Chapter 7 The Key
The street in front of us seemed to stretch on forever.
The dilapidated buildings and shops with roller shutters on both sides, even the black grime on the doors, are exactly the same as the two streets before.
"I'm looking for my daughter..."
The plump middle-aged woman was the second mutant that Yun Zhao and He Xiang encountered.
He was about forty years old, carrying an old-fashioned canvas bag, wandering around the nearby streets, repeatedly muttering, "I'm looking for my daughter..."
Yun Zhao said, "I'm looking for the key."
Have you seen my daughter?
Yun Zhao asked, "Have you seen the key?"
He Xiang: "..."
The woman was enraged, and black, sticky fluid kept flowing from her body.
It glared angrily at Yun Zhao, its mouth suddenly splitting open to its ears, revealing sharp mandibles, transforming it into a terrifying half-human, half-monster creature.
Yun Zhao held the umbrella in one hand, and calmly raised his other hand. Wisps of green fluorescence danced in the air and disappeared into the monster's body in an instant.
Mental power is influencing the monster's thinking.
She seems to have a natural talent for using her abilities.
The mutated woman quickly returned to normal, looking bewildered, and continued to mutter, "I'm looking for my daughter..."
Yun Zhao glanced at the sky, nodded casually, and said, "Then you can continue looking. I'll continue looking for the key too."
The two said goodbye to the woman.
Several mutant creatures appeared along the way. Some of them howled and pounced, but Yun Zhao immobilized them, and He Xiang took out his knife and dealt with them.
As darkness fell, they still had no clue what to do.
They don't even know what a key looks like.
Because they dared not stray too far, the two of them kept circling around the seven cars as the center of their search.
Continuing like this is just a waste of time.
He Xiang had just dealt with one of the mutants and turned back. "It's getting dark, Sister Yun Zhao, what should we do?"
The little bluebird's sharp eyes swept over He Xiang.
[Even more useless than that piece of trash in the car.]
Yun Zhao patted it, stopped, pondered for a moment, and asked He Xiang, "What do you mean by 'key'?"
Or rather, what is a key?
Could it be... also a kind of obsession?
"ah?"
He Xiang didn't dare look at her shoulder, and didn't notice the little bluebird's disdainful and disgusted look.
He realized what was happening and shook his head, saying, "I don't know. Nobody in the town has ever been inside the contaminated area, and my brother's diary doesn't describe what the key looks like."
Yun Zhao had also read that diary.
It's probably a tradition that the town's sentries like to write down the information they've gathered on paper when they return from missions.
The source of the information is untraceable, making it difficult to distinguish between true and false.
Yun Zhao lowered her eyes, her face hidden under the umbrella. She turned around and walked back. "Then let's go back and try."
"Try what?" He Xiang was completely confused, but subconsciously followed along.
"Go find that old man who was demanding his wages and help him fulfill his wish," Yun Zhao said, revealing his idea.
The woman wanted to find her daughter, but she couldn't conjure her up.
The square-faced uncle wanted a salary, which was easier to obtain.
He Xiang realized, "But where are we going to get the money?"
After the Dark Ages ended, paper money became obsolete.
Transactions between large bases use points; in places like Qingshan Town, they barter for goods.
If you want to go out to buy supplies, you need to find a way to sell your items first and exchange them for points to buy them.
Yun Zhao smiled. "I have a plan. Let's go."
The two quickened their pace and chased after the direction the square-faced mutant had gone.
Along the way, the spreading spiritual threads continuously detected traces of the mutant species.
It's clear that the number of monsters in this contaminated area is increasing.
The two turned into another street.
As expected, the streets here all look the same, like they were copied and pasted.
In the misty drizzle.
The hunched figure soon appeared in front.
Yun Zhao quickly opened his backpack, found the diary, tore off two pages, and held them in his hand.
Once everything was ready, I called out to it, "Wait!"
The square-faced mutant walked very slowly, and upon hearing the familiar voice, it slowly turned its head.
