Chapter 8 (1/2)
Chapter 8 - Blackflag Outpost
The setting sun was as red as blood, staining the ground with its crihout the desert wastelands
The patchwork vehicle was like a berserk aniht towards the outpost Moates, the driver furiously spun the wheel, causing the car to co halt in a horizontal 'parked' position The wheels dug two deep gouges into the soft earth before the vehicle was finally stabilized, even though it shuddered and clanked as though it was about to burst with fire A few pieces of unknown round
”Ahaha!” The fat h, not worried about the vehicle at all as he snuffed out his cigarette on the dashboard ”We're back!”
After suffering through this unspeakably rocky ride, Cloudhawk couldn't help but start to puke up a storm Alas, there was no food in his stomach at all, and so all he was able to puke up was bile As for the surrounding h and mock their latest rookie
”Hahaha!”
”This kid is such a pussy He's useless!”
”If you wanna go back and be a scav, there's still time!”
Cloudhawk felt as though his intestines were falling apart Who the hell could endure a car ride like that?
These mercenaries drove like suicidala car For hi as he had was already quite impressive Cloudhawk lifted his head up and was about to start arguing with the mercenaries, but his words died on his lips as he stared numbly towards the front
This was a place which could actually be called a town It was ringed with a layer of bristling steel wire fences, with ether to form a defensive 'wall', with a series of wooden watchtowers overlooking froht uards within them
”Tartarus mercs Open up!”
The 'gate' was really just a heavily modified ju Once the guards verified their identities the truck drove off to one side, allowing theed, makeshi+ft houses that were clustered in a haphazard fashi+on, the vast majority of which had people within the that see
So this was an excavator base?
Cloudhawk's heart was filled with incredible eagerness and excitement All his life, for as far back as he could re to survive the ruins as best he could Every day, he ate bugs and grass to stay alive while drinking highly conta an excavator… this was Cloudhawk's dream!
The outpost was now very his very eyes Was he about to discard his for out in the open?
Soone for several days Must'vethis time!”
The outpost guards were dressed in bronze-colored leather ar azes were focused on Cloudhawk, and one of them said in a rather s!”
Regs? In this era, there were no such things as regulations!
These people were nothingand Slyfox didn't hold the the on this uards half a pack of cigarettes ”A killing? We risk our necks every day You guys have it much better This kid is a new recruit Take it easy on us, arrright?”
”Slyfox, no need to be so polite How could we s hard for you? Hurry on in!”
Mad Dog gave the rather dazed Cloudhawk a hard push, and he iside the mercenaries
In an era of chaos, building up a homeland was no easy task Everyone had to start fro you needed you'd have toOutpost was fully equipped and outfitting, ht in the wastelands It had inns, bars, warehouses, parking lots… it essentially had everything
As a central excavator hub, it also had all sorts of things for sale Metal instrue parts, leather and cloth… all types of shops and stalls could be found here If you were lucky enough and skilled enough, you'd be able to cobble together a suit of armor from those various parts and coht even be able to assemble your own vehicle
This was an excavator base A completely different world!
”Blackflag Outpost aint a charity operation Every single person who lives here has to pay a price for it Wanna enjoy the resources this place has to offer? Then use your life to fight for it!” The fat , but hell for the weak”
After speaking, he reached down subconsciously to grab a cigarette, only to reiven away that half-pack He let out a few curses towards the gate guards, then continued to speak to Cloudhawk ”Reh, then this place won't be much better than the wastelands In fact, it could be worse!”
Right at this moment, Cloudhawk noticed a nus ere standing by the roadside Ignoring the piercing cold, they put on all sorts of alluring poses as they tried to seduce theby, their faces filled with looks of entreaty
”What are they doing?”
”In this day and age, men trade their lives while women trade their flesh That's how the world works!”
Cloudhaas slightly stunned
”You'll see people like them everywhere Give'm a piece of bread and you can play with their bodies however you like The tents, the back rooms, the alleyways, the intersections… they really are everywhere” Slyfox was an experienced old hand in this regard, and he put his knowledge on full display, not really caring about whether Cloudhawk understood or not ”Probleood Most of theh you'll catch soenerally in the bars or are part of someone's private collection Those'll be a bit more expensive”
Slyfox continued to ile thing the fat man said His attention was coround She was so gaunt that she seemed to have no flesh on her bones at all; she really was nothingsarcoma covered half of her face, and e number of pus-filled pis
The foul stench of rot and decay es Clearly, the infant had died o
The look in the wo in Cloudhawk's heart He had seen this look on far, far too many occasions, a look of despair, pain, and complete numbness, almost as if she had fallen into a hell of endless darkness, never to see a sliver of light again Her ruined body was still struggling at death's door, but she herself was mentally dead