The coast of Haiya Province.

It is very different from the pleasant scenery and bustling Silver Moon Bay.

The blood-soaked sand only emits a pungent rancid stench in the sun than the smell of fish, and there is no fertile soil with milk and honey, only terrifying fear and death.

Near the Wailing Rocks, next to the Death Shore, on the cold, damp leeward side, there was a noise of chirping at the moment.

A group of blue-skinned humanoids with scales and gills are reciting obscure eulogies and praying for the upcoming hunt under the guidance of the priests.

Two sturdy monsters walked up to the half-submerged cage and expertly opened it, pulling the dying man out of it.

Soaked in seawater all day long, the skin on his neck had festered and sores, and the agitated blood vessels seemed to jump out from under the chapped skin.

The two monsters carried him to the beach, threw him in the middle of the praying monsters, and stepped aside.

Listening to the strange screams around him, the man tried to get up from the ground, but he couldn't exert any strength up and down his body, and the body parts were as if they were not his own.

He hadn't eaten for three days, and he was so dehydrated that his trance-like spirit could drift to another world at any moment, and he couldn't even make a sound begging for mercy.

Seeing the guy dying, the scaly monsters around him let out excited screams and even danced.

This shows that the ancestors who escaped into the tide accepted their tribute, and the surging waves swept away the spirit of the prey, and the weakness of the sacrifice is the best proof of this!

And now there is only one last step left -

“…… Filthy blood will be sprinkled all over the sand to comfort the souls of our ancestors. ”

Reciting the sacrificial incantation, the priest with mud on his face walked up to him and grabbed him from the ground with his thin, powerful arms.

Before he could react, it slit his throat and chest with a sharp flint, sending blood gushing and spilling onto the dark sand.

The twisted figures are like the little ghosts screaming for joy in hell.

They pounced on the corpse, rubbing blood-soaked mud and sand on the forehead and chest as a symbol of the blessings of their ancestors.

If you are a survivor living in the Cloud Province, you will be familiar with these blue-skinned creatures who perform bloody rituals.

They are the aquatic mutants that have changed the talk of countless fishermen and sailors!

Fierce, savage, and cunning, these creatures that move along the coastline are even more difficult to deal with than their green-skinned counterparts, swarming up to shreds when they encounter a lone wasteland or turning around and running away without saying a word when they encounter hard stubble.

Compared to terrestrial mutants, they have less of a human component and more of a beast.

It is precisely because of this that few aquatic mutants can form large tribes with a size of 10,000 people, and most of them live in the form of villages.

Due to their wider range of activities and diets, their thirst for mammalian flesh is not as strong as that of their green-skinned counterparts, and attacks on humans are usually motivated only by the instinct of hatred and the need for sacrifice and reproduction.

However, it would be a mistake to think that they are more benevolent and docile than the green-skinned ones. It is precisely because they do not regard humans as their main source of food that they have a talent for "wasting food", and even the murderous greenskin can't help frowning when they see it.

In fact, there were no aquatic mutants before the Torch Church set foot on the land.

The Tower's militia patrols the coastline and destroys a nest when it finds one, even more aggressively than the paid military contractors in the province of Clouds, so few aquatic mutants can gain a foothold in the area.

However, since the Torch Church came here, everything has changed.

The Divine Stick manipulates ordinary humans who become Nago's captives with the "Kingdom of Heaven", and for those mutants who are not controlled by Nago, they use what the latter desires as bait to sign a covenant with them.

In just over a decade, the coastline of Haiya Province has been completely reduced to a breeding ground for aquatic mutants.

In particular, the area around Wailing Rock has almost become the domain of these monsters with fish scales, and even cargo ships from the east coast dare not easily approach this sea.

The priest, having completed the ceremony, stood silently on the shore and put the bloodstained flint into a dirty cloth bag.

At that moment, its pupils suddenly shrank, and it looked at the rocky beach.

I saw a phantom bathed in golden light standing there, like a god coming out of the rising and flowing waves.

The surrounding mutants turned a blind eye to the existence of the golden phantom, as if they couldn't see him.

And so it is.

Only the chosen one, who has been implanted with a chip, can look at the indescribable being.

The old priest trembled and bowed down on one knee.

Looking at the ugly fellow, Arzu spoke slowly.

"Do one thing for me."

The mutant priest said respectfully.

"Command."

Arzu continued.

"Go west and south along the coast, and you will see a strait with a human village on the north shore."

"Kill them all, and leave not one behind!"

A human village!

Hearing this, a glimmer of excitement and bloodlust flashed in the priest's eyes.

It leaned down respectfully and pressed its crumpled forehead against the blood-stained sand.

"Yes!"

