A minor skirmish

Having someone protect him was better than going alone.

But Wang Shui still checked with Brother Hei to confirm who these people were.

The Dream System was unlike the Main God spaces in the entertainment Wang Shui had consumed before. It had no absolutely safe zones where attacks were impossible, only accountability after the fact. Anyone who indiscriminately killed Awakeners of the same faction would be dealt with severely... that was all.

Wang Shui received confirmation and saw a screenshot of the [Protection Contract], but Brother Hei still recommended that he teleport straight back on the return trip. Outbound teleportation from [Rusty Sword Fortress] was still available.

The text exchange was quick. Once Wang Shui had confirmed everything, he walked toward the truck with the tall, thin man in the black coat, but his eyes were involuntarily drawn to the person on its roof.

That person had dirty silver-gray hair hanging down to his shoulders, looking fluffy even in the rain. His chin was round, and a very thin collar encircled his neck. With his physical characteristics so indistinct, it was hard to tell his sex. His broad, shoulder-draped cloak hung open, and the thin, loose white short-sleeved T-shirt underneath was soaked through.

He tilted his head back to let the rain wash over him. The moment Wang Shui looked at him, he keenly looked back.

His round face looked very youthful, and his half-open eyes were large and clear. He remained seated cross-legged without expression, his arms hanging naturally and his hands resting on a swordlike weapon laid across his legs.

"He's your bodyguard. Just call him White Cat, but don't expect him to talk to you unless you can beat him." The tall, thin man mentioned this casually as he pulled Wang Shui into the truck, then addressed White Cat on the roof. "Stinky Cat, protect the driver, and watch yourself. Don't get carried away."

The expressionless White Cat nodded woodenly, then continued tilting his head back to catch the rain.

Wang Shui had already settled into the driver's seat and taken off his cloak, tossing it into the space behind him to dry. Once he confirmed the mission participants' information, he started the vehicle.

First came a slight floating sensation as the antigravity device lifted the body. The locking pins disengaged, and the truck was ready to move.

Fully hovering antigravity vehicles existed too, generally high-end private vehicles. Full hovering consumed a tremendous amount of energy, and those vehicle bodies themselves were also very expensive.

Wheels would always be a transport vehicle's good companions, ensuring it could still move after losing power. With some antigravity and propulsion devices added, it could handle pretty much any terrain.

Having spent half a year here, Wang Shui naturally knew how to drive. Of course, he neither had a license nor had ever driven long-distance. There was nowhere in this world that issued driving licenses.

The three vehicles, including the escort team's, slowly entered the main road. The city behind them gradually revealed its full outline, then slowly shrank and vanished into the curtain of rain. Wang Shui found previous routes in the vehicle's travel records, and the system recommended three.

Wang Shui picked a relatively short one and was about to share it with the convoy when the tall, thin man in the passenger seat spoke. He had just tossed his rain-soaked coat into the back and was drying himself in the warm air.

"I wouldn't recommend that route. Here." He pointed at the map on the virtual screen in the center of the vehicle. "A band of robbers has been around here lately. They only have one or two tier-two leaders, but their weapons are a mixed bag. They might have heavy firepower. Passing through here could be a real pain. I suggest this route."

He indicated a slightly longer route. Its road conditions were good, and the surrounding terrain offered clear views, making ambushes difficult.

Wang Shui did not think this escort hunting group would screw him over.

Awakeners did frequently fight among themselves or rob one another, but they generally would not rob this sort of transport. They could not open the crates at all and would only end up wanted. It simply was not worth it.

Besides, they knew Brother Hei well. If Brother Hei wanted to do something to Wang Shui, he would not need to go to such trouble. If they wanted to do something to Wang Shui, even without killing him, they would have to consider whether they still wanted to operate in Iron Edge City afterward.

So Wang Shui took the tall, thin man's advice, finalized the route, and switched to semiautomatic driving mode.

In this mode, the vehicle drove itself to conserve the driver's stamina, while the driver retained higher control priority to take over immediately in an emergency. This was a little trick for long-distance freight hauling, one of the things Wang Shui had studied over the past few days.

The tall, thin man nodded. Nothing was better than a protectee who listened to advice.

"Let's get acquainted. You can call me A Shui. I'm Brother Hei's repairman. I'll be counting on you all to keep us safe on the road."

Ten minutes after the vehicles left Iron Edge City's east gate, Wang Shui initiated a conversation. The tall, thin man was silent for a moment before answering flatly:

"[TU]. You can call me [Tu]. I'm the leader of this little nameless hunting group, responsible for looking after these shut-ins. You included, of course." The tall, thin Brother Tu took out a thick cigarette and fitted it into an old wooden holder. Only after lighting it did he ask, "You don't mind if I smoke, do you?"

