Kivotos, I was deeply shocked!

A sand-yellow off-road vehicle emerged from the bright red ripples.

"Can you take me to see it in person?"

Chapter 7 On the Road

Caesar is driving.

To be more specific, he was driving with his whole heart and eyes fixed on the car.

Because he couldn't help but concentrate and keep his eyes fixed. If he was distracted for the moment or his eyes moved away from the road ahead, he would have to see the golden beetle drilling in and out of the steering wheel and the golden fragments that were faintly visible on the car window.

I would have to be crazy to get into this car, and get in on my own initiative.

Once again forcing himself to ignore a beetle that crawled out of the steering wheel, crawled over his fingers, and then dived into the steering wheel. Caesar looked a little dazed, and the car swayed with his trance.

By the time he came to his senses from the creepy feeling of the sharp foot scratching the back of his hand, the front of the SUV was already getting very close to the guardrail of the overpass and was about to hit it.

Caesar suddenly woke up with a start, but before he could step on the brakes or swerve the steering wheel, the SUV miraculously moved on its own.

Without turning the steering wheel, the SUV straightened its body in a very elegant and graceful manner. The square rearview mirror brushed against the guardrail of the viaduct without scratching any paint. It then twisted the wheels with an amplitude that was imperceptible to the people in the car and slowly returned to the center of the bridge.

In the middle, it also carefully avoids two potholes that were eroded due to long-term non-repair, providing a more comfortable ride for the people in the car.

Caesar was silent for a while, then he tentatively released his hands on the steering wheel and the accelerator.

Then things happened just as he thought.

The SUV under my butt neither turned its head nor slowed down. The speed of 90 kilometers per hour was still displayed on the dashboard, and the wheels were driving at a standard distance of 60 centimeters from the solid line.

At this moment, Caesar felt that he was not sitting in a car, but in the belly of a monster.

This monster is made up of countless bugs!

"It'll be there in about thirty minutes."

After a moment's silence, Caesar could not help but speak. He tried to focus all his attention on the next few words he was going to say. Otherwise, his brain would always remind him that the chair he was sitting on and the clothes he was wearing were all made of the fusion of those terrible insects.

"Although Caesar Group has withdrawn a considerable amount of its military forces in Abydos due to the failure of the Abydos operation, the pressure from the [Federation Student Union] and the relentless pressure from the three major colleges, this does not mean that it has become a public toilet that we can enter and exit at will..."

Caesar raised his eyes, and with the help of the reflection in the rearview mirror, he calmly observed Si Wang, who was pointing at a tablet computer in the back seat. "Si Wang, you should be able to figure out that even if the Caesar Group is eager to negotiate peace with you now, it does not mean that they will not do something to you in an uninhabited place... So why do you take such a big risk to go back?"

"Well... let me think about how to explain it."

After hearing what Caesar said, Si Wang stroked his chin and began to think. During this time, he pressed down three scarabs that came out of the cushions and tried to join in the fun. After a scarab that wanted to taste the Shiting Box was ejected, he explained, "Do you know what Chekhov's Gun is?"

"[Chekhov's Gun]?"

Caesar's eyes twitched, and he tried to ignore the beetle that was bounced off, brushed past his forehead, and hit the glass. "Never heard of it."

"It's a famous piece of writing advice from Anton Chekhov, which goes something like this: If you have a rifle hanging on the wall in Chapter 1, it has to fire in Chapter 2 or 3. If it's not going to fire, it shouldn't be hanging on the wall in Chapter 1."

Si Wang once again flicked away the Scarab Beetle that had been flying back relentlessly, still wanting to taste the salty flavor of the Shiting Box. "To put it simply, [all elements introduced in the story must have corresponding follow-ups]."

“But this [gun] that Caesars has stationed in the desert of Abydos has been hanging on the wall for decades and has never been fired.”

Caesar shook his head. "Reality is not a story. There are too many things or people that end without a good result. This has nothing to do with what you said about Chekhov's Gun."

Caesar totally couldn't understand why Si Wang, who was always very cautious when going against him, always stayed with students and even lived in the school, suddenly became so brave and started to rush into the dangerous place alone without knowing the danger.

