Three armored vehicles drove in a row over the desolate wilderness, the distinctive emblem of the gray fox shining on the side armor of each vehicle.The dry plains wind whipped up sand and dust against the shells of the vehicles, and the last silhouettes of the city grew farther and farther behind the convoy before disappearing.There was no trace of human smoke around the lonely convoy, only craggy rocks and potholes as far as the eye could see, and the gray-yellow sky stained by sand and dust hung down in all directions, connecting with the equally gray earth, almost giving the illusion that the whole world had turned into a cloud of yellow sand.The convoy is now on an avenue that is theoretically an intercontinental highway, but only a little scrap of concrete remains on the side of the road: the forces of nature have easily erased the traces of civilization that once existed here, and the sturdy concrete road is no different from the surrounding gravel wilderness after more than 60 years of weathering.This is the mercenary force that is about to go to the Northland Ruins Group, led by Nolan himself, starting from the Black Street and heading all the way west to the Gray River, and Hao Ren is also with them.The procession had set out yesterday afternoon and had been on the road for nearly twenty hours without stopping, and the ruins of the city that had just disappeared into the horizon were the last of the districts of Rift Valley - it was said that no ruins of the city would be seen any further down to the Grey River, and that desolate wilderness would be the only sight on the road for the next two or three days.Hao Ren and Nolan and others shared a second armored car.The vehicles have spacious interiors that seem to have been specially modified for transporters, and the one in the middle is the most heavily guarded: the Grey Fox's customers are here.Two expressionless men sat in the back of the carriage, wearing different uniforms from the mercenaries, who were said to be researchers from the White River Chamber of Commerce, and two other senior bodyguards from the White River Chamber of Commerce sat on either side, they were responsible for protecting the researchers and monitoring the work of the gray fox mercenaries.Nolan's mission was to escort the four men safely to the Northland Ring Tower - and then at least get one of the researchers back alive.The above is the original text of the commission sent by the White River Chamber of Commerce.The four "clients" barely spoke to the mercenaries, only occasionally whispering to themselves about things, and trying to avoid being heard.It was obviously not interesting to pay attention to these people, so Hao Ren turned his head to look at the display embedded in the carriage, and the screen could see the situation outside the armored car, but the scenery outside was only the same wasteland.Ulanov muttered in a low voice: "This hellish place, even the rangers can't survive." ”"Relax, we're in the safest part of the world right now," Nolan sat across from the carriage, his hands resting behind his head, his eyes narrowed slightly, and his feet resting unsightly on the steel armrests in front of him, "there are no humans in this place, the only danger is the poison in the soil and water." ”Carl huddled in the corner of the carriage with his large rifle, sniffling when he heard Nolan's words, "Hey, that's safe enough." ”Hao Ren looked at the four members of the White River Chamber of Commerce sitting at the end of the carriage, and leaned over to sit next to Nolan: "Do you know what they are going to do?"
”"I don't know," Nolan said with a lack of interest, "I don't ask customers about my business, and that's the trick to living today."
Don't know what you shouldn't. ”She paused, noticing that the curious look on Hao Ren's face still hadn't diminished, so she shrugged her shoulders and lowered her voice: "Probably going for the dominant computer."
The pre-war nano-swarm control program, as well as the drawings of the next-generation nano-swarm that were not transferred from the control center back then......
It is said that they are all hidden in the depths of the Northland Ring Tower, and any force will be developed as long as they can get a little bit of information about it.The guys who have been to the Northland all these years have basically gone for those things. ”"Pre-war technology ......"
Hao Ren muttered in a low voice, "Can it really come in handy......"
"Why did you go to that place?"
”Nolan lifted an eyelid, "I heard that you buried your wife in the wilderness outside the Black Street in the morning, so it seems that you didn't go to the Northland to die." ”Hao Ren pulled the corners of his mouth helplessly: "My mental state has always been normal, right?"
I went to the Northland Circle just to confirm a few things......
