American comics: From Hogwarts to God on Earth

Chapter 310 Discoveries in the Desert

Queen Maeve licked her lips, which were cracked from dryness. The desert sun was scorching every inch of her exposed skin like a branding iron; the temperature was high enough to fry an egg. But she still had to scavenge with the others.

Even though the shelter she was in was formerly a military base, ammunition and weapons were still extremely valuable resources. And she no longer wanted to lose anyone in the shelter.

Queen Maeve adjusted her goggles and squinted at the distance, where the outlines of several buildings had already emerged amidst the distorted heatwave.

"We're here," she said, pointing into the distance. Realizing her voice was hoarse from dehydration, she took out her water bottle, sipped some water to moisten her throat, and continued, "If Layla is right, the weapons research center at this military base should have some weapon parts that we can use."

Jackson crouched in the shadows behind her. His camouflage uniform, faded from years of wind and sand erosion, was worn white. He raised his binoculars, carefully observing the distant buildings, and said with a hint of doubt, "They look much better intact than expected, suspiciously so. Hey! Lyra, what's the radiation level? Can we go in?"

Following Judgment Day, several military bases across the United States were subjected to nuclear strikes, including some that were not publicly disclosed. The nuclear radiation will not subside in just three years.

Lyra was fiddling with testing equipment on the ground. This petite technologist was one of the shelter's most valuable assets. She had modified the shelter's machinery and provided water and electricity to the entire shelter. Queen Maeve would not have brought her out if this exploration had not been so important.

"I already said, even if the military bases near us have nuclear radiation, the intensity wouldn't be very high," Leila said helplessly. Then she glanced at the detector and looked puzzled: "Hmm?"

"What's wrong?"

"The radiation intensity was much lower than expected, it was like—"

"It was deliberately purified by something, wasn't it?" Jackson asked, having also noticed the situation. "Look at those barbed wire fences and watchtowers, they look suspiciously good! Three years is enough time for this place to become dilapidated; even with maintenance, it shouldn't be in such pristine condition—"

As he spoke, Jackson handed his binoculars to Queen Maeve: "Look there!"

Queen Maeve felt as if she'd been punched in the stomach upon seeing what those things were; she was terrified.

"Are those tracks?"

Indeed, the extensive track marks couldn't possibly have been left before Judgment Day; the desert could swallow up such tracks in just half a day. As for whether it was the work of survivors, Jackson added, "There are no gas stations nearby, and even if there were, tanks are such fuel-guzzlers, it would take countless survivors to haul gasoline every day." He knew all too well the fuel consumption of tanks; an average of five liters per kilometer was a considerable amount even before the war, let alone after Judgment Day.

Jackson didn't elaborate, but his meaning was clear—this was the Terminator's handiwork. These track marks are only found on the T-1 and its derivatives, which typically patrol in the field. Their massive bodies can carry various weapons, and their armor is thick enough to make them extremely difficult to deal with.

Young Aiden, also affected by the serious expressions of the others, asked in a low voice, "Should we still go in?"

Maeve hesitated, but then Lyra's voice suddenly tightened: "High-frequency encrypted signal transmission detected. I've never seen this mode before—"

This statement made Queen Maeve even more nervous. The survivors had never known who was behind Judgment Day, only that it was definitely related to Pym Technology. After Judgment Day, apart from a few large-scale raids, the Terminators had never attacked the survivor camps again. According to the wanderers, these robots only appeared in the city at regular intervals to attack any human they could see, but they never launched any organized attacks.

But right now, they seem to be under command?

Jackson swallowed hard, glancing at the tense Maeve. He could see her unease, so he said, "We have to go in and see what's going on. If the Terminators' behavior has changed, or if they're actively trying to wipe out all humanity, we have an obligation to find out the truth and notify the other vaults."

Aiden nodded. "I think Jackson is right!"

"Alright." Queen Maeve took a deep breath and made her decision: "Lyra, can you locate the signal source?"

Leila nodded: "We've already found out. It's in an underground facility, about 30 meters deep, roughly the height of a seven-story building."

Queen Maeve nodded, then said to Aiden, "You stay outside. If we don't come out after a day or if anything unusual happens, return to the shelter immediately!"

Aiden was clearly unhappy with the arrangement and wanted to say something, but Jackson patted him on the shoulder: "Listen to me, okay?"

"It's happening again," Aiden muttered, but he still nodded and agreed to Jackson's request.

The three then infiltrated the perimeter of the military base under Aiden's watchful eye. They had encountered these machine heads countless times, but they felt somewhat uneasy when facing such an organized group of Terminators for the first time.

Queen Maeve deftly climbed over the barbed wire fence and opened the door for the other two, while their unease grew as they looked at the tread tracks on the ground.

They used this place as a base, but why choose such a remote military base? Queen Maeve was completely baffled.

Suddenly, Lyra grabbed Maeve and Jackson's arms and pointed to a low building not far away. The other two immediately understood what she meant; that should be the entrance. However, there were six T-600 Terminators patrolling the entrance.

Although they weren't covered in latex skin except for their heads, Leila still recognized them. The overly realistic and rudimentary mechanical skeletons and the heads that resembled broken plastic mannequin heads from a clothing store easily triggered the uncanny valley effect.

Jackson began observing the robots' patrol routes, then gestured with his fingers: a cycle of 47 seconds, with 7...

There was a blind spot in the surveillance footage. Time was of the essence, and they had to get there as quickly as possible.

Jackson then began counting.

10,000...

With five seconds left, he raised his finger and began to count down. When the last finger fell, they slipped through the blind spot at top speed and into the building.

The dimly lit corridor was filled with the smells of engine oil and ozone. They continued forward, but Queen Maeve seemed to sense something and quickly hid in a doorway, pulling two other people in with her.

A Terminator model unlike any seen before walked down the corridor. Its level of sophistication far surpassed any other robot model. The robot was covered in silver-gray armor, with lines designed to mimic the direction of human muscles. Its face resembled a metal skull, with crack-like textures. Its mouth could open and close, revealing a metal structure resembling teeth.

This is wrong, very wrong! If the previous Terminator series could still be considered to have some clues, and you could clearly see the mechanical principles inside, then this robot is like something that walked out of a science fiction novel, the style is completely different!

As they passed through the doorway, the robot suddenly stopped, its head rotating 180 degrees, its scarlet eyes seemingly trying to see through the metal door. Queen Maeve had even drawn her longsword, and the other two had also drawn their guns, ready to retaliate.

Those few seconds felt like an eternity, but thankfully the robot seemed to have determined there was no threat and continued moving forward.