An explosion, an attack, and a broken wheelchair.
All these sudden upheavals left Noel struggling to regain her composure.
Although she had guessed that something unexpected might happen after she arrived in District 25, she had never imagined they would be bold enough to ambush her in the Wasteland and try to kill her.
After all, Miss Noel still represented the Federal Military Department. She had not come to District 25 merely in a private capacity. Under normal circumstances, even the director of the Arbitration Bureau would have had to welcome her in person.
Instead of Carol, however, an attack had greeted her first.
And because she was new to the area and everything had happened so suddenly, she had no idea which faction had laid the ambush.
She had to admit that whoever was behind it had certainly made their intimidation count.
"Miss Noel, are you all right?"
Karin came over from the cockpit with worry written all over her face. Dust clung to her cheeks, and she seemed at a loss as she looked at the girl who had fallen out of her wheelchair onto the floor.
"Nothing serious... What about the Hovercar? Was it damaged?"
As Noel spoke, she raised her hand. Karin immediately understood, stepping forward to help her up and carefully guide her to a seat by the window.
"No damage for now... There's just a problem with the propulsion system, but it can still run."
Seeing Noel settled in the chair, Karin felt a little relieved, then continued:
"Luckily, the radiation shielding wasn't damaged either. Otherwise..."
As she said this, Karin felt a chill of belated fear.
If the radiation shielding had been damaged, exposing her and Noel to the Wasteland's lethal radiation, the consequences would have been unimaginable.
At radiation levels that high,