Chapter 575: Got It Wrong? (1/2)

In the center of Pinecone Wood Farm sits a magnificent manor house.

Standing in the study room of the manor, the farmer Zhao Tianqian held a telescope in his hand and was looking out the window intently. His eyes crossed the densely packed houses and landed on the trading post beside the wall.

Six trucks were parked there, with the convoy's guards and mercenaries standing next to them, and a circle of heavily armed soldiers surrounding them.

Wu Wenzhou, who got off the truck, was talking to the officer who came forward for questioning. Soon, several soldiers holding LD-47 assault rifles came forward and dragged several wooden boxes from the truck.

One of the soldiers stepped forward and used a crowbar to open the boxes one after another, revealing the bright yellow bullets and neatly stacked rifles inside.

That was exactly what he needed.

Seeing this, Zhao Tianqian finally showed a bright smile on his face and placed the telescope in his hand on the table beside him.

Almost at the same time, there was a knock on the door behind him.

Zhao Tianqian, who was in a good mood, said casually.

"Please come in."

The door opened.

His butler came in.

"Yang He's caravan is back. According to your instructions, he exchanged the silver coins he earned into arms..."

Ma Zhongxian reported respectfully, his eyes involuntarily falling on the table next to the master and the open window.

He knew it in his heart.

Before he reported it, the master had already seen it.

Zhao Tianqian said slowly with a proud smile on his face.

"I knew Mr. Yang was a smart man. He was just delayed on the road for a while. We almost wronged a good person."

Ma Zhongxian nodded slightly.

"There is one more thing about... Mr. Apostle Zhang Zhengyang."

Zhao Tianqian asked immediately.

"Any news?"

Ma Zhongxian nodded silently and continued.

"After you ordered me, I asked the security team to send a few scouts to Chenchen Town to inquire about the situation. As a result... the place has been destroyed."

"Destroyed?!" Zhao Tianqian opened his eyes wide, stared at him and asked anxiously, "Then...where are the apostles?!"

A bitter expression appeared on Ma Zhongxian's face and he shook his head.

"I don't know. The whole town was burned clean, but no corpses were seen. Our people searched the town and found no trace of Mr. Apostle, but they did find a pile of corpses in the grave to the north... …The militiamen we sent to assist Mr. Zhang are also inside.”

Zhao Tianqian clenched his fists.

What he felt distressed about was not the 41 militiamen. There were as many serfs as there were on the farm. The most important thing was people and animals.

What made him nervous was that Zhang Zhengyang's whereabouts were unknown.

If he could not take the Torch Church seriously before and didn't care if he offended those lunatics, now he absolutely does not dare.

Since being "cured" of the chronic disease in his lungs by Naguo, he has been inseparable from the "gospel" of the Holy Son.

"Where is Mr. Apostle's body?!"

Ma Zhongxian said respectfully.

"Our people have searched carefully and it's not in that grave."

Zhao Tianqian breathed a sigh of relief and murmured in his mouth.

"At least alive."

Looking at the master, Ma Zhongxian hesitated for a moment and continued.

"Later, our people continued to explore the nearby area, trying to search for traces of the apostle... However, just after they walked about ten kilometers south, they found traces of mutant activity."

Hearing these words, a look of astonishment appeared on Zhao Tianqian's face.

"……Mutant?"

"Yes, sir, and at least there are more than a hundred people," Ma Zhongxian nodded and said in a heavy voice, "There are traces of battles nearby, and various signs indicate... that it was the group of mutants who destroyed Dust Town. "

"And, after that, they went to Hope Town!"

Zhao Tianqian looked out the window blankly.

Going to Dust Town, he could understand that the Qi tribe in the city were allies of the Torch Church, and it was natural for their allies to help when something happened.

But why go to Hope Town?

Isn’t that the parish of the Torch Church?

He remembered that Mr. Apostle personally promised him that as long as they converted to the faith of the Torch, they would be protected from mutants.

And this was one of the reasons for his conversion.

His intuition told him that something was happening in this land that he didn't understand, and it was very likely that he had been involved...

After thinking for a long time, he gritted his teeth and said.

"...Let the priest come to see me."

He must talk to the Bishop!

