Walking along the road at the edge of the valley out of the hilly area is a undulating plain. The chaotic rocks and withered plants overlap each other, and the unmelted snow covers the corners of the shade. The entire plain is shrouded in the air of cold and bleakness. The withered yellow and dull cold ash is the most filled with colors.

Near the gentle slopes of the hills, there stands a row of low reinforced concrete buildings. In this era of scarcity of materials, they represent wealth and power. Only institutions that control a large amount of resources and have strong armed forces are qualified to own and preserve such a garrison.

On the map distributed by the Skeleton Knights, here is a base of d212 marked with letters and numbers.

Like the Crescent City, a barbed wire mesh is installed on the periphery of the base that can be connected at any time. The exit is made of thick sandbags to form fortifications. The guard tower of the masonry and stone mixing mechanism is equipped with heavy machine guns with thick pipe mouths. Fully armed sentries patrol behind the metal triangle barrier, watching vigilantly at any tiny movements around.

Under the guidance of Hugman, the off-road vehicle drove directly into the medical station located in the base logistics area. Several medical staff wearing round red crosses on their left arms walked out of the room quickly, carefully supported the injured soldier onto the stretcher bed, and quickly disappeared into the elevator leading to the underground.

"Let's go! Go and report the situation with me. If it goes well, it shouldn't take much time to get a commission."

Xuman, who had arranged the team members, patted Lin Xiang's shoulder friendly and strode towards a two-story gray building located in the center of the base.

Along the way, Lin Xiang made a rough assessment of the d212 base based on everything he saw.

This place is not big. Except for more than half of the area that is military-purpose facilities, the rest of the buildings have a strong commercial atmosphere. Hotels, bars, warehouses... Just about fifty meters away from the medical station, you can clearly see the significant signs of such civilian facilities.

In the northeast corner of the base, a large factory lies in the area. Several trucks of flour and vegetables are slowly driving into the heavy steel gate. If this is used as a basis for judgment, it should be a small food processing plant.

When entering from the gate, you can see a huge semicircular vaulted building in the military area to the south. A team of armed soldiers patrolled there. Two "Strick" armored vehicles with unloaded turrets were parked in the nearby open space. Several technicians wearing light gray uniforms but not equipped with any weapons stood around the vehicle... Obviously, this is a combat vehicle repair station. Perhaps, it also has the functions of repairing and manufacturing light weapons.

Based on the various situations observed so far, we can roughly calculate the total number of personnel in the entire base, which is about 300 to 350 people. Of course, all the secrets of the d212 base should not be limited to the ground. As for what is hidden in the underground part, we can only know the answer after further understanding.

Colonel Evans sat upright on a high-back chair behind his desk, with his waist straight, and even the most picky person could not find any flaws in his sitting position.

He was about forty years old, with a thin figure, but his overall structure was very tall. His tall nose divided his face into two equally strong half faces. His skin was dark and his half-gray-white beard was neatly combed. These fine and thorny hairs extended from both cheeks, and finally formed a tightly integrated whole on his broad chin.

From the moment he walked into this office, Lin Xiang's eyes locked on the skeleton colonel.

He is not a skeleton knight. The aura of a level 6 evolutionary person emitted from him has proved this.

According to the different identities of each person, the organization within the Knights is divided into three sequences.

The first category is the Skeleton Knights. They are the core of the entire institution and the most powerful existence. Only parasites who break through the nine-level evolution limit are qualified to become one of them.

The second category is the skeleton warriors. They are huge in number and their strength ranges from evolution level one to evolution level nine. Like the skeleton knights, they also use military ranks as the basis for their identities. There are many great figures who hold high positions in generals. However, even if they are promoted to marshals, they cannot violate the will of a skeleton knight lieutenant. However, the skeleton knights rarely interfere with the actions of the skeleton warriors. They often only need to propose the general direction of the plan, and the specific details and processes are improved and completed by warrior-level figures. Simply put, the status comparison between knights and warriors is similar to the nobles and civilians in feudal society. Even if the nobles give civilians enough respect, they will never actively overcome that invisible class obstacle.

The third category is Lin Xiang, a mercenary who passed the test. They are not many and have rich combat experience. Mercenaries belong to the periphery of the Knights and enjoy the same resource purchase benefits as low-level skeleton warriors. Most of the tasks they need to complete are special types that are diplomatic and are not convenient for the Knights themselves to come forward.

Skeleton warriors are the largest part of the Knights. They are the backbone of the entire institution, but they cannot play an absolute leading role. According to Lin Xiang's guess and contact, they should be the product of gene synthesis technology. Simply put, they are the replicants.

