Saiyan stowaways on the Ark

Page 129

Even so, a series of footprints, not belonging to the locals, stretched from the horizon in the desert.

The owners of the footprints stopped their march across the sand, gazing at a ray of light rising in the desert, accompanied by sand swirling in the sweltering air.

"It was him, wasn't it? I should have asked him to give me a ride..."

"It must be him. Something just flew over our heads. Also, when you said 'give you a ride,' did you mean to throw you all the way back to Blacksteel headquarters?"

Sweating profusely, Volper gripped the hem of the blue-haired Vayvan's clothes with one hand, as if being dragged along, struggling to move forward under the scorching sun. The latter seemed to be trying his best to quicken his pace so as to shake off Volper's hand that was gripping his clothes.

"But why is he here? If I remember correctly, he and his people are currently staying on Rhodes Island, and there are no major missions that would require him to be on duty anytime soon."

"It's not surprising where that young man appears; the key is what he's doing. Judging from the direction, the explosion occurred in Changquan Town."

The silver-haired Felin gazed into the distance at the still-lingering smoke and dust, and asked the elderly Saffra, who was dressed entirely in white, a question.

These were several agents who had departed from Rhodes Island and were tasked with transporting new drugs to their local clients in the Sargon region.

Franka and Razer, armed personnel from Blacksteel International, are both expatriates who have signed a long-term cooperation agreement with Rhodes Island.

Earlier, there was the former "bodyguard" Schwarz, who came to Rhodes Island from the Siesta region with another geologist, and the veteran Rhodes Island operator Ranger.

Although most operators have their own teams, it is quite common on Rhodes Island for operators to temporarily team up because they have shared free time to participate in missions that are not very urgent.

However, their current predicament of having to trek across the desert is not due to any accident that occurred during the last-minute team formation.

Simply because their transport vehicle was stolen in the previous town by someone—according to the client, a group of guys who didn't have Sakota features but were carrying large firearms.

He was terrified and dared not utter a sound, just watching those people drive away.

However, this explanation had too many flaws, so the agents preferred to believe that the car's disappearance was simply due to collusion between locals and the client, who dismantled the car, which could fetch a good price here.

However, due to a lack of evidence, and the fact that the most senior ranger in the group did not support provoking conflict with the locals, they had no choice but to accept their fate and cross the desert with supplies to reach the nearest trading settlement in hopes of getting a ride.

Changquan Town was not their original destination. They initially planned to go to Shuanghe City, but after being attacked by an unknown creature on the way, they received a distress call and decided to go to Changquan Town.

"They may have received a distress signal. If he goes to provide assistance, he should be able to ensure the person's safety. However, it would be best to go and check, and provide assistance wherever possible."

The rangers offered the same advice, adding that even if they changed their route now, the long journey had already taken its toll, and they would need a place to rest and recuperate.

The Ranger, who was tacitly assumed to be the leader of the expedition, made this suggestion, and they naturally accepted it. After all, if it weren't for the Ranger, a veteran operator who had been active in the area, they would not have easily ventured into the desert region of Sargon in the first place.

After several hours of trekking, as the outline of Changquan Town gradually emerged on the distorted horizon where sparse moisture was rising, a gust of wind swept in from that direction, causing them all to stop in their tracks.

"There's the sound of gunfire. Is there still fighting over there?"

Franka's beast ears twitched a few times, adjusting their orientation to better pick up the sounds coming from the other side.

Black immediately climbed onto a withered tree in the desert that looked like it would crumble into wood chips in a strong wind, picked up the crossbow behind him, and opened the goggles to observe the direction of Changquan Town.

"Something's not right. If that person really went, the battle wouldn't have lasted this long. Has something else happened? Can the communication still be sent?"

Razer asked the same question, while simultaneously placing his shield in the sand to shield the ranger, who was lying prone on the ground and listening to the vibrations, from the sandstorm.

"The footsteps are mixed, it seems like a group of people are surrounding a place, but they are far enough away from the center of the encirclement, so they may be encountering resistance and unable to get closer... We tried to communicate before, but the signal here is very poor, and we can't get through unless we are close enough."

The ranger brushed the sand off his clothes and asked the scout:

"Miss Black, did you see anything?"

"It was a bit far away and there were buildings blocking the view, but I could barely see a large building with a flag on fire nearby. In the southern area centered on that building, on the rooftops of some buildings that appeared to be civilians, there were quite a few armed personnel equipped with sand camouflage."

Her dark pupils appeared as narrow slits in the sunlight. Although her vision was better utilized at night, it didn't prevent her from taking in the general situation of Changquan Town.

"The large building with flags might be the royal palace. Could it be related to a tribal war? Have you seen any troops?"

After hearing Black's description, the ranger realized the seriousness of the situation.

If the royal palace catches fire, that's no small matter; the area ahead could even become a battlefield.

"No."

Hei shook his head.

No army?

That would reduce the probability of war by half.

However, neither the forest ranger nor anyone else present seemed to notice any improvement in their appearance.

Because if this possibility disappears, the other possibility increases dramatically...

Of course, before they could voice that possibility, the agents, led by the Ranger, were already heading towards Longspring Town at a much faster pace than before...

"He didn't beat up some powerful figures from another country again, did he?!"

