Wasteland: My items are infinitely upgraded.

Chapter 163 Ma Chenfeng, Benniu Town, Recruiting Escorts

As Lin Feng shouted and asked, many heads popped out from among the nearly a hundred dilapidated vehicles.

The wanderers looked at each other in bewilderment. After a few seconds, a first-stage mid-level evolver stepped out from among them, raised his hand and spoke:

"I, it's mine."

Lin Feng put down the shell in his hand and looked at him, and the latter immediately stepped forward.

He stopped ten meters in front of Lin Feng, took off his hood, and revealed his face.

He is a middle-aged man who is unkempt and unkempt.

The standard appearance of most rogues.

They wander in the wasteland all year round and can barely solve the problem of water supply. Their situation is slightly better than that of the people living outside Oasis Town, who may not be able to take a bath for a year or two.

The middle-aged man introduced himself with a little excitement:
"My Lord, this is my offering."

"My name is Ma Chenfeng. I'm a mid-level first-order evolver and the leader of a team."

Lin Feng nodded:
"Come and follow."

After saying that, he put away the shell casing in his hand, pulled a series of carts behind him, and walked towards the camp not far away with Chen Shanshan.

There were only the Yanma chariots and transport vehicles left in the camp. Seeing this, A Lian took Liu Mingfei and started the vehicles to come to the rescue.

Ma Chenfeng, who was called by Lin Feng, followed behind and stepped forward to lend a hand. The two sides soon reunited.

While Chen Shanshan and the others were carrying the spoils, Lin Feng called Ma Chenfeng over and took out the shell casing from his pocket:
"Please introduce yourself first, in detail."

Ma Chenfeng was stunned. He had been thinking hard about the opening remarks and introduction all the way, but now he had to hold them back. He didn't expect that the newly promoted second-level master in front of him would ask this question as the first sentence.

The reason why Lin Feng asked and investigated the other party's background was very simple, which was to prevent him from bragging and lying when describing the origin of the shell casing later.

Although Ma Chenfeng was a seasoned veteran who had been navigating the wasteland for many years, this was his first time facing a Stage Two Evolver alone. Under the pressure of the other party's powerful aura, he quickly organized his words and began to introduce himself:
"I woke up in the wasteland over thirty years ago. I come from a medium-sized settlement in the north called Bull Run."

"Because of its remote location, the power of the settlement is basically controlled by the local powerful families. Even if the church and the Hunting Guild join forces, they can only barely gain a foothold."

"It's like an autonomous enclave. Although Benniu Town is nominally loyal to the Holy Spring Cult, it's actually autonomous. All they have to do is pay the Holy Spring Cult some of the special products and supplies they need on time to have the right to govern and rule the entire territory."

"The situation is completely different from the oasis town near the Taishan ruins, so the living conditions of the survivors there are even worse than in the oasis."

"The Church and the Guild can only provide a few channels for evolution. Only the most outstanding ninth-level wasteland hunters will be absorbed by them."

"The rest are slaves of the local big families. They are not even considered house slaves. Even if they become evolvers, they will be firmly controlled by the big families and enslaved for life."

"After becoming an Evolver, I was assigned to a mining team and entered a restricted area to mine sulfur-rich open-pit mines."

"The shell casing in your hand was accidentally mined from a sulfur mine. According to regulations, everything must be handed over. However, several squad leaders in the late First Stage were plotting a rebellion, so I joined them, escaping the oppression of the big family and wandering the wilderness."

"Because of this incident, we were expelled from Benniu Town and put on the church's wanted list. We can no longer live normally in other settlements and have become wanderers."

As he spoke, Ma Chenfeng began to focus on the shell casing in Lin Feng's hand:
"This shell has a certain degree of magnetism. If you place it in the soil, after a while, it will absorb a lot of iron sand, sulfur, and unknown white crystals from the wasteland..."

"Although it's not very useful, I think it must be related to the restricted mining area. The secret behind it may be related to the third-level king above the second-level. There is a strong connection."

Seeing the adult in front of me with his eyes slightly narrowed, without any expression...

Ma Chenfeng then took out a small bag and handed it to Lin Feng. It was filled with yellow ore and some white crystals.

The former emits a pungent smell, which is definitely sulfur, and those white snowflake-like crystals break when squeezed, making your fingers feel cold and have a bit of a smell.

It should be saltpeter, also known as potassium nitrate, one of the raw materials for most gunpowder.

Lin Feng brought the shell casing closer, and sure enough, as Ma Chenfeng said, it was attractive to sulfur and nitric acid just like iron filings.

