Beginning with the Ubume Bird

Chapter 313: Chapter 39 Unpleasant Interlude

Li Yan glanced out of the window; the armored vehicle had already traveled far from Great Demon Lake. With the Black Star chariots’ army pressing down, Li Yan didn’t think Ramu Jue or those living corpses stood any chance of resisting. Regarding Yak’s genetic secrets, they would either remain buried forever or fall into the hands of the Black Star chariots. In any case, it seemed unlikely that he would benefit from them.

Probably.

“Where are we heading now?”

He asked.

“The temporary camp of Black Star chariots in b24 district, which was previously Kuang Zhuoma’s headquarters,” Afafu answered. “It seems you and your friend have sustained quite some injuries. The medical facilities there are relatively well-equipped, and supplies are abundant. Besides, several of my institute’s professors arrived a few days ago. I haven’t called them yet, but they might know where you’re looking for.”

“Thank you for that. Speaking of which, what is Kuang Zhuoma’s current situation?”

Afafu glanced at the rearview mirror, her expression complex, before saying, “Strictly speaking, there’s no Kuang Zhuoma in b district anymore. Likewise, including the Raine Brothers, Danzuo Automobile, Qiao Fortress… all have been successively crushed by Black Star, and the entire b district has fallen into a state of military control. However, if we cooperate, there shouldn’t be too much change in the person in charge.”

Afafu had personally experienced the slaughter of the Medicine Buddha fanatics, but she didn’t entirely agree with the actions of the Sixth Army in b district either.

However, Black Star chariots brooked no interference; the sweeping move that took down all forces in b district that had remained silent and neutral toward the Medicine Buddha conflict reflected the strategic directive from the Supreme Operations Committee. Since the Committee had specifically ordered Liang Zhengyong, the hawkish leader, to command operations in b district, this was a tacit approval of his bloody suppression tactics. Even with the intention to lead, Afafu couldn’t object.

“So now in b district, is Black Star chariots the only one calling the shots?”

The speaker was not Li Yan but Song, wrapped in a woolen blanket and curled up in his seat.

The driver, who had been holding the steering wheel and looking straight ahead, glanced subtly at Song Zuo before silently retracting his gaze. His look wasn’t too bad, but it was definitely not friendly.

Afafu, on the other hand, didn’t show any unusual reaction. She nodded before speaking, “For the past two months, The Fourteenth Army and the Fifth Army will successively enter b district. Black Star chariot’s takeover of this place is firm, and for at least the next year or so, nothing will change.”

Song grunted, smacking his lips and murmuring “That’s good,” his expression somewhat listless.

Among all the survival zones in the Asia Zone, b district was relatively chaotic, with its harsh climate, poor infrastructure, and a rabble of poor, malicious citizens who scavenged a large number of weapons and ammunition from the remains of war, subsequently forming a diverse mix of organizations with odd creeds. It had become an area that was too useless to keep but too wasteful to discard.

Pompeii and Tan Ya had both supported several proxies here, but neither really intervened. Using it as a buffer zone for their mutual disputes was a better choice since there wasn’t much profit to be had.

The Black Star’s forceful intervention this time was a furious suppression in response to the massacre of nearly ten thousand of their workers and soldiers. In the obituary from the Supreme Operations Committee, besides mourning the dead, the “eye for an eye, blood for blood” tough stance served more as a warning to outsiders to not interfere.

However, as a researcher, Afafu probably knew that Black Star’s swift and forceful suppression in b district, apart from retaliation, indeed involved some other interests…

Li Yan watched out the window and suddenly said, “With Black Star chariots making such big moves, aren’t you afraid someone will rebel against you? Dying rather than submitting, and waging guerrilla warfare against you would be quite a challenge.”

No sooner had he spoken than the armored vehicle braked sharply, and the people inside the cabin lurched.

Li Yan twisted his feet to avoid falling. Turning his head, he peered out the window and saw the sandy ground in front of the armored vehicle littered with coppery metal pieces. Although he didn’t recognize them, he guessed they were not benign.

An ambush?

Afafu instinctively sensed trouble: “What’s going on?”

The driver shook his head, “Nothing. Comrade Afafu, please take care of the children.”

His expression was calm, seemingly not concerned about the sudden situation before him.

“Do you need help?”

Li Yan propped his elbow on the seat.

“In Black Star, Psychic Movers are transport units, Wandering Deity are assault communications units. In this situation, there’s no help they can provide.”

Compared to Song Zuo, the driver was somewhat more cordial to Li Yan, perhaps due to his superior’s instructions, or perhaps because Li Yan didn’t have the stench of mutating tissues that Song Zuo emitted.