"Of course not." Wang Shui took an iron cigarette case from his pocket and offered it to Brother Tu. "Try mine."

"Wow, 'Withered Wood Guardian.' You don't see these often. Nice taste. I'm starting to like you."

Wang Shui, who barely knew how to smoke, smiled. Semiautomatic driving did not require much attention, and he began his habitual practice of gathering information through conversation.

"They're just uncommon, not expensive. Lifestyle types always have a few unconventional sources. If there's any tobacco you're looking for, Brother Tu, I can keep an eye out, as long as it's nothing too rare."

"Then I have no choice but to make friends with you. Ah, sometimes I really envy you lifestyle types. You get access to all sorts of rare battlefield goods."

Brother Tu started joking around. He seemed quite good at socializing.

"Lifestyle types are just the grease in the gears. Even without us, the system could maintain logistics using only [Constructs]-a kind of mechanical life. You combat types are the system's sharp edge. Speaking of which, the speed you get stronger is really enviable. I regretted becoming a lifestyle type on the very next day."

"It's not as fast as you imagine. Tier four is a bottleneck for all supernatural beings. Most people can't even touch tier three. Besides, what use is getting stronger on a modern battlefield with tens of millions of troops? We run around different worlds gaining powerful abilities, only to end up stronger cannon fodder."

"So we have to learn to slack off."

Wang Shui suddenly let out the cry of a salted fish. Brother Tu glanced sideways at him, and the two working stiffs exchanged a smile.

"By the way, what about the fellow overhead? Isn't he coming in to dry off?" Wang Shui began looking for lighter topics to keep the mood going.

"Stinky Cat? He said the rain lately was perfect for a bath. Don't worry, he won't get sick. Speaking of which, if we encounter danger on the road, stay near Stinky Cat. If he leaves quickly, you don't need to chase him. He'll remember to come back and protect you. But remember, whatever happens during combat, never feel any hostility toward him."

Wang Shui nodded readily, then asked a stupid question:

"Isn't everything between Iron Peak City and Rusty Sword Fortress under system control? Why does the road sound so dangerous?"

Perhaps to pass the boring hours, Brother Tu explained casually:

"The system's control only extends fifteen or twenty kilometers outside the city. Managing territory farther out would consume several times the resources. When we capture an area, we generally don't massacre anyone. We just build defenses and logistics stations, so plenty of defeated natives occupy scattered settlements and regroup into roaming bandits. And of course, there's some freaky stuff too. There's been no peace since the war began."

"Don't the combat types clear them out? They're experience points for leveling up, after all."

"Heh, you think we're playing a game? Killing enemies in combat and absorbing Soul Radiance does work like 'experience points,' but those 'experience points' you're imagining aren't anything rare. Ordinary training and fighting can raise your level even without killing enemies. Us old-timers are all stuck on the number '9.' Besides, liking combat and liking business trips are two different things."

Uh. Wang Shui had exposed his ignorance. He often saw newcomers online enthusiastically grinding levels, but he really had never heard veteran combat types complain.

"Going after those things means not just risk but resource consumption too. Nobody knows whether a trip out to wipe out bandits will even break even. If you run into something freaky and screw up, you're done for. Without reward missions from the system, combat types also prefer resting and idling while they wait to be called up. War is like getting stronger. You can't rush it."

The conversation continued like this for two hours. Neither of the two long-distance travelers felt tired at all. Instead, they even got out drinks and snacks and turned it into a chat party.

With his knack for listening and readily drawing out topics, Wang Shui successfully worked his way into this nameless little hunting group's voice channel for live conversation. He even sweet-talked a gunman from one of the vehicles behind into coming over to eat, drink, and chat, curing social withdrawal on the spot.

The three vehicles moved slowly through the rain. After traveling all day without stopping, they had covered two-thirds of the route despite the detour. Now the rainy world, which had retained a little light before, went completely dark. The night was frighteningly absolute. Even the high-powered headlights could not dispel the darkness a dozen meters away.

The truck was equipped with an active infrared night-vision system, so traveling at night was no problem. But once its infrared light source was switched on, the truck would become a beacon through night vision, the most conspicuous target in the darkness.

"We'll rest in that little grove to the side for the night and leave tomorrow morning. Everyone stay in the vehicles to rest and avoid going out." Brother Tu had just finished giving the order when a lazy, soft female voice suddenly sounded in the voice channel.

"Leader, I sense danger."

Brother Tu's expression turned serious. He opened the window and extended his right hand outside while asking:

"Stinky Cat, do you have a direction and distance?"

