Planet of Sand and Oasis of Iron

Chapter 6 6. The edge node city is not built randomly!
Once the identity is recognized, the resistance in this world will suddenly shatter like a barrier created by soap bubbles.

Arriving at the node city, while going downhill, Cypher saw two giant explosion-proof doors that were only opened for daily vehicles entering and exiting, and the even wider giant mechanical portal where they were located.

It's as if... the people in this city are defending against some terrible monsters from the ground, so they made the gate so wide and tall.

Passing through the wall-like portal and looking down, countless bright lights spread their light everywhere at just the right place, making this underground world as transparent as day, and also illuminating the city built on the huge cavity below the slope.

Lead gray and matte metal are the main colors of this city, and the mottled light from the windows is like stars among the steel and concrete.

Many normal-sized transport vehicles came and went in the city, which was divided into several levels. The high-rise buildings and structures with similar shapes and sizes always made Seifer mistakenly believe that he had entered a copy-and-paste city.

There are a large number of overpasses connecting each level, and looking from this direction, the most central location of the entire city is an unobstructed and extremely wide road.

Adhering to the idea that if you keep your mouth shut, you won't be exposed, Seifer has no comments on this city, but unfortunately the patrol captain who brought him here doesn't think so!

She lay comfortably in the chair, legs crossed and resting on the horizontal bar. "Say something, independent mercenary. This place has only been built for less than two months. Don't you think the planning is very scientific?"

"I'm not very good at architecture, but I know that without a main base blocking the entrance, it's easy for troops to slip in."

The driver was silent for a while, probably thinking about the meaning and implication of this sentence. On the road in silence for a while, two huge vehicles slowly approached the platform outside the city that was specially designated for temporary parking of such vehicles, one in front and one behind.

And then... no more.

The driver contacted his superior and reported that the people were rescued but the cargo was not. He then told Seifer that independent mercenaries must also abide by the city's rules. If they needed help, they should go to the window opened by the [Independent Mercenary Support System] in the city and then disconnected the communication directly.

Sever squatted in the car, looking blankly at the screen in front of the cockpit, where the city armed personnel were getting off the patrol car in a hurry - No, you are not going for the next round of patrol?
It seems that the logic of workers in this world is similar. Leaving get off work one second later is irresponsible to oneself.

Then the pressure came to Sefer again. He took out the small box containing the identification card, thought carefully for a long time, and finally hung the "Red Crossbow" identification card around his neck. He turned around and confirmed the metal cylinder buried deep under the floor behind the seat.

The most important thing in the entire car is this thing. He doesn't know what it is, but he only knows that... as long as the car doesn't fall, he can be reborn again and open his eyes again to continue fighting.

It sounds like a lich's life box or a cultivator's Nascent Soul in novels. When I have time, I'll check out what this thing is.

Before that, I have to update my mercenary information. Otherwise, I will have a hard time moving around this city.

Wearing the nameplate and changing into the protective suit snatched from the pirates, Seifer looked at the mirror in the maintenance area, with all kinds of thoughts in his mind.

In the mirror was a rather skinny humanoid machine that seemed to have sacrificed a lot of defensive capabilities for the sake of mobility. Its head was simply made with only two optical detectors emitting red light.

The sophisticated metal skeleton wrapped the important components in the body, and occasionally a faint light could be seen shining through the protective plate. There was still a bullet mark on the left upper arm, which was the mark left by the gun of the hostile mercenary.

——Based on observation, so far, no one seems to have seen any existence similar to itself, so if someone sees a shiny metal frame walking outside, it may cause a series of troubles.

After changing into a protective suit with a shiny silver lining, Seifer keenly observed the people on the streets of the city outside, and then put on an ordinary coat over the protective suit.

It looks bulky, but that's what people on the street who look like mercenaries or military personnel wear, so it's okay as long as you don't act too different.

Unlike people on the street, who would hang their helmets on backpacks or other places, Seifer wore it on his head, so much so that many people cast curious glances at him as he walked from the temporary stop to the street.

Aren’t you hot when you’re dressed so neatly this late at night?
It takes a very long time to walk to the city... As a person with an illegal status, he cannot use the city's facilities or even the money.

I can only say that I thought it was a barbaric world, but I didn't expect it to be quite advanced in all aspects.

Passing through the freight area covered by high walls, you can occasionally see a giant vehicle of independent mercenaries running on the road specially designed for large vehicles - some are not very large, about twenty meters long and look like a large bus.

Some of them are tens of meters high, with a long axis of one hundred or even two hundred meters. Just passing by is like a fortress, moving slowly and heavily.

