Chapter 393.2: Limited Authority
Eye Owe Money said with a laugh and a cry. "That's really messy."
Sideline Slacking smiled wryly and patted his shoulder. "What else can we do? We've used all the methods available. If we really want to determine a winner, we need to fight like men!"
He looked toward the distant sky filled with thick fog, squinting slightly.
That's where the Heart of Steel was hovering.
In front of that enormous vessel, even the giant Mother of Deathclaws in the shelter seemed just like a slightly bigger grasshopper. The real threat they had to face was the barbarians that would soon come from across the desert.
Seeing Tail, Sesame Paste, and the blood-soaked big white bear approaching, Yong finally showed a trace of panic.
Now lying on the ground, gasping for breath, its eyes no longer held their usual defiance and arrogance. Instead, it pleaded in a hoarse voice, "Spare me, I can make you stronger. Don't you desire greater power?"
Just then, a familiar voice suddenly came from the side. "Strength comes in many forms. We simply understand strength differently."
Moving his stiff neck, Yong searched for the source of the voice. The moment his gaze met hers, his amber pupils suddenly shrank.
"Weren't you dead?!" Yong couldn't help but exclaim in shock.
Three days ago, it had watched the woman read the last experimental log, then point a gun at her temple before pulling the trigger.
When it happened, there was a flash of gunfire as brain matter and blood splattered all across the wall of the room. It even felt a slight pity for a second or two.
But now, the person who should have been dead was standing in front of him again. Yong's eyes went dull, but Sisi did not intend to waste her breath explaining. She simply shot her a faint smile.
"Sorry to disappoint you, but you don't need to worry about these things anymore. It's over."
After parachuting and then rushing over 20 kilometers to regroup with Tail and the rest, she had long been exhausted.
But fortunately, she made it in time.
"Oh! It's all yours, Sisi!" Tail raised her thumb and her eyes sparkled in excitement. "Take the last hit!"
Sisi couldn't help but gesture a nice 'ok' before smiling. "Oh, I guess... Thank you then?"
Proudly curling her lips, Tail generously said, "Don't mention it! Just don't damage the head, okay? I promised Battlefield Cheerleader I'll keep the head for him!"
Well, the promise of the beast's head got them three rounds from the Heart of Steel's 100mm cannons.
Thanks to that barrage, they took out at least half the boss' health bar.
"Don't worry, I'll keep his head perfectly intact." Sisi muttered while walking over.
Watching her approach with an axe in hand, Yong's eyes filled with terror as its massive body desperately tried to struggle away.
Unfortunately, the iron chains hanging from the discarded cars and street lamps securely pinned it down.
"Please... Please don't."
"No need to thank me, this axe was specially prepared for you!" Sisi muttered. With that, she hoisted the axe high over her head and chopped it straight down at Yong's thick neck, one blow after another.
At first, Yong still howled and begged for mercy, but soon there was no sound left, just the dull thuds of the axe chopping through flesh.
Hot blood sprayed everywhere, painting the scene of a slaughterhouse.
From a distance, Eye Owe Money couldn't help but shrink his neck slightly. "What the heck? Do you really need to make it so gory?"
Construction Boy stared at Sisi chopping the Deathclaw with wide eyes. He yelled suddenly, "Oh my god, I love it..."
Sideline Slacking raised an eyebrow while shooting him a strange stare. "..."
Eye Owe Money didn't know what to say either.
...
[Mission:Kill Yong (Complete)]
[Mission:Acquire permissions for Shelter 79 (In progress)]
[Mission:...]
The VM screen flickered with pale blue pop-ups.
Looking at the severed head, Sis tossed the blood-soaked axe aside, shaking her hand which was sore from chopping. She couldn't help but mumble softly, "This guy's neck was quite tough."
Standing nearby, Tail nodded seriously. "Mmm, it took a while for you to chop off..."
Roshan and Sesame Paste revealed strange smiles as they observed three seconds of silence for the fallen Deathclaw.
Of course, no one sympathized with it.
It might have done some good deeds, but compared to the evils it committed over the century, they were nothing.
Besides, the creature could no longer be considered human. They weren't about to let their sympathy overflow to an enemy who had turned on their own species.
However, the treasures that could be obtained from Yong's body were not so despised.
For example, the skin of the Deathclaws were particularly suited for making backpacks and leather goods. When paired with devil silk, they could even create top-tier armor, even sturdier than kevlar!
The only downside was that it was hard to mass-produce.
However... Once they got the permissions for Shelter 79, that wouldn't be a problem.
As long as they obtained enough Neural Interference Devices, they wouldn't just be able to make backpacks. Even forming a Deathclaw Corps wouldn't be impossible!
As the players continued to clean up the battlefield, a familiar face approached casually.
After calling for artillery support from the Heart of Steel earlier, Battlefield Cheerleader stood obediently at the side. Now that the fight was over, it was finally his time to shine.
Glancing at the blood-stained street and seeing Sideline Slacking dragging a half-complete corpse to the side of the street, he couldn't help but click his tongue. "Damn, how many people did you lose?"
Sideline Slacking casually replied, "Haven't counted, around a hundred or so, why?"
"Just a bit impressed," said Battlefield Cheerleader. "Your casualty rate is as high as ever."
Sideline Slacking smiled sheepishly. "Ah, we're kind of rash but no worries, as long as we win, there's nothing to complain about."