It doesn’t matter if Si Wangyong lives or dies, but could you please not take me with you?

But he hasn't had time to return to the top and take back everything he has!

How could he die so senselessly?

“Although everyone has their own story and everyone is the protagonist of their own story, from a holistic perspective, your previous decades of work can only be regarded as laying the groundwork, and it cannot be regarded as unfolding a story at all.”

Running his fingers over the lines on the cushion, Si Wang sorted out his thoughts bit by bit, "A gun hanging on the wall won't fire without reason, someone needs to pull the trigger, and a story won't reach a climax without reason, there needs to be a cause."

"Oh?" Caesar narrowed his eyes, turned around, and looked Si Wang up and down, "You want to say that you are the finger that pulled the trigger, the cause of the story?"

"Haha, although I am thick-skinned, I am not so thick-skinned that I think the world revolves around me."

Si Wang laughed in silence. He almost saw "shameless" in Caesar's left eye and "shameless" in his right eye. "I want to ask you, Caesar, you have been preparing for decades. Why didn't you take action before I came, or after I came, but took action against Abydos College when I came to Kivotos?"

"At that time, who would have known that your teacher [Xia Lai] was a nobody who came out of nowhere?! If I hadn't actually met you, who would have known that under your pretty appearance, you actually had such a humble... wise and brave soul!"

Thinking about how he used to drink red wine in an office building of over 100 square meters, but now he is driving a car in prison clothes, Caesar couldn't help but feel angry. "In short! Why can't I take action against Abydos just because you are a teacher in Xialai when I don't even know how powerful you are?!"

"Well, now that you mention it, it seems that I have a strong sense of self-awareness, but who can say for sure?"

Si Wang laughed in a low voice. "Mr. Hoshino is one of the highest [secrets] of Kivotos. I am one of the highest authorities of Kivotos. Black Service is one of the most hidden behind-the-scenes organizations of Kivotos. You are one of the largest gray organizations in Kivotos. It is hard not to make associations when we get together and have intersections at the same time."

It seems... makes sense.

Caesar couldn't help but think along the lines of Si Wang's words.

Could it be that I am really a puppet of some mastermind behind the scenes?

Chapter 8: Total War

"How does it feel to be back here, Caesar?"

Si Wang got off the car holding the [Shiting Box], patted the sand that had fallen into the folds of his clothes, and smiled at Caesar, "Do you have a feeling of sadness that things have changed and people have ended, and tears are flowing before you even say anything?"

"No."

After this journey of high and low blood pressure, Caesar has fully mastered the process of getting along with Si Wang. He kept a straight face, completely ignored Si Wang's occasional barbed words, and closed the car door expressionlessly, "This is the maximum distance that cannot be discovered by the patrol team. If we get any closer, we may be discovered by the hidden cameras installed by Caesar Group in the ruins."

After saying that, Caesar pointed to a house not far away that was half swallowed by sandstorms, with only the roof sticking out of the sand.

"Yeah, it really is much more convenient to bring someone from your own family to do things."

Si Wang turned his head and looked in the direction where Caesar's finger pointed. A scarab came out from the bottom of the sand, flew around the abandoned house, and found a camera under the roof beam facing the window. He sighed, "If I were alone, I would probably have to play hide-and-seek with you in the desert by making a feint to the east and attacking in the west."

"Humph, after you blew up the prison van that was carrying me, there was no more [you]..."

Caesar looked at the military base in the distance with a complicated expression. In the past, he only needed to make a phone call to pull out all the soldiers and tanks inside. "Only [us] are left!"

"Okay, okay, I confess. I am guilty. I used the wrong words and hurt your delicate heart."

Regarding Caesar's indirect hints about which side he should take, Si Wang raised his hands in surrender, "It's us, it's us, that's all right."

Really, we are all adults, why do we still fuss about these trivial matters?

Besides, even if it is [us], what can it do? Husbands and wives can turn against each other, brothers can quarrel with each other, but [we] can become [me] again.

"Humph!"

In response to Si Wang's perfunctory attitude, Caesar could only snort through his nose to express his dissatisfaction.

