Top Student: Wasteland Technology Invasion

[Time Travel Countdown: 11:24:38]

The outdoor temperature in the wasteland has reached minus five degrees Celsius.

Lin Chuan glanced at the woman following him to his right rear, her steps light and her eyes like an eagle's, but he was still not completely relaxed.

He had just verified that the detection range of the two-world crossing - bullet time is within a radius of 100 meters of the anchor point.

Once he left the Chenxiyuan residential area and headed west, he lost the invincible state of bullet time.

Because he only has a "mere" 230 learning coins, he cannot temporarily open a second anchor point and then spend 10 learning coins to move every 100 meters.

That's simply not enough to cover the expenses.

"Taolo".

"Mr. Su Guang".

Are you sure you want to leave your sister at Chenxi Garden?

Tao Luo nodded. "After all, with Mr. Su Guang around, I can't take care of Ling if she's there. She's actually safer in 602. Don't worry, Mr. Su Guang, I used the pollution-free food you gave us to exchange for a lot of supplies. Even if we don't go back for a week, Ling will be fine."

Lin Chuan nodded.

The two continued westward.

Looking around, the streets are littered with rusted car frames and weathered bone fragments.

The wind whipped up gray dust, which rustled against the broken wall.

"If we walk through the park in front and then head west for half a day, we'll reach Abandoned Vault 152."

Tao Luo pointed ahead and reminded him.

It takes half a day to walk just 5 kilometers, which shows how dangerous the wasteland is.

Actually, the existence of Vault 152 in the vicinity of Dawn Garden is not a secret.

Because the shelter is inconveniently located and no wasteland merchants can trade supplies there, and because the shelter itself has been completely abandoned, no major faction, scavenger, or raider wants to use it.

Therefore, Tao Luo was genuinely surprised when he learned that Mr. Su Guang was going to the refuge in person.

She was even more surprised than when she first saw Mr. Su Guang's appearance.

But after thinking about it carefully, Tao Luo understood.

Mr. Su Guang can obtain pollution-free food and medicine, so perhaps he also has the ability to turn the rotten into the miraculous.

The refuge is in his hands, and it may perform in an extraordinary way.

Thinking of this, Tao Luo touched the pistol at his waist and reminded him, "Mr. Su Guang, the park might not be safe. We need to act quickly."

Lin Chuan nodded, indicating that he understood.

The two entered the park, and on the crooked iron gate at the entrance, the characters "欣" and "园" could be barely made out.

The road beneath our feet was broken and cracked, with dark green weeds growing in the cracks.

A dried-up fountain was filled with garbage.

In the distance, a rusty carousel creaked in the wind.

Similar to Chenxi Garden, there are also many metal boxes in the park.

Tao Luo's explanation confirmed Lin Chuan's earlier conjecture: these were all slow descent devices left behind by the invaders during the war.

When discussing the war thirty years ago, Tauro did not take sides.

"Ha, war. If it were just a simple matter of bombarding the land with artillery, with the victor taking all and the vanquished the vanquished, there's nothing to say. But for a few resources, nuclear weapons are used to smear the land, turning the planet into this ghastly state. Who can say which side is right?!"

The topic was rather heavy, and Lin Chuan didn't respond. "How about we talk about the post-war period?"

Upon hearing this, Tao Luo glanced at Lin Chuan again.

Just as she had predicted.

Mr. Su Guang must be a member of a powerful force from before the war, who has been dormant until now.

That's why Mr. Su Guang's eyes had a kind of light that wastelanders wouldn't have.

That's why he didn't hesitate to give away food and medicine worth nearly a hundred chips.

Mr. Su Guang is too "clean".

Thinking of this, Tao Luo began to explain: "After the nuclear winter, the industry and agriculture of this land were almost completely destroyed. The survivors gathered together and formed settlements to fight against alien species and natural disasters."

"Several large settlements have emerged, such as the base city I mentioned to you before."

"Base City hopes to rebuild pre-war democracy, rule of law, and civilization; they are the most legitimate inheritors of the glory of the old world."

"By absorbing survivors and forming alliances, the base city has continuously expanded outwards, becoming a 'nation' with a parliament, a president, a regular army, and a vast territory..."

Lin Chuan nodded and asked, "Then why don't you and your sister live in the base city, but instead come to Dawn Garden to collect...explore?"

Tao Luo sighed. "Base City sounds great, but it has serious internal problems: corruption, taxes, conscription, rigid laws. People with a lot of leverage can live very well in Base City, but the poor live almost like slaves."

"Slaves?" Lin Chuan asked.

"In the far northwest, there was a force called the Legion of Caesar. They studied the ancient Roman Empire carefully and believed that its model was best suited for the wasteland. So the Legion of Caesar started with barbarian tribes and, through conquest and assimilation, built a slave-based military empire."

"The principles upheld by the Caesar Legion are almost entirely opposite to those of the base city, and conflicts frequently occur between the two. The number of survivors who die in these conflicts is even greater than those who die fighting against aliens or natural disasters."

"Besides the two major powers, there are many other forces, large and small, on this land. Some possess advanced technology, while others have enormous wealth..."

"Like an old garage?"

"No, the old garage only has sixty members, which is far less than these behemoths... Wait, something's up!" Tao Luo's expression turned serious, and he suddenly stopped.

Lin Chuan also stopped and looked around.

"Shuffle."

Several fat, mutated rats crawled out of the vines, baring their teeth at Lin and Tao.

Tao Luo felt slightly relieved and whispered a reminder: "They're rats. We need to move forward normally and not run away with our backs to them, or they'll swarm us."

"clear."

The two continued forward, and when they were only a dozen meters away from the mutated rats, Tao Luo reached behind him with his right hand, quickly pulled out a metal spear, and stabbed it fiercely at the nearest mutated rat.

With a soft "plop," the mouse was pinned to the spot and killed.

Upon seeing this display, the other mutated rats immediately scattered and quickly disappeared behind the vines.

Tao Luo quickened his pace, inspected the area, and said, "It seems the rat's nest isn't nearby, and there's no queen rat here either... If there are more, the mutated rats won't be easy to deal with."

"The Queen of the Rat?" Lin Chuan followed.

"A giant mutant rat, easily three meters tall, leading hordes of it, would be a challenge even for a small, fully armed army." Tao Luo withdrew his metal spear, flicked off the blood, and glanced at the dead mutant rat. "Actually... mutant rats are good food... drinking their blood is much better than drinking grass juice. Before, when there was nothing else to eat, we survived by hunting them. Unlike now, I've exchanged the food and medicine Mr. Su Guang gave me for many nutritional supplements."