 minutes, and 42 seconds.”
Time was decreasing rapidly.
The faces of everyone in the room, including Zhuang Qingyan, suddenly turned grim.
They were freelance mercenaries, and they had thought that once they entered Mu City, they could rest easy. But now, they realized that they were about to be sent out as clearers just as they had barely settled in.
Song Ke, who had just said, “We have plenty of time,” quietly covered her mouth.
Oh no, she must have jinxed it with her crow’s mouth, right?
**TN
Almost done with my other TL project NU Link, it’s more of a slow-life and slice-of-life kind of thing, set in the 1970’s. Give it a try. ?
