Chapter 127: Last Time, You Asked a Different Question

A fleet of identical vehicles appeared at the entrance. Lin Mu glanced at his screen; they were indeed the same models as his own. He hadn't expected to run into "his own kind."

Lin Mu drove forward and picked up his walkie-talkie. "Can you tell where they are from?"

"We can't see anyone, only the vehicles."

"There doesn't seem to be anyone inside the cars," the team members replied as they monitored their screens.

"Then fire a few shots and see what happens."

If they really were his own kind, he wouldn't mind crafting a few more collars; he had plenty of materials.

*Pew! Pew!*

The sound of the lasers was faint, but they sent ripples across the protective shield. The damage was sufficient.

Ten minutes later, people scrambled out of a house. "Don't shoot! We're all from Blue Star! Don't attack your own kind!"

Lin Mu ordered his vehicles to hold fire and activated his external speakers. "Which country are you from?"

"Cosmos Nation!"

"I'm from the Sakura Nation."

"I'm from the Monkey Nation."

Lin Mu raised an eyebrow. No wonder they were all so short. Unfortunately, none of you are from the Hua Nation.

"Increase power, use all weapons, attack!"

Under the bombardment of shells and heavy laser cannons, the shield didn't even hold for half an hour before it shattered. As for the people who had run out earlier, they had long since vanished.

"Enter the town. Find the underground passage immediately. There are only a dozen cars here, so theirs must be hidden. Be careful; kill anyone you encounter on sight. Leave no survivors."

His squad wasn't a place just anyone could join.

As for the underground passage, there was only one in the entire town. The team opened the entrance, looked down with their tools, and found it empty. Instead of going inside, they pulled dry grass from their backpacks, threw it down, and doused it with gasoline before lighting it. They hadn't learned much else from Lin Mu, but this trick—a way to flush people out while keeping themselves safe—had been well-practiced.

As the grass burned, they kept adding fresh grass and green leaves. If they wanted enough smoke, fresh vegetation was essential. If only they had extra chili peppers, they would have tossed those in too.

Lin Mu nodded in satisfaction. "Jiang Han and Zhao Jin, go find the exits. You should know where they are, right?"

Both nodded; the town designs were identical, with almost no variation.

"If you know, then go. Same order: kill on sight, just bring back the loot."

He hadn't expected to encounter people from Blue Star here. It was a pity they weren't from the Hua Nation; otherwise, he could have added more manpower to his convoy.

Deep in the underground passage, a dozen people huddled with weapons in a hideout they had dug.

"Jin, are you sure they'll come down?"

"They definitely will. We have all the resources for this entire town."

"Brother Matsui, something feels wrong."

"Damn it! They’re using smoke! Retreat, now!"

The dozen men scrambled out of the depression and sprinted toward the exit. But the moment they emerged, they were met by a dozen guns aimed at their heads.

"We..."

*Bang! Bang! Bang!*

The few who had just taken a breath of fresh air slumped to the ground. Jiang Han stepped forward and harvested the cores from their bodies.

"These must be materials. These people are truly insane—thinking only of materials and not their vehicles?" Jiang Han found it baffling. In a place like this, being without a vehicle meant being unable to move an inch.

"Perhaps they have spare vehicles hidden in there," Lin Mu mused. Their leader, after all, loved doing exactly that. Many of the vehicles in their current convoy had been seized from foreigners. Having a few backups was standard procedure.

The group drove back into the town. Once informed of the situation, Lin Mu had them stop the fires. "The usual rule: look for warehouses, scout for anyone else, and seal that passage."

"Understood!"

Once everyone had left, Lin Mu went to the center of the square. "System, isn't there a way to get a map faster? Waiting three months every time is far too long."

[Players can initiate a Defense Battle. Upon victory, you will receive a map and corresponding resources. The activation point is on the desk in the town office.]

"..." Lin Mu’s mouth twitched. If such a good thing existed, why hadn't it been mentioned earlier? He’d wasted three months for nothing. "System, why didn't you tell me last time?"

[Last time you only asked if there was a map, not how to obtain one quickly.]

Fair point. He couldn't argue with that.

Lin Mu got out of the car and headed straight for the town's administrative building. He climbed to the second floor and opened the office. The layout of every town was truly identical. He sat in the chair and looked at the desk. Where was the switch? He had been told there was a switch, but he searched for a long time and found nothing.

Just then, he noticed a groove on the desk near his side, shaped remarkably like a watch. No way.

He took off his watch and placed it into the slot.

*Click.*

*Creak, creak...*

A gap appeared in the center of the desk, and a faceless stone statue rose from it. Once the thirty-centimeter statue was fully exposed, a light screen appeared before Lin Mu.

[Initiate Small City Defense Battle? There will be a 24-hour preparation period upon activation.]

Initiate. It had to be done. The sooner, the better.

[This defense battle will last 48 hours. Please prepare accordingly.]

The screen turned into a countdown, and the stone statue began to glow with a faint blue light. It had started. Twenty-four hours of prep time was more than enough.

Back downstairs, Lin Mu returned to his car and called his leads via walkie-talkie. "I’ve initiated a City Defense Battle. Once we finish it, we can quickly obtain the map and resources."

To him, resources were just more of the same; what he needed was the map. Once he had that, everything else would be easier. The team leads didn't see any danger; with their strength, holding for 48 hours—or even 480—would be no problem.

Anna, however, looked worried.

"Do you have something to say?" Lin Mu asked, curious. Given that Anna knew their strength, her expression puzzled him.

Anna hesitated for a moment before saying, "I don't know if my intuition is right, but I feel that this so-called City Defense Battle isn't as simple as it seems. Perhaps this battle is linked to that mission gateway."