Chapter 84 Mandatory Mission

A few days later, an announcement directly issued by the Dawn Base's Supreme Command caused an uproar throughout the entire circle of superhumans in the base, like a drop of water thrown into boiling oil.

Forced Recruitment Mission: Head to the "Blue Ocean Biotechnology Research Institute" in Anshi to retrieve key scientific research equipment and any remaining research data.

The bulletin board was packed with people, who were discussing it animatedly with various expressions.

The mission description was concise yet grim: Anshi is about 150 kilometers away from Dawn Base. It is a medium-sized city that was quickly overrun by the densely populated population and has an extremely high zombie density in the early stages of the apocalypse.

The target research institute is located in Anshi High-tech Zone, and it is expected to retain a large number of high-precision instruments and storage devices that may not have been completely destroyed. These devices are crucial to the base's research institute, serving as the foundation for improving the purity of crystal nucleus extraction fluid, developing more advanced crystal nucleus weapons, and even conducting other biological and energy research.

The mission is led by the military and personally overseen by General Chen Jichuan. It will involve drawing on the elite forces of the base's defense forces, including some soldiers newly equipped with experimental crystal core weapons, and forcibly conscripting all registered civilian superhumans with strength reaching the first-level advanced stage or above.

The reasons are: the journey is long and the urban environment is extremely dangerous, requiring sufficient firepower, diverse superpowers and manpower to deal with possible large-scale zombie hordes and mutated creatures, as well as to transport heavy equipment.

The rewards are extremely generous: high points, priority redemption rights (including limited trial access to crystal core extract), exemption from ordinary missions for a period of time after completion, and teams or individuals who successfully bring back important equipment will receive a small number of officially circulated Tier 1 crystal core weapons (energy guns or enchanted melee weapons) or a sufficient amount of extract as an additional reward brought by the visiting delegation from the capital base.

But the risks are also suffocatingly high: venturing deep into the heart of a fallen city, a long-distance raid, a clear objective that could attract a large number of zombies, the threat of unknown mutated creatures, and the complex relationships among fellow travelers.

Ruan Ning, Zhou Min, and Lin Yan's names were prominently listed. Their team's strength fully met the recruitment criteria.

“Mandatory mission…” Zhou Min looked at the announcement, her brows furrowed. “It seems the base has gone all out this time, risking everything. Anshi, I heard that second-tier zombies are not uncommon there, and there might even be third-tier ones wandering around.”

Lin Yan's expression was serious: "Equipment is the lifeblood of scientific research, and the base urgently needs it. This is an open strategy: attracting talent with generous rewards and securing manpower through coercion. We have no room to refuse."

Ruan Ning's gaze swept over the line on the announcement that read "Under the unified coordination and command of the military, mixed formations," and his eyes turned slightly cold.

The mixed formation means they will likely need to operate alongside the Thunder Leopard Squad. And Shen Yao and the Thunder Leopard Squad have probably already reached some kind of understanding.

The fire seemed to sense the tense atmosphere and nuzzled Ruan Ning's hand with its nose.

Meanwhile, inside the Thunder Leopard Squad's base.

Lei Bao stared grimly at the conscription order in his hand. His squad's strength had just been weakened by Lin Wanyun's poisoning incident, and he and several key members hadn't fully recovered. Being forcibly conscripted now was undoubtedly adding insult to injury. But he dared not disobey.

Li Wei just happened to pass by and had a brief "exchange" with him.

“Captain Lei, this mission is fraught with both danger and opportunity.” Li Wei adjusted his glasses, his tone calm. “Young Master Yao has high hopes for your abilities and also feels that your team has been having a run of bad luck lately and needs some assistance. It’s said that the Anshi Research Institute has some special items that aren’t necessarily on the official list. If you, Captain Lei, could do me a favor and ‘look after’ some of the less discerning people at a crucial moment… afterwards, the Shen family will certainly not treat their friend unfairly. We can discuss some healing potions, or even better equipment.”

Lei Bao wasn't stupid; he knew who Li Wei was referring to, and he also knew that this was a case of using someone else to do his dirty work while dragging him down with him.

There wasn't much conflict between him and Ruan Ning, and he didn't have a reason to kill her.

But he was even more aware of Shen Yao's ruthlessness and the power of the Shen family.

After a moment's hesitation, his desire for resources, to restore his strength, and to climb the social ladder outweighed any potential guilt and risk. He said in a deep voice, "What does Young Master Shen mean?"

Li Wei smiled slightly and said a few words in a low voice. Lei Bao's eyes flickered, and finally he slowly nodded.

Inside Ruan Ning's apartment.

The three were making final preparations before their departure. They checked their weapons, distributed supplies (Ruan Ning had secretly prepared extra necessities from her spatial storage, including water, medicine, and high-energy food), and formulated a simple contingency plan.

"The most crucial element of this mission isn't the zombies, but the people." Ruan Ning strapped a sharpened dagger to her calf, her voice calm. "Chen Yao, Lei Bao, and other forcibly recruited teams with varying motives. The objective is clear, the journey is long, and the environment is complex—it's a good opportunity to strike."

Lin Yan clenched her fists: "They dare to make a move during the mission?"

“We wouldn’t dare do it openly, but creating an ‘accident’ is too easy,” Lin Yan interjected. “To lure monsters away, delay reinforcements, or when we’re alone…”

Ruan Ning nodded: "So, we should try to stay together and not stray too far from the group, but we also need to be able to deal with emergencies independently. Big fire," she looked at the mutated dog sitting quietly, "your sense of smell and perception are very important in complex environments, especially pay attention to the unusual movements of other 'people'."

The fire roared softly, indicating that it understood.

“The military is leading the team. General Chen is not a fool, but he can't be in charge of everything,” Ruan Ning concluded. “Stay vigilant and trust each other. Our primary goal is to return alive, and the secondary goal is to complete the mission. We'll deal with the rest as circumstances allow.”

She looked out the window. The base was making its final mobilization and allocating supplies for this large-scale expedition. A sense of tension, like the impending storm, filled the air.

Ruan Ning's eyes were like a deep, cold pool.

What's meant to come will come.

Let's see who the hunter and who the prey are in the ruins of this fallen city.