Chapter 241
Besides food and water, the four also collected some coins scattered in various shops... Jessica even found some Ursus pure gold in an empty gold shop.
The old and new Chelerv banknotes might not interest the soldiers, but gold might be an exception.
"These gold bars... you visited gold shop number 324..."
"No, these are our own."
"... The guys at the control tower saw you go in. We're here to stop you. Are you sure you want to argue with me about this?"
The crossbowman's resolute tone made Nana look innocent and somewhat bewildered. Although Nana had indeed noticed that she had been discovered, wasn't it a bit petty to send someone to block the door after discovering a squad of four women dressed as civilians?
Just as Nana was scanning the roughly eight-man crossbow sniper squad, seeing their lack of vigilance and contemplating whether to eliminate them, the soldier in front of her slung his weapon over his shoulder, took the gold bars from Jessica's Backpack, and said:
"Currently, precious metals in Chernobog are under control. Unless you can produce purchase receipts to prove it truly belongs to you, I will confiscate this Red Gold. It will be used as funding for our military and police to maintain operations. Thank you for risking your lives to recover it... In exchange, we can take you to the official Third-Ring East Shelter."
Looking at the silver-haired girl before him, still completely bewildered and utterly unaware that he had escaped with his life, the crossbow-wielding man pointed to the dark ruins in the distance:
"The shelling intensity has been increasing recently. Ordinary civilian safe houses can no longer withstand the attack. We've received many reports of deaths lately... Therefore, the captain has ordered second-line units like ours to withdraw from the front lines and prioritize evacuating civilians. You said your home is up ahead?"
"Ah... um..."
After giving the other party a vague location for Shelter Number One, the crossbowman nodded without further confirmation, as if taking people to the shelter was simply an activity where all they needed to do was provide the address: Three
"Alright, it's definitely within our squad's area... It's almost dark, and the snipers under curfew can't tell if you're civilians or enemies... Let's spend the night in a public shelter first. There's no rush to go home... And judging by your skills in navigating rubble, the captain might even assign you some retrieval missions."
"Recovery mission?" Qi
Led by the soldiers of Chernobog, the group found a slightly easier path and headed towards the 'public shelter'. Nana was still inquiring about information... The crossbowman in front of them made no attempt to hide anything, telling Nana everything she wanted to know.
"Hmm~ Recycling supplies, collecting shelter equipment... If it's something our camp needs, you'll get triple labor points, and those points can be exchanged for necessities... Of course, the camp is under military control... Even petite women like you don't need to worry about security."
"Oh... that's good. May I know which officer is making the decision?"
During the conversation, the group moved a metal plate and went underground. With the beam of flashlights and the sound of their labored footsteps, Nana heard that name again:
"Captain Loban, formerly the second commander of the Rapid Response Force, is now in charge of the eastern defense zone... The camp is currently being managed by Captain Loban's wife, a well-educated and reasonable lady; you can call her 'Ms. Dalia'... Perfect timing, we've arrived... Ms. Dalia, we've found four more reckless individuals wandering aimlessly in the war zone!"
As the group entered an area paved with iron plates, which might have been a water reservoir or underground warehouse, a gray-haired woman with a tired but seemingly doting expression appeared before them, accompanied by shouts from the lead crossbowman.
Nana knew she had seen her before just by looking at her... This Ms. Dalia was clearly the girl she had met a year ago, Zhuoya's mother.
She first tilted her head slightly to listen to the other crossbowman's whispered description, then looked with a hint of pity at the ripped Backpack and the dirty cans and water bottles exposed in Nana and the other three's hands, and sighed softly.
"You've all had a tough time... We're at war, and life isn't easy for anyone... But we have enough food and water. There are soldiers on night duty here, so you can rest here."
Although she didn't know what the other party had misunderstood, Nana still nodded politely, and then asked in a humble manner, as a former war refugee:
"Thank you very much... Also, I would like to know some information about the outside world..."
"No need to ask. I usually summarize these things from my husband every week and then share them with everyone. You can come to me to confirm anything you want to know..."
At this point, Nana's stomach rumbled softly, which elicited a polite smile from the woman in front of her with long gray hair cascading over her shoulders.
"Anyway, please come in, all four of you... Welcome to Zhuoya Shelter."
"Zhuoya... the refuge?"
"Yes, that's my daughter's name..."
At this point, a look of pain appeared on the gray-haired woman's tired face:
"She... and a friend, have been missing for two months."
PS: Waaaaaaah!
