Chapter 50: The War Chariot and the Loyal Double Agent
Previously, Colin had struggled to deal with the double agents, constantly contemplating betrayal. Now, with the shield in hand, everything was solved. Li Hang, frustrated, picked up the shield and “declared war” on Colin.
“In the witness of the ‘Shield of the Just Knight,’ I request a duel with this man…”
Three minutes later, the duel was over. Li Hang, looking miserable, returned the shield to Colin, gave a resentful glance at Li Chou, and went hunting with Number 2.
And then…
The battle began again!
The battle ended again.
The battle began again!
The battle ended again.
The battle began yet again!
The battle ended yet again.…
In a short time, Colin had controlled all the survivors. Their faces uniformly displayed the frustration of having seen half a dung beetle while eating bread, and they occasionally glared at Li Chou with resentment.
Third place? This?
By now, they all knew that this was the so-called top three on the resource leaderboard… a waste! His loss had nearly cost everyone behind him their lives!
“Don’t worry, as long as you don’t affect me, I won’t harm you.” Seeing their miserable faces, Colin showed a kind smile, knowing he had achieved his goal of dividing the hatred.
He could have used strict methods to control these people instead of the “Shield of the Just Knight,” but to avoid accidents, he felt it was better to establish absolute “authority.” On this basis, Colin wouldn’t hesitate to show his generosity and trust.
The next hunting operation went smoothly without any accidents. Including previous ones, Colin collected a total of 27 lanterns, with corresponding numbers of crafting tables and scrolls. As for general supplies, they were almost too numerous to count.
Colin could hardly believe it himself; it was only the second day… By now, halfway through the second day, he had over four hundred subordinates. The plan to attack, initially set for the third day or later, could now be advanced!
Target: The Lord-level Mutant at the foot of Crow Mountain!
Next Target: The underground area of the Suffering Church!
[War Chariot: Steel Plates*500, Glass*50, Rubber*200, Thorns of Suffering*100, Fog Points*100.] [Note: The tank requires fuel to operate.]
[Hint: It can burn most things, but the most suitable materials are: Coal + Foul Tainted Blood = Lowest-grade Scarlet Fuel (each unit allows travel for three kilometers).]
“Let’s get the tank ready!”
The chariot that had seemed unreachable to Colin yesterday was now within reach.
“Steel plate synthesis requires two refined irons each; refined iron requires two crude irons; and crude iron requires two iron ores… Four thousand iron ores!”
“Glass synthesis needs quartz sand, which I haven’t seen, but I remember there’s some in the trading market…”
“I’ve also seen rubber; I have no idea where people found it…”
“The remaining two are fine; I have plenty…”
Calculating the materials needed, Colin, although already aware, still felt the pinch.
“With my current number of people, the ideal is to have ten chariots…”
Having decided, Colin generously traded fog points, food, and other resources to acquire mineral materials with “iron” in their names from the trading market. Currently, iron ore demand is not high, and prices are low.
[Iron Ore]
[Item Description: Ore that has undergone preliminary development.]
[Type: Mineral Material.]
[Quantity: 76 units (Note 1.)]
[Price: One piece of bread, 100ml of level three water.]
[Merchant’s Note: Please, someone, be kind and give some food. Your little cutie can hardly dig anymore!]
Colin quickly bought it without hesitation, aiming to give back to the hardworking common folk. He couldn’t forget those still struggling just because he had taken off.
Colin purchased large amounts of iron ore for extremely low prices. This change drew the survivors’ attention and quickly became a topic on the world channel.
“Who just bought so much iron ore? I wanted to get some for a shovel but had no chance.”
“I have a feeling… Colin’s at it again, stabbing me in the back.”
“Stab now!”
…
Only a few people in the chat channel realized something and began hoarding iron ore. This action caused iron ore prices to skyrocket, visibly filling the pockets of the mining lords (miners), who then dug with more vigor.
Now, thirty pieces of iron could get one piece of bread, the price doubling!
The first rich led to the later rich!
During this undercurrent, Colin completed his list. A total of 40,000 pieces of iron ore and enough materials for ten chariots. Without a doubt, this was a major move! Even with low prices, it cost Colin a lot of materials!
Standing before a lord’s wooden hut, Colin took over the level one territory. Then, he used the crafting to synthesize large amounts of iron ore into steel plates!
“Upgrade to [Level One War Chariot]?”
“Yes.”
As soon as he decided, the materials in his inventory quickly disappeared, and a high-tech-like 3D printer rapidly materialized the chariot. Meanwhile, a system notification suddenly appeared in the minds of all the lords, including Colin.
[System Notification: Congratulations to Lord “Colin” for constructing a Level One War Chariot!]
[Reward: 999 Hardened Black Breads will be distributed soon!]
[Reward Distributed!]
[All lords are encouraged to strive together!]
The chat channel exploded again.
“Damn, I knew it was Colin again. Last time too! Only he moves this big!”
“Where’s the prophet? Come take your hit!”
“What’s the War Chariot Blueprint? Did anyone catch it?”
“No, just saw someone buying lots of iron ore, nothing else.”
“Use brute force to figure it out. I guess iron ore synthesizes into steel plates, the highest we can make!”
“Brothers, grab the iron ore! It’ll be gone soon!”
“(ノ=Д=)ノ┻━┻, taking advantage of the situation? Fifteen pieces of iron ore for one fog point!”
“Crying, thanks to Colin, I got rich from mining. Ten pieces of iron ore for a piece of bread, buy it or leave!”
“Hahaha, brothers, I figured it out! Selling the formula for fog points, 100 points each!”
“100 points? Are you robbing us?”
…
Unaware of the chat channel buzz, Colin was examining the chariot before him. It looked like a colossal beast crouched on the ground, resembling an oversized jeep or a mobile fortress, wrapped in black thorns.
With steel rivets, exhaust pipes, fuel stoves, headlights, and other equipment exposed, the chariot had a rugged style. The front was conical, covered in spikes. The rear had a metal turret aimed forward. Adding a few skull decorations would give it a death metal, wasteland punk look.