Lin Wei
The heavy, half-meter-thick lead-steel insulated gate rose heavily with a piercing hydraulic screech.
The six-meter-high tracks of the "Worldbreaker" Heavy Assault Land Cruiser gripped the gravel scattered on the ground, crushing the foul-smelling oil sludge that permeated the exit of the city into black slurry.
With a deep, rumbling engine, the massive steel behemoth, weighing a thousand tons, surged into the Silent Wasteland shrouded in the dim light of the night.
Thirty tracked infantry fighting vehicles, clad in heavy reactive armor, sped along the sides of the Land Cruiser Ship in a cone formation, like stars surrounding the moon, stirring up murky dust that blotted out the sky.
On the lower deck of the ship, a dark red radiation warning light flashes once every ten seconds.
"Captain, we have crossed the inner city safety threshold; the concentration of high-energy radiation particles has increased by 300%."
"Disable all radio communications across all frequency bands and enter silent patrol mode."
The cold, electronic announcements echoed throughout the various compartments.
VIP Cabin.
The four walls were reinforced with three layers of Tungsten Steel bulletproof plates, and the gas valve made a continuous low sound. Chen Fan sat alone in the corner on a cold, hard steel-framed chair, his eyes slightly closed.
The violent radiation factors that would terrify ordinary people saw seeped in through the ventilation vents, but before they could even touch the hem of his clothes, they were silently pulverized by the black and white Taiji Vortex that was running spontaneously within his body, turning into extremely weak pure spiritual energy that sank into his dried-up Qi Sea.
On her wrist, Chen Xi Peace Knot woven from cheap, coarse rope hung loosely, its surface glowing reddish in the dim light of the explosion-proof wall lamp.
Sitting on the bench opposite him was the figure who remained wrapped in a bulky anti-radiation suit the entire time.
The other person gripped a silver-white, cold-forged Metal Secret Casket tightly in their arms, their slender fingers stiffening slightly from the excessive force.
Behind the anti-radiation mask, her eyes were frequently and uncontrollably scrutinizing Chen Fan, who was resting with his eyes closed.
He wore a faded, tattered coarse cloth shirt, straw sandals without any protective coating, and a broken piece of iron with a knife tip that was half broken off, casually slung across his waist.
It has no exoskeleton, no high-energy defensive force field, and no mechanical modifications whatsoever.
This is the special guest advisor whom the Far East Chamber of Commerce went to great lengths to use its highest authority, even having an old fox like Elder Song bow and scrape before him?
Absurd.
Click!
The patrol ship jolted violently, its heavy tracks seemingly crushing the Anomalous Beast nests on the ground. Hundreds of meters outside the window, in the sandstorm, several pairs of cold, bloodthirsty green eyes of Third Tier Mutated Wasteland Wolves could be vaguely seen, followed by a brief, muffled burst of fire from the heavy machine gun mounted on the tank.
The gunshot made the figure tremble violently.
Seemingly unable to bear the suffocating silence any longer, with a crisp sound of pressure relief and exhaust, the Alloy breathing valve opposite was ripped off.
The mask was removed, revealing a small, pale, almost translucent oval face. Long hair, soaked with sweat, clung to the side of her slender neck, and although stained with a few oil and dirt, it couldn't conceal the arrogance shining through her bright almond-shaped eyes.
Judging by his age, he's no more than seventeen or eighteen.
"Hey, are you really planning to escort me through this eight-hundred-mile-long desolate zone with this piece of junk?"
The girl's voice was clear and crisp, but it was also a little dry and hoarse from the long journey.
She wiped the fine sweat from her forehead, and seeing that Chen Fan hadn't even blinked, her brows immediately furrowed.
"My name is Lin Wei, a core-level assistant engineer at the High-Energy Applications Research Institute of the Second Base City. Do you know what I'm holding in my arms? This is the blueprint for a high-energy fusion reactor condenser that can bring the entire underground city back to life. It's more valuable than the lives of everyone on this ship!"