PS2: Add some battlefield anecdotes, and a bit of Doctor involvement for added flavor... and you can say goodbye to this hellish place, Ursus!
7th Chernobog's Blood Money: 269 Sincerely for You
The shelter, which was given the name 'Zhuoya', has only been established for half a month. Originally, it was just an ordinary platform belonging to the underground transportation system in the eastern part of Chernobog.
The outermost part is covered by ruins. In the middle, you need to pass through a dark section of road that is more than 800 meters long. The outer perimeter is a barricade made up of sandbags and construction debris. The crossbowmen of Chernobog are guarding this place and are divided into teams to guard both inside and outside.
The overall structure consists of the ruins entrance, the blackened railway, the barricades, the shelter gate, and the platform where the shelter is located. Using the original public facilities on the platform, Ms. Dalia showed Nana and the other three the still-usable public toilets and the water system that draws water from the industrial area.
"Currently, apart from electricity, we can only rely on small generators. The soldiers and police have temporarily built an underground area that can be used for civilian living using hand-cranked carts... The Zhuoya Shelter is the sixth shelter in the official sequence, and there are currently more than twenty similar subway hideouts in Chernobog, twelve of which are connected to us by the railway."
Watching Ms. Dalia, dressed in an Ursus elite military coat, enthusiastically mark the twelve interconnected shelters in Nana and the others' subway transportation manual, and instruct the four of them on the details to be careful about when contacting the Chernobog Military Police, Nana felt a kind of tenderness in Dalia, similar to that of Cole as a mother.
"... That's about all the things you need to be careful about. From now on, try to avoid ground operations as much as possible..."
"Is it the intensity of the war...? Have those rebels already infiltrated Chernobog?"
Upon hearing Nana's guess, Dalia sadly lowered her head and gave an affirmative answer:
"Although it's only a minority of cases at present, my husband said that there have indeed been incidents of 'civilians' attacking military and police recently... We don't have the manpower to determine whether those conflicts exist or what caused them, but in short, martial law on the ground is a done deal... From now on, whether it's day or night, the military and police on the outer defense line will launch an attack directly if they find anyone moving around in the city."
This is undoubtedly bad news. After all, the underground routes have become so complicated due to the artillery bombardment that it is uncertain whether they can even be traversed. If even the surface routes are cut off, it will be very difficult for the Trauma Team to move freely again.
As the silver-haired girl fell into deep thought, the only sounds in the corner of the shelter came from Ms. Dalia tending to the stove, adding fuel, and boiling water.
The oil lamps and candles, which were not very bright, were the main lighting tools in the underground shelter. A dozen or so oil lamps were either hung on the ceiling or placed on the table and the ground. Candles were lit at the doorway of the screen made of wood or other materials, as if they were signs indicating that there were people inside.
Deep in the distance, the sound of generators idling could be heard. Lines stretched from afar to the batteries in the center of the platform, connecting to junction boxes that formed a complex network that powered a specially isolated area... because telephone lines extended into the distance, undoubtedly the communications room where the shelters communicated with each other.
However, the electricity did not seem to be exclusively for military use. Looking along the power strip, on the other side of the platform, in the area guarded by two soldiers, there was a pegboard hanging on the wall. Apart from the power strip with its work lights on, several mobile phones and flashlights that were charging, there was a sign written in Ursus and Victoria on the wooden board next to it that read, "Two hours of charging per person per day."
When Nana came in, she saw an electric kettle on the table, but perhaps to avoid power consumption, most high-powered appliances were not plugged in. But this did not affect the preparation of dinner in the corner 'cafeteria'.
The ceiling fans used for ventilation in the subway were whirring, and the smell of food from the stove in the warehouse spread outwards along with the rising white smoke... It was unclear whether the damaged walls that had initially connected to the warehouse-like space were the entrance Nana and the others had entered through... However, it now seemed that the passageway was an emergency exit, similar to a back door. According to Ms. Dalia's explanation, the main entrance to the Zhuoya Shelter should be accessed through the Second Ring Subway passage, which was further away from the battlefield... But this was no longer Nana's concern.
Anyway, entrances, passages, and the like... are all factors that can change at any time due to shelling.
"Sorry for keeping such heavy talk, everyone please eat and wash up first..."
"They offer free dinner here?"
Franka's surprised words were met with a tap on the head from Liskarm. Fortunately, their 'playful banter' only elicited a smile from Dalia. The woman in military uniform, her long gray hair braided and draped over her shoulders, pointed to the soldiers pushing out the food carts. Her expression showed embarrassment, but even more so, pride.
