Embers Ad Infinitum

"There was such a big fuss...what did that group of people do?" Toler, another companion of Thelma, asked in surprise.

They had been in the Prime City for so many years, and it was rare for them to see the "Hand of Order" make such a big splash in pursuit of their target.

Although the other party didn't go into too much detail, the description of "Man City Storm" still allowed Thelma and others to intuitively get a glimpse of the rough situation.

Shang Jianyao, who was stirring the fire, answered instead of Jiang Baimian:

"Planning a big conspiracy against the 'First City'."

"What?" Sandro and Denise, who were in charge of security, both blurted out.

Simply speaking, they might just think of it as a joke, but combined with the reaction of the "Hand of Order", this problem becomes quite serious.

Shang Jianyao kindly explained:

"This is part of the mission description. It is a unilateral accusation made by the 'Hand of Order' and may not be true."

Why does this sound weird... Thelma thought for a few seconds and said:

"The 'Hand of Order' has come to the guild to issue a mission? How much is the reward?"

He feels that the seriousness and urgency of a matter cannot be based on subjective descriptions. In comparison, the amount of the reward may be more revealing.

"If you catch one member of the target gang, you can get 10,000 Orei." Jiang Baimian said with a smile, "Of course, this was the price before we left the city. I don't know if it has changed now."

"Ten thousand Ore for each goal?" Thelma, Toler and others all felt a bit of toothache for a moment.

This level of bounty discourages them, and they don't think they have any hope of completing it, and the corresponding risks are certainly too high to bear.

We can only see if there is a chance to get some clues and exchange them for money... Such an idea flashed through their minds at the same time.

"I think it's too low." Shang Jianyao responded to the retort questions from the ruin hunters on the opposite side with a sincere face.

"It's not low anymore, it's not low anymore." Thelma shook her head repeatedly, "There aren't even a few missions like this in a year."

Jiang Baimian did not continue this topic and asked calmly:

"This wasteland has been explored for decades. There should be nothing valuable to gain, right?"

The members of the "Old Dialogue Group" are all from the Gray Earth. It is normal for them to be unfamiliar with this wasteland on the north bank of the Red River, and there is no need to hide it.

Hearing this sentence, Thelma immediately made a judgment:

This is a team of ruin hunters who are adventuring in the surrounding area for the first time.

The appearance and kindness of the other party, as well as the simplicity and ordinaryness of the question, made him not hide anything, and smiled and said:

“It’s not what you think.

"Many places here are very polluted. It has only been restored to the minimum in recent years. You can explore, uh, there are some areas that are not recommended to enter now, unless you can wear chemical protective clothing, radiation protection suits and other things.

"In addition to exploring ruins, hunting aberrant creatures is also a way. They have high research value. The officials of 'Prime City' are purchasing them. Some private researchers will even offer you a price that is enough to make you excited, or directly put up a bounty mission." .”

At least two-thirds of those private researchers are white gloves, black gloves and intelligence agents of major forces, specializing in collecting biological materials for organizations... Jiang Baimian muttered in his heart and asked deliberately:

"Are there any urban ruins in the North Amherford area that you came to that have only been accessible in recent years?"

"Of course." Thelma nodded, "It's not a secret."

While the two sides were communicating, the pot of beef and potatoes was already hot. Shang Jianyao and the others took out the oatmeal bread and started eating it.

Thelma, Sandro and others looked at it with envy, but they could only swallow their saliva, take out the biscuits that were about to become wet, dip them in some soup, and fill their stomachs.

Even so, the rich aroma and the taste that echoed in their mouths still moved them.

After taking turns to enjoy dinner, Thelma said goodbye.

Although this team of gray natives seemed friendly and harmless, they still felt that they should keep a sufficient distance.

That way, the person responsible for the night watch won't be too stressed.

After showing off her muscles, Thelma felt that if there was no serious conflict of interest, the other party would not take the risk of attacking her and others.

Sandro, Denise, and Toler were on high alert while Thelma drove the car slowly to another place with higher ground.

The heavy rain quickly covered their tracks.

Jiang Baimian withdrew his gaze, covered his mouth and yawned:

"Let's take the time to rest, we have to rush afterward."

After arriving at the north bank of the Red River, the "Old Adjustment Team", Han Wanghuo, and Zeng Duo chose to go against the rules and travel at night in order to avoid the drone search of the "Primary City".

Although compared with other teams, they have Gnawa, an intelligent person who does not have too much darkness to affect their "field of vision", so they don't need to worry about some hidden dangers, but they still dare not drive too fast and focus on stability.

