Chapter 898 - This Game Is Too Realistic

Chapter 898: The Big Fish of Evernight Port The unconscious guy was named Niles. In his house, the Sand Hawk found documents issued to non-natives by the Velanterians, with this name and a long string of surnames at the end. Whether it was his real name or an alias didn't matter much. It was just a code to him. All he needed to know was that the man tied to the chair was a member of the Enlightenment Society, and this dilapidated house hidden in Blackwater Alley was their base in Evernight Port. That was quite enough. As Niles came around from his unconscious state, he lifted his heavy eyelids to stare at the person rummaging through his house. In a hoarse voice, he asked: "...Who are you?" "The Sand Hawk." Taking a jar from the cabinet, the Sand Hawk peeked inside. Upon discovering several large-denomination dinars, his eyes lit up as he quickly poured them out and stuffed them into his pocket. Niles glared at the blatant thief, gritting his teeth and managing to spit out: "...What is that supposed to be?" "Think of it as a codename. I'm a resident of Shelter 404," the Sand Hawk casually replied. Hearing this, Niles narrowed his eyes slightly and sneered. "A resident of Shelter 404... Ha, you really have chased us far, extending your reach to the very southern edge of the great desert." The Sand Hawk chuckled lightly. "Can't be helped, our reach extends far. You'll have to bear with it." Niles: "..." Seeing his silence, the Sand Hawk continued, "And you guys? Still the same as before? Haven't even got your own settlement by now?" Niles let out a cold laugh. "We don't need such things." The Sand Hawk raised an eyebrow, intrigued. "Oh? What do you need then?" Niles: "You don't need to know." The Sand Hawk: "Tsk, you're really killing the conversation here." Sensing the man was trying to extract information from him, Niles shut his eyes and refused to speak. After a couple more unsuccessful probes, the Sand Hawk left him be and refocused on the cabinets before him. To his disappointment, after searching through every drawer and cabinet in the tiny house, he found nothing but the two hundred dinars. The place was so sparse it seemed like nothing more than a genuine slum shack, prompting the Sand Hawk to wonder if there were hidden passageways or secret doors concealed within. "...Speaking of, don't you have a memory extractor here?" the Sand Hawk asked, dusting off his hands. Niles snorted with a bit of disdain, "Those were contraband during the Prosperity Era. You think they are common goods lying around?" The Sand Hawk gave him a couple of extra glances. "So impressive?" "There are plenty of impressive things... Unfortunately, I'm just a guide, and even if I had one, why would I tell you?" Niles scoffed, realizing he might have disclosed too much, promptly clamping his mouth shut again. The Sand Hawk simply shrugged, unbothered. He could easily tell the man was a "guide" without him admitting it outright. What he was really keen to know were other matters. Such as the "Death Dose." And the researcher named Martin. "...I just think it would make communication a bit smoother. Unless you'd prefer I use more traditional means to loosen your tongue," the Sand Hawk suggested. Niles retorted mockingly, "If you have the ability, go right ahead." The Sand Hawk, wasting no words, pulled a thumb-sized glass vial from his pocket. Niles's eyes narrowed slightly, a hint of apprehension flickering in them. Seeing his anxiety, the Sand Hawk merely chuckled and reassured him, "Don't worry. I'm civilized. Though torture methods are a dime a dozen online, I won't resort to them unless absolutely necessary." Despite his earnest reassurance, Niles's expression remained unchanged, his throat bobbing as he swallowed nervously. "...What's that in your hand?" The Sand Hawk didn't explain, stepping directly towards him. One hand seized his panic-stricken head, while the other thumbed the cork off the bottle, shoving it up to his nostrils. "...A little something to help you have a nice dream. It'll show you what you desire most deep inside." "Wait, hold on—" A flicker of panic flashed in Niles's eyes, and he struggled violently, trying to evade. Yet in front of an Awakened Level 30+ individual, his flailing was barely amusing. Pouring a bit into both nostrils, the Sand Hawk clamped his mouth for a moment. Once sure he had ingested enough, he pocketed the empty bottle. This snake oil was something he had bought from the black market, and it came in handy quicker than expected. "This should keep him sleeping for five or six hours... Now, let's see what to do," the Sand Hawk pondered. While grappling with the dilemma, a soft knock suddenly came from the door. The knocking had a peculiar rhythm—three long knocks followed by two short, similar to a secret code. The Sand Hawk instantly perked up, quietly walking to the door with silent steps, his right hand reaching for the silenced pistol at his waist while gripping the doorknob. Meanwhile, on the other side, Andrew, wearing a raincoat, pressed his face against the door crack, speaking in a raspy voice. "...I think I've been compromised. A guy named Mors found me. He's the leader of the Hyena Gang, saw through my identity as an acolyte. I suspect we might have slipped up during a meet, and this area seems to be their turf." "Luckily, the bastard seems to have misunderstood something, thinking the Enlightenment Society is something else... something the garrison might have led him to believe." "I don't know what the other Velanterians are planning, but anyway, the guy's trouble. We need to shut him up before things get out of hand... preferably for good." After conveying his message, Andrew quietly awaited a response from the guide. Moments passed before a hoarse voice came from behind the door. "Come in and talk." Andrew paused, a hint of surprise crossing his face. He had always relayed messages at the door. Invitations inside from Niles were rare, usually reserved for secret gatherings. Uncertainty churned in his mind. Yet, before he could decide, the door—typically never opened—cracked open slightly. A black gun barrel pointed directly at his forehead, which involuntarily halted his breath. "You, you are..." What the? The Sand Hawk wasted no words, sneering as he grabbed the "cushion's" collar, yanking him inside. "Come