Stinky Cat? Was the boy on the roof a girl?

While Wang Shui's attention wandered off track, a glossy black snake crawled up Brother Tu's right arm outside the window and approached his face, quietly flicking its tongue.

"There are [Mutants] nearby. Everyone out and on guard. Attack as soon as you spot them. Stinky Cat, watch the truck. A Shui, stay inside. Make it quick, then we're leaving."

As he spoke, Brother Tu grabbed his coat, threw it stylishly over his shoulders, and rushed out of the truck. The gunman in the back seat also silently rushed into the rain. Their surroundings quickly fell quiet. Before long, Wang Shui heard gunfire and chilling low growls.

[Mutants] were monsters mutated by exposure to an [Outer God]'s radiation. What they had originally been did not matter. What mattered was that these monsters were highly aggressive and had little value. They were both dangerous and disgusting, and they also possessed a terrifying capacity for energy corrosion.

"Outer God type confirmed. Take [Number Three]. Melee is viable."

Brother Tu's voice rang through the channel again. Hearing him, Wang Shui hurriedly pulled his dust-gathering medicine kit from his Awakener space, found the number-three anticorrosion medication, and swallowed a pill. Then he nervously placed a hand at his waist.

Suddenly, something moved in the blurred darkness directly ahead of the vehicle. Wang Shui had only just noticed and focused his gaze there when a dark silver arc flashed and vanished. In the faint light, he saw a tall humanoid monster sliced horizontally through the abdomen. Its upper body fell backward into the rain while its lower half remained standing.

Stinky Cat had attacked. Wang Shui instinctively reached the correct conclusion and also became interested in that attack that had appeared out of thin air.

"Just about done."

Some time later, that lazy, soft, yet very cool and flat voice sounded in the channel again. Wang Shui was still thinking about the Mutant in front of the truck when he caught a huge black wolf charging through the open window out of the corner of his eye.

Before Wang Shui could react, the giant wolf shrank as it leaped through the window. Once fully inside, it twisted around, sat upright, and rapidly transformed back into Brother Tu.

"Did you retrieve that big tier-two one's mutated organ?" That was Brother Tu's first sentence after returning.

"Already secured." A voice Wang Shui had not heard before sounded in the channel.

"Go. Push straight ahead along our original route."

That was exactly what Wang Shui had been waiting for. The truck had remained running silently the entire time. Now its active infrared night-vision system switched on, and the two armored vehicles behind started moving to follow.

They called it the original route, but in reality it was merely relatively flat, open terrain. On the rain-soaked ground, places with plenty of stones were firm roads, while places with plenty of dirt were traps.

Wang Shui increased the antigravity device's power. Since the tires could not grip the ground, he also activated the cold-gas thrusters.

All three vehicles moved at a good pace, but Wang Shui soon saw a large number of Mutants ahead.

Wang Shui did not remember how to determine their tiers, but every one of them moved quickly. Some were still humanoid, merely sporting extra limbs, tentacles, and huge, sharp-toothed mouths on their abdomens. Others were outright animal-plant hybrids. They rapidly approached the truck in their own peculiar ways.

"Don't slow down," Brother Tu instructed. Holding a freshly lit cigarette in his left hand, he clenched his right fist and punched fiercely forward!

The ring on his right middle finger glowed green. Energy lines extended from it, running into his forearm and disappearing beneath his sleeve.

As he punched, the wild grass and vines beside the road instantly massed into a huge clump of vegetation three or four meters tall, transforming into a fist. The fist of vegetation threw a heavy punch along with Brother Tu.

The enormous fist of vegetation scraped up part of the ground and smashed everything ahead flying. At that moment, scattered gunfire came from the armored vehicles behind. The airborne Mutants' heads began bursting into flowers of flesh and blood, though the night-vision image made them hard to see clearly.

Though somewhat stunned by the little hunting group's coordination and firepower, Wang Shui did not stop driving. He constantly made slight adjustments to his direction, avoiding Mutants that had landed and lodged in the mud. Whether they were alive or not, he did not want to run over them.

Whoosh-

Brother Tu exhaled a mouthful of smoke and looked at Wang Shui with a smile.

"Not bad. You didn't panic even at tier zero. You've got potential, young man."

Wang Shui merely smiled sheepishly. He really had panicked just then, but perhaps because someone was protecting him, there had not been much fear in that panic. It had mostly been nerves.

The three vehicles drove more than a dozen kilometers before Brother Tu, after repeatedly confirming that no Mutants had followed, summoned some plant guards and told everyone to hurry up and rest.

Wang Shui lay in the fully reclined driver's seat, his mind a jumble.