Planet of Sand and Oasis of Iron

Chapter 4. The longer I wait, the less I want to see people
The enemy was very powerful, and their corpse was also very valuable. After tearing off the camouflage coat, they revealed a tightly fitting, dark garment made of an unknown, glossy material. The scanning module determined that it was a new type of thermal insulation material...

It's all little things.

The pistol was the most important thing. Seifer pulled the gun, which was obviously a refined weapon, from the man's hand with a mood of looting equipment, and then found out... the manufacturer of the weapon was the [Desert Climate Transformation Agency].

Apart from anything else, it's quite fashionable for various forces to call themselves companies, and all kinds of common measurement units are almost the same as in the world he was in before. It can only be said that it is very convenient.

He hung the pistol behind his waist and continued searching. The identification plate the other party had was a rectangular block hanging around his neck, which could only be identified by scanning.

[Desert Climate Modification Agency]... Hey, why did they erase the unit's affiliation and only leave the name of the special infiltration unit?

After a three-second silence for the man named Meyer, Cypher pulled out the shield generator on his body that had just blocked his sweeping move (actually a horizontal slash).

So far, the enemies seem to be made of flesh and blood, and there is nothing similar or partially similar to them. Can we infer that the personality of this fighting machine is actually very unique?

Could this be the golden finger that comes with time travel?

After stripping off these things, Seifer looked at the nameplate and thought for a moment, then exerted force in his hands and squeezed it into a flat piece of paper, completely destroying the possibility of it being read.

It's just that this guy sent it too quickly. I don't know why he wanted to clean up the car and even eliminate the witnesses... Could it be that these pirates touched something they shouldn't have touched?

It is indeed possible based on common sense. Seifer cleared out all the pirates in the car and successfully took over this pirate vehicle which was much more flexible than a freight vehicle, but now had to stay at its base.

There was no valuable loot, and even the main engine of the vehicle was not worth much, and it used a very old-fashioned internal combustion engine - speaking of this, I have to talk about it.

The vehicle driving technology in this world is quite something. Not to mention the engine of my car, the fuel used in the internal combustion engine of this car is a blue consumable substance. Although it is called an internal combustion engine, it does not actually operate by piston stroke.

It's just that the blue luminescent material is consumed within the engine... Without disassembling one, it's impossible to tell how it actually works. At the same time, the output is also a kind of circulating energy that can activate the power components, which seems unscientific.

But the world is materialistic, and the fact that it can do so means that it is feasible.

Moreover, just by standing in the engine compartment, with circles of energy sweeping across his body, he could clearly feel that his upper limit of power had also increased... In other words, this body was also driven by the same energy.

Fortunately, it does not interfere with radio communications when it is operating, otherwise Seifer would have doubted whether he would be able to see an 18-meter machine in the future.

How could humanoid machines be used as combat weapons in actual combat? It's simply making a joke on various combat systems. It's like a dung beetle encountering diarrhea, and it's about to poop.

So now... it seems like it took a long time, but in fact it was only from dawn to noon. The temperature outside was getting hotter and hotter, and although there was a small hole on the outside of this pirate looting vehicle that was broken down, it was actually not a big problem.

At least there would be no problem holding on until sunset, so this period of time became the time for Sefer to organize the intelligence - when night fell, no matter what, even if there was no gain, he had to leave here immediately.

Cypher entered the main control area, which was a combination of dirt, chaos and various incomprehensible "arts". There were even some dried trophies nailed to the wall.

I won’t go into details about what it is specifically.

The main control area is also more cramped than his own car. The body structure is extremely simple. Apart from iron and steel plates, there are only welded shabby seats, and even the control console is a mess.

Even the device on the driver's seat is made of patches of tinplate and wire... Is it okay to mess up the food so badly?

After looting some currency, Seifer went to the warehouse. As soon as he entered, he subconsciously raised his hands to cover his mouth and nose - oh, I don't need to breathe now, so forget it.

The scanning module reminded him that the place was filled with poisonous gas and it was best not to enter easily, but he looked at the reminder speechlessly.

It's a neurotoxin, extremely toxic to humans, but I'm the Tin Man, so how can I get respiratory nerve poisoning?

But the presence of nerve gas in the pirate vehicle is very intriguing... No wonder they haven't come up with any decent weapons to resist. The armory is next to this warehouse, and there is even a ventilation duct connecting the two, so the next door is also inaccessible.

Looking at the ammunition stockpile that filled half a wall, several of which were broken and continuously spewing poison gas, Seifer pondered for a while, chose to ignore it, and continued to rummage around in the warehouse.