"What is the loss?" Seeing Lin Xiang and Hugman walk into the office, the gloomy colonel pointed to the two metal folding chairs in front of the desk.

Hugman was unmoved at all. He bit his lower lip tightly and stared at the colonel sitting opposite him with an almost fire-breathing gaze.

"I have sent a distress signal, why didn't reinforcements be sent?" Heaman asked gritted his teeth, suppressing the excitement and anger that rolled deep in his heart.

Colonel Evans looked at him coldly, without saying a word.

"Don't use fucking nonsense like not receiving signals to perfunctory me." Hughman almost roared: "I have been staying at this base since the beginning of construction. Not to mention ordinary radio wave interference, even in bad weather like storms, the base tower can also receive clear signals... We waited there for two hours, two full hours! Enewson was blown into pieces, Kruvey and Jem were shot directly, and Leclece and Mars... They could have not had to die, nor would they die at all."

"Enough-"

A violent flush suddenly surged on Colonel Evans's face. He was like a prisoner who had been imprisoned for a long time, and suddenly released anger without any warning: "Do you think I am willing to do this? I sent support troops as soon as possible, but they were forced to disband and return to the barracks without even getting out of the base gate. I jumped up and down like a madman, using all the threats and intimidation methods, and failed to make that person change his mind. He even turned off all the radio reception equipment on the tower and ordered the operator to allow the reboot twenty-four hours... From that time on, the only thing I could do was stay in this room and pray for you in the most pious way-"

The colonel's roar was as crazy as a lion. However, in the end, it was obviously a few helpless loneliness and desolation.

The pale-faced Heeman took a deep breath, and a trace of weak pale flashed across his face: "...he refused to send reinforcements?"

The colonel nodded silently.

"Why?" Hugman's tone was full of bitterness: "In the eyes of these guys, is it so worthless for us to copy human lives?"

Colonel Evans's eyes were filled with fierce wolf-like eyes, but the expression on his face was filled with endless decadence and sadness. He shook his hands, took out a box of cigarettes from his shirt pocket, and pulled out a trembling flame that wanted to light but the cigarette butt could not get close to the lighter. In the end, he completely gave up his futile efforts and used his rough big hands to knead the unburned cigarettes into a ball. Looking at the gray and yellow tobacco that fell on the ground one after another from his fingers, he sighed melancholy and helplessly.

"It's not a question of whether or not money or not. In their eyes, we... cannot be considered humans at all."

Accepting the employer's entrustment is the main source of money for mercenaries.

Whether it is the Knights of the Skeleton, or Sosbia, or other large institutions, they will release a long-term and effective time-limited mission, except for certain targeted situations with specific directions.

Collect cadavers or blood samples of all unknown or mutant organisms. The specific reward is given and the value evaluation is carried out based on the identification conclusions of the samples.

The purpose of collecting blood samples in Sosbia is to exchange interests with other institutions as special goods.

The "Doctors Joint Association" collects blood samples in order to develop and manufacture enhancement agents with better results.

As for the Knights of Skeleton... they have never disclosed information about this. They only offer public rewards for acquisitions in all cities and settlements at a high price. The amount is much higher than any institution.

This was Lin Xiang’s unexpected gain at the D212 base. When he came to the base logistics department with the certificate issued by Colonel Evans to receive the bounty obtained by the rescue team, he found these contents from the public information entries without any cost.

Out of gratitude, the colonel issued a bounty of up to 8,000 skeleton yuan in one lump sum within the scope permitted by his authority, and also upgraded Lin Xiang's mercenary qualification from level C to level B. The most direct manifestation of this improvement in interests is that the mercenary license holder himself can enjoy a 10% discount when purchasing materials.

Like all places, the affiliated bars of the d212 base are also filled with the atmosphere of decadence, despair and desire.

The light in the bar that can accommodate hundreds of people is very dim. With the help of hormones, alcohol and tobacco roughly drive away the fresh and elegant air, releasing an extremely strong temptation, filling every corner of the bar.

More than a dozen women in exposed clothes wandered back and forth in the bar. Sometimes they leaned against the bar, using their gorgeous lips and high-pin shoes to sniff the man's attention. Sometimes they jumped onto the small stage in the center of the bar, twisted their bodies desperately against the steel pipe, and made various seductive poses that made the man's blood rush. Occasionally, a savage man with a sense of stimulation rushed forward, threw down a stack of banknotes, and carried them high on their shoulders like goods. Following countless whistles and envious eyes, they couldn't wait to rush into the bathroom or the small bedroom upstairs, the atmosphere in the bar would reach its climax.

