Chapter 172: Foraging Crisis

Lu Zhao had just finished uploading the last set of data and tapped his fingers on the table twice. Xiao Ran had already led two reliable members to gather at the door.

Xiao Ran put on his tactical backpack, checked the flashlight and ammunition one by one, and whispered, "There is an abandoned military warehouse 20 kilometers down the mountain. There should still be some small-scale supplies. The target is medical supplies and all electronic equipment that can be repaired."

Lu Zhao looked at the two men, one was Yang Tie who was from the former security team, and the other was Xu Wen, a technician in the team.

The two of them packed their water bottles, daggers, etc. into their backpacks. Xu Wen looked up and asked, "Do we go under the old bridge, or go directly over the ridge?"

Xiao Ran took out an old map he carried with him and pointed to a detour through the mountains: "The terrain is easier to navigate, and there are many hiding places along the way. Let's go quickly, let's go."

As the three of them walked along the mountain path, Xiao Ran stayed in front, and whenever they reached a fork in the road, he would let Yang Tie cover their rear.

The team was silent, and every step they took on the gravel was very firm. Xiao Ran counted the roadside markers from time to time, stopping only once to check his weapons, without saying a word.

Around noon, they arrived at the outskirts of their destination.

The warehouse door was an alloy sliding rail type, and the lock had long been broken. Xu Wen kicked it twice and saw a small group of shoe prints behind the door.

"Someone has been here recently. The footprints are only two or three days old."

Xiao Ran bent down to check the dust layer at the corner of the door and found a row of coded magazine shells piled against the wall.

He picked up one with a clip and handed it to Yang Tie: "This is not ordinary civilian ammunition. It is obvious that someone cleared the area in advance."

It was dark inside the warehouse, and with a sweep of the helmet light, most of the neatly stacked metal boxes were empty.

Only disinfectant cotton was left on the medical supply shelves, and the empty shells of electronic equipment were disassembled into parts.

Xu Wen looked through it and found that not even the spare circuit boards and modules were left.

Yang Tie found two spare batteries in a tool box and looked up and said, "The harvest is too bad. Someone harvested it early and took away all the valuables."

Xiao Ran stood up, looked around, and saw a pool of dried engine oil on the ground, indicating that the mechanical box had been moved.

He frowned, having already made a judgment in his mind, and said in a low voice: "Hurry up, this place is not safe."

Xu Wen asked: "Should we retreat or continue to investigate separately?"

Xiao Ran didn't say much, but waved his hand: "Retreat, there are not many things left, it's not worth taking any more risks. Someone may still be nearby." The three of them quickly collected the remaining medical supplies and retreated towards the exit.

Just as I arrived at the factory door, I heard an unusually slight friction sound above my head.

Before Xiao Ran could ask, Yang Tie had already stepped aside to provide cover. The next moment, the explosive warhead blasted into the ground from the upper corner of the warehouse door, raising a cloud of dust.

Four figures pressed forward while setting up their formation, and quickly surrounded them from the side wall.

Xiao Ran's heart tightened. He shouted, "Cover!" He then protected Xu Wen behind a low board and took out his gun to shoot outside.

The other side advanced in three points with skillful coordination, using all the moves of a professional infiltration force.

A masked man gave commands using tactical sign language, and the formation converged and approached.

They were dressed in black and gray camouflage, had brand new shortwave communicators and one-piece protective gear, and their bullets were fired accurately and silently.

Yang Tie pulled the trigger and fired back, but the other party intentionally avoided casualties and only shot at vulnerable parts and knees.

The exchange of fire lasted less than a minute, and the enemy obviously did not kill us, always leaving a gap.

Xiao Ran growled in a low voice: "Who are you?" The other leader lowered his voice: "Scavengers. We are doing the cleaning task and don't want to fight."

Xiao Ran frowned, did not put away his weapon, but just pressed the muzzle of the gun down to indicate that he would not shoot for the time being.

Xu Wen was stunned for half a second, while Yang Tie stared at the encirclement intently.

The four scavengers calmly dispersed. The leader raised his hand to signal his subordinates to hide. He took a step forward and took off his gas mask, revealing his short and stiff beard and a military shortwave headset.

"We are not interested in a protracted war with you. Take your men and leave. Do not approach this area again. We have been ordered to clean up the warehouse and related information."

Xiao Ran looked him up and down, and said coldly: "Who sent you here, the military?"

The leader did not give a direct answer, but only said: "We only follow the arrangements from above. It was a misunderstanding that we met you today. If you still need supplies, don't worry about the medical kits. You can take the spare panels and circuit boards in the back."

