novelraw Chapter 336: The Neanderthal Camp
Chapter 336: The Neanderthal Camp
"My Lord — is the front line situation really that dire? I expected at least a squad of elites to be sent."
Li Wei asked while continuing to dismantle traps.
"It's not that serious, actually. The Neanderthal savages are just taking advantage of the routine rotation of military and civil officials in Weir Province — they always pull something during transitions. Nothing new. As for why only I was sent — it's actually for your benefit. You need to understand what NG means. It's not a punishment from headquarters. It's this world's maximum level of alert — representing the highest degree of rule violation."
"Which is to say: the Frost Duke, who holds the highest legal authority in your world, brought the Barbarians in himself. Otherwise, people like me could never be dispatched here."
"So the more reinforcements you request, the more the Frost Duke's hatred toward you increases — and the Radiation Storm's intensity might escalate to maximum as a side effect. It's complicated. The formulas alone would fill pages — magic core entropy increase and decrease, magical particle entanglement, and so on."
"Bottom line: I'm the only reinforcement you get."
Li Wei understood about half of it and stopped asking. At that moment, a flash of fire appeared ahead — and a fireball the size of a human head launched into the air and came crashing toward them. The guardian Neanderthal was indeed a Caster.
Li Wei was about to step back and dodge when the warrior rushed forward, produced a tower shield from somewhere, and faced the fireball head-on — and deflected it back.
What kind of technique was that?
"Move faster, rookie. I can't hold this forever."Explosions erupted everywhere. Traps triggered in rapid succession.
Projectiles, ballista bolts, and arrows flew in all directions. Li Wei's heart was in his throat — but he had no choice but to push through.
The warrior was genuinely extraordinary. He could deflect fireballs. The flying bolts, arrows, and poison needles were swept aside by his cavalry lance in a continuous, flowing motion — completely clean.
His combat power far exceeded the second Neanderthal Li Wei had killed that morning.
With the warrior's support, and with Li Wei having been through this area once before — knowing exactly where every trap was and what level it was — the dismantling speed was like a gust of wind.
Zero mistakes.
The warrior couldn't help but laugh out loud. He felt like he'd gotten a tremendous bargain.
In under ten minutes, the two of them had cleared the trap perimeter and charged into the Neanderthal camp.
But the Neanderthal Casting Shaman inside was equally decisive. There was no sign of any intention to fight to the death — he simply severed his own life force cleanly. But the look in his eyes at the moment of death was something Li Wei wouldn't forget: as if he were memorizing Li Wei's face so thoroughly that he could recognize him even as ash in the next life.
"Don't be surprised. That old thing was probably carrying some kind of special identifier — it minimizes drop losses. By the usual rules, the Universal Gold Card is yours, the purple card is mine. Search the camp. The rewards should be good."
"Also — if those two Neanderthals don't return within an hour, erase your tracks and get out. Without me here, you have no chance of surviving two Cross-Border Neanderthals who are already on high alert. Speaking of which — you're a Night Ranger. You go out alone with no warrior companions? The younger generation gets bolder every year. By the time you learn your lesson, it'll be too late to regret it."
The warrior took the purple card, turned around, walked back out of the camp the way they had come, climbed a nearby hill, and sat down as if admiring the scenery.
That relaxed, unbothered manner — no wonder. With enough strength, you really could do whatever you wanted.
At that moment, as Li Wei picked up the Universal Gold Card, a long-absent territory-wide announcement appeared.
[Pioneer #11, Li Wei, successfully killed two Barbarian spies and successfully occupied a Level 4 Barbarian wilderness camp.]
[In recognition of his contributions, the Governor of Weir Province, the Weir Duke, will specially award him one One-Star Magic Ore Vein, constructible at a location of his choosing.]
[He found 15,000 Barbarian gold coins in the Barbarian camp.]
[His actions have enraged the Frost Duke. He and his territory will face concentrated attacks from the Frost Duke in the coming months.]
—
The Weir Duke had personally named him?
Li Wei suddenly realized — he might have just found a powerful backer. He was no longer just a Ministry of Internal Affairs pioneering player. An additional Magic Ore Vein meant Riverside Fortress no longer had to be abandoned.
Not bad. Worth the risk.
