Commander Lawrence, Burning Fortress

Commander Lawrence, Burning Fortress

Huh...

A curious glint flashed through Yu Yuan's eyes.

Only then did he realize that the generator's setting could be adjusted, with three modes: power, standard, and leisure.

He immediately turned the dial.

Click...

The generator was switched to power mode.

"Holy..." Yu Yuan's eyes bulged at once, veins standing out on the arm gripping the handle.

He lifted his butt off the seat and stood up to pedal.

Good lord, the resistance was as exhilarating as cycling up a 35-degree slope. Sitting down while pedaling was simply impossible.

But the power-generation efficiency increased dramatically as well. The time needed to fully charge it became thirty minutes, cutting it in half.

However, Yu Yuan gave up after pedaling for less than a minute.

Without variable gears, generating electricity in power mode was impractical. Perhaps Yu Yuan would only use this setting in an emergency.

Leisure mode, on the other hand, was extremely easy and required almost no effort, but the charging time correspondingly doubled.

Overall, Yu Yuan was quite satisfied with the pedal generator.

And with the Level 1 [Generator] completed, other facilities requiring electricity were unlocked one after another.

However, he only had all the required materials for [Lighting Level 2—Energy-Saving Lamp].

He immediately chose to upgrade it. As the wires, switches, outlets, and energy-saving lamps disappeared, the ceiling of the hideout was covered by a green light screen.

While generating electricity, Yu Yuan checked the trade listings in Taotao Cave.

All the melee weapons he had listed earlier had been exchanged, and only one pair of tactical gloves remained. There were still two pairs of military boots, though.

It was probably a sizing issue, but Yu Yuan did not care. With ten thousand players and only a few boot sizes, someone would eventually need them.

East City District 1, East City Police Station.

"Quick, move the barricades! The enforcement team is back!" A tall, burly marauder saw the armored vehicles approaching in the distance and immediately ordered his men to clear the way.

Screech...

More than a dozen armored vehicles returning from Waterfront Street stopped in front of the police station.

Three enforcers got out first and looked toward the figure standing at the police station entrance. Behind them was a body bag carried by two people.

"Commander Lawrence!"

Carmen, Gero, and Soda saluted Lawrence as he approached.

Lawrence looked like a middle-aged man in his forties. He was not particularly tall or imposing; if anything, he was somewhat thin.

Yet the moment the three saw Lawrence, their nerves tightened, as though even their breathing had slowed.

Lawrence ignored them and walked over to the body bag.

Riiip...

The body bag was pulled open. Looking at the blood-smeared face inside, Lawrence's gaze was chillingly cold, devoid of the slightest warmth, like a bottomless black well.

He then turned his gaze toward the three of them, and beads of cold sweat appeared on all their foreheads.

Soda felt his throat tighten and could not help swallowing. He felt as though he had been targeted by a venomous snake, his blood nearly freezing solid.

Carmen and Gero did not even dare breathe loudly. They stood at attention, eyes fixed straight ahead.

At last, Lawrence's gaze settled on Soda.

"You're nervous?"

"N-No!" Soda immediately forced a somewhat stiff smile.

"Then tell me, how did Fries die?" His voice was like a venomous snake waiting to strike—cold and slick.

Soda immediately nodded, his body bending slightly. "Commander Lawrence, a-according to the analysis of the scene, Fries fell into the sewers when Marauder Prison launched its attack. He was then attacked by enemies hiding in the sewers. His right hand, left hand, and ankle were severed... The fatal wound was to the carotid artery..."

Before he could finish, he saw Commander Lawrence's calm eyes.

"Do you think... I can't see that myself? I'm asking you how Fries died."

"Th-This..." Soda swallowed, feeling as though the air itself had frozen solid.

Just as he was about to suffocate, Lawrence turned his gaze toward Carmen.

"You. Speak!"

Snap...

Carmen stood at attention, chest out and head raised. "Reporting to Commander Lawrence, Enforcer Fries was killed in a surprise attack by enemies who had hidden in the sewers beforehand. Based on the scene, we also found the bodies of several enforcement team members. We currently suspect that the murderer who attacked Enforcer Fries may have been someone Marauder Prison had stationed in the sewers in advance."

"Why do you say that?"

"Reporting, there is no concrete evidence. However, I heard that 'Black Lung' Victor urgently needs a healthy pair of lungs, while Marauder Prison controls Green Forest City's largest slave resources. We also found many traces of Molotov cocktail explosions at the scene, and Burning Fortress's resources happen to include fuel..."

Carmen did not finish speaking, but everyone present understood what he meant.

Lawrence looked thoughtful, patted Carmen on the shoulder, and turned to leave.

"I heard you captured someone from Marauder Prison. Send him to me."

"Yes!"

Only after Commander Lawrence's figure had completely disappeared did Carmen and the other two finally let out long breaths.

Soda in particular looked as though he had just been pulled from the water. He shot Carmen a fierce glare, shoved past him, and left.

Gero could only smile helplessly before leaving as well.

A marauder walked over, took out a lighter, and lit the cigarette at Carmen's lips.

"Boss, they've already sent that prisoner to the commander. But Marauder Prison's people are all lunatics. Can we really get them to talk?"

"Phew..." Carmen glanced at his subordinate.

"Just do your job. You dare question Commander Lawrence? Tired of living?"

"How would I dare..." The marauder glanced around before asking in a low voice, "Boss, was the one who attacked Enforcer Fries really from Marauder Prison? Yesterday at the Water Services Center..."

Before he could finish, Carmen glared him into silence.

"Shut up. Don't mention a single word about yesterday. If you don't want to die, don't meddle. If you do want to die, I'll gladly oblige!"

"I understand, Boss!" the marauder hurriedly said.

"Enough, Old Ghost. Watch things here. I'm going inside to take a look." As Carmen spoke, he handed the remaining half of his cigarette to the other man and headed toward the police station.

But halfway there, a raindrop landed on his face, and the wind carried a hint of chill.

He looked up.

Patter, patter, patter...

The rain grew denser, and the wind was noticeably strengthening. This would not be a light rain.

Listening to the noisy voices of the marauders behind him, Carmen quickened his pace. The corner of his mouth curled slightly as he murmured inwardly:

I never expected that guy to take out Fries. What a pleasant surprise! Maybe I can make use of him later—for example, against that idiot Soda...

But was he really from Marauder Prison? The weapon really was a Kukri Knife...