If it weren't for the strong invitation of Hugman and several team members, Lin Xiang wouldn't have stepped into such a place at all.

He does not reject bars, but he cannot say he likes them. He always believes that whether it is the old era of destruction or the new era of scarce resources, the meaning of bars is just to empty all the money in men's pockets.

Hugman was obviously a regular here. He took Lin Xiang to a round table in the central area with familiarity, sat down, raised his hands and pinched his fingers hard at the bartender at the bar, shouting loudly in a tone full of show off and exaggerated voice: "Come two bottles of the best whiskey--"

Many people's eyes were attracted to this direction. The focus of their eyes quickly focused on Lin Xiang, a stranger. These also included many dancers with graceful figures and good looks.

A tall dancer with naked wheat skin, wearing only a white bust and a thin thong, came over. She deliberately stood tall and exaggerated breasts, rubbed Lin Xiang's arm with her round and slightly raised buttocks. Amid the dense whistles and laughter of the onlookers, she raised her slender thighs and made a kiss at Lin Xiang. Then she walked to the side of several female companions in front of the bar, threw her obviously seduced eyes, and did not hide her naked seduction.

Men like beauties, and women also like handsome men.

Lin Xiang shook his head with a wry smile.

"It seems that you are more popular than me."

Hugman's words were full of joking jealousy and envy. He picked up the cup in front of him, held it high in front of Lin Xiang, and said in the most sincere tone: "Thank you for saving us--"

Although he rarely drinks, Lin Xiang has no choice but to refuse. He grabbed the glass and drank the liquid inside. The burning feeling as hot as fire spread from his throat to his stomach.

Like the wines of the old era, the extremely high whiskey is so strong that it makes people crazy.

Wine is the best conversation aid. Even a person who is taciturn will immediately become the most impulsive speaker after drinking two glasses of wine.

Hugman is no exception. While the spirits anesthetize his brain consciousness, they also stimulate his language organs. He talks endlessly about various daily trivial matters, curses the high-ranking big men, and occasionally greets a few beautiful dancers, touching and pinching the other party's tender and smooth waist and buttocks without restraint. Only in this time can he find his true self.

Lin Xiang took a sip of the light yellow wine, and seemed to randomly lead the topic to the direction he was paying attention to.

"There is one thing that I have never understood. Whether in Emma or Crescent City, people with yellow skin are rarely seen like me. The world seems to be left with only whites and blacks, and even mobs in the wilderness are no exception. What about the rest? Have they been eaten up by those terrible mutant creatures as snacks?"

Hugman poured a glass of wine and said satisfied: "Your imagination is very rich. But you didn't guess the answer correctly. In fact, there are at least two reasons for the small number of yellow people."

"oh?"

"I'll ask you a question first. Do you have parents?" Heeman did not directly answer Lin Xiang's doubts, but instead raised another question that seemed to have no connection.

Lin Xiang nodded and added: "They passed away when I was very young."

"You're so lucky-"

Hugman licked his lips and sighed in a bitter tone: "I don't even know who my parents are."

As he said that, he stood up, pointed at the other soldiers at the same table, and everyone in the bar, and said sarcastically: "Not only me, everyone here does not know their parents. We are test tube people, the product of excitement and desire, and the most successful work of asexual reproduction technology."

Hugman narrowed his eyes, pulled out a cigarette box on the table and lit it, spraying slowly rising smoke rings towards the dim ceiling, muttering dreamily.

"My childhood was white. Walls, windows, tables, chairs, food... Just like my skin, everything was white. We lived in those white buildings, and people in white clothes taught us all the necessary knowledge... They were like us, copying people. The only difference was probably that they came to this world earlier than us."

"The ship brought us to this place. The daily tasks are so monotonous, except for fighting, just rest. There is no shortage of supply and sufficient supply. Newcomers are always replenishing the shortage of soldiers who died in battle. They don't even need to recover the bodies of the dead. Perhaps in the eyes of those managers, we are actually a bunch of active carbohydrates and protein combinations. As long as there is enough food and resources, we can be made at any time."

"When it comes to yellow people, I have never seen any form of yellow-skinned replicas. Of course, this is just my own guess."

Speaking of this, Hugman deliberately lowered his voice: "In fact, there has been a legend among those veterans."

"Legend?" Lin Xiang's eyes were flashing with strange brilliance.

Hugman nodded: "According to the first veterans to come to this mainland, many people with yellow skin like you actually went to another place."

“Where did they go?”
Chapter completed!