Yang Tie lowered his head and took a look, and indeed there were two new circuit boards that had not been packed yet.

He picked up a piece without saying anything.

Xiao Ran pressed on, "What are you cleaning up? Why are you equipped like this?"

The leader raised his chin, rubbing the butt of his gun with his black gloves: "Our mission is to clean up all related abnormal samples. Anyone who has come into contact with special experimental subjects is on the list."

He paused halfway through his words, looking at Xiao Ran.

"I have a message for you - do not bring the little girl you recently rescued to public areas, and do not attempt to communicate and expose her information."

He said this and didn't explain any further.

Xu Wen was stunned and asked, "You mean... you know her?"

The scavenger leader looked at him and did not deny it. "We have received the file and have seen her photo. As long as you don't provoke us now, you can still leave. Leave this valley before tonight."

Xiao Ran became alert, put away the two electric boards, and whispered to the team members to retreat, while nodding to each other.

The two sides slowly distanced themselves from each other, and the other side had no intention of following them any further.

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Yang Tie followed closely behind and whispered in Xiao Ran's ear: "Their movements are so consistent, more standard than those of ordinary retired soldiers, isn't it..."

Xiao Ran interrupted him and told him not to say anything more. "Let's talk about it when we get back."

After retreating to the mountain road, Xu Wen panted and asked, "Brother Xiao, how should we deal with this? Should we tell Sister Wanqing about the other party?"

Xiao Ran tightened the switch, frowned and thought for a few seconds: "Take the information back first, don't talk nonsense, before the matter is investigated clearly, no one outside can be trusted."

The three men hurried along the mountain road again. The technician was afraid that the other party would catch up with them again, so he looked back twice to confirm.

Xiao Ran slowed down only when he could no longer see the other party. After confirming that no one was injured, he continued on his way.

In the base's wine cellar, Su Wanqing had just finished reading a genetic comparison document when there was a gentle knock on the door.

Lin Che put the instrument in his hand aside and walked in through the door, looking a little unfamiliar.

Su Wanqing didn't get up and asked, "What's wrong?"

Lin Che stood at the door, lowered his head and buttoned his cuffs. After a pause, he said, "The Night Persona has emerged. I have to remind you that during the recent night patrols, someone has been watching the base from a distance. They were not locals, walked very quietly, kept changing positions, and their patrol routes were very regular."

Su Wanqing raised her eyebrows and tapped the corner of the table with her fingers. "Are you sure it's not one of ours?"

Lin Che shook his head. "No. They are very good at evading surveillance. They use optical camouflage and jamming tools. Their technology is similar to that of the military and special forces. They don't leave many traces, but I can capture some movements every time they take action."

Su Wanqing pondered for a moment and asked, "What actions did they take?"

Lin Che stuffed his hands into his pockets and said, "We didn't invade. We were just on the periphery. We changed the route every time. Ye Ge Ge was afraid that you would be careless, so he asked me to draw a map."

He pulled out a crumpled piece of paper from the compartment and spread it on the table. It was marked with thick lines and symbols hand-drawn in red pen.

Lin Che pointed to a ridge and said, "Here, there is an independent building covered by the mountain. It is an old military facility. Ye Ge Ge said that the enemy would disappear to this area after each reconnaissance. The coordinates correspond to the list in your hand."

Su Wanqing grasped the map and asked in a low voice, "You mean, there might be key information hidden here?"

Lin Che nodded and leaned against the door. “Most of the structures in the mountain are fake. They can hide a lot of things. Ye Ge Ge believes that this place may have a direct connection with the experimental subjects and the Eden Project, otherwise they would not hide back and forth so frequently.”

Su Wanqing quietly put the map away, with some hesitation in her eyes. Lin Che said, "You have to believe half of what Ye Rendi says, and check the other half yourself. Be careful when you hire people."

The air in the room was quiet for a moment, and Su Wanqing whispered, "Go over the latest clues with Lu Zhao later, and lock this map in the safe. Has Ye's personality shown any abnormalities recently?"

Lin Che shook her head and said in a sullen tone, “No. It’s just that everyone is very alert now, and they are much more sensitive to information than me. If we really want to go there to investigate, it’s best to split into two groups, one in the open and one in the dark.”

Su Wanqing nodded without saying anything more, folded the map and pushed it into the drawer.

Lin Che turned and left at this moment, leaving only a series of small footsteps echoing at the door.

There were only documents and low breathing sounds in the room. Su Wanqing stared at the documents on the table, not moving at all.