In the marshy mud beneath a ruined bridge.
More than a dozen suits of Powered Battle Armor darted swiftly across the riverbed.
Thanks to the Cold Nuclear Battery, the heat vents in the armor's feet had opened to their maximum, hissing out waves of hot air.
Blades flashed through the air, bringing with them bursts of hair-raising screams.
A group of mutated monsters that had originally lived in the waterways and been irradiated.
They survived by hunting creatures that passed along the banks or accidentally stepped into this area.
Now, prey had delivered itself right to their door.
But the merchant caravan guards wearing Powered Battle Armor, with sharp blades extending about a meter and a half from their arms, were simply not targets these creatures could afford to covet.
In less than five minutes, Darren led his people in hacking out a bloody path straight to the opposite bank.
"Pick up the pace! We need to reach the other side before the irradiated creatures farther away come rushing over!"
Bloodstains merged into a single sheet across the ground.
The scattered chunks of creatures in the riverbed looked just like a slaughterhouse, sending a stench of blood soaring into the sky.
Following the path the guards had carved out, the scavengers lowered their heads and hurried onward.
Although they encountered several sudden dangers along the way, they ultimately crossed the perilous zone successfully.
Once they reached the opposite bank, Darren left two people behind to ensure their close-range safety.
The rest followed him as they charged out, scattering around them like a swarm of wild bees to clear out nearby threats.
"Watch for danger nearby! Form up quickly, and no one wander off!"
This area, which could barely be called the outer edge of the Fifth Ring, had far more