Chapter 735.1: Enterprise vs Army??

On Wasteland Online’s official website, a new announcement was posted suddenly.

[Beta 0.7 New Content: Zombie Mutants]

[Traits: Unlike regular mutants, they do not possess the usual headshot weakness. They have stronger regeneration, greater resilience, and some are equipped with limited cybernetic implants. Most "Zombie Mutants" look no different from ordinary green-skinned mutants, so exercise caution when encountering them!]

[Weaknesses: Highly resistant to radiation and toxic substances. No obvious weaknesses have been identified.]

[Recommended Ammunition: 20mm+ caliber rounds, Howling explosive shells (Howlers), Dragon’s Breath (Shotguns), Suppression thermobaric warheads (RPG launchers), etc.]

[Testing: Flamethrowers, Molotov cocktails, more... (Note: Maintain a safe distance to avoid being tackled by burning mutants.)]

Midnight Umbrella: Damn, so they're secretly buffed elite mobs!

Wakey Sleepy: I seriously thought it was a bug!

Night Ten: That raises an important question, how do you know Doggy Light didn't just turn a bug into an elite mob? ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

Quit Smoking: Holy crap, that's actually a good point!

Irena: Doggy Light: Well said. Please never say it again. ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

Dino Warrior: This isn't scientific... Their heads grow back after getting blown off. That's not what my biology textbook says. Shouldn't the devs go retake compulsory education?

Night Ten: Good point, but then why don't you ask how Psychohistory manages to account for every variable? What exactly comes out of a Nuclear Gun? How does the Force power lightsabers? How do higher animals dehydrate their central nervous and immune systems? And most importantly... why does SpongeBob always ask the Magic Conch whenever something goes wrong?

Dino Warrior: I know the SpongeBob one. He doesn't ask the Magic Conch every episode, does he? And what the hell are all those other examples? ( ╹ -╹)?

Elf Wang: You're asking so many questions at once you're going to burn his brains off. (ᵕ • ᴗ •)

Night Ten: Weird. I thought he'd at least understand two of them. He doesn’t know? ( ˶°ㅁ°) !!

Quit Smoking: Hahahaha, holy shit!

...

North of the Guardian Manor Military Base, roughly two kilometers away, stood an abandoned village. It had once been a small settlement subordinate to the Guardian Manor community. After the Torch Church arrived, the villagers vanished without a trace, leaving the entire place deserted.

When the Southern Construction Corps first arrived, they temporarily occupied the houses there. Once the military base had been completed, they moved out.

Later, when the coalition and the Torch Church formally went to war and the Allied Forces stationed themselves at Guardian Manor Military Base, survivors from Horseman Town frequently came over with horse-drawn carts to conduct business. Over time, they simply settled in the nameless village, renovating the dilapidated buildings and opening taverns and inns.

Later still, a group of Lifestyle Profession players hauled barbecue grills into the area, and the once peaceful little village instantly became filled with smoke and noise.

Inside an unremarkable tavern, several Enterprise soldiers sat around a table, drinking and eating skewers while grumbling under their breath.

"Damn bad luck!" Tang Feng from the second platoon of the first company slammed his mug onto the wooden table and cursed.

At the neighboring table, a few soldiers from the Bugra Free State exchanged glances. One of them turned toward him and asked, "What's wrong, brother?"

Tang Feng let out a drunken burp and replied, "Our officer took us for a tour of the frontlines, and before we even fired a single shot, he dragged us all the way back!"

The man laughed, "Isn't that a good thing?"

Avoiding the front lines was the most comfortable assignment possible. If he could, he would stay in the camp forever. Unfortunately, that wasn't how things worked. Every combat unit had its mission. Eventually, everyone got their turn.

However, the thought processes of Ideal City residents were always different from everyone else's in the wasteland.

"Good thing my ass!" Tang Feng widened his eyes and shouted. "We came here to kill Mutant Humans, not drink booze! We can drink anywhere! Why the hell would we come all the way here just for that?!"

"Exactly!" another soldier sitting beside him complained. "We came here for the future of all mankind! We didn't complain once even though we can't access the Endpoint Cloud here! Then we arrive and realize this place doesn't even have what we're looking for!"

The soldier from the Bugra Free State froze before asking, "What exactly are you looking for?"

Tang Feng answered without hesitation. "Ideals. Courage. And plenty of other things. I want my name to become a source of pride for my family and friends, just like the crew of the Pioneer."

The Bugra Free State soldiers exchanged looks again, their eyes filled with admiration.

As expected of Ideal City folks. Their perspective really was different.

It was completely unlike themselves. They had come for money, and the people who sent them over had done so for money as well.

Maybe the higher-ups had grander objectives, but that was their concern. Soldiers who were sent to the frontlines didn't really care. All they wanted was to pay off their debts, earn enough money to never work again, and finally escape this miserable life of uncertainty for a quiet retirement.

