Chapter 20 Counteraction

Inside the hunter's cabin near the lakeside, after Shen Cong Fei finished his speech, the morale-boosted team began inventorying the loot from their last expedition.

Apart from the standardized pistols and rifles, and assorted types of bullets.

The most notable item was the machine gun they had acquired during the perilous breakthrough at the city checkpoint.

Gazing at the machine gun, Shen Cong Fei was both envious and helpless.

He knew that he, in his diminutive state, would not be able to lug around such a heavy piece of weaponry.

The two women in the group would also be unable to handle its weight.

So, the decision on who would wield the machine gun fell to the remaining two men.

Seeing the pair deciding ownership over a game of Rock Paper Scissors, Shen Cong Fei turned away, choosing to ignore their antics and quietly examined another aspect of his spoils.

…

ID: ???

Name: Shen Cong Fei

Age: 18

Original Nationality: Morimia (Exterminated)

Current Nationality: Neutral United Front (Under total lockdown)

World Prestige Level: Lv3 (300/400)

Job: Student (Novice) / Hunter (Novice)

Job Benefits: Learning Skills (30% extra proficiency gained in the learning process that gradually decreases over time and resets the following day)

Hunting Skills (Outdoor movement speed increased by 10%, maximum stamina increased by 10%, stamina consumption reduced by 10%, steps are light, less likely to alert nearby enemies and beasts)

Hunter's Lodge (Hunters establish supply stations in the wilderness, allowing random supplies to be obtained periodically, refresh period of the hunter's cabin: 6/7 Days)

…

Shen Cong Fei pondered for a moment.

His world prestige level had already reached level three, but he was still unsure of what events this could trigger.

In the beta test of the game he had experienced, "Code: Wasteland", higher world prestige meant higher popularity and favorability amongst NPCs, leading to easier event task activation and access to exclusive items in special stores.

But at present, given the rudimentary nature of his own avatar template and the reality he faced, progress would understandably be slow if based solely on combat.

Ah well! He would have to make do, what else could he do now, on the brink of an apocalypse still in its beta testing phase?

As his thoughts wandered around, Shen Cong Fei suddenly noticed movement outside the window – a small creature was pecking at the glass.

He rose and strolled towards the window, opening it.

The small creature didn't flee but hopped inside.

"Coo-Coo."

Hearing the noise, the others also noticed the commotion.

Tang Ke, who had just joyously won the ownership of the machine gun, was delighted:

"Little White, how did you get here?"

"Coo-Coo."

The pigeon flew towards the group, landing on Tang's shoulder.

Looking at the contrasting pair of the hunk and the dainty white pigeon, Shen Cong Fei felt an odd sense of harmony. However his attention quickly shifted.

"Wait, is there something tied to its foot?"

Upon hearing this, Tang Ke put down the machine gun, picked up the pigeon from his shoulder and untied a scroll that was attached to its leg.

As Tang unrolled the scroll, his face turned pale. He passed the parchment to the others.

"What? The Imperial Army has started sweeping the hills."

The faces of the group went stiff. They all knew what this meant.

"Alas!"

"Don't panic."

However, there was no surprise on Shen Cong Fei's face.

"You should all be aware that the primary objective of our last operation was to keep the enemy's main force pinned down in the city, making it impossible for them to carry out a sweep. Isn't that right?"

"So, do all of you think our last operation was a failure now that a part of the enemy's main force is heading out of the city towards us?"

Saying this, he rose from his seat: "No, the situation always changes, and this is when we need to adapt.".

…

To be prepared for any eventuality, the five of them packed up all their belongings, burying whatever could not be brought along, so as to prevent it from being discovered and taken away by the Imperial soldiers.

It was providential that a new Hunter's Lodge was due to refresh in a day, allowing them to set up a new base.

However, it was regretful to leave such a picturesque and well-equipped Hunter's Lodge.

With all their preparations complete, the five of them, unburdened of any worry, used the advantage of the lengthy depth of the mountain, along with the Hunter's skill activated by Shen, to bypass the specifically designed range of the Imperial sweep and move east towards the city.

This was the real action Shen had been referring to.

Now, with so many soldiers out searching in the mountain, the city's internal defense must have weakened, creating an opportunity for them.

While advancing, Shen noticed that 'Brother Ping' Xue Yangping, who had been unusually quiet, had a look of deep resentment, as if he wanted to shred someone into pieces.

Shen shook his head.

Since finding out that his parents had been killed, Xue had become rather quiet.

Shen sighed, thinking that there really was no better solution for such a problem than letting the aggrieved person go kill the enemy to vent his anger.

"By the way, Tang, how did your parents come up with the idea of using a pigeon... uh, I mean Little White, to deliver messages for us?"

Upon hearing the question, the "Black Diamond" who was petting the pigeon, immediately started narrating his past.

While the others were engaged in the story, Shen was thinking about something else.

In the "Code: Wasteland" settings, some NPCs could be recruited or hired once the player's world prestige reached a certain level.

And although these NPCs lacked the cheat-like avatar template that players had, some of them did have unique talent settings.

For example, the burly man in front of him, Tang, seemed to possess the talent of Beast Tamer. How else could such a small pigeon find its way over these vast distances, directly to the target?

Filled with curiosity, Shen wondered about the potential talents of the other members of his team?

While contemplating this, the group finally reached the eastern part of the city.

The wall of the city zoo stretched out in front of them. They used ropes to climb over it.

Just as they reached the top of the wall, they heard voices from below. It was Tang's anxious parents.

Upon seeing their son among the group above, safe and sound, they heaved a sigh of relief.

Once they climbed into the zoo, Shen queried Tang's parents about the city's defenses - those areas that had become weak due to the reallocation of troops within the city.

Having learned the specifics, they bid farewell to Tang's parents and began their counter-sweep operation.