Ark Journey

Then he spoke word by word, with long, pleasant tones between the words: "Feed me with this."

How could Xue Zhi possibly stand this? This was the same voice as Taketatsu Ayana's. He had lost his voice.

After drinking the purifying water, Xue Zhi took advantage of W's strength and kissed him. As their lips and tongues moved, they exchanged body fluids.

W took advantage of this opportunity to overwhelm Xue Zhi, and his restless tail tightly wrapped around his thighs.

......

The next morning, after having breakfast, Xue Zhi prepared to go out to set up a stall. She wanted to sell some of the purifying water today. It would be too embarrassing to die from mineral sickness on the battlefield.

Many mercenaries were already waiting for him at the stall. The potions he had sold before played an important role in the looting of the Sakota convoy. Several people's lives were saved by the healing potions.

The prepared potions were quickly snatched away, but the mercenaries did not leave because they knew that Xue Zhi could always come up with something new. Now that a mission had just ended and they had money, those sharp weapons and useful old bows were good choices.

However, Xue Zhi did not change many weapons today. He put out a test tube rack filled with purified water.

"Ore disease inhibitor, one tube of synthetic jade, and an equal amount of Originium fragments will also do."

After a brief introduction, Xue Zhi said nothing more, but this caused an uproar among the mercenaries. Each of them was infected, and they suffered from the pain of mineral disease day and night. Painkillers were basically one of their daily menus, and they had only seen mineral disease inhibitors in the exchange list of Babel Tower, and the price was ridiculously expensive. Now that there was such a cheap inhibitor for sale, they suddenly hesitated.

If Xue Zhi knew what they were thinking, he would definitely say: That's strange, what buyer would think the price is too cheap?

However, the mercenaries did not hesitate for long, and soon someone who planned to try stood up. Xue Zhi could tell at a glance that this guy's mineral disease was very serious. Large pieces of crystals appeared on the surface of the skin, and it was obvious that he had reached the stage of mid-stage infection.

He came to Xue Zhi's stall, put a synthetic jade on the table, and spoke with an unusually hoarse voice: "Give me one. I'm almost dead anyway, so it doesn't hurt to give it a try."

Xue Zhi put away the synthetic jade, smiled and shook her head, and handed two bottles of diluted purifying water to him: "You won't die that easily. Since you are the first customer and your condition is more serious, I will give you an extra bottle."

The mercenary was very polite: "Thank you."

The mercenary took the test tubes and drank the purifying water in both of them. The mercenaries watching around him immediately widened their eyes and watched his reaction closely.

After about a minute, the mercenary who drank the potion said, "I don't feel anything... Wait! My throat!"

His originally hoarse voice suddenly became normal. It seemed that the purifying water processed the closest source stone first.

Just as he excitedly touched his throat, a large Originium crystal on his arm fell off due to the intense movement. Starting with this Originium crystal, crystals all over his body began to fall rapidly.

"'Sarkaz foul language'!"

Someone in the crowd cursed, and a group of people rushed to Xue Zhi's stall and started paying.

A layer of solid ice suddenly appeared in front of everyone. Xue Zhi knocked on the table with a smile: "Line up properly, there are plenty of medicines."

The mercenaries who were poured with a bucket of cold water immediately calmed down and lined up in front of the stall obediently.

Near noon, the line finally came to an end. Basically all the mercenary members who got the news gathered here. Some even ran back to get the money and came back to line up a second time.

The satisfied mercenaries dispersed, and Xue Zhi, who was also satisfied, cleaned up the table and prepared to go back for lunch.

And Hedley jumped out from the corner: "Is your medicine real?"

Xue Zhi paused and threw out two boxes: "Can I still sell fake medicine? I saw that you helped me get a lot of pure source stones yesterday. I'll give this to you and I won't charge you for it."

Hedley took the thing that Xue Zhi threw to him, opened it and saw two different test tubes lying inside: "What is this?"

Xue Zhi said without turning her head, and pointed at the position of the horn in the void: "A better mineral sickness inhibitor, so good that it needs to be used with a recovery potion. Ines has been with you for so long, don't treat her badly. Besides... you know it, I don't need to explain it in detail."