...He hadn't expected to find anything from these pirates that would allow him to sneak into this world safely, but in a box that seemed to be owned exclusively by the pirate boss, Sefer actually found something good.

A handful of identification tags, some belonging to pirates, some to company employees, and a few... to independent mercenaries.

It's a pity that the authorization period has passed and the signing certificate has not been updated, which means that if he just uses it, it may be discovered... But how does this crappy place issue certificates?

Everything depends on guesswork. I am alone (with a machine) working here, so I can only say that the start was not very smooth.

After searching for a while, he found weapons, ammunition and equipment. All of these things together might be worth only a little money, but it would be difficult to bring them back, so... after spending a few minutes collecting the flammable materials in the car, Seifer carefully and meticulously piled them all in the main engine room, and then changed into a set of good quality protective clothing from the maintenance room.

Being able to spend a few hours in the sun is definitely more than enough time to return to your car.

The point is, this pirate car cannot be left intact, because while searching for supplies, a noisy message is being broadcast continuously on the radio communication channel.

"Stranded vehicle, we are the Edge Node City patrol team. Please reply if you receive any. We have received the alarm positioning system in the cargo box and will rush to provide support immediately after the sunlight period ends."

"If you receive a communication, please respond and inform us of the damage and the status of the personnel!"

You come after the matter is over - no, you come after the sun goes down. Even if there are living people, they will be roasted into charcoal ribs, and at most our ashes will be collected.

He didn't actively answer, as he was an illegal immigrant. Seifer put on his protective suit, regretfully tossed the weapon from the Desert Climate Modification Agency into the sand at the hatch, and quickly moved away from the pirate's looting vehicle.

After crossing a few sand dunes and squatting on the shady side, Seifer clicked the button on the UI that had been prepared for a long time and could start the car through remote ignition.

In the vehicle body that he could not see, the accumulated ammunition was instantly ignited. The rising and expanding flames came into contact with the main engine with a roar, but did not destroy it immediately. Instead, it increased the speed of its energy flow.

It gradually changed from dark blue to deep blue, and finally turned into bright red. This red light began to devour everything around it, eventually melting it and triggering a series of chain reactions.

In the distance, a roar resounded through the desert, accompanied by an explosion of red light. One could even see a column of smoke rising into the sky, but it appeared particularly faint under the scorching sun.

A whole carload of pirates, and one guy with some secret mission, all perished here... This world is truly unkind, but if the car reaches a dead end, the worst that can happen is to open a new path...

Sefer, who caused the explosion and destruction, returned to his truck, but he had no intention of relaxing, because the communication not long ago had confirmed that the other party would come to the truck to rescue him as soon as night fell.

Now that things have come to this, the only option is to give it a try!

Sefer rushed back to the truck without stopping and found things thrown around by the pirates in the wrecked carriage, including lubricating oil for the axles and several other raw materials.

If he were still a flesh-and-blood body, he would probably mutter to himself something like 'time to break a sweat' or 'I'm not good at CAD', but unfortunately, he can't do that now.

The sun evenly scorched the desert. In this windless season, everything in the desert seemed so small - no one wanted to look up at the thin blue sky in this season, because it would singe the eyes of those who refused to accept it.

Far away from Sefer, in the desert/rock intersection area outside the city's defense circle, a sharp-edged medium-sized patrol car was lying there quietly, waiting for the sun to set.

In the armed vehicle of the Edge Node City patrol team, the combat unit... which is the only main gun operating group in the entire vehicle, is nervously preparing the weapon unit.

They hadn't heard of pirates in a long time, so their weapons were improvised. The commander had just scolded them and deducted their midnight snack.

Fortunately, the weapons were ready before the last ray of sunlight disappeared at the end of the horizon. When the news reached the main control room, the commander immediately stood up from his chair.

"Alright, you lazy bastards, get moving! If I can't find that car today, I'll hang you all out!"

"But boss..."

"Shut up, why isn't the car moving yet?"

"I, we are no longer pirates..."

With one foot on the sofa and the other on the control console, the woman, wearing the uniform issued by the patrol team with external insulation and internal thermal insulation, stood on the chair.

The protective helmet that fit her head well obscured her face, but it didn't matter. After the car shook violently, she sat down smoothly, then turned her head to look at the subordinate of the city management agency sitting in the seat next to her, who happened to be here for an inspection today.

"How's the judging level now?"

"Very bad."

"five hundred."

"Row."

Everyone in the cockpit was silent. After all, the judging results were related to salary and bonus... If they found that freight truck, the bonus could be increased even more!

(End of this chapter)