When it looked up again, the pale golden glow was gone, and all that remained on the reef-covered beach was the sound of the tide and the waves.

It rose from the ground and let out a terrible, high-pitched howl as it looked at the people lying on the beach vying for the favor of their ancestors.

The sound was like a war drum, and not only did the people crawling on the beach straighten up, but also the scaly faces poking out from behind the Wailing Rock.

The blue scales of the fish gathered towards the edge of the beach, and in a matter of moments there were thousands of them.

They have a variety of weapons, including harpoons, fishing nets, sticks with hooks, and shields made of tortoise shells. In addition to these rudimentary weapons, there are also some elite people who carry harpoon guns, iron cannons, tubular mine launchers, and even assault rifles.

Most of these weapons were seized from human hands, but some of them were used for DIY using parts from the wreckage of the ship.

Looking at the growing number of people, the priest let out a terrible roar again.

"Enemy! To the south! ”

"Along the coastline! Find their village! ”

"Expedition!"

Pairs of cloudy pupils were lit up by a thirst for blood, and the roar was answered by more fanatical and bloodthirsty howls.

"Whoa!"

Looking at the excited lads, the priest's face was filled with a feverish and sickly smile, and his withered hands trembled with excitement.

Finally—

The real sacrifice is about to begin!

……

Port of French Fries.

The edge of the golden sand, with its verdant palm fronds gently swaying in the sea breeze, is a peaceful and peaceful scene.

In the dappled shade of the trees, a simple shed made of hay and coconut shells scrawled a few pitch-black chassis that were out of place with the surrounding landscape.

The case's fan was humming, and pale blue holographic light and shadow intertwined into a flickering three-dimensional image on the disc-shaped imaging device.

Displayed on the holographic screen at the moment is the holographic structure of the "Cockroach" engineering armor designed by Vault 100.

This thing is currently the most advanced multi-purpose construction equipment on land in the alliance, and even the companies that have completed the grand project of the Ideal City have been amazed by its exquisite design, praising it as "a miracle born in the sewer".

Although there is an indescribable sense of superiority in this title, there is no doubt that even the engineers of Ideal City were shocked by this thing.

Obviously, the shock was the same for the engineers in Coral City.

Looking at the holographic image unfolded in front of him, the middle-aged man wearing flat glasses showed a surprised expression on his face, and then looked at Fang Chang, who was standing aside, and asked.

"Incredible design...... This is from your shelter? ”

His name is Zhou Zhehui, a survivor of Coral City, and he is also one of the designers of the "Electric Ray" underwater automatic welding unmanned boat.

Since joining the alliance some time ago, he used the professional equipment and editing software provided by the scientific expedition team to copy a copy of the drawings of the "Electric Ray" unmanned boat to Meng Liang and them, and then joined the alliance's scientific expedition team under the latter's recommendation.

Resembling a real electric ray, like a flat fan, it is capable of wriggling its body forward at hundreds of meters of depth, grabbing building materials with its lower belly suction cups, and performing dangerous underwater welding operations in place of divers.

According to the drawings he provided, 10 samples were made in the automated production workshop on the B7th floor of Vault 404, which has been sent to the port of french fries by the airship Niuma, and has been put into the construction of a submarine freshwater pipeline from the port of french fries to the crater.

Judging from the feedback from the construction personnel, this unmanned boat called Electric Ray is indeed easy to use, and the construction speed is more than three times faster than that of the cattle and horses of the power system.

The management quickly approved the production plan of 100 unmanned electric ray boats again, and made an exception to arrange them in front of the production queue, and soon more unmanned electric ray boats will be airlifted to the port of french fries to participate in the construction of the port and submarine pipeline.

At present, the daily work of this Zhou worker is to guide the technicians sent by the alliance to master the skills of using the "Electric Ray" unmanned boat, including setting work goals and paths through the automation program installed on the terminal.

Since the work didn't take much time, most of the time he was idle, with nothing to do but wander around the settlement.

It was also when he was wandering around that he happened to see the cockroach-type engineering armor installed in the construction queue on the shore of the French Fries Harbor, and he couldn't help but be curious about the big man with a unique shape.

After learning of his interest, the alliance's scientific research team did not hesitate, and directly copied him a copy of the drawings and tutorials, so that he could take them and ponder them casually.

After learning about this from the scientific expedition team, Fang Chang quickly thought of his experience in the design of underwater engineering equipment, so he immediately came to him and asked him if he could make some improvements on the basis of the "Cockroach" engineering armor and design and install an amphibious engineering armor that could be used underwater.

So, Zhou Zhehui turned over the drawings that had been turned over many times, and re-studied them with a professional attitude.

However, no matter how many times he watched it, he couldn't help but be amazed and surprised in his heart.