He didn't let himself daydream. He immediately exchanged the Five-Star Universal Gold Card for a Silver Clearance Token, then began searching the Neanderthal camp.
This unassuming valley camp was a Level 4 Wilderness Camp?
Remarkable. What kind of development tree had these Neanderthals unlocked?
Li Wei thought about it as he carefully explored deeper. Sure enough, there was more here than met the eye. Under the large, heavily concealed shelter at the center was an enormous excavated underground cave.
He climbed down and found it brightly lit — several magical stones emitting steady light, similar to the luminite on Weir City's streets, nearly as bright as a 100-watt bulb. He packed all of them.
The cave was spacious — roughly 800 square meters, four meters high, supported by thick wooden beams to prevent collapse.
Inside were clearly defined zones: rest area, meeting area, dining area, and a breeding area.
No traps here. Plenty of grey, unappetizing food — he packed it all anyway. Might be useful as a snack for Adai.
As for the breeding area — he took one look and retreated immediately. The Neanderthals were raising large, fat maggots.
In the rest area, he found a strange book bound in animal hide. He flipped through it — completely illegible.
He took it anyway. Someone who could read it would find it useful.
Climbing back out, Li Wei immediately began dismantling the surrounding traps. These were valuable — many of the Two-Star and Three-Star traps were made from enchanted hardened steel and enchanted ironwood. Excellent materials to bring back.
Most of the Two-Star traps could also be redeployed.
Did these Neanderthals have their own mines? Even their traps were this lavish.
Then again — if they were Cross-Border Neanderthal players, it made sense. When he eventually went on Cross-Border Missions himself, he'd certainly bring his best equipment too.
[Your understanding of mechanical traps has reached an even higher level. You have gained 3,000 hunting experience. With sufficient materials, you can now deploy Three-Star traps by hand. Hunter Destiny Grid +2. Current value: 60.]
[Friendly reminder: When your Woodcutter Destiny Grid reaches 60, your Perception attribute will automatically increase by +1.]
[Congratulations — you have obtained the Destiny Title: Trap Master.]
[Note: You have cumulatively discovered 3,953 traps and dismantled 1,538, including 15 Three-Star traps and 459 Two-Star traps. You have personally deployed 22 Two-Star traps. Your expertise in this area has reached master level.]
[While this title is equipped, the world will confess its secrets to you — no shadowy corner can hide from you, and all conventional traps appear transparent and simple to your eyes. You have nimble hands and sharp eyes. Trap deployment speed +50%. Trap dismantling speed +50%. You also have a foundational understanding of unconventional mechanical traps. Lockpicking success rate +50%.]
[Friendly reminder: Destiny Title + Ordinary Title + one (Stubborn Stone/Bronze/Black Iron/Silver) Clearance Token + one (One-Star/Two-Star/Three-Star/Four-Star) Profession Card can be combined to forge a Code Name. Once a Code Name is forged, a Code Name exclusive mission is triggered. You may complete it at your leisure in compatible events. Example: Executioner Destiny Title + Ordinary Title + Black Iron Token + Profession Card + Fortress Commander + a grueling fortress defense battle = Fortress Defender Code Name.]
[Note: The higher the Destiny Title level, the higher the Ordinary Title level, and the higher the token quality, the more difficult the Code Name exclusive mission will be.]
—
"Hey! Rookie — if not now, when?"
The warrior's voice carried from a distance.
An hour had passed. The warrior had one hour remaining in this world. He would stay to cover Li Wei's retreat — but Li Wei had to leave now.
There was no way to know when the remaining two Neanderthals would return. And if reinforcements arrived — three, four, five of them — things would get very bad.
Li Wei knew this. Without hesitation, he withdrew, leaving the remaining traps behind.
He waved to the warrior from a distance, called Adai, and retreated at speed. No point in hiding his tracks — this was clearly his work. Once the Neanderthal elites returned, he'd face a serious attack regardless.
But fighting Neanderthals in the open wilderness versus inside a fortress were two completely different things.
Back in the fortress, he feared nothing.
He moved fast. After covering over twenty kilometers, he glanced back — the Neanderthal camp was already engulfed in massive flames, accompanied by strange magical fluctuations.
Li Wei wasn't surprised. That wasn't battle fire. That was evidence destruction.
Some things were better left unspoken once understood.