Players seeking a high survival rate wouldn't join the Death Corps, just like diners wanting steak wouldn't go to a hot pot restaurant.
Although the players of the Death Corps generally didn't have high levels, with only a few T1 players reaching LV20, their urban warfare capabilities had even been highly praised by Spring Water Commander.
Even if pulled into reality, those from the Death Corps would definitely be a group of urban warfare experts. Their combat instincts had been honed through countless deaths and those were things unable to be quantified by attribute points. That was why despite their lower levels, no one doubted their combat prowess.
"Where's the head?" Battlefield Cheerleader extended his hand and asked casually.
"Don't worry, we saved it for you." Sideline Slacking pointed to a bin by the road, where a bundle of burlap sacks containing Yong's head lay.
That Deathclaw's head was comparable to a small cow. Even when drained of blood, it weighed 100 kilograms.
Battlefield Cheerleader walked up, untied the tightly bound hemp rope, and peeked inside before laughing in content. "Not bad, not bad. I got it effortlessly!"
"You figure out how to take it back. We won't help you," Sideline Slacking said with a smile. "Speaking of which, with this guy's head, can I get the position of a centurion?"
Battlefield Cheerleader chuckled. "Absolutely."
More than just a centurion!
There are other rewards too!
The only pity is that the mission reward would be paid in Dinar...
Currently, Dinar had no official exchange rate with silver coins, which might only stabilize after the map with the Army opens up.
"What about your squad?" Sideline Slacking asked.
"I ditched them. If they come along, it won't be convenient for making up stories," said Battlefield Cheerleader, eyes twinkling. "By the way, why don't you all come back with me? You can just say you're from Baker Street too."
"Bringing so many people at once... Do you thin the NPCs are dumbasses?" Sideline Slacking rolled his eyes and continued, "Let's take it slow, I'll send a few people over to your place tomorrow to scout the situation, then bring more if it's clear."
"Alright, then I won't waste time here anymore." Lifting the Deathclaw's head onto his shoulder, Battlefield Cheerleader bid farewell and turned to walk into the now thinning fog.
Sideline Slacking looked at the clean battlefield and also called out to his teammates. "Brothers, time to pull out."
Eye Owe Money , who had already packed up his equipment, was the first to rush over. "Where are we heading?"
"Let's go to Xiangling Town first." Sideline Slacking decided.
Before the fog cleared, they needed to find a place to store the spoils to coordinate with Battlefield Cheerleader's return act.
If the airship saw the bodies and the messy battlefield, even Battlefield Cheerleader wouldn't be able to explain how he got the head of the beast...
...
Back in Xiangling Town.
In the central courtyard of the municipal library, a row of Deathclaw bodies was neatly arranged, including the headless Yong. It was basically a family reunion.
Standing by, Wu Tao and Wang Xu wore astonished expressions.
They weren't the only ones.
Every survivor in Xiangling Town couldn't help but hold their breath as they stared wide-eyed at the corpses.
17 Deathclaws!
Even the giant two-story-tall monster had been slain!
Staring at the headless creature, Wu Tao, who had been silent for a long time, gulped and said with difficulty, "Is that Deathclaw... Dead?"
Knowing which one he meant, Sisi, who was cleaning up, nonchalantly nodded. "Oh, it's dead."
She was drenched in blood from head to toe, painting her figure a shocking red. When she first returned, she even scared the kids to tears.
The surrounding survivors looked at each other, their faces bearing somewhat complex expressions.
"It's dead, it's dead..." Wu Tao sighed, his face filled with sorrow, "The Army will probably be back here before long."
He never expected that the man-eating creature would become their guardian angel, protecting the village for a lifetime.
However, he had fantasized that the barbaric soldiers would be intimidated by the big guy's presence and wouldn't dare to come back to disturb them again.
Feeling somewhat guilty, Sesame Paste said softly, "This place will soon turn into a battlefield, I suggest you move away as soon as possible."
"That's right..." Tail nodded slowly. "You can go to Dawn City, the folks there are really nice! The respected administrator will take you in!"
"Is that so? Thank you for your kindness..." Wu Tao sighed, his head aching as he continued, "But this place is our home, we've lived here for over a century, and now you suddenly want us to move, that..."
Sisi, who had been fiddling with her VM the whole time, spoke suddenly. "Actually, there's another way..."
Although somewhat afraid of the blood-covered madwoman, intuition told Wu Tao that she might really have a good idea.
He gathered his courage and asked, "Do you really have an idea?"
"You can move into to Shelter 79. We've cleared out a few buildings, enough to accommodate 200 to 300 people easily. If you really don't want to leave your homes, you can temporarily hide there, and come back to live here after the war is over."
"Oh, that's right, they can hide in Shelter 79!" Tail's face lit up with realization as she stroked her chin and nodded, "... After all, we're probably going to build a new settlement for survivors here. Moving to Dawn City might not be necessary."
"But... We don't have access to Shelter 79, do we?" Sesame Paste hesitated.
A strange smile appeared on Sisi's blood-stained face suddenly. "Uh, about that, I was just going to say that I don't know what's going on, but it seems I've gotten some of that guy's permissions."
As she spoke, she handed over the VM she was holding.
On the screen was a surveillance feed of a room in Shelter 79, and in a corner of the room lay a body with a blown-off head.
Well, that body was no stranger to her. It was her own...