In the daytime, taking advantage of the gloomy sky and poor visibility, they continued on their way, and finally escaped from the "Prime City" drone search range before the heavy rain came - "Prime City" has several outposts and observations in the wasteland on the north coast. Yes, there are also drones and other equipment.

As soon as Jiang Baimian finished speaking, Gnawa walked down from the second floor of the main building.

He asked with red light flashing in his eyes:

"Why do you want me to stay up there a little longer?"

Jiang Baimian rolled his eyes slightly and replied with a smile:

"Don't scare the guests..."

…………

The heavy rain subsided in the middle of the night, and Thelma and others waited until dawn before embarking on their return journey again.

They had a smooth journey, arrived at the bank of the Red River, and returned to the First City through the bridge.

Since they had several tasks on their backs, they went directly to the Hunter Guild without taking any rest.

While waiting for her companion to hand over, Denise habitually looked at the big screen, looking for tasks she could take on later.

"Selma, look, the 'Hand of Order' mission." Suddenly, her eyes lit up and she patted the team leader on the shoulder.

Thelma looked around and discovered what the previous team of Grays had described.

"Planning a big conspiracy against the 'First City'... The reward amount is 20,000 Ore per person? It has risen so fast. What have they done?" Thelma became more and more frightened as she looked at it.

In just a few days, the reward amount has doubled, which inevitably makes people suspect that the seriousness of the matter is still increasing!

For Selma and others, the stability of the original city is the foundation of everything.

They didn't want to be unable to relax a little when they returned to the Prime City after experiencing danger in the North Shore Wasteland and being physically and mentally exhausted.

Sandro and others also looked at this mission, and soon the name and photo of the target came into their eyes.

"Xue Shiyue...Zhang Qubing..." Selma's eyes suddenly froze.

His companions were no exception, their expressions were dull.

They have seen this group of people before!

It was the team of Grays who described this mission to them!

After coming back to their senses, Thelma and others ignored their shock and were filled with fear and happiness.

They actually communicated face to face with such a dangerous team, each of whom was worth 20,000 Ole, for nearly half an hour, and even drank the soup from the opponent's can!

If we had said one or two words wrong at that time, we might not have been able to see the sun today... Thelma couldn't help but raise her hand and wiped the cold sweat from her forehead.

Who would have thought that a team of ruin hunters encountered casually in the wild would be such a dangerous existence!

And the other party could talk about the task for which he was rewarded so easily.

After a while, Denise broke the silence and asked her teammates:

"Selma, do you want to hand over the information? I think the reward is quite good."

The highest level is 300 ores, and the lowest level is 50.

Thelma thought about it for a few seconds and said:

"Report it, the chance of encountering them again is very low, there is no need to worry too much.

"As a relic hunter, how can you let go of such an opportunity?"

…………

Red Wolf District, No. 19 Rosta Street, "Hand of Order" headquarters.

"Xue Shiyue's team met a team of relic hunters and focused on asking about the situation in the North Amherford area..." Theodore entered the conference room, picked up the materials on the table, and read them in a low voice.

They have learned from some informants that the target escaped from the Prime City through a certain channel and ran to the North Shore Wasteland.

This is also the main reason why they increased the reward amount. The "Hand of Order" is responsible for the security of the city and suburban manors. It rarely sends people directly into the wasteland to capture targets. Next, it mainly relies on the military and relic hunters.

"I thought they would return directly to their respective forces." Wall was a little confused about the movements of Xue Shiyue's team.

After getting important information, why are you still staying in the North Shore Wasteland?

At this time, his boss, Red Wolf District Order Officer Travis, knocked on the table:

"No matter what, let this information go out and let the ruin hunters and the military pay more attention to that area."

…………

In an old-world town that has been abandoned for many years, the ground is littered with bones and feces.

Jiang Baimian and others parked their car in a hidden place, on the top of a certain house, and stared at the black wasteland outside the town with binoculars.

"A lot of ruin hunters passed by." Han Wanghuo said about his observations.

Jiang Baimian chuckled:

“It seems that the information we proactively sent back is still effective.

"Next, let these relic hunters help us explore the reality of the regular army in the 'Primary City' in the North Amherford area. We cannot be reckless when saving people, especially when saving a small town."

Zeng Duo, who was next to him, was stunned for a moment after hearing this. He didn't expect that the "invitation" he received after meeting the relic hunter had such a purpose.

Bang bang bang, Shang Jianyao clapped his hands.