125: Chapter 125 Contact
Zhen Lu did not speak immediately after hearing this.
He stared at the searchlights sweeping back and forth on the walls of Huolei City in the distance, remained silent for a good while, then raised his finger and tapped the steering wheel twice.
"Two points to note."
Shen Yue tilted her head and looked at him.
"First, since that hunting squad dared to sell her off, the force that took her must be significant. Only major forces dare to accept an Ability User; small groups wouldn't dare. The cost and risk of keeping an Ability User are not something small groups can handle. So, she isn't being held by scattered armed groups, but by an organized major force."
"Second."
He pointed to the smoking chimneys above Huolei City outside the car window.
"Her ability to purify energy isn't combat-oriented, but it's very valuable for certain industries. The most direct application of increasing purity is the purification of pharmaceutical raw materials. The force holding her is likely related to pharmaceuticals or raw material production. Having large metal pipes and exhaust fans running twenty-four hours a day doesn't sound like a simple prison; it sounds more like an underground pharmaceutical workshop or the pipeline level of a factory."
He turned his head to look at Shen Yue.
"These two points are enough to narrow down the scope. We'll sneak into the city first and find out which major forces in Huolei City are in the pharmaceutical or raw material business. Once we get the list and distribution points, we can compare them with her description of the environment to deduce where she's being held."
Shen Yue folded the map, put it in her pocket, and tightened the chin strap of her helmet.
"Okay. Let's do it your way."
Zhen Lu started the engine, and the off-road vehicle slowly drove out from behind the rocky slope. With the headlights off, relying only on the halo of the searchlights on the distant walls and the moonlight overhead, they drove along a low-lying saline-alkali beach toward the gate of Huolei City.
The off-road vehicle drove along the direction marked on the map toward the outskirts of Huolei City.
As they approached the city gate, there was indeed a small town, similar in size to Gray Bone Town, loosely attached to the outskirts of the city.
At night, the town had almost no decent defenses, with only a few oil lamps flickering with faint light in the windows of individual shacks.
The muddy road was scattered with gravel repeatedly crushed by tires, and the streets were desolate, with no one walking around.
The city gate was tightly shut, with no signs of being open through the night.
Zhen Lu turned the off-road vehicle behind an abandoned container house on the edge of the town and killed the engine and headlights.
Shen Yue straightened up from the passenger seat, borrowed the moonlight to glance at the tightly closed city gate and the rotating searchlights on the tower in the distance.
"We can't get in tonight. Let's stop here for the night and find a way to enter the city tomorrow morning when the gates open."
Zhen Lu unbuckled his seatbelt and stretched his shoulder blades, which had been gripping the steering wheel for two days.
"Before entering the city, we must find out the situation inside Huolei City while in town. We know nothing about the layout and power distribution inside. If we just fly in, it's easy to trigger a city defense reaction, which isn't worth the loss."
"I'll listen to you."
Shen Yue agreed.
The two got out of the car, took some water and energy bars from the trunk, and had a simple meal leaning against the car door.
Zhen Lu looked up at the city wall.
"Take turns resting. You sleep for a while first."
Shen Yue leaned against the passenger seat and closed her eyes.
Zhen Lu sat on the hood, leaning against the windshield, spreading his Mental Power around, covering the entire town and the city gate entrance area.
After a simple scan, he withdrew it without finding any danger.
The night was very quiet, with only the occasional roar of unknown beasts in the distance and the low hum of machinery running on the city walls.
Zhen Lu kept watch in the driver's seat for most of the night, while Shen Yue rested in the passenger seat with her eyes closed.
Just before dawn, the edge of his Mental Power suddenly jumped.
There was movement near the group of cars parked next to them. He opened his eyes without getting up, and his Mental Power swept over silently.
A person was prying open the doors of those cars one by one. Every time he pried one open, he would climb in and rummage around. His movements were very fast; he would come out in a few seconds, finish one, and move to the next. It didn't look like stealing; it looked more like he was looking for something.
The person touched the side of their off-road vehicle, put his hand on the driver's side door handle, and pulled. The door wasn't locked and opened directly.
