The deserted streets are littered with uncleaned garbage, scrapped vehicles lay across the overgrown streets, and the mottling on metal lampposts makes it impossible to tell whether it's rust or blood.

Broken windows can be seen everywhere, and the paralyzed bionic mannequins still have scraps of fabric from the most fashionable styles from 200 years ago, but there is not a single figure in sight.

It has not been bombarded by heavy weapons, and most of the buildings are intact.

But in the end, it was abandoned.

“… It should be the front. Holding a map in his hand, Sesame took the lead in leading the procession by comparing the surrounding buildings.

According to the scientific expedition team, the gate of Vault 79 is located at No. 79 Xiangling Street, East District, Ruigu City, which is a municipal library.

As for the specific entrance, it is not specified in the information, and only mentioned in limited text that residents arriving at the evacuation area are requested to follow the instructions of the administrator and enter the shelter under the instructions of the security personnel.

I guess this is also for safety reasons.

Walking beside the sesame paste, the broad flesh probe looked around and muttered quietly.

"It's a shame..."

"It's a pity?" The tail that was riding on her shoulder tilted its head.

"I always feel that the city is still good, but the people are gone."

"Yes," said the tail index finger rubbing his chin, in a pensive motion, "why don't you go back to live after the war is over?" ”

Sisi thought for a moment.

“Emmm.. Maybe it's because the people are gone? “

Flesh: ..."

Sesame paste: "Ah... Ha ha. “

Although he only repeated the words of the flesh, Sisi did not think it was nonsense.

As she saw when she entered the city, it was not the war itself that destroyed it, but the chaos caused by it.

The scarcity of a series of resources, including food, water, electricity, fuel, etc., has turned this place into a steel jungle that is even more cruel than the primeval forest.

Especially the third year of the war, which brought the planet into a half-century-long Xiaoice Age.

When most of the people withdrew from the city, the xenos quickly took over the city, nesting in buildings, navigating the ruins, and hunting in the dark.

The waster who walks here will never know if when he opens a door, the first to emerge is a cockroach longer than a leg, or a bunch of rats grinding their teeth and sucking blood.

or—

Something even more terrifying.

"Shhh

The cat's ears above his head moved slightly, and Sesame Paste made a silent gesture to signal his companions to be quiet.

Pressing her feet to the intersection at the end of the street, she leaned on the door of a scrap car and looked at the corner on the left.

For a moment, she held her breath at the sight of the huge object that caught her eye.

Claws of Death!

Dark green scales covered his body, and his body, which was nearly six meters tall, lay across the street, his tail curled in front of him.

Just looking at the size, this guy is much bigger than the "Niko" at the door of Vault 404, and its claws are sharper, so it should be a different breed.

The heavy snort blew the bushes to and fro, and the dull snoring seemed to be asleep.

Looking at the two bloody corpses lying next to the claws, Sesame's expression stiffened slightly.

She wasn't sure if a one-shot RPG could actually kill the guy.

If the sneak attack is unsuccessful, they may be wiped out in an instant.

Tiptoeing out, she returned to her companions and said nervously.

"It's the deathclaw, it's blocking the entrance to the library."

Sisi touched his chin and said with a solemn expression.

"No wonder I didn't see any other xenos around."

Flesh asked nervously.

"So what are we going to do?"

"It's okay, it's not the only way anyway," Si Si took out the paper map and stared at it for a while, "The risk of a head-on breakthrough is too high... We went around to the garage at the back of the library and climbed over the wall from there to get in. “

Deathclaw's intuition about crises is not ordinarily high.

She had seen with her own eyes that the dead claw that was sleeping one second would jump up and slap the RPG rocket the next second.

Well, that rocket was fired by her.

After that, she and Tail were given seconds by the claws of death that rushed up, and that was several versions ago.

This kind of unreasonable creature cannot be measured by common sense.

If it was near Dawn, they would call for an air strike. Unfortunately, this is the city of Ruigu, far from the save point and respawn point.

Even the slightest risk must be avoided as much as possible.

The group changed direction and went down the next street to the parking lot behind the municipal library.

However, what Sisi didn't expect was that this place was not as uninhabited as it seemed from the outside, and there was actually a survivor colony hidden!

There are two to three hundred households living here, and it is like a small village.

Right under the nose of the Claws of Death!

"Stop!"

Standing on the fence reinforced with steel bars and planks, men in studded coats whispered to the crowd outside the walls.