Ma Zhongxian nodded slightly.

"As commanded."

…

While Zhao Tianqian was pacing back and forth in the study, a group of players were standing at the door of Pinecone Wood Farm, looking around curiously.

Although the name here is a farm, it looks like a classical-style city. Granite walls surround the brick and wood buildings, and outside are orchards and farmland.

If you put aside the trees covered with pustules and the farmland covered with emerald green plaque, this place has a somewhat pastoral feel.

Xiaoyu looked around with some embarrassment.

Noticing Xiao Yu's reaction, Luo Yu asked quietly in the communication channel.

"What's wrong? Are you feeling uncomfortable?"

Xiaoyu whispered back.

"Uh-huh..."

There is a smell here that makes it very annoying.

Something dirty is nearby.

This feeling is like standing next to excrement. Although the garbage does not pose a threat to it, its fruiting bodies instinctively feel unhappy.

"Be patient for a little longer, we will leave soon." Hearing the discomfort in the "beep", Luo Yu whispered a few words of comfort in the communication channel.

Xiaoyu murmured knowingly.

"Uh-huh..."

At the same time, standing next to the leader's truck, Wu Wenzhou handed the potbellied middle-aged officer a cigarette.

The middle-aged officer took it skillfully, lit it up next to his lighter, and puffed out smoke.

"Why didn't that guy named Yang come back this time?"

Wu Wenzhou said respectfully.

"Mr. Yang He happens to have business matters to deal with..."

The middle-aged officer grinned and said.

"Doesn't he want to spend time with his baby girl?"

"The busyness is only temporary. He will reunite with his family later." Wu Wenzhou smiled and glanced around, "Speaking of which, things have changed a lot here..."

"That's not true," the middle-aged officer smiled and said eloquently, "Since the master introduced a batch of new crops from the south, life has gradually gotten better."

"The new crop is..."

"Emerald trees, that's all."

The middle-aged officer stretched out the hand holding the cigarette butt, pointed to the orchard outside the wall, smiled mysteriously, and continued.

"Not only can it be sold at a good price, but it can also be used for other purposes... isn't it great?"

"That's... really great." Wu Wenzhou smiled, but sighed softly in his heart.

He had read the report about "Naguo" in the "Daily Survivor" and quoted the analysis results of this special crop by the Alliance Biological Research Institute.

According to the Alliance Biological Research Institute, this special crop is actually a mushroom-like fungus, and animals or people who eat it will eventually become its food.

Planted this thing.

The settlement was basically finished.

"It would be great if we could sell this thing to the north." The officer was still dreaming, looking in the north direction and squinting his eyes.

Wu Wenzhou said with a smile.

"That may be a bit difficult. The survivors in the north...are not very able to accept such advanced things."

"People come up with solutions," the officer looked away from a distance. He patted Wu Wenzhou on the shoulder and said with a grin, "As long as we can give them a few bites, they will never leave us."

As long as the factory owners in the north are addicted to Naguo, the status of Jinchuan Province will become important again.

Looking at the daydreaming guy, Wu Wenzhou smiled cateringly.

It's okay if we can't live without...

If that day comes, with the alliance's style, those guys will probably come directly to eliminate the problem physically.

While the soldiers on the farm were unpacking and inspecting the goods on the truck, Ye Shi, who was standing aside, was quietly sizing up those people.

"Good guy...the soldiers here also use LD-47?"

Just looking at the weapons in these guys' hands makes him feel like he's back home.

Fang Chang glanced at the rifles in the hands of the soldiers and said.

"They seem to be using the foreign trade version."

Ye Shi looked at him curiously and asked.

"What's the difference?"

"To put it simply, the power and recoil have been reduced a lot. The 7mm full-power bullet has been replaced with an intermediate-power bullet. Theoretically, it should not be able to penetrate the K-10 'Iron Wall' and Type 6 'Heavy Cavalry' exoskeleton at a distance of 100 meters. frontal armor."

While speaking, Fang Chang looked around and had a rough idea of ​​the armed forces here. At the same time, he noted the distribution of several firepower points at the door.

Pinecone Wood Farm, like most farm-style settlements in Jinchuan Province, has almost zero independent industrial capabilities. Most of the weapons come from Boulder City or the alliance's military factories.

