Since they were only going out for reconnaissance, both Shen Congfei were in their light armour.
They only brought a day's worth of food, as well as a handgun, binoculars, and pen and paper.
After leaving the Hunter's cabin, they followed the hidden markers they had left on the trees along the path from their previous journey, returning the same way they had come.
This made Shen Congfei miss the convenience of having a map.
If they had a map, things would be much easier.
He glanced at the rows of professions listed on his profession panel.
He wished he could upgrade all of them.
Plus, with his current bug, he could have multiple professions without switching jobs.
However, profession upgrade points were extremely rare, and players had to explore and achieve milestones in the game to earn them.
Moreover, it was said that some hidden achievements were unique.
In other words, once one person achieves them, others cannot.
For gamers, this was a huge incentive.
Who wouldn't want to be unique? In the late testing phase, people practically went mad trying to figure out thousands of ways to achieve hidden achievements.
Unfortunately, the methods that would only work in the apocalyptic wasteland were useless in the pre-apocalyptic environment he was currently in.
Thinking about this, he couldn't help but sigh.
"What's wrong, why are you sighing?"
Xia Wei looked at him with concern.
"Oh, I was just thinking about our family. The Imperial soldiers are everywhere right now, and I wonder how they're doing."
"Don't worry, our foster father and brother can take care of themselves."
"Brother? We have a brother? Why haven't you mentioned him before?"
After Shen Congfei finished speaking, he activated his Hunter Ability, closely monitoring the changes in their surroundings.
"Mm, I didn't mention it before because he's serving on the border of the Neutral United Front."
"A front-line soldier?"
"Yes, he is our foster parents' biological child, but he's always been good to the two of us. He's a very responsible elder brother."
Seeing the longing look on her face, Shen Congfei couldn't help but feel a little jealous.
"So... do you like him?"
Hearing the abnormality in his tone, Xia Wei teased, "You used to like him more than I did."
"I don't like him anymore."
Shen Congfei couldn't help but roll his eyes, unsure what sort of personality his predecessor had.
Timid, liking men, was he gay?
Phew, he was lucky to have transmigrated in time, keeping this man with the same name and surname from crossing that final line.
After a few seconds of panicked rumination, he returned to his usual self.
"You haven't answered me, do you like him?"
Just as Shen Congfei finished speaking, he felt his hand inexplicably getting warmer.
Lowering his head, he found his hand being held by someone else's.
Looking up, both their eyes met, both hastily looked away.
The handholding became a casual interlocking of fingers.
Despite Shen Congfei's confident façade, he was actually new to this world of romance.
He preferred to spend his time in the game than waste it on trivial affairs of the heart.
Luckily, the awkward moment didn't last long.
The school appeared before them again.
Just like when they had left, Imperial soldiers were patrolling the field and the school buildings.
But there were some changes. The field was dotted with numerous tents.
At first, Shen Congfei thought it was a military camp, but soon realized that wasn't the case.
The people emerging from the tents were all unfamiliar adults.
They were all wearing distinct blue uniforms.
"Do you recognize them?"
Seeing the surprise on Xia Wei's face, he asked.
"Yes, they're people from the police station, fire station and city hall."
"What? Why would the Imperial soldiers capture them? Are they trying gain some sort of information?"
"That's what it seems like."
Exchanging a glance, both of them realized that the situation in the city had changed drastically.
They bypassed the school, following the tree-line along the road towards the city.
Because there were sentries along the highway, to avoid being exposed, they had to travel with utmost stealth.
With the Hunter's Ability, their silent infiltration went unnoticed.
Along the way, they even discovered numerous hidden sentries in the woods.
Before long, they reached the top of a hill.
From here, they could see the entire city below.
As the northernmost border city of the Neutral United Front,
The city was not only adjacent to both the Empire and the Alliance but was also situated near the sea and surrounded by mountains.
It was a strategic chokepoint.
Thus, the Neutral United Front stationed their fleet here, as the country's only naval base was located here.
However, it was surprising that the Empire had managed to quietly take over the city.
Shen Congfei could not help but feel the magnitude of the situation he was facing.
If a militarised city like this, with a naval base, could fall to the Empire, what chance did they stand?
Sigh! But they had no choice; all they could do was to find ways to survive.
Gritting his teeth, he looked down at the city below, trying think of the best point to start their operation.
As time passed, they discreetly observed the city below with their binoculars and jotted down important points.
The red sun disappeared below the sea, and darkness gradually fell.
The previously brightly lit city was suddenly filled with the piercing sound of an alarm.
The noise startled the two on the hill.
After some time, they heard voices in the distance speaking in the universal language.
This wasn't surprising. After all, the imperial forces would use a translated language to ensure that the locals could understand them.
"What are they saying?"
"It sounds like they're announcing a curfew during the military control period."
Shen Congfei felt that his hearing had improved remarkably, possibly due to being a Hunter.
When Xia Wei heard this, she wrote it down on the piece of paper.
As night fell, in a city that used to be a bustling coastal city,
Aside from the still-lit streetlights, the only things left on the road were the armored vehicles and patrolling soldiers of the Black Iron Empire.
Moreover, many places now displayed the Black Iron Empire's flag.
The flag had a black background, a red thin sword and rifle crossed in the middle, and a dark golden crown at the top.
This represented the three pillars of the Black Iron Empire: the aristocratic monarchy, their strong military power, and their church's faith.
Shen Congfei knew all this because, after the apocalypse, during his exploration of the wasteland, he had managed to gather some information about the pre-apocalyptic world.
That's why, when he first transmigrated here, he was quite depressed.
Because in this game, if one didn't cheat or have some kind of protagonist's charm, surviving past the apocalypse was impossible.
The horror of the apocalypse was far beyond anyone's imagination.
Although it was already dark, they had to stay on the hill overnight to observe the situation in the city the next morning.
Fearing that lighting a fire would draw the attention of the empire's hidden sentries, they didn't light one. Instead, they relied on each other for warmth, leaning against a tree.
It wasn't until the next day, after observing the morning patrols of the imperial soldiers in the city, that they decided to leave.
However, Shen Congfei had not slept all night and couldn't help but yawn during the journey.
The Hunter's skill had been activated all night, but no signs of Imperial soldiers approaching were detected.
When they returned to the Hunter's cabin, while Xia Wei was explaining the situation to others, Shen Congfei rushed upstairs to get some sleep in his bedroom.
After waking up, he was greeted with a large windfall.