Shen Tang thought this mission wasn’t difficult; all she had to do was follow the team to the abandoned factory, but there was a bit of a time crunch.
Just as Shen Li finished the temporary meeting, he walked over to her.
Shen Tang stomped on the campfire that was about to burn out, looked up at him, and asked casually, "How many days do we have until we reach our destination?"
Shen Li shook his head and said, "The City Lord says we need to return the way we came."
Shen Tang was suddenly stunned, "Huh? Why?"
"The danger level in the A-level pollution zone far exceeded the plan. This trip had heavy casualties, the road ahead is fraught with dangers, and the vehicles transporting supplies were previously attacked by polluted creatures, leaving us with not much food. If the team continues to forge ahead, the supplies won’t be sufficient for everyone to return, making it not worth the effort. It would be better to terminate now."
Shen Tang frowned, "So we’re just going to ignore the Beastmen trapped in the pollution zone?"
Shen Li glanced at Shen Tang faintly, surprised that this female would actually care about the distressed Beastmen. He paused and explained gently, "We have to make sacrifices to protect the greater cause; it’s unavoidable. We’ve recorded this newly opened route in the vehicle instrument, so next time, it will save us a lot of time."
But if we come again next time, will those missing Beastmen still be holding on?
Shen Li saw Shen Tang’s confusion and took the initiative to explain, "The City Lord sent out a message via a portable miniature signal base station, and if... anyone responds, it would mean there’s still someone alive, and the team might proceed."
"So, did anyone respond to the signal?"
"No."
Shen Tang, unwilling to give up, said, "Are we just going to abandon all our efforts and not save those people? Didn’t we come here to rescue them?"
Shen Li leaned lazily against a tree, arms crossed, his shoulders slightly tilted, and a playful smile on his lips, "Do you think the City Lord is really that kind-hearted? Did he spend so much to personally lead the troops just to save people?"
"..."
"So many days have passed with no signal; those left behind in the A-level pollution zone, without water and food, should be long dead. Even if we went now, we couldn’t save them. The true aim of the City Lord’s trip was to obtain the energy core within the factory."
In her mind, Shen Tang asked the system, "What is an energy core?"
[The origin of the energy core is unknown, but it contains extremely powerful force that can convert into electric, thermal, wind, and other forms of energy. The operation and maintenance of the shelter cannot do without energy supply. One energy core can at least support the shelter’s normal operations for ten years.] The system explained, [Besides, the energy core can also be exchanged for a large amount of redemption points. If the host can obtain the energy core, she can leave the pollution zone and return to the Empire.]
So that’s how it is.
Shen Tang wasn’t interested in the energy core. She was thinking about how to complete the mission. If the City Lord led the team back the way they came, her mission was sure to fail.
Shen Tang’s space did have a substantial amount of system-awarded supplies, enough to support the team to keep moving forward, and she could ensure the survival of Lu Xiao’s team waiting for rescue; but what reason could she use to tell the others?
Last time, she could at least make up an excuse with the "trap", but this time it wasn’t so easy to find a reason.
The whole team was going to rest tonight, and Shen Tang planned to think of a strategy tonight.
The City Lord issued another order, mandating that females must have a male around them to protect against pollution creature ambushes, meaning that females must find a Beast Husband to sleep with at night.
Shen Tang’s lips twitched slightly, with four cowardly men avoiding her, who was she going to sleep with?