Seeing Xue Zhi's action, Hedley suddenly froze, but then he thought about it and it was normal. After all, Xue Zhi was a scholar who studied Kazdel, and it was no problem for her to tell at a glance that it was not a Sarkaz.

Indeed, Inès is not a Sarkaz. She has a lower tolerance to the mineral disease and suffers more severe pain every time she has an attack.

After putting the box close to his body, Hedley looked at Xue Zhi's receding back and whispered, "Thank you."

Chapter 45: The Calm Before the Storm (4)

The news brought back by Hedley made the mercenary group fall into an inexplicable tension. Although there was no change on the surface and everyone was still doing what they had to do, judging from Xue Zhi's daily increase in sales, these people were preparing for the upcoming war.

However, Xue Zhi remembered that they did not seem to have suffered much loss, and finally they marched north to Ursus and joined the integration movement.

Perhaps it's because they are just mercenaries and have not been sent to the frontline battlefield.

As for how one of Hedley's eyes became blind later, Xue Zhi only knew that it was a scheme set up by Inès to fake his death. He really didn't know the specific details and the deeper reasons.

However, Xue Zhi did not put too much energy into these things. He was currently practicing firearms accuracy with W. After some thought, he took out the Type 09 shotgun. After all, it was for shooting at lightly armored targets, and this thing was much more useful than a pistol.

How to deal with tungsten.JPG

With the addition of a shotgun, W, who already carried two launchers, suddenly became bloated, so Xue Zhi found a craftsman in the mercenary group and asked him to spend some time combining the grenade launcher and catapult into one. It must be said that the weapon craftsmen in such war-torn areas are really good.

W fiddled with his stuff, very satisfied: "Huh~ new weapon combination, I'll try it out with Inès tomorrow."

Xue Zhi hasn't told her yet that Inès used the water of purification. Originium will corrode the human body. After the Originium is eliminated, her physical fitness will be strengthened. Facing W with new equipment, she doesn't know how tomorrow's battle will go.

The next morning, W found Ines on time to compete with her. Xue Zhi, who usually went to set up a stall at this time, stood not far away and watched the fight.

Making money? Making money is not as good as women fighting.

Special rubber bullets were fired continuously, and Ines was dodging left and right in the field.

"Xue Zhi, you didn't go to set up the stall today?"

"I didn't go. It doesn't matter if I lose a day's earnings. What matters is seeing how W and this set of equipment can adapt to each other. I can't hurt her."

But it is obvious that W and this set of equipment are very compatible. The continuous shooting of pistols and shotguns is suppressing Ines to the point where she can't raise her head. Firearms are so convenient.

Without continuing to pay attention to the battle over there, Hedley told Xue Zhi about business: "In the next few days, the mercenary group will go to the Scar Mall to recruit new members. Will you go with them?"

"Recruiting new people? Now?"

Hedley nodded, and when he finished speaking, he stared into Xue Zhi's eyes. Maybe others could not understand what he meant, but he knew Xue Zhi could understand: "Yes, we lost a lot of manpower in the last operation. In order to cope with the upcoming battle, the mercenary group needs to be replenished. At the same time, I also want to operate them as a base."

Xue Zhi, who was stared at by Hedley, suddenly shuddered. He took a half step back without leaving a trace, weakening this inexplicably gay atmosphere.

"You can come along, I just need to buy some things. But what do you want me to do?"

Hedley waved his hand indifferently: "Arrange the remaining personnel and your healing ability will be needed when the time comes."

"Alright. Also, tell me about the battlefield. I'm curious about how the things here are different from what's described in the book."

Although she didn't care much, Xue Zhi was still prepared to do something about the enemies or situations she might face.

Hedley took out a small notebook from his bosom and began to explain to Xue Zhi: "Battlefield? What do you want to know?"

"I am concerned about the size of your artillery here and the heavy vehicles like the high-speed battleships."

Xue Zhi remembered that the Sarkaz had airships, but the exact time of their appearance was still unclear. However, such strategic-level weapons would definitely not fly over the heads of a group of mercenaries, so there was no need to worry.

