Night Journey

Chapter 38 Running Wild in the Night
Under the scorching sun, yellow sand filled the sky.

The motorcycle bumped along the way, and the dry, strong wind, carrying sand and gravel, hit the goggles with a pattering sound.

"Bruce, you're a good driver."

"Of course, I am an extraordinary being with a mechanical destiny; machines are simply an extension of my body."

Cillian was sitting on the back of the motorcycle, enjoying a rare rest, while a large white dog sat in front of him, its two paws on the handlebars, propelling the motorcycle forward at high speed through the complex terrain of the wilderness.

Due to the dog's limb structure, Bruce was unable to twist the throttle, let alone control the direction.

But Bruce isn't an ordinary dog; he's an extraordinary dog.

The craftsmen of the Mechanical Destiny possess the ability to extract matter from their surroundings, and even transform it. Bruce naturally has the same ability.

“Bruce, I once heard my teacher say that some powerful spirit craftsmen can easily turn a piece of sand into metal, and in a short time, melt it down and recast it to create a powerful Dominator Armor out of thin air to be used in battle.”

“How did they do it?” Cillian asked, puzzled. “I’m not referring to the altered metal part, but how they cast the metal into precision parts and then perfectly assembled them.”

Cillian patted the motorcycle. "For example, how did you modify it out of thin air?"

Over the course of his time with Bruce, Cillian gradually came to trust the superhuman dog, and he suddenly realized the dog's terrifying potential.

Since Bruce can refine metals and modify source energy engines, he should also be able to create a motorcycle out of thin air and drive it away from the wilderness on his own, instead of cooperating with Cillian.

Bruce countered, "What do you think?"

Cillian replied, "I think you've memorized the design blueprints perfectly. When needed, all you have to do is extract the metal and assemble the parts."

"Congratulations, you got it."

"what?"

Cillian sat up straight, incredulous. "You really memorized the entire design blueprint?"

"if not?"

Bruce explained, "This is one of the characteristics of the Mechanical Destiny. As we advance in rank, we can completely memorize more and more complex design blueprints."

"For example, some craftsmen will memorize the design blueprints of many firearms and ammunition. When necessary, they can transform the surrounding materials, refine, forge, assemble, and then put them into battle."

Bruce turned around and shook his dog head. "As you can see, I'm missing a lot of brain tissue. Not only are my memories of myself damaged, but the design blueprints stored within them are also incomplete."

"I searched my memory for a long time, and only the design blueprints for the energy engine and some firearms were still complete."

Bruce tapped the motorcycle's exterior again. "Otherwise, I could easily convert it into an armored vehicle, saving us from the elements."

Cillian nodded vigorously. "I completely agree with that."

After several days of arduous travel, Cillian's clothes were covered in dust and tattered. His once fair face was now tanned dark, and his skin was dry and cracked.

Bruce went from being a big white dog to a big gray dog ​​with sand and dust mixed in his fur.

As the midday sun gradually set, Bruce, having traveled for so long, also felt tired and switched places with Cillian.

It huddled behind Cillian, trying to drown out the sound of the wind.

"Cillian, how far are we from that city of Hel?"

Cillian replied, "I don't know, this is my first time traveling so far."

"Where's the map?"

"This map is not accurate; it can only provide a rough reference."

Cillian glanced at the sky and suggested, "When it gets dark and the lighthouse of Hel City lights up, we can replan our route and assess the distance."

In the past few days, the lights in Hel City have become brighter and clearer, but just when Ciri feels that he is about to arrive, they become very distant, like an illusory mirage.

"It's getting dark, let's find a place to spend the night," Bruce said, assessing the time.

Cillian grunted in response and began searching the wilderness for shelter from the wind among the ruins. Suddenly, a shimmering band of light caught his attention.

Upon closer inspection, Cillian discovered that it was actually a rushing river, flowing along the desolate wilderness.

"Stop! Stop!"

After Cillian parked the motorcycle, Bruce excitedly rushed into the river, wetting his dry, dirty hair and drinking deeply of the cool water.

"Alas!"

Amidst excited barks, Ciri bent down, scooped up river water, and vigorously washed her face.

In the cool and humid air, Cillian suddenly realized that this was the first time he had seen a river since he came into this world.

Cillian patiently explained to Ava the concept of a river, and that besides rivers, there were also lakes, and even larger seas...

But she can't see it anymore.

After soaking in the river for a while, Bruce climbed out, all wet, shaking his head and splashing water everywhere.

