Chapter 72
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Chapter 72: Divine Believers
Zhang Zhiyuan heard a deafening explosion.
At first, he thought it was another round of enemy artillery fire, so he instinctively crouched lower. But when no subsequent blast came, and even the shouts from the opposing side fell silent.
“What was that noise just now?” Zhou Zhi asked, squinting through the haze.
Zhang Zhiyuan shook his head. “Who knows?”
“Should we keep moving forward?”
“Of course. Unless you want to stay here and wait for the next bombardment?” After a brief pause, he added, “You go ahead. I’ll take a quick look up there.”
Climbing the slope was clearly a risky task, but precisely because of its danger, it suited him best. Zhang Zhiyuan slung his gun over his back and ran crouched towards the edge of the depression. Once confirming his route, he charged straight for the top of the hill without hesitation.
In just a couple of minutes, he reached the top of the slope. As soon as he stepped onto level ground, Instead of immediately searching for the source of the loud noise, he dropped to the ground, positioned his rifle, and scanned the thick fog that hung like a veil around them. After maintaining vigilance for about half a minute, he finally turned to face the direction of the machine.
The striking blue glow was still there, though much dimmer now, as if intimately touching the ground. However, the fog obscured his view.
Cautiously, Zhang Zhiyuan moved forward, covering about thirty meters before the fog obstructing his vision abruptly lifted, revealing everything around the large spirit lamp with crystal clarity.
His mouth dropped open in shock.
What he saw was a scattered pile of parts and was now nothing more than a heap of mangled parts! Its multi-legged structure no longer existed; only two broken legs remained attached to the body, while the others seemed to have flown off elsewhere. The upper turret had split apart, its top nowhere to be seen, and the gun barrel lay crumpled like a broken limb.
Moreover, fierce flames roared within the machine’s interior. The guard team, now fully preoccupied, was scrambling trying to rescue the wounded while battling to extinguish the growing fire.
Did it… suffer an internal explosion? That was the only explanation that made sense to Zhang Zhiyuan..
The explosion must have sent high-temperature flames back into the turret, triggering a chain reaction with the remaining ammunition, leaving the machine in ruins.
Their luck is truly incredible!
Just as he was about to alert everyone, a familiar diesel engine roar sounded behind him. Zhang Zhiyuan turned around and saw that the vehicle they had prepared for evacuation had unexpectedly arrived behind him, with Luo Di at the wheel!
“You… snuck away just to drive this car?”
“Yes, I felt charging towards a wondrous construct with just guns was too risky. It’s better to make a getaway by vehicle.” Luo Di rolled down the window. “Don’t let its old appearance fool you; it handles well even on rocky terrain, capable of reaching 40 mph. That’s much faster than running on foot. I doubt their cannon can hit a speeding vintage car.”
“Why didn’t you tell us beforehand?” Zhang Zhiyuan asked, somewhat annoyed.
“I thought you wouldn’t listen to me. Look, now that the weapon has self-destructed, it’s a win-win situation. Even if you want to blame me, wait until after we complete the mission,” she waved off his concerns. “Don’t waste time, quickly go gather the others!”
Did she truly do all this by herself?
Zhang Zhiyuan couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off. As a mission-specific item, the vehicle was only acquired upon reaching the ambush point. To avoid detection, it had been meticulously camouflaged with felt cloth and sand, appearing from afar as just another small mound. It should’ve taken two, maybe three people to uncover and start it. Yet Luo Di, a mere sixteen- or seventeen-year-old girl, managed to single-handedly lift the sand-covered felt cloth, then use the crankshaft to start the diesel engine and drive the vehicle up to the slope. It wasan astonishing feat indeed which made it seem strange too.
Even stranger was that In order to remain covert, he hadn’t brought a spirit lamp, essentially rendering him invisible amidst the dense fog. How did she found him so easily?
And how was it that, the moment she decided to retrieve the vehicle, the enemy’s wonder weapon conveniently blew itself up? Her gamble had somehow turned into the perfect solution for their mission.
Was this all jusy coincidence, or part of some larger plan?
However, Zhang Zhiyuan knew that now wasn’t the time to dwell on these questions. After all, they were still within the Foggy Region, with no clear grasp of the enemy’s movements.
“Wait here for me!” he called out before sprinting back toward the depression. The round trip took about five minutes, and by the time he returned, the others had already gathered around the vehicle.
“What… is this thing?” Lesker looked at the antique car with astonishment, unable to resist touching it from side to side. “I can’t sense its frequency… It’s not a wondrous construct, but why is it vibrating all over?”
“Probably due to poor shock absorption,” Zhou Zhi quipped humorously.
Asahara Naruko picked up on his choice of words. “What do you mean by ‘frequency’?”
“It’s a unique sensation,” Lesker explained. “ It’s hard to describe, but only those who can perceive it are qualified to control wondrous constructs.”
“Does the Gaotian Mining Corporation know about your ability?”
“As long as I don’t reveal it, no one else will ever find out.” Lesker pursed his lips. “To them, I’m no different from anyone else. Apart from my physical self, I’ve been stripped of everything.”
“Where were all of you captured from?” Luo Di chimed in suddenly.
In response to her question, Lesker’s demeanor turned more serious. “Most Nepheids here were refugees, driven from their homes. While the origins of the other humans are quite varied… They include vagrants from the old continent, those ruined by gambling debts, and destitute individuals with no means to survive. However, none of them realized before boarding that they would completely lose their freedom, becoming mere mining tools for the company.”
“But you seem to know quite a lot about Gaotian Mining Company,” Luo Di observed. “You don’t sound like someone who just left his homeland.”
“You’re right,” he acknowledged without denial. “In fact, this isn’t my first time being imprisoned in a slave transport.”
Before they could ask more, a sharp blue light reappeared in the southwest. There was no doubt now—the company’s reinforcement train had arrived.
“Alright, we’ve secured the money and the people. Everyone, get on.” Zhang Zhiyuan quickly secured the injured in the back seats and patted the car roof. “Luo Di, I’m leaving the rest to you.”
“What about you?” she asked, her brow furrowed.
“I promised to buy some time for this kid,” Zhang Zhiyuan replied. “ So I’ll stay behind and slow their pursuit.”
A look of surprise crossed Lesker’s face.
“Then I’m staying too. The mission is basically complete anyway, let me accompany you.” Zhou Zhi, who was about to enter the vehicle, closed the door again.
“Count me in,” Asahara Naruko added, her voice steady.
“As you please.” Shrugging, Luo Di climbed back into the driver’s seat. “Remember to make plenty of noise so they don’t have a chance to follow me.”
“Don’t worry, I doubt they have more of those machines,” Zhang Zhiyuan assured her confidently.
Without another word, Luo Di pressed hard on the accelerator and sped northward with the vehicle, disappearing into the fog.
Lesker stood there, speechless, staring after them.
Moments ago, they had all been fighting side by side, and now they were parting ways as if it were nothing… Did these people not care about their own lives at all?
“And you… kid,” Zhang Zhiyuan said, turning towards Lesker, “don’t waste this opportunity again. Hurry up and reunite with your group. Remember, as long as gunfire continues, they won’t dare take a single step off the railroad.”
“We’re out!”
With that, the trio stepped resolutely into the fog under the blue glow, without a hint of hesitation in their stride.
Lesker couldn’t comprehend it. How could they go to such lengths, risking their lives to save a group of unknown slave workers? This went beyond any rational considerations of gain or loss…
Then, the answer dawned on him.
There could be only one explanation for their actions: They possessed an unshakable faith. They weren’t just completing a mission. They must be carrying out the will of a divine being.