The most common ones here are weapons that have been eliminated by the alliance.

The machine guns are mainly Maxim I type, the rifles are mainly LD-47 and "Drone" assault rifles, the exoskeletons are mostly KV series and a small amount of "Miner" modified versions, and the support weapons include some 20mm quadruple anti-aircraft guns. etc.

In addition, he also saw some RPGs and recoilless rifles, all carried by the most elite soldiers, or installed with fixed brackets behind the sandbag wall.

This is simply an enhanced version of an African plantation. In addition to the serfs, there are private soldiers recruited from the serfs. It is completely different from Hope Town, where free people are inhabited.

From an equipment point of view, this settlement is not worth mentioning. The only thing worth noting is that there are quite a few soldiers here.

This settlement of 50,000 people actually retains three teams of 1,000 people!

According to the NPC named Wu Wenzhou, the farmer named Zhao Tianqian had planned to do something long ago to integrate all the farms in Jinhe City, so he had never been stingy in investing in armaments.

In addition to these visible small weapons, it is said that they also bought some strange things from further away.

However, Fang Chang still didn't take it to heart.

joke.

The group of people next to him even killed Falcon City. Are they afraid of these rookies who even bought their equipment from here and there?

At this time, Wu Wenzhou, who had completed the handover of goods, walked over and lowered his voice.

"I told the officers of these guards that you are from the Flame Mercenary Group and are very famous in the Xizhou City area... They have never been to such a far place, and they don't even know where Xizhou City is, but this does not prevent them from thinking about it. To please you.”

Fang Chang raised his eyebrows.

"What's the meaning?"

"They want to treat you to dinner, probably to win over you, and talk about your reputation... It will be at the Xinglong Hotel on the farm."

Ye Shi said in surprise.

"Is there a restaurant here too?"

If he remembered correctly, isn't this Pinecone Farm closed to the public?

Moreover, the survivors here are basically serfs. In other words, they are the private property of the landlord. Not to mention no salary, this place may not even have its own currency.

How about opening a restaurant and playing there?

Seeing the confusion in his eyes, Wu Wenzhou coughed lightly and explained.

"Of course there is. Although Pinecone Farm is not open to the public, the officers and managers here are paid, usually in dinars. They can't just eat with dinars, they also need For entertainment, you can’t always go to the town next door to spend time, and occasionally you have to entertain some distinguished guests... In short, the environment of the hotel is not bad, and the chefs there are the same people as the chefs of Mr. Zhao’s manor. "

Fang Chang didn't care much about those trivial questions and asked straight to the point.

"How far is that place from the farmer's estate?"

Wu Wenzhou thought for a while and said.

"It's just across the street...about six or seven hundred meters."

"Six hundred meters, right..." Fang Chang touched his chin and nodded, "No problem."

Through the previous Kong Lingkai, he had somewhat understood the suspicious and fearful mentality of the farmers here. Unsurprisingly, the master would arrange their stay near the wall or even outside the wall, and would also send people to keep an eye on them.

And this was probably their only chance to get close to the manor in the center of the settlement.

After all, they are nominally mercenaries who are paid to do things, and no one can guarantee that they will take on a mission.

From the soldiers around him, it was not difficult to see that the farmer did not really trust his subordinate who was out all year round doing business for him.

I'm afraid this banquet itself has a testing meaning. Those guys might try to bribe them at the banquet.

Looking at Fang Chang with twinkling eyes, Wu Wenzhou asked in a low voice.

"What are you going to do?"

On the way here, he made indirect inquiries, trying to get some words out of these people's mouths, but these people refused to reveal anything.

In his own words, he actually preferred that these people use the fire-breathing plane from before to rush in and kidnap the people directly.

However, seeing the quadruple anti-aircraft guns on the wall, he thought that it might not be easy for the plane to fly in.

Looking at Mr. Wu who asked cautiously, Fang Chang smiled faintly.

"This cannot be explained clearly in a few words."

That smile is elusive.

Wu Wenzhou couldn't help feeling uneasy.

"my family……"

"Don't worry, let them stay at home and leave the rest to us."

Fang Chang patted him on the shoulder and gave him a trusting look.

