Chapter 102: Yellow Stone Town

The mist beast pack had been completely wiped out.

For a lone wanderer, these beasts might pose a significant threat, but to a fully armed bounty hunter, they were little more than walking stacks of cash—let alone for Qi Chen, who was an Anomaly Walker.

Once the ammunition in his gun was spent, the wasteland was littered with dozens of mist beast carcasses. Their bodies would either serve as nourishment for the soil or end up as fodder for other predators drawn by the scent of blood.

"Consider that charity," Warm Man said to Qi Chen as he returned to the passenger seat.

The convoy continued its journey. The advantage of having a large team was evident; the trip barely paused. The special operations agents took turns driving, and aside from a brief intermittent break to let the vehicles cool down, even supplies were consumed on the move.

The route between City No. 3 and Yellow Stone Town was considered reliable, and they encountered no further incidents, proceeding smoothly throughout.

Qi Chen learned during this time that there were actually quite a few outposts belonging to City No. 3 scattered within the mist, with their radiation range extending halfway to Yellow Stone Town. Even further out, where permanent outposts were absent, city guard rangers conducted sporadic patrols to gather intelligence, ensuring that the city could receive immediate information should any unusual movements or major disturbances occur in the mist.

"These are the people who give so much in silence," Warm Man remarked with a sigh. "Although there are regulations for the regular rotation of outposts and rangers, they still end up spending a significant amount of time in the mist. But without them, the city would be like a blind man."

Anomaly Walkers were, in the end, a tiny minority. To maintain the city’s safety, the contribution of ordinary people was essential; it was impossible for Anomaly Walkers alone to maintain complete security.

"We should be entering the sphere of influence of Yellow Stone Town in about two hours. Let them notify Captain Fu and the Administrative Hall."

Qi Chen nodded gently and relayed Warm Man’s words to the personnel in the rear carrying the mobile radio. The communications officer expertly operated the device, and after a quick calibration, began transmitting the report:

"The escort team is about to enter the sphere of influence of Yellow Stone Town. No abnormalities detected during the journey!"

...

In the Administrative Hall conference room, the heads of various departments were gathered, with all four administrators present. The return of Elder Li to the city was a top priority for City No. 3, demanding a high level of attention.

Fu Ying was also present. Learning that Qi Chen’s mission was proceeding smoothly, she breathed a sigh of relief. Their greatest fear had been an ambush by unknown forces along the way. Since that hadn't happened, it was for the best.

"Then, might as well contact the cleanup squad outside the city and see how their progress is coming along," suggested Guan, one of the administrators. The liaison officer in the room immediately connected to the "Old Monarch" squad, which was currently executing a cleanup mission outside the city.

After a brief wait, a chaotic noise erupted from the conference room speaker, clearly indicating that a fierce battle was underway on the other end.

"This is Old Monarch. Please, headquarters, provide instructions."

"Report your current progress on the cleanup," Fu Ying, as their direct superior, took the responsibility of questioning them without hesitation.

After another burst of intense gunfire, Old Monarch’s emotionless voice returned through the receiver.

"We have discovered five outposts of mist forces outside City No. 3—all were rogue factions that had not reported to the Administrative Hall. We have already cleared four... and now, all five have been cleared."

In the time it took to communicate, Old Monarch had wiped out yet another mist tribe. Unlike the mist factions that proactively registered with the City No. 3 Administrative Hall, these "unregistered" groups were essentially bandits of the mist, whose primary source of daily supplies was raiding small caravans leaving the city. They dared not touch large logistics companies, but small caravans targeted by them rarely escaped without paying a heavy price.

As it happened, they would now pay the price with their lives, and their blood would serve as a statement to all levels of society within City No. 3.

"Increase the intensity of the cleanup," Administrator Qin suddenly spoke. With his dignified appearance, he said in an incredibly calm tone, "If you encounter tough resistance, you are authorized to request long-range strike weapons from the city. You must flatten all potential threats outside the city!"

...

"Any new instructions from the Administrative Hall?" Warm Man hummed a tune while asking Qi Chen.

The latter shook his head, looking quite helpless. "Can you stop singing? You're completely off-key."

"Tsk! Why would you say that?" Warm Man turned his head and glared at Qi Chen. "I am, by all accounts, the golden voice of our department. If you can't appreciate it, it just means your aesthetic taste is outdated."

Qi Chen closed his eyes in agony and shoved two fingers into his ears. He would rather listen to the roars of dozens of mist beasts than spend another second near Warm Man. Sometimes, the psychological torment a person could inflict was perhaps even more terrifying than the anomalies themselves.

"By the way, contact our people in Yellow Stone Town later," Warm Man stopped singing as they discussed business, raising an eyebrow. "According to intelligence, they have already entered the town ahead of us. Let's touch base to avoid any unnecessary trouble when we arrive."

"Fine. By the way, what exactly is the history of this Yellow Stone Town?" Before this, Qi Chen had only heard Warm Man describe it as a mist settlement that was loyal to City No. 3, but he hadn't had the chance to hear the details before they ran into the beast pack.

For the sake of knowing his surroundings, he wanted to learn more before they entered.

"Yellow Stone Town, as the name suggests, is famous for its yellow stones—a special geological feature, I hear. I don't know the specifics, but the town has been around for quite a few years. At first, it was just a regular settlement, but for some reason, they struck it rich and accumulated resources. I heard the founder made connections with the City No. 3 administrator at the time, received our strong support, and then just kept growing until it became a well-known hub for trade in this region."

In a sense, the ties between Yellow Stone Town and City No. 3 were indeed deep. Therefore, even though it was outside the direct radiation range of City No. 3, it maintained a very close relationship with them.

At the same time, due to its nature as a mist-based faction and its unique geographical location, the other alliance cities also maintained a friendly attitude toward it, allowing it to become a nominally neutral settlement not governed by any single city in the alliance.

"Heh heh, we're almost there!"