novelraw Chapter 169: Soilless Planting Rack, "The Alpha Wolf Calls to the Den"
Chapter 169: Soilless Planting Rack, "The Alpha Wolf Calls to the Den"
Boom, boom, boom—
"Call for support! Call for fucking support now!"
Jiaxus, his face smeared with blood and grime, screamed at the thugs behind him.
"Boss, the walkie-talkie... there's no response..."
Before the thug could finish his sentence, he was blasted away by an explosion. Jiaxus was also thrown back by the blast.
His last sight was of a man in the distance, nearly half of his body covered in metal, casting an indifferent glance his way.
His vision plunged into darkness. Complete death.
Soon, the sounds of combat on the street faded.
Another cyborg, also mechanically modified, leaped over in a few bounds to stand beside that man, shaking his head slightly.
"Target not found. Mission failed!"A Thug Prison raider standing beside them wore a look of stunned disbelief.
"Didn't find Carmen? That shouldn't be! We received intel that he, as the commander, had taken over the patrol and sentry-clearing missions..."
Before he could finish, he met the other's icy gaze.
"Are you questioning me? Why the target isn't in this convoy should be your problem, shouldn't it? Even the most basic intelligence can be wrong..."
"Alright, since the target isn't here and our action has alerted the enemy, let's return and report to Lord Blackfire first!"
His words were cut off by his companion, and he said no more.
The Black Shield Police Department soon received the news of Jiaxus's squad being completely wiped out.
Commander Lao Ke was so furious he smashed a door to pieces.
"Idiots... idiots..."
Listening to the rage erupting from upstairs, Er Xiao sidled up to Carmen, feeling a bit of relief.
"Boss, that Jiaxus kinda took a bullet for us! The Thug Prison is ruthless, using several sentry points as bait. Their target was almost certainly you!"
"If it weren't for Jiaxus, we'd have been in serious trouble this time. I can't help but feel that the Police Chief and the others assigning you the task of clearing Thug Prison sentry points during this period is a bit..." The implication in Er Xiao's words was clear.
Carmen, of course, was fully aware of this.
He pulled a cigarette from his pocket, and Er Xiao immediately produced a lighter.
As smoke billowed out,
Carmen said calmly, "If you want to climb the ladder, first you need to have the value for that position. That's our current value."
"As for Jiaxus's death, what does it have to do with us? Many people saw Jiaxus come knocking this morning, demanding to take on this clearance mission. He fought tooth and nail for it, couldn't be stopped!"
"Heh! Boss is wise!"
Carmen turned to look at Er Xiao.
"By the way, how's that information I asked you to dig up coming along?"
Hearing this, Er Xiao glanced around before leaning in closer. "I've got it figured out."
"The material reserves in our underground garage are enough to sustain everyone for two or three years, no problem. At least..."
"That much?" Carmen was surprised.
"I heard that right after the city riots started, the Police Chief took people and, under the pretext of suppressing the unrest, forcibly took over several reserve supply depots in the eastern city and the southern district. Not only are there massive food reserves, but also weapons, uniforms, equipment, everything you could need. That's the emergency supplies for two entire city districts!"
"Although some were looted during transport, the amount that made it through is still no small figure."
"It was by relying on these supplies that the Police Chief gradually gained control of the overall situation, step by step, to where we are today. The logistics department has always been under Commander Ika's charge."
"Boss, why the sudden interest in material reserves? Is something else going to happen?" Er Xiao was somewhat puzzled.
"Nothing, just want to have a clear picture." Carmen, however, felt a slight sense of relief.
"With these supplies, surviving that cold wave shouldn't be a problem. Good thing he told me this news in time..." Carmen understood that this cold wave was both a crisis and an opportunity.
Because of this cold wave's arrival, the offensive of the three allied factions would inevitably be affected, giving him ample opportunity to develop.
