Chapter 85 - 84: Mutant Potato Forest

This was a massive heavy-duty truck, standing six meters tall, four meters wide, and over a dozen meters long.

The truck was divided into three levels. The first level was filled entirely with rows of two-seater leather chairs, currently occupied by dozens of heavily armed mercenaries. They all wore identical camouflage protective suits, with standard-issue laser guns slung diagonally across their chests. In addition, each person had cold weapons like daggers or long swords secured at their waists.

The second level was relatively low, fitted with densely packed three-seater benches. Having neither backrests nor armrests, it was extremely crude. The third level was tall and spacious, equipped with guardrails and protective netting. Sev Steele guessed that the second level was meant for Scavengers to sit on, while the third level was highly likely for storing harvested supplies.

Hayden Hanson whispered into Sev’s ear, "To protect the large number of Scavengers today, all members of The Azure Owl Mercenary Corps have been deployed.

"Pay attention to their collars. You’ll see red lightning-bolt insignias. One bolt represents a First Tier Ability User, while two and three bolts represent Second Tier and Third Tier Ability Users, respectively.

"If you encounter a Mutant Beast while gathering, try to hide behind the higher-level mercenaries. They will protect you.

"Also, this heavy truck is made of C Level alloy and can withstand attacks from Mutant Beasts below the Third Tier. If you run into danger and are relatively close to the vehicle, flee inside immediately."

Sev listened intently. After all, these were words of wisdom from Hayden’s experience, capable of saving her life at a critical moment.

As the two were chatting, the doors to the truck’s first level opened. A valiant and heroic female mercenary stepped down first, followed by several burly mercenaries armed to the teeth. Sev recognized her at a glance—the lead female mercenary was Seth Jennings. Her gaze was sharp as she quickly swept her eyes over the surroundings and spoke in a stern tone.

"Quiet! Whoever the fuck dares to make another sound, believe it or not, I will break three of your ribs right now and make sure you never get a chance to take a mission again!"

The crowd instantly seemed as if someone had pressed the pause button. They all shrank their necks and became as quiet as mice.

"Now, all registered family and friends of the mercenaries, board the truck in order when you hear your name.

"Come up one by one. No pushing, or you’ll immediately be disqualified from boarding today!"

After Seth dropped those words, a mercenary named Brock Grant stepped out from behind her and began reading names. "Number 1, Peter Ross. Number 2, Susie Lewis. Number 3, Bruce Hughes..."

Hayden and Sev were numbers 9 and 10. When their names were called, Seth smiled and nodded at them. Such a display was equivalent to publicly declaring that these two were under her protection. As a result, the mercenaries would give them appropriate care within the limits of the rules. The family members of the mercenaries wouldn’t dare wag their tongues behind their backs, either. After all, this was an era where might made right. Seth’s status had been earned through countless bloody battles in the past; no one present would dare offend her lightly!

Sev followed Hayden onto the truck and found their seat numbers. The people whose names were called subsequently boarded one after another. Sev silently counted; there were 136 people in total.

"Does The Azure Owl Mercenary Corps have 68 people in total?" Sev asked Hayden in a low voice.

"No, there are actually 88 people in total. Twenty of them don’t have relatives and voluntarily gave up their quotas for bringing family members.

"This is considered a benefit the corps provides to its members. Those who voluntarily give it up are given a subsidy of 500 points each.

"Actually, in previous years, Seth and I also voluntarily gave up our quotas, but this year..." Hayden left the rest unsaid, but Sev understood instantly.

To help them, Seth was willing to lose a 500-point subsidy. Sev immediately decided that once they returned, she would make several different potato dishes to treat Seth to a hearty feast.

Hayden continued to educate her. "The Azure Owl Mercenary Corps is the largest Mercenary Guild in District Nine. Among the other guilds, the one with the most members is the Wolfpack Mercenaries, with a total of 69 people.

"Back then, the higher-ups were afraid they would fight among themselves out in the wild, so they had each of the two corps send out five people to compete against each other. This was to fight for the mission to harvest Mutated potatoes.

