Alligator's Ark of Tomorrow

Kanelian calmed down.

She didn't really care about Gard; she was just a little annoyed that he was so good to Seria but so cold to her.

If you think about it carefully, what does it have to do with you, Kanerian, that they have a good relationship?

How many days have you known that crocodile guy?

Why would someone be nice to you?

Besides, she shouldn't care if a mere Adaklesian is nice to her.

Gard, who was talking to Seria, noticed Kanerian's gaze but didn't pay it any mind.

While he was grateful to Kanerian for helping out at this time, Seria was now in command of the team, not him. Even if he were to become the security captain of Rhine Lab, that would be a matter for the future.

There's enough gratitude in Serea; why is he trying to join in the fun?

A group of Rhine Labs agents were in the sandcastle, where they could clearly see the water in the distance evaporating rapidly, turning into hot steam.

Only those monstrous creatures that live here and are accustomed to this kind of life can adapt to such a harsh environment.

Because all those who couldn't adapt died.

The two non-combatant operators had clearly suffered from heatstroke; after taking medicine and resting for a while, their complexions had improved considerably.

But thinking about what lay ahead, the two non-combatant agents' faces fell in despair.

If we have a few more heavy rains like this morning, then...

It's estimated that they won't reach their destination before they become two corpses.

However, at this point, they couldn't possibly say anything discouraging.

Because they understand that the convoy can only move forward, not backward.

Saying discouraging things will only dampen the team's enthusiasm and will not help the situation in any way.

Therefore, this reflects Serea's attitude when choosing teammates.

Physical strength is secondary; the most important thing is one's character.

You don't have to exert yourself, but you absolutely cannot hold the team back.

After resting for a while, the officers worked together to replace and repair some parts of the car.

In ordinary wilderness, a dune buggy's tires will only develop bulges and cracks due to wear after traveling more than 50,000 kilometers.

But here, they changed tires twice in less than a day.

Moreover, due to the acid rain that morning, the paint on the sand bikes was almost completely peeled off, and some areas even showed signs of corrosion and cracks.

Without professional repair tools, the officers could only leave the damage to itself if it did not affect the vehicle's use.

Having finally weathered the most difficult period, and with the sun about to set, the group prepared to continue their journey toward their destination.

It started raining heavily again.

The temperature is starting to drop at night. If it was boiling water falling this morning, then it's hail falling now.

The group was forced to stay put and reinforce their fortifications.

The monsters that had stored water in the hot earth began to revel, but for the Rhine's life, which was fraught with danger, they were destined to have a difficult night.

They even doubted whether Gard had ever actually set foot on the hot land.

However, the information provided by Gard has been proven true in the land.

So the suspicion was fleeting, and the group looked at Gard as if he were a monster.

How on earth did this crocodile-man survive in a place like this?!

......

Chapter 54 Gard: After this job, I'll go back to my hometown and get married!

The rain was getting heavier and heavier, showing no sign of letting up.

Kanerian joined the other officers in reinforcing the sandy foundation.

Serea, on the other hand, uses calcification to make the sandcastle more solid.

This reminded Gard of the engineers.

Before each battle, engineers have to dig trenches, build roads, erect bridges, open crossings, and remove obstacles... But in Terra, all it takes is one Originium Arts artist skilled in civil engineering to do it all.

I've heard that in the far east, there is an ancient kingdom.

In that country, there seems to be a special kind of Originium Arts artist called the Earth and Wood Master.

Rather than teaching Canelian Colombian.

Why not teach her the language of Yan, and then let her go to Yan to become a civil engineer?

Look at her technique and skill in manipulating the gravel.

It's such a shame he didn't become a civil engineer.

Unaware of what Gard was thinking, Kanerian noticed Gard's gaze and worked even harder.

Because she felt that her efforts were beginning to pay off.

That bastard crocodile finally paid attention to her!

The Rhine Lab agents set up their weapons on the sandcastles they had built, but they still had a long way to go before they reached the land ravaged by the Nightmare Army.

Traveling in the pouring rain in pitch-black night is not a wise choice, especially since low temperatures have a greater impact on the materials of sand-based vehicles, and hail falling from the sky could easily damage the roof.

This poses a significant threat to the safety of the agents.

For a moment, it was Gard who had some free time. He sat by a chandelier, opened his beloved diary, and saw that the writing on the first page had become somewhat blurry due to dampness.

January of Terra 1087.

The diary entries began around that time.

"...In January of the year 1087 in the Terra calendar, my mother's ore disease worsened. In Akahura, ore disease is not called ore disease, but stone disease."

Gard recalled himself at the age of fourteen, making the first decision to leave Akahura.

"There is no medicine for treating orthopathic disease in the rainforest. Everyone treats orthopathic disease as a common disease. If you want to find medicine, you have to go outside."

"Although I have always lived in the rainforest, I know that my Wild Will tribe is just a small settlement in Akahura, Akahura is just a region in Salgon, and Salgon is just a country in the continent of Terra."

