A Viper transport plane landed on a bare field, and two soldiers in scartons jumped from the side of the cabin.

Two were soldiers of the Guards Regiment.

There are active missions for players, usually they provide support and coercion.

These fighters are all elites selected from other regiments, and all of them have been injected with induced expression serum, and all of them are awakened without exception.

There is a saying on the forum that they are the eyes of managers.

However, there are some players who don't think so, after all, who can be more like the eyes of a manager than the hard-working "task masters" themselves?

Looking at the plane with an arc light at its tail, Kong Lingkai's eyes were full of greed, and he thought in his heart that it would be good if he could buy one.

This thing must be much more comfortable to sit on than his broken wood.

The two soldiers ignored the guy, one of them walked straight to the corpse of the prosthetic mutant who was thrown on the ground, and the other walked up to Lao Bai and gave a military salute.

"We have been ordered by the Administrators to retrieve the corpse of the mutant 'Ogg'."

The right fist struck on the breastplate, and Lao Bai said succinctly.

"I've seen it on the mission briefing, I'll leave the rest to you."

"Understood!"

The soldier nodded, and was about to turn around, when Lao Bai suddenly thought of something and spoke.

"By the way, are you going straight back to Dawning City?"

"Yes."

Seeing the soldier nodding, Lao Bai hurriedly asked.

"Is it convenient to take a ride? We have a couple of people here who want to go back. ”

The soldier was stunned, hesitated for a moment, and then said.

"I have to ask the manager for ......"

With that, he turned around and returned to the plane, connecting to the base station of the outpost at the provincial border through the on-board radio, and making contact with the Vault.

After a while, he walked back.

"The manager said yes."

"Great." Lao Bai smiled and nodded, and looked at Xinghe who was standing aside, "Friend of the basin, you have that task"

Xinghe was stunned.

"Huh?! This...... All right? ”

"What's so bad about this, anyway, with so many empty seats, five or six people can still sit down." Looking at Xinghe, who was still hesitating, Lao Bai patted him on the shoulder and said with a smile, "The managers have agreed, so don't be polite."

As he spoke, he looked at the farmer who had woken up as he sat next to the mosquito attack plane.

"By the way, you don't have an opinion on the release of people, right?"

I didn't expect the man in the iron pimple to talk to him, Kong Lingkai, who came back to his senses, was startled, and hurriedly shook his head, for fear of being slow for a second.

"No, no!"

"He has no opinion," Lao Bai looked at the confused Xinghe and Luo Yu, and said with a smile, "Quickly take the people over, don't waste time." ”

Xinghe took the farmer back to the side of the Hope Farm, and that Kong Lingkai didn't dare to slack off at all, and sent the old and young out of the family as if he were sending a plague god.

It can be seen that Kong Lingkai is not very willing to give up these cash cows, but he is really afraid of being afraid. He had no doubt that it wouldn't take him half an hour to annihilate these groups... ①

"Really, don't think about it? I'll give you ...... 500,000 silver coins, as long as you bring that guy over. Looking at Xinghe, who was about to leave, Kong Lingkai's face was full of reluctance.

Except for the newly weaned child, Zhou Nan's family, who heard this, showed frightened expressions on their faces.

They knew that if the young man nodded, they were dead.

But their fears are clearly unfounded.

Looking at Master Kong, who had a look of hope, Xinghe smiled and said.

"You think too much, don't say 500,000 silver coins, you just give me 1 million silver coins, and I can't do anything for you."

Kong Ling was in a hurry.

"Is there not enough money? I'm out—"

"It has nothing to do with money," Xinghe sighed, "there are more expensive things in our place than silver coins. ”

For example, gaming helmets.

But that NPC is obvious

I didn't understand, so I was stunned and said.

"Than ...... What is more expensive for silver coins?

Xinghe said casually: "That's right, in the alliance, honor and dignity are not tradable, we want to build an equal society...... What the manager said. ”

Hearing this, Kong Lingkai knew that it was useless to say anything.

He suddenly looked like a deflated ball, sulking in his heart, and he didn't dare to get angry, so he could only whisper and scold Huai.

