Feng Jun was watching what was happening in the scavenger camp when Zhong Chen ran over and told Feng Jun that they had found a squad of Zhu Hong Business Association soldiers approaching. Although there were only a dozen of them, they were all wearing Power Armor and were heading towards the high slope where they were stationed.
Upon hearing that the Zhu Hong Business Association’s people had appeared, Feng Jun immediately became vigilant. Although he had never met Zhu Wenyao, as the primary power in Huaicheng District, her subordinates, no matter where they appeared, would cause a certain amount of pressure on other forces.
“Don’t act rashly yet. Wait until they get closer to see what they intend to do,” Feng Jun instructed. If it were ordinary bandits, Feng Jun would most likely attack directly, but the identity of the Zhu Hong Business Association forced him to act cautiously.
A dozen Zhu Hong Business Association soldiers quickly arrived on the high slope. They were also surprised to see Feng Jun and his group. They had not expected Feng Jun’s group to appear here. Several Zhu Hong Business Association soldiers even instinctively assumed a combat formation.
However, the captain of this small squad quickly understood the situation here and immediately ordered his subordinates to stop. He then removed his Power Armor helmet, put down his Gauss Rifle, and walked alone to Feng Jun and his men. After stopping, he said, “Who’s in charge here? Step forward, I want to speak with your leader.”
Feng Jun gave Zhong Chen a look, and he immediately understood.
“Just tell me whatever you need to say,” Zhong Chen stepped forward and began conversing with the other party.
Although Feng Jun did not order the Imperial Guard to take any drastic actions, his subordinates were already prepared for battle. Twenty Imperial Guard soldiers had already formed a combat formation, relying on the Crab General. Although the opponents were all wearing Power Armor, if there was any movement, their side would definitely open fire first.
The opposing squad leader also understood the current situation. Although his individual equipment was superior, the other side also had a light armored vehicle. If a fight truly broke out, his Power Armor would be unable to withstand the 75mm laser rapid-fire cannon. It would be better to proactively communicate with the other party and assess their strength.
Feng Jun did not want to reveal his identity in such a place, so he had Zhong Chen go up and negotiate with the other party. The opposing squad leader was very good at reading people. After greeting Zhong Chen, he proactively offered him a cigarette and started chatting with Zhong Chen. In just a few sentences, both sides had roughly figured out each other’s strength.
“Brother, it was a good chat today. Let’s talk again later. I still have to rush to collect rent from those scavengers,” the Zhu Hong Business Association squad leader extinguished his cigarette butt and found an excuse to leave.
“Since that’s the case, we won’t keep you, brother. Remember to look for me if you ever go to Longmen Town,” Song Zhan also said, feigning politeness.
The Zhu Hong Business Association captain then turned and left, and Zhong Chen slowly returned to Feng Jun’s side to report.
Zhong Chen returned and said, “He’s just an old veteran, didn’t say a single truthful thing. But we can roughly confirm that they don’t have many people and have only recently arrived in this vicinity. They are probably going to bully those scavengers.”
No sooner had Zhong Chen finished speaking than they saw a group of Zhu Hong Business Association soldiers rush into the scavenger camp. They violently overturned several tents and even kicked over the scavengers’ cooking pot. The scavengers were all herded together; the elderly and women could only huddle together. Although the young men among them had eyes full of anger, they dared not speak, as their weapons and equipment could only scratch the opponents’ Power Armor.
They herded the scavengers together, lined them up, and then began to demand that they hand over helium crystal in line. Soon, a small pile of dark green helium crystal accumulated in front of the leading squad leader.
Feng Jun frowned, watching the behavior of this squad of soldiers. He had seen Zhu Hong Business Association soldiers before; their garrison in Longmen Town could be described as very well-behaved, only moving within their designated areas daily, usually not leaving their gates. Even when going to the market to purchase supplies, they marched in neat formations. Compared to the current bandit gang, it was a world of difference.
“Are all Zhu Hong Business Association soldiers like this?” Feng Jun found it hard to believe. It was known that the predecessor of the Zhu Hong Business Association was the Ming Army unit left in the missile base, always renowned for its strict discipline and strong combat effectiveness around Shangqing City. Their current appearance made Feng Jun suspect if he had encountered imposters.
Zhong Chen shook his head and said, “They used to be, I suppose. The Zhu Hong Business Association is famous for its strict military discipline requirements for soldiers. Their soldiers would never do such things. These people are most likely rebels from the Zhu Hong Business Association who have severed ties with the association and are now ruling here.”
Feng Jun smiled and said, “In that case, we have a tough battle to fight later.”