However, looking at the happy smile on this man's face, Wu Wenzhou couldn't feel that he was reliable, and his heart was pounding.

But now it seems that it is too late to get off this pirate ship.

There is only one way to go until it is dark.

Seeing that the officer kept looking here, Wu Wenzhou swallowed, nodded and said.

"OK."

After saying that, he turned around and walked back, bringing the news that these people had agreed to attend the banquet to the officer. A cheerful smile appeared on the officer's face, and he turned to report to his superiors.

Watching the man leave, Fang Chang stretched out his headset and pressed it.

"The opportunity has come...Old Bai, I'll leave the support to you."

After the noisy electric sound, Lao Bai's voice came from the communication channel.

"No problem! We're ready!"

…

You are not allowed to bring weapons into Pinecone Farm.

Except for Luo Yu and Xiao Yu who stayed at the door, the Burning Legion players all left their equipment at the gate of the settlement.

"I'll leave it to you to look after the equipment."

Taking the rifle from Fang Chang's hand, Luo Yu said hesitantly.

"Is it okay for you to just go in like this?"

"No problem," Fang Chang said with a smile, "Anyway, Lao Bai and the others will help us deliver the things we need."

Luo Yu nodded and said solemnly.

"Just take it easy... don't make my mission dirty."

"Don't worry, that's impossible!" Fang Chang laughed, waved his hand, and followed the guy who took them to the banquet.

Xinglong Hotel is located in the core area of ​​Songguomu Farm.

This is probably the neatest and busiest street in the entire settlement.

Most of the streets are run by the farmer himself, with shops, restaurants, and some places whose business you can't tell from the outside.

No matter what type of store it is, the facade is quite luxurious and tasteful.

The feeling of walking here is completely different from the outside, except that it doesn't look like a plantation at all, but more like a commercial street in a normal settlement.

However, what is inconsistent is that these shops are very deserted, with no customers at all, and they look like landscapes planted on the roadside.

The person who accompanied the players to the hotel was the chief guard of the North Gate, his name was Liu Lei, and he was a very talkative middle-aged man.

Under his leadership, the ten little players of the Burning Legion effortlessly passed through the layers of defenses in the farm and arrived at the street closest to the central farm.

Along the way, the NPC was not idle, and kept introducing them to the main industry of Pinecone Wood Farm, fruit collection.

It was as if they were not mercenaries, but businessmen who came here for inspection.

Fang Chang listened with an interested expression, and occasionally said a few words of pandering, but he didn't take it seriously in his heart.

He knew what the master behind this guy was planning.

He simply wants to sell the "specialties" here to the alliance through his "mercenary group that is quite powerful in the alliance".

However, this guy probably would never have imagined in his wildest dreams who he was describing his master's business plan to.

Finally they arrived at their destination, where an officer in formal attire and who seemed to have a high status was already waiting for them.

Seeing the group of people approaching, the officer's eyes lit up, a bright smile appeared on his face, and he took the initiative to greet them with his right hand.

"Welcome! Friends who have come from afar! I am Luo Feihui, the commander here. The master asked me to say thank you on his behalf. Thank you very much for helping us send this batch of precious arms from the north!"

Unexpectedly, the person eating together was the captain. Fang Chang had a flattered expression on his face, stretched out his right hand to shake his hand, and said with a smile.

"You're welcome! We are just mercenaries who get paid to do things."

The commander named Luo Feihui said with a smile.

"You don't look like mercenaries."

Fang Chang asked with an unchanging smile.

"Why do you say that?"

The captain named Luo Feihui took his hand back and continued with a smile.

"I have dealt with many mercenaries. Most of them are rude in conversation, and their habits are not very polite. Few of them are very well-behaved. But you are different. Not only are you polite, but you don't have any calluses on your hands... With all due respect, you don’t look like a weather-beaten wasteland traveler at all. Instead, you look like——”

When he said this, he paused for a moment as if on purpose.

"Instead, they look like residents of a shelter."

The moment they heard these words, except for Fang Chang who was standing in front of the man, the other players around him couldn't help but move their eyebrows, and a hint of surprise flashed in their eyes.

Good guy.

Wearing a gang? !