Chapter 405 Off-Road
It wasn't that difficult to guess that those miners they were seeing were slaves instead of workers. Shane could see the legcuff or maybe the ankle bracelet they were wearing.
He had actually seen this being sold in the Marketplace. It was a decent item to control the prisoners. However, with his Title Effect that could increase loyalty by 2 points every day, it wouldn't really be necessary.
They just have to get imprisoned for several weeks, and they would slowly become loyal to him.
"This…"
At this time, Sandra also used her Enhanced Vision and saw that the enslaved people were mostly kids… There were definitely young teenagers.
It was her first time seeing such young Survivors, and they were actually being mistreated like this. They barely have muscles on their bodies as their bones are protruding. They were all malnourished, and it wouldn't be surprising if they already had various diseases on their bodies since they weren't using proper gear when mining.
"We have to free them…" Sandra muttered before explaining to Diana what she could see from their distance.
Although Diana could vaguely see that there were workers coming in and out of the mining site, she couldn't tell their condition.
Diana nodded at this as she looked at Shane, who seemed to be assessing the situation...
"They're indeed in a bad position, but our safety is our priority… We need to be smart about this. Let's assess their defenses first. And I think our leader has already considered the situation…"
Shane smiled after hearing this before shaking his head.
"It's difficult. My perception tells me that there are 48 people in this territory. However, I can't tell how many of them are slaves and our real enemies. The good thing is that they don't have any kind of barrier activated."
"Still, that's forty-eight people… We should investigate more. Let's go closer." Diana suggested.
The others agreed to this since scouting from this distance was a bit too difficult, even for Shane.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
The group then crept closer, using the cover of the rocky terrain to stay hidden.
Then, Shane considered for a moment before taking out his Automated Drone with scouting ability.
Whoosh~
Soon, the flying device flew above and started hovering above the mining site without being noticed by the people on the ground.
From Shane's controller, he was able to see everything from above, and with the special ability of the drone, he was able to see the heat signatures of the Survivors, allowing him to confirm the area where most people were.
'There are 15 people inside the mine… Hmmm… Is this a silver mine?' Shane mused as soon as he saw the carts being taken out. Anyway, the type of mineral they were taking wasn't important right now. He needed to know how the other defenses they had arranged would plan how they would approach this shelter.
For the next 15 minutes, they observed the base, noting the positions of guards and the layout of the camp. The guards were armed but seemed lax, their attention more focused on keeping the slaves in line than on watching for intruders.
It seemed that they really trusted the electric fence they'd arranged.
Shane pointed to a cluster of trailers near the center of the camp. "That looks like the command center. If we can destroy the building where the Power Cores are located, we can easily disable the electric fence. Then, we can also start our attack... As much as possible, we'll only use our long-range weapons."
As he said this, the others immediately understood.. Though Gregor and Kaela wanted a melee combat, they understood that it would just be difficult for Shane and the others if they started bombarding the enemies or if Shane started using his Automated Turret. If there were allies on the line, the Turret wouldn't be able to show its full might, and that wasn't something they wanted to happen.
Gregor, who had been scanning the area with his binoculars, nodded. "That place you mention is probably where the main source of energy is located... But I also notice a couple of camouflaged generators near the fence. I think it's their secondary source of power… If we can disable those, the fence will no longer be a problem. Then, the slaves would also be able to escape with that."
Shane smiled as he realized that Gregor understood what he wanted to happen. Just like what Gregor said, he wanted the slaves to realize that they had a chance to escape. If that happened, they would be able to cause chaos, and it would be to their advantage.
Kaela and the others also suggested a few things on how they would be able to ensure that no enemies would be able to escape.
From everyone's suggestion, Shane formulated a plan quickly.
"Alright, here's what we'll do. Gregor and Kaela, you take out the generators with these two Exploding Hatchets… After doing that, immediately retreat. I will drop some grenades with the drone and destroy their command center. Once the fence is down, I'll use my Turret to clear the guards in the watchtowers with Diana and Sandra's support.
I'll then use my Titan's Roar to signal the slaves to rise up and join the fight."
Although Shane had enough Spirit Points to do most of the battle, he also wanted to teach his sister how to strategize and deal with such situations. After all, with his power, he would always have to move around to find the cure to the virus and end this Apocalypse. On the other hand, Diana, his most trustworthy aide, would have to stay in one of the Shelters he'd established.
It would be great if she also developed some leadership skills someday so he could rest assured that his shelter wouldn't be in danger.
"I like that plan…" Diana replied as she felt that this battle would be very safe for everyone.
Shane then made some Tokens for everyone, which he infused with Phantasm Rush, Aura of Protection, and Five-Meter Jump Skill.
It was difficult to fuse three skills at the same time, but perhaps because the three skills were complimenting each other, Shane was able to make it successful.
[ Acacia's Slayer Token: Carved from ordinary Acacia wood, this Token was filled with the blessing of stealth and agility. When activated, the Token unleashes the Slayer Mode, enabling the bearer to navigate their surroundings with unmatched speed.
Effect:
Slayer Mode: +50% Movement Speed for 30 seconds. +200 Physical Defense for 50 seconds. Activate Flight Ability for 10 seconds.
Activation Cost: 2 Spirit Points
Usage: 20/20
Remarks: made by Shadow Strider ]
This was actually a very surprising effect since it granted flight ability, though it was only for ten seconds. Well, it should probably be a long jump skill since it was simply too short. Anyway, this was still a pleasant surprise, and everyone really liked this Token.
'It feels as if I'm using a free Skill Fusion Scrolls with this Token.' Shane thought to himself.
Of course, everyone also saw how he just carved those tokens from the branch he had picked up on the ground. Nonetheless, no one asked him how he did it, and they all happily accepted the item.
As everyone felt ready, they moved into position and focused on their given task.
As soon as the signal came, Gregor and Kaela moved as they activated the Token they just received, making them unstoppable even after several traps were triggered behind them…
The guards could see them but they could do nothing about them their incredible speed!
At this time, while they alarmed the bell, announcing the arrival of enemies, Shane's drone dropped the grenades he had just obtained from the Long Lodge Shelter!
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The grenades dropped directly on top of the trailers! However, it wasn't enough!
Thankfully, the drone could carry a total of five grenades!
The last two grenades dropped after a few seconds, and as soon as it did, the lights in the mine and other parts of the camp turned off! Their main source of energy was finally destroyed, causing panic to everyone!
Boom! Boom!
At this time, Gregor and Kaela had also successfully broken the generators for the electric fence!
The people in this camp could only rely on the various traps, and they'd set up around the perimeter in case the fence failed them!
However, Shane and the others had no plans of entering further as they all used their firearms to attack!
Shane had also summoned his Sentinel Mk-IV Automated Turret and switched its ammunition to incendiary bombs!
These bombs were their third wave of attack!
Boom! Boom!
Everyone who was fleeing was now being shot by Shane and the others to ensure that they would not be able to escape.
Everything was going really well, but Shane knew that the enemies wouldn't be defeated so easily. After all, they still survived the Zombie Waves!
They must have something with them that could help them fight a large number of enemies.
"Who dares?!"
As expected, as soon as they felt that they could sweep this camp easily, they heard a loud roar coming from behind them! It was followed by the sound of vehicles rushing to their location!
The enemies had actually called for backup and were rushing towards them! Furthermore, this group of people had several off-road vehicles with them!
Shane's eyes narrowed as he saw five SUVs with several people at the back carrying rifles and aiming at them.