What kind of harsh and harsh living environment will give birth to such a simple and efficient, heavy and flexible engineering armor.

After hearing his inquiry, Fang Chang coughed lightly.

"No, it was designed by the residents of Vault 100."

The creativity of the inhabitants of Vault 404 is mainly concentrated in the field of brain holes.

This kind of engineering equipment, which has risen to the realm of science fiction, is still a bit too advanced for players whose knowledge level is still in the realm of reality.

After listening to Fang Chang's explanation, the expression on Zhou Gong's face was even more surprised.

"They joined you, too? Vault 100? ”

"Sort of...... Do you know them? ”

Zhou Gong shook his head and said embarrassedly.

"Not really, the Vault that we've crossed paths with is Vault 117, and it's mostly Vault 70's blue coat that comes into contact with them. As for us, we have only heard of their existence, but not much about them. ”

After a pause, he continued to ask curiously.

"What kind of people are they? Like the inhabitants of Vault 70? ”

Fang Chang said with a subtle expression.

"That's a big difference...... A lot of things happened to them, and the last survivor made himself an android. ”

Zhou Zhehui was stunned for a long time before giving an ambiguous evaluation.

"That'...... It's a shame. ”

Fang Chang shrugged.

"Every family has a scripture that is difficult to read."

While most NPCs in Wasteland Online have reservations about whether AI can be equated with humans, most players are open to it.

He is no exception, even more open than the average person's point of view.

After all, it's a game.

Aren't NPCs with AI and NPCs with real people both AI and real people in the real world?

Moreover, the game's AI technology has advanced to the point where it is fake.

If he doesn't deliberately think about those esoteric philosophical questions, he is used to treating those NPCs who only have one life as real people.

Zhou Zhehui sighed softly and said.

"I really want to talk to them when I have the opportunity, both academically and about us...... I just don't know how many human traits they have inherited from them who have become androids, and I always feel a little strange to discuss the future of humanity with AI. ”

"I don't think the difference between them and humans is actually very big, you might be able to talk," after a pause, Fang Chang reminded with a light cough, "Then...... Modification thing. ”

Hearing this reminder, Zhou Zhehui smiled embarrassedly and quickly put the topic back to technology.

"I looked at it, and the basic problem is not big, their seal design is already very good, and they just need to redesign the gas exchange system...... Give me a week, maybe three days will be enough, and I'll get you an improvement plan as soon as possible. ”

Hearing that it was so fast, Fang Chang's face suddenly had a look of surprise, and he said with a smile.

"Then please! By the way, what do you think is the name of this improved model? I use it when I make budget sheets. ”

Obviously, this NPC is not very good at choosing names, so he scratched the back of his head and thought about it for a while.

However, just then, his eyes fell on the beach not far away, and he saw several players laboriously dragging a mutant sea crab that was two feet tall to shore.

Inspiration struck him, not just about the name of the outfit, but also about the design details.

He looked at Fang Chang with blazing eyes.

"Since it's amphibious engineering equipment."

"Let's just call it 'crab pose'!"

……

The players of Port French Fries have reached an agreement with the Federal Patrol, and the two sides have spent several days without incident.

Although nothing major has happened during this time, the changes in the port have not been small at all.

With the addition of Coral City engineers, the colony is changing at an almost visible rate.

Under the leadership of the engineer named Li Shihao, the construction team in charge of the port construction soon devoted itself to the port construction work.

At the same time, with the assistance of the electric ray unmanned boat, the submarine freshwater pipeline from the port of French fries to the crater has been advanced ten nautical miles.

During this time, the Ox Horse airship made another trip to Dawning City.

It not only brought 50 "electric ray" unmanned boats that had just completed production, but also brought a batch of special port equipment produced by the Boulder City factory.

Even if he is no longer optimistic about this "small fishing village" on the northern shore of the Baiyue Strait, the chief inspector of the crater, has to admit that this water pipeline may indeed be used as an alternative to seawater desalination plants to solve the urgent needs of the island's residents for domestic and industrial water.

In particular, what he couldn't refuse was the price offered by Baiyue Provincial Development Co., Ltd.

Each cubic meter of tap water only needs 0.8 silver coins, and 1000 cubic meters is 800 silver coins, and the construction and maintenance of the pipeline is completely undertaken by Baiyue Strait Development Co., Ltd.

Eight hundred silver coins is only the price of four LD-47 rifles, and the residents of the crater use about 400 cubic meters of water a year, which is converted into less than two assault rifles, and the cost is even lower than before the destruction of the Ocean Current Power Station!