Independent mercenaries and mercenary groups bring their own dry food, and the quality of these equipments also represents the level of the mercenaries to a certain extent.

I walked silently through the factory area, through a bustling trading area that was obviously much more lively than other places, but most of the shops didn't sell anything that looked like daily necessities.

Some distance away from the residential area, Seifer stopped in front of the [Independent Mercenary Support] branch.

I'd expected a truly... impressive hall, but instead of a small, square space, no more than five square meters, there was a bustling tavern behind the branch. Figures crisscrossed the tavern's windows, and mercenaries and potential mercenaries chatted and gossiped at the door, like a bunch of idle off-duty workers relaxing.

Compared to the pub, whose borders were decorated with marquees and whose exterior looked like reinforced concrete nails and fluorescent tube lights, this branch looked more like a public restroom...

Putting aside the various thoughts in his mind, under the gazes of the surrounding mercenaries, Seifer calmly walked into the branch and stood on the marked ground, imitating the people who were still operating those very sci-fi transparent panels floating in the air.

'Mercenary, identification code has been verified, registration has expired.'

A cold, robotic, and emotionless female voice appeared on the communication.

Although the text on the panel that appeared in front of him was new to him, he could still understand it. Seifer clicked on the reissue item without hesitation, and the system started working immediately.

"Mercenary codename: Red Crossbow. Failure to review on time will result in a late review fee of 4.5 million. Your certification has been completed."

If this body had eyes, then Seifer felt that the corner of his eye was twitching faster than the speed of light. On this support system network, the account of "Red Crossbow", which had only a few points to begin with, instantly became negative.

You should call it the Mercenary Support System, not the Mercenary Debt System, right?
Seifer was silent for two seconds, ready to argue, but the cold, mechanical female voice continued, "This certification permit will take six months. Please pay the full amount of late payment fees within the deadline."

"Now, all independent mercenary support systems are activated for you. Please remember that this system exists for the continuation of all humanity. I hope you will continue to shine, mercenary."

This interface quickly disappeared, and what followed was an independent mercenary online trading platform that could be opened and viewed at any time as long as there was signal coverage.

Walking on the ground made of cut rock slabs, Sefer touched the small bag on his waist, which contained some cash robbed from pirates.

After finding a quiet place to sit down, Seifer thought seriously about what he could do to gain a firm footing. After all, he had a huge debt... Six months, there was still a chance, so he couldn't rush.

The independent mercenary support system is connected to the shopping malls of several companies. Seifer is quite interested in going in to browse the e-commerce platform - if he doesn't have money in his pocket, he is not allowed to look around?
But a burst of urgent contact sounds suddenly came into the communication, and before he had time to see who it was, he saw a call icon light up on the UI.

Then, a rather experienced and mature female voice came in: "Red Crossbow, you finally agreed to connect. Have you completed the previous commission?"

Cypher was silent.

"...You, aren't Red Crossbow Arrow?"

The other party's voice was quite shaken, and Cypher struggled to find an excuse due to this unexpected contact. After hesitating for a long time, he slowly said, "I am Red Crossbow."

"You're not, you... Well, since you can access the independent mercenary network, it means that you have been identified as a Red Crossbow by the independent mercenary system."

The other party sounded a little lost, but she quickly cheered up: "Let me introduce myself. I'm the liaison officer of the Red Crossbow, codenamed Laika."

A dog in space... Oh no, I guess the world doesn't know the meaning of this name either. Cypher calmly responded, "I know, Laika. What's next?"

"Your first time as a mercenary?"

"I was previously engaged in research, but don't worry. Although I'm not very skilled in combat, I survived a pirate attack before contacting you, and was even the sole survivor."

The message on Leica's end flashed for a moment, and she resumed her professional duties as a liaison: "Your location for connecting to the mercenary system is the edge node city. If you don't have your own desert mobile base yet, you can raise funds for it first."

Actually, there was, but Seifer didn't respond immediately. Instead, he nodded (regardless of whether the other party could see it or not) and said, "Are you specifically accepting missions issued by the mercenary system?"

"Yes, that's right. However, as a new mercenary, I suggest you first participate in the investigation of the 'anomalies' in the node city. Sometimes, it can earn more than the company's commissions."

What is the new word for vision?
Seifer looked up at the mercenaries who were chatting, and then suddenly looked at the wide road in the city - that road almost divided the underground city into two areas. Now it seems that such construction has its deep meaning.

"Well, it might be hard for you to understand, but I'll send you the coordinates... Communication over."

The contact hesitated for a moment before hanging up, then said, "As a liaison, I'll be on call at all times. If you need anything, please contact me, Red Crossbow."

(End of this chapter)