"While we can't feed everyone completely, the Zhuoya Shelter currently provides two meals a day, one in the morning and one in the evening, totaling at least 2,000 calories... These meals are free for minors, while adults are obligated to follow the camp's orders and handle camp affairs... Of course, this is just daily life, not sending people to the front lines. Outsiders would only make things worse, that's what my husband told me."
"... If you eat food from the camp, you should help the camp in return. That's perfectly reasonable."
As Liskarm said this and casually slung his backpack over his shoulder, Nana saw several children coming out of the warehouse with the soldiers and the food truck... They were called children, but those little Ursus kids who were saying 'Hungry, hungry, food' were clearly not even six years old yet; if you had to call them 'toddlers', they would just fall into the category of 'preschoolers'.
The military police, still wearing their gray uniforms, seemed to have gotten used to moving forward with weights slung over their legs. The crowd, who had been lying there like the dead when Nana and her three companions entered, sprang up like zombies as soon as they heard that dinner was served, rushing toward the 'restaurant' as if their feet were on the wind... Under the silent gaze of the armed soldiers, they formed a line on their own.
Nana glanced at the few parents in the queue, each holding a lunchbox in one hand and their child in the other, then looked with a puzzled expression at the kindergarten children clinging to the soldiers:
"More than forty people... but those children... some are in the ranks, and some are being raised by you?"
"The children in the patrol team all live with their families... while the children over at the warehouse are children the patrol team picked up from the ground..."
The phrase "a child rescued from the bombardment zone" explained why Dalia looked at them so strangely. Nana understood and didn't press the matter further. After waiting in line for a while, Nana and the others received their dinner for the day.
The main dish was a black bread the size of Nana's head before it was cut. Even a small piece was heavy in the hand, suggesting it had been prepared and stored for a long time. The soldier acting as the cook used what appeared to be a medical chainsaw to cut it open... It was served with a bright red Ursus stew.
Just by smelling it, you could tell that this pot of food was a big mix of various canned ingredients. The base flavor was cheap canned tomato soup, and the oil on the surface tasted like beef and pork. The chef in charge of serving the food adhered to the rule of one spoon and one bowl per person, treating everyone equally... However, each person's soup bowl contained a handful of chopped dried mushrooms to enrich the texture.
The dinner at the shelter was far from amazing in terms of taste, and the texture was just a simple hodgepodge... However, after everyone finished eating, as long as they helped clean up the dining hall, they could get two vitamin pills each from the soldiers, which could be considered a kind of compensation for the lack of fresh vegetables.
Even after they finished eating, Nana and Ms. Dalia's conversation didn't end there.
While having others follow the crowd to refill the water bottles, and exchanging the collected supplies for points to establish initial goodwill with the camp, Nana asked:
"Now that the civil war has escalated to the point of infantry fighting within the city... are there no outside interventions to stop it, or any plans to remove civilians from the war zone?"
"Well... the Great Yan Lungmen did offer to provide Safe Corridor, but although His Majesty the Emperor agreed to the proposal, the rebels rejected it... Although they said they wouldn't let the opposition leave, they probably still want to capture people and take them to the mines... After all, this is how they've always made money using ordinary people's lives."
After all, the Nobles' Army runs the Ossa Mining Company... After silently cursing it in her heart, Nana fiddled with her fingers, making an uneasy expression:
"There's still a rebel fleet outside... does that mean there's no way to escape now?"
"... Similar topics have been discussed by local merchants at the municipal meeting, but the problem now is that the rebels' high-speed warships have essentially blocked all navigation routes around Chernobog... Unless the fleet fighting in the main northern battlefield moves south, it's virtually impossible for ordinary people to leave."
Looking at the silver-haired girl before her, who was neither panicked nor desperate, and whose composure was completely different from that of ordinary refugees, Dalia was curious about the girl's identity, but she still remembered why she had volunteered to run the shelter.
"Um... if it's alright, may I ask you about some things?"
"... Is it about that 'Zhuoya'?"
"Yes, may I ask where you are from?"
After hesitating for about two seconds, Nana finally chose to tell the truth:
"We're from the public high school area... looking for a few... close friends..."
Aren't they in this shelter?
Seeing Nana shake her head, her shoulder-length silver hair swaying with it, Ms. Dalia fiddled with the wedding ring on her ring finger and said with a hint of helplessness:
"What a pity... I hope your friend is still alive..."