“Number Four.”

The driver called out.

Number Four twisted a pitch-black knob and several display screens lit up before him.

The driver turned the steering wheel, and the armored vehicle nimbly twisted to avoid the metal piece in front. Its suspension system lifted the body a few dozen centimeters off the ground, and with the engine roaring, the armored vehicle burst forth with powerful momentum, rushing past the crude ambush.

Just as the armored vehicle was about to speed away, a bald man with earrings and wearing a makeshift armor of metal and leather popped up from behind a mound. His eyes were bloodshot, and the rocket launcher on his shoulder looked like it had been disassembled from some heavy-duty weapon.

He leaned back, the backblast swirled, and the rocket, trailing a deep red tail flame, drew a long arc toward the armored vehicle occupied by Li Yan and his companions!

Song Zuo immediately drew two pistols, ready to stand and shoot at the rocket, but his abrupt movement provoked an overreaction from two soldiers beside him. They quickly drew their handguns and aimed them at Song Zuo, while another Black Star soldier nearby delivered an elbow strike right to Song Zuo’s face.

Song Zuo’s close combat skills were not particularly strong, and he was hit squarely on the cheek with a dull thud, letting out a muffled groan. His guns also fell to the floor.

The combat vehicle drifted, and the rocket exploded on the heavily armored rear end. The interior shook violently. Afafu grabbed little Luo Bu and ducked her head. After the jolting ceased, the combat vehicle was miraculously unscathed.

Seeing this, the bald man howled and, without another word, dropped the rocket launcher and ran.

“PIII-22? That’s some outdated stuff…”

The driver sneered disdainfully, then turned to the soldiers behind him and said, “I don’t think the old man meant any harm, let him go…”

He paused mid-sentence.

A Black Star standard-issue large-caliber handgun lay on the seat. The two Black Star soldiers who had attacked Song Zuo in succession were covered in sweat on their foreheads, their teeth chattering in pain.

Li Yan was gripping the fingers of the two Black Star soldiers so tightly that their bones were bending to the point of almost snapping.

He released them after a glance at the driver and said lightly, “After all, we are guests, aren’t we? There’s no need to be so rough, right?”

Song Zuo pulled out a piece of yellowish-white grass paper, spat a blood-stained blob of phlegm onto it, crumpled it into a ball, and stuffed it back into his pocket, then silently picked up his guns without saying a word.

“…”

The driver first glanced at Li Yan, then at the two comrades clutching their fingers, unable to speak. He turned around, his tone slightly somber, “Number Four, turn on the detector.”

Number Four followed the instructions, and a red three-dimensional map popped up on the screen. Behind the mound the bald man had been hiding at, large patches of red and yellow figures were visible.

“There are forty-two enemies ambushed behind the mound.”

Number Four responded.

The driver pulled a lever, and the gun turret on top of the combat vehicle twisted with a swoosh. He pounded the red button with his fist, and the gun muzzle erupted in a burst of intense flames. A short-range black missile streaked across the sky and landed behind the mound.

The ambushed soldiers, all donning a heavy metal punk style in their clothing and gear, glared at the bald man as he ran back. As the bald man got closer, these wildly dressed and fierce-looking soldiers all raised the various weapons in their hands, including old-era rocket launchers and high-explosive grenades, waiting for their prey to appear.

Yet, what they got was not pursuing combat vehicles or soldiers but a cannon-fired missile falling from the sky.

Flames swept across the entire mound…

Number Four tapped a few keys on the keyboard resting on his thigh and said, “There are still seven people with weak life signs. Do we go over there?”

“The mission is the priority; leave them be.”

The driver’s tone was cold. These soldiers had grown up in low-radiation survival zones and worked for large companies like Black Star. In the eyes of armed companies like Black Star, which had life spans and technological and productive capacities close to those of the old developed countries, the multitude of bandits in Zone B were not worth mourning. They were like weeds in a fire, burnt to the ground, only to spread wildly again the next year.

To them, everyone from the diseased, viciously cruel drifters to organized groups like Kuang Zhuoma were no different.

Neither the decision-making driver nor the two Black Star soldiers who had acted had any intention of apologizing for their rash actions. Instead, Afafu apologized to Song Zuo and promised to give him a general license for a Black Star combat vehicle as compensation once they reached the camp.

Old man Song had shown no signs of rage or any other emotion from beginning to end. Be it from being looked down upon or being elbowed, his expression never changed. He was, however, slightly moved by Afafu’s offer.

He pursed his lips for a while, looking at the earnest Afafu, and nodded slightly, looking a bit nervous.

The armored vehicle kicked up dust and continued toward its original destination.