Chapter 362 - 337: Death in the Fortress

Chapter 362: Chapter 337: Death in the Fortress

Sennantata. Due to the extreme cold, over ninety percent of the region was an uninhabited ice plain.

The only people who lived here were a few Sisiya natives who had adapted to the cold over generations, and some who worked in ice-and-snow-related industries.

After the Apocalypse Rules appeared, life here became even more difficult. Many were forced to leave, heading to the major cities to huddle together for survival.

Now, apart from a few large prisons and some special facilities, no other industries remained operational. The population had dwindled to a pitiful few.

So when Guan Tong and Shangyuan Zi set foot in the area, they were struck by the bitter cold and utter desolation.

"According to the intel, after Rijeka’s failed attack on Yelena, he was imprisoned in one of the prisons here."

Guan Tong’s voice was muffled by his thick scarf. He was bundled up in fleece clothing, wearing snow goggles and a scarf—the standard gear for people living in this region.

Shangyuan Zi was dressed similarly. Although the cold had little effect on them given their physical conditioning, they didn’t want to draw attention. Blending in was the best choice.

"We’re about ten kilometers from the prison now," Guan Tong said. "I’ll scout ahead with Shadow first. If the intel is correct, I’ll handle this quickly."

Shangyuan Zi nodded, then suddenly said, "We need to be careful. It seems we’re not far from that alien creature."

"Right. We definitely need to watch out for that."

The alien intelligence had landed on the ice plain, and when the first live broadcast began, people online had already calculated its exact coordinates.

If the alien had remained in that vicinity and the Human Federation hadn’t tried to move it, then the surrounding area would certainly be under extremely tight security, with no unauthorized individuals or organizations allowed to approach.

Since Guan Tong had come to Sisiya to settle the score with Rijeka, he naturally wanted to avoid alerting the forces guarding the alien.

He and Shangyuan Zi followed their planned route and soon arrived at their destination: a small town that shared the name of the ice plain.

The small town had some life to it, inhabited by locals who refused to leave and people who worked at the prisons and other facilities.

Furthermore, because of the alien’s landing, groups from all over the world most interested in extraterrestrial intelligence had swarmed to this small town in the past two days.

As soon as Guan Tong and Shangyuan Zi entered the town’s largest tavern, they heard people inside discussing the matter.

"It’s so infuriating! I came all this way just to see the alien with my own eyes. But those Sisiya soldiers, they won’t let anyone get close, even from several kilometers away from the coordinates."

"Same here. I’ve tried several times in the past two days, and they’ve turned me back every time."

"What about taking a detour?"

"Useless! You think satellite surveillance is just for show? Besides, there are so many soldiers guarding it in layers. There’s no way in."

Guan Tong and Shangyuan Zi found an empty table and sat down.

Listening to the chatter, Guan Tong remarked, "All these people came just to get a look at that black ooze. That’s some dedication."

Only die-hard alien enthusiasts would be willing to come to this godforsaken, frozen wasteland.

"Some of them might be Parasites," Shangyuan Zi said. "They must be desperate for intel, too."

"Mm, that’s certainly possible." Guan Tong scanned the crowd in the tavern. He couldn’t distinguish any Parasites. After looking away, he added, "Having these people here is a good thing for us."

Shangyuan Zi nodded.

With so many outsiders around, the two of them could easily pretend to be part of the "alien enthusiast" crowd.

On the other hand, if the town were full of only locals, their sudden arrival would definitely attract a lot of unwanted attention.

But with so many outsiders, all bundled in thick fleece, felt hats, and snow goggles, no one paid any special attention to anyone else.

"You two must be from out of the country, here to see the alien, right?"

Just then, someone from the next table over struck up a conversation with Guan Tong and Shangyuan Zi.

"You’ve completely wasted your trip. I don’t know if it’s a Sisiya rule or a Human Federation one, but the area around the coordinates is heavily guarded with checkpoints. They won’t let any unauthorized personnel get close."

Guan Tong replied, "That’s a real shame."

"Isn’t it? Sigh. The folks in this town are happy, though. They get to make Sublimation Coins off of us." 𝘧𝓇ℯℴ𝓂

The man raised his cup as he spoke. "Twenty Sublimation Coins for a single cup of hot milk. They really know how to do business!"

"They’re just making a living off the situation. That’s normal enough," Guan Tong said, then asked out of curiosity, "If no one can see it, why isn’t everyone going home?"

"It’s because the Rule Stage lasts for half a month! It’s only been two or three days, so there’s still plenty of time. Everyone wants to wait it out and try their luck, just in case they open it up later."

"I see."

Guan Tong said as much, but he knew it was unlikely. ’The Human Federation probably won’t open the area to unauthorized personnel until after the Rule Stage ends and the Fire Thief has retrieved that blob of alien ooze.’

’It would be too dangerous. Not for the alien, but for these enthusiasts. Who knows what they might do?’

Guan Tong then went to the counter and bought two large cups of hot milk, one for himself and one for Shangyuan Zi to warm up.

Just as the man who’d spoken to them said, the tavern owner was grinning from ear to ear. A single cup of hot milk sold for twenty coins, and hard liquor was even more expensive. He was making a killing off these outsiders.