Book 4 Chapter 11.4 - Déjà vu
Pure water, food, and ammunition were all similar currency. Unless the region was under the unconditional rule of a stable governance like the Blood Parliament and used a unified currency system, bartering was the commonly used method of trade.
The reason Midnight City could reach its current state was mostly due to its ability to produce large amounts of water. Even though the water that was produced still contained slight amounts of radiation, it was enough for agricultural irrigation purposes. Under the support of food and water trade, Midnight City was able to establish a rather intimidating armed force. They also relied on this to establish the entertainment district in this region west of the great lakes.
At the core of the energy supply installation was a small scale nuclear generator, but due to a lack of fuel, it had long stopped operating. If Su used the case of nuclear fuel he brought over frugally, it would still be enough to operate this base for several years.
This group of mutants resided in the base for a dozen or so years. The accumulated filth, dirt, and trash was still manageable, but cleaning up that intolerable stench was definitely no small matter. In addition, every single base's escape passage was connected to the natural karst cave. Right now, that place was being used by the mutants as a place to dump their trash, so the passage was completely plugged up. This trash had accumulated for more than ten years, so it was unknown just how long it would be before it would be completely cleaned.
However, even if everything they did was purely for the water purifying system, any price would be worth it.
The basic inspection of the base was quickly concluded. When the four individuals made their way out from the base and breathed fresh air again, they all felt as if they had been revived. Right now, even the wind muddled with dust and radiation seemed especially wonderful!
While standing at the entrance of N69, Su issued Kane a message, telling him to bring the soldiers that had surrendered over. At the same time, he brought out a black-colored long range communications device and used it to speak to Victor.
Looking at the communications device in his hands, Su became even more aware of the disparity between the region west of the great lake and the Blood Parliament. This difference wasn't only reflected in the high-end abilities those at the peak of this world possessed, but also in the day to day as well as greatest technology the two sides used. Su was already used to using the audio-visual, luxuriant portable intelligent system. Within the central zone of control, the communications channel would be so stable that it would even allow three dimensional imaging. Meanwhile, right now, N69 was less than 200 kilometers from Midnight City, yet even sound transmission was a bit difficult.
"My dear Su! Let me guess why you chose to send me a message at this time… en, after capturing Malphas alive, the even more inspiring news that follows should be that you captured Base N69. What is it? Could it be that you already got rid of those damn mutants?!" Even through the large amounts of static, Su could still hear that Victor's voice was becoming more and more excited.
"The mutants were easy to deal with." Su replied with a smile. Even though there was no way Victor could see his smile, he believed that it could be heard from his gentle voice.
Victor began to laugh loudly. "It is only easy to deal with for you! Even killing a few isolated mutants would often lose me more than ten veteran soldiers. Now that this group of mutants are wiped out, our western communication line will be much safer. In addition, the roads can be shortened by several dozen kilometers, which means saved time and guards, as well as more profits. These profits will make those businessmen go crazy!"
Su listened to Victor laugh loudly while walking around. Only when he reached a steep incline that was almost like a cliff did he stop. Just like that, he stood facing the cliff, quietly listening to Victor talk endlessly about his great plans.
Perhaps due to his great excitement, Victor spoke for a long time before finally stopping. Only now did Su calmly say, "I want this base."
"Of course…" Victor's excitement didn't seem to decrease in the slightest. He immediately replied, but after saying these words his voice came to a screeching stop! He took several seconds to calm down, and then his voice sounded again. This time, his helplessness, reluctance, and shock could be heard, "... that isn't a problem."
He could imagine just how spectacular Victor's expression was on the other side of the communications device.
A few seconds later, Victor's voice sounded again, and by now, it had become much more normal. "Based on our agreement, N69 is yours. However, places that mutants have resided in are extremely difficult for humans to live in. Since you wiped out all of the mutants, then you should understand my intentions. The clean up work will require a lot of manpower and time. My dear Su, can you tell me what made you set the resolution to want N69?"
"Because the base's water purifying unit is still usable." This time, Su didn't plan on lying.
As a result, the other end of the communication system went silent once again.