"You keep saying that you are equal...... Is this fair to me? If I hadn't given this white-eyed wolf freedom and borrowed the capital to make a fortune, how could he have achieved what he is today! ”

Looking at the guy who wanted to get angry but didn't dare, Xinghe shrugged his shoulders.

"I don't know about your business, and I'm not interested in learning about it. Maybe in his opinion, he has served you for so many years enough to repay the debt he owes you, the planes, the cement, the machine guns...... A lot of things are actually made there, aren't they? It may seem to you that this may not be enough, but that's another problem.

"Let me say that you should sign an agreement stipulating ownership and the sharing of interests, binding each other with what is written in black and white, and we will protect the legitimate rights and interests of all partners. But with something as vague as 'kindness', you actually know that there will be controversy in the future, right? Otherwise, you won't take people and children hostage. ”

"Anyway, at least for us, kidnapping is illegal, for whatever reason. You should be glad that this is not the territory of the Alliance for the time being, otherwise it would not be a mercenary. ”

Not yet... What is the meaning?

Looking at the group of people who turned to leave, Kong Lingkai's eyes had a trace of panic, while the private soldiers and servants standing around looked at each other......

on a bare field.

Xinghe, who was sitting in the viper transport plane, looked at the falling feathers who were watching him, and said with a look of shame.

"Good brother! I'll be back to help you! ”

I made an appointment to help each other before, but he went back first, and he was a little embarrassed.

Luo Yu didn't care, looked at the slowly rising transport plane, smiled and waved his hand.

"Hmmm! I remembered, have a nice trip! ”

With the remains of the prosthetic mutant, as well as the old and young families of Xinghe and Zhou Nan, the Viper Transport Plane dragged two clusters of arc light towards Dawning City, more than eight hundred kilometers away.

Retracting his gaze from the plane, Lao Bai looked at Luo Yu.

"Let's go back to town and talk about it."

"Hmm!" Luo Yu nodded and said with a smile, "It just so happens that I also introduced the NPC who led the team to you, he is a local here, and he knows more about the situation here than I do." ”

Fang Chang suddenly thought of something and spoke.

"He's your employer's man, or the farmer's man."

Luo Yu scratched his head.

"This ...... I don't know, but my employer said he could be trusted, and he knew about the commission. ”

"Well, that should be fine." Fang Chang nodded, his face seemed to be thinking about something, but he didn't speak again.

Just as the group walked towards Hope Town, the mayor of Hope Town and a number of dignitaries in the town had already greeted them.

The expressions on everyone's faces varied, ranging from the joy of the rest of their lives after the catastrophe, to the gratitude of a thousand thanks, or to the vigilance and apprehension.

The man at the head bowed and said politely.

"I am Ma Hechang, the mayor of the town here, please allow me to thank you for your help on behalf of more than 1,000 residents of Hope Town! If it weren't for you, I'm afraid few people would have survived tonight. ”

Looking at the mayor in front of him, Lao Bai said with a smile.

"You're welcome, please help us prepare a hotel if convenient, we had to stay here for one night. Ah, of course, we'll pay. ”

Seeing that this person was about to pay for it, Ma Hechang hurriedly said.

"Then what's embarrassing, we will arrange the accommodation for you, you warriors can stay as long as you want!"

Lao Bai said with a smile.

"We won't be here for too long, we'll be ...... early tomorrow morning."

Hearing that he would leave early tomorrow morning, Ma Hechang breathed a sigh of relief.

though

I don't know why the mutant suddenly went berserk here, but his instincts told him that it must have something to do with the people in front of him.

After all, they had joined the Torch family, and the odd tribe was technically their ally.

It was obviously these outsiders who had angered the mutants, otherwise he really couldn't think of any other reason why the mutants would have acted on their own people.

It used to be the Iron Tower, and now there is an alliance, and these people are like they are stunned... Why do you have to trouble mutants?

In fact, they can also reach agreements like civilized people.

I really hope they can be polite and don't bring their own grievances into other people's homes.

