I Demand an Explanation

About one hundred kilometers north of the Waste Mine Society, one effectively enters the territory of the High Wall Ruins.

That place was once a core city before the Age of Catastrophe, but it has since become a ruin. Waste Energy Storms, mutant monsters, Greenskins... regardless of the environment or the things surviving within, it poses a massive threat to humanity.

However, the sprawling city ruins also bury the wealth of the pre-war era.

Trash Town is located right next to the High Wall Ruins.

Initially, scavengers established this settlement as a supply point and trading post for expeditions and excavations into the High Wall Ruins.

Later, it continued to develop, eventually forming a town of considerable scale.

There is no central government or ruler in Trash Town; instead, merchants known as 'Agents' control the situation, forming a social structure of Agents—Caravans—Adventurers and Mercenaries—Scavengers. Armed adventurers conquer and guard resource sites, scavengers enter to excavate resources, caravans purchase and sell those resources, and Agents sit behind the scenes, controlling everything and monopolizing the business.

The trash scavenged by the scavengers is processed into various raw materials, primarily metal, which is also the main output of Trash Town.

Another major output is energy.

Here, one must mention the 'Waste Energy Storm', the most terrifying disaster on Nuxiao Planet.

So-called Waste Energy Storms are the massive scars left behind during the war. Within the sweeping winds, high-density waste energy is stirred up—the residual energy influence left after a psychic explosion. In its conventional state, this energy cannot be utilized; instead, it causes lethal destruction to the human body, machinery, and electronic equipment.

Humans cannot survive in such an environment, and even the mutant monsters spawned by this waste energy dare not move about in the core of the storm when it is at its most violent.

The High Wall Ruins are one of the areas where Waste Energy Storms are most frequent and intense.

But after the storms, some legacies are always left behind. The violent waste energy combines with certain minerals, occasionally producing something known as 'Thermal Ash Stone'. This stuff is not the same as high-density energy crystals, but it can generate sustained high temperatures once ignited.

That can be used to generate electricity.

Raw materials and Thermal Ash Stone—these are the two major outputs of Trash Town.

Gu Hang still remembers that the Waste Mine Society used to sell its ore output primarily to Trash Town. They had wanted to sell to the closer Revival City, but Revival City did not want raw ore. The only place nearby with the capacity for raw material primary processing was Trash Town. The low prices offered were one of the important reasons why the Waste Mine Society could not feed itself in the past.

Past matters aside, what Gu Hang cares about is that the Waste Mine Society has connections with Trash Town.

Gu Hang made up his mind to have Patel contact Trash Town upon his return.

For his direct territory to continue developing, it cannot do without sufficient raw materials and energy support.

As for trade goods, he had already thought of them.

Food.

Trash Town does not produce food; they usually import it from Revival City.

What Gu Hang wants to build is a system where the Waste Mine Society produces Alloy Plasteel and potentially other industrial goods in the future, which are then transported to Revival City for sale; food is purchased from Revival City and sold to Trash Town; and raw materials are purchased from Trash Town to expand production.

A perfect cycle!

The one hundred tons of food he requested from Revival City this time will serve its purpose.

In addition to supporting the Governor's Camp, he plans to sell a batch to Trash Town.

This shipment of supplies will arrive in eight days, and Gu Hang is waiting patiently.

During these eight days, two pieces of news arrived—one good and one bad.

The good news is that the monthly fixed favor income has risen rapidly following the large-scale production of Alloy Plasteel in the Waste Mine Society.

Current Favor Points: 1

Monthly Fixed Income: 12

Governor's Camp: 8/Terra Month

Waste Mine Society: 4/Terra Month

It doubled!

Neither of the two territories had increased their population. The main change during this period was the improvement in productivity for Alloy Plasteel. The Waste Mine Society rising from 1 to 4 should be a reflection of that productivity.

The improvement in the Governor's Camp should also be a reflection of increased productivity. The difference is that the Waste Mine Society relied on the two smelting furnaces installed and erected, while the Governor's Camp relied on two Black Box Fabricators. Although the output of Alloy Plasteel is not as high as that of the Waste Mine Society, the quality is much higher, and two smelting furnaces were also produced.

In short, expanding production is definitely a good thing. Not to mention the things produced, the growth of the monthly fixed income within the system is equally valuable.

Gu Hang hopes to raise the monthly fixed income as much as possible before the favor points are distributed this month.

He can find ways to get some population, open up trade routes, expand production... these past few days, aside from inspecting the soldiers' training, he has been considering these plans.

However, on the seventh day, he received a piece of bad news:

"The shipment was hijacked?"

Gu Hang's face was gloomy as he interrogated the man before him.

The man complained bitterly: "Yes, we set out from Revival City with thirty carts of supplies. We planned to rest a bit before continuing when we were almost there. Everyone was sitting on the ground singing, and then hundreds of raiders jumped out and robbed us!"

Why didn't they have a hotpot while they were at it?

Gu Hang sneered and said: "Not a single item of cargo left, and not a single casualty among the people? Are the raiders in the wasteland so merciful now?"

"It wasn't without casualties! Governor, look at my nose! A rifle butt smashed down, and the bridge of my nose is broken!"

The man kept talking, but seeing the Governor's expression growing worse, his voice became smaller and smaller. He began to feel a sense of majestic oppression filling his heart, as if a mountain were about to crush him.

He spoke again with difficulty: "We surrendered. The people who robbed us didn't seem like ordinary bandits or wasteland raiders. I recognized two of the people among them; they seemed to be mercenaries hanging around the outskirts of Revival City. At first, we were very scared, but after we surrendered, they didn't kill any of us; they just took the ox carts away."

At this point, he paused, then continued, "I suspect that someone saw the supplies we were transporting when we set out. Those mercenaries, blinded by greed, didn't dare to make a move near Revival City, so they followed us the whole way..."

Gu Hang interrupted him, "You're saying you were robbed fifteen kilometers away from my camp?"

"Yes."

"You were few in number, didn't carry enough guns, surrendered after they surrounded you, and then the raiders didn't kill you, just took the cargo?"

"Yes."

"Fine." Gu Hang couldn't be bothered to say anything more to this man.

He left the prefab building where the disheveled members of the transport team were being temporarily housed and called Yan Fangxu over, ordering him to take the twenty-plus marines in the camp along with the newly trained Waste Mine Company to set out, first to investigate the scene of the incident and then to do his best to track down the raiders.

As for himself, he returned to his room and had his attendant, Zhang Chao, connect him to the communication line of Hodgson, the Chairman of the Revival City Council.

"My cargo was hijacked, and I want an explanation from you."