Yet despite lacking dreams themselves, they couldn't help admiring those who possessed them and were willing to act on them.

Such people seemed to glow.

Perhaps the shining thing wasn't Ideal City's skyscrapers, after all, they had skyscrapers too. What truly shone were the ideals in the hearts of its people.

At least, that was how they saw it.

"I am Edam, sniper with the 7th Battalion of the Hound Special Forces," the seasoned soldier said, patting Tang Feng on the shoulder and giving him a thumbs-up. "The people I admire most are guys like you who don't risk their lives for money. Once I've paid off my loans, I want to live for freedom too. Allow me to buy humanity's warriors a drink!"

Embarrassed by the praise, Tang Feng laughed awkwardly and bumped fists with him. "My name is Tang Feng. I’m from the second platoon of the first company of our first battalion. Wait, a sniper? You're a sniper?"

Seeing his sudden excitement, Edam blinked. "You too?"

"No, but I'm damn good at sniping," Tang Feng said sheepishly, rubbing his nose with a finger. "Unfortunately, my squad doesn't have a sniper slot. The company only has a single sniper squad. Otherwise I'd definitely get myself a sniper rifle."

Edam's eyes lit up. "What a coincidence. Sounds like you know your stuff. Let's have a friendly competition sometime."

"Deal." Tang Feng agreed immediately. "No problem... By the way, where do you usually drop?"

Edam stared blankly. "Drop... where?"

At that moment, a few mocking laughs came from nearby. Several large-nosed men sitting at another table were casually glancing their way while drinking. Judging by the empty bottles beside them, they had plenty to drink.

Their speech was becoming sloppier by the minute.

"First battalion, first company? Yeah, that's the unit."

"Aren't those the guys from yesterday?"

"Haha, Ideal City's deadweights."

"That's not entirely fair. Awakeners do have bigger appetites. Maybe they're all awakeners."

"Are you kidding? Those people treat awakening like a terminal illness."

At first, Tang Feng intended to ignore them. After all, everyone in the wasteland knew how crude Wislanders could be. Unfortunately, their voices kept growing louder until they became impossible to ignore.

Still riding the high from all the compliments he had received, Tang Feng instantly exploded. He slammed both hands onto the table and stood up. "What the hell did you just say?!"

The lively tavern immediately fell silent, including the noisy Wislanders.

However, that only lasted a few seconds. Soon they burst into mocking laughter again.

"What? Are you trying to tell me deadweights like you bite? I would love to see that." The loudest Wislander narrowed his eyes and stood up, removing his neatly pressed uniform jacket and tossing it aside. Beneath it was a light-green tank top stretched over solid muscle. A dangerous aura radiated from him, like a leopard ready to pounce.

Clearly, he had more than just a sharp tongue.

Tang Feng drained the rest of his drink and tossed his own jacket over the back of a chair. "You want to see a deadweight that bites? Go look in a mirror in the bathroom. Or do I need to personally escort you to a doctor?"

He wasn't particularly muscular, looking more like someone who had only recently started training, yet he showed no sign of backing down. The bionic implant adhered to his iris had already locked onto the man's ugly nose. He swore he could cave it in within three moves.

He would even be able to do it with the precision of a fully upgraded G9 Black Swan Assault Rifle. It wouldn't even take much strength. Any grown adult could do it.

One of his companions grabbed his arm, giving him a still-sober warning. "Hey. Don't start trouble. They'll send you back."

"Then let the officer send me back," Tang Feng said dismissively while cracking his neck. "It's not like he plans on letting us fight anyway."

Being sent home wasn't any worse than wasting time here. Besides, he could wait for the other side to throw the first punch. When that happened, he would be justified in fighting back. Even if it ended up in military court, nobody could blame him. He was defending the honor of all Ideal City!

When that happened, not only would the jury side with him, but so would the overwhelming majority of Endpoint Cloud users who shared his sense of honor.

While the Enterprise soldiers tried to calm things down, the Wislanders continued fanning the flames.

"Daemon, looks like the kid doesn't respect you."

"Haha, don't let a deadweight look down on you."

"Shut up," Daemon cursed, narrowing his eyes at Tang Feng. "I'll knock him flat first, then deal with you."

"Use your fists, not your mouth," the other man joked with a grin. "I'm not into that kind of thing."

The tension between the two groups grew increasingly intense and the entire tavern smelled of gunpowder. Nearly every customer had turned to watch.

On one side stood the Enterprise, the other stood the Army. If the former backed down, the "deadweight" label would be permanently attached to them. If the latter backed down, then perhaps the Wislanders' reputation as a warrior race wasn't all it was cracked up to be.

Everyone wanted to see how this would end, including the players drinking in the tavern.

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