"In the end, of the two strongest corps, The Azure Owl Mercenary Corps won. Since then, the Wolfpack Mercenaries have no longer been qualified to lay a finger on this mission."

Sev couldn’t help but sigh inwardly. She thought, "It seems that not only do Scavengers have to fiercely compete, but the mercenary corps are just as cutthroat!"

After the 136 people whose names had been called boarded the truck, Seth announced loudly, "We still need 64 more people on our side. It’s the old rules: round-trip fare is 40 points, and we take a forty-sixty split of the harvest. Whoever is willing to go, come over here!"

As soon as her voice fell, the Scavengers who had been waiting on standby swarmed over with a loud WHOOSH of movement. They shoved against each other, trying their best to stand at the very front. Seth casually pointed out some robust young men and women, and finally selected over a dozen teenagers. Next to her, two tall, sturdy mercenaries handled the process; one scanned codes to register their information, while the other collected the fees.

Once all the Scavengers were on board, Seth stood at the door of the second level and shouted, "Old rules! When we get to the location later, you are only allowed to harvest within your assigned areas. No snatching other people’s harvests.

"Anyone who breaks the rules will be blacklisted by The Azure Owl Mercenary Corps and will never have another chance to go out harvesting with us.

"Do you all understand?"

"Understood!" the crowd answered in unison. Even Sev joined in the shout, but Hayden was too embarrassed to open his mouth, keeping his head lowered.

The heavy truck’s speed far exceeded Sev’s expectations. It took this behemoth only an hour and a half to reach their destination over five hundred kilometers away.

Cindervale was originally a mountain peak. In the past, a massive boulder had fallen from the sky and smashed into it at an angle, forcefully carving out a thirty-degree crater. The surrounding rocks had become loose and gradually peeled off, while rain washed the nearby dirt in, forming a thick layer of soil. Coincidentally, the crater faced south and received plenty of sunlight. Various wild plants slowly took root here, and over time, it developed into a valley rich in vegetation.

Upon arriving at the valley’s entrance, Sev indeed saw over a dozen heavily armed members of The Guard Corps standing watch. Seth got out of the truck first, went over to negotiate with them, and then the heavy truck was allowed to pass. As they drove into the valley, the road became narrower and narrower. After traveling for about five hundred meters, the heavy truck could no longer proceed.

Sev and the others followed the mercenaries off the vehicle. Ahead of them was a winding dirt path reaching deeper into the area, half-hidden by dense Mutated plants. The mercenaries in charge of clearing the way swung their machetes, neatly chopping through the tangled vines and shrubs on both sides. A plant scent, mixed with damp soil and a strange, sweet fishiness, wafted into their faces.

Walking in the middle of the group, Sev pushed aside the last thorny purple vine. The sight before her made her gasp in awe. This was a Mutant Potato Forest with an area easily the size of a standard football field!

As far as the eye could see, there was an ocean of interwoven dark green and deep purple with an average height of three to four meters. The nearly woody, dark purple stems were as thick as bowls, covered with dark green leaves the size of washbasins. For a moment, it was incredibly difficult to tell exactly how many Mutated potatoes were planted here.

Since transmigrating to this world, Sev had seen many kinds of Mutated plants. However, this was her first time seeing a single species growing in such a massive, concentrated cluster like the one before her. Sure enough, the Life Force and reproductive capabilities of potatoes were extraordinarily strong!

Sev suddenly remembered that the stems and leaves of ordinary potatoes were seemingly poisonous. In that case, wouldn’t the stems and leaves of the Mutated potatoes before her practically be a biological weapons arsenal? As she pondered this, the booming voice of the mercenary who had been in charge of collecting fees suddenly rang in her ears.

"Listen up, everyone! The stems and leaves of these Mutated potatoes are highly toxic! Simply touching the sap can cause skin ulceration, and accidentally eating even a small bite will cost you your little lives if your stomach isn’t pumped in time!

"You all better be careful. No touching or grabbing blindly. Now, come to me to collect your gloves and shovels, and wait for my command before you start digging later!"