Sharon clenched her fists, the sound cracking like thunder, her eyes locked onto the missiles ahead. The machine gun in front of the dragonfly was roaring, spitting fire like a beast ready to feast. Her eyes were bloodshot, and the urge to scream was barely rushing out from her throat.
That Gatling-like machine gun felt like a little demon sent by the Grim Reaper, swirling around her, whispering the cruelest words about her impending doom. Behind it, the guided bombs were the true harbingers of death—silent but loud enough for her to hear the countdown to her demise.
“Big Butt’s” message flashed on the screen in front of the vehicle, and the warning system blared, “Beep! Beep! Beep!” It only made such noise when they were facing a deadly threat.
The blonde girl—Kim Soojin—and the muscular woman kept their eyes glued to the screen.
“16%... 34%... 47%...”
Yushi’s heart raced, pounding so hard it felt like it might burst from his throat, but he couldn’t afford to stop. At that moment, any lapse in focus could mean death for everyone in the vehicle—death without a trace! Either blown to bits by the missiles or shredded by high-speed debris, or turned into a rare sight: human barbecue…
No, no, no! Why am I even thinking about this?!
Yushi shook his head, cold sweat dripping down his back, forcing his attention back to the task at hand. Luckily, his hands were still moving frantically, keeping up the speed, never slowing down…
The benefits of a terrific cerebellum were shining through right now.
“61%... 73%...”
The SUV was already speeding at 310 kilometers per hour. But for the missiles, traveling at least 856 kilometers per hour, destroying their target was as easy as yawning.
“89%... 97%...”
No matter how much dust the vehicle kicked up, it couldn’t create a natural barrier like a sandstorm to stop the two dragonflies or hide itself away.
The dragonfly’s targeting system locked it on, steady as an eagle eyeing its prey—a helpless rabbit running on the ground.
“Hope this will work...”
Yushi had no extra energy to spare, speaking softly as if letting out a breath.
Sharon didn’t want to say anything more, lying weakly in Kim Soojin’s embrace, her eyes drooping.
“You can do it, right...? Kid?” Questan asked, gripping the steering wheel tightly, eyes fixed on the barren wasteland ahead without looking back.
Delena sat quietly beside Yushi, watching the screen without a flicker of emotion, not even a strand of her silver hair moving.
“Whoosh!!!” The response to Questan came from the Mason EB-213 bomb outside.
After dropping from the slot, it glided through the air, and then, with a deafening roar, it shot forward, a massive tongue of flame erupting from its tail, heading straight for the SUV.
Yushi was oblivious to everything outside, his eyes glued to the screen. Suddenly, his eyes widened, reflecting the green light from the screen, and he whispered, “Boom…”
“Boom! Boom!!”
Yushi kicked off the impending symphony of explosions. Soon, two violent blasts echoed, followed by a shockwave that rippled through the air.
Everyone felt their hearts seize, their eardrums vibrating painfully.
“What the...?”
Kim Soojin turned her head in confusion, quickly spotting the brilliant mushroom cloud in the sky and the chaos behind the vehicle.
“Phew... at the last moment, we finally...”
Yushi collapsed back, gasping for air like a fish out of water.
“Yushi means that we managed to successfully modify the target lock and took down those two Mason dragonfly helicopters. Although there are ground troops still pursuing us, they took heavy damage from their own team, so they’re not a threat anymore”
Delena said calmly, gently patting Yushi’s shoulder.
“Ha! My car may not be strong enough, but it’s easy to handle those ground pests just fine. As long as they don’t pull out any crazy bombs,” Questan chuckled, lightly tapping the steering wheel.
You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.
Finally, some green plants appeared on the road ahead, sparse but at least more comfortable to the eyes. “But I’m pretty sure they’ve run out of those shit; the road ahead should be smoother.”
“We made it! Phew... then those chasing us are done for now!” Sharon sighed in relief, suddenly grabbing two guns, laughing maniacally as she opened the sunroof and started shooting wildly outside.
The Mason troops trailing them had already dwindled significantly, and their ammunition was running low, forcing them to pull back and minimize their losses.
A reassuring transmission crackled through the SUV: “We’ve suffered heavy losses, with only thirty percent of personnel! Weapons are running low! Requesting retreat! Requesting retreat!”
Quickly, the troops behind slammed on their brakes, turning back into the depths of the desert.
“Come back!! Eat my asshole!! Waaaah!!!”
Even as Kim Soojin pulled her back into the vehicle, Sharon continued to shout, sounding like a little mad dog.
But suddenly, she buried her head in Kim Soojin’s arms and started crying.
“Heh, surviving this wasteland... Thank god bless us.” the muscular woman said, lighting a cigarette and taking a deep drag, then exhaling slowly out the window.
The white smoke was immediately torn apart by the wind outside. It was impossible to clear the smell from the vehicle this way; plenty of the acrid odor still drifted back inside.
And sure enough, Yushi frowned at the scent.
