Wasteland Development Diary

Cui Mao took off his coat. Under the soft armor, his upper body was wrapped in a layer of tight black clothing, his muscles especially well-defined.

The knight moved his shoulders, his body appearing very agile.

"Mr. Zhou, I specialize in hand-to-hand combat and fighting solo."

"To me, a fist is the most powerful weapon."

Cui Mao raised his right arm.

Zhou Yi noticed that his fist was wrapped in a layer of bandage and his whole arm was enveloped in a misty light.

"Be ready."

Cui Mao exhaled a white breath, his fist, fast as fog, aimed directly at Zhou Yi's jaw.

Clang.

Zhou Yi slightly tilted his head back.

Giving the other party some face.

But the fist that hit his chin maintained an unnaturally stiff state, and wisps of steam slowly rose from his forearm.

Cui Mao's face turned pale in an instant, his left hand grasping his trembling right fist, his entire arm hanging down limply.

Red Kestrel synced the thoughts of this Tianjin Knight with Zhou Yi.

—The overload deployment of "Gun Fist" can't break through the defense, a Grade D destruction ability completely ineffective?

—Not good, the side effects of Gun Fist are coming on too strong this time.

—My right fist is unusable now… sigh, reactivating it will probably take a very long time.

Dragging his right hand, Cui Mao let out a wry smile and simply conceded, "Thank you for letting me see the real gap between myself and a powerful opponent."

"No big deal."

Zhou Yi said casually.

The monsters that attacked him in the Dead Sea were numerous, and after strengthening his defensive system day in and day out for ten years, aside from those mid to high-level creatures from the upper depths of the sea, his defenses had not been breached.

Zhou Yi had seen clearly just now.

The opponent's attack caused 33 points of damage, completely negated by the defense.

Such a disparity in strength was significant.

Zhou Yi sized up the knight before him: "It seems your hand won't be usable for a while."

Cui Mao nodded, with no intention of hiding anything from the man vastly stronger than himself: "My enhanced body 'Gun Fist' has a feature— if it causes damage feedback in combat, it becomes activated and excited, then enters an overload and berserk state, capable of causing armor-piercing effects."

"In terms of destructive power, it has reached Grade D."

"Unfortunately, the downside is also here. If it totally fails to inflict damage, Gun Fist will enter a passive state of avoidance and fear, and the whole arm will temporarily be unresponsive, needing several days of rest to regain its confidence."

Zhou Yi thought he had truly gained insight.

So it turned out that after certain body enhancements, enhancers' enhanced body parts could develop self-aware traits and characteristics.

Cui Mao's fists could deal with advantageous and stalemate situations, but they were completely useless in disadvantageous situations.

They were like god-tier skills with the wind.

Zhou Yi said, "Given your current condition, stay with me for a couple of days before you return. It's not entirely peaceful here either."

Cui Mao, using his still functional left hand, touched his head, his face showing a hint of embarrassment: "It's really shameful, I'll impose on your hospitality then."

Gong Zheng led the camel into the courtyard to settle, then went to arrange a box-style room for the guest to stay in.

Zhou Yi gestured for Cui Mao to take a seat under the rain shelter outside.

"Tell me about the raiders here."

Cui Mao pondered for a moment before saying, "The raiders around here are indeed a thorny issue. Chicken Head Town is under the jurisdiction of Sand Port and is also within the defense range of our third squadron. Mao Valley Town, although an independent area, is also adjacent and bordering. Sometimes, the raiders would hide out in this area too."

"We've taken a look under the hood, and the raiders here are basically guards and private soldiers employed by some merchants. They operate covertly and have all sorts of informants in Sand Port, so rooting them out completely is not easy."

"Under the protection of the Tianjin Knights, there are few raiders near Sand Port. They drift to fringe areas like this one, attacking passing merchants and locals, raiding sporadically. Mao Valley Town doesn't have a regular armed force, so the problem is difficult to solve."

Cui Mao pointed out the key problem with the raiders.

In the Wasteland Era, the poorer the place, the easier it was for raiders to attack.

"But I think that even if raiders lurk nearby, they wouldn't dare have any improper thoughts."

Cui Mao said with a smile, "They pick on the weak."

Zhou Yi shook his head, "Not long ago, a group of raiders led by an enhancer attacked here, but I discovered and exterminated them in time."

The other party was shocked: "Are they crazy? Even the samurai crabs around here are not something they can contend with. The raiders are known for bullying the weak and fearing the strong, always picking on safe, soft targets... It's really quite baffling."

Zhou Yi then asked him, "Do you know an Alchemist named Yang Si?"

Cui Mao revealed an enlightened expression, "I remember this name. There's a notice board for Yang Si in the Alchemist Association's guild hall in Sand Port. Why?"

"He was the enhancer leading that group."

This information made Cui Mao's face turn solemn.

Zhou Yi asked, "Is the Alchemist Association behind this group of raiders?"

"No, Mr. Zhou. The Alchemist Association only provides professional rankings and guidance to Alchemists. Only a very few senior Alchemists belong to the Alchemist Association. Yang Si is just an ordinary member who simply received the Alchemist Association's ranking certification."

"But."

Cui Mao said slowly, "Yang Si's boss is named Ji Zhang, and this man is not simple."

"Ji Zhang is a Weapon Merchant. He has handled many large weapons transactions, including the new weapons made by Electromechanical Life and divine-era weapons from the Dead Sea... His personal background is complicated."

"Not only is he associated with some major Pillage Groups, but he is also an Honorary Knight of the Dead Sea Knights, which actually means he is effectively under the protection of the Dead Sea Knights. Ji Zhang's movements are hard to pin down. He rarely shows himself, having his subordinates act on his behalf, and he is on the watch list of our Tianjin Knights."

Zhou Yi had a hunch.

The raiders, including Yang Si, prowling around here were most likely after the giant in the Mushroom Forest that couldn't stand up, acting on instructions from the Weapon Merchant Ji Zhang.

Cui Mao looked perplexed, "But I still don't understand how Yang Si dared to attack you..."

Zhou Yi didn't understand either.

However, he vaguely guessed that it was probably because they were at a critical stage of excavating the giant.

Thus, being highly vigilant about every move around them, they took more aggressive actions.

But it didn't matter.

For Zhou Yi, fighting was as natural as breathing.

Cui Mao suddenly said, "Mr. Zhou, I have a question. There are two Electromechanical Life beings working the land in the Oasis; they must be hired by you, right?"

"What kind of crops are you planning to cultivate?"

"Sweet potatoes, peanuts."

"..."

The other party let out a sound, their eyes becoming somewhat vacant, "The cost of hiring them is steep, just for sweet potatoes and peanuts..."

Zhou Yi told the other party, "Homegrown crops are reliable to eat without fear of strange additives. Actually, I'm quite particular about food."

Cui Mao struggled for a while but finally squeezed out a sentence, "That makes sense."

Zhou Yi heard what the other party thought.

—To be wealthy is to do whatever you desire; must be nice...