*Note: Judging from the fact that Black appeared in this place in the original work, the timeline of the Originium Dust operation is after Chapter 8 and the Heart of Surging Flame event. However, due to the presence of the protagonist and others, Rhodes Island's fame and other aspects are wider than in the original work, and its equipment and technology have also been improved.

[Event] Originium Dust Operation: Chapter 9 Radiation

As the crossbow bolts, glowing with a dim light, tore through the sand and swept past the Rainbow Squad members, they all truly felt that the threat of death posed by cold weapons was never less than that of firearms.

Moreover, with the enhancement of Originium Arts, the crossbow possesses unparalleled penetrating and destructive power, enough to render anyone hit by it instantly incapable of fighting.

Even if you manage to dodge it, being caught in the impact zone at extremely close range can still cause lethal damage that requires caution.

"Lord!"

Shouting at the chariots engulfed in the dust and smoke from the crossbow bolts, Ash advanced while firing from the cover he had set up, calling out to the enemy in hopes of getting a response.

"I'm fine! I just got hit by a piece of debris!"

Flames erupting from the smoke immediately covered the roof of a building not far away, while the local mercenaries dressed in ghillie suits managed to evade the firing position and avoid the tank's counterattack.

The tank immediately got up and slowly retreated under the cover of ash, avoiding further exposure to the current vulnerable firing point.

"[A vulgar swear word in Ursus language]! These guys have learned it well, and they're clearly well-trained; they're not your average bandits."

As a seasoned veteran, the tank could clearly distinguish the attackers from the bandits he had encountered when he was wandering the Sargon Desert, based on their fighting style.

“Last time they infiltrated the locals and engaged us in close combat. We had the advantage then because we were armed. But now they have prepared to surround us with long-range weapons.”

"Their crossbows are just as lethal as firearms within a hundred meters, and they also have special abilities..."

On Frostflower's side, although the traps and explosives they had set up temporarily prevented them from advancing their lines toward the safe house, their occasional harassment with crossbow bolts and Originium Arts was equally annoying.

"This is the second wave. Although we've repelled them twice, we've used up nearly half our ammunition, while their casualties are much lower than expected. It seems that even staying here won't be an easy task..."

Holding the half-finished assault shield, Blitzkrieg and his comrades retreated to the firing point closest to the safe house area. The previous battle had already damaged the front-line bunkers further forward, making them unsuitable for continued garrisoning and combat.

The Rainbow Squad members could all sense the rhythmic attacks and the deliberate depletion of their ammunition.

However, the enemy's strategy of avoiding casualties and retreating while fighting also gave them time to wage a war of attrition.

Armed thugs attacking from the ground are relatively easy to deal with, unless they're the big, horned ones. The real challenge lies with the highly skilled marksmen...

But now, even during the lull in the enemy's preparations for the next attack, the surrounding situation seems a little too peaceful.

"Where are the crossbowmen and archers from the building?"

Hiding behind the bunker, Shuanghua tentatively used a reflector to check the surrounding high-rise buildings, but all she saw in the mirror was an empty platform under the sandstorm.

"They have no reason to abandon better attack positions, do they? The nearby alarms and traps show no signs of being triggered, indicating they aren't approaching from the ground either..."

“Hey, don’t think I’m jinxing you.” At the same time, Blitzkrieg realized something important: “If they’re the same group of thugs as before, isn’t something missing…?”

Just as if responding to the ominous speculation about Blitzkrieg, a familiar yet unfamiliar shrill sound suddenly rang out from the group.

"Gara...gara...gara..."

They are familiar with the voice because they "have to get used to it."

The unfamiliarity stems from not having heard it play for so long.

That was the sound of the Geiger counter they carried with them during their journeys before they came into this world.

The dangerous and deadly sound evoked memories from months ago, but they forced themselves to quickly calm down from their panic.

The ever-increasing numbers on the Geiger counter and the growing noise still made the group instinctively feel a sense of danger.

"It's getting stronger? Something carrying strong radiation is heading this way!"

The enemy has vanished without a trace, and the radiation warnings are growing stronger...

Does something like a dirty bomb exist in this world?

All signs led them to assume that the enemy was using widespread contamination weapons.

If that's the case, it will only put them in a precarious situation.

"Clang, clang, clang, clang..."

The land in Changquan Town is mostly compacted sand and gravel. When covered with enough sand, it doesn't make much noise when you step on it.

However, now, rhythmic, heavy footsteps, like the pacing of warriors in plate armor, came from the alleyway directly in front of the safe house.

Using half a shield as cover, Flash peeked out from behind the cover and, along with Ash, began to scout the direction from which the sound was coming.

It was a weapon-wielding figure standing, hidden in the sandstorm.

However, the extremely swollen upper body, which could be seen even through the sandstorm, did not match any of the armed men seen here in the past few months.

And it continued to pace forward.

At the same time, a jumble of slow footsteps echoed from all directions.

They are getting closer.

This method of attack, which directly exposes their presence and moves slowly, is completely different from the previous sieges by the mercenaries.

What are they trying to do?

But such doubts disappeared as their figures gradually became visible.

The question has not been resolved.

Simply because they had more important things to solve than "confusion."

That means we must destroy them!

—A person with only one "arm," whose upper body is made up of pale purple crystals and constantly twitching tumors, walks slowly across the sand.

No, it shouldn't be called a person, nor does it have an arm.

It is a bipedal monster with spear-like attack organs.