"This..." Hedley, who was about to speak at length, felt a little embarrassed. Due to Kazdel's industrial level, there was almost no large-scale war equipment. The regular army had only some large-caliber Originium artillery and some strange things besides vehicles for transporting soldiers. The so-called frontal battlefield was just a strong warrior leading a group of people to fight with the support of artillery, with at most a few drones in the sky for reconnaissance.

In terms of battlefield composition alone, it is not as good as World War I, because at least there are tanks and fighter jets there.

As a cultured person who had some understanding of the entire land, Hedley certainly knew that countries like Yan Country and Ursus even had armies with extremely strong combat power like fleets, and Xue Zhi from there had obviously not yet fully adapted to the situation in Kazdel.

Hedley sighed and put away the notebook. The information about the God of War was not recorded in his notebook: "There are some large artillery, but no heavy vehicles. Some Sarkaz tribes also have modified vehicles and the like."

Hearing that there was indeed artillery, Xue Zhi perked up. This was the only thing he was worried about that he might not be able to stop. He had seen enough of the power of large artillery like 155 in videos related to the Russian-Ukrainian war: "What's the caliber, and how much gunpowder is in it?"

Hedley shook his head: "I don't know, but I heard that Scar Mall seems to sell various shells, you can go and have a look."

Xue Zhi was puzzled and shocked: "Is this thing for sale? Can it be leaked?"

Hedley explained, "Of course there is. Whether it is the Military Committee or the Tower of Babel, corruption exists, and the place where stolen goods are sold is the Scar Emporium. There, as long as you have money, you can buy almost anything. I even saw a cannon for sale once, but it was gone when I went to see it next time."

"That's a good feeling. I have plenty of money."

"Be careful not to be spotted."

"Don't worry, the last person who tried to attack me has been eaten clean by the Originium Bugs."

After finishing their chat, the two men turned their attention back to the battlefield. Inès had now closed the distance between them.

W's bullet had hit her left shoulder before, and it was now hanging naturally to simulate disability. The inability to swing had a certain impact on Inès' balance, which also caused her to miss a blow.

The smoke bomb was dropped, and W once again distanced herself. She was very clear about her positioning, and she would not fight with a knife unless she was absolutely sure or necessary, even if Xue Zhi had upgraded the knife for her.

The mercenaries watching from all around shouted in support of the people they had bet on. This unique battle attracted many people to watch. Since there was a fight, betting some money was very necessary for these mercenaries who had nowhere to vent.

Click, the sound of a shotgun being loaded was heard. W dodged Ines's knife and fired when she was almost out of strength.

Chapter 46: The Calm Before the Storm (5)

This also made Ines experience the feeling of being hit by a sponge bullet on the thigh.

The mercenaries around who had bet on Inès made sad sounds when they saw the bullet hit them.

Putting all the weapons back in place, W straightened his chest in front of Inès and said, "You lose again, Inès."

Rubbing her sore thigh, Ines glanced at the various weapons on W's waist and said, "Things of yours are really hard to deal with. It feels like fighting against Sakota. Are they given to you by Xue Zhi?"

Picking up the fallen shell, W showed a proud look, and at the same time glanced at Inès's snow-white thighs: "Of course, he said it was the latest research result of Yan Country, but it has not been popularized for some reasons. But they can only beat people like you who don't wear clothes properly. They can't penetrate any of those armors."

"..."

Inès was speechless. She was thinking whether she should wear some thicker clothes. It was indeed not good to expose her legs like this, but the temperature was very high now and exposing her legs would help her feel cooler.

The battle was over, the crowd dispersed, and Xue Zhi and W mentioned going to Scar Mall to recruit new members for the mercenary group.

"Okay, it all depends on what you and Hedley think. I don't care about these things."

Back in the tent, W, who had just finished a thrilling duel, placed the recovered shells on the small table, and at the same time dug out various tools and small bottles from every corner of the tent.

Xue Zhi, who had placed ice cubes around the tent to keep it cool, was curious: "What are you doing?"

After arranging the things, W flexed his fingers and said, "Hey, don't look down on me. Although I haven't read any books, I can also use some things to increase the power of explosives. I guess the guns you took out are not powerful enough because of the propellant, so I plan to make them more powerful. You may consider safety more when designing weapons, but in the hands of us mercenaries, safety is never the most important thing."