But even though he thought so, he still made a look of hospitality and regret on his face, and said with a hypocrisy.

"If you need anything, please let us know."

"I will......" Lao Bai nodded, suddenly thinking of something, and continued, "By the way, can you take me to visit the priest in the town?" ”

Ma Hechang was stunned.

"...... are you referring to"

Lao Bai said straight to the point.

"I've heard there's a Torch church here."

Ma Hechang's face suddenly floated, and he nodded hurriedly and said.

"Okay, I'll take you.

The town is quiet.

After the mutants were eliminated, many caravans dismantled the barricades at the door and ran north with people without saying anything, for fear that they would stay here for one more night and be killed by those mutants.

The militia in the town did not dare to force them to stay, so they could only watch as the men walked away.

If this happens, those people may never come here again. But people are more worried about the present than about the future.

Why did those mutants come back here?

They have suffered such a big loss, will they kill it again? . . .

Don't say it's those outlanders.

Some locals who were born and raised here are also hesitating whether to pack up and run away and leave this place of right and wrong completely.

Once in the town, the players split into two teams.

Fang Chang and Luo Yu and his party went to the hotel to contact the leader of the caravan of the pine cone farm to see if they could find an opportunity to infiltrate the farm.

And Lao Bai, Night Ten, and Tempest followed the mayor to the church of the Torch Church.

The church, in the middle of the town, was a steeple-roofed house covered with tiles, and it didn't look imposing, but it wasn't shabby.

On the top of the main entrance is engraved the coat of arms of the Torch Church, and one or two inverted triangles are put together with torches.

Seeing the man in power armor looking at the sign thoughtfully, Ma Hechang coughed lightly and said.

"This is the church we built for the Son...... Just covered some time ago. ”

Lao Bai said casually.

"It seems that you still love the Son."

Ma Hechang said with a smile.

"Of course, he did bring us the gospel."

"In what way?"

"What? That's just too much..."Ma Hechang was stunned for a moment, and then said like a few family treasures, "For example, that Naguo." There used to be fights every once in a while, and the cattle herders, the farmers, the tree cutters, and the hunters all looked like they had eaten gunpowder, but since the emerald trees were planted in the town, there are no more such troubles. Those who do manual work are honest like sheep, and they finally have a little bit of what they should be. ”

Lao Bai suddenly asked curiously.

"Do you eat that too?"

"Of course," Ma Hechang continued with a smile, "I had a bad cold before, but after eating Naguo, I got better. ”

Lao Bai was puzzled.

"Then why aren't you like them?"

He knew that the holy water could be exempted from the negative effects of the "fugue", but he couldn't get injections every day, right?

Moreover, holy water is only immune to negative influences, and does not organize the "fugue" state itself, and it is not a good thing to indulge in the illusion of happiness.

Producing pleasant sensations of pain, listening to the voices of others, and following these influences cannot be sanctified

Water elimination.

Ma Hechang smiled embarrassedly and said.

"That's of course because of the gospel of the Son, as long as we donate a little tax, we can keep our hearts in his gospel. To put it simply, it is to avoid entering a fugue state. ”

Seeing that the man looked confused, Ma Hechang took out a small medicine bottle.

"That's it, it's called 'Gospel,' and it's enough to eat one every morning, it's like a mild holy water, but not so violent, just enough to keep people healthy and awake."

After staring at the small medicine bottle for a while, Lao Bai asked with interest.

"How is this sold?"

Ma Hechang hurriedly said.

"This is not for sale, but it is a favor to the pious, as long as you obey the will of the Son, you will receive the favor of the gospel..."

"What is his will?"

"Build a church for the Son to spread the faith, and then periodically donate a small fortune to support the clergy."

The so-called "little" here should mean that there are not many people who have money and power, and it is obvious that this "gospel" has a cost, and it is not so cheap that anyone can afford it.

But where did this thing come from?

Vaguely thinking of something, Lao Bai took out ten silver coins from his pocket and put them in the mayor's hand.

"Can you give me one?"

The mayor hesitated, but when he saw the weapons in the hands of these people, he still nodded, and obediently knocked out a pill and handed it to Lao Bai.