He held a shotgun in his hand, his eyes fixed on the thickly haired white bear, and the chain and light machine gun that the white bear carried on its back, his expression shaking nervous and uneasy.

Although it was only three women standing outside the wall.

But he wouldn't be naïve enough to think that a woman who could tame such a strong beast and walk alone in the wasteland would be a good stubble.

"Don't be nervous, we're not hostile." Sith glanced at the shotgun in the man's hand, and then at the iron pipe in the hands of the survivors behind him, not taking it too seriously.

After resupplying, she has changed into new body armor.

The kind of iron-barreled rifle that bullets are used as Brownian motion has no deterrent effect on her.

"Who are you? Corps? Or is it a business? The man standing on the wall looked at her and asked nervously.

"No, we're wastelanders from Qingquan City next door."

The survivors standing behind the man exchanged surprised glances with each other.

"Qingquan City?"

"I went there when I was younger... There's a boulder town there, and they use plastic sheets as money to buy mint-scented soap. “

"Really?"

"Really! I've heard that you can eat three meals a day there! ”

"And this good thing!?"

Listening to the whispers of the crowd behind him, the man stared at Sith suspiciously, but eventually put away his gun and hostility.

"It seems that there are no women in the Legion... Whoever you are, it's not just those guys. “

After a pause, the man briefly introduced himself.

"My name is Wu Tao, a hunter from Xiangling Town... And the mayor here. “

"What's going on here?" Sis asked, looking at the man.

"There's a lot going on, shouldn't you have come to see that airship to the northwest at this time?"

Sis nodded.

Don't say you see it.

They had a fight with the people who came down from there a few days ago.

"Has the Legion been here?"

"It's not just that I've been here," Wu Tao pouted, "Just the day before yesterday, that group of robbers, more than a hundred came, and said that the army of the company was burning and looting nearby, and wanted us to move to their camp to accept their protection... The devil believes their. “

"We've been living here for over a century, not to mention businesses, and even if mutants come, we're not going anywhere! And then the villains started setting fires..."

The man cursed.

Sisi frowned and continued to ask.

"And then?"

"Later, the guy appeared"

As he spoke, Wu Tao glanced behind him with palpitations, but his eyes were not on the library behind him, but over the eaves of the building.

Si Si knew what he was referring to, and was slightly surprised.

"The Claw of Death?"

Wu Tao nodded with a complicated expression.

"Yes, although it is not known where it came from, but thanks to that guy, the legion left a few corpses, and the rest were all run.

Siss: "You're not afraid of that death claw"

"I'm afraid, of course I'm afraid, but the airship is still there, and we're worried that the Legion will come back."

Wu Tao sighed, and said helplessly, "Watching it gnaw those corpses clean, we threw some mutant hyenas and rats at it."

The guy wasn't picky either, so he stayed in front of the library, and we don't know how long it would stay, but how many days it would be safe.

None of the people we sent to the Legion to inquire about the news have returned, and it's hard not to wonder if they're in trouble. “

Si Si estimated that the legion was probably reluctant to use a 400mm cannon on that beast. Otherwise, even if it was the claw of death, it would not be able to withstand that

A blow to the "weapon of the army".

"Our story is over, and it's your turn.

Wu Tao stared at Sisi and continued to ask, "Since you are not a legion, nor an enterprise, nor are you like a businessman... So what are you here for? “

"We're looking for Vault 79." Si Si did not hide it, and explained his intention bluntly.

She expected the man in front of her to know something, but she didn't expect that after hearing the word refuge, there was only a blank expression on his face.

The expression was obviously not like a fake, but a knee-jerk reaction.

Not only him, but also several young survivors behind him, with a look on their faces that they had never heard of at all.

"The shelter... There's no refuge around here. Wu Tao looked at Sisi with a strange expression, "This is Xiangling Town, this building is a municipal library, who will build a shelter in the library, will you find the wrong place?" ”

"Huh?! Isn't it here? Surprised, Tail took out the map and unfolded it, and repeatedly confirmed that there was no problem with the coordinates and street numbers.

Sisi frowned slightly.

"Impossible. We came here only when we got reliable information. ”

"Then I don't know, anyway, I've lived here since I was a child, and it's been almost thirty years," Wu Tao said, shaking his head, "It's a pity that our mayor packed up a few days ago and ran away with the caravan heading west, otherwise you might know something if you ask him." ”

"Not really." There was an embarrassed expression on the face of the sesame paste.