[We really can’t underestimate the heroes of the world]

Xue Zhi, who found it very interesting, sighed in his heart and sat next to W. He didn't understand these things whose functions and names had changed, but he could protect W from being hurt by them, and act as an alcohol lamp and dryer: "Great, maybe you can try to mix the ground source stone powder with some industrial ketone raw materials, and then dry them. This is a method that my colleagues have tried. You can try to modify the primer with the primer of the mortar."

W got the direction and started to act immediately: "Oh? Let me try."

Time passed quickly, and in a blink of an eye, Hedley took Xue Zhi and a few others to the Scar Mall. W and Ines did not come this time. After losing to W several times, Ines practiced various techniques, trying to win back a game to prevent W from jumping in the face and laughing.

They drove a jeep and two trucks over there, and they left a few of the vehicles they had robbed that time, after all, it was really convenient.

The sun was rising high in the sky. Xue Zhi, who was sitting in the passenger seat of a jeep, was waving a small string of dog tags that she had just received. Someone had jumped out to rob the car before, and was killed in seconds. The headless body was now lying in the wilderness behind the car.

His body was still getting stronger. At first, he needed drones to assist in positioning when using beyond-visual-range or beyond-sight magic, but now his powerful mental power could cover an area of several miles in radius. People and terrain were clearly visible, and there was no need for drone assistance anymore.

After putting away the dog tags, Xue Zhi leaned against the door and scanned the unchanging scenery outside the window: "These mercenaries don't even consider their own abilities before robbing people. Can people who can drive in a place like this be easily provoked?"

Hedley, who was driving, explained: "There are always some mercenaries who are so poor that they are desperate."

Bringing Xue Zhi here is indeed a good choice. He alone can represent an unknown amount of defensive strength.

The small convoy continued to move forward, and it didn't take long for them to see Scar Mall.

This time, they did not go through the small door that Xue Zhi and W entered last time, but took the passage for vehicles to enter on the other side of Scar Mall.

After paying the fee and locking the car, Hedley, along with a few selected interviewers and Xue Zhi, hurriedly walked towards the "Talent Market" area in Scar Mall. Time is money, and parking here is not cheap.

Entering the job market, Xue Zhi's first feeling about this place was that she was back to the job fairs in college. Apart from the fact that the job seekers were more aggressive, there was really no other difference.

While Hedley was working at the service window, Xue Zhi glanced at the organizations that were recruiting people. He found that in this long-war-torn land, some mercenaries had even begun to become professional, and joining a mercenary group would even pay a salary.

After finishing all the matters, Hedley said, "Stop looking, Xue Zhi, let's go."

"coming."

Arriving at the selected stall, Hedley hung up the mercenary group emblem that he had prepared. At the same time when the emblem was hung up, Xue Zhi suddenly felt many gazes coming from all around.

A man with a big scar on his face also walked over to the stall next to him.

"Hedley, you are still alive."

"You are alive and well, so I will not die. If you come one step closer, I don't mind giving you another scar on your face."

Following Hedley's words, a smell of gunpowder suddenly spread between the two, and the several interviewers brought by Hedley also put their hands on weapons.

At this moment, Xue Zhi, who was looking back one by one, turned her eyes, which were mixed with spiritual power, to the scarred man.

The moment Xue Zhi saw him, the man was speechless as if his throat was strangled. He was close to him, while those who were far away just had their breathing blocked.

He stepped back repeatedly until Xue Zhi looked away and then he returned to normal.

[What is "Sarkaz foul language"? ]

His heart was beating non-stop, even more violently than the time when he was nearly killed by Hedley. It was the first time that the scarred man was frightened by a look. He was sure that the fair-skinned man with indifferent eyes was not someone to be trifled with.

He did not continue to say the rest, but fled back to his stall, even sitting in the place farthest away from Xue Zhi.

The eyes of the free mercenaries who were looking for jobs immediately lit up. These people could scare off a fierce mercenary leader with just a few words, so they must be very powerful and worth seeing.