on in." --- Wasteland OL Official Site. As most people were engrossed in discussing the ongoing battles in the Province of Boro, a post concerning Evernight Port suddenly grabbed the attention of the onlookers. The post was naturally from the indefatigable "Sand Hawk," and its headline was particularly eye-catching— "Breaking News! The Big Fish Found at Evernight Port!" The Sand Hawk: "...I discovered the Enlightenment Society's base in Blackwater Alley, Evernight Port! The head of this base is named Niles. His title or position is 'Guide,' equivalent to a mid-level cadre in the Enlightenment Society!" "This guy is tight-lipped, refusing to spill anything, so I fed him some snake oil. Planning to let him stew a couple of days to see what happens. Luckily, shortly after, a disciple coming for a meet-up walked right into the trap." "Based on the clues he provided, I found a removable tile beneath the empty water tank in the bathroom. Under that lay a ladder leading down to a basement. The basement contained an elevator descending five to six hundred meters underground!" "And the real shocker? Below this settlement is an ancient subway tunnel from the Human Federation era! Maybe it wasn't an actual subway, but something very similar." "I suspect the Enlightenment Society is using this tunnel to smuggle personnel and equipment into Evernight Port. So, I escorted the guy named Andrew deeper... Curiously, he was ridiculously spineless, sniveling for mercy. If not for his nose, I wouldn't have believed he was a Velanterian." "We encountered a few mutant scorpions on the way, but not too many—probably spread from the great desert. Once dealt with, we arrived at a relatively open area that seemed like a waiting hall." "According to that disciple, Enlightenment Society members in Evernight Port regularly hold gatherings here, the timing of which is determined by the Guide. The next meeting's date is currently undecided." "I contemplated spreading a fake message in Niles's name to round up the Enlightenment Society in Evernight Port. We might even locate that guy Martin... However, given the current tense situation and Niles being unconscious, it might need a more careful approach." "But setting that aside, there's an even bigger surprise—I found a trove of documents in the base. Included were personnel files, inventory lists, and some technical documents that I couldn't decipher." "As much as I'd like to post the document contents here, many terms are untranslatable without help, and the VM's offline language library offers no support. Typing it all would take ages. But from some keywords, like 'experiment' and 'virus,' it's likely related to the 'Death Dose.'" "Here’s a wild assumption: maybe realizing that rebooting the world through neutron annihilation wasn’t feasible, the Enlightenment Society shifted strategies to employ genetically modified viruses. Confusingly, this approach seems incredibly risky for them too." "Or perhaps they’ve made a revolutionary breakthrough in biology, equipping them with unknown technologies? I don't know, and that guy Andrew admitted his sole reason for joining was women and money." "A person like him should be easy to sway, so I took out his files from the archive, noted his home address in front of him, and let him go." "Notably, the reports I found in the archive repeatedly mentioned the keyword 'Apocalypse.' I tried searching through the terminal but found little of value." "I can only infer... 'Apocalypse' might be a high-ranking member within the Enlightenment Society. It seems the power of their leader, 'Void,' has been diminished for some reason, or maybe it's 'Void's' tacit consent that has allowed 'Apocalypse's' opinions to guide some grassroots operations." "I’ve copied the electronic documents from the terminal to my VM, ready to share anytime. But Evernight Port is on lockdown by Velanterian forces, making any escape challenging. I plan to stay and observe for a bit... perhaps I'll find a pathway leading outside through the collapsed tunnels." "This summarizes what I’ve discovered in Evernight Port. If anyone can give me a lift back to Galonport to report, I'd be extremely grateful!" Once the post was made, dozens of replies rapidly flooded in. Some urged for updates, others praised jokingly, and some furiously declared, “Holy shit!” Taran Raider: "Holy shit! Wait, you got the task too?!" Xiaochuan Junichiro: "Surprised? (smirk)" Medical Miracle: "No fair play there, guys!" Hot and Sour Fish: "MMP! Boss! Our task got snagged! (shocked)" Medical Miracle: "Boss, are you up for this?" Angry Fatty Liver: "Well, that was a waste." Taran Raider: "What the hell, are you mistaken about your targets? We're on the same team! (angry)" Xiaochuan Junichiro: "So, so real. (smirk)" Fang Chang: "Actually, you guys don't need to be so excited. Generally, as long as the task is completed, everyone involved gets rewarded, though the share varies based on contribution towards the task. (wink)" Commander Springwater: "+1, and your task isn't even done yet. This is just a phase result. Maybe consider forming a team? You seem to work great together. (smirk)" Taran Raider: "Work great my ass, I'm out there sweating and bleeding while he's sneaking around picking up loose ends." Sand Hawk: "Tsk, you're proud of sweating and bleeding? Did you enjoy being toyed with by NPCs? (eye roll)" Taran Raider: "MMP! Enough with this... Send me your base coordinates; Velanterians started searching the city. Need a place for the brothers to lie low." Sand Hawk: "DM'd you. I could use a shift relief. If possible, bring some snake oil; I need to pry open Niles's mouth." Taran Raider: "I'll see what I can do... Oh right, what about that Mors? Did you see him?" Sand Hawk: "He's dead." Sitting in front of the computer, Taran paused, his hands halting on the keyboard. Dead… Though expected, hearing about that guy’s demise left him feeling a bit empty inside. There are no living legends in Evernight Port. Maybe that guy, like Kunde, went off to some distant star as a governor... --- (Thank you "CaptPaterno" for the sponsor!!! Happy National Day to everyone! The cold is almost gone, and I got so caught up writing I forgot about Mid-Autumn. I wrote 8,000 words the day before, and today is just a transition chapter—I’m taking half a day off for some family time.) To be continued...