Chapter 126: Sanctuary Hills
Chapter 126: Sanctuary Hills
As expected of the pre-war Federation's groundbreaking invention, the Power Armor and Gatling Gun quickly dispatched the leading Raiders, causing the rest of the motley crew to scatter like rats.
However, the intense gunfire also drew an unwelcome visitor—a Deathclaw, towering over three meters and nearly four, was drawn to the commotion. It burst from the end of the street and swatted one of the Raiders several meters away with a single claw. Liam saw the Raider's upper body deform on impact, and he lay motionless on the road, clearly dead.
"Damn", Liam hissed, realizing the Deathclaw was far more formidable than he had imagined. Fortunately, he wasn't alone this time.
As if on cue, the Knight, clad in Power Armor, leaped from the rooftop. Liam watched in shock as the Knight, driven by a fierce sense of duty, chose to leave the safety of the rooftop to confront the Deathclaw on the ground.
With no other choice, Liam cast a Descent Spell on himself and followed the Knight down. Upon landing on the street, he noticed the Deathclaw was now completely focused on the Knight. Seizing the opportunity, Liam used his Grapple Hook to climb up to the second-story wall and aimed a Stunning Spell at the Deathclaw.
It was clear the Deathclaw had low magic resistance. If Liam had used a damaging spell, the Deathclaw might have been able to withstand it with its robust Life force. But against a soul-targeting spell, it had little defense.
The red light of the Stunning Spell hit the Deathclaw, and its movements immediately halted. The Knight, a seasoned warrior, seized the moment and fired a series of shots at the Deathclaw's vital points.
The pain from the attacks jolted the Deathclaw back to its senses, and it swiped the Power Armor-clad Knight aside with a powerful claw, letting out a deafening roar. Liam cast another Stunning Spell, but this time, in its heightened state, the Deathclaw was immune to the spell.
No wonder the Deathclaw was at the top of the wasteland food chain. It possessed a powerful body and soul, combining formidable strength with a relatively high level of intelligence. Although it couldn't actively use its soul abilities in this non-magical world, once provoked, its innate soul power easily resisted some soul-targeting magic.
However, magic wasn't entirely ineffective. Liam observed that each time the Stunning Spell hit the Deathclaw, it would momentarily pause. This indicated that the Deathclaw was relying on its powerful soul to endure the magic, not completely resisting it as Liam had feared.
The battle turned into a prolonged struggle. Liam used his Grapple Hook to move swiftly along the walls, continually casting spells to harass the Deathclaw. The Knight took advantage of the openings Liam created to deliver relentless shots at the Deathclaw's vital points.
After about seven or eight minutes, the Deathclaw finally fell. The Knight approached and removed one of its claws, the hardest part of its body, which could be used to craft some excellent melee weapons.
Meanwhile, Liam used a Portal to transport the entire Deathclaw to the Plants vs. Zombies world, along with the bodies of the dead Raiders.
He hoped they would quickly develop plants adapted to this environment; otherwise, many of his plans would be impossible to execute. As he silently prayed, Liam entered the museum and called out the survivors.
After that, the survivors decided to head to Sanctuary Hills to establish a new home. By the time they set out together, it was already dark, but fortunately, most of the monsters had been cleared by Liam and his team. The few stragglers that remained were no match for this fully equipped squad, armed with Raider gear.
More than half an hour later, they finally arrived at Sanctuary Hills. In the real world, the journey was much longer than in the game, but fortunately, nothing went wrong along the way. Upon reaching their destination, everyone was surprised to find that Sanctuary Hills was nothing like the abandoned and dilapidated settlement they had imagined.
There were no broken-down houses, rusted cars, or fallen trees. In the span of an afternoon, dozens of robots had cleaned up the debris completely.
In addition to this, the robots had assembled the Core Energy Tower from the parts they had brought over and set up a water pipe leading to the river. They also used the gathered materials to build several wooden houses as temporary shelters near the Power Tower. Finally, they constructed a crude two-meter-high wall around the perimeter using the wood and cement blocks left over from the cleared debris.
The only issue was that the Power Tower was currently cold. Due to an unexpected problem with the Plants, they had no energy source to power it up.
Liam checked and found that the High-Pressure Steam Tank they had prepared was almost empty. This meant they needed to find a way to get the energy system running as soon as possible, as relying on support from other worlds was not a sustainable solution.
After inspecting everything he had brought, Liam made his way to the Power Tower. Most people, exhausted from the long and stressful day, had found a bed to sleep in, and the camp was dark. Only one wooden house still had a light shining through its windows.
Liam walked to the door of the lit house and knocked. The door opened, and Preston stood there, having answered it. Knight and Nora were seated at a table inside, with three cups of water on it. It seemed they had been discussing something.
"Am I interrupting anything?" Liam asked.
"No, we were just discussing the Militia. If you're willing, we'd like you to join our discussion", Preston said.
"Sure, what are you discussing specifically?"
Preston explained to Liam that he was likely the only surviving Militia member in the Federation, as the others were out of contact. He hoped to find enough people to help with some tasks.
"I initially wanted to ask Knight for help, but he made it clear that they are busy searching for their son and may not have the time to assist the Militia. And Nora has no combat skills", Preston said with a shrug of resignation.
"You should understand a parent's love for their child", Liam said, trying to comfort Preston. However, he noticed Preston staring at him intently.
"Is there something strange about me?" Liam asked curiously.
"Can you help us?" Preston asked, his tone slightly excited.
"Me? I'm just a kid", Liam said, pointing to his nose in surprise. "Besides, I have a lot on my plate and might not have the time to help you."
"It's fine, we just need someone willing. We're not babies and don't need constant care. As for age, no one in the wasteland cares about that. They only care about your abilities."
Since the conversation had reached this point, Liam realized that finding an ally in this post-apocalyptic world, especially one with similar values like the Militia, would be a good thing. So, he agreed to Preston's request.
With Preston's heartfelt thanks, Liam left the house. After patrolling the perimeter and chatting with Sturgis, who was on night watch, he returned to his assigned house and climbed into bed, spending his first night in the wasteland.
(End of Chapter)
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