Hub Base Entrance.
Hao Fan walked down the steps into the construction staging area. The asphalt-concrete road beneath his feet didn't extend very far beyond the base before it was blocked off by all kinds of obstacles.
Obviously, the Landbreakers were behind this.
"What a spectacle… You don't see Landbreakers this brazen very often."
Chen Qianyu sounded genuinely surprised.
It was her first time seeing Hub Base literally getting its gates blocked by Landbreakers.
"Among the three major Landbreaker clans, the Bonecrushers are the ones who worship violence the most."
Perlica recalled the intel and began explaining the enemy they were about to face.
"According to S.O.W.'s reports, over the past few months, this clan suddenly stopped their long-running internal infighting and launched several attacks on smaller groups."
Her tone was serious.
"We don't have more details yet. The only thing we can confirm is this—someone new appeared as a leader and unified the Bonecrushers."
From Perlica's description, the Bonecrusher Landbreakers had become more dangerous than before.
After all, the combat power of a faction that's burning itself up in civil conflict is nothing compared to one that's fully united and turning outward.
Hearing that…
To be honest, Hao Fan suddenly felt a little cowardly again.
If it were up to him, he'd rather take a day to rest first—wait until tomorrow, when he could draw a new special ability, and he'd feel a lot safer.
And honestly?
That wasn't unreasonable. He was just an ordinary person, not a real soldier.
But even so, Hao Fan didn't hesitate at all—and he didn't suggest delaying until tomorrow.
Because Hub Base had many wounded who urgently needed Qiaohua to replenish medical supplies. Even a single day of delay could mean worsening injuries.
And not only that—
The Workers' Home next to Hub Base had also been affected by the anchor's impact.
A large number of missing people would definitely need help too. So time mattered—every minute.
Still…
Hao Fan felt that, as a weakling like him, he probably wouldn't be all that useful.
The ones they could really count on were the other members of the Crisis Response Team.
"Administrator—how does that one-handed sword you picked up from the arsenal feel?"
Hao Fan turned to the black-haired girl at his side.
Her former basic equipment had now been replaced with a higher-grade weapon—
Emergency Measures.
One of Endfield Industries' advanced operator weapons.
Its simple modular design provided a light, well-balanced grip, and the blade was extremely durable.
It also carried the special effect Suppression · Emergency Reinforcement, temporarily boosting attack power to suppress an opponent.
It looked plain—like a mass-produced industrial product—but its quality was in the same tier as Tide Surge.
"Not bad. It feels very natural in the hand."
The Administrator casually flicked a small sword flourish, lips curling slightly.
Clearly, she was satisfied with Emergency Measures—though she did find the name a bit strange. It didn't really sound like a sword's name at all.
"As long as you like it. Uncle Xie Miao's eye for picking weapons is absolutely top-tier."
Hao Fan smiled too.
Though, when he'd said "Take whatever you want," Uncle Xie Miao's face had gone completely dark while he was reorganizing the arsenal.
But once he learned the Administrator and the others were heading out to take risks for Hub Base—to clear out Landbreakers—Xie Miao didn't hesitate. He immediately helped them pick weapons.
And he even gave Hao Fan some quick pointers—small practical tips for using both a sword and a hand cannon.
It wouldn't make him strong overnight, but at least he wouldn't end up accidentally injuring himself with his own weapons.
On top of that—
Hao Fan also obtained a communications terminal: Baker.
Once he recorded people's contact info, he could receive messages anytime.
"Alright, then… let's head out—huh?"
They had only just left the base entrance and walked a few steps when Hao Fan spotted wild Qiaohua growing by the roadside.
"…Uncle Xie Miao was right. Qiaohua really is the most common plant in Valley Four. It's literally everywhere."
He crouched down, staring at the vivid blossoms with a bit of disbelief—he hadn't expected to find it this easily.
But a tiny patch like this couldn't possibly cover the shortage of medical supplies. They'd need much more.
And, by the way—
Back when he'd chatted with Doctor Miguel, Miguel had mentioned something:
In the early days of the First Angel War, a Hongshan scout team was the first to discover this brightly colored plant, and in an emergency, used it as a hemostatic drug.
So from then on, Qiaohua was considered a valuable medicinal ingredient—and worth cultivating in factories.
"There's more Qiaohua nearby. I'll help collect it too!"
Chen Qianyu looked eager to jump in.
She'd already promised at the base entrance—and now it was time to deliver.
Also, Hao Fan still didn't have Protocol Originium and couldn't store items, so it made more sense for her to hold the collected Qiaohua for now.
"Thanks, Chen… but try not to strip the area completely. The local animals seem to need Qiaohua too."
Hao Fan thanked her, then noticed a few coyote-like wild fangbeasts in the distance, silently observing them.
Those creatures were common in Valley Four.
Hub Base operators sometimes hunted wild fangbeasts for fresh meat.
And more than that—
It was said the Bonecrusher clan's Landbreakers even tried to tame wild fangbeasts to assist in battle.
"Got it. I'll be careful."
Chen Qianyu understood the consequences of overharvesting, so she didn't pull everything up by the roots.
And she was fast—she didn't delay them much before finishing the gathering.
Next, they continued toward the Protocol Core's planned deployment zone.
"Northwest… Let me confirm something. This time is different from when we were avoiding Angels—this time we're definitely going to actively fight the Landbreakers, right?"
Hao Fan glanced at the game map.
The construction staging area outside Hub Base was crawling with Landbreakers. Picking fights didn't sound wise.
But they needed to clear a safe route for Andre to pass through later—so they had to.
"Exactly. Let's beat them until they're scattered like fallen petals… Don't worry, I'll protect you!"
Chen Qianyu patted her soft chest confidently.
Even if she could be a bit airheaded, she understood Hao Fan wasn't good at fighting—so she promised she'd work harder.
But Hao Fan hadn't come out here just to become someone else's burden.
"You don't have to babysit me that much. I can hide and support you with sneak shots."
As he spoke, he pulled out Howling Sentinel.
The hand cannon he'd gotten from the arsenal wasn't just for show.
Even if he wasn't good at fighting, a bullet fired from a gun was still lethal.
That was exactly why—compared to cold steel—firearms made him feel safer.
And the chance to fight came quickly.
"Landbreakers spotted!"
-------
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