"But speaking of which... I have a question that I've always wanted to ask you, but I always forget about it. Now I just remembered it suddenly."

Si Wang knocked on the door of the SUV next to him, and it was like a toy castle being hit by a heavy hammer. The densely packed "Scarabs" began to collapse from the roof like building blocks, layer upon layer, connected end to end. They sparsely spread over Si Wang's ankles and burrowed into the sand.

The huge off-road vehicle disappeared without a trace in three seconds, as vague as a mirage. Only four wheel tracks on the desert could prove that it had existed.

Compared to Si Wang's calmness, Caesar's reaction was much more intense. He jumped three meters away as if he had been electrocuted, quickly distanced himself from Si Wang, and then seemed to feel that it was still not safe, so he took two steps back.

Caesar's eyes twitched as he looked at the scarabs crawling over the tips of his shoes.

He swore that he would prepare a box of insecticide in his room when he returned. He never wanted to see any six-legged, arthropod-like, winged creature in his sight in his life!

Seeing Caesar's fuss, Si Wang pursed his lips, looked at the military base in the distance, and continued his question, "Aren't you here to dig things in Abydos? Then why are there more tanks than excavators?"

"That's because there's a nasty creature under the sand that often comes here to mess with it."

After recovering from the shock of the insect swarm, Caesar still didn't dare to get close to Si Wang. He just stayed where he was, stepped on the sand, and sneered, "If it weren't for the fact that that thing could launch a surprise attack at any time, which involved too many troops, there would not be only three Gloria mechas that appeared on the battlefield that day."

"Oh~" Si Wang grinned and winked at Caesar, "Then I can waste our classmate Xingye's time drinking a cup of tea and add two more achievements to his resume?"

"...!"

Caesar was about to argue something, but then as if he suddenly remembered something, he closed his mouth unwillingly and turned his head away, not wanting to look at Si Wang's smug face.

There's no point in arguing about this now. If I lose the argument, I'll just lose face once more. And if I win...

Caesar shuddered.

It would be better to lose the argument!

"Oh, right."

Si Wang paused suddenly and asked, "Is the annoying thing you are talking about very big, very big, super big, covered with white armor on the outside, and looks like a long snake or conger eel?"

Caesar was stunned for a moment. "How do you know? Apart from me... their Caesar Group, no one should have dealt with that thing..."

"The reason is simple."

Si Wang waved his hand to interrupt Caesar's words and stared at the ground. Tiny gravel kept bouncing up from the ground, falling down, bouncing up again, falling down again, and then falling on the instep of his feet.

In the blink of an eye, at least three digits of Scarabs lurking under the sand lost their signals at the same time.

Judging from the senses they shared before they died, they were not attacked, but were run over by some huge creature and died instantly.

"Because that nasty thing you're talking about is right under our feet."

"what?"

Diwu——! Diwu——! Diwu——!

Before Caesar could react to Si Wang's words which contained so much information, the alarm at the military base in the distance suddenly emitted a heart-wrenching scream.

An ominous and bright red light shone from the alarm lights, sweeping across the concrete walls, metal railings, and everyone's face.

The entire military base was like a giant that suddenly woke up from a nightmare, and every brain cell instantly became active. Engineers and workers drove their precious excavation equipment to the safe house that had been prepared long ago. The tanks rumbled on their tracks and drove to the designated location, raising their gun barrels. The mechanical soldiers dropped their assault rifles according to the set program and instead carried more powerful rocket launchers, mortars, and Stinger missiles.

As the roof of a workshop opened, five Gloria mechas half-crouching on the ground let out a long deflation sound, and the cables embedded in their backs popped open one after another, with thick water mist spraying out.

Blue lights symbolizing the flow of energy lit up one by one at the joints. Mechas over ten meters tall stood up one by one, preheated the gun barrels on both arms, and strode towards the direction of the earthquake source.

Roar!

Accompanied by a roar that shook the earth, yellow sand over a hundred meters high exploded from the ground, like an active volcano that had been suppressed for thousands of years. The yellow volcanic ash reached the sky, and then slowly fell, covering the sky and the sun.

Chapter 9: Don’t forget your original intention of playing Azure!

