Yes, weren't there three tanks among the giant lizard cavalry on the hill across from them? Their design was terribly awkward—no matter how you looked at them, they resembled cheap kitbash toys, with none of the beauty of proper engineering. But that ion cannon had to be real.
"Th-there really are tanks!" Yaxiu Stein rubbed his eyes. Only after confirming they weren't deceiving him did he stare in shock at the councilor in the vehicle. "Damn it, sir, this is a colony of the Commonwealth, right? Why do the locals have weapons like tanks? Has nobody ever done anything about it?"
Councilor Jiang Yudong had already cowered inside the motorhome, trembling. But at that, he cursed, "Damn you! I told you not to copy the way I talk... And besides, besides, the Commonwealth has its own national circumstances. Th-this has nothing to do with you!"
"It has everything to do with me now! Sir, my job is to keep you safe. If possible, I can protect the other civilians too—but only if it's within my power. We have just two choices. First, your motorhome is a Kodo 3 model ordered from the Alliance, fitted with armor and energy shields. It should be able to withstand a few ion cannon shots. If we leave the convoy now and charge straight for Tulong, we ought to make it. Second, we stay here dithering, then get blown sky-high with everyone else."
"I, I, I..." Councilor Jiang hesitated. Of course he was tempted, but he simply couldn't bring himself to abandon all those elderly people, women, and children and flee alone.
After all, they had all banded together because of him.
After all, they were all votes!
"Mhm, sir, you're a real man of principle. Anyway, I'm not from Earth, so how about I play the villain—"
Before the mercenary could finish, the shortwave communicator in front of him chirped twice. Before he could open it, a girl's voice came straight through. "Mr. Stein, you're not thinking of running away again, are you?"
"...N-nonsense. A mercenary never runs away! Wait, you hacked my terminal again!"
"One million. Stay and protect us!" The girl made the offer without the slightest hesitation.
"Uh, Alliance credits?" They were all Alliance citizens, after all. It was hardly likely she meant Commonwealth Blue Stars.
"No. Imperial gold dragons!"
"Well, uh..." Yaxiu was tempted, but as a battle-hardened mercenary, he managed to wrench himself away from those glittering little darlings after half a second. He said solemnly, "Miss Frederica, I'm afraid I can't manage it. You'd better get into this vehicle instead. There's room in here..."
This is my vehicle! the councilor thought.
"One and a half million!"
"Miss, this really isn't about money. We—"
"Two million. And if you don't agree, I'll get the Supernatural Management Bureau and the Adventurers' Association to revoke your adventurer's license!"
"You little brat, you're going too far! I'm an upstanding man, and the Alliance government isn't your family business. What right do you have to make the Association and the Bureau—"
"You evaded taxes! And you didn't properly report the relics you recently got from the Qiming Ruins!"
"...Guh. Wait! Didn't I give you one of the relics I found?" Wasn't that hush money? Why wasn't this little brat playing by the rules?
"I'm a minor, so I'm going to write up an honest report now. Even if I file it a few days late, is anyone really going to blame a minor?"
Yaxiu Stein had no answer. He glanced at the councilor in the vehicle. The greasy middle-aged man, who had been trembling in fear just moments ago, was now grinning from ear to ear. Actually grinning. The future famous adventurer who would roam the galaxy was being utterly cowed by a little girl who wasn't even an adult. He felt a wave of sorrow. With a sigh, he loaded another magazine into his oversized pistol, then took a long rifle off his back.
"At least two hundred riders... The real trouble is those three tanks. If this were a normal situation, they'd probably have more heavy weapons. Uh, but they're sandfolk, so maybe not."
The mercenary touched the metal tube at his waist, about the size of a flashlight, and felt a little more at ease. One or two hundred people in the convoy could wield guns. If it came to a fight, they had a chance—but the casualties... This little brat was so annoying. Didn't she know that "kindhearted Yaxiu" hated seeing families torn apart and homes destroyed more than anything?
At any rate, the refugees were disheveled and panicked, but they were armed rabble who had built plantations and mines amid the hostility of the natives. Under the direction of several respected cowboys, including Kelvin, they managed to get moving. There wasn't time to form a proper vehicle formation, but the young, able-bodied people with guns climbed onto the roofs and found firing positions.
Then came a burst of shots, "pah-pah-pah-pah," like beans popping in a pan. Not a single sandfolk rider across the way fell from their mount.
They'd opened fire too early! Idiots! Yaxiu cursed inwardly.
Fortunately, the sandfolk weren't much better. They started shooting while charging from a great distance away.
