Wasteland Echoer.

The follow-up mission in Chapter 622

“Olga, do you mean you want me to wage a war of attrition against Nabrius? To use the resources of the Federation to deplete the resources of the city of Nabusk, in order to achieve the goal that the Khitans often talk about, ‘subduing the enemy without fighting’?” Shaneva looked at Olga, her tone dissatisfied, and her eyes revealing a murderous intent.

“Of course.” Olga pursed her lips, suppressing her nervousness, and explained further:

"Kuka, the secretary of the former Federal Administrator Vasily, has made it clear that he recognizes your leadership over the Federation. He will only serve as the commander-in-chief of the Western Theater under the Strategic Regiment and the commander of the 'New First Army Corps' stationed in Choigler."

"Moreover, the four regions Q, A, S, and W of the Extreme Cold Special Zone, which were originally under our control, as well as the South Karlov Special Zone, the North Karlov Special Zone, the Konig Province, and the Ice-Bound Province west of the Far North Forest, have not yet formed a unified force after the 'Heartless Wave' ravaged the area. They are still in a state of mixed warfare among various forces."

"Is the intelligence source accurate?" Shaneva's expression softened considerably. She sat on the stool handed to her by the head of the guard, crossed her legs, and gestured for Olga to continue.

Because the "shallow modified karst cave layer" was a temporary product forcibly excavated by previous governors and the "Dedication Group" in order to forcibly connect the "Former No. 08" military outpost and the "ground line", many microorganisms and fungal spores that are invisible to the naked eye still float here.

Although the infrastructure has been renovated, reinforced concrete is still no match for the erosion of natural forces formed over millions of years. Even in the wasteland era, after the decline of natural forces and magical energy, there is still no real possibility for humanity to change or suppress nature.

Forcing herself to endure the murky, humid air, suppressing the itching in her throat, and the mental stimulation from the rhythmic dripping of water around her, Olga coughed a few times before clearing her throat and replying:

"Two weeks ago, I went to the west, just a few days before Icefall City fell. I witnessed the rapid changes in the battle situation and made some preliminary notes."

“Tell me what you’ve seen and heard. It’s okay if there are omissions or errors, after all, you’re not a professional military recorder.” Shaneva gave Olga a certain degree of tolerance.

“Yes, Commander Shaneva,” Olga replied.
"Currently, based on my observation, the overall situation of the Federation in the west has indeed completely collapsed. At least around Icefall City, inside Newwind Town, in the city of Mayan, and on the coast of Konigrad, there are tens of thousands of 'heartless people' wearing tattered Federation military uniforms and Federation double-headed eagle badges."

"They have completely lost consciousness, have no moral compass, and are driven solely by pure instinct, devouring anything that can replenish their energy. Their previous education, established moral values, and even the camaraderie forged through life-and-death battles are all worthless in the face of the 'heartless virus'."

"You...did you see them devouring living...unmutated humans?" A look of panic flashed in Shaneva's eyes, and an indescribable nausea rose in her stomach.

After all, although she came from a military family, in the traditional view of the Federation, most women, especially those who had no strength, were weak in appearance, lacked extraordinary strength, could not use weapons, and could only engage in simple production, were actually no different from ordinary goods.

She didn't have as many records of going to the battlefield with her father as advertised. In many wars, she only accompanied her father and other family members to the military camp for a few days of "study" before hurriedly returning to the city.

In other words, before taking control of Novayask, Shaneva only followed the "Novayurik" to check the actual effects of the new replica weapons. She did not actually fight the "heartless" people head-on, nor did she ever truly witness the cruelty of war.

Aside from that chance encounter that led to her infection with the "Heartless Virus" and the discovery of the "Supreme Magic Source Power," Shaneva had almost no connection with the "Heartless Virus."

After becoming the governor of Novayask, and especially the governor of the Federation Council, she devoted more of her energy to urban development, resource acquisition, and handling the relationship between the federal and local governments. The military affairs, which were previously handled by Levri, are now largely the responsibility of Mikhail.

Therefore, she became interested, intentionally or unintentionally, in the "heartless people," a "non-human" species that had failed in its evolution.

