Mecha Star Wars.

Chapter 1465 The Barrier of Civilization

Since they were going to engage in immersive role-playing, Lin Fan and Antonio were too lazy to resist, which saved them some energy.

Only Lan Bingru seemed out of place, looking uneasy and annoyed, which suited their current identities perfectly.

Herman led them to the main gate of the castle.

On the open ground in front of the steps, a black, extended hovercar stood silently.

The car's silhouette is sleek, and its matte coating reflects the faint morning light.

In front of the magnificent, opulent castle, and not far away, Garr's old fuel-powered car, and against the backdrop of the dilapidated gray stone streets, it's as if they are products of three different eras.

"Wow!" Antonio whistled. "Finally, something that matches the standards of advanced civilization."

In the Nexus Ring, they saw countless vehicles of transportation, but this car was nowhere near the top in terms of either appearance or technological sophistication.

But it represents another world, a world completely different from the Greystone settlement.

Hermann walked over without looking back, lightly tapped the middle of the car with his fingertip, and the door slid open silently.

The rear half of the car features a circular, soft-padded seat, while the front center console has buttons that glow with blue light.

“Go in!” Hermann stood by the door and turned around.

Antonio was the first to go inside, quickly looked around, and sat down.

"Come on, baby, sit here, you'll have the best view."

Lin Fan let Lan Bingru sit down, and he and Antonio sandwiched Lan Bingru between them, sitting in the seats closest to the door.

Bonnie didn't dare let Herman invite her, so she climbed up on her own and shrank back against the door.

Hermann ignored her, got into the car and closed the door. Dragging the chain, he walked to the driver's area and started the vehicle.

The view through the windshield slowly rose and turned, the hovercar emitted a soft buzzing sound, and rushed out along the broken road.

The orcs on the street were surprised to see the floating device pass by, and then quickly bent over, not daring to look directly at it.

It was just a means of transportation, yet they didn't even dare to look up...

“In Graystone, seeing the hovercars of Silvermoon City is equivalent to seeing the orcs of Silvermoon City.” Bonnie turned to look out the window, her soft voice tinged with bitterness. “The distance they can never reach in their entire lives is just a means of transportation for others.”

That's why she's willing to do anything to leave this dark and hopeless place.

Even domesticated poultry awaiting slaughter in Silvermoon City live better than the orcs of Graystone.

After seeing it with her own eyes, Bonnie found it both laughable and pathetic.

Why is there such a huge difference between people?

The hovercar gradually increased its speed and sped along the main road.

The streetscape of Graystone rushed past. The potholed roads, the dilapidated buildings, the lifeless orcs, and the magnificent golden castle all shrank smaller and smaller in the rearview window until they disappeared from sight completely…

“You tell me,” Bonnie glanced cautiously at Herman in front of her, then lowered her voice to ask the others beside her, “Is Gar… really dead?”

Fear really does shift depending on what's happening in the present moment.

Previously, she was most afraid of Gar. After discovering Lin Fan's ruthlessness, she became most afraid of Lin Fan, and Gar became her protector.

As a result, Herman arrived and killed Garga with a single blow. Bonnie's fear of Lin Fan fell below that of Herman.

Times change, and even people you dislike can be put to good use to temporarily fill a void of security.

No conflict, no conflict!
“You’re actually worried about him?” Antonio was taken aback.

“She’s not worried about him, she’s worried about herself.” After Lin Fan finished speaking, he turned to Bonnie. “You don’t need to care about Gar’s life or death, there’s no reference point.”

“Exactly.” Antonio laughed heartily, seemingly completely ignoring that he was still tied up. “That man was ruthless; when he wanted to kill you, he killed you, and he didn’t care whether anyone else lived or died.”

Bonnie's attempt to seek psychological comfort backfired, leaving her feeling even more agitated.

Unfortunately, she couldn't fight anyone here, so she could only hug Qian Sui tightly, turn halfway around, and shut herself out the window. Qian Sui probably got what she wanted; she was quite at ease in Bonnie's arms, closing her eyes and pretending to be dead again.

Antonio and Lin Fan exchanged glances, one moment raising an eyebrow at Chisui, the next wrinkling their noses at Herman.

Although he didn't say it aloud, the insult was clearly evident.

Lin Fan kicked him and focused on looking at the road conditions outside the window.

Antonio pouted, finally stopping his fuss, and leaned his head against the carriage wall, seemingly sulking with his back to Lin Fan. In reality, he was calmly taking in the view from the left window.

It was quiet all the way.

About an hour later, the scenery ahead suddenly changed.

Towering alloy fences have appeared on both sides of the desolate road. Above the fences, linear electrical wires and warning lights flash back and forth.

"This is making things..." Antonio complained, "like a prison. Just to keep out those low-level orcs like Graystone, who bow down to even a car? Is it really necessary?"

“I thought they orcs would treat their own people better,” Lan Bingru whispered close to Lin Fan’s ear, “but it seems they’re no different from the Loess Plateau.”

Actually, there are still differences.

The Loess Plateau is more like an abandoned world, left to fend for itself. The Graystone Settlement, however, does have some connections with Silvermoon City.

Lin Fan declined to comment. Something more eye-catching had entered her field of vision.

"Mecha..."

Antonio saw it too.

On either side of the heavy gate of jurisdiction stood a huge mech, each over four meters tall.

The mecha's head resembles an animal's head, and its dark gray alloy body is covered with menacing angles. A row of black launch ports on its shoulders exudes a dangerous aura.

"Is it really necessary?" Antonio exclaimed in disbelief. "Do they really need mechs against Graystone and their ilk? Even though the models are outdated, isn't this a bit like using a sledgehammer to crack a nut?"

The people of Graystone Settlement are generally considered to be incompetent, abandoned, and low-level orcs.

These people, besides retaining more of their animalistic forms, have amplified the most basic, rather than very useful, animalistic talents, such as great strength, high jump, and fast running.

They're nowhere near as good as elite orcs like Herman, whose abilities are superhuman from the start. Let alone facing mechs, countless orcs die every year from workplace injuries and infections due to lack of funds for treatment.

The mechs here are some ancient product from who-knows-which generation, but those two rows of firing turrets on their shoulders mean that once they open fire, flesh and blood are doomed to be no match for them.

Besides, does the Greystone settlement look like a place anyone would come to?

During their visit to the factory, the orcs they encountered were not much better than those who were sold in.

Oh, you mean the nature of the work is the same. In terms of hours, orcs have a slight advantage over humans; they can leave work earlier.

The wealthy never change their exploitative nature, no matter where they go, and they will not make exceptions for those who are of the same race.

In reality, only a very small portion of the population in the Graystone settlement are human; the vast majority of the workforce consists of orcs.

Those orcs who work with their eyes open every day and live with their eyes closed, struggling to survive in life, how could they have time to waste time at the border between the two districts?

“Those are the mechs of the Ironspine Legion of Silvermoon City,” Bonnie finally had her moment to show off. “Those two are used for patrols outside Silvermoon City.”

"Patrol?" Antonio noticed faint rust on the mech's joints as he approached. "Are you sure that thing can move?"

Bonnie followed his directions and discovered it too. She was immediately speechless.

“That’s a deterrent,” Lin Fan said. “Just like the two stone lions outside the grand courtyards of ancient H country. There’s probably no one inside those two mechs; they’re just there to warn anyone who comes: no matter how rusty the mechs of an advanced civilization are, they can easily annihilate you.”

Therefore, to the upper class, there was not much difference between the lower-class orcs and the yellow earth people whom they regarded as livestock.

They are all lowly beings, to be guarded against, and to be kept away from.

(End of this chapter)