His influence within the Black Shield Police Department was still too weak. Taking advantage of the cold wave, he could solidify his position and prepare for the next step.
Just then, the walkie-talkie on Carmen's person crackled to life.
"Carmen, come to my office!" It was Commander Lao Ke's voice.
Exchanging a glance with Er Xiao, Carmen headed upstairs.
Er Xiao, with a cheeky grin, made his way towards the logistics department. Soon, he arrived at a room where a somewhat coquettish woman was organizing a pile of ledgers.
Seeing Er Xiao enter, the woman rolled her eyes in exasperation.
"What are you doing here again? Be careful, or Commander Ika will deal with you!"
"Sister Alena, hehe, I just have something good for you, thinking of you..." Er Xiao produced a ruby necklace that shimmered with a brilliant luster, instantly catching Alena's attention, her eyes lighting up slightly.
"You know what's good for you!"
——————
Yu Yuan looked at the [Spike Trap] in the passageway and nodded slightly.
"This spike trap is pretty good! Not only does it have a passive trigger mode, but it can also be actively controlled and activated..."
As Yu Yuan operated the Virtual Light Screen, dense spikes suddenly shot out from within the seemingly normal Air Raid Shelter Passage.
Seeing this, Yu Yuan's eye twitched.
"The concealment and suddenness are absolutely perfect! This trap can be expanded. Perfect timing to gather some materials when I go out later to complete the daily outdoor task."
After inspecting the spike trap, Yu Yuan returned to the shelter and went to the mealworm cultivation tank.
He took out a single, separately cultivated mealworm and slowly dripped a drop of [Hundred Flowers Nectar] onto it.
Watching the nectar being slowly absorbed and digested by the mealworm, he took out a ruler and measured its length.
—2.8cm
Yu Yuan nodded in satisfaction.
The effect of this Hundred Flowers Nectar was simply incredible.
This mealworm was only 2.1cm long yesterday. After being fed just one drop of Hundred Flowers Nectar, it grew 0.7cm in a single day.
"I wonder if, after consuming all this nectar, it can be cultivated into a special individual."
After seeing that Scent-Seeking Bee before, Yu Yuan had become interested in so-called special individuals.
And the only insect he could currently cultivate was the mealworm.
He just hoped this nectar wouldn't let him down!
Next, he checked on the hydroponic planting rack.
[Soilless Cultivation Level 1 – Soilless Planting Rack] (Ordinary)
Function: Seed germination rate +10%, Growth speed +10%
As a Level 1 facility for soilless cultivation, the [Hydroponic Planting Rack] was quite simple and straightforward.
It was a four-tiered metal frame measuring 1200mm × 600mm × 2100mm, equipped with planting trays, panels, planting sponges, a water pump, circulation pipes, a water tank, and full-spectrum lights.
Yu Yuan had completed the planting yesterday. This time, he had sown the rosemary seeds and carrot seeds previously obtained from the Resource Recycling Trash Can.
He was very much looking forward to these two ingredients, especially the rosemary.
Calculating the time, by the time the rosemary grows, it would be about the second phase of the Endless Cold Wave.
That's when the rosemary would come in handy.
Afterwards, he checked on the Nizi Water Arrow Turtle and the green hairy algae.
It had been a week since the Nizi Water Arrow Turtle habitat was built, but the Nizi Water Arrow Turtle eggs still showed no signs of movement.
He could only wait patiently.
The green hairy algae, however, was growing quite well, visibly larger by a noticeable amount. Although still not much, it greatly encouraged Yu Yuan.
"I still have to go out tonight to complete the three-hour outdoor task. Need to hurry up and improve my strength!"
With that, Yu Yuan went to the Magazine Display Stand, picked up that book on longswords, and prepared to read.
Just as he was about to head towards the Rest Area, a burst of static noise suddenly erupted within the shelter.
Crackle... crackle...
"A... Alpha... Alpha calling Wolf Den... calling Wolf Den..."