His lower face was occupied by sharp mouthparts, his lower body was covered by black liquid, and his whole body exuded black aura, turning him into a terrifying half-human, half-monster.
The mouthparts made a difficult sound, as if it were being squeezed out of the throat.
"I need my wages... Xiaoming is sick, I have to get them today..."
The little bluebird on the shoulder gently flapped its wings, and green fluorescence emerged from under its feathers, flying towards the monster.
Yun Zhao, holding an umbrella, tried to approach it. "I just ran into your boss. He asked me to transfer your salary to you."
As she walked, she held up several strips of paper and showed them to him, saying, "Here, this is the salary your boss pays you."
This is money.
A hundred-dollar bill represents your salary.
The mind attempted to hypnotize the mutant.
"salary?"
The square-faced mutant's gaze fell upon the paper...
He Xiang was a little nervous, staring intently at the monster's every move, fearing it might suddenly attack and hurt someone.
He instinctively wanted to raise his gun, but fearing he would anger the monster, he stood still, not daring to make a sound.
A tense atmosphere spread.
The next moment.
A relieved expression appeared on the square-faced man's face as he uttered with difficulty, "Xiao Ming...treat the illness..."
It seems they've accepted these few pieces of paper?
"Okay, take this to Xiaoming for treatment quickly." Yun Zhao handed over the paper without changing his expression.
The square-faced creature instinctively reached out its hands; its two arms were devoid of flesh, with loose skin covering dark bones, and slowly clamped several pieces of paper between them.
Living in the wasteland era, Yun Zhao could not understand the meaning of salary for this mutant.
Using a few pieces of paper to fool it was a last resort.
If one day I encounter your boss, a mutant, I will seek justice for you.
The square-faced man seemed to sense something, looked up at her, and slowly opened his mouth, splitting all the way to behind his ears.
It looks terrifying and disgusting.
But Yun Zhao knew he was smiling.
It was a smile of satisfaction.
The mutants that He Xiang had anticipated would suddenly pounce on them, but the scene of them attacking did not occur.
The mutant, satisfied, clung to a few scraps of paper and turned into a pool of black liquid.
A seemingly insignificant bronze key appeared in the foul-smelling liquid.
"It's the key!"
He Xiang looked at Yun Zhao with excitement and admiration, "Sister Yun Zhao was right after all."
So that's how you get the keys in the contaminated area!
The black slime is corrosive, but luckily it's still raining, so I can just wash it off with rainwater.
He Xiang rushed forward and used his gun to pull the keys into a shallow puddle. "Let's hurry back and inform everyone!"
At that moment, the little bluebird suddenly turned its head, its eyes fixed on the street behind it.
The thick fog was gathering again, and the area behind was shrouded in mist.
[Ah, I've spotted it! It's the scent of the Sentinels.]
[A bunch of useless idiots, taking so long to arrive.]
A rustling sound came from the fog not far away, and a team of seven sentries appeared.
They were wearing transparent raincoats and uniform black combat suits, with unicorn badges on their shoulders that were very conspicuous.
They are from Dawn Base.
The combat uniforms of the four bases are all black and look similar. The way to distinguish them is by the badge pattern on their shoulders.
It is said that the emblem's design originated from the spiritual form of the base's founder.
The group seemed to have anticipated that there were people ahead, and they continued walking towards them without stopping.
Let's get closer.
The seven men exchanged glances, a hint of surprise flashing in their eyes, seemingly not expecting it to be a guide and a low-ranking sentry.
The team leader gave him a wink.
A sentry wielding a scimitar understood and suddenly moved, his figure blurring as he rushed towards the two.
He Xiang's heart tightened, and he subconsciously reached for the key.
The sentry's expression changed slightly, and he shouted, "Don't touch the key!"
It's too late.
He Xiang had already grabbed the key in his hand.
Almost instantly, changes occurred within the contaminated area.
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