Chapter 369: The Attack: The Eastern Camp[2]
Chapter 369: The Attack: The Eastern Camp[2]
When dawn arrived, the entire camp was already on the move. The armored truck that once belonged to Kairos and Bai Young was filled with both players and NPCs alike. Some of them were manning the Hellfire turret, while others carried the magic treasures Gabriel had distributed earlier.
The refugees of the camp watched with mixed expressions as the truck slowly moved off in a straight line. Some silently prayed for their safe return, while others could not hide the worry and fear on their faces.
No one had been told where the attack would take place, but judging by the convoy of vehicles and the fact that even the big boss, Sir Broken himself, had stepped out with them, it was obvious that this was a large scale mission.
Among the crowd stood a little girl. She looked slightly chubby, though it was the healthy kind of fullness. This girl was Lina, the same child who had once accommodated Gabriel and his teammates during Kairos’ reign.
At first glance, it was quite hard to recognize her, as she was no longer thin and fragile like before.
"Lina, where is your big brother going to?" a child around her age asked curiously.
Lina did not reply immediately. Her face scrunched into a frown. "Big brother didn’t tell me either, but I think they’re going to fight the bad men again."
Among her peers and even the refugees, Lina was often referred to as the little princess of the camp and the little sister of the big boss. That status alone gave her an incredible level of prestige. No one dared offend her, and all the children wanted to stay close to her, as she was the only one who could freely enter the mansion and see Gabriel whenever she wished.
As the last traces of the convoy slowly disappeared into the distance, Lina turned to her group of friends and declared confidently, "Big brother is very strong. Don’t worry, he will wipe out all the bad people."
...
Unaware of the little girl’s boasting, Gabriel was leaning back at the front of the armored vehicle, his eyes half closed. Inside the vehicle with him were Anna, Scarlett, and Seraphina, who remained invisible to everyone else.
Out in the wilderness, Gabriel sensed the presence of several monsters, yet none of them dared to attack, which he found rather baffling.
Seraphina glanced outside before explaining, "Even though they are weak, beasts are extremely sensitive. In fact, they are far more sensitive than humans. Those monsters hiding out there likely sensed several powerful presences. They know that attacking would be nothing more than a death sentence."
"Hm," Gabriel responded quietly. He knew it would sound strange if he spoke too much out of nowhere.
Unfortunately, there was no way for them to communicate telepathically, so they could only speak normally when they were relatively alone.
"How long until we reach the eastern camp?" Gabriel asked, still leaning back in his seat.
Scarlett quickly scanned the map in her hands. "About twelve hours if we don’t rest."
"I don’t mean reaching the base directly," Gabriel said calmly. "We’ll set up a temporary camp not too far away and probe them first."
He turned slightly toward the driver. "Find a good spot, preferably about five kilometers from their camp. Somewhere we can stay hidden from the main base."
"Yes, boss," the drivers echoed respectfully as the lead vehicle veered off course. Since Gabriel was leading, the rest of the convoy had no choice but to follow.
The driver was an experienced professional in real life. After losing his job, he had logged into the game and taken up the role of a driver instead.
It was a boring class to have, but it paid enough to feed and support his family back home.
Thanks to his experience and having studied the terrain of the system camps beforehand, he knew exactly where the perfect spot was.
After several hours of relentless driving without stopping, the convoy finally came to a halt at the base of a small mountain.
Gabriel stepped down from the armored truck the moment it stopped.
The engine died with a low rumble, and silence gradually spread across the convoy.
Ahead of them stood the small mountain the driver had mentioned. Its rocky slope was uneven and riddled with natural outcrops. Sparse trees clung stubbornly to its sides, providing just enough cover to break the line of sight from afar.
"This is it," the driver said, instinctively lowering his voice. "Best spot I could find. From the top, you can see the eastern camp clearly. From below, we stay hidden."
Gabriel nodded slightly, his gaze sweeping across the surroundings.
"Set up camp. No fires. Minimal noise. Defensive formations first, tents second."
The moment the words left his mouth, everyone moved to carry out the orders without hesitation.
Anna stayed close to Gabriel, her eyes constantly scanning the area.
As for Seraphina, she stood slightly apart, invisible to all but him, her crimson eyes fixed on the distant horizon.
Once the camp was mostly settled, Gabriel did not remain behind. Without another word, he turned and began climbing the mountain ahead.
The ascent was not difficult for him, despite the rocky outcrops scattered across the slope.
Within minutes, he reached a natural ledge near the upper section and crouched low.
What greeted his eyes made him pause, and for a moment, he forgot to breathe.
In the distance stood the Eastern Camp.
Massive did not even begin to describe it.
Towering walls of alloy stone and metal stretched outward like the jaws of some colossal beast.
Compared to it, his base truly looked like nothing more than an anthill. Even from this distance, he could see layers upon layers of fortifications and elevated watchtowers that stood taller than the walls themselves.
For a brief moment, even his usually composed expression cracked.
"...So this is it," he murmured.
"It’s quite large," Scarlett whispered beside him, her eyes flashing as she stared at the towering walls, which were almost comparable to those of Stellar City.
"The human sword woman is right. If I didn’t know how powerful you are, I would have laughed when you said you wanted to attack this place," Seraphina commented calmly.
Gabriel did not respond to either of them.
Instead, wild thoughts surged through his mind.
His eyes glowed with greed as he thought silently, If I successfully kill the head of this base... does that mean this entire place will become mine?
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