NovelSearch Chapter 502 320: Heading Toward the Wanderers
Chapter 502 320: Heading Toward the Wanderers
There is a dedicated vehicle transfer area in Kaufuglanton.The Silver Rider 577, freshly repaired and cleaned, sat under the spotlight, gleaming.
John wasn't in a hurry to leave; he stood at the entrance of the transfer area, staring at his Eisenberg sports car while smoking a cigarette.
No bill emails, no one coming up to block the door.
John stubbed out the cigarette, reached out and slid his hand from the hood to the spoiler, where his fingertips touched the car body, a honeycomb ripple formed, leaving a fading gradient glow.
[Module: Crystal Car Body [Breath Sensing Mode]]
This was something the technician from Bone Shards helped create, a nano-layer that could automatically repair small scratches, emitting a mineral-like subtle glow.
The scissor doors lifted up.
The side skirts and the threshold revealed their original color of composite armor.
This was a Wanderer style modification, the best vehicle modifier from Damascus Camp had helped John choose the model.
John leaned over the car roof, poking his head inside, catching a whiff of a strange scent.
The vehicle seats had been riddled with holes by the net inspectors four months ago; Raphael's men had subsequently replaced the entire interior and seats.
Original Eisenberg factory items, this year's upgraded model.
The color was a deep blue with a hint of purple, and the design lines were very tech-savvy.
But John still preferred the original set, when Bone Shards had modified it, the seats were changed to a black and gold color scheme, the leather emitted a tobacco scent, more comfortable than the corporate man's usual bio-aroma now present.
He plugged in the data cable.
The Black Light whooshed by, re-covering the vehicle system, line after line of vehicle information projected into John's cybernetic eye vision, taking a full half-minute to load.
The suspension system and power system had a few things changed.
Now the car had added a hint of Kaufuglanton modification style on top of its gang and Wanderer styles.
[Contact - Raphael [Unread Message]]
[Your people are still alive, coordinates are in the attachment, repair and intelligence expenses have been calculated, a resurrection always calls for seeing some old friends, I get that, but don't get too sticky, and don't accept any new work, also don't miss my calls.]
John swiped down the email, tossed the coordinates into the navigation, and started the engine.
Vroom——
The vehicle's sound waves were still surging.
The brand new Silver Rider 577 drove out of the East District.
[Task Update]
[Proceed to the coordinates provided by Raphael. (Not Achieved)]
The navigation route led east out of the city.
Heading straight for the wasteland.
The asphalt road turned into a blurry and coarse winding curve.
John switched the music station, turned up the volume, drowning out the sound of the wind and plastic debris scraping against the car body.
He liked listening to the old tunes.
After leaving the city, the speed of the car obviously increased, but driving through the endless yellow sandy ground, it seemed to slow down instead.
The scenery outside the window changed quickly—Abandoned factories at the edge of the city, rusty storage tanks, water towers covered in graffiti, then all disappeared, replaced by wildness, dotted with hardy plants, rust-red boulders.
John suddenly saw something.
To be precise, the remains of it.
A giant circular depression.
The diameter was estimated to be over two hundred meters, the edge soil compacted by impact, forming a regular arched slope.
There was standing water at the bottom of the crater, reflecting the gray sky.
A wreckage stood in the middle of the puddle.
Metallic, scorched, with cutting and dragging marks, only a few main supporting beams still maintained their original curvature.
John's cybernetic eye zoomed, focusing remotely for a few seconds before scanning it.
[Item: Starlink Satellite [Wreckage]]
One of the things that fell from the sky four months ago.
John didn't stop, just slowed down the car.
A temporary fence surrounded the deep pit, municipal warning signs, and a few stationary engineering devices.
The municipality had dismantled, cleaned, and fenced it up.
No one was at work, not even the homeless were interested anymore, now it was just a useless pit in the wasteland, collecting some rainwater.
To John, it felt like it happened yesterday.
He increased the car speed, continued driving forward.
[Eden City - Damascus Camp]
The Wanderer camp was deeper in the wasteland.
After confirming the exact location, John didn't even need the navigation.
The Silver Rider sports car crossed over the hills, seeing the camp's outline—an orderly array of modified trailers, RV compartments, and a series of living facilities, scattered around several heavy industrial vehicles.
Connecting these things were wires, signal towers, solar panels.
Sentries were on duty at the high points of the camp's perimeter, the Silver Rider 577 had not yet approached when the other party raised their weapon.
Bam——
The gunshot echoed through the wasteland.
[Scan detected, hack attempt, authorization rejected...]
The Wanderers included plenty of expert hackers.
They were a practical group, highly capable on average, more chaotic and harder to deal with than mercenaries.
John slowed down the car to the lowest speed.
He rolled down the window, stretched his hand out, palm up in a gesture indicating no hostility and readiness to approach for talks.
The sentry did not lower their gun nor leave their position.
Walkie-talkie sounds emanated from the camp.
Someone else ran out from the barrier gate, also carrying a gun, eyes never leaving the Silver Rider 577 along the way—Wanderers make their living with vehicles, everyone can repair cars, and can tell what a "beauty" this car is.
He was young, John had never seen him, probably a newcomer to the camp.
"I can't get your information."
The other person aimed the gun sideways, his tone probing, like someone who's fired a shot but never been in real action. "Who are you?"
"John."
"What are you here for?"
"To pick someone up, my people…" John interrupted the other's words. "Before questioning me, first inform the camp, ask the old-timers, Nando, Alonna, or Talia!"
The young man squinted his eyes, took two steps back, his cybernetic eyes and ear slot signals simultaneously lit up.
The call lasted for over ten seconds.
"…Huh, that's what he said."
The young man pursed his lips, breathed out through his nose, approaching the car window again. "John, am I pronouncing it correctly?"
John nodded.
The young man spread his hand, continued speaking to the phone. "Yes, I just confirmed with him in person… Car? Eisenberg, Silver Rider 577, can't determine the exact engine model, oh right, there's a crystal car coating."
The dialogue was intermittent.
The young man suddenly frowned, muttering. "WTF?"
Apparently the call got disconnected.
John ducked his head down, looking up at the sentry—the other person, receiving the message, put away his gun, but continued observing him with cybernetic eyes, even showing much stronger curiosity.
A robust Black man rushed over from the repair zone.
He had a shaved head, oily work pants and a vest, with clanging parts on him as he ran over.
[Name: Gage [Screwdriver]]
[Faction: Damascus Camp]
Screwdriver waved his left mechanical arm from afar—the camp gate sentries received the message, and the two barriers automatically opened.
"You can go in."
The young man by the car said.
John drove the Silver Rider 577 into the camp's parking area, the repair zone right beside it, with several off-road vehicles hoisted up in containers being inspected.
Screwdriver was waiting for John.