Chapter 677
Chapter 677 - 657: The Beginning of Chaos
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9 min read
When the Earth faced a crisis, would the whole world unite and abandon selfishness?
If the crisis were imminent, perhaps, it might be possible. But if the crisis merely existed in the "future" or "theoretical" realm, then nothing would be different from the past.
The loose mechanism of the Western Continent ensured that their "explorers" didn’t have to be accountable to their own races and nations. So naturally, they would do whatever it took to make money as quickly as possible....
"We hope for unity, peace, and development, but sometimes... most of the time, only when your fist is harder than theirs will they genuinely negotiate with you."
The news of a group of Aus people becoming enemies quickly spread throughout all camps, becoming the most critical piece of intelligence.
"Not all Aus people or whites are our enemies, but when those bastards have their knives out and kill our people, there is no second option... All Eastern Country-affiliated organizations and individuals, if you see them, kill them without mercy."
This era is not a peaceful one, and this world is not that of a technologically advanced civilization. The existence of "pollution" has made it inevitable for each country to face an "overly loose" reality.
Even in Lu Ping’an’s original world, where the East was a centralized republic, in this world, it was a state alliance where each state had considerable autonomy and even increasingly more freedom.
But at this point, the Eastern Country used the "Explorer" system for integration!
Organizing tickets and ships made it so everyone had to obey arrangements, and the huge new cake was enough to at least consolidate the hungry wolf pack below temporarily.
In contrast, the West had people with connections and money starting Otherworldly explorations several decades ago, even though there was once a consensus on Earth that "reckless ventures out would bring more risks and pollution."
As time went on, the "Doomsday" prophecy became increasingly ignored, and the gains from the Exotic Realm further stimulated more companies and organizations’ exploration desires.
Like the "Red Sand Thief" Lu Ping’an saw before, they had been in the Exotic Realm for several decades, and all their gains belonged to themselves. They probably no longer considered themselves human any more... if the end of the Earth ever came, they would just move to another world.
On their side, more and more channels for otherworldly exploration emerged in the past decade, and the government and officials had long stopped intervening and managing them.
In fact, their leaders and politicians were the ones who had been feasting the most.
Launching a global plan and fully opening up for regulation would seriously damage their businesses.
"Both sides are out to eat meat, and no one is more advanced than the other. But at this stage, we are still an integrated organization. Everyone has at least nominal superiors, and entering the Otherworld requires official ship tickets and permits. Whoever commits a crime will be exposed, and there will be various rectification mechanisms for constant investigation..."
The seemingly unremarkable "ship tickets" and "explorer" entry and exit approval actually strictly advised the behavior of the first batch of explorers. Most of the time, the first batch of explorers tended to be under the "Order-group" affiliated to the official, and it was for the sake of making a good start and establishing a slightly better work style.
Everyone was out for interests and survival, and no one was nobler than anyone else. It was just that different situations led to increasingly distinct styles between the two sides.
"But they have been habitual murderers and smugglers for decades, and no one has ever supervised or held them accountable. Killing is their daily routine. Please don’t hesitate to show no mercy and don’t imagine peaceful coexistence."
The military’s announcement was quite straightforward, dismantling any illusions some people may have harbored by sharing excessively detailed explanations.
After all, killing monsters was something every professional had experienced, but killing people might not necessarily be so.
However, some people were slightly different....
"...is it all right? "
With a smile, Lu Ping’an was surrounded by four charred corpses.
The stench of burnt flesh filled the air, and the rookie instinctively covered his mouth as he smelled the odor, nearly vomiting.
"...Thank you, or else we... Ah, two of our companions were injured, and they were left behind. Can you help them...?"
"I’m afraid they’re no longer just injured... You’re very lucky. We have a camp nearby. Would you be interested in visiting us and discussing what happened along the way? Oh, by the way, we have already brought your companions’ bodies back to the camp for burial. Please grief with restraint."
Three survivors were all wounded.
When Lu Ping’an was walking the "dogs", the hunting-dogs detected the smell of corpses.