“…… It stands to reason that we can't give to anyone other than believers, but Mr. Apostle didn't say what would happen if you gave it.

"Thank you." Lao Bai smiled faintly and handed the pill to Ye Shi, who stuffed it into the tactical backpack and kept it.

This stuff is valuable research material.

The white-haired young lady from the Institute of Biology should be interested.

Walking to the door of the church, Mayor Ma did not knock on the door, but reached out and pushed the wooden door open.

The gray-robed pastor stood behind the wooden pulpit and muttered a prayer.

Hearing the sound of the door being pushed open, he immediately raised his head in fright, and was relieved to see that it was not a mutant who had come in.

"That...... Mr. Wei, the crisis outside has been lifted! I forgot to tell you just now, forgive me. ”

Seeing that the middle-aged priest was looking directly at him, Mayor Ma coughed, gave him a hard look, and continued.

“… These friends who have come from afar are very interested in our faith, please answer their doubts. ”

Lao Bai noticed that although this mayor of Ma Town looked pious when he talked about the Holy Son, he did not have much respect for this divine servant in the church.

That sentence sounded polite, but it was more of a calling.

Eighty percent of them were converted shortly after they were converted, and the priest was a native of the town.

Looking into the pastor's eyes, Lao Bai said with a smile.

"Excuse me, is it convenient to sit here?"

The middle-aged pastor said nervously.

"Please."

Lao Bai nodded, sat down on the bench in the front row, and then looked back at Mayor Ma.

"We have some things we want to talk to him about individually. '

Knowing the meaning of this, the mayor immediately laughed and snorted.

"Okay! Then I'll go to something else first.

With that, he turned and left the church, and kindly closed the door for everyone.

The church fell silent.

Watched by a pair of eyes, the priest swallowed and said nervously.

"My name is Wei Ming, and I'm the pastor here, I don't know you... What do you want to ask me? ”

His instincts told him that these people didn't like him.

Inside these pairs of eyes,

"You're from this town?"

The priest named Wei Ming nodded nervously.

"Yes......"

Lao Bai then asked.

"How did you meet that Zhang Zhengyang?"

The interrogating tone made Wei Ming feel a little unpleasant, but he didn't dare to hug this group of ruthless people

Resentment.

Those guys still had minced flesh and blood hanging on their exoskeletons, and a hideous blood-red print was printed on them, even if they didn't say a word, it was enough to be deterrent.

Swallowing his saliva, he replied nervously.

“…… The apostle came here two years ago, and that's when I saw him. ”

Having heard about this from the Tower Organization, Lao Bai was not surprised, and continued to ask.

"Nago was also brought at that time?

Wei Ming nodded.

"Yes...... However, unlike now, the original nago was not ripe and could only be grown in a hot environment. I've also heard that it's a tropical crop that is said to have been introduced from a few small islands in the south. ”

Although the Jinchuan province is south enough compared to the river valley province, it is far from the tropics, and can only be regarded as next to the subtropics.

In the cold winter, it is still going to snow.

Lao Bai asked with a frown.

"They improved the crop?"

"Hmm......" Wei Ming nodded and glanced in the direction of the backyard, "There was no church here, just a warehouse, and the apostle rented a piece of land in the town and hired some people to help him try to grow those special crops. ”

Lao Bai stared at him and asked.

"Why did he ask you for help?"

Wei Ming replied truthfully.

"I'm the doctor in town...... I also know a little bit about biology. He told me that if his plan went well, he wouldn't need such a thing as a clinic in the future, and that if I was willing to help him, he could call the shots and pay me a higher amount. ”

"Anyone else besides you?

"Yes."

Lao Bai then asked.

"Are they still in town?"

Wei Ming smiled bitterly and shook his head.

"Those people were serfs bought from nearby farms. To put it mildly, they are both coolies and experiments. The Apostle would make them eat the nuts they had grown, and my job was to keep track of their clinical reactions at the end of the first phase of the experiment, and I had never seen them again, but I could probably guess where they had gone. ”

Lao Bai: "Where did you go?" ”

This time, Wei Ming was silent for a long time.

