Exiting the port controlled by Sangvis Ferri Manufacturing, the scenery underwent a drastic transformation. One moment, it was a tidy industrial park; the next, it resembled a post-war ruin with collapsed buildings, unrepaired craters on the ground, and bullet holes covering the roadside billboards...
If not for the absence of bodies and debris on the ground, this place would surely resemble the aftermath of the previous war. Yet Renault could still smell the lingering stench in the air, though it was probably just an illusion. After all, it had been at least a decade since this city became ruins.
Even if there were bodies beneath these ruins...
Hmm?
Tsk! It seemed not to be an illusion.
Most of the bodies under the surrounding ruins had probably turned into Infected. After their bodies decayed and silicified on the surface, it actually slowed down the decomposition inside them.
The smell from some Infected gradually seeped through the cracks in the ruins, indicating that there were more than just one or two Infected around.
Squinting, Renault used his psionic energy to probe the specific number of Infected under the surrounding ruins. There weren't many, but there were still quite a few. In just the ruins within a few hundred meters, there were at least over a thousand Infected.
But as long as there weren't any accidents like last time, even some Heavy ELID infected wouldn't pose much threat to them now.
Glancing at Nagant and Simonov beside him, who were wearing powered exoskeletons, Renault could see they didn't notice any unusual smell in the air. Their exoskeleton helmets had air filtration systems.
Though it might seem extravagant for dolls to use, Renault installed them anyway. Even if they didn't need the odor filtering function, it could filter out small particles that might cause short circuits in the exoskeletons. So, it was worth it!
"Commander, how far is the place we're going?" Simonov looked around. Although the streets looked dilapidated, they had clearly been cleaned up. Everything on the road surface had been cleared away, not even a scrapped vehicle could be seen.
"Not far, just a few minutes away. After we get there, we have more to do." Of course, this speed was calculated based on the speed of the powered exoskeletons. If they walked slowly, it would probably take a whole hour. But this was thanks to Sangvis Ferri Manufacturing directly laying the railway next to their factory. Otherwise, they would have to get off at the previous station and walk about ten kilometers to reach Helian's given factory location.
On the way to the factory, there were no accidents. The Infected remained obediently under the ruins, showing no intention of coming out. Perhaps the ruins were too heavy for them to move.
The only problem was passing by a cemetery, which made Nagant and CF05 feel uneasy.
But this situation only lasted for a dozen seconds. Although the cemetery was large, for Renault and the others sprinting past, it was just a matter of a few words. CF05 and Nagant had barely felt a chill when they heard the word "cemetery", and before they could even shiver, the cemetery was already behind them.
"Is that factory ahead our destination? It looks different from the surrounding buildings, as if it has been renovated." Squinting at the distant large black shadows, Simonov raised an eyebrow.
The appearance of these huge factory buildings was completely different from the collapsed buildings. Not only did they not show any signs of war damage, but even the road leading to the factory gate had been leveled.
"Don't just look at the factory. See if there are any intact vehicles around, like trucks. We'll need to move those containers tomorrow. If we can't find any, we'll have to borrow from Sangvis Ferri again." Renault pointed to a building nearby that looked like a garage, gesturing to Simonov.
"Okay, let's go. But don't blame me if we can't find any. The people here don't seem like the kind to leave things behind." With the factory and its surroundings cleaned up so neatly, they must have evacuated slowly, cleaning everything before leaving.
"Be careful, there are still quite a few Infected in the factory area."
"Ah, they're just Infected. What trouble can they cause? Besides, I'm wearing a powered exoskeleton. Those guys can't even touch me!" Naturally, Simonov didn't care. With a wave of her hand, she walked toward the direction of the garage.
Watching Simonov disappear into the darkness, CF05 and Nagant couldn't help but shrink their necks. Only Simonov dared to walk around so openly. Just thinking about the cemetery they had just passed by made them...
"Uh... wait, Commander, did you just say there are quite a few Infected in the factory area?" Looking at the gate of the factory in front of her, CF05, who was about to cut the lock with hydraulic pliers, suddenly hesitated. Wouldn't all the Infected rush out as soon as she opened the gate?!
"Yes, there are quite a few. Behind the gate in front of you, there are nearly two hundred. There are also some in the other factories. Those poor guys probably weren't notified to evacuate."
"What!?" Upon hearing this, CF05 and Nagant both exclaimed in surprise.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Perhaps their cries had alerted the Infected behind the gate, or perhaps the Infected had sensed Renault standing outside the gate. A sudden series of pounding on the gate abruptly began.
Then, a dense pattern of banging followed. Unfortunately, the gate of the factory was very strong. These Infected, who couldn't cooperate, obviously didn't have the ability to break through the gate directly.
"Alright, stop standing there. Hurry up and open the gate. Nagant, you're in charge of cleaning up these Infected. I'll go check out the next factory."
"Hey!? Wait! Don't go, Commander!?" CF05, hearing the increasingly intense pounding from inside the factory, hurriedly shouted to try to call Renault back, but Renault walked directly to the gate of the next factory without even turning back.
"Nagant... um, maybe we should wait for the Commander..." Looking at the hydraulic pliers in her hand, CF05 regretted not strongly requesting Renault to equip her powered exoskeleton with weapons...
However, when CF05 turned her head, she saw Nagant had already stood tens of meters away. Both of her arms were raised, and the MG3 machine gun hanging from the hands of the powered exoskeleton was aimed directly at the gate of the factory, where CF05 is currently at.
"Don't worry, CF05! I'll cover you!" Nagant said, giving her a thumbs up.