Wasteland Echoer.

Chapter 679 Unknown - Nebusk (Part 2)

February 17, 558 AD, 2:30 PM.

Crusad Federation, Far Northeast Region, Nebusk Plain, Nebusk City.

With Shaneva dead, the city of Nebsk has transformed from initially blaming Nebrius for the war while simultaneously maintaining military support for him, into a de facto independent entity.

After all, with Shaneva's death, no human in the Crusad stronghold east of Joigler possessed enough influence to unite other humans in the name of the Federal Council. The initial brief period of peace and prosperity in the various strongholds, characterized by "one whale fall, all things thrive," quickly transformed into a tense and volatile situation.

It is very similar to the early human era, when the Dragon War had just ended and the dragons were collectively exiled to the Dragon Realm, and a brief "feudal era" spontaneously formed in order to rebuild "order".

At that time, except for the Flame Empire, the authority of the rulers of the five great empires was limited to the area near the capital. Within the territories that nominally belonged to each empire, the various lords began a rather complex process of befriending distant states while attacking nearby ones.

However, west of Choigler, especially in the most devastated provinces of the Ice-Bound Province, North and South Karlov District, and Konig Province, there are still a staggering number of "Heartless People" and several relatively well-established Lost Ones organizations.

It is foreseeable that this series of "pre-Federal Wars," which began with Vasily's various "restoration of order" last year and ended with Shaneva's instigation of the civil war, has finally come to a temporary end.

Leaving that extremely strange church in the suburbs that worshipped an oriental deity, and now approaching the No. 1 border checkpoint in the city of Nebsk, although vehicles of various forces occasionally passed by along the way, there were no checkpoints.

The city's defenses in Nebsk seem to have become much more lax.

“Finally, I can go to the big city and rest for a few days.” Sitting in the driver's seat, Dark took a drag of his “Calming Inward Curl” cigarette and, while gripping the steering wheel, said to Wright beside him:

“Nabsk will be our last stop before heading to Khitanris. After we leave here, we will never see any human cities again in the entire Aventre no man’s land, including those villages and outposts that can accommodate thousands of people.”

“It’s the Flame Empire, Dark. If we go to the East and still use such an ignorant name as ‘Khidanris,’ the people there will laugh at us,” Wright corrected him quite promptly.

“Alright, alright, the Flame Empire it is. But…” Dark looked at the various vehicles queuing up in front of him. In terms of quantity, there were many more than when he entered Novayask. After all, Novayask had been destroyed by the “Heartless Wave” a few days ago, and Nabsk had become the only large city in the east.

However, it is quite evident that many vehicles have flags embroidered with the "Devotion Group's Demon Emblem" hanging from their roofs, as well as various independent armed flags that combine the styles of ancient and ordained deities.

“Right now, all the forces in eastern Crusad are trying to converge on Nebsk. It seems that Novayask declined along with Shaneva after her death. The Lost Ones, the Independent Armed Forces, and the remnants of the former Federation will not wait to die in some small strongholds. They will try every means to come to larger strongholds to seek opportunities.” As he analyzed, Dak temporarily shut down the engine of the mechanical vehicle.

The convoy ahead was still several hundred meters long, and it appeared that a minor conflict had occurred near border checkpoint number 1.

Just then, a familiar, rough voice came from inside a dilapidated pickup truck behind the two men.

"Oh, we meet again, two powerful officers."

With the sound came a figure jumping out of the driver's window. Seemingly weakened by long-term hunger or exhaustion, the still relatively strong man staggered a few steps before stumbling to Dark and Wright.

“You are, ‘Red Wolf’?” Wright immediately recognized “Red Wolf” with his distinctive light black pupils, his face with distinctly Eastern features, and the thumb-sized “Eternal Red Ferry Corps” badge he wore on his chest.

And a slightly sunken chest, radiating warmth.

“That’s right, it’s me!” “Red Wolf” raised his thumb, rested his chin on his hand, and tilted his head slightly upward, looking quite proud. Then, in a hoarse voice, he said:
"Shaneva's conspiracy didn't kill me; instead, it awakened my identity as a high-ranking professional among the soldiers' corpses. Later, I met Zhou Han, Hoshino Shota's mentor. He performed a simple operation on me, filling my chest with machinery, allowing me to successfully wait for the day that bastard Shaneva brought about her own destruction." "'Red Wolf' Brother, what brings you to Nebusk this time? After all, Shaneva is dead now, the Federal Council has completely lost its authority, and Crusad is about to enter a period of great chaos. Aren't you worried at all?" Dark saw the complex expression seeping into "Red Wolf's" light black pupils and tentatively asked.