If the price of fresh water falls, it will not only mean that the residents of the crater will no longer have to endure the need to bathe once a week, but it will also mean that a series of industries that have been shut down due to the rising cost of fresh water will be restored, and food production, which would have been subsidized to operate, will also turn into a profit.

The account was easily settled, and Channing signed a contract with Baiyue Strait Development Co., Ltd. almost without hesitation, and signed it for ten years at a time.

For Baiyue Company, although this transaction looks like a little bit of profit, it is definitely a good deal in the long run.

After all, the fresh water resources in Baiyue Province are almost unlimited, and there is no need for any black technology to send this fresh water to the island, and the maintenance cost of the pipeline is negligible.

In other words, as long as they fix this pipeline, they can almost lie down and make money in the future.

Not only that, with this faucet in your hand, the port of fries will be firmly tied to the islands of the southern seas!

They will convince local survivors that they are here to solve problems, not to bring destruction and disaster to the land.

In addition to the work around economic work, the Alliance's military base and logistics warehouse in the highlands northwest of Port Fries were also completed.

It is currently home to the Burning Corps and the Jungle Corps, and may also be used for other Corps to be deployed here.

On top of that, players have also deployed improvised guard towers and beachheads with machine guns and grenade launchers on the higher ground on both sides of the coast directly south of the port to guard against possible threats along the coastline.

The investigation of the ruins of the Ocean Current Power Station is a wake-up call for players here.

The Torch Church may have cultivated some aquatic xenomorphs controlled by psychic interference devices that are able to move under the sea.

The danger they face is not only from the rainforest in front of them, but also from the beach behind them.

Today, the port is like a busy construction site.

From beneath the surface of the sea, to the edge of the beach, to the nearby rainforest, there is a tinkling sound almost from morning to night.

As for the Dolphin parked near the harbor and the residents of Coral City on the shore, the sailors of the Federal Patrol also kept a blind eye and deliberately did not see it.

As a reward for turning a blind eye, Baiyue Strait Development Co., Ltd. will give them an additional "bonus" every month.

For this suspected bribe, Mu Da's attitude was to refuse at first, and the refusal was strict.

He promised to help the crew of the Dolphin escape not for money, but simply out of conscience and justice in his heart.

However, Captain Fang finally persuaded him to hand over the money, which was reassuring to both parties, to the upright patrol leader.

“…… You should be paid to help us patrol, we are busy with construction, and we don't have time to keep an eye on the surrounding area. If you don't have any trouble, you can extend the patrol area a hundred nautical miles further west, and remember to warn us if pirates or marauders are approaching. ”

After a pause, Fang Chang continued.

"And, even if you don't want the money, think for your brethren that it's risky for them to do it with you."

Looking at the stack of banknotes in his hand, Mu Da was silent for a long time and said with a wry smile.

"Am I getting two wages?"

Fang Chang smiled and patted him on the shoulder.

"How about just doing it as a part-time job? Wouldn't it be nice to think about it that way? ”

Mu Da took a deep look at the guy who had let himself sink deeper and deeper, and without saying anything more, he stuffed the stack of banknotes into his arms.

Just as he was about to go back to the speedboat, he suddenly thought of something and spoke.

"By the way, there's something I need to tell you about."

Fang Chang: "What's the matter?" ”

As if hesitating to say anything about it, Muda paused for a moment before finally speaking.

"The day after tomorrow, there will be a maritime patrol exercise, and in the waters near the North Island, the patrols of all islands will participate."

Fang Chang raised his eyebrows in interest.

"And then?"

Mu Da said with a complicated expression.

"In one very unusual place, the Federal Ministry of Finance did not make any arrangements for the duty of the various patrol areas for that day, nor did it mention whether the Federal Navy would take over the patrol for a temporary day......

Fang Chang said with a smile.

"That means that even if it's a smuggler, you won't be caught that day?"

Muda glanced at him.

"Don't do that."

"Just kidding, we're all good people who abide by the law, and we only do legal business," putting away the smile on his face, Fang Chang looked at him solemnly and said, "Thank you, this information is very important to us." ”

Someone is planning to pull the federal patrol out of these waters!

It looks like something will happen that day that is inconvenient for others to see.

It is especially inconvenient for the Commonwealth of the Southern Islands to see its own people.

Retracting his gaze from Fang Chang's face, Mu Da looked at the rough sea in the distance, and said with a complicated expression.

"I was just wondering if the Federal Navy was going to raid a patrol area, but it was a bit too deliberate. Whether we're under suspicion or not, you'd better get that submarine away in the next two days. ”

Fang Chang nodded seriously.

"Well, I'll arrange it."

(I recommend a seedling "Allogeneic Heavenly King".) Synopsis: From the day he stopped taking psychiatric drugs, Lei Yue found that the whole world had become different. ）

(End of chapter)