Planet of Sand and Oasis of Iron

Chapter 180 179. If the test is perfect, then you are ready to officially take up the post?
How much resistance can a frightened enemy have?
Cypher didn't know it, but after he blasted the last machine, the one that suddenly became brave and rushed towards him, into a state of paralysis with a grenade, and then slashed it with a sword - a glow of concentrated particle flow - the car stalled.

Isn’t this good? After doing so many disgusting things, these guys may have a clear understanding that they will be caught and decide to surrender.

...Fuck.

Laika warned him over the comms not to get close to the vehicle.

Various small vehicles kept pouring out of the car, then scattered and disappeared into the rocks. When these people were in danger, they didn't even think about saving the car or the company.

He even overloaded the car's engine and started it at full power before running away, betting that the mercenary would not have the time or leisure to catch up with him... Chasing someone else would be even better!

As long as you run faster than your previous companion, you win!

Sefer had no intention of saving the things in the car. He retreated obediently and stood in the distance, silently watching the car explode after the countdown returned to zero.

A blazing light burst out from under the metal, melting it piece by piece. The majestic roar shook the sky and the earth. The red light that came towards them made the area under the night sky seem as if it were dawn in an instant.

The weathered rocks collapsed layer by layer, and layers of misty light shone through the diffuse smoke and dust, which did not affect Seifer's ability to detect the company members running around while maintaining unobstructed external audio.

...In any case, this 'Hunter' company, or as they prefer to call themselves, the Finisher Company, has been removed from the list.

The sand stirred by the crimson light drifted in the wind, lighting up more gravel. Cypher stood calmly in this visible wind, and put away his weapon after a moment.

"Red Crossbow, the main personnel of this company have not yet been apprehended. Perhaps they will make a comeback soon."

"Be careful of these people. They are used to tripping you up in secret. Once they get the chance, they will definitely come to trouble you again."

It didn't really matter to Cypher. In theory, his main enemies should be mercenaries and some big corporations... People like these who, with all their wealth, could only achieve this level of success...

Next time, we must not let them set off our engines. That's money. It's meaningless to blow them all up, and in the end we can only collect the bounty.

What a waste, it’s really such a waste. Even if I were to sell scrap to myself, it wouldn’t be such a waste!
As the residual heat of the explosion gradually subsided, Cypher suddenly became curious. "I've seen this before, but this time I have to ask... Why does the violent explosion after an engine overload emit a different color of light?"

"what colour?"

"Don't sand normally glow blue when it's squeezed and crushed? But after the engine exploded, it glowed red, like flowing lava. Why does the spectrum change color?"

Leica paused and said matter-of-factly, "Energy levels change, and usually the energy dissipation turns into explosive volatilization. This is common sense, Red Crossbow."

Is it such simple common sense... I learned it.

"Okay, the mercenary system says this company has been removed from the list. Shooting down three registered mercenary units... and getting a car as a bonus... does that count as me solving this?"

"Of course, you're the only independent mercenary nearby. A mobile base is worth a fortune, and it's impossible to abandon it so easily. So, its destruction is naturally related to you."

Looking at the mercenary certification that had been upgraded to another level, Seifer shook his head helplessly.

Well, at most it would just increase my worth a bit more—turning back, entering cruise mode again, Seifer sped towards the parking area.

The silent area, shattered by the various explosions, once again regained its due tranquility. As for the activated sands... perhaps they would only fade away after dawn.

The aircraft returned to the parking area and attracted another round of attention.

After all, the mercenaries who were just chatting on the message board heard that another cleanup company had been wiped out nearby, and they were all gloating, and then the real culprit appeared.

A novel machine, immeasurable strength, and a mysterious pilot (rumored among mercenaries) – these form the portrait of a mercenary who has gradually emerged in recent years.

There are rumors that this new mercenary actually has financial support from a large company, and he himself has been transformed into no longer a human being. Perhaps only the brain part of him contains more human elements.

These words were said openly, and there was no thought of hiding them. Seifer did not care at all. He just covered himself with a little sand and returned to the hangar almost unscathed, then closed the door.

The lights came on, and he opened the hatch and jumped out. The moment he landed on one knee with one hand, which he thought was a very handsome posture, he scanned and sensed that there was another person behind him.

I turned around suddenly and it was Shengnai. She didn't bring any medical tools this time, she just looked at me with a smile.

"Laika, I've returned to the hangar. You should take a break and continue to focus on your work."

"Okay, I understand. Red Crossbow, if you need my help, just call me."

After the call ended, Seifer walked over to Shengnai and said, "It's completely unscathed. I can only say that this machine is truly exceptional. To some extent, it even surpasses my previous performance in the snowfield."

"You're very good to have returned safely. Thank you for your hard work, Cypher."

If he could hear Shengnai's welcome every time he came back, Sefer felt that his combat effectiveness might improve... about 5%.

Putting the machine into self-check mode, Seifer slowly entered the research cabin. Dr. Mei was not there, but her printer was slowly completing the planned task.

What is this printing?
Just as I was thinking about it, the slime-like Dr. Mei crawled out from the ventilation duct (now an exclusive passage) and then slowly crawled to the sofa.

"Are you back? What were the test results?"

"It's quite good. Its various attributes and values are overwhelming for an old machine. But facing an excellent mercenary, I don't know how far I can go."

Ignoring for the moment Shengnai's past action of poking the gel, Seifer continued, "Please thank our sponsor for me."

"You can just talk about this kind of thing yourself."

Dr. Mei quickly squeezed into her protective suit, then condensed into a human form. She casually put on her white coat and collapsed on the sofa: "If everything is fine, I will continue to assemble things."

It's really nothing...particularly big. All that's left is to replenish ammunition, purchase replacement parts for vulnerable modules, buy some refined minerals to power the engine, and so on.

It was all just trivial stuff, as everyone was waiting now, waiting for the meeting to start.

(End of this chapter)