The sky was getting dark.
The desert was deathly silent. The moonlight shone on the earth, and after passing through a layer of mist, it turned into an eerie blue, as if one were in a mass grave.
"How's it going?"
The convoy was still moving when Kalashnikov turned to ask the People Eater in the car next to him.
The People Eater picked up his binoculars, his bloated body rising from the chariot, and looked back with some difficulty.
A moment later, he lowered his binoculars, looked down at Kalashnikov beside him, and said, "There are very obvious lights behind us; they're still chasing us."
Kalashnikov slammed his hand on the headlight in front of him, nearly knocking it askew.
A little further behind the two, Immortan Joe was driving alone. Without saying a word, he glanced at the rearview mirror and could indeed see an unusually bright light trailing far behind.
In addition to the lights on the ground, a light could also be faintly seen in the sky, following them closely at roughly the same speed.
Those are drones in the sky.
We've been chasing this for a whole afternoon!
It seems those people behind them aren't going to give up on them.
Immortan Joe was getting tired.
Even with the chromium-lead compound spray that acts like a stimulant, he is, after all, an elderly man suffering from a serious illness. After wandering around in the desert all day, he feels like his mind is starting to malfunction.
After realizing that his body was truly nearing its limit, Immortan Joe stopped one of the War Boys ' vehicles, had one person get off to help him drive, and then had another combatant come to his vehicle to stand guard.
The remaining drivers on the tanks then drove alone.
The War Boys all thought it was an honor for Immortan Joe to drive, so they didn't think much of the request. The driver who was left to drive alone looked at his two companions with envy.
What none of the three noticed was that Immortan Joe casually walked past their trunks, and then the spare gasoline they had left in the trunks disappeared as well.
The dim sky concealed everything.
Once back on the road, Immortan Joe sat in his car with his eyes closed, pretending nothing had happened.
Next, the car behind him could only have one fate: it would automatically stop when it ran out of gas.
Then, when the driver gets out of the car to refuel, he'll find his gasoline is gone. At that point, he'll probably be confused, angry, and even cursing...
But none of that matters.
Immortan Joe ripped off his mask, sprayed some spray into his Barry, and felt his breathing become much easier.
He glanced one last time at the car behind him.
Once he stops, the relentlessly pursuing armored vehicle will slowly catch up with him, and he will become their prisoner.
This was the last bit of value that War Boys possessed.
Armored vehicles always need time to receive prisoners, right?
It would have been even better if the War Boys had shown a bit more resilience and fought those people...
"There's a swamp ahead!"
"Joe! Should we charge through?"
Kalashnikov's voice came from his little tank.
Immortan Joe frowned as he looked at the area before him, sensing that he had encountered trouble again.
Vehicles are bound to get stuck in swamps.
In the past, they could have stopped to provide assistance, but in this situation, if they stop even once or twice, the armored vehicle behind them will likely catch up.
Thinking this through, Immortan Joe glanced meaningfully at the chariots surrounding him and finally made a decision:
"Rush!"
The surrounding vehicles immediately accelerated and plunged straight into the swamp, startling countless vultures and night crows.
The morale remained high, partly due to Immortan Joe's immense prestige, but more importantly due to the chromium-lead compound spray that all the War Boys were inhaling.
Everyone was in a state of extreme excitement.
but...
You can't just rush through a swamp with stimulants.
Within a minute of entering the swamp, vehicles were found stuck and broken down all around, and after the first case, other vehicles also began to break down one after another.
Immortan Joe remained indifferent to this situation and simply waved his hand.
"Keep moving forward. The others can catch up after they've saved themselves."
The soldier behind him hesitated, even he could tell that the people trapped here probably wouldn't have a chance to catch up, and the pursuers would definitely catch up before they could get the vehicle out.
Moreover, some people's cars simply couldn't be retrieved at all.
Immortal
Old Joe glanced at him.
The combatant snapped to attention and immediately shouted out Immortan Joe's command.
The convoy was able to continue its journey.
Vehicles continued to get stuck throughout the night.
Immortan Joe's approach remained unchanged: no one stopped; those whose vehicles were stuck would get out first, and then others would follow...
Even after all this time, not a single person whose vehicle is stuck has been able to catch up.
The thick fog enveloping the swamp created a suffocating atmosphere, and the eerie moonlight made everyone afraid to even breathe, staring intently at the ground ahead, lest they too get stuck in the vehicle at any moment.
The drive lasted all night.
When Immortan Joe emerged from the swamp, he had only five cars left beside him.
The other vehicles, including the people inside, were stuck in the swamp.
Even Immortan Joe himself, along with the other People Eater and Kalashnikov's vehicle, had gotten stuck in the swamp.
If their car hadn't been the best performing, they probably wouldn't have escaped their fate either.
As the sun rose, Immortan Joe glanced back at the still foggy and desolate swamp, while also looking into the distance at those he had thrown into the swamp as stumbling blocks.
With so many people and vehicles, they should be able to hold out for a while.
Even the People Eater's binoculars couldn't see the armored vehicle anymore.
This tactic was indeed effective.
"But where should we go next?"
Kalashnikov came over when he stopped for a rest.
Immortan Joe took a small sip of water, his heart equally filled with confusion.
At this point, the People Eater said, "Let's continue onward and find a secluded place that those people haven't yet set foot in."
The implication is that he wants to continue being the mountain king.
Kalashnikov agreed to the proposal.
Only Immortan Joe remained silent.
He's someone who could die at any moment, and now he has to start a "business" from scratch?
Is this really necessary?
On the other side.
Max and his car had a peaceful night.
After they dealt with Nux, the fool who jumped into the car to deliver the groceries, no one bothered them for the entire night.