"Of course, I have my own matters to attend to. However, once we reach the St. Vasily's Grand Hotel in Nebusk, I'd like to discuss the matter of Shaneva and Levri. Both of you officers have passed the 'Blood Test' test and should be able to successfully reach the 'Shalon Maze.'" "Red Wolf" forced a stubborn smile and said:
"However, I am willing to talk to you about my own affairs."

"Of course we can, but we have to get past checkpoint number 1 first, right? I'm worried..."

"Checkpoint 1 won't reopen for at least two hours. I don't know what those 'Dark Night Investigation Team' people are doing; they've managed to sneak living 'Heartless Ones' into the supplies they're transporting into Nebuskero. This has infuriated Atlanca, and he's currently leading several 'Reorderers' from the 'Dedication Group' to eliminate those 'NK' transport trucks." "Red Wolf" explained the situation ahead as he jumped onto Dark and Wright's mech, sat in the hood, and said smugly.

“Aren’t you two officers curious about how I survived? After all, Shaneva used extraordinary methods to replicate your ‘Dark Touch’, almost crushing my heart into a pile of minced meat.”

"I'm sorry, I couldn't stop Shaneva's plot back then," Wright said, bowing slightly.

“This is none of your business, Wright. Struggles are always a matter of life and death. If that idiot Levri wins, Shaneva won’t fare much better than me. Then again, I only survived thanks to the ‘mechanical body’ Zhou Han gave me. And in my dream, I saw the god I revere and received His blessing.” As “Red Wolf” spoke, his previous free and unrestrained attitude instantly transformed into one of piety.

He even clasped his hands together slightly, making the shape of an orthodox cross on his chest. It's hard to imagine that such a "mercenary" who was once deeply driven by profit, a member of the "Eternal Red Ferry Team" who specialized in handling dirty and tiring tasks for the leader, could possess such a devout attitude towards the gods.

As they spoke, the roar of mechanical engines starting up came from ahead. Amidst the rumbling sounds, there were also the voices of "on-duty personnel" belonging to the Nebusko guard directing the vehicles.

Clearly, the brief period of "unintentional" pollution was not enough to paralyze the city's order, especially during the brief period of peace and prosperity, the city of Nebusk had sufficient capacity to handle the situation properly.

About 15 minutes later, Dak's mechanical vehicle passed through checkpoint number 1 smoothly, paying only 15 new rubles for entry. There was no "blood check" or any examination of relevant documents.

Perhaps, Nebuskoy is becoming a truly neutral city capable of "accommodating" all forces.

At 5 p.m., a hazy mist began to rise from the cold sky, which was shrouded in the blazing sun. After a brief period of deep, dark clouds, the entire city of Nebsk was enveloped in a gloomy and dim atmosphere. As the city's newly renovated backup power system began to operate, dim, yellowish lights began to radiate from rooms in residential, industrial, and administrative areas. However, these lights failed to penetrate the thick fog and instead transformed into grotesque, distorted faces that reflected the darkness.

As the temperature briefly dropped to -15 degrees Celsius, countless frigid snowflakes began to fall vertically at high speed from the sky, like cannonballs raining down from the heavens.

Although it does not cause any harm to people or buildings, it evokes a deep-seated fear, much like "ice rain."

Meanwhile, Dac, Light, and Adaloni completed their registration at the St. Basil's Grand Hotel, which was also shrouded in eerie darkness. After paying 20 new rubles for seven days' stay, they were assigned to room ST.905 on the edge of the 9th floor.

From the moment he entered the inn, Wright observed that this ancient inn, which was originally built in 510 AD, was mainly constructed of wood and had a total of 15 floors. Not only had it not collapsed after a thousand years, but even several large waves of "heartless people" had failed to cause it any obvious damage.

The hotel is decorated in the gold and red style of the Krusd royal family, making it look exceptionally luxurious. A bronze statue of the former leader Vasily stands at the entrance, and the double-headed eagle emblem and sunflower engravings of the Krusd royal family appear in every corner of the hotel.

However, the rooms on floors 3-10, which are for guests, are decorated in an unusually simple style. In addition to the furniture being all in a rustic wooden style, even the lighting equipment consists of old-fashioned kerosene lamps and gas appliances that are temporarily unusable.

After quickly packing his supplies, weapons, and clothes, Dark carried the still-sleeping Adaloni, whom he had been carrying all the way, to bed.

Just as Dark and Wright were discussing how to contact Hoshino Shota to return the "Heart of Truth," as well as how much supplies to purchase and how to plan their route across the Eventlay no-man's-land to the Flame Empire, a series of urgent knocks reached their ears.