He was clearly stunned for a moment; he probably hadn't encountered an unlocked car after prying open several previous ones.
The moment the door popped open, Zhen Lu's hand had already reached out from the driver's seat and grabbed his neck.
"Misunderstanding! Misunderstanding!" the person shouted immediately, his body starting to struggle violently.
Zhen Lu tightened his five fingers, feeling the muscles in his neck tense up instantly, like grabbing a steel bar that had been forcibly bent; the counter-force was clearly beyond that of an ordinary person.
This was at least an Ability User with physical enhancement.
Shen Yue was awakened by the commotion, her pistol already in her hand, the muzzle pointed this way, her eyes clear, but she didn't shoot rashly.
Zhen Lu pressed the man against the inside of the open car door with one hand and held his waist with his knee, making him unable to use his leg strength. The man was still struggling, shouting "Misunderstanding" repeatedly.
"With this much strength, you must be an Ability User, right? And stealing from cars?"
Zhen Lu clamped his neck with one hand without loosening his grip.
Hearing this, the man suddenly stopped struggling. He stared at Zhen Lu, silent for a moment, then spoke:
"Are you a player?"
"How did you tell?" Zhen Lu asked back.
"It's simple. People in this world call Ability Users 'Alienated Ones'. You used the wrong word. Only newly arrived players would call them Ability Users."
Zhen Lu let go and stepped back half a step.
The man straightened up from the car door, rubbed his reddened neck, leaned against the front fender of the off-road vehicle, looked at Zhen Lu, then at Shen Yue, who was still holding the pistol in the passenger seat.
"You haven't been here long, have you? Your language habits haven't changed yet. My name is A-Shu. Let's be friends."
Zhen Lu withdrew his hand and stretched the fingers that had pinched the other's neck. His tone was very flat, as if stating a verified fact:
"You've been here a long time, right."
A-Shu rubbed his neck without denying it.
"That's right. I'm in a team. We've been deeply cultivating this world and have some resources."
"I won't do anything to you."
Zhen Lu leaned against the front fender of the off-road vehicle, arms crossed over his chest:
"I came here to do other things. You do me a favor and give me some information. A map of this city, the terrain, which major forces are there, the locations of these major forces, and their general scope of business. Tell me, and we'll be even, and I'll let you go. What do you think?"
A-Shu thought about it.
What Zhen Lu wanted didn't involve core interests; it just took some time to collect. Moreover, trading information for his own safe escape was an extremely cost-effective deal in this world.
"Okay. But I have to go back to get it; the information is in the camp's terminal."
He paused and looked at Zhen Lu:
"You can come with me too."
Zhen Lu turned his head to look at Shen Yue, and she nodded slightly. The two got out of the car, followed behind A-Shu, and walked along the muddy road on the edge of the town.
The sky was gray, and the searchlights on the Huolei City wall in the distance were still rotating silently.
Zhen Lu asked while walking:
"Why were you prying cars? With your ability, those cars aren't worth much."
A-Shu walked in front, looked back at him, his tone indifferent:
"Not stealing cars. Our rivals transported a batch of goods; I heard it was parked near here. I came over to observe and prepare to scout. Prying the door was to see if the goods were in the car."
Zhen Lu didn't continue to ask deeply.
A-Shu also didn't explain further, leading the two to continue walking forward.
After walking for more than twenty minutes, a camp pieced together with abandoned containers and iron walls appeared in front of them. Several oil lamps hung on the steel frames on both sides of the entrance, and the firelight swayed slightly in the morning breeze.
Someone poked their head out at the entrance of the camp. After seeing A-Shu, A-Shu raised his hand and made a few simple gestures.
The person retracted his body, shouted something into the camp, and then stepped aside.
A-Shu looked back at the two:
"Basically everyone here is a player, don't worry. The gesture just now meant no malice; just communicate normally. I'll give you the things when we get there, and you can leave directly; no one will shoot you in the back."
Zhen Lu nodded without saying much; he really wasn't afraid of these people shooting him in the back.