Chapter 130 Arrival at the Northwest Base
The closer you get to the Northwest Base, the clearer the traces become on both sides of the road: regularly cleared zombie remains, charred pieces of mutated plants burned, and tire tracks that are clearly made by military vehicles.
This means that the base's military and superhuman teams frequently come out to clean up the surrounding area, ensuring the safety of the teams going out and preventing scattered zombies from gathering and forming a zombie horde.
Ruan Ning and Qin Li's convoy finally arrived at the outskirts of the Northwest Base in the drizzle.
The base was built on a gentle, high hillside, with tall, dark gray walls extending to both sides, seemingly endless. Patrolling soldiers and weapons were mounted atop the walls.
A deep trench was dug outside the wall, with obstacles placed inside. The water in the trench was effectively diverted to a reservoir or drainage ditch at a lower level. As Qin Li said, the drainage system at the base was well-drained; there was no obvious water accumulation at the base of the wall, and the wall appeared sturdy and dry.
But the month-long rains still left their mark. On the open ground outside the wall, which should have been barren soil, many unusually dense, dark green, black weeds and shrubs sprouted. Some vines even tried to climb the base of the wall, which was regularly cleared, leaving fresh cuts.
In addition to the moisture from the rain, the air was filled with an overly strong, slightly fishy plant scent.
The convoy stopped in front of the base's massive steel gate. A checkpoint and armed soldiers stood beside the gate.
Qin Li got out of the car, showed his identification, and negotiated with the officer at the checkpoint. He quickly returned.
"The mission convoy will go directly through the dedicated east lane and then proceed to the military headquarters for handover," he told Ruan Ning. "You will use the regular entrance, undergo inspection, and then enter the outer residential area. Once you're settled, you can find me in the inner city's third district."
He paused, then added, "The check follows standard procedure: undressing to check for zombie bites and scratches, then an energy scanner. In the first year of the apocalypse, as long as there are no obvious signs of infection, quarantine is not required. Your mutated dog may need to be registered, or there may be additional regulations, depending on what the checkpoint staff say."
Ruan Ning nodded: "Understood."
The two groups separated at the gate. Qin Li's convoy drove towards the east passage. Ruan Ning, along with Zhou Min, Lin Yan, Da Huo, Sun Hong, and others, headed towards the regular entrance.
A short queue formed at the entrance, consisting of survivors or small teams returning from outside. Everyone looked exhausted, carrying collected supplies and weapons.
It was Ruan Ning's turn. The checkpoint consisted of several makeshift prefabricated houses.
The first room: strip search. Men and women separated. Several expressionless female soldiers were in the room. The order was concise: "Take off all clothes, turn around, raise your hands, check your body. Explain the source of any wounds."
Ruan Ning took off her clothes. She had some old scars, but no fresh bite marks or scratches, and the examination was quick.
The second room was an energy scanning room. It contained a device similar to an airport security gate, but much larger, with a screen attached to it. The soldier in charge of operating it said, "Stand on it, don't move, three seconds."
Ruan Ning stepped forward. The scanner emitted a low hum, and light spots flickered on the screen. The soldier looked at the screen and frowned: "A superhuman? The energy response isn't weak. What type? What level?"
"Water element, fourth tier," Ruan Ning replied, concealing her mental and wood elemental affinities.
The soldier wrote something on the whiteboard and then asked, "Do you have any spatial storage abilities?"
"No." Ruan Ning replied without changing her expression.
The soldier didn't ask any further questions and waved his hand, saying, "Pass."
The fire was moved to a specially designed cage-like scanner. After the scan, the soldier looked at the data: "Third-tier mutated beast, tamed? Register owner information."
Ruan Ning provided his name and the temporary number he had just received.
"Mutant beasts must wear control badges upon entering the base, and are prohibited from attacking indiscriminately or entering the inner city core area. Violations will result in being killed or forcibly contained." The soldier handed over a metal collar with a number and base insignia.
Ruan Ning took the collar. Da Huo shook his head impatiently, but still made her put it on her ankle. The ID card from the Dawn Base had already been removed.
Zhou Min, Lin Yan, Sun Hong, and others also passed the tests. None of them showed any signs of infection.
The entire process took less than half an hour. The checkpoint issued a wristband that was linked to each person's identity and could be used to accumulate points for spending.
"Once inside, report to the Seventh Outer District Management Office, where temporary accommodations will be assigned. Obey base regulations," the soldier concluded.
The heavy gate slowly opened a crack behind them.
Ruan Ning led the group into the Northwest Base.
Inside the gate was a wide road, simply paved with gravel and cement. On both sides of the road were densely packed, low, and haphazardly arranged shacks and prefabricated houses; only in the distance could one see a few relatively neat buildings. The air was thick with the mingled smells of rain, mud, sewage, smoke, and the stench of too many people gathered together. People came and went, most of them pale and thin, hurrying along.
This is the outer area of the Northwest Base.
Ruan Ning gripped the bracelet tightly. Qin Li's maternal grandparents were in the inner city. The secret of the necklace, her mother's background—perhaps the answers would soon be revealed. But before that, she needed to find a foothold in this crowded, chaotic area teeming with survival competition.
"Let's find a place to settle down first," she said to the tired but hopeful crowd behind her.
As Ruan Ning and the others were looking around at the messy surroundings, a boy of about half a size emerged from behind a nearby shed.
He was about fifteen or sixteen years old, as thin as a bamboo pole, his face was dirty, but his eyes were very bright.
He leaned closer and asked in a low voice, "New here? First time at the Northwest Base? Need a guide? I'll show you around, tell you where you can find shelter, where you can exchange food, and where you can't go."
Ruan Ning looked at him: "How much do you charge?"
The boy showed the bracelet on his wrist. "Do you have points? 2 points, just scan me. If not, food is fine too, a compressed biscuit, or something of equivalent value."
Ruan Ning took out half a piece of dried meat wrapped in oil paper from her small bag: "This. Take us to the Seventh District Management Office first, and we'll talk about the base along the way."
The boy's eyes lit up. He took the jerky, sniffed it, and quickly stuffed it into his pocket: "Alright! Come with me!"
He led the group along the main road, talking as they walked:
“The base is divided into an inner city and an outer city. We are currently in the outer city, also known as the ‘shantytown,’ where about 80% of the population lives. The inner city is over there—” He pointed to the taller walls that were faintly visible in the distance, “Only people with status, strength, or contributions can enter. The conditions there are much better, with clean water and electricity, and the houses are sturdier.”
"The outer city is divided into twelve districts. The smaller the number, the closer it is to the inner city and the safer it is, but the rent is more expensive. Since you've just arrived and don't have any points, you can only go to the seventh district and beyond. There are temporary prefabricated houses distributed by the management office there. They're rent-free, but the conditions are poor, crowded, and chaotic. If you have crystal cores, you can exchange them for points."
"The base's voice carries weight. Officially, it's the 'Base Management Committee,' dominated by military representatives. I heard the chairman is a general. But there are several other factions below them." The boy looked around, lowering his voice even further. "'The Merchant Alliance' controls most of the supply chain and the black market. Its leader is surnamed Zhao, and he employs many superhuman thugs. 'The Hunter Alliance' is where hunting teams and lone wolves band together; they're well-informed and have many outlaws. There's also the 'Research Institute,' directly under the committee, but supposedly it has its own system, recruiting many strange scientists and superhumans, all very secretive."
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