These tasks were displayed on a screen, much like the large display boards at train stations showing stops and schedules, constantly rotating and refreshing. The information was processed, collected, and transmitted by the information department.
The tasks varied widely, including ones like finding signal towers or core technologies for internet operations, etc.
"Regular Task: Guard the city gate for eight hours a day, earn 10 military merit points."
"Regular Task: The construction department is building a power plant in the south of the city. They need specialized technical and labor personnel to assist in the construction. Soldiers earn 20 military merit points for an eight-hour day, while team leaders earn 40 points for the same. Technical personnel earn points based on their job level."
"Special Task: The south ring road city wall was attacked by monsters and severely damaged. Urgent labor assistance is needed to help the construction department repair the wall. Soldiers earn 30 points for eight hours, while team leaders earn 60 points for the same."
Special tasks are those that can only be claimed once and cannot be repeated. For instance, the wall repair task is the result of an unexpected monster attack. Such missions appear in various difficulty levels (A, B, C), with different rewards based on the task level. The strength of a soldier and a team leader differ greatly, so the workload assigned to them is proportionally higher for the latter.
If someone tries to slack off—say, an army general who only lifts a small stone—it's impossible, because the construction department has a detailed task allocation system. If the assigned goals aren't met, the person gets fired, and the task is canceled.
Ye Chen looked at these tasks with a sense of helplessness.
Currently, the base city was still in its early stages, only classified as a Level 1 base city. Much infrastructure was still under construction, including the underground water supply system, power plants, local telecommunications, and mobile signal towers.
However, from the tasks, it was evident that the primary goal was to improve the city. It's like gearing up to fight enemies—one must first strengthen their own capabilities.
Later, as ancient civilization ruins were unearthed and the base city was further developed, things would improve. At that point, tasks would become far more diverse, including ones like gathering monster bodies to create powerful weapons or finding mutated herbs with healing properties to make advanced medical supplies. These would also be tasks that provide military merit points.
Ye Chen sighed inwardly. He casually glanced at the missions and soon found a "Special Task" to head into the underground water channels and eliminate mutated rats and other creatures. The mission would award military merit based on the number of creatures killed. As of the third month, the weakest mutated rats were level 5, with the strongest reaching level 12. The level of evolution varied based on the type of rat, such as albino rats or gray rats. Some rats even mutated into new species along the way.
As for zombie rats, their strength was more uniform. Most of them were level 3 or 4, but if one consumed the corpse of a stronger creature, it could grow into a stronger leader-level zombie rat.
Military Merit Calculation:
"A level 5 black-fur rat is worth 50 military merit points."
"A level 6 clawed rat is worth 70 military merit points."
"A level 7..."
"A level 12 Golden Fang Rat is worth 2,000 military merit points."
Next to each monster description, there was a clear photo, showing what the creature looked like. These monster classifications and power assessments were carried out by the reconnaissance department. Their work was also rewarded with military merit points. Anyone with enough courage and attention to detail could join this department. If they discovered a new monster or artifact and submitted detailed reports, they would receive military merit and rewards.
When a creature reached level 10, regular pistols like the standard Type 64 lost their lethality, and only rifles used by team leaders or captains had a slight chance of success in killing these creatures.
After all, even if a weapon is powerful, it needs to hit its target. If the user lacks enough strength, even the most powerful weapons will be ineffective.
A regular soldier's weapon could handle monsters of level 5, but beyond that, only higher-ranked officers could deal with higher-level creatures.
Ye Chen walked up to the front desk and handed over his military ID.
"I'd like to take the task to eliminate the underground water channel monsters," he said.
The desk attendant filled out some paperwork based on the information on his ID, then smiled sweetly and said, "Good luck, and I hope to see you back here after completing the task."
Ye Chen smiled faintly, nodded, and turned to leave.
The mission location was in the southern part of the city.
After asking for directions, Ye Chen quickly arrived at the location, only to find the street cordoned off. Military personnel in uniform were everywhere, firing and fighting at the center.
Ye Chen walked up.
"Please show your military ID," a man in business attire stopped him at the barricade.
Ye Chen took out his military ID and handed it over.
The man inspected it, compared it to the person standing before him, and confirmed it was Ye Chen. He then smiled and stepped aside.
Ye Chen quickly moved forward and arrived at a large hole in the ground where an underground sewer cover had been blown apart. Inside, numerous zombie rats and mutated rats with sharp fangs were fighting fiercely. It was chaos.
Zombie creatures were bloodthirsty, attacking all forms of life—whether animal or human. As a result, dark creatures were considered global enemies. Mutated monsters, on the other hand, sought only blood and flesh and were uninterested in dark creatures, attacking only humans.
This led to a situation where monsters were attacking humans, while the dark creatures attacked both the monsters and the humans. Due to their proximity, the dark creatures focused their rage on the monsters, which enraged the monsters in turn. Some of them switched targets, deciding to deal with these accursed dark creatures first.
Nearby, several professionals in business attire were busy taking notes, recording how many monsters each soldier had killed. If the records were accurate, the soldiers would earn military merit points as rewards.
This was how the information department operated.
Most soldiers would memorize how many creatures they had killed and which ones, then compare their personal tally with the information department's records. In a way, they were providing a reference data for the department.
"Another one's here."
"Make sure to record him."
Some of the personnel briefly shifted their focus to Ye Chen.
"Just a regular soldier. How many could he possibly kill?" a pretty girl sneered.
"Alright, just keep an eye on him. Make sure not to miss any of the captains or generals, though. They're taking down high-level monsters, so we can't afford to make a mistake."
"I know," came the reply.
Ye Chen ignored the soft ridicule from the side. He was probably used to it by now. With a calm expression, he walked toward the underground sewer entrance.
On a soldier's uniform, there was a white horizontal bar on the chest, while team leaders had two horizontal bars, captains had three, and generals wore medals.
Before the apocalypse, such markings were worn on the shoulders or sleeves, but since the outbreak, the sleeves and shoulders often got torn in combat, so the chest became the only safe place for insignia. If the chest was torn, it meant the soldier was likely dead.
A level 7 Blood Fur Rat roared at the sewer entrance. With a swipe of its claw, it killed two zombie rats that had been biting its rear. It then charged out of the hole, leaping onto the street and heading straight for Ye Chen.