The woman’s right arm rested against the vehicle, its own trembling hidden by the motion of the car.
“When it’s time to eat, it’ll pay for it,” she said.
“Ha, Alina, you’re so aiming high. Have you started thinking about taking my captain spot already?”
Questan leaned in, raising an eyebrow and grinning at her.
“Questan, am I the cold-hearted one? We’ve lost quite a bit on this trip, and whatever we split will have to cover a lot of repairs,” Alina replied, rolling her eyes but unable to hide her smile.
“A little contribution from the teammate won’t cost much, right? Oh, remember to invite Jets—uh... I’m sure he’ll be too lazy to come. But he has to come; or I’ll just point a RPG at his head. No one cannot meet the guests after all, right?”
Yushi lay back on the seat, finally feeling some relief, letting out a long breath.
“Delena, I should’ve listened to you back then...” he said, shaking his head, his eyes half-closed, his voice weak.
“Of course, master. Delena always wants what’s best for master. But Delena must follow master’s wishes unconditionally. And didn’t master ultimately resolve this crisis?” Delena smiled gently, wiping the sweat from his forehead.
“Oh, come on, Delena. If you hadn’t told me those crucial program details, we might’ve been up in heaven eating beanflour by now,” Yushi replied with a resigned smile, sighing and closing his eyes for a moment of rest.
The SUV basked in the sunlight; even with its dark exterior, it was now covered with golden light.
----------------------------------------
“Good evening, friends of Dreamland! Your little buddy Jerry issss backkkkkk!
Ah~ Dreamland... such a beautiful and wealthy city! Here, you just have to look down to find Worlbs, because people are dying all the time, and their little vault chips could drop right at your feet! But if you can’t crack them in time, all that money goes straight to the government of the Free State!…”
Wyoming, Dreamland, Lorenz District.
The neon lights outside the “Big Hand Tavern” looked dim compared to the bright lights of the skyscrapers nearby, but they still shone weakly in this unremarkable corner of darkness.
Whether at the entrance or inside the tavern, the raspy sounds of the television and the blaring music from the radio created a chaotic symphony.
No one here could truly find peace; everyone was buzzing with excitement. But those who came to drink weren’t normal folks.
Their appearances ranged from bizarre to half-dead. Some were bare-chested, standing or sitting outside, drinking and sharing dirty jokes.
At one table in the tavern, a group raised their glasses in cheers before tilting their heads back, having a good drink.
“Hehehe… Welcome, welcome, our dear newcomers! Welcome to the The Fiery Desperados!”
A crooked figure grinned at Yushi and Delena, downing a cup of murky liquor.
He had no eyes, replaced by something resembling colorful goggles, and both arms were entirely mechanical, each oversized hand with six fingers, some even equipped with tiny operational mechanisms.
Though Yushi had been woken up later, listening to the dirty jokes thrown around, Yushi figured he must be Jets.
Yushi stared at the unappealing drink in his hand, hesitating before finally closing his eyes and gulping it down, immediately starting to cough.
The murky liquor brought a murky taste, mixed with a strange sweet and sour flavor and the bitterness of alcohol, creating a spicy, indescribable sensation that burned down his throat...
A surge of discomfort shot straight to his head.
“Hahaha!! You can’t f**k that? You can’t even drink ‘Comida’? It’s only 10% alcohol! Suck! Worse than your girl pal!”
Jets pointed at Yushi, swaying back and forth with laughter.
“My friend doesn’t drink much, so he’s not used to it,” Delena replied with a gentle smile, setting down her empty glass.
“That’s what I’m saying… this kid is so funny—no smoke or drink, and survive to this age,” Alina sneered, eyeing Delena before grabbing another bottle of Comida and chugging it down.
“But you, Delena, are alright; at least you can handle these bottles of mouthwash.”
“My friend is good to me and those close to me, but doesn’t have many desires for himself,” Delena replied, still smiling warmly.
“Zaaako... Hehe, Zaaako...” Sharon giggled, her cheeks flushed, swaying unsteadily.
(zako, Japanese, loser)
“Hehe, now you’ve come in Dreamland, you two... well, including you all, you won’t back to Shalldan anytime soon...”
Jets took another swig, his wrinkled face slightly reddening, but his mouth never stopped.
“... Hurry up and tell me your stories in Shalldan. I just got my new good prosthesis on the table. I was about to install it when Alina here pointed a RPG at my forehead.
I really didn’t want to come, but she aimed that thing at my big baby ! My cock! How could I stand that?! Quick! Tell me stories! If not good, I’ll have a cow!”
The group exchanged glances, thinking for a moment before starting to share their tales, laughter filling the tavern with a lively atmosphere.
Of course, the words exchanged were part truth, part fabrication. In Dreamland, no one would speak only truth or only lies.
Those who only spoke truth or lies were buried beneath the soil of Dreamland or on the way to the soil.
But luckily, someone could still see the truth behind it all.