"Thank you for your kind words. Besides, you probably want to ask about 'Zhuoya,' right...? She disappeared two months ago? And in this shelter?"
"No, she was originally taking refuge in the school dormitory as instructed by the government. We only found out she was missing after the school contacted me to inquire if she was with me... This is a photo of her. The white-haired child next to her is her friend who disappeared with her. Have you seen a child like that? She attends a public middle school..."
Was it because she had hoped too many times, or because she had been disappointed too many times? It was hard to tell whether Ms. Dalia's tone carried hope or overflowed with despair... Looking at the girls in the photos, who should have been so far removed from war, laughing and joking, Nana stared blankly for a moment, then finally chose to tell the truth:
"... Sorry, I've never seen her before... My teammates... my friends probably haven't either..."
"I understand, but..."
"I know, I'll keep this photo. I'll ask around to see if anyone else has seen this child."
Watching Nana carefully accept the photo, the gray-haired woman lowered her head and choked with emotion as she thanked her:
"Thank you, but my husband and I can't offer any reward right now... However, if anyone can find my daughter and bring her safely back to us, we will do our best to fulfill that request."
Unable to bear seeing Dalia's seemingly imminent breakdown, Nana reluctantly forced a professional smile and jokingly said:
"Then... end this war?"
"This is clearly beyond our capabilities... Of course, my husband is trying his best."
"If possible, I'd also like to open a Safe Corridor for ordinary people to leave this vortex... I wonder if the other side of the Contingency Contract would accept this kind of mission."
"... Contingency Contract...?"
Seeing Dalia's puzzled look, Nana tilted her head in confusion as well:
"Don't you know? That's an organization that will participate in any event that causes widespread death... although the last time they intervened in a war was back in the city-state era."
"Ah... um, I know... but this name isn't even in textbooks anymore, it's only mentioned in some unofficial historical records... it's like something out of a fairy tale to us."
This is when you can see the profound impact a tyrant can have on a country. However, Nana wasn't in the mood to get to know the former emperor right now; she simply continued, half-hinting and half-suggesting:
"Your husband is a military officer, right? Try contacting him and see if you can. Although the Contingency Contract is a casual alliance, if it's for the sake of more lives... then even if it doesn't reach the higher-ups, it's normal for the nearest contractor to respond directly."
"Could it really be true? Ignoring the terrible political climate in Ursus... disregarding the threat of rebel naval artillery, risking their own lives to help others... just to get more ordinary people off the battlefield...?"
"It exists."
Taking Dalia's guess at face value, Nana took out one of her Continental Hotel Coin from her pocket and pushed it in front of Dalia... Judging from the sudden tension on the woman's face, it was clear that the officer's wife was not completely ignorant of the underworld.
Mrs. Ursus, with her gray hair, looked at the silver-haired girl with extreme nervousness. Confirming that the three people who had come with her were still chatting and laughing at the water station, tidying up the tableware, Mrs. Dalia then covered the gold coins on the table, which reflected the light of the oil lamp.
"You... no, who exactly are you?"
"A poor soul trapped here, no need to remember him... So, let's make an exchange..." Phosphorus
"Exchange... you mean? You want me to go and talk to my husband... about contacting the Contingency Contract?"
Nodding, and amidst the other woman's utterly bewildered gaze, Nana revealed her plans as if performing a charity:
"I will help you find your daughter, and in return... I hope the military system can help facilitate outside intervention in this civil war... at least establish a Safe Corridor, even if it's only for a very short time. That would be a good opportunity for you, not only for me, but also for you to let go of your burdens."
"... But didn't you say you've never seen my daughter...?" Qi
Seeing Dalia's puzzled look, Nana nodded matter-of-factly. Then, the silver-haired girl slowly unzipped her coat, and the gleam of a silver pistol flashed by.
"But investigating missing persons... is also part of my main job... I imagine you've already searched all the official shelters... I can help you investigate unofficial areas, even gang-related ones and underground conflict zones..." (Umbrella)
"... You are truly selfless..."
"Why can't it be me who wants to save more people? Not just your daughter... If possible, I hope more people can escape this hell."
Seeing that Dalia still didn't quite believe it, Nana glanced around and, seeing that no one seemed to care, a fleeting mercury-like Halo appeared above her head.
"For that paradise on earth, for the sake of all people's suffering... Be our witness."
Despite spouting such nonsense, Nana managed to bring a glimmer of light back into the eyes of the woman before her.
PS: Waaaaaaah!