Chapter 37: NPC Mercenary

In the world of the apocalypse game, recruitable NPCs are divided into two types.

The first type are basic NPC survivors recruited through the Survival Radio. They are essentially unable to participate in combat; they can barely use weapons to bash zombies, and there is a significant probability they will be killed in return.

The other type possesses the "Firearms Proficiency" skill, can use various basic firearms, and has character attributes higher than those of ordinary survivors.

Players commonly refer to them as "Mercenaries."

However, recruiting "Mercenaries" is not free. Fang Heng needs to spend some Survival Points for this.

Mounting his mountain bike, Fang Heng arrived at the Apocalypse Camp.

"Hahahaha! Fang Heng! You're here! I was just telling my friends about you. I heard you've already completed your shelter?"

"You're quite well-informed."

"Hahaha!" Wirtel looked very happy, laughing loudly. "Of course! In our line of work, first-hand information often means wealth!"

"By the way, do you need help? I have quite a few talents I could recommend to you, but you know how it works."

Fang Heng winked at Wirtel. "I know. I need to spend Survival Points to recruit them, right?"

"Don't worry, I'll give you the lowest price. But one thing: if they are unfortunate enough to die in battle, you will have to pay an additional sum of Survival Points as compensation."

"I understand." Fang Heng shrugged.

The issue regarding compensation had been a constant point of grievance for players on various gaming forums. It was too expensive! Not just for individual players, but even for large guilds, the sudden death of a few "Mercenaries" in the early stages could be a heavy blow to their finances. For ordinary players, they wouldn't even consider recruiting "Mercenaries" at all. The risk was too high; if one died, they would lose half a year's worth of accumulated resources.

Currently, Fang Heng believed that the prison's defensive capabilities could handle zombies with ease. But what about players? In a zombie apocalypse game, the greatest threat was still human survivors. Fang Heng needed to recruit "Mercenaries" to enhance the prison's defensive capabilities—something his zombie clones currently could not do.

Fang Heng was unwilling to deal with other players. The risk was too great. He preferred to trust NPC mercenaries who would not betray him.

"Wirtel, is there anyone here willing to come to my camp? I will pay them."

"Of course." With a wave of Wirtel's hand, a floating recruitment list appeared before Fang Heng. There were about fifty survivor mercenaries on the list, with levels ranging from 1 to 5.

Fang Heng scanned through them roughly. Among them, the three highest-level mercenaries were Level 5, and they also possessed Level 5 Firearms Mastery. Fang Heng remembered seeing a post on an official player forum stating that Level 5 was the highest level for a mercenary.

Safety could not be compromised! If he was going to buy, he had to buy the strongest!

Fang Heng selected the three mercenaries.

"Are you sure you want to recruit them? Recruiting one survivor costs 6,000 Survival Points for a one-time buyout. If they unfortunately die in combat, you will need to pay an additional 30,000 Survival Points per person as compensation."

"I'm sure."

【Prompt: You have spent 18,000 Survival Points to recruit 3 survivors. They will report to your shelter in 3 hours.】

Well. After purchasing the three mercenaries, Fang Heng's savings from this period were completely exhausted. He now had less than 500 Survival Points remaining.

"Very well, I will inform them immediately. They will report to your shelter in three hours."

"Thanks." Fang Heng waved his hand, thinking to himself that it was truly expensive!

The number of recruitable "Mercenaries" in the Apocalypse Camp was limited, available on a first-come, first-served basis. Currently, since he was the only player to have established a shelter, he had no competitors fighting him for mercenaries. Once the players began to develop, high-level mercenaries would become a resource monopolized by large player guilds or game companies.

Fang Heng said casually, "Wirtel, if you encounter stronger survivors, remember to introduce them to me at any time."

"Alright. It seems you are quite short on people?"

*Hmm?* Fang Heng was about to leave, but his eyebrows twitched upon hearing this. This question smelled like a quest.

"Quite short indeed. Wirtel, we are good friends; do you have some suggestions for me?"

"Hahaha! Naturally! You are one of my best friends, after all, you've always taken care of my business." Wirtel laughed loudly. He leaned in and whispered in Fang Heng's ear, "Have you forgotten the Dark Knight Order I mentioned to you before?"

Fang Heng immediately recalled. Right! The Dark Knight Order! A hidden quest. He would have to travel all the way to the city hospital to find the T-Virus antidote!

"I'll tell you a secret: once you join the Dark Knight Order, you can recruit personnel from within the Order," Wirtel revealed the information privately. "Believe me, the Dark Knight Order is full of top-tier experts with peak strength. Recruiting them is definitely worth it."

Fang Heng narrowed his eyes. There was such a thing? There were mercenaries even higher than Level 5? He had known nothing about this before! As expected, even the so-called official gaming forums couldn't be trusted. They claimed Level 5 mercenaries were the strongest combat force! The real secrets were all held by the large guilds.

Complaining inwardly, Fang Heng quickly lowered his head in thought. Leaving the Dark Knight Order quest sitting there wasn't a solution. Now that he had the time, it was time to head to the city. The sooner, the better—he needed to seize the initiative before other players established shelters. Ideally, he could recruit all the powerful mercenaries! A head start in one step leads to a head start in every step!

Fang Heng's heart burned with excitement once more. This trip to the town was a must! However, entering the town at this stage was still very dangerous; he needed to do some preparations first.

Fang Heng looked up. "Wirtel, show me your sales list again..."

"Of course."

Fang Heng opened the list and observed carefully. There was a high probability of encountering mutated zombies in the town, so he desperately needed self-defense capabilities.

A shotgun could deal massive damage at close range. The downside was that it required a Strength of 6.5 to barely use it; a Strength of 8 would allow for perfect handling, and a Strength of 10 would completely negate the recoil.

Fang Heng glanced at his own attributes.

Player: Fang Heng. Level: 9. HP: 118/118. Stamina: 100/100. Sanity: 100/100. Energy: 83/100. Strength: 6.8. Agility: 6.8. Constitution: 6.8. Willpower: 5. Perception: 15. Comprehension: 5.

Enough. He could barely use it. He'll take it.

Small explosive packs. Whether attacking a horde of zombies or destroying structures, they were extremely effective tools. He'll take those too!

First aid spray. A life-saving item; he needed to prepare a supply of that as well...

Fang Heng made a rough estimate; purchasing this equipment would cost at least 40,000 Survival Points. He had to find a way to earn some points first.