It rolled over and lay on the ground, belly up. Even though Bruce kept emphasizing that he was human, it was clear that he had gradually gotten used to this body.

"You're alive... What are you looking at?"

Bruce noticed that Cillian was staring at the end of the river, as if searching for something.

“Hel City is named ‘Confluence’ because several rivers converge with it, forming a rare green space in the wilderness.” Cillian’s gaze shifted back to Bruce, and he continued, “In other words, as long as we follow the river, we will definitely find Heel City.”

As soon as the words were spoken, the sun completely disappeared below the horizon, leaving only a lingering glow in the sky, presenting a tranquil blue hue.

The interval between day and night is a good time to prepare for camping.

Just as Ciri was about to set up a campfire, a pure white halo slowly rose from the end of the river.

Both the man and the dog stared in the direction from which the white halo was rising. Cillian, fearing he was hallucinating, picked up the binoculars again.

Under the white halo, the silhouettes of endless buildings can be faintly seen.

Cillian and Bruce exchanged a glance, and without any further communication, they both made the same decision.

"Hurry, hurry, hurry! Cillian!"

Bruce jumped onto the motorcycle and urged, "I don't want to spend the night in the wilderness!"

Do you think I really want to?

Cillian straddled the motorcycle, the power engine roared to life, and in an instant it reached maximum power, hurtling forward.

The sky grew increasingly dark, and a gray fog billowed out from behind the motorcycle, like an eerie pursuer, relentlessly following.

Cillian remained highly focused, ensuring nothing went wrong, while Bruce stood up, placed his front paws on Cillian's shoulders, and let out a cheerful call.

The halo in the distance became clearer and clearer, and even without a telescope, Ciri could see the outline of the city-state.

"It's getting dark!" Bruce shouted. "Watch out ahead!"

"I saw!"

As night fell, the demons emerged in droves.

They raced after Ciri's figure, some blocking his path and letting out bloodthirsty howls.

"Hold on tight, Bruce!"

Ciri rammed into them without slowing down, the sounds of metal colliding with flesh echoing continuously, and the demons were smashed to pieces amidst the jolts.

The motorcycle ran over the body, and blood foam splashed onto Cillian's goggles, turning his vision crimson.

"No, there are too many of them!"

Cillian thought he had broken out of the encirclement, but after crushing a large number of demons, another group of demons awaited him, endless and like a thicket of weeds.

"We still need to stop and spend the night."

Cillian drew his Boiling Sword.

Just then, several beams of white light tore through the gray fog, and the roar of engines, like thunder, easily drowned out the demons' cries of agony.

Ciri turned his head and saw a bright light appear. It was actually a simple array of torches, with pure white soul essence fire burning fiercely, dispelling the surrounding gray mist and fully illuminating its true form.

A boxy armored vehicle burst through the gray fog, like a mobile fortress. Its heavy armor easily smashed the demons into pieces, and the fallen corpses were crushed by the tracks, spraying blood between the wheels like a juicer.

"It's a Fogbreaker, but the model looks a bit old."

Bruce immediately recognized the model of the armored vehicle. "Move closer and follow behind it!"

Cillian was already doing this without Bruce's instruction.

Armored vehicles, like icebreakers, tore a clear path through the demon horde, and motorcycles raced through the darkness, traversing the road littered with corpses and blood.

They hurried across the wilderness, one after the other, until the halo became clearer and the earth was fully illuminated.

The city-state stood before us.

Cirien excitedly looked up, intending to get a glimpse of the city-state, when the fog-breaker in front of him also stopped.

The car door opened, and several figures quickly stepped out. They were men and women, some carrying swords and others holding guns.

"Don't talk, just act like a dog."

Cillian realized something was wrong and gave Bruce instructions.

"Wang Wang Wang!"

Bruce wisely set aside his dignity as a human being.

Cillian parked his motorcycle, and the other party walked over at that moment. They were wearing matching gray uniforms with three intersecting rivers printed on the shield on their chests.

“I am Dalyn Morrison, an employee of the City Guard.”

The man in the lead walked over, his eyes wary, and he was wearing metal brass knuckles on his hands.

"Please cooperate with our work."

The others stood behind the man, making no attempt to conceal the restless energy surging within them. They were all extraordinary beings.

Cillian understood the warning and obediently sheathed the Boiling Sword.

At this moment, he was very close to the City of Convergence, Hel.

(End of this chapter)