In the first minute of the battle, the two sides engaged in a fierce exchange of fire. In the end, there were no casualties.
Yaxiu shifted his rifle's muzzle, slowly aimed at the tank in front, and gently squeezed the trigger. The sandfolk rider standing half out of it and shouting encouragement had his head blown apart.
The three tanks stopped, unnerved by the shot from such an incredible distance. They began turning their cannons around to fire. In fact, the convoy had already entered the ion cannons' range. The sandfolk tank crews had simply been hastily trained, and they weren't confident they could hit anything from so far away.
Whatever the case, the tanks were preparing to fire. Yaxiu Stein tossed his rifle into the vehicle, raised his oversized pistol, and rested his right hand on the "flashlight" at his waist.
Then he heard a rush of air. All he saw was a bright ball of light streak across his vision, followed by a deafening BOOM!
The vehicle that went flying wasn't one of the convoy's trucks carrying spices or civilians. It was a sandfolk tank. Its triangular turret shot up from its square chassis, spun through the air, and crashed to the ground, knocking four or five unprepared sandfolk riders off their mounts.
The sandfolk tanks were dumbstruck, and the cavalry were flabbergasted. Even Yaxiu was stunned. But a second later, he quickly pinpointed the trajectory of that ion cannon shot. He swept the scope on his rifle across the landscape and spotted the ambushers on a ridge to the three o'clock direction, more than a kilometer from the sandfolk formation.
That was another dilapidated tank, like a pile of loose building blocks. Figures were moving all around it. He had no idea how many troops were lying in wait.
Pew-pew-pew! Pew-pew-pew! Pew-pew-pew! A dense barrage of energy blasts rang out from somewhere closer to the sandfolk, probably in the shadow of a hollow on the ridge. Scarlet beams poured into the sandfolk ranks like a torrential storm. The riders and their mounts tumbled in every direction!
"Ha! Whoever they are, they're on our side!" Yaxiu was delighted. He raised his oversized pistol and fired into the disorganized enemy ranks. What shot from the barrel wasn't a bullet or a laser beam, but a missile about the size of an index finger. It was a compact missile made by the Alliance's Dongyuan Industries: powerful, with a moderate range. Most importantly, it could be fired from a specially made gun. The magazine he had loaded into his pistol was, of course, not full of bullets but missiles. Six in a box for just fifty thousand—well worth it. A single missile sold for ten thousand on its own, after all.
The tiny missile exploded beside a tank. It didn't destroy it outright, but it completely disrupted its course. The vehicle lurched around wildly, knocking over several sandfolk riders before crashing headlong into another tank.
The ambushers' tank began to advance, firing a second shot as it moved. This time, its ion round struck the side armor of a tank. It still didn't destroy it outright, but it successfully disabled its power system. The stricken vehicle slumped where it stood, its turret turning helplessly.
The other tank struggled free from the wreckage and left its disabled companion behind. It had only gone a few steps when energy beams from another direction converged on it. In an instant, it vanished beneath a flash of scarlet light. Yaxiu fired another missile in that direction. Only after he saw the flames and heard the explosion did he relax. He grabbed his rifle again and began picking off the sandfolk who had completely lost their will to fight.
"You'd better reimburse me for those missiles later! Fifty thousand each! I'm only charging you cost price. These are top-grade Alliance products!"
The councilor had been about to lose his temper at hearing "fifty thousand each." But when he heard they were made in the Alliance, he could only shut his mouth in resentment.
The cowboys and convoy members began scoring hits too. They were relieved. What they'd thought would be a desperate battle had turned into an ordinary shooting hunt, something they knew well.
Through his scope, Yaxiu vaguely saw more figures appear at the ambushers' position. They were shouting and seemed ready to charge, but another person kicked and punched them back.
"The enemy's lost their will to fight. Shouldn't we charge now?" Yaxiu wondered.
In any case, the sandfolk riders scattered and fled until they were completely out of range. Only after the last tank had been picked off did the ambushers finally appear before them.
"W-who are they...?" The councilor still hadn't left the vehicle. He clutched his little pistol for self-defense and asked cautiously as Yaxiu observed through his scope.
"You can stand down. They're your security force." The mercenary lowered his rifle. He relaxed, but his face remained full of doubt. He could hardly believe the Earthlings' security force could fight this well.
"Oh, the security force!" Councilor Jiang Yudong brightened up. In an instant, he went from a trembling groundhog to a haughty, curly-haired baboon. He opened the door and sprang out of the vehicle, standing tall and proud like a compass needle. For a moment, he really did look like a big shot.
Before you continue