"Outside the rainforest, there are many things that the Adaklis living in the rainforest have never seen in their entire lives: cell phones, computers, beautiful clothes, vehicles that roll on two wheels and four wheels, and cities that are unimaginably large."

"Mobile City!"

Actually, when Gard first wrote in his diary, he wasn't in Akahura, but in an inn in Blackrock Town. He didn't have a single Salgon coin, so he sold a bracelet he picked up on the street and sat in the inn contemplating life.

He had considered many options: whether to go to the mobile city to find a doctor and simply buy some medicine to treat osmosis, or to simply go to Carzdale and see if he could find a tactical commander who always wore a coat and helmet and liked to eat instant noodles with hot water at four in the morning.

He only drew a vial of blood from the other person, so he shouldn't be hunted down, right?

The only problem is that it's too far away.

The distance between Salgon and Kazdel spans at least half a continent; he has good stamina but isn't very fast.

What if I get lost along the way?

Ordinary doctors couldn't cure his mother's osteomyelitis, and he couldn't distinguish between genuine and fake medicines. By the time he returned with the blood of that tactical commander, the cucumbers were already cold.

So he began to study his own power, attempting to control the power of ascension, or to gain some kind of enlightenment from it.

In fact, he succeeded.

Although he ultimately failed to master the power of ascension, it guided him to the land of fervor.

"...In March of the year 1087 in the Terran calendar, I came to the land that the Terrans call the Forbidden Land. A thousand years ago, an invincible army invaded here, and the fall of this army heralded the arrival of a new era in Terra."

"The emergence of the Originium Engine marked the rise of mobile cities. When people face natural disasters, they no longer need to rely on their own two legs to escape. Buildings are constructed on large vehicles."

"But mobile cities can't drive into the land in front of me."

Having not yet decided what to write in his diary today, Gard closed the notebook.

Since they were all unlucky things, there seemed to be no point in recording them.

He walked to a window of the sandcastle and looked outside.

The sandcastle was built on a relatively high site, so the water outside the sandcastle wasn't very deep, but other areas were completely covered by rainwater.

A group of Rhine Labs agents dared not turn the lights on too brightly. The dark, dense clouds in the sky rendered Terrans' powerful night vision ineffective. They took out their emergency infrared thermal imagers, and when the displays lit up, they found no trace of any living beings.

The beasts living in this hot land have long been adapted to the extreme weather of fluctuating temperatures. Almost all of them are cold-blooded animals that rely on external heat sources to regulate their internal temperature.

Therefore, thermal imaging cameras are completely useless.

The only sound the Rhine Life agents could hear was the hail mixed with rain hitting the water.

"Mr. Gard, how did you manage to persevere when you were here before?"

A timid voice rang in Gard's ears. Finally, someone asked a question. A group of Rhine Labs agents looked at Gard, trying to find some sense of security in him.

Gard noticed that the person who asked him the question was a young girl from the Catherine race, and Gard remembered her.

One reason is that she is fluent in Salgon and is the team's translator.

On the other hand, it's because there aren't many female operators in the squad. Apart from a somewhat carefree female operator from the Fungi tribe, there's only this gray-haired girl who also serves as a medical operator.

She wore a pair of rabbit ears on her head, and her long, white legs looked slender and shapely beneath her hot pants.

Gard remembered her name was Chris.

"Actually, I'm not as brave as you think. I was quite scared at first too."

Scratching his head, Gard looked out the window and said.

"If I had to pinpoint why I was able to leave this place, it would probably be because there are important people waiting for me at home."

"An important person?"

The Katus girl's eyes lit up immediately.

"Could it be his fiancée?"

"more or less."

Gard thought about it and realized that it made sense, since his parents had initially taken Gavial in with the idea of ​​raising him as a wife in the future.

Although the final decision rests with Gavial, he will be sad if Gavial doesn't like him, but he will definitely not force himself.

Gard's words reminded many of their families.

No matter what difficulties and obstacles they may encounter, they will definitely overcome them.

Yeah, after I finish this job, I'll go back to my hometown and get married!

The moment the thought popped into his head, Gard quickly dismissed it.

This is a flag you shouldn't set!

From another window, Serea watched as Gard spoke eloquently, calming the officers' tense emotions, and slowly loosened her clenched hands.

The harsh environment of the land put immense pressure on her.

She brought nineteen officers into this place, and she's about to leave with them.

That's what Serea thought, and that's what she wanted to do!

But in the very next second...

A loud "thump" came from under the sandcastle.

"Kanerian, raise the ground!"

"Serya, reinforce the ground!"

"Everyone, watch your step!"

Seria heard Gard's roar and, without a word, activated her Originium Arts.

But it was too late.

A crack appeared in the ground, and black, horned beasts that looked like both cows and scorpions emerged from the ground like ants whose nests had been destroyed. Each one was almost the size of an electric car.

The nearest agent had no time to react and was about to be overwhelmed by the horde of monsters.

boom!