48 Hours a Day

Chapter 1146: Returning To The Nuclear Power Plant

“We’re going back to the nuclear power plant?” Mouse’s expression changed slightly.

“There’s a distance between the administration building and the reactor, and we don’t have to go back all the way,” Zhang Heng said. “If you’re worried, I’ll go with Coconut and Besnova.”

“I’ll go this time too,” Master Kui said. “My health isn’t too bad either. Are you guys still going to pretend to be experts?”

“I’m afraid that won’t work this time. Fu Ming and Bulihanov are in contact with Moscow, so they might even have a list of experts. Furthermore, they’re not in the hospital, so they can check with Moscow at any time,” Zhang Heng said. “Fortunately, we’ve chatted with Katarov, Akimov, and Toptonov, so this time, we can be a little rougher.”

“Let’s go together, then.” The doctor hesitated for a moment before saying, “Let’s work together so we can take care of each other.”

However, he didn’t expect Zhang Heng to shake his head. “The nuclear power plant has been locked down, but I don’t want a direct confrontation with the town’s armed forces for the time being. After all, we don’t know how long everyone will be staying here. If possible, I want to sneak in, so it’s easier to move with fewer people.”

Zhang Heng turned to look at Coconut. “Your body...”

“My hand f*cking hurts.” Coconut raised her injured hand. She had just changed the bandage, but when she tore off the old bandage, the skin on her hand peeled off along with it. Coconut was also surprised. When she saw this, she was still stunned. She didn’t seem to understand why her skin had peeled off so easily.

“But I’m still alive, so of course I can go to the nuclear power plant with you,” she said as she reached out her hand to the repairman.

The latter raised his eyebrows. “What?”

“When we were in the supermarket, I saw you steal two bottles of vodka from the shelf,” Coconut said, “Let me have a sip.”

“This is not something a woman should drink. Are you sure you want to drink it?” the repairman muttered skeptically.

“Be straightforward. Don’t be so wishy-washy. I’ve already been exposed to radiation. Why would I be afraid of a mouthful of vodka?” Coconut scolded.

“Alright.” The maintenance man took out a bottle of vodka from his bag. “The Doctor said that you have nuclear mania in your nervous system. I won’t lower myself to a patient’s level. I’ll give you this bottle. I won’t dare to drink it even if your mouth touches the bottle’s mouth.”

“Don’t worry. If we don’t complete the main mission, everyone will die. It’s just a matter of time,” Coconut said lightly. “If you die later, it simply means that you’ll be suffering more than I am.”

“...”

“Then it’ll just be the four of us this time,” Zhang Heng said. “You can send us to the vicinity of the nuclear power plant. We’ll set up a time and place, and you can pick us up later.”

Mouse sighed with a worried look on his face. “Sigh, I wonder when we’ll be able to complete the mission and leave this godforsaken place.”

The maintenance worker drove the jeep back to the nuclear power plant. The bad start at the medical center made everyone realize that the main mission this time was not as simple as it seemed. So far, they had not received any hints. Everything came from their own fumbling, and they did not even know if they were heading in the right direction. It was as frustrating as the radioactive cloud not far away.

Especially when it came to the background of this game, the players felt that they were powerful but unable to use it. They had experienced more than one round of the game, and they had encountered all kinds of opponents, but none of the challenges had made them as powerless as they were now. They could not even find a target to retaliate. It was completely one-sided.

The maintenance workers drove the jeep carefully away from the disturbing cloud, but the residents of the town clearly did not think so. Children rode their bikes from there, all the way to the small bridge near the Yanov train station. From there, one could clearly see the destroyed reactor. Of course, the radiation in that place was also terrifyingly high.

There were also people who deliberately moved a rubber mat on the roof and stretched their limbs to lie on it. Under the radioactive cloud, they looked at their skin getting suntanned bit by bit and were probably quite satisfied. After all, the effect of the sun today was comparable to a month’s worth of sunbathing. And they didn’t even have to spend any money.

After the initial shock, the players had gradually become numb to this scene. They were used to it. Not too long ago, Zhang Heng saw a few people fishing by the river at the hospital. In real history, one of them later appeared on the cover of a foreign magazine and became famous throughout Europe.

In his own words,

—If you are ignorant, then curiosity will only get you into trouble, especially when you have no sense of responsibility.

At that moment in Pripyat, it was true that very few people, out of their ignorance or the lackadaisical official response, realized what had happened, and those who had relevant knowledge were terrified. For some reason, they simply didn’t want to believe what their eyes saw.

Considering that there was still action to be taken, Coconut only drank a few mouthfuls of vodka to slightly ease the pain on her hands and mouth. Then, she closed her eyes and leaned against the back of the chair. There was not a single grain in her stomach now, but she still felt incredibly nauseous. To make matters worse, the metallic smell had already drifted from the nuclear power plant to the town. Fortunately, the players had already injected potassium iodide.

The maintenance workers drove the jeep back to the nuclear power plant with ease. However, the nuclear power plant was very different from when they left. The militia had set up a cordon and did not allow outsiders to enter, but they still behaved amicably. However, when they were asked what had happened, they said that they did not know and were waiting for notification from their superiors.

The firefighters had also finished their work and left, but most of them were sent to the hospital. The maintenance workers drove the jeep around the nuclear power plant and noticed that the security at the no.5 reactor, which was under construction, was relatively lax.

A group of workers stayed there. They had arrived early in the morning and noticed that there was something wrong with the no.4 reactor. They didn’t continue with the construction, but no one seemed to have informed them to leave, so they just stood there, discussing something.

Zhang Heng brought Coconut and Besnova out of the car and asked Coconut, “What are they talking about?”

“How bad is the radiation situation? How long can they work here? In addition, they want a higher reward as compensation for working in such a dangerous environment,” Besnova said truthfully.