Si Si asked without giving up.

"Can you let us in and have a look?"

"Yes, but you have to leave your weapons behind," Wu Tao said vigilantly, staring at the assault rifle in her hand, "There's no way we're going to allow you to take this thing into our house." “

Sith didn't speak, and threw a heavy pile of gold coins on the wall.

"That's not realistic, let's do it another way. This is 1 dinar, we will not use your food and water, we only need a room that can live in people, and we will leave tomorrow morning at dawn, and we will not disturb you. “

This money bag was found by her from the legionnaires, and rummaging through the boxes and touching the corpses can be said to be a fine tradition for the player.

Although the Legion is annoying, as one of the two "circulating currencies" in the wasteland, those yellow gold coins are not annoying.

Staring at the money bag hanging on the wall, Wu Tao swallowed and exchanged glances with the other residents behind him.

"Do you want to let them in?"

"It shouldn't be a problem to stay for a day."

"What are you afraid of, it's just that three little girls plus a bear at most."

"That's right, the bear! Can't let that guy in. “

Wu Tao looked at the people outside the wall.

"No problem. But your pet will scare our inhabitants and it will have to stay outside. ”

"She's not a pet, she's our companion," Sis corrected him, continuing, "but that's okay, we didn't plan on everyone coming in. ”

As she spoke, she looked at her partner behind her and skillfully switched words.

"Meat, Ah O, can you please wait for us outside? I'll go in with Sesame Paste and have a look, it might take a little while, but we should be able to get out by eight o'clock tomorrow morning. “

"I don't feel like those people are lying," Sesame hesitated, "could it be that something is wrong with our intelligence?" Maybe Vault 7 (9) isn't here. “

"Whether you're here or not, the last clue points here, according to the convention of general RPG games, the key to the next dungeon will most likely be here, anyway, let's go and see it first."

Vaults don't necessarily have only one entrance, Vault 404 has two, one connected to the subway and one to a sanatorium in the park.

Perhaps the doors of Vault 79 in the library haven't been used since they were closed, and the residents may have left through the other exits.

Of course, this was just her guess.

She simply felt that the planning should not design a meaningless scene.

"Oh! No problem! The tail nodded energetically, and the chest beat Bang Bang sounded, "Don't worry about leaving it to the tail!" “

Rourou said worriedly.

"If you're in danger, remember to shout for help."

Si Si Er smiled and gently touched the hairy head.

"Don't worry, it'll be fine."

The reinforced walls had no doors, and only a ladder lowered from the wall could be climbed into.

Entering the unfamiliar survivors' settlement, Sesame Paste's expression was a little nervous, but after seeing the old people and children in the camp, his mood relaxed a little.

The presence of old men and children at least means that this is not a raider's lair, or a slave trader's farm. Maybe the people here aren't as open as Dawn, but at least they have a basic moral bottom line.

The two followed in the footsteps of Wu Tao, walked through the parking lot stacked with domestic garbage and supermarket shopping carts, and entered the library through the back door.

The space of the library is quite generous, and the four sides are concrete structures, like a castle. In the center is a 100-meter-wide patio with a dome interlaced with steel skeletons, which should have been inlaid with large pieces of glass.

The hollow-shaped layout allows for plenty of light in the center of the library, where local residents grow a lot of crops.

In addition, the corridors around the patio are hung with clothes lines and freshly washed clothes, and rows of shacks made of tin or wooden planks are scattered around.

While privacy is an issue, the people who live here don't seem to care much.

Sesame Paste looked curiously left and right, quite interested in the way of life of the people here, and the residents who lived here also looked at her curiously, especially the pair of cat ears above her head.

They've seen quite a few weirdos.

But this is the first time I've seen ears on the top of my head.

Wu Tao, who walked in front with a shotgun on his back, introduced the situation here to Si Si on the side. Including how they have lived for more than 100 years, and what supplies they need in their settlements.

As mentioned earlier, this woman is from Qingquan City.

Although he hadn't been there, he had heard that the survivor colonies in the big cities were usually wealthier and that there was a boulder city where everything could be bought.

If they pass by next time, they can bring more soap and fertilizer, and they can exchange them for local game or some special crops.

Although now is not the time to talk about business, he is now the mayor of the town, and he needs to think about more than just the current matter.

He believed that sooner or later, the Legion would leave this poor place where birds don't, and that the people would live as they pleased.

That's why he took the bag of gold coins.

