Apocalyptic Wasteland Simulator

Chapter 196 - 191 Touching the Enemy’s Base
Could I have developed a problem from holding it in for too long? I’m only twenty years old!A thought drifted through Chen Pingchuan’s mind. Youthful desires are always difficult to control; only the elderly are free from want.

Chen Pingchuan gave a slight nod, his expression remaining perfectly placid as he calmly uttered, ”I understand.”

His voice was steady, as if what he had just learned was not some embarrassing or surprising matter, but merely a mundane trifle. However, the fingers of his hand hanging at his side curled slightly, an unconscious twitch that betrayed the faint ripple of unease within him.

”So… Big Brother, should we keep chasing them?” Liu Haofeng asked, scratching his head with a hint of uncertainty in his eyes.

”Chase! Why wouldn’t we?” Chen Pingchuan’s gaze was firm and his tone was resolute. ”Remember what I told you. Uproot evil completely, and leave no chance for the enemy to fight back. If we don’t kick them while they’re down, are you going to wait for them to find an opportunity to come back and bite you?”

”Oh!” Liu Haofeng responded.

Suddenly, Gelieza, who had been sitting silently in the passenger seat, seemed to be struck by a flash of inspiration. His eyes lit up, and he instantly came to life. He straightened his back, a sincere yet slightly exaggerated look plastered on his face, and began to loudly sing praises.

”The boss is right! Not a single one of those bastards in the Black Skull is a good person. If we don’t put them in their place today, they’ll just keep pestering us like bedbugs. Even though squashing them is as easy as killing a bug for the boss, they’re more annoying than they are dangerous. It’s best to get rid of them for good.”

”The boss is truly the boss, so farsighted,” Gelieza chimed in. Then, with fervent eyes, he pounded his chest and declared, ”And not only do I know the location of the Black Skull Shelter, I even know about a secret passage that bypasses the guards. We can strike right at their heart and kill their leader first. I, Erzhuang, am willing to be the vanguard! I know that as long as I follow the boss, a bright future is guaranteed. I, Erzhuang, swear here and now to follow the boss for life!”

Gelieza seized the opportunity to declare, without reservation, his intention to follow Chen Pingchuan.

Liu Haofeng’s eyes shot wide open. He turned to look at Gelieza, who had always presented himself as a simple and honest man. I can’t believe a simple-looking guy like you is an even bigger bootlicker than me. Looks like my position as the number two underling is on the line.

Hearing Gelieza’s words, Chen Pingchuan’s mind raced as he tried to figure out the man’s true motives. He had previously used his ”Titanium Dog Eyes” appraisal skill to investigate Erzhuang and had already confirmed that ”Erzhuang” was a false name. At that time, Gelieza’s status was listed as ’on a mission’. Based on his behavior over the past few hours, combined with that deeply meaningful declaration just now, Chen Pingchuan was now certain that he himself was Gelieza’s real target.

He silently tried to calculate the difference in their combat strength. Disregarding the random nature of the ”Sleight of Hand” skill, with my current abilities, I probably can’t beat him. Although my physical stats have improved significantly and my overall strength has grown tremendously since we first met, completely dominating an opponent two major levels above me is still too much of a stretch. I need to get my battle armor back, but unfortunately, the road ahead is completely blocked by the Black Demon tide. That means any detour or attempt to turn back will require careful planning.

Chen Pingchuan considered the situation. Since Gelieza hasn’t revealed his true identity yet, it means there’s still room to maneuver and negotiate. But if I refuse his offer, it might push him to do something desperate.

With that thought, Chen Pingchuan decided to bide his time. He nodded slightly and said in a low voice, ”Alright. Then let’s head to the Black Skull Shelter first.”

By the time the three of them reached the outskirts of the Black Skull Shelter, the sky had already darkened. The place, despite being called a ”shelter,” was actually similar to the Doomsday Bunker that Guo Yihang had meticulously built for Chen Pingchuan in the factory. In fact, one could say it was even worse. The Black Skull Shelter was smaller, though it had many buildings inside. The entire compound was simply enclosed by a barbed-wire fence, giving it an extremely shabby and rudimentary appearance.

”Boss, this way!”

Chen Pingchuan and Liu Haofeng kept their eyes locked on Gelieza’s large, sturdy back and hurried to keep up.

”Boss, I’m confused. Why don’t we just storm in and crush them head-on?” Liu Haofeng asked, completely baffled. He found Chen Pingchuan’s decision hard to comprehend.

Judging by the battle that afternoon, Liu Haofeng believed that with the three of them—no, with just the abilities of Big Brother and Brother Erzhuang, storming the Black Skull’s nest would be a piece of cake. They could stomp on that so-called Black Skull Leader’s head and yell in his face, ”Admit you were wrong! Do you submit?” Now *that* would be impressive!

Liu Haofeng was now showing an increasing tendency toward delusion, a far cry from the cautious and meticulous scion of a villainous noble family he once was.

However, in the face of Liu Haofeng’s question, Chen Pingchuan remained silent.

The ”Sleight of Hand” skill can only be used once a day, and the item it steals is random. I can’t easily reveal such a fatal limitation. Furthermore, I need to deliberately reduce how often I use this skill in the future. The more I use it, the more likely its hidden flaws will be exposed. A skill with no discernible pattern that can only be used once a day… if someone with malicious intent noticed this flaw, it would be extremely troublesome for me.

And this so-called person with malicious intent was none other than Gelieza.

”Big brother, where to first?” Compared to Liu Haofeng’s somewhat impulsive nature, Gelieza’s style was far more calm and collected.

As he led the way, he lowered his voice and began to give a detailed description of the purpose of each building in the Black Skull Shelter. There was a prison specifically for female slaves, a torture chamber for punishing prisoners, barracks where the soldiers rested, the residence of the Black Skull Leader, Jiang Fulong, and a resource warehouse that stored all sorts of supplies.

When the word ”warehouse” reached Chen Pingchuan’s ears, his previously calm eyes suddenly lit up, sparkling like stars.

”We’re going to the resource warehouse first,” Chen Pingchuan decided instantly.

Having already tasted the sweet rewards of plunder in the mine, I certainly won’t pass up another perfect opportunity to raid and loot.