Upon finding Eastern Country explorers and signs of a battle, Lu Ping’an tracked them down and found those bastards.
After he ambushed and attacked from all sides, the camouflaged soldiers turned into charcoal instantly, leaving no chance to even take hostages.
About ten minutes later, the three unfortunate ones cried helplessly in front of their comrades’ corpses and recounted their experience.
They were just an ordinary exploration team, out for the first time, consisting of a standard five-person team with logistics researchers, professional warriors and support personnel among them.
The two strongest fighters were already buried, and the remaining ones were logistics personnel. They were tied up and taken away, possibly to collect intelligence or simply because two of them were women.
"Did they say anything?"
"They didn’t say anything. They just sneaked up with that gun. It’s very powerful, Ah Hui’s iron shield was pierced right through..."
"...Is this it? Interesting."
Lu Ping’an had in his hand a simple gun barrel with an unknown material fuse at the back, apparently a powerful ignition aid.
The difference in world rules led most firearms to be readjusted for use, and ordinary firearms did not pose much of a threat to real Battle-professionals.
Heavy firepower? That was indeed threatening, but high-level professionals themselves were more threatening and harder to defend against.
This time, the sound was like thunder, and the bullet shot out like a lightning bolt.
A giant tree trunk was penetrated right through the middle. Lu Ping’an could feel the recoil in his hand, which was almost like a heavy weapon he had played with before.
"Modified version, can only shoot one round at a time, only shoots in a straight line, but the power is indeed not bad..."
This seemingly crude fuse gun appeared to be the result of the local Aus people climbing the Tech Tree, a design that epitomized the brutal simplicity of the Exotic Realm style.
With this kind of power, something was clearly off. Was it due to the special rules of this world or some other reason...?
"Here, take it apart, Xueyi."
Lu Ping’an casually handed it over to Hua Xueyi, but the implication was to give it to the real expert, the "high-level craftsman."
"...You guys, form a few teams, stroll around the surroundings. They should still have other comrades. Catch some alive and bring them back."
Lu Ping’an’s words were ridiculed by Meow.
"Why didn’t you keep any of them alive?"
"There were hostages at the time... Fine, I didn’t expect them to be so weak."
Lu Ping’an merely appeared just in time and, with a single fire ring, got four roasted bodies. He was initially somewhat surprised.
But upon thought, it seemed reasonable.
Unlike the mechanism where Eastern Country explorers (fourth-tier) led a team or higher, the west was privately managed in terms of entry and exit... To put it bluntly, as long as you pay, you can enter, and they basically don’t care.
Limited slots for Eastern Country explorers meant that they could only find professional partners, and it was unlikely that ordinary people would accompany them to the Otherworld unless they were part of certain elements (logistics, research)... Look at the hapless camp dwellers; they were real trouble. Ordinary teams might not take good care of them, and they might die one by one.
But with full private operation in the west, ordinary mercenaries who had undergone military training were cheaper than expensive professionals. If given the right weapons, their combat capabilities might not be worse than first-tier professionals... At least, they could pose some threat.
Lu Ping’an had seen ordinary people like the Red Sand Thieves, and the large number of ordinary soldiers in the Aus people’s teams... As a side note, the Eastern Country’s army was also like this. They set off before the Explorer mechanism was in place. To maintain their establishment and numbers, ordinary soldiers were essential.
The heavy firepower and heavy weapons brought this time were allocated from the military supply. At the same time, they were experimental materials that needed frontline researchers to incorporate them into practical use and real combat situations.
And this small fuse gun in front of them probably meant that the Aus people not only arrived early, but their local Tech Tree had also climbed quite high.
"Lu Ping’an, there are a few special ore pieces inside this gun. The basic characteristics are absurd, energy readings are simply off the charts...steal more of these, I need to do further research."
With Fang Wen’s somewhat fanatic tone, Lu Ping’an had a hunch that perhaps the reason for the Aus people’s strong aggression lay right in front of him.
— End of Chapter 677 —