The road from Aurora to Ìrota is as follows: along the old Highway for 15 hours, resupply outpost at an old gas-station where the pilots can rest in safety and the Walkers can be refueled. And then you can either follow the highway through the old tunnel system, or you can go through the mountain passages.

The trip through tunnels is faster, just  7 Hours. But the tunnels are a common location for the old beasts to hide in, whereas the mountains will take considerably much longer, 18 hours. but contain less chance for resistance, that being said. Lily only has a 17 Hour operation time, so I am going to have to use the tunnels.

Unlike most jobs, a hauling Job is often a solo mission.

“Couriering” they call it, that’s what I am doing.

So, that being said, I embark to my long trek through the Ruined World.

The Arcology of Aurora that I call home, is built inside the ruins of an Old World city, and as such to this day empty husks of giant buildings, streets, and wreckage of pre-fall machines still define the surrounding terrain.

The taller buildings have since long served as “AA gun housing locations” for the Arcology security force and the 5 kilometer radius of the arcology is always under strict surveillance, in fact surveillance jobs within the Arcology vicinity have served as some sort of “Training” missions for beginner members in the Commission Hub since ages old.

That being said, any further than that tends to be uncertain and often dangerous territory for two major reasons.

One is because Dirty weapons were used by the government and sabotaging the power plants by the revolutionists were both a natural occurrence during the great revolution, and the still remaining background radiation makes communications near impossible at long distances.

The other is because to this day, the military of the Old World is not gone.

“Old Beasts” we call them. The neverending roaming Monsters made by the Old government.

During the Great Revolution the military outlasted the government, but eventually even the military broke down as well.

All that remained were the soldiers they made and the still running Vats, mass breeding more.

To this day they still multiply In the ruins of the Old World. This is kept going based on what feeble pre-programmed orders they all were given ordering for the military to never fall together with  the rare few advanced models, guiding the lesser ones. Like the Tribal Lords of old. That is the Land I am heading to again.

Leaving the hangar, and passing the arcology gates, I begin making my trek amongst the ruins of the city. The land, as desolate as always stretched before me with the arcology dome looming behind me.

I guide my walker through the ruins.

“Welcome to Lo-”  a Large sign at the side of the highway says. The rest of it, broken off by what seems to probably have been an artillery shell. Someone has repaired it with pieces of scrap metal, and painted “Hell” over the end of it. Past this point, the landscape officially is not under active surveillance by the arcology, used to the sight by now, I kept on going.

The trek is quiet, but nerve wrecking. As you can never tell when you are in the crosshairs of an enemy. You can only trust in your Walker’s sensors and traverse amongst as many wrecked cars as you possibly can, to make any potential Snipers have to work harder for their meal.

After god knows how many hours, it finally happens. The sensors Identify a muzzle flash as I feel a shock reverberating through Lily’s frame,

Due to being Linked to Lily’s brain directly via a connection port, I can instinctively tell the impact did not go through the armor plating, and as I think such, I Make Lily dodge to the side, behind a wrecked truck. From behind the truck I stick my rifle through a broken window, using the rifle’s sensors to aim and search for the sniper.

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From what I can see, the enemy numbers 4 total, 3  lesser Soldier type and one Berserker of the Medium variety.

Ah, Berserkers, this particular type being as tall as Lily, and a lot more menacing looking, was already within sprinting distance from me. I already could see its plate like skin on its bulky frame, more importantly though, I could see the rusty metal claws which were embedded into its arms via chains.

But of course this was all seen in a glance and as the beast saw me, it let out a roar and came barreling down towards me.

But instead of focusing on that thing, I open fire at one of the lesser ones that is wielding a Sniper rifle.

*Bang* Recoil is transmitted through Lily’s brain to me and the Lesser one collapses,

By now, the Medium is drawing close, as such I take the rifle out of the window, and take out the Vibro blade from its sheath and move rapidly backwards.

Not a moment too soon, as within the same breath that I move backwards, the Berserker slams Itself at the truck, flinging it at me and to the side.

Seeing the ever closing front of the truck I dive down, letting the truck pass over me as I take aim with the rifle. Laying semi automatic fire at the Medium as it draws into close quarters, and as it is about to put its superior physical strength to use, I cut it's head off, causing it to collapse on the floor next to me.

But even now I can't relax. as the 2 lesser soldier types open fire, knowing my armor can't take that much beating, I roll to the side, behind an old sports car.

Reloading my rifle I Take a deep breath, and by aiming from behind the car wreck, I take the remaining 2 down one at a time.

After that’s done, I surveyed the nearby area, checking if those lesser ones were actually dead. Which they were, clean shots through their heavily modified bodies.

The two I killed last had normal automatic rifles coming out their right arms elbow with multiple tubes attached to them going back into their arm, one tube linked to their visor though, a mechanical eye embedded into their skull.

The sniper however had its entire arm and part of its shoulder replaced with a large rifle designed to attack Walkers from great length and as I could see, the rifle could be attached to the ground.  

The damage was however, fatal, a shot through their torso.

I went on scanning, I have already fought these types quite often in the past and they usually don't change so much, this being one of those times they remained ‘’mundane’’. The scan showed no further enemies near me so I scanned Lily for damage.

Of course, the cargo container was damaged…. So now I gotta check that to make sure that whatever I am supposed to haul wasn’t damaged.

Moving lily safely between some rather large ruined vehicles I set her to alert me if it scans any movement in the vicinity whilst I am checking the cargo.

The container inside the cargo compartment was indeed damaged and some of the cargo has spilled out. So I started to hurriedly put them back in, well I did but one was too damaged, so I left it outside as I taped the container back shut.

Next, I just have to throw the damaged cargo ou- Ah god damn it.

You may wonder why I am swearing. It's because the damaged piece just woke up.

Oh and also, seems like I am now involved in an underworld smuggling operation. One that made it past the Commission Hub screening.

The cargo is underage slaves.

Author's Note:

Not done yet for the day. first a side chapter and then one more normal chapter. Thank you for reading.

Please note any mistake I make. Thank you.