“That’s right.” Olga’s words interrupted Shaneva’s mental preparation. “I’ve seen living people near all four cities, but in the west, I’m using the identity of the ‘Shepherd’ of the ‘Spear of Odyssey,’ which is the Lost One. I can’t rescue anyone. Otherwise, I would immediately be attacked by the Lost Ones and ‘Heartless Ones’ around me.”

"Why?" Shaneva clearly showed a hint of dissatisfaction.

“That’s how it is,” Mikhail explained to Olga.
"The concentration of 'Burning Fluid' in the bodies of the Lost Ones is usually between 25% and 35% of their blood. If it exceeds 50%, they will go insane. Generally, they will only forcibly break their hearts in important battles to achieve victory. Most 'Heartless People' have a concentration of over 80%, which is why it is best for humans to be injected with 'Federal Agent No. 1' within the first 2 hours of being infected with the 'Heartless People' virus."

"In more than two hours, but less than six hours, the concentration of 'burning fluid' in the infected person's body will rise to 40%. If treatment is initiated at that point, the best outcome will be that the person becomes lost. Whether the 'heartless person' attacks others depends on their scent."

"Smell?" Shaneva asked, puzzled. This administrator, skilled in administration and urban development, was clearly ignorant of the scientific field.

“‘Burning Liquid’ has an odor. When the Lost Ones and those with superpowers, including Olga, come near us, we can always smell a tarry and metallic odor. This is a sign of the body’s ‘mechanization.’ When the ‘concentration’ of the Burning Liquid reaches 25% or more, the ‘Heartless Ones’ will abandon their attack on the Infected.” Mikhail lifted Olga’s chest, revealing his ugly, blue-glowing cyborg heart to Shaneva, and further explained:

"During this time, Olga has had considerable contact with humans and participated less in warfare. Furthermore, his diet is no different from ours, so his body has gradually repaired itself, thus reducing the concentration of 'Burning Fluid' in his blood. However, if he were to take action against the 'Heartless' while protecting humans, the concentration of Burning Fluid in his body would decrease further. Once it falls below the critical 25% threshold, his scent would attract the attention of the 'Heartless' and the Lost Ones. "Actually, it's no secret that the 'Spear of Odyssey' has been secretly funded by you since before the West was lost. This organization doesn't have a good reputation among the Lost Ones in the West, even among independent armed groups, especially the 'Wilderness Tourists.' If Olga were to get into trouble, no Lost One would come to his rescue."

"It's like, well, you temporarily put on the mask of the Lost Ones and went to the west, but you can't interfere in any affairs there, right? It's like the legend of the warrior getting Hades' permission to travel to the underworld, isn't it?" Shaneva asked, her tone much softer.

“Yes.” Olga nodded:

"Regarding the identity of the Lost Ones, I actually prefer to stand on the side of humanity. Even if the Lost Ones' organization is friendly, caring, and even fair, overall, there is long-term chaos among the Lost Ones themselves. As long as the [Order] of Khitanris in the east does not collapse, the human approach is currently the best way to end the wasteland."

"As for the situation in the west... even former Federation soldiers have started to devour the limbs and internal organs of survivors alive, which indicates that no force is likely to be able to reconstruct the [order] in the short term. In these provinces, I have observed that the black markets or official trade nodes that used to exchange goods between humans and the Lost have all ceased operation. If you want to obtain food and resources, there is no other way but to plunder and search."

"What about the Zhine people? Will their caravans still head north?" Shaneva asked a crucial question.

If the Germans seize this opportunity to organize their forces and march north, occupying several cities or even taking over several factories under the guise of restoring commerce and fighting the "lost ones," the Federal Council will encounter a series of very difficult problems when it wants to rebuild its rule over western Cruz after the war in the east ends.

Fortunately, Olga's answer made her feel incredibly relieved.

"The Genneians have made some moves. Their Crown Prince's personal guard attempted to attack a border city controlled by the 'Corona Association,' an organization of the Lost Ones, with heavy weapons, but suffered a crushing defeat. Several thousand men were wiped out, and a small-scale 'Heartless Wave' even broke out within Genneian territory," Olga replied.
"In fact, since the disastrous defeat at the Silent Heights, the death of the Genian Crown Prince Ivant, the death of Emperor Ryka I, the destruction of the southern capital Sogra, and the suicide of its prime minister Holly Clayt, the new emperor Ryka II has been unable to expand the territory under his control."