"We've been living here since the fiftieth year of the Wasted Era, and according to my grandfather, this library is a bit old, even dating back to the early days of the Human Union. Why do you think there might be a shelter hidden underneath here? There's not even a basement here.

"It's okay, it doesn't matter if we don't, it's just to satisfy our curiosity," Si Si glanced around, "Anyway, is there still a collection of books here?" “

Wu Tao said.

"Most of them are gone, but some of them are well preserved. The successive mayors followed the ancestral instructions and kept the surviving books on the shelves on the second floor of the library.

Although the previous mayor ran away, I will probably hold on. ”

Si Si suddenly became interested.

"Can you take me to see it?"

Wu Tao nodded.

"No problem, but only if you don't take them away, let alone break them. I'm not kidding, if you guys do something bad with those books, doom will soon find out that something similar has happened to you before. ”

"I can swear with my life," said Siss, blinking, "I will cherish those books as much as I cherish life." ”

Perhaps moved by her sincerity, Wu Tao was stunned for a few seconds on the spot.

Coming back to his senses, he coughed lightly.

"It doesn't have to be such an exaggeration...

"Since you've said so, then come with me."

Wu Tao took the two to the second floor and left them here.

Looking at the rows of aluminum bookshelves and the dazzling collection of books, Sesame Paste has a hesitant expression written on his face.

"Could the clues to Vault 79 be hidden in these books?"

Sisi shook his head.

"I don't know, but these books are probably the only information that has survived the catastrophe two centuries ago...... Maybe you'll find something. “

He took a book down and flipped through it, but his expression quickly froze.

Although she was already able to communicate daily in Renlianyu, and could recognize some Renlianyu characters, she was far from being able to read normally.

The camera has a synchronous translation function.

However, when offline, the amount of text that can be translated is quite limited.

Just when she felt that she was in trouble, an unfamiliar voice suddenly floated from behind the bookshelf in front of her.

"I don't understand why you're so desperate to find that 7 (9) Vault. The inhabitants of this place have told you that the Vault is not here. “

"Besides, it's a vault and it's not a vault, and there's nothing valuable hidden in it, so even if you go, you'll be in the dust."

The voice was hoarse, like sandpaper rubbing against the wall, startling the two people in the room.

"Who?" Sesame paste held the gun nervously.

Siss's reaction was more direct, and he dodged around the back of the bookshelf, but he didn't see the person making the sound, only a retro-shaped, crudely made radio.

With a hint of surprise in her eyes, she quickly glanced left and right, looking for the camera in the room, but saw nothing.

"Don't look around, I'm not here, and it doesn't matter if I'm not there." The man on the radio laughed wickedly and continued in a joking tone, "You'd better focus on my problems, what if I'm the gate's security procedures?" Your suspicious reaction was enough for me to lock the door. ”

Si walked up to Si Si and noticed the radio on the table, and Sesame Paste glanced nervously at his partner next to him.

She couldn't understand what the radio was saying.

But the sound gave her a bad feeling.

"Leave it to me..."

Giving her a reassuring look, Sis looked at the radio and continued.

"We're here on the orders of Mr. Administrator."

"Manager." The radio rustled and continued thoughtfully, "You are residents of the Vault? ”

"Yes." Si Si nodded, and said in a sincere voice, "We are from Vault 404 in Qingquan City... Do you know anything about Vault 79? It's important to us. ”

"Uh-huh, it's important... What are you going to do with it? The radio said in a slippery tone.

Sisi said seriously.

"If the people inside are still there, we will help them, and if they are no longer there, we will continue their unfinished business. Revive our civilization. ”

A chuckle came over the radio, like a fingernail snapping on a blackboard, and it was sour.

Sesame Paste took a nervous step back, and Sisi frowned slightly.

However, it didn't take long.

The laughter turned into a soft sigh.

"If you are thirsty for knowledge, you have enough books around you to study for the rest of your life. If you hold on to reviving civilization like this.

Naive ideals, that really shouldn't be here. ”

Without waiting for Sis to speak, it continued.

"Vault 79 isn't the kind of place you think it is, it wasn't there to shelter anyone in the first place."

Sisi felt as if it had words in its words.

Swallowing her saliva, she asked seriously.

"There... What the hell is the place. “

"It's the source of chaos."

The hoarse voice seemed to sink into a long memory.

But in the end, it all turned into a helpless self-deprecation.

"At least half of the barbarism in this land can be traced back to me."

1 second to remember: