Chapter 323
Chapter 323 Rich and Generous
From what Xia Xinyan currently understands, the majority of forces in the Dark Zone are still in the phase of stabilizing their strongholds, and the overall exploration and development of the Dark Zone is just getting started.
Naturally, large-scale clean-up operations and battles in the Dark Zone likely haven’t happened many times—though they are bound to occur sooner or later… However, taking the initiative to attack versus being passively countered is a completely different experience.
Tiger Hall was quite unfortunate to have had an early exposure to this.
When the distress signal was received, Xia Xinyan and Ling Mo were enjoying barbecued meat with the胖子 (Fatty) and the others at their stronghold in the Dark Zone.
It’s worth mentioning that this Dark Zone world isn’t completely destroyed; aside from the possibility that humans are utterly extinct, there are still numerous other living beings remaining—such as plants and various animals.
The undead state can infect animals too, but it doesn’t work like in zombie movies where just one bite leads to assimilation; rather, a fatal attack must occur for the body to fully transform, and this also depends on chance. From Xia Xinyan’s experience in her previous life, the odds of a corpse transforming into a zombie are only about fifty-fifty. Exactly how this mechanism works is beyond her understanding.
In other words, the Dark Zone world has any animal that can be seen in reality, some alive and some in zombie form—so theoretically, the food in this world could support human survival.
However, the meat they were eating didn’t come from this world, but was bought instead.
Except for a few fish that the胖子 had just caught from a nearby river.
They hadn’t even been grilled yet.
He looked at those hard-earned fish with frustration, gritted his teeth, and slammed his thigh, standing up: “No more eating! Let’s go! Time is life, our allies are in trouble; how can we sit here and enjoy our meal?!”
As he spoke, he turned and walked toward the square: “Wait for me, I’ll go organize the rescue team—keep an eye on the fish, don’t burn them!”
Ling Mo raised an eyebrow and quietly quipped in a tone only Xia Xinyan could hear: “I’ve always admired his ability to spout nonsense with a serious face.”
Xia Xinyan shot him a sideways glance and smiled slightly: “But it cannot be denied that a leader indeed needs the ability to talk nonsense without blushing.”
“Not necessarily,” Ling Mo faced her, “Does Xinyan like that ability?”
Xia Xinyan paused and shook her head: “I don’t like it.”
Because she had been tricked by someone with a personality much like the胖子 before.
The difference was that the胖子 actually had a talent for blabbering, while the one who tricked her did not.
“Then I won’t learn it,” Ling Mo naturally wrapped his arm around Xia Xinyan’s waist and whispered, “Don’t worry, becoming a competent leader doesn’t necessarily require that kind of nonsense-speaking skill.”
He intended to make the Chicks (organization) Xia Xinyan’s greatest reliance, rather than running to Summer Jincang for every unsolvable issue.
Xia Xinyan pursed her lips and remained silent for a moment.
Then she spoke: “Mo Mo, the fish is burned.”
“……”
In the end, the胖子 still didn’t get to eat that fish.
He temporarily selected a group of strong individuals from the stronghold to form this rescue team, exactly twenty members, each with good combat capabilities.
Originally, the胖子 intended to join the fight himself, but Ling Mo stopped him: “The stronghold needs someone to hold the fort; Tang Tang isn’t fully familiar with the Chicks’ defense system yet, you’d better stay here to keep watch—let’s not return to find our stronghold raided.”
The胖子 paused: “…Are you sure?”
“Let me show you,” Ling Mo said, turning to the strongest guy on the far left of the rescue team, “What are your abilities?”
“Report!” The guy seriously saluted, “My name is Lu Renjia, and my ability is physical enhancement, with a special boost to my left arm, I can punch through a tank!”
“Very good! Very spirited!” Ling Mo nodded, then snapped his fingers, causing countless white lines to swirl around the guy and finally coalesce into a battle armor similar to what Ling Mo uses, “This armor will provide you with extra high-level protection, plus an additional boost to your left arm’s strength. Don’t worry, it won’t affect your movements.”
As he was one of the Chicks, the guy had seen Ling Mo fight in armor before, so now seeing him get an armor made for himself, he was visibly thrilled, his voice quivering: “Y-yes… Thank you, boss! Thank you, boss! I’ll fight hard and won’t let you down!”
“…That’s a bit excessive. If danger arises, personal safety is priority. Your life is your own; if you fail, you can always start over, but if you lose your life, that’s everything gone. Understand?” Ling Mo scanned everyone in the circle.
The group immediately responded excitedly, “Understood!”
“Very good,” Ling Mo nodded slightly and looked at the next person, “Your abilities?”
“Report! My name is Xing Renyi! My ability is weapon enhancement! Just hand me any weapon and I can empower it to over double its strength!”
“Good,” Ling Mo snapped his fingers again and manifested a set of armor for him, “This armor, besides defensive capabilities, has over twenty hidden weapons—both ranged and melee. You can check it through the armor’s smart core, it connects to your brain waves, no-brainer operation, customized to your liking.”
The guy seemed to have established a connection with the armor, feeling like he just added a new game system, and this first-time novelty left him so excited he could hardly control his expression: “Understood!! I will do my very best to complete the mission!! For the boss!!”
Ling Mo nodded again and turned to the next: “Your abilities?”
……
By the end, he had equipped each of the twenty members with a set of armor suited to their abilities, conservatively boosting their strength by 50%. This lavish display left the胖子 dumbfounded—this was the first time he truly recognized Ling Mo’s incredible attributes.
“You guys are already elite combat troops of the Chicks; now that you have this armor, there’s no need for modesty—even at the God of War Cup, you will absolutely have a place,” Ling Mo calmly scanned the excited faces of the twenty guys and continued, “This battle is also our Chicks’ first confrontation with the Dark Zone forces. To gain recognition from others, we must first show our strength. This fight must be fought beautifully! Understand?!”
“Understood!!” The response was loud and thunderous.
“Very good!” Ling Mo snapped his fingers again and manifested a transport helicopter beside them, “Let’s roll.”
As he watched the twenty guys rush towards the helicopter, all fired up and itching to get into action, the胖子 still felt like it was surreal: “…Wow, you can raise morale like this too?”
Xia Xinyan also looked a bit dazed.
It seemed she… began to understand Ling Mo’s intentions.
Using his power to create an ultimate combat team?
This guy was simply more reckless than she had ever seen in her previous life.