"Right now, the people of Genne are simply waiting for us, the Crusaders, to purge the 'heartless people,' or for the Putoa Federation to re-establish contact with them. Perhaps only with the support of our or the Putoa's resources will they have the desire to take the initiative."

"However, the 'Continent Explorer 5' that docked at South Toya Port some time ago brought us news of the Putoa Federation. Our communication with the Putoa Federation has been interrupted for at least three hundred years, but they did bring coffee beans that originated from the 'Philiga' continent."

"Putoya's news? Or did he board the ship and dock? Why would such important news be kept secret? Vasily has never made this information public, and even the Federation documents that Kuka handed over to me didn't mention it. Could it be that the relevant documents were burned when Icefall City fell?" Shaneva asked, her brows furrowed.

"It wasn't that the information was lost, but rather that someone deliberately concealed it. In fact, after the 'Continent Explorer 5' landed, it was Yaroslav, the commander-in-chief in charge of the battle in the Arctic Special Zone at the time, who settled them in. However, at that time, the 'Heartless Men' in the south launched another wave, and the governor of the port of South Toya, Leon Chris, was killed in action, giving Yaroslav the opportunity to conceal the truth," Olga replied.

"Why did Yarosla hide all this? What else did he do?" Shaneva asked, puzzled.

"Power, I suppose. Yaroslav had been languishing in the strategic regiment's quarters for decades, and finally, Vasily came to power and promoted him. He wanted to seize the leadership position after Vasily's death, so he'd been scheming all along." Olga's lips curled into a disdainful smile as she said:

"He painstakingly gained control of the largest legion besides 'Gnady,' achieving victories in the battles of 'Bitter Ruins' and 'Artificial Lake.' He also turned Kanosk into his headquarters and adopted the lost girl Sophia, who served as his secretary and bodyguard. Even Dak Tiris once served him."

"In fact, the Putoa Federation experienced a destruction once, but in the last hundred years or so, a family called 'Polica' that rose to prominence in the Gaul Province gathered survivors and established a series of strongholds, thus restoring the Putoa Federation."

"Is this 'Continent Explorer 5' their mission?" Shaneva asked.

“That’s right. They also want to investigate the situation in the Gene Empire and our Crusad Federation. At least thirty years ago, considerable progress was made in the fight against the ‘Heartless Wave’ around the world. Their leader believes that ‘the world has started to turn,’ and in order to completely end the rampage of the ‘Heartless,’ various regions need to find a way to establish connections and act together,” Olga answered truthfully.

“A pipe dream. Unless the telegraph and telephone systems can be re-established. Now Eventre is no man's land, and the west of Crusde has also fallen. Achieving this goal is probably impossible within this century. So, where are those Putoa people now?” Shaneva asked the crucial question.

“They were all murdered by Yaroslav. He didn’t want to end the ‘Heartless Wave’ as soon as possible. As the military commander-in-chief, only a protracted war could maintain his power, even if the chance of ending the Wasteland Era was less than 1%. So, he sent men to bombard the official inn where the Putoa people lived, blaming the ‘Chaos Group’ for stealing heavy weapons.” Olga’s eyes flashed with a hint of crimson, which was then replaced by sympathy.

But before he could continue describing the situation in the west, Shaneva suddenly stood up, ordered the guards around her to remove their stools, and then began to comment:

"Yaroslav, I originally thought he was a pitiful old man, but he turned out to be so hateful, no wonder he died a bad death. But then again, since the west will be in chaos for a long time and the Germans are incapable of stirring things up, we can indeed focus all our energy on wearing down Nebrius."

"However, as I said before, the core objective must remain capturing the [Core of Khitanria]. According to reports from the front, Nabrius and the 'Blood Wolf' have not yet found a way to destroy the 'Core.' Once they have mastered the specific steps to destroy it, we must immediately abandon the war of attrition and instead launch a full-scale attack and a decisive battle. Understand?"

“Understood, Commander Shaneva,” Mikhail and Olga replied in unison.