The only response she received was the low, steady vibration of the fusion engine.
Lin Wei bit her lower lip, a hint of spoiled annoyance appearing in her eyes.
In the Second Base City, which Military elite or young genius scholar wouldn't fawn over her?
This young man, who appeared to be a few years younger than her, exuded an apathy as if he were dead water ever since he boarded the patrol ship.
Do you even understand the survival rules of the Wasteland?
Lin Wei took a deep breath, and as if to mask her inner fear, she began to ramble on rapidly. "Thirty kilometers ahead is the territory of the Iron-Winged Carrion Vulture, and then we have to cross the hiding place of the Third Tier Red-Armored Earth Dragon. Elder Song, you're such a fool, you didn't even provide you with an anti-electromagnetic tear suit! If you encounter a mutated monster that's half a step into Fourth Tier and it attacks, your Mortal Body and blood will be torn to pieces in two seconds!"
She leaned over and pointed confidently at the escape pod indicator lights on the bulkhead:
"For Elder Song's sake, I'll remind you that if the convoy gets separated, you'd better press the red emergency button immediately to escape. With your agility, you might even be able to lure away two of my companion beasts. Once I get to the safe house, I'll report to the garrison of the Second Base City and award you a second-class merit..."
She spoke more and more urgently, her clear voice echoing in the confined and narrow cabin, carrying a girl's unique self-importance and a mask for her panic.
In the corner.
Chen Fan slowly opened his deep, dark eyes a crack.
There was no murderous intent, no anger, not even the slightest emotional fluctuation, as if it were a casual glance from a deity high in the heavens.
Lin Wei's voice stopped abruptly, her breath caught in her throat for no apparent reason, and she felt as if she had been frozen in place by an invisible cold current.
You're noisy.
The three simple words, uttered by Chen Fan, landed lightly on the cold steel plate.
Lin Wei's fair cheeks instantly flushed bright red.
She was always treated like a precious gem; how could she have ever been reprimanded to her face in such a tone that was almost like disdain for a fly?
She stomped her foot in exasperation. "You! How can you be so ungrateful? I'm only thinking of your life! You arrogant fool, don't you know your place? Wait until you actually see a Fourth Tier monster, then you'll be begging me for mercy..."
Before he could finish speaking...
Rumble!!
A deafening roar, like the earth turning upside down, suddenly erupted from the keel at the very bottom of the ship!
Three anti-armor electromagnetic oscillation mines penetrated the heavy-duty tracks almost simultaneously and detonated at the seams of the core armor. The thousand-ton "Worldbreaker" was as if it had been lifted into the air by an invisible giant claw that emerged from the ground, and the entire VIP Cabin tilted wildly to the right at a full sixty degrees!
The explosion-proof steel plate emitted a piercing, twisting sound as it struggled under the strain; a blinding, blood-red light tore through the darkness; and a shrill, piercing alarm instantly blared.
"Warning! Port side main propulsion shafts No. 1 and No. 3 are damaged!"
"High-energy magnetic storm pulse intrusion caused a sharp 70% drop in power reactor output!"
"We've been ambushed! Enemy attack! All ships, prepare for battle!"
Thump!
The out-of-control centrifugal force caused Lin Wei, who wasn't wearing a seatbelt, to scream as she and the Secret Casket in her arms slammed into the deformed Alloy hatch like a kite with a broken string.
However, just as she was about to crash and bleed profusely, a slender right hand appeared out of thin air, firmly gripping the back of her collar like a steel clamp, effortlessly neutralizing the immense inertial force that could have shattered her internal organs.
Lin Wei, still shaken, fell to the ground, clutching the silver-white Secret Casket tightly in her hands. When she looked up, she saw Chen Fan's feet were welded to the deck, which was tilted at a sixty-degree angle, his body straight and his clothes not even slightly disheveled.