After a moment, he spoke.

"I have no proof...... But I feel like I was sent to a mutant. ”

Lao Bai was stunned.

"To the mutants?"

Wei Ming shook his head with a bitter expression on his face.

"There's no way, they can't do it anymore, Nago at that time couldn't survive the winter at all, a whole winter of withdrawal, there weren't enough antibiotics to help those people get through... The apostle said to dispose of them, but I don't think it was simply dealt with. Those people have been doing business with mutants for a long time, and I've even heard-"

Looking at Wei Ming, who suddenly stopped the topic, Lao Bai immediately asked.

"Heard of what?

Wei Ming was silent for a while, and then spoke slowly.

"I've heard they'll buy some slaves from a nearby farm with dinar or Cr and send them to that mutant tribe in the city... They seem to have made some kind of pact whereby mutants do things for the church and keep the diocese safe, but in return, the church has to provide them with some people on a regular basis. ”

Ye Shi couldn't help but curse in a low voice.

"These scumbags."

Wei Ming couldn't understand what he was saying, but he could feel the anger in that tone, and he couldn't help but shrink his neck.

Lao Bai stared into his eyes.

"Since you're a doctor... You should be able to see that the thing called Nago is going to destroy you. ”

Wei Ming's Adam's apple moved, and he smiled bitterly.

"Your Excellency...... Destruction is a matter of time for us living in this wasteland, and the difference is only today or tomorrow. ”

Lao Bai fell silent.

He suddenly felt a little sympathetic to this guy.

At this time, the wind suddenly spoke.

"It doesn't make sense...... Listen to you, the group of mutants in the city let you go because they made a deal with the Torch Church, but why should I listen?

The version is that more than a century ago they rarely harassed nearby villages. ”

Wei Ming said with a sigh.

"It's not a contradiction, more than a century ago...... It can even be said that until twenty years ago, when I was a child, the odd tribe was quite restrained towards us, and it was only in recent years that it suddenly became irritable. ”

Night Ten: "Why?" ”

"I also listened to what my grandfather said," seeing the expressions of the people sitting here listening attentively, Wei Ming said slowly, "It is said that a long, long time ago, there was a settlement in the urban area of Jinhe City that was not inferior to Boulder City, maybe larger than the Boulder City at that time, there must be hundreds of thousands of people..."

His eyes seemed to be caught in the previous meeting, and after thinking for a moment, he continued.

"At that time, it was the post-war reconstruction committee that ran it, and it seemed that the settlement was called Singularity City or something...... If I'm not mistaken. ”

"Then, about fifty years after the Wasteland Era, a century and a half ago, there was some conflict within that council that it was going to be separated."

Lao Bai nodded.

"I've heard about it, too, around the fiftieth year of the Wasteland Era, when the Post-War Reconstruction Committee officially announced its disbandment."

Wei Ming was stunned.

"Is there such a thing? Actually, it doesn't matter, I've heard that the committee existed in name only a long time ago, but that's not the point...... The point is that at that time, a group of green-skinned guys came running from the east. ”

"Those people who claimed to be researchers at a certain facility, from the East Coast, were persecuted by the Ministry of Production. In order to keep the research results and escape from the pursuit of the production department, they had to turn themselves into the appearance of no one and no ghost. ”

When he heard this, Ye Shi's whole person was shocked.

"Good fellow...... Ancestors of mutants?! ”

Wei Ming nodded.

"That's pretty much, that's how the rumored first mutants came to be...... It's human beings. Those guys are still human beings at heart, so naturally it is impossible to eat people, and they are even more polite than people, and they get along quite well with the residents of Singularity City. ”

Yashi struggled to squeeze half a sentence out of his throat.

But why..."

"Why are you eating people now, right?" Wei Ming's face was full of complicated expressions, "To be honest, I don't know, what I'm talking about is just listening to my grandfather......"

But if I had to guess. ”

He swallowed and replied in an uncertain voice.

"Probably...... The first mutants thought they were still human, but their children didn't think so. ”