Ancient Dragon in Arknights

Sharp pain came from all directions, but more importantly, there was a terrifying killing intent—the scavenger hadn't noticed Neltharion at all; his attention was completely drawn to Saria, and Neltharion's "hunting instinct" had taught him the best way to ambush his prey.

Boom!Boom!

Saria's strength alone was not enough, but with Nesario's help, things were much better—she swiftly threw out her left and right fists, and two muffled thuds resounded in the scavenger's chest.

Nesario tasted the rusty flavor spreading in his mouth—the stimulation of the blood made him bite even harder.

Faced with the threat of death, the scavenger panicked and began to attack wildly. His haphazard punches, fueled by adrenaline, were actually quite terrifying.

But the two siblings were determined to kill it completely. Whether they punched it or kicked it with their boots, it was just a matter of enduring the pain. Who couldn't do that?

After several rounds of attacks, Saria's face was swollen in several places, and her body was covered in marks; Nesario was in the same situation, feeling as if his jaw was about to dislocate, and the base of his claws was in excruciating pain, as if his nails were everted.

But more dangerous than them was this arrogant scavenger—as his resistance proved ineffective, and as pain and exhaustion took their toll, his resistance gradually weakened.

Nesario seized the opportunity—he loosened his throat, pulled out his claw, and plunged it in.

With the blooming of the second Blood Flower, the battle finally came to an end.

Nesario and Saria won.

Chapter Twenty-One: Rescue (4k)

Watching the corpses gradually grow cold and stiff, Nesario and Saria felt an unprecedented sense of relief. They had survived; they were the ones who had the last laugh.

"Sister, your wound..."

If this were a movie plot, the next development would likely involve the camera gradually pulling back, followed by a black screen and an epilogue—the film's ending. Of course, if the director intends to make a sequel, then a very obvious post-credits scene would be left at the end.

Ah, I should watch fewer movies; they're making my head all messed up.

Nesario knew that reality was different from the movies; for example, at this moment, he and Seria were not completely safe.

If the wounds on their bodies, their surroundings, and their means of returning to the city are not resolved, then their fate will not be any better.

'Oh no... the side effects are kicking in...'

Nesario wanted to get up and help Saria, but just as he was about to exert himself, he felt a void all over his body—the effect of Berserk: consuming a large amount of energy to gain a short-term surge in physical abilities.

When using this move, Odogaron usually eats once to make up for the huge energy gap; however, there is no food around when Neltharion uses it, so he gets most of his energy from his own energy reserves.

This trick might seem like a miracle weight loss method, but in a place like this where supplies are scarce, it's more like a suicide attempt, or the most tragic way to starve to death.

"Goo-"

Nesario's stomach was already rumbling, and he struggled to get up; he had to eat immediately!

'Those two human traffickers couldn't have crossed the desert without supplies; they probably only had those bags and boxes in the carriage.'

Saria also stepped forward to lend a hand, helping Nesario towards the carriage. Both siblings were now completely exhausted, and if another group of people came at this moment, they would probably be finished as well.

But even the cruelest god of fate wouldn't treat two children like this.

As the wooden crate was opened, stacks of canned goods came into view. Opening the other packages revealed drinking water, medicine, a folding tent, a wilderness survival kit, and other useful items.

Nesario was currently eating voraciously, devouring several cans of food in the blink of an eye, while Saria was also replenishing her energy on the side.

"Map and communicator not found..."

While eating, Saria pondered what to do next. Her biggest concerns were the map and the communicator, but she couldn't find them even after searching through all the packages.

"Sister... map... communicator..."

"Swallow what you've eaten before you speak..."

Saria felt somewhat helpless. Looking at the boy in front of her, Vayvan (?), she was filled with mixed emotions. He had shown no mercy in the previous battle and was not afraid of pain and bloodshed.

At this moment, the way he ate was as eager as a Zalak beast parent, a stark contrast that made Saria both amused and exasperated.

However... she wasn't in much better shape herself; the calcium deposits on her palms were still stained with bright red blood.

"Maps and communicators are needed all the time, they definitely wouldn't keep them in the carriage. Go look in the driver's cab, they should be there."

"That's true... You can continue eating, I'll go look for it."

"me and you togather."

Having replenished himself sufficiently after his recent "binge eating," Nesario's next goal was naturally to find a way to survive.

"However, let's treat the wound first."

Maps and communicators won't grow legs and run away, but wounds left untreated for a long time can become inflamed and infected, which would be much more troublesome.

"Sister, your hand isn't working properly right now, let me do it."

"It's troublesome."

"how could be."

Nesario unpacked the medical supplies and found disinfectant, hemostatic agents, and wound medication to be used later.

Saria has many bruises, which can be treated without applying medicine; the real problem is the arrow in her shoulder.

The arrow didn't penetrate very deeply because the crossbow the scavenger used was homemade, made from scrap materials, so it naturally wouldn't have much power.

"Sister, hold on!"

"bring it on."

Saria bit down on her clothes, bracing herself for the pain to come; Nesario gripped the tweezers tightly, and as he swiftly and decisively pulled out the arrow, Saria's body trembled with pain.

After Nesario pulled out the arrow, he carefully examined it and confirmed that there was no Originium or poison on it—after all, if it had been poisoned, Saria would have succumbed to it long ago; what he was more worried about was the former, since Oripathy is an incurable disease, and more importantly, the subsequent social impact, which would cut off Saria's future.