The air and the sand began to tremble at this terrifying roar. Si Wang was stunned for less than a second before he quickly stepped behind Caesar and, using his large body, dodged the first wave of sand that hit his face.

Caesar wanted to move aside so that the shameless guy behind him could have his nostrils and mouth filled with sand. Unfortunately, he had already used up all his strength just to stabilize himself in the storm, and unfortunately he failed to realize his ambition.

A giant snake - or to be more precise, a giant mechanical snake with a halo.

The length exposed outside the sand alone is over a hundred meters. The sturdy body easily reminds people of a train tunnel. The orange-red vertical pupils are looming in the dust, like two lighthouses standing on the sea.

The storm swept across the earth like a tsunami, stirring up a cloud of sand. The mechanical soldiers that had just been formed into formation were suddenly blown to and fro.

Amid the roar that reached straight into the sky, tarpaulins, yellow sand, oil paper... countless tiny materials were swept into the sky and then shattered into pieces.

Roar!

Amid the roar, the blazing light roared like a torrent, driving away all colors within the field of vision, leaving only the dazzling pure white and the remaining black rushing towards the end of the world.

Cruel pure white swept across the earth. The alloy fuselage and the riot shield that was as big as a vault door fell apart in the giant snake's breath. The red metal slag curled up and melted in the high temperature, just like a coal stove that was accidentally kicked over at the stairs, and orange-red debris flew everywhere as it rolled.

Strong winds of unknown strength blew across his cheeks. Si Wang raised his right hand with great effort and knocked his head. The next moment, a scarab that was stuck in his hair stretched out with difficulty and decomposed into a pure black gas mask that covered his face.

With the protection of the lenses, Si Wang finally dared to raise his head, look over Caesar's shoulder, and watch the Hollywood blockbuster being played in front of him.

Quality is strength, and unmatched quality represents unrivaled strength. Relying on its size advantage, the giant snake smashed through the cluster of tanks blocking the front and crushed into the Caesar Group's army.

Shaking its head, wagging its tail, rolling, marching... every tiny movement could cause tons of damage, and every slight twist could raise yellow sand that covered the sky. The giant snake's huge body ran over groups of mechanical soldiers and chariots like a derailed train, and in the exploding sparks and crisp cracking sounds, they merged into one in the physical sense.

Before the giant snake was about to crush the second group of troops, a dozen missiles the size of load-bearing pillars, dragging black flame tails, crashed into the giant snake's triangular head.

The giant snake staggered and an angry roar burst out from its bloody mouth, stirring up gusts of wind.

It twisted its neck and was about to bite off the thing that hit its forehead when more than a dozen missiles exploded at the same time.

Thick smoke billowed, flames raged, and the shock wave that tore through the clouds pressed this monster as tall as a skyscraper to the ground, causing sand waves to surge like the sea tide. The visible shock wave blew off the giant snake's metal scales and crushed the unknown flesh and blood underneath. Fragments of steel spread out in the air like raindrops and splashed everywhere.

Si Wang kicked Caesar hard on the butt, sending him flying, and at the same time, he retreated rapidly using the reaction force from the soles of his feet.

"Si Wang, you are so special..."

Just as the angry curse was halfway out of his mouth, a black shadow flew over as if teleporting and hit the place where the two of them were just now.

Bang-!

The smoke and dust gradually dissipated, revealing the true face of the black shadow. It was a burnt snake scale. It was charred all over and was the size of a door panel, with a faint dark red light on the edge. Pungent black smoke and a sound like boiling water kept coming from the edge where it touched the sand.

Caesar swallowed and looked with lingering fear at the snake scale that almost cut him in two. When he turned his gaze to Si Wang and saw the other's slowly retracted right leg, the words of thanks suddenly became like a mouthful of thick phlegm stuck in his throat that he couldn't spit out no matter how hard he tried.

"Si Wang, it seems that today is not a good time to sneak in."

After being in a dilemma for a while, Caesar finally couldn't bear it anymore and was the first to speak to break the awkward silence. "The entire military base is now on high alert. It's impossible for the two of us to sneak in."

"Well, having said that, I suddenly had a better idea."