Chapter 461: Pleasant Surprises
Translator: Liu_Kaixuan Editor: Valvrave
Although voices of discontent came from every truck, all the survivors knew that they had to follow the military's orders. No matter what would happen, they should reach the rally point first.
After a short rest, the Doom Walker along with the other organizations set out immediately after the radio transmitted the exact location of the rally point. It was a small town near Song City, which was not bustling with life before doomsday at all.
Survivors' teams started gathering from all direction, but the town's center and large areas north of it were occupied by the military. The heavy tanks covered in blood and their black cannons intensified the cold winter night's chilliness.
"Why did they call for an emergency assembly? What happened?"
"Our team was in the middle of completing our task, so how should we know what happened?"
The newcomer survivors started discussing loudly. Many of them felt uneasy as the emergency assembly did not seem to be for a happy occasion.
Currently, Jiang Liushi was sitting in his minibus and looking outside. All sorts of feelings had welled up in his mind. He had not expected that Xianyuan Island had so many teams and that they had all come for the level-5 mission. Undoubtedly, none of those teams were weak.
Several small teams seemed stronger than the Doom Walker and Black Water Organization. It seemed that in this vicious post-apocalyptic world, assembling such small team's under the lead of one person, like Jiang Liushi's Shi Ying Squad, was quite common.
After a while, an eye-catching team made its appearance. The whole team used the same type of modified heavy, and the refit method they had used was in no way ordinary. Those modified heavy trucks were fully loaded with heavy steel plates and looked like sealed bunkers with shooting holes around the compartment and observation holes at the top. The trucks' fronts were welded with hideous horns, at least half a meter long, which probably belonged to mutant beasts. In fact, the rigidity of the mutant beasts' horns was even stronger than some steels, and that was also one of the reasons mutant beasts could smash even military trucks.
Only Jiang Liushi's minibus, which was made by a special alloy, could withstand the mutant beast's impact and even harm them in turn.
Without exception, all those heavy trucks were emblazoned with Fierce Tiger Flags.
From those modified shooting holes, Jiang Liushi saw pairs of quiet eyes. Judging from some fresh dents in the body and some bloodstains that had yet to dry up, that team had experienced some battles. However, other than the sound of tires whistling past, the entire team was quiet. It was definitely an elite team, similar to the Black Water Organization's elite faction that Lu Changfei was presiding over.
This time, all the members of Black Water Organization had been sent out, so good and bad were mixed together. As the saying goes, "When the forest becomes bigger, there will be all kinds of birds."
Jiang Liushi believed that the team, which was passing by, was stronger than the Black Water Organization.
"Members of Fierce Tiger Squad!" Several members of Doom Walker screamed.
"Oh, the survivors of Long Xiang Base also came. I heard that not even members of Black Water dare to mess with them."
"It's the first time for me to see Fierce Tiger Squad. It is better to see once than to hear a hundred times. I wonder whether I can join in…"
"You? Forget it. Their choosing criteria for new members are very harsh. Only extremely elite people can join them."
Jiang Liushi caught some of the ongoing conversations in low voices. ' Fierce Tiger Squad? Long Xiang Base?' Jiang Liushi immediately thought of Commander Peng Dinglong, who was from Long Xiang Base.
Xiayuan Safety Area was large. There were three components, of which Long Xiang Base was one; be it the military or survivor teams, they were all strong.
"Captain Jiang." Qi Liang came and asked loudly from his car, "There are too many people here. We are going to find a place outside the town to camp. Would Captain Jiang like to come with us? At night, we can barbecue some meats and play cards."
"No, thanks," Jiang Liushi replied. He thought that since they had completed the level-5 mission, he didn't need to try and deepen his relationship with the Doom Walker. If necessary, Jiang Liushi believed it would not be late to contact them.
Qi Liang felt regretful. "Captain Jiang you've made a killing. Originally, I wanted to try and win a few hands. Next time! We'll have a good time! My card skills are-"
"I do not play cards," said Jiang Liushi.
"…well, Brother Jiang, we will go." Qi Liang was speechless.
Truth be told, Jiang Liushi indeed didn't have much of an interest in playing cards. He drove his minibus and finally stopped at a vacant lot. As for the town center, the team of survivors was not allowed to approach it, so it was useless for them to drive there.
"You can take a break. I still have something to deal with," Jiang Liushi said.
And then, he sealed the cockpit. When the door was closed, Jiang Liushi had a feeling of entering a small independent world. The town's noisiness was completely shut out at once, and the surroundings were peaceful. He could hear only his breath.
'Starseed!' Jiang Liushi shouted in his mind, ' Please show me the control panel.'
'Di-'
The familiar sound was echoed again. In this terrible post-apocalyptic world, it was the most comfortable time for Jiang Liushi when he heard this familiar sound. It was because of Starseed that he could lead a safe and happy life.
Jiang Liushi clicked on the control panel, and the cockpit was suddenly replaced by the Diverse Plants Breeding Research Laboratory. This laboratory was like a high-tech biological lab or an advanced planting greenhouse.
Currently, a pair of dexterous metallic arms was mixing the organic matter from the mother beast's flesh and bones into the formerly dark soil. The soil layer was growing at a speed that was visible to the naked eyes. In the end, it was about half a meter thick, and the entire sealed space was filled with a mild, savory soil.
'Di-'
'The cultivation of mature soil for diverse plants was successful.'
'Metal activity factor… variation of energy… the host only needs to maintain soil nutrients and continue supplementing energy,' Starseed's notification sounded.
At the same time, the plant seedlings, which had been preserved, were being planted in the new soil.
'Growth environment with plenty of nutrition…'
'The variant fuel-type plant's growth rate is accelerating…'
'The mutant thorns are growing faster…'
During this process, all the plants in before Jiang Liushi started showing signs of rapid growth. Jiang Liushi held high expectations for four of them.
The fuel-type plants' seeds were growing very well. A thick and green leaf was already growing in front of Jiang Liushi, which made him feel happy.
Jiang Liushi was quite curious about the effect of his mutant Aphis. However, he believed his choice for the fuel-type plants was right. As long as he could produce them in quantity, he would have fruits that could be used instead of fossil fuel.
In this post-apocalyptic world, products of petrol and other consumables were increasingly difficult to find. If others knew about the fuel-type plants' existence, they would turn green from greed.
Jiang Liushi was also delighted by the fact that the mutant thorn seeds' growing speed had also increased. He had already used the first batch to catch Buck and his team, while the second batch was used to defeat the mother beast. Undoubtedly, the mutant thorns' effect was terrific.
Naturally, the pleasant surprises excited Jiang Liushi. He suddenly realized what kind of feelings the farmers had in autumn.