The Weir Duke had apparently made some kind of error — serious enough that the great Six-Star Lord, the King of Locke, had personally intervened. The best response was to patch the gap.
Li Wei had discovered a Level 4 Barbarian Wilderness Camp. On the surface it looked like nothing — just a simple cave. But a simple cave wouldn't require a Neanderthal Casting Shaman stronger than Liang Yuzhi to guard it around the clock, or nearly four thousand traps around the perimeter.
He understood enough. No need to dig deeper. The warrior would handle the remaining Neanderthals. Things would return to normal.
—
By the time Li Wei reached Riverside Fortress again, it was dark. Adai flew ahead to announce his arrival. Li Wei climbed to the bastion's third floor under the aim of dozens of siege crossbows, gave the passphrase through the hidden door, and Thomas let him back in.
"Rotate the watch. Don't let your guard down — but don't be too tense either. Normal operations."
With that, Li Wei went to his private room to take stock of his gains.
This time the haul was extraordinary.
1,000 Campaign Points redeemable at the Locke Royal Capital Quartermaster. One Weir Duke's Honor Medal. Three Silver Clearance Tokens. One Destiny Title. Two purple drop cards. Two Two-Star Resource Cards from the Weir Duke. 1,020 usable One-Star traps. 350 usable Two-Star traps. 5 usable Three-Star traps. 15,000 Barbarian gold coins. One One-Star Magic Ore Vein. And Hunter Destiny Grid now at 60.
The two purple cards were still unopened.
He thought for a moment, then opened the Weir Duke's Two-Star Resource Cards first.
The first was full. The second was empty.
But the Duke wasn't being stingy — he was being thoughtful. A Two-Star Resource Card had 300 storage uses, very convenient in combat. Having one empty card was genuinely useful.
Inside the full card: 500 kilograms of One-Star wheat seeds, 500 kilograms of One-Star corn seeds, 500 kilograms of One-Star rice seeds — exactly what Li Wei needed for the farming ahead. Plus 1,000 One-Star Profession Cards — all ordinary types, perfect for upgrading Freemen.
And three blueprints.
The first: an Enchanted Catapult — usable for both siege and defense. Specific power unknown.
The second: a Magical Component Blueprint — completely beyond his current understanding.
The third: a Magic Crest Blueprint. Wait — what did that mean?
Li Wei stared at it for a long time. He had a guess but wasn't certain. He stored all three blueprints in the Resource Card and sent them back with Adai for Second Aunt to study.
The Weir Duke's support was genuinely substantial.
He opened the first purple drop card.
[You have opened a Five-Star Cross-Border Barbarian Elite's purple drop card. You have obtained 20,000 Barbarian gold coins!]
[You have obtained one Four-Star Cavalry Card, with Cavalry Destiny Grid 30.]
[You have obtained one Five-Star Hunter Card, with Hunter Destiny Grid 30.]
[You have obtained one Four-Star Woodcutter Card, with Woodcutter Destiny Grid 25.]
[You have obtained one Five-Star Enchanted Cavalry Shield.]
[You have obtained one Five-Star Enchanted Two-Handed Long Blade.]
[You have obtained one Three-Star Pet Card containing one Three-Star Warhorse.]
[You have obtained one unactivated Three-Star Magical Trap.]
—
Remarkable.
This was the first Neanderthal hunter Li Wei had killed with his three-hit combination — the one who had barely had a chance to fight back before being eliminated. Looking at this equipment, his combat power wasn't much below the second one's. He just hadn't gotten the chance to show it.
And he had dropped three Profession Cards. Ha.
Li Wei was in a good mood. He opened the second purple drop card.
[You have opened a purple drop card. You have obtained 15,000 Barbarian gold coins!]
[You have obtained one Rare Druid Transformation Card.]
[You have obtained one Four-Star Cavalry Card, with Cavalry Destiny Grid 30.]
[You have obtained one Five-Star Enchanted Cavalry Shield.]
[You have obtained one Five-Star Enchanted Lance.]
[You have obtained one Four-Star Pet Card containing one Four-Star Warhorse.]
[You have obtained one Four-Star Enchanted Strong Bow.]
[You have obtained three Enchanted Four-Star Sniper Armor-Piercing Arrows.]
[You have obtained one Five-Star Item Card — Concealing the Sky with One Hand Card.]