Beginning with the Ubume Bird Chapter 287

Chapter 287: Chapter 13 Great Demon Lake

“I'll probably be gone for a few days, and if I die, just consider it bad luck. Anyway, in these times, everywhere's the same–a forward base of Kuang Zhuoma is much better than the wilderness.”

Li Yan buried his head in the cool water to give himself a jolt, then added, “If anyone harasses you, you can go find Wei Dan, that woman with the buzzcut, don't worry, she's not a lesbian.”

Afafu handed Li Yan a warm, damp towel, and asked, “Yesterday… you were out for so long without coming back, where did you rest?”

“Upstairs, drinking.”

“But I heard them say that you left with that woman named Wei Dan.”

Li Yan paused, “So what?”

Afafu, twining her wrists, said, “Nothing, it's just that I was worried you didn't get good rest. I drank a bit too much last night, and if I behaved inappropriately, making you uncomfortable, I'm sorry.”

“I'm fine.”

Li Yan glanced at the baby on the bed, who was yawning listlessly and occasionally smacking his lips.

Seeing Li Yan looking at him, his face suddenly bloomed into a smile and he started blowing bubbles with his mouth toward Li Yan.

“I keep forgetting to ask, what's the child's name?”

“His nickname is Luo Bu, meaning 'precious treasure,' but his dad hasn't given him a formal name yet.”

“Luo Bu.”

Li Yan muttered it a couple of times, then said to Afafu, “I quite like this kid. If you don't mind, how about letting him recognize me as his godfather?”

It was just an offhand suggestion. After last night, there was a certain awkwardness when Li Yan and Afafu met again, and he was just making conversation.

Afafu gently picked up the child; Luo Bu giggled, making Afafu relax as well, “He seems quite happy with the idea.”

“Then it's settled.”

Li Yan teased little Luo Bu with a carrot. Unexpectedly, the clawsome little Luo Bu snatched the carrot and held it tight in his arms, his small eyes staring eagerly at Li Yan, making Li Yan laugh involuntarily.

Just as Yin Xiong had said, at nine in the morning, the convoy from Kuang Zhuoma Headquarters arrived as scheduled.

Eight old military pickups rumbled towards the building; each truck sported a logo of a rose and a revolver, similar to the one on the nameplate at the entrance of the building.

Leading the way was a silver-gray tracked armored vehicle, standing out conspicuously.

There were about eighty people in the convoy, all dressed in bulky radiation suits, cradling modern automatic rifles, their movements swift and agile. A quick scan by Li Yan and he could tell that even the weakest among them was a second-tier Wanderer, with as many as twenty third-tier Wandering Deities. Such a force was more than enough to wipe out a large refugee settlement or an arms company holding a few water sources and mineral veins. It was evident that Kuang Zhuoma placed great importance on this operation.

“I'll remind you one more time, after we reach our destination, make sure you know the range on the map. You just need to clear out all the living dead in your assigned area, then you can return to the truck and wait for us to come back. Don't cause trouble, and there's no need for you to meddle in other matters,” said Yin Xiong before boarding the vehicle.

Li Yan didn't say much else but acknowledged the instructions and climbed into the back of a pickup.

The truck bed wasn't crowded, leaving plenty of space; compared to Kuang Zhuoma's core troops, this mixed mercenary squad was far less disciplined.

There were groups playing poker, some puffing away in the corner, and of course, many were checking their guns or feigning sleep to conserve energy.

It's worth mentioning that these hired outsiders were all of the third-tier Soldier class.

Apart from the “Wandering Deity,” there was another user of the third-tier Genetic Potion produced by Pompeii Armaments, named “Steel Skull,” which, as the name implies, suggests these people possess undeniable strength and defensive capabilities.

After Li Yan got on the vehicle, the others glanced at him but didn't notice anything particularly attention-grabbing, so they lowered their heads.

Apart from a few muscular men whose muscles twitched like scurrying mice and stood out on the entire carriage, one had to count an old man at the very end smoking a cigarette.

He had bandages around his neck, a faint stench of rot on him, signaling that he was carrying very severe mutative tissues. And it was such a “mule” of an old man who was shouldering a heavy and aggressive weapon, one which Li Yan had just seen the day before.

The Black Yak RS107!

A heavy anti-material sniper rifle capable of blasting apart tanks!

Li Yan rested his head against the side of the vehicle, casually glanced at the smoking old man a few times, then closed his eyes and pretended to sleep. The old pickup swayed his body back and forth, heading towards the Great Demon Lake under the UV rays of daylight.

Great Demon Lake, known as Serling Tsom by locals, means “Devil Lake where glory shines again.”

The Age of Winter arrived, and in this turbulent and cruel era, intense radiation caused terrible mutations of everything. Various horrifying creatures swarmed in, settling with ease in this despairing world, further compressing the meager living space left for humanity. And it wasn't just the natural world's flora and fauna, even individuals among humans began to mutate in various ways under the harsh environment.

These mutations served as the blueprint for the first generation of Genetically Modified Agents.

The times still marched forward; despite the pressures of endless wars and the ruthless environment, humanity still managed to stand firm through the Winter.

Yet, there were still places that even Tanya Mining and Black Star war vehicles dared not touch–dark zones that might harbor unknown radiated creatures or intense viruses kept secret before the onset of Winter. In short, the theme of the Age of Winter was survival, not some damn expedition. Those who sought to uncover the secrets of this exceedingly vicious age ended up swallowed whole, leaving not even scraps of bone behind.

And Great Demon Lake was undoubtedly one such place.

An area that was originally desolate had been transformed into a large military base on the eve of Winter and was ultimately bombarded repeatedly by nuclear warheads of six million tons TNT each. It is said that even today, as Winter has set in, the terrifying radiation at its center could melt a person alive.

Kuang Zhuoma was willing to take such a big risk to clear out Great Demon Lake, naturally because they had received some reliable insider information. Of course, this had nothing to do with Li Yan.

“I have finished advising all of you. Tactical maps and radiation suits have been distributed. Of course, if you think they're not useful, you can opt not to wear them. Kuang Zhuoma simply hopes everyone completes the tasks they are responsible for.”

Yin Xiong surveyed the loosely disciplined group of mercenary Hunters, climbed into the armored command vehicle, and led the main force deep into the hinterlands.

“Why doesn't this man have any record of previous commissions he's undertaken?”

Just as he got into the vehicle, a handsome young man pointed to Li Yan's file and asked.

“It's a decision from above, I'm not clear on the details,” said Yin Xiong without hesitation.

“There are rumors that he is a refugee from the Black Star battle vehicles, is that true or false?”

“You know what's in your own heart, why ask me?” Yin Xiong replied.

After speaking, Yin Xiong closed his eyes to rest.

The young man smiled bitterly, “I really don't have any idea. How did a third-tier Wandering Deity and Psychic Mover take down two of their same tier soldiers within twenty breaths?”

Yin Xiong was slightly impatient now, “If I wanted to, I could take down a regular Wandering Deity and a Frankenstein in Salamander State in ten breaths. Besides, he's a soldier from the Black Star vehicles, there's nothing surprising about that.”

Discerning the protective tone in Yin Xiong's words, the young man said slowly, “Yin Xiong, I know you have a soft spot for Black Star vehicles, but are you so certain this man is from them? Afafu had a nameplate to prove her identity, what does he have?”

Chapter end