Planet of Sand and Oasis of Iron

Chapter 22. I always feel that this story may have a sequel...

Laika told a very simple story, the story of a mercenary named "Red Crossbow" and a communicator he had never met.

The story of how the two sides were able to establish precious trust in routine exchanges even though they were extremely far apart, simply through the communication array established by the scheming parties.

The former Red Crossbow was an independent mercenary with a strong sense of justice. He would always think over and over again before accepting a mission, pondering the mission in great detail before finally deciding whether to do it or not.

This resulted in her income being significantly lower than that of mercenaries who would do anything for the money. She was even keen on taking on missions for archaeological expeditions, leaving her communication zone for days, sometimes even months.

Leica had handled some mercenaries before, and most of them had never considered deepening their ties with auxiliary units like 'communicators'. They trusted weapons, transformations, and even their comrades around them more...

As he listened, Seifer slumped in his seat, feeling an inexplicable surge of...emotion in his heart.

It's like a vague sense of loneliness brought about by empathy, and a hint of secret joy... Yes, it's a mood that rises up for some unknown reason.

Although he had never seen the predecessor of this name, and even took the nameplate from the pirate's car, he still chose a more pleasing name.

But don't worry, 'Former Red Crossbow'. I'll borrow the title of 'Former Red Crossbow' temporarily, and I'll also borrow the title of 'Communicator'.

"...I'm done. The last time I contacted her, she was with an expedition team heading to the edge of the desert, towards the possible location of a saltwater lake or even an ocean."

Leica's voice perked up slightly. "That's all. Besides, mercenaries are always replaced very quickly, so nostalgia is a luxury."

"When you're off on those strange commissions that require constant analysis and intelligence, I won't have the time to reminisce about the past... Red Crossbow, do you have any further questions?"

Cypher didn't care whether she could see it or not, and shook his head. "Nothing. I just didn't expect that as a communicator, your experience is similar to the impression I had of you. Very... mature."

"That's right, being mature—well, it's good to know. If you need assistance or investigation from a communicator, remember to find me. Laika, communication over."

"Okay... eh? There's something going on in the engine room. I'll go check it out."

After the communication with Laika ended, Seifer grabbed the back of the chair with one hand, turned over easily and left his seat. He left the main control room as the vehicle was shaking on the sand and went to check the engine.

Lin Shenxue was familiarizing herself with the structure in the engine compartment. Seeing Seifer coming over, she just nodded slightly and took out a tablet.

'This kind of power is very similar to the one used by our trains, but I'm not sure. I'll have to wait and see.'

"I don't think it's surprising. Look, the visions brought out so many things. By analyzing those creations, it's not surprising to be able to create or replicate similar structures if the conditions permit."

Lin Shenxue nodded thoughtfully, and asked curiously, "Will there not be any overwhelming monster attacks on such a high-profile escort and transportation mission?"

Although on the train, she often treated every day as her last, eating things that tasted good in her mouth and drinking alcohol in big gulps if conditions allowed.

But that doesn't mean she looks forward to death.

"How could something as outrageous as a monster possibly exist in this barren desert? Even I can't handle the daytime sun and heat, let alone those unfortunate souls who have to stay in their dens."

Under Lin Shenxue's gaze, Seifer found a random pipe to sit on. "At night... the temperature difference between day and night is huge here. There aren't many places to get food on the sand, so there's no need to worry about being attacked by giant monsters."

Lin Shenxue shook her head, a little stubborn.

"Hey... let me ask for you."

I connected to Laika, and she seemed quite alert on the other end. "What's up, Red Crossbow?" "What's the biggest concern when driving out in the desert at night?"

There was silence from Leica for a long time, probably because she was shocked by such an irrational question.

She replied gruffly, "Pirates, and possibly mercenaries who might be tasked with sabotaging shipping or beheading people. Beyond that, there are quicksands and unstable anomalies."

"However, if you're in a mobile base, there's nothing to be afraid of when you enter the anomaly and then exit during the day. Why are you asking this all of a sudden, Red Crossbow?"

"Nothing, go and rest."

After telling all this to Lin Shenxue, she slowly calmed down, squatted back to her original position and calmly said that in half a day, she would be able to roughly understand the general structure of this engine, which was quite complicated in Cypher's eyes.

He is indeed a senior mechanic.

Seifer checked the time. The convoy had already entered the vast desert, passed through the first layer of signal array (underground) around the node city, and entered a new area where remote support from anyone was difficult.

"It's been a while since you last had a meal. I'll go get you something to eat. Please don't move around here."

Lin Shenxue waved her hands repeatedly, indicating that she really couldn't eat that pile of food, and would never touch it again unless she was extremely hungry.

Is it really that bad? If so, how can I feed her the rations I prepared for going out?

Hearing this, Lin Shenxue could no longer sit still. She followed Sefer into the warehouse and rummaged through the boxes to find a pile of compressed dry food and some jelly-like bagged items.

You can survive by eating this alone, but you are just surviving.

Seeing her low morale, Seifer asked her to go back and squat first, then he looked through them and thought carefully about whether these things were worth matching.

Don’t say that, hey, don’t say that!
After a while, Seifer walked into the engine room with an ordinary-looking sandwich in his hand and let Lin Shenxue taste this thing that was hastily made with a little creativity.

She took the 'sandwich' doubtfully and took a cautious bite with a puzzled look.

The skin is a bit tough, but once you break it open, you can taste the rich peanut butter sauce inside. The aroma instantly dispels any previous unpleasantness, leaving only this pleasant warm taste.

Not only that, just on the other side of the 'peanut butter' layer, there is a cool, slightly sweet and slightly bitter sauce as another layer of filling, which can bring a cool taste to the sandwich that is greasy due to the slightly high calories.

The effect was very good. Lin Shenxue, who was already very hungry, took big bites of the sandwich and gobbled it down without caring about her image (which she didn't have much of).

She was choking and beating her chest, but fortunately, Seifer immediately handed her a metal pot. The slightly sweet and sour drink in it saved her from choking to death. By the way, she was also a little curious, what... are these?
"Well, the sandwich crust is made of compressed meal kits. I can restore it to normal by heating it up on a tin. The sauce is just compressed dry food mixed with some water."

"Also, for the unflavored nutritional paste you don't like, I added some refreshing dissolving powder with mixed sweeteners and left it outside the car for a while to cool it down."

"Finally, here's this drink. It's nothing special, just a simple energy drink. People in this world are quite good at studying nutrition. As long as you buy some technological products and tweak them properly, you can make a good finished product."

Lin Shenxue's eyes widened at these words. She calculated silently for a few seconds and was shocked by the calories in the portion in her hand - if she ate this, would she not need to eat for the whole day?

Sad to say, yes.

(End of this chapter)