Chapter 125: Absolutely Useless

After emerging from the space, the grand gate before him vanished.

Lin Mu glanced at the blueprint tucked inside his backpack but decided not to use it for the time being.

This was a blueprint he could design himself, so naturally, he reserved it for critical moments.

At this stage, he couldn’t conceive what form it should take.

One thing was certain, though—the final design would undoubtedly be some kind of weapon.

Aside from weaponry, there was nothing else he needed at the moment.

“Captain, should we head back now, or continue searching for other gates?” someone asked.

“Let’s return for now. There’s no rush in finding the gates,” Lin Mu replied.

After a broad exploration, they found mostly villages nearby—places unsuitable for him.

The main reason was the scarcity of resources in those villages.

Moreover, the number of gates was surprisingly low.

In fact, there were none at all.

After so many days, they had found only this single one.

“Anna, were the gates this scarce when you were here?” Lin Mu inquired.

“More or less,” she answered. “From what I’ve heard, only large groups tend to find more. Generally, finding even one per month is considered good.”

Lin Mu frowned upon hearing this.

One per month? That was exceedingly rare.

“How large is a ‘large group’ exactly?” he asked.

“About a thousand people, I’d say.”

Lin Mu’s lips twitched. A thousand people!

He was nowhere near that number yet.

Well, he’d just take things as they came—if he found one, great; if not, so be it.

The only reward from this mission that caught his interest was that single prize.

Perhaps all missions were like this: start with basic resources, then offer something valuable later.

Soon, the convoy returned to the small town.

After parking, Lin Mu stepped out with his team.

Zhao Jin emerged from the building.

“Not long after you left, a squad appeared near the town. We killed eight, two escaped. It seems they were scouts from somewhere,” she reported.

Lin Mu looked surprised. Weren’t the nearby villages already deserted? How could there still be people?

“Did you send someone to follow them?”

“Yes, someone is tailing them. So far, they haven’t returned. Judging by the distance, they won’t arrive until evening.”

“That distance is quite far,” Lin Mu mused.

It must be at least several hundred kilometers away, in an unexplored area.

After all, the places already explored had nothing left.

“Tell them to stay alert. Once they arrive, assess the environment.”

Zhao Jin’s lips twitched. Why would anyone willingly head that way? Well, now they’d be under surveillance.

“Understood.”

“Zhang Qian, assist her. If possible, take action yourselves.”

With everything arranged, Lin Mu returned to the vehicle.

He activated the panel and immediately asked, “Panel, do we have a map?”

Lin Mu felt something was missing—only now did he realize they lacked a map.

[Mapping control of a town requires 90 days.]

That simple?

Three months to get a map meant staying here for over two months was necessary.

“Where does the map appear?”

[In the town’s central square.]

Lin Mu nodded. It seemed he couldn’t leave until he had the map in hand.

He had planned to depart once his men found a new town, but it appeared he was stuck for now.

That night, the two vehicles tracking the squad sent back information.

“Captain, do you have time now?”

Lin Mu grabbed the radio. “I’m free. Speak.”

“The tracked team responded. They’re in a small town 300 kilometers away. The town’s size matches ours, but the number of people is unclear—estimated around seventy.”

The number of people didn’t matter much to Lin Mu; what mattered was the resources inside.

“Let them fire a couple of shots to draw the people out. Then wait until some return tomorrow before striking... and making contact.”

He intended to be a civilized man.

The next day, Zhao Jin stayed behind, while Lin Mu led the team to the town.

Based on last night’s information, the inhabitants were technologically civilized—not a world relying on magic or martial energy as before.

Their technology involved crafting various machines.

Hearing this piqued Lin Mu’s interest.

Approaching the town, he observed the mechanical devices there—far from what he had imagined.

He expected advanced technology but found only a few gas-powered machines.

“Kill them all! They’re worthless,” he muttered.

What use could these have?

He truly wondered how these people had survived so far.

Over a hundred cannons began bombarding the protective shield; in less than an hour, it shattered.

The enemy’s machines fled the town.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Under the barrage, not a single machine could withstand a cannonball.

Lin Mu merely shook his head.

He had hoped for an encounter with some high-tech race, but this was all there was?

Well, these scraps would serve as supplemental resources.

Entering the town, he ordered, “Find me resources as usual.”

“Yes, sir!”

Lin Mu headed to the town center.

“Panel, if I take control of this city, will I get a map?”

[Yes.]

“What if I dismantle the protective array? Will the map still appear?”

[Yes.]

That reassured him.

Three hours later, the city lay in ruins.

In a few months, plants would cover the area, and no one would suspect a town had once stood there.

No one would believe anyone had lived nearby.

The villages he had visited before were already overgrown with weeds.

...

More than two months passed.

Lin Mu settled comfortably in the town.

Jiang Han and the others had thoroughly looted all villages and towns within a hundred-kilometer radius.

They firmly embraced Lin Mu’s philosophy of leaving no place untouched.

During these two months, they completed only one mission, earning a snack vending machine.

Indeed, a machine selling various snacks.

Though of no help in battle, for them, it was a small improvement in quality of life.

By submitting the required materials, they could earn points to exchange for items.

Though the exchange rate was a bit low, spending a little more was no problem for a bit of food.

Moreover, their supplies were abundant; shortage was not a concern.

Seeing how much everyone liked it, Lin Mu placed the machine outside.

He arranged tables and chairs around it for everyone’s convenience—a kind of welfare.

“Captain, there’s a glowing orb appearing in the town center.”