Planet of Sand and Oasis of Iron

Chapter 296 295. You guys are really working hard for the next generation

Following the map, they walked along the wide streets. The people from the node cities on both sides, who were obviously one or two generations younger than those from other cities, were all paying their respects to the moving mobile base.

The city is very big, with many expressways and overpasses, but Sefer has no idea about urban planning at all. He always feels that this scene and this design pattern are very familiar.

There shouldn't be any unexpected incidents that would require Cypher to run off and pilot the mecha...right?
I hope not. After all, the node city has been able to operate stably for so long, so it must have its own set of behavioral logic.

The vehicle slowly arrived at the side of the target college. Under the guidance of the college's security team, it parked steadily in the multi-story parking area and was properly kept.

Anyway, the Huanwu Group is responsible for the public security here, so there is no need to worry too much... probably.

The group got off the bus one after another, and someone immediately came over to guide them to transfer to another bus to the teaching building of the [Integrated Technical College].

How should I put it… The various teaching facilities, the structure of the teaching building, the dormitories, etc., gave Seifer the illusion of being very familiar. And he also had a question in his mind.

"I want to ask why this academy is just an academy, what about the research facilities?"

The guide sitting in the car smiled and replied, "Our school only has teaching areas and living quarters. The actual research area is on the other side of the node city, which is where the giant vision gate is located."

"Companies in the commercial alliance have all placed their research facilities there. This dense arrangement ensures that if a hijacking or other dangerous incident occurs, other companies will immediately come to assist."

It's all right for you to threaten each other's R&D institutions, but it wouldn't be surprising if your alliance suddenly collapsed at any time.

The guide suddenly introduced himself: "I'm a janitor at this school. We currently have 3,000 students enrolled. It's not a large number, but we believe in a well-rounded education."

"Ms. Red Crossbow, except for you, everyone else needs to start the teaching process as soon as possible...so."

Cypher shrugged. "Talk to them yourself... Theoretically, there's no problem, but they're my crew members after all. What if I need to use the mobile base?"

"Of course, you can always recruit them."

The janitor was quite reasonable. He nodded and said, "Then let's talk about your work. Please take this document."

"Considering the difficulty and time span of this work, we will provide financial support to all new employees, including you. The funds will be directly deposited into your accounts. Please be patient."

Look, big companies work very efficiently.

Feldrich snorted. To her, receiving this money felt like someone was mocking her... But thinking about it from another perspective, this was the talent training base of the Huanwu Group.

It would be nice if I could recruit some people who share the same ideals as me here, right?
His mind instantly became active. Feldrich looked back and saw outside the glass window. Under the clear and bright sky, there was a city with bright colors, as if everything was so clean and pure.

As for other people's questions about whether they could get back on the bus outside of normal school hours, the school workers answered them one by one.

During this period, Dr. Mei was particularly quiet. She accepted the arrangements as if she was the most ordinary person in the entire team, even until the pick-up vehicle stopped at the door of the Academic Affairs Office building.

"Alright, everyone assigned as a 'student', please get off the bus here and proceed to the Dean's Office on the fifth floor. Someone will be in touch with you there."

"As for Miss Red Crossbow... please wait a moment. Your office is not on this campus."

Cypher nodded and said to contact directly by radio if anything happened. The mission conditions were pretty relaxed anyway; just being able to communicate was fine.

After closing the car door, the guy claiming to be a janitor immediately turned serious. "Ms. Red Crossbow, the situation is more serious than you think." "Then why didn't you tell me while my crew was still here?"

"Because we only want to recruit you, Red Crossbow. So far, we only trust you as an independent mercenary in this regard."

In other words, the Phantom Mist Group even believes that there may be spies infiltrating among the mercenaries. But where do these spies come from?

Cypher crossed his arms. "So, let's put it this way. My actual mission is... to ensure that you can successfully produce the prototype, so that I can assist you in capturing spies or saboteurs."

"Yes. But now, there are more tricky things."

The janitor took a pack of cigarettes from his pocket, lit a few on his hand, and suddenly asked if Seifer wanted any. After receiving a negative answer, he opened the window a crack.

Then he lit up: "So far, we have received reports of several unusual disappearances from schools at other companies. Some students disappeared during normal teaching activities and have not returned yet."

"The student's parents...who are also researchers at the research institute, haven't received any ransom notes yet, which suggests the kidnappers aren't asking for money or technology."

Kidnapping students, this kind of thing made Sefer's heart waver, but every world has its own reasons for operating, so it was just a wave.

"So, I still need to help you investigate missing students? I'm an independent mercenary, not a detective."

"No, no, we're not asking you to be a detective, but... well, Academy City is a very large city. We invited you here so that you can use your own initiative."

The two exchanged glances, and the janitor sighed helplessly, "Some things are beyond one's authority, so it's hard to understand why people beat around the bush... Let's put it this way: people who live in a comfortable environment and don't develop their own correct perspectives are very stubborn."

I'm talking about the bloodthirsty audience in Node City, who say that it's worth the price of admission even if they die just to watch robots fight.

"The same is true for the students here. They have formed their own style and discipline, and from the beginning, they have excluded us."

"Add to that the various advanced technologies in Node City... and many times, when you say they're students, it's all just a disguise. They're just a bunch of unstable individuals whose murderous intent has been suppressed."

Cypher stroked his chin. "So, I might be killed by these 'students' with dangerous weapons? Do you provide medical care or other related subsidies?"

"No, no, about this... well, if I were to explain the techniques in detail, it would probably be difficult for a mercenary like you to understand, so I'd better keep it short."

The other party stubbed out the cigarette and rolled down the car window. At the same time, Seifer heard a series of "click-click-click" sounds.

It was the sound of gunfire, but it was very faint, more like the sound of a resistor exploding in the air. He quickly locked onto the direction and saw several students in school uniforms shooting at each other with light weapons that could not fire bullets from a distance of a street.

The middle of the road was clear, with only some people peeking in from a little further away.

“…Are they playing house?”

"This is one of our techniques. Please don't think they're just playing around. In fact, in my opinion, and in theirs, this is an extremely dangerous fight. If you're not careful, you'll be knocked down."

"Although there's no danger of losing one's life,... sometimes it's worse than losing one's life."

At this point, Sefer finally became somewhat interested in the place where the next generation of talents were cultivated.

(End of this chapter)