This also proves that the radiation energy carried by the shell is not simply magnetism, but comes from the multiple radiation attractions of the superpower gene.

The mining area mentioned by Ma Chenfeng is very likely related to the Gun King Source, which is the agent plan mentioned by Zong Shiyue before.

The third-level source essence related to the firearm ability in the body of the Gun King, once the strongest third-level king, was integrated into the body of the android, allowing them to master the powerful abilities of the third stage and directly become an existence that can rival the third-level king.

The Agent of the Gun is likely to engage in a fierce battle in the restricted mining area, releasing a large amount of Gun King Essence and causing serious radiation pollution.

It is very likely that the so-called restricted mining area was caused by the fighting between agents.

Just like the ruins of Mount Tai.

It’s just that the restricted area of ​​Taishan Ruins used a third-level wolf king of the beast tribe to imprison a god of transcendence, turning him into an evil god who never sees the light of day.

Apart from the body of the Wolf King, it itself has little value in exploration and development, and is far more dangerous than other ruins or restricted areas.

Therefore, there are no first-class forces or permanent development of small and medium-sized settlements. Usually, only some hunter teams, travelers or wanderer forces in the wasteland will take the risk.

The restricted mining area mentioned by Ma Chenfeng obviously has great mining value. After all, whether it is the main sulfur mine or some nitrate accessories, they are all raw materials for producing gunpowder and operating industries.

The strength of Benniu Town is obviously much stronger than that of Oasis Town.

Because of the radiation curse in the restricted area, only evolvers can enter it and mine minerals at the risk of their bodies being deformed and contaminated.

The evolvers who still had room to breathe in Oasis Town were only fit to become mining slaves in Bull Run Town.

It is no wonder that there are so many wanderers in the wasteland. Big families like the Li family in Oasis treat the foreign evolvers cultivated by their subordinates in a harsh manner, and they have to complete the tasks at the risk of death, but at least their living conditions are extremely generous, and they are the best in several major villages.

However, this is also due to the special nature of the Oasis battleship. The holy city ahead has been maintaining its normal operation through feedback.

Even a little bit of the consumption to support the people in the oasis would be enough to feed tens of thousands of people in the wasteland.

As for other autonomous regions that are loyal to the Holy Spring Cult, after paying a "protection fee", if they want to continue to survive, they have to pass the pressure down to lower levels.

Therefore, the first-level evolvers will become victims, mass-produced in an industrial assembly line manner, and sent to the restricted area to mine minerals and create wealth for Benniu Town.

After confirming that there was nothing wrong with the other party's background and experience, Lin Feng immediately asked another question:

"So why are you offering it to me?"

"According to what you said, this shell may involve a third-level king. Previously, the Salvation Army had a powerful late-second-level evolver. Isn't their leader Bai Ye more suitable than me?"

The radiation from the shell in his hand was very weak. A second-level evolver like Lin Feng would not be able to detect anything unusual unless he got close to it. Only by touching it could he find some clues.

If the black box containing Zong Shiyue's original flesh and blood had not passed by the pile of debris, and Lin Feng had detected a slight fluctuation with his third-level sensing ability, he would have missed it. Ma Chenfeng smiled slightly flatteringly:
"The Salvation Army was once a force led by a Tier 3 King. Even though it's fallen on hard times now, it's still considered the best of the best among the Wanderers. How could they look down on a mere mid-stage Evolver like me?"

"But my lord, you have just been promoted to a second-level evolver, and you are also a firearms psychic. Your future is limitless. If you can follow me, even if you can't achieve fame and success in the future, at least you can have enough food and clothing..."

As he spoke, Ma Chenfeng knelt on one knee and continued with a sincere look:
"When you first arrived, you were only a late-stage first-order evolver. But within just a few days, you were recognized by Chief Bai and became a second-order powerhouse. Not only did your own strength increase greatly, but this trip to the fields was also very fruitful. Right now, we are in dire need of manpower!"

"I swear to be your follower until death, bringing my entire team with me as my escort. From now on, I will serve you at your beck and call, and obey your orders without hesitation!"

Lin Feng's mouth corners rose slightly. Although he guessed the other party's intention, telling the truth was not offensive.

As the saying goes, when one person succeeds, everyone around him will prosper...

When you are strong enough, there will naturally be people who come to surrender and serve you and follow you.

Ma Chenfeng is a sensible person who is willing to serve.

At this time, Chen Shanshan, who had finished unloading the goods, came over and frowned slightly when she saw the man kneeling in front of her.