Since the Zhu Hong Business Association was not involved, Feng Jun naturally had no reason to be afraid. A group of defeated soldiers would be good for training his own troops. At this moment, the other party had finished collecting protection fees, a small pile of helium crystal, approximately three to four hundred helium crystal points. This was already quite difficult for this group of scavengers, as it was something they could only obtain by diligently hunting zombies every day.
These scavengers were now angry but dared not speak, the difference in equipment left them no room for resistance. They could only watch as this group of soldiers snatched their hard-earned helium crystal.
After collecting what they wanted, this group of soldiers left the scavenger camp. After all, the place was dirt poor, and pushing these people too hard would not yield good results, unless they were all captured and fitted with slave collars.
Seeing that this group of soldiers was about to leave, Feng Jun immediately had Zhong Chen send a few people to track them with UAVs. Since they were not good people, it was better to strike first to avoid them coming to cause trouble again later.
At this time, the scavengers had begun to reorganize their camp, flipping over overturned cars and re-erecting tilted tents. These people did not complain further, merely silently tidying their camp. They seemed to have become accustomed to such things, and they had also experienced worse. If they had encountered Mutants or Cannibals, it would have been even more dangerous. These weak survivors, when faced with power greater than their own, could only choose to swallow their anger. Sometimes, they even had to wag their tails like dogs to gain favor, and acts like offering their wives and daughters were commonplace, as long as their lives could be preserved, anything was acceptable.
Just as these scavengers were repairing their camp, Feng Jun led Zhong Chen towards their camp. Several scavengers immediately noticed Feng Jun approaching, and those tidying the camp instantly became alert. Some even wondered if Feng Jun was preparing to rob them again.
Feng Jun stood at the periphery of their camp and raised his hands to indicate that he was not carrying any weapons, but these scavengers remained very wary. Although they dared not point guns at Feng Jun, their expressions were a mix of anger and fear.
“Can anyone come out and talk to me? I have something I want to ask you,” Feng Jun said.
The scavengers first whispered among themselves, and then a man named De Chao stepped out. He stated that he was currently the leader of this group, walked to the outside of the camp, and began to converse with Feng Jun.
Feng Jun sized up the man in front of him and said, “Are you the leader of this scavenger camp?”
De Chao nodded and said, “I am. What do you want to talk to us about?”
Feng Jun pointed to the Yanqing Industrial Park not far away and said, “You often operate near the industrial park, right? I need you to provide me with precise information about this area: the number of zombies that the Blood Nest can produce daily, whether there are any powerful Mutants, and also information about those Zhu Hong Business Association soldiers from earlier. I need all of it.”
“Aren’t you familiar with them? If I tell you this, will you not bother us again?” De Chao did not answer Feng Jun’s question; instead, he asked Feng Jun a few questions.
Feng Jun felt like laughing; this person seemed to be a bit confused about the situation. He took out an egg-sized helium crystal from his pocket, waved it in front of the other party’s eyes, and said, “The energy value of this helium crystal is as high as 160 helium crystal points. As long as your answers satisfy me, it will be yours. Of course, if you have any ulterior motives that displease me, I don’t mind having my subordinates repeat what just happened.”
De Chao swallowed hard. The firelight behind him reflected on the dark green helium crystal, casting an alluring sheen. That was 160 helium crystal points. Even if he killed two hundred zombies, he might not be able to harvest that much. He was truly tempted.
“Ask away. As long as you don’t harm my companions, I’ll agree to anything you ask,” De Chao said after averting his gaze from the helium crystal.
Then Feng Jun began to inquire about the things he wanted to know, the situation of the entire park, and the origin of the Zhu Hong Business Association soldiers. The man named De Chao naturally revealed everything.
There are roughly forty to fifty thousand zombies in the entire industrial park, and the Blood Nest can produce about five hundred to one thousand zombies daily. This number cannot be fixed and depends on the Blood Nest’s reproduction rate. The zombies are generally low-level common zombies; even mutated zombies with mutated limbs are rare. However, the Blood Nest occasionally breeds a powerful Mutant, a humanoid zombie. It is about two meters tall, with a very robust upper body covered in a hard cuticle layer. Although its lower body is also relatively strong, it is far less so than its upper body. The helium crystal obtained after killing it can have an energy value of up to 180 helium crystal points, which is the limit of zombies they can fight against, as an energy value reaching 200 points or more is classified as a Mutant.
They call this Mutant a “Gorilla” because when it gets angry, it will run on all fours like a gorilla. Dealing with a Gorilla is also simple: just dig a trap in advance, find a way to provoke it, and then lure it into the trap.
Originally, this group of scavengers relied on killing low-level zombies in this industrial park to collect helium crystal. Although their lives were tough, they were manageable. However, their peaceful lives were suddenly disrupted by a group of soldiers before the New Year.