Oripathy: A disease contracted due to prolonged contact with Originium or exposure to environments with high concentrations of Originium dust. The disease manifests as the body structure at the lesion site beginning to mineralize and gradually spreading. The mineralized areas may develop unpredictable lesions and can also increase the patient's spell power and physical condition. However, if the condition is not controlled, when the Originium concentration is too high, the human body will become a living bomb and explode.

Before someone contracts Oripathy, the label on them only has value; once labeled with Oripathy, everything you have before is overwritten—don't assume that the thugs in Terra Wilds are all illiterate.

Among them are many social celebrities such as lawyers, doctors, military officers, and politicians, but at this moment they all have one identity—infected individuals.

Getting back to the main point, the treatment is not over yet—removing the arrow is only the first step; the more crucial steps are subsequent disinfection, hemostasis, and medication.

Nesario gently poured disinfectant onto the wound, and the sharp sting made Saria's face turn pale.

The treatment process lasted for some time. Saria's arrow wound was treated, but further treatment was needed to prevent inflammation. The other bruises were also carefully treated with medicine by Neltharion.

"This is not good, sister. Could the smell of blood attract new dangers?"

The bandages used to treat Saria's wounds were stained with blood, and Nesario's developed nose could smell the stench of blood. He could smell it, and so could the beast.

"Originium bugs don't react to the smell of blood, but other carnivorous beasts do."

"Looks like we really need to hurry."

"Wait... about your injury."

Saria planned to treat Nesario's wounds as well, since Nesario had twisted his leg before and it needed to be taken seriously.

"My injury is nothing serious..."

Nesario wasn't just bragging; it was the truth. His body had undergone a complete transformation, though it hadn't fully manifested itself due to the short timeframe; however, his regenerative abilities spoke for themselves—his injuries were now mostly healed.

Even the most severe sprains and external injuries have only left a faint pain sensation.

Nesario's deduction proved to be correct; the map and communicator were easily found in the driver's seat.

Terra is home to many amazing things, including the wonder of "moving cities".

The most efficient, convenient, and abundant energy source on the continent of Terra is Originium. Originium has spurred industry and various Originium-based technologies, but it has also brought incredibly dangerous "natural disasters."

There are still many secrets about Originium that have not been explored, but what is known at present is that "natural disasters" will bring Originium.

Hail, meteorites, torrential rain, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions—most of the terrible natural disasters on the continent of Terra are natural calamities. They leave nothing but barren land, crushing the earth, but countless Originium crystal clusters appear within the disaster zone—these, after being refined several times, become highly efficient Originium energy.

Therefore, after natural disasters come a flood of wealth.

However, this wealth is stained with blood, because the numerous Originium crystal clusters will cause the concentration of Originium dust in the surrounding area to increase significantly. Working in this environment without protective gear will definitely result in infection.

Countless infected individuals originated from those unregulated and illegal mines.

"Mobile cities" are designed to avoid natural disasters. It is important to know that the difficulty and wealth required to build a city are astronomical. In order to avoid the hard work of building a city being destroyed by a natural disaster, mobile cities are designed to prevent the city from being destroyed by a natural disaster.

Terra's engineers moved the cities onto the platform and then fitted the platform with tracks—and thus the cities grew legs and started running.

The key point is that the power of Originium has truly made this idea a reality—if you study science in Terra, it's best not to choose materials science or energy science, as it will make you unhappy.

"Moving cities aren't marked on the map; we need to use a communicator to consult the Disaster Messenger or the city broadcast to find out the location of Ticalendo."

Is there a signal?

"Very weak, unstable."

Nesario is not good at technical things, but Saria is.

"Sister, can you drive a land vehicle?"

"......Won't."

"I do not know either."

In reality, even if both of them knew how to drive, it wouldn't be of any use, because they were too short to reach the accelerator.

What followed was a tedious wait. Terra's skies are usually covered with layers of Originium particles, so Terra's space technology development is slow, or even nonexistent.

The mobile cities they built on land could carry tens of thousands of tons of weight, but in the sky, no one had ever felt any air currents above two thousand meters.

Therefore, the idea of ​​satellites is even more absurd. Without satellites to relay signals, coupled with interference from Originium particles in the air, the spread of information in Terra is restricted.

Hopefully, Tikkarundo isn't too far away, otherwise the two siblings will have to pin their hopes on whether a caravan is passing by.

"Zizi-"

"Sister! There's a sound!"

"Hold on."

After an unknown amount of time, the communicator suddenly made a sound—although it was a noisy electrical sound, it was enough to indicate that a signal source was approaching.

Saria adjusted the signal, and the previously noisy electrical sound suddenly stopped, then started again, but this time the sound was human voices.

"Polly Mark and Fred Wayne—you have multiple kidnapping suspicions in Colombia, and were arrested once but released due to insufficient evidence; just one day ago, you kidnapped two children again in Ticalondo, and the evidence is conclusive. Interstate Police are now officially issuing arrest warrants for you. Lay down your weapons and surrender!"

It seems the tall, thin man and the short, fat man weren't as clean as they thought. Shortly after Seria and Nesario were kidnapped, a squad of interstate police arrived—this elite group was far more capable than the bunch of good-for-nothings from Ticalendo.

The security forces of Tikkarundo did not intend to pursue the siblings Saria and Nesario. After all, the enemy had fled into the wilderness, a place not to be visited and returned to at will. Moreover, the area was so vast that who knew where they had been captured and taken?

All the interstate police needed was evidence of the siblings' kidnapping—that was the key to their arrest.