They crossed the swamp as quickly as possible.
They continued walking in the direction indicated by Furiosa, searching for the green space from her childhood memories.
At that time, there was a powerful female tribe on the green land.
Furiosa was born here.
However, she and her mother were later kidnapped and ended up in the hands of Immortan Joe.
"Aren't we there yet, Furiosa? How far are we now?" Angharad, who was pregnant, touched her belly and looked around.
This desert looked no different from other parts of the wasteland.
Max, who was sleeping in the passenger seat, also woke up.
Although he didn't speak, he expressed his question through his eyes.
Like Angharad, he was also puzzled as to why this so-called green space was so far away.
Furiosa, who was driving, pursed her lips, her face tense.
"I don't know how far it is, I only know it's in this direction..."
Her eyes held a deep weariness, and a hint of unease lingered in her heart.
They reached a high point.
Furiosa stopped the car and used her binoculars again to observe the surroundings.
Just then, the women sitting behind noticed something in one direction, "Look over there!"
Furiosa immediately looked over.
In the endless yellow sand, on an abandoned scaffold hung many reflective mirrors, and a naked woman knelt on them, looking weak and pitiful.
"I remember this scene!" Furiosa was overjoyed. She quickly drove over, then got out of the car alone to negotiate with the woman herself.
Max and the other women sat in the car watching.
War Boys Nux, on the other hand, was tied up and hung outside the vehicle; he had long since passed out.
"This is bait," Max unusually spoke to the women behind him, "A common trap in the wasteland..."
Angharad touched her stomach, warily scanning her surroundings, wanting to ask the experienced Max for more advice on surviving in the wasteland.
But outside, as Furiosa revealed her identity, the woman on the overpass sent a signal.
Suddenly, several motorcycles appeared from the surrounding hillsides and sand dunes, rushing straight towards them.
The woman on the overpass was overjoyed and quickly slid down, dressed, and rushed to Furiosa.
Furiosa was not mistaken.
These people were indeed from the Vuvalini Tribe, where she had spent her childhood.
Just
Contrary to her expectations, the oasis where Vuvalini had been had long since disappeared due to soil and groundwater pollution.
And Vuvalini, which depended on the oasis, naturally declined along with the oasis.
At this moment, all she saw were the surviving members of a few tribes. The once large tribe was now reduced to just a middle-aged woman and a few elderly motorcyclists.
Upon hearing this news, Furiosa froze on the spot.
For twenty years, Vuvalini's existence has been the source of her inner strength; she has always dreamed of one day returning to that tribe filled with love and warmth...
However, harsh reality now tells her that her illusions actually died many years ago.
It wasn't just Furiosa who couldn't accept it.
The other women who escaped with her were equally unable to accept it.
Only Angharad could manage a wry smile, and even comfort her companions.
"Look on the bright side, at least we have freedom now, don't we?"
Max watched all of this with indifference.
Neither happy nor sad.
Even though Furiosa was in so much pain that she was howling in the desert, he didn't show the slightest sign of dejection.
Because he had no hope from the very beginning.
Or rather...
He had no hope.
He was nothing but a walking corpse.
He didn't want to come here, nor did he want to go there; he just drifted along, barely surviving in this world, without any goals.
You won't be disappointed if you don't have any expectations.
Furiosa is in a lot of pain.
The other women weren't interested either.
The atmosphere was somber all day.
It wasn't until nightfall that Furiosa had to start thinking about her future.
Angharad is right.
Although they have nothing now, at least they have freedom.
Escaping from Immortan Joe's clutches is certainly something to be thankful for.
Soon, the women came to a conclusion.
They were abandoning their heavy trucks and instead using light motorcycles to travel in one direction, crossing the salt flats in front of them, in search of a new home...
Max didn't think it was a good idea, but he didn't say anything.
Early the next morning.
The women then left, leaving Max and Nux alone.
Nux was hanging on the chariot, had awakened and looked weakly at his former Blood Lord, unable to utter a single word.
Max glanced back at him, said nothing, and then turned her head back.
He looked again at Furiosa and her group in the distance.
Max felt as if he heard a voice inside him calling out to him, urging him to act quickly.
He wasn't sure whose it was; maybe it belonged to his wife, or maybe to someone he had failed to protect all these years...
Max hopped on the motorcycle Furiosa had left him, floored the throttle, caught up with Furiosa, and offered them his suggestion—
"Go back to the fortress; there might be a chance there."
Furiosa stared at the man in front of her in surprise.
" Immortan Joe abandoned the pursuit of us yesterday, he must have returned to the fortress. Wouldn't we be walking into a trap if we went back now?"
I don't think this is a good idea.
Furiosa stared at Max.
She couldn't understand how Max, with his years of experience, could make such an outrageous decision, sending a group of women to counterattack the fortress.
How did you come up with that?
Max opened his mouth, then managed to utter a sentence: "Perhaps he's no longer the one in control of the fortress."
Furiosa frowned. "Why do you think that?"
"Intuition."
Max looked up at the sky.
For a fleeting moment, it seemed as if a figure flying in the sky appeared before my eyes again.
That drone...
Furiosa paused for a moment before saying, "We need to discuss this."
Then she looked at the other women and asked for their opinions.
Max paced aimlessly to the side.
After a while, Furiosa returned, but instead of telling him the result, she asked Max first, "I still want to know your reasons."
What gave you that intuition?
Max paused for a moment, then said:
"Drone."
"What is that?" Furiosa's eyelids twitched slightly.
"A weapon, a very advanced weapon."
"You mean someone is attacking Immortan Joe, and they're going to win?"
"Intuition."
Furiosa bit her lip tightly, met the gazes of the other women, and finally said, "Let's go back!"