Landing in Luan Town

At three o'clock the next afternoon, the medical freighter Notting finally arrived safely in Luan Town on the southeastern border of the NGL Autonomous Region.

Ryan was the first to step onto the dock. Humid, stifling heat hit him at once, nothing like the climate of the north. The dock was crowded, mostly with Hunter Association staff and medical personnel busy unloading supplies. Despite the bustle, everything was orderly.

A young man in an Association uniform jogged over. "You're Hunter Ryan, right?"

Ryan nodded. "That's me."

"My name's Miro. I'm the Association's liaison in Luan Town," the young man said quickly. "We're short on people here, and the medical teams are providing emergency support at the front. Hunter Kazif's advance team urgently needs reinforcements. They're about twenty kilometers from here. The Association has prepared a vehicle and supplies for you, so you can head straight out."

"All right. Take me there," Ryan replied.

Miro quickly led Ryan to a makeshift base near the dock. Several four-wheel-drive vehicles were parked there. One was ready to go, stocked with medical supplies, fresh water, wilderness survival gear, and Association-issued communications equipment.

Ryan checked the supplies, found everything in order, and got in to start the engine.

Standing outside the vehicle, Miro warned him, "Communications may be disrupted once you head inland. Stay alert."

Ryan nodded, then drove quickly out of Luan Town and headed toward the advance team along a rough dirt road south of town.

About half an hour after leaving Luan Town, the road deteriorated into a rutted mud track. Signs of destruction began to appear along the way. The forest grew denser until vegetation filled nearly his entire field of view. Ryan slowed down and carefully steered onward.

Another fifteen minutes later, fallen trees and weeds blocked the road completely.