Soon the whole group was en route to the military base. Liam was sitting in a humvee with a couple of soldiers and the leader in charge of the unit.
The vehicle had a hardened exterior and bulletproof glass and was definitely more sturdy and dependable than a normal car during these dangerous times. In the same vehicle, there were also a heap of firearms and some carefully boxed-up grenades.
Other than this, the group also was in possession of some heavy artillery items like infantry combat vehicles that were following the procession of the five military-grade humvees.
Not bad. Liam inwardly praised them. With their well-stocked heavy weaponry and group of trained military personnel, it was no wonder that they were able to hold on for so long against the beast tide. Perhaps in his past life as well, this group had prevailed.
However, things were no longer the same. It was not just about the beasts and the mana zombies now, which was what these first few weeks of the apocalypse should have been.
Instead, they were suddenly facing an entirely new type of enemy that had shown up out of nowhere. The vampires were a dangerous threat that, if left unchecked, could poison the entire country and, if not the entire world.
While these firearms, heavy weaponry and military training were good enough to handle the first wave of beasts, it was a different story when it came to the evolved creatures like the vampires.
The guns were simply not enough anymore. Perhaps grenades and tanks would hold on for some more time, but eventually, they would also cease to be useful. A simple mana barrier would be enough to deal with the damage from these instruments of death.
Seeing that Liam was very silent and had not said anything for quite a while, Xiao Meng hesitantly tried to talk to him, "Cough. Cough. Mr Liam, please do not keep any of my earlier words in your mind. I was very out of line."
"The thing is… recently, we have quite a bit of people trying to act like vigilantes. Everyone is very emotionally charged because of the atrocities done by these blood-sucking creatures." He explained.
"That's why I had to use strong words like treason to try and keep everyone in line. Sigh. I am really just trying to protect them from themselves. Going to face these creatures without preparation is no different from committing suicide."
"That's fine. I forgot that long back." Liam nodded at the guy. His impression of the unit leader had also improved a lot. However, all of that did not really matter. The main question here was the location of this new vampire lord.
So Liam once again patiently asked him the same question. "You are sure that your higher-ups have the location of another vampire lord?"
Xiao Meng immediately became relieved. "Yes, Mr Liam. Of course. I am very sure." He also took out a device similar to a walkie-talkie from the back of the vehicle and switched it on.
"We will be there in fifteen more minutes. Please inform the leader that we require an urgent meeting with him as soon as possible."
"Yes, Sir." The other side replied.
Xiao Meng gave Liam a nod and then switched off the device again, carefully placing it back in its place.
"Thanks." Liam returned his polite gesture. He was also impressed that these people had managed to once again secure some sort of communication lines for the base, even in these new world conditions.
So far, everything about the group was encouraging, so he really looked forward to the meeting. He was not planning on this, but from the looks of things, it would be very beneficial to add such a team of trained professionals to the guild. If not now, then at least in the near future.
The journey to the base took another couple of hours, even with the vehicles driving at considerably high speed and finally, the group arrived at the base.
Immediately, Liam was greeted and escorted by another group of military soldiers. Xiao Meng also accompanied him as they hurriedly walked into the huge gated compound.
The place itself was located in the middle of nowhere in an isolated area, far from the cities and towns nearby. However, just like every other location in the world at the moment, the entirety of the compound had been taken over by plants and trees.
Liam could see some of the men doing cleanup work on the sides, cutting down the trees and plants and trying to keep this problem at bay. Moreover, they were separating wood and vegetation and moving them by trucks to different locations.
Were they doing something with the wood? Just as he was thinking about that, he saw another interesting thing, solar panels on top of the building structures inside the compound.
After the apocalypse descended, the days became longer and the night shorter. During these long hours of the day, the intensity of the sun's radiance and the heat, in general, had also increased.
Interestingly, it looked group was taking advantage of this phenomenon. Just like the abundance of wood, this was also a very good source of energy, and they were harnessing it.
This coupled with the fact that they had managed to figure out a new frequency to secure a communications line and, from the looks of it, have an electricity supply up and running, Liam was very much impressed with the base.
While Lan Ganjie had used his knowledge and organizational skills to set up a decent functioning base, these people had gone above and beyond that and set up a base that was not just functioning but thriving.
If these people were also given the right guidance by Liam on how to increase their strength and adapt to mana in the new world, they could potentially develop and become a terrifying force.
While Liam was looking around and making mental calculations, a stern, gruff voice greeted him. "Welcome to our base, Mr Liam."