For those who surrender to the enemy out of fear, it is considered good if 30% of their loyalty can be put into practice. After wandering in the wasteland for decades and becoming an experienced wanderer, who would be a good person?

In this harsh environment where the strong prey on the weak, those who survive struggle to get along with each other in a world of deception...

Loyalty is cheaper than toilet paper.

"We often need to enter and exit restricted areas, and in the future we will also have to hunt tribe leader-level wild beasts. Each of us will risk death. Before you choose to swear allegiance, think carefully and be willing to sacrifice everything for this..."

Chen Shanshan paused, stared at Ma Chenfeng in front of her, and said in a deep voice:

"Even life?"

Ma Chenfeng raised his head and saw the thin woman standing next to Lin Feng. She exuded an aura comparable to his own and was also a mid-stage evolver.

At the same time, next to her, Lin Feng had a rifle and a cannon slung around his waist.

Ma Chenfeng suddenly realized that once he agreed, whenever he retreated or hesitated in the future, the dark muzzle of the gun would aim at the back of his head!

The other party has made it clear that what they need is true loyalty, and only by risking their lives to make contributions can they get corresponding rewards.

It is absolutely impossible to take advantage of Lin Feng's rise and become the leader of the wasteland.

After struggling for a while, Ma Chenfeng took a deep breath:

"I am willing to sacrifice my life to be loyal to Master Lin!"

Lin Feng nodded, agreeing temporarily.

Ma Chenfeng has his own ambitions, and he is certainly aware of this, but subordinates without ambitions will only be content with the status quo, and will be good at maintaining the status quo but not be enterprising enough.

For example, Liu Mingfei and most ordinary humans, after becoming evolvers and losing most of the pressure of survival, will become more resistant to continuing to take life-threatening challenges and adventures, and will no longer be as reckless as before.

The ambition displayed by Ma Chenfeng is the quality that the members under Lin Feng currently lack the most.

Seeing Lin Feng nod, the man in front of him was delighted:
"Sir, the entourage is..."

"Just call me Captain."

Lin Feng interrupted with a wave of his hand.

He didn't like the title "Adult", not because of the distance, but because it carried a feudal and outdated connotation.

Ma Chenfeng nodded and continued:

"Captain, escort teams are actually very common in the wasteland, especially among forces formed by second-level evolvers."

"The escort team is equivalent to temporarily recruited subordinates. After completing a few missions, they can become official members."

"Furthermore, the entourage members do not need to share in the rewards and gains of the missions. They only need the food provided by the second-level strongmen."

Lin Feng nodded, not caring too much about it:
"What's the situation with your team? How many vehicles do you have?"

"I mean a vehicle that can haul freight."

Ma Chenfeng swallowed his saliva, thought for a moment and said:

"There are seventeen members in total. Besides me, there are four first-stage early-stage evolvers. They are all trustworthy. The other twelve are enhanced humans."

"There are five vehicles in total, three of which are transport vehicles, loaded with supplies and water barrels."

"The remaining one is used for accommodation, and the other is responsible for off-road exploration and pursuit. It is very light and has a low load."

"The three transport trucks have a combined load capacity of fifteen tons. If the accommodation van is modified, it could hold twenty tons. We'd have to squeeze in, or get off and walk..."

Lin Feng nodded:
"That's enough. Throw away all the debris in the three transport trucks, including the low-quality dried meat and water buckets. After we return to the oasis, I'll give you 2,000 points for transportation fees so you can purchase a new batch of daily necessities."

Hearing Lin Feng's order, Ma Chenfeng, who was a little surprised at first, immediately smiled and replied:

"Understood, Captain, I'll do it right away!"

After he walked away, Chen Shanshan was still a little worried. While helping Lin Feng take off his power armor, she analyzed:

"If what he said is true, would he want to use us to help him get revenge and solve this thorny problem in Benniu Town..."

"After all, the wanted bounty on him was issued by Benniu Town."

Lin Feng shrugged:

"So what about Benniu Town? Without a third-level king protecting it, it's just a second-rate force at best. Even if it joins the church, it's actually an autonomous region."

"To the church, its importance isn't even one-tenth that of Oasis Town. As long as they can provide a steady supply of supplies, the church doesn't care who rules Benniu Town..."

After saying that, Lin Feng stood up, patted his sweat-soaked clothes, and slowly spoke:
"Pack up and send the evolved meat to the Rock Horse Chariot so I can filter it."

"Have your entourage load the remaining refined steel wolf bones and wolf skins into the transport vehicle. It's time to return to Oasis Town!"

　I took a day off yesterday and had some drinks at a classmate's wedding.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)