Anyway, I don't have any conflict of interest with you, it's just a ride for you. ”Nolan suddenly opened his eyes and looked at Hao Ren seriously: "To be honest, I've always felt that you are a guy who is not quite right, and I have felt this way since the first time we met. ”Hao Ren smiled: "What's wrong with me?"
”"Too optimistic, too calm, too indifferent," Nolan turned his head, "I thought it was your nervous abnormality at first, but now it doesn't seem to be the case."
You remind me of the kind of people who were born and raised in times of peace......
But that kind of person can't stay in this scorched earth for as long as you do. ”Hearing Nolan's words, Hao Ren also mentioned as if inadvertently: "You don't look very old, but you can see people." ”"Aren't you old......," Nolan repeated softly, looking up at the monitor in the car, then she lit up the on-board conversation device next to her and called out to the soldier in the cab in front of her, "Kim, are we crossing the old Route 17?"
”The soldier in the cab reported: "Just a few minutes ago. ”"Well, you can rest, let the car switch to self-driving, and you won't need a driver for the next two days.""
Roger, Boss."
Although Black Street and Zero City are the closest human settlements to the Northland Ruins, there is still a considerable distance from there to the Northland Ring Tower, a forbidden area that is absolutely insurmountable for ordinary people, and even professional mercenaries need the support of modern equipment and the best physical and mental state to deal with it.In the next two days and one night, the convoy continued to approach the Northland ruins under the guidance of the autopilot system, and as the destination gradually approached, everyone's mood became nervous."
It's a horrible thing to be killed by a nanomachine swarm," Ulanov told Hao Ren on the fourth day of the journey, "and the death process feels like a long one, and it usually starts with the internal organs."
When the body is dissolved, it is accompanied by extreme burning illusions and tearing sensations – and the greater stress is psychological.You will clearly feel that you are turning into some kind of heterogeneous mass of matter......
And the sensation repeats itself over the course of minutes. ”Hao Ren was looking at the scene outside the car, and Ulanov's words made him feel strange: "You are talking about this here to shake the morale of the army......"
Ulanov laughed hoarsely, and the laughter seemed to have a prank meaning: "I just want to warn some people not to be interested in those nano machine swarms that seem to be sleeping, they may suddenly come to life." ”The two researchers from the White River Chamber of Commerce looked up at this side, and there seemed to be dissatisfaction in their eyes.At this time, the voice of the driver of the first car suddenly came from the horn of the carriage: "Gray River!
Ahead is the Grey River!
Boss, it's time for the Grey River!
”The word "Gray River" woke up the dull atmosphere of the mercenaries like a shot in the arm, and everyone raised their heads and clenched the weapons in their hands, and a mixture of unease and excitement diffused from them.Nolan immediately picked up his equipment bag and stood up: "Everyone, bring the electromagnetic sleeper and follow me!"
”The armored car came to a halt in a field of heat, and the mercenaries jumped from their carriages to the ground.Before getting up, Ulanov shoved a palm-sized device shaped like an old-fashioned radio into Hao Ren's arms: "Take this, your electromagnetic sleeper." ”Hao Ren took the strange device for some reason, and then was urged by the people behind him to jump out of the car.An endless barren land spread out before his eyes, and a hundred meters away from him, he saw that the leader of the armored car was parked next to a "big river" as wide as an ocean, and a continuous, neat metallic sheen could be seen on the riverbank.Hao Ren ran over with the mercenaries, and he looked at the scene ahead in surprise: "This is ......
Grey River?
”All he saw was an endless gray-white, viscous and strange liquid surging in front of his eyes, the texture was like asphalt, the color was like white bone, and the speed of these liquids was extremely slow, almost like a slowed down film film, and the slowly undulating viscous gray-white "river" brought people only an endless sense of weirdness.At the edge of the gray river, which looks like a black and white movie, you can see a layer of plated armor covering the rocks on the shore - like a naturally growing riverbank, blocking the "river water" that gives people a great sense of danger in the riverbed.This is the Grey River.
(I have something to go out today, so update in advance =.)= It's still the rhythm of a busy day. ）(To be continued.) )