Chapter 110: Forward Base Six

Nine hours later.

"Only 30% progress remaining. What a pity; it seems I will have to wait until tomorrow to successfully promote to a Level 4 Evolver."

As time passed, the sun slowly dipped below the horizon. The sky grew increasingly dim, and the ambient temperature dropped by a margin clearly perceptible to the body. Gazing at the 70% evolution progress bar displayed on his chip, Zhang Ran sighed with a touch of regret.

Throughout a full day of hunting, in addition to that Level 4 Two-Headed Patterned Hound, Zhang Ran had slaughtered five other Level 4 mutant creatures and over a dozen Level 3 ones. As for the Level 2 mutants that dared to provoke him, they had naturally been dispatched one by one.

Relying on his own strength and the Blood Plunder ability, Zhang Ran consumed almost no stamina when killing Level 3 or Level 4 mutants. Consequently, he could hunt continuously for several hours, unlike ordinary evolvers who had to frequently stop to recover their strength.

In truth, the factor limiting Zhang Ran’s hunting speed remained the density of mutant creatures in the wilderness. For those high-level mutants, excluding the few that were pack-oriented, most occupied their own territories, and different species rarely encroached upon each other’s domains.

Because of this, there was often a significant distance between two high-level mutants. Coupled with the fact that this stretch of wilderness had been extensively cleared by other evolvers in the past, Zhang Ran’s hunting pace could not be accelerated further.

Seeing that it was getting late, Zhang Ran decided not to remain in the wilderness. However, he did not return to Black Hawk City as he usually did; instead, he chose to spend the night at the nearest forward base. This way, when the next day arrived, he would not have to spend excessive time traveling back into the field.

Having made up his mind, Zhang Ran stirred his thoughts, opened the chip’s simulated map, and issued a routing command.

There were ten forward bases surrounding Black Hawk City, with Forward Base No. 6 being the closest. Guided by his chip, Zhang Ran set off toward it.

After an hour of rapid travel, Zhang Ran reached the perimeter of Forward Base No. 6.

Unlike Forward Base No. 1, which was built upon the foundations of an Old World shelter, Forward Base No. 6 was constructed directly by the Black Hawk Corporation. It was nestled within a small valley, surrounded on three sides by mountains, making it easy to defend and difficult to attack.

Several guards verified Zhang Ran’s employee ID card. After paying the ten Black Hawk coin processing fee, he was permitted to pass through the walls of concrete and steel plating to enter the base.

The valley occupied by Base No. 6 was not large—roughly three hundred meters long and thirty meters wide. On both sides stood ten-meter-high rock walls, patrolled by guards armed with machine guns to prevent mutant beasts from climbing over and infiltrating the base.

Inside the valley, the outermost ring contained a few tents. Further in were stone houses, followed by dozens of tidy, small bungalows. At the very heart stood a three-story building, covering over a thousand square meters and appearing quite imposing.

The outermost tents were for trainees here for practical experience; they were the cheapest option, costing only ten Black Hawk coins per night.

The stone houses in the inner ring were for poorer evolvers, costing fifty Black Hawk coins a night. These featured beds and basic furniture, sparing them the misery of sleeping on the ground in a tent.

The bungalows further inside were more expensive, at three hundred Black Hawk coins per night, but they offered better facilities, including bathrooms. Due to the high price, average evolvers rarely splurged on them.

As for the building at the innermost core, it served as the base’s headquarters. It housed the mission hall, materials department, administrative offices, trading zone, restaurant, and bar, and served as the residence for the base commander, management staff, and senior guards.

For Zhang Ran, having accumulated nine hundred thousand Black Hawk coins through his hunting, not to mention the valuable materials from the Level 4 mutants that were inconvenient to sell, he was effectively a millionaire. Thus, he did not hesitate to go to the administrative office and rent a bungalow.

Within the Black Hawk Corporation, renting an apartment cost only two thousand Black Hawk coins, so three hundred for a single night in a bungalow here was exorbitant. However, considering the costs of constructing such a base in the wilderness and the expenses required to maintain its security, the pricing was reasonable and not a case of price-gouging.

Furthermore, Base No. 6 offered significant preferential treatment to trainee evolvers. At Forward Base No. 1, where Zhang Ran had once trained, there were no dedicated accommodations for non-evolver trainees; those who couldn't afford the fees had to stay in tents outside the base, exposed to danger. While trainees at Base No. 6 still had to live in tents, they benefited from the protection of the guards, making them much safer.

After receiving the key to his bungalow, Zhang Ran headed to the base’s restaurant. Although high-energy rations were sufficient to stave off hunger, Zhang Ran preferred a proper meal whenever time and conditions allowed.

"Ten kilograms of grilled unicorn wild boar, five kilograms of rice, and five kilograms of charcoal-grilled wilderness bull steak—that will be six hundred Black Hawk coins, sir!"

Upon receiving the menu from Zhang Ran, the waitress’s eyes flashed with a hint of flirtation. Anyone capable of spending six hundred Black Hawk coins on a single dinner was undoubtedly a very powerful evolver.

"Here you go."

Zhang Ran nodded slightly, pulled six hundred-denomination gold Black Hawk coins from his pocket, and handed them to her.

"By the way, sir, are you interested in my services tonight? For just fifty Black Hawk coins, I can give you the most wonderful memories!"

Taking the coins, the waitress asked without reservation.

As a service worker in the base, her appearance was considered quite good compared to the average woman in the wasteland. Although she had some radiation spots, they were faint, and her skin was not overly rough.

Many low-level evolvers were willing to pay to spend a night of passion with women like her. Even for the lowest Level 1 evolver, fifty Black Hawk coins was not a massive sum.

However, to the waitress, fifty Black Hawk coins represented five days of hard labor—enough to feed her for several meals or purchase practical supplies. She was quite willing to sell her body; after all, in the wasteland, survival was a luxury for most, so who had the luxury to dwell on ethics or morality?