Chapter 162 Grouper Plague and the Grinding (1/2)
”It's enormous.” Bun-hit-dog gasped. ”This can't be the place where newbies first enter?”
The main gate slowly opened as the car entered the gates. The first thing that came into sight was the magnificent lookout tower, sandbag barricades, and the barracks. Fully-armed soldiers were standing guard and patrolling the area. Further into the encampment, they arrived at the residential district.
The layout of buildings in the residential district was much sparser and more casual than the structured planning of cities. There were no tall buildings as well. Families were strolling through the streets, and there were even hawkers calling out and making sales. With the lively chatter in the streets, it was like a mini-market.
The car rolled to a stop as several people alighted. Lu Cheng ordered several of his men to prepare a feast. Since he had invited Han Xiao to be his guest, he brought Han Xiao and the other two around for a tour as the host. Occasionally, some residents would greet Lu Cheng. It seemed Lu Cheng was well-respected by his people.
”That's my weapon factory over there. I have a specialized assembly line to make guns and ammunition.” Lu Cheng pointed to a restricted region that was barricaded with a barbed-wire fence. Behind it were his warehouse, workshop, and weaponry experimental laboratory, and smoke could be seen escaping from the chimneys.
On the other side, there was a second quarantined area. Inside, there were many tents and about a few hundred vagrants living inside them. Their exposed skin was covered in gray ash, cracked like rocks.
”What is that place?” Bun-hit-dog asked curiously.
Sighing, Lu Cheng answered, ”The Terminal Quarantine Area. Any resident with Grouper Plague has to stay there to prevent infections.”
Grouper Plague?
Han Xiao almost cried out in surprise. This type of illness was very infectious. In the version 2.0, it had spread and had caused some genetic mutations as well. He did not expect to find it here.
Just as he was about to say something, a sudden commotion could be heard from the Terminal Quarantine Area.
Sprinting in a frenzied manner, an infected resident rushed toward the barbed-wire fence. With all of his limbs, he tried to climb the fence to escape. However, the next second, a gunshot was heard. The security officer at the side reacted at lightning speed, firing at the man with his machine gun, turning this escaped resident into mesh as he fell to the ground. As he lay in his pool of blood, a viscous, yellow liquid could be seen pooling out from the corpse as well.
Several doctors in their white protective suits walked out and packed the corpse into a body bag. On the ground where the corpse was, they sprayed large jets of disinfectant.
The soldier who killed the escaping resident withdrew his gun, expressionless, as if he had just killed a worthless chicken.
The infected within the quarantine area watched this scene in silence, expressionless and numb. A thick atmosphere of despair hung in the air like a dark, heavy cloud.
”It is very hard to cure those who have been infected with this plague. To prevent them from spreading the plague to more people, we can only control it like this,” Lu Cheng explained.
Han Xiao turned to look. Nearby, the residents looked as though everything was as usual, without a single trace of empathy on their faces.
”That's cold-blooded,” Bun-hit-dog quietly said.
”At first, there were only tens of people who were infected. One infected knew that he couldn't be treated and escaped from the quarantine region, so the number of people infected increased to more than three hundred,” Lu Cheng said dryly.
Bun-hit-dog was speechless.
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You have triggered the quest [Origins of the Grouper Plague].
Quest Description: Black Pine Settlement is troubled by the spread of the Grouper Plague. To control this plague, what do you think you can do?
Quest Requirements:
1. Find the source of the Grouper Plague
2. Control the plague from spreading
3. Treat all of the infected
Rewards:
Completed Requirement 1 – 20,000 EXP
Completed Requirement 2 – 40,000 EXP
Completed Requirement 3 – 60,000 EXP
All Requirements Completed –800 Black Pine reputation points, Vagrant Warrior Battle suit
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Frenzied Sword and Bun-hit-dog both received the quest as well.
However, Han Xiao did not intend to complete this quest. He was still in a rush to find more fools… No, to bring even more new players into the Mechanic Class. He needed to go to about ten or so novice villages, and a large wave of experience was waiting for him. Time was tight, and he had many things to do. How could he afford to slow down his footsteps?
Oh right, if the players complete their quests, can I claim the rewards, too? Han Xiao's eyes lit up. Looking at Frenzied Sword, who was completely unaware, he suddenly had a new idea.
”My men have prepared a feast.” Lu Cheng sent out the invitation, and the few of them arrived at Black Pine's Central Building. It was like a mini castle, and the western point was called the Lord's Hall.
The dishes served in the feast were generous in quantity, meant to fill one's stomach. Black Pine Settlement had a harvest field where they grew their own crops, and they also had their own butchery, where they raised animals, such as highland cattle, chicken, and the black-haired short-snout hog. The vagrants' encampment consumed large amounts of resources every day. If they relied only on the Dark Net to obtain their resources, they would not be able to bear the costs, especially because it was extremely expensive. So, the residents learned to be self-sufficient, building their own tiny territory.