Boundless Chronicles

Chapter 18: The Impossible Survival, III

…The air became cold.

Noël and the others stepped out of the ventilation shaft into the blinding glare of the surface.

Kuuong!

The wind blowing across the concrete ruins of Sector One carried the familiar smell of ozone and burning rubber. A vast, gray wasteland stretched out as far as the eye could see, dominated by the massive, shifting shadow of the cosmic Pendulum overhead.

Elara fell to her knees, gasping for fresh air. "We... we made it out."

Lyra Thorne wiped grease and sweat from her forehead, leaning heavily against a fractured concrete barrier. "Don't celebrate yet. Look at the sky."

Noël looked up.

The regional registration beacons across the wasteland were flashing a violent, synchronized crimson. The entire surface grid was locked down.

[Main Scenario #7: The Wasteland Crossing has begun.]

Category: Main

Difficulty: C+

Clear Conditions: Cross the outer perimeter and reach the sanctuary of Sector Three within 20 minutes.

Time Limit: 20 minutes.

Compensation: 5,000 Tribute, Tier Advancement.

Failure: Designation as a target for regional artillery.

A twenty-minute timer blinked in bright red numbers across the horizon.

Gideon Vance adjusted the collar of his uniform, his eyes scanning the empty wasteland. "The Syndicate's artillery grid is active. If we cross the open flats without transport, we'll be vaporized before we reach the half-way marker."

In the first place, walking across the wasteland was a trap. The mainstream group would take the direct route and get wiped out by automated suppression fire.

Noël quickly checked his status.

[Current Tribute: 17,200]

[Mnemonic Ledger: 10 / 60 Fractures]

His head throbbed, but his physical stats were solid. Physique was Lv. 45, Agility was Lv. 50. He needed a vehicle, not more stats.

He opened his mouth. "Lyra."

Lyra looked at him suspiciously. "What? What are you planning now?"

"Do you remember the maintenance depot three clicks west of the old transit station?"

"The one buried under the collapsed overpass? That place is a structural hazard."

"To be exact, it contains a pre-cataclysm transport vehicle that runs on an analog mechanical Core," Noël said. "The Syndicate's electronic grid can't track it because it doesn't use Codex network pings."

Gideon raised an eyebrow. "An analog vehicle? In a high-tier sector?"

"Rules are rigid," Noël said plainly. "If a machine has no digital signature, the System treats it as terrain debris. We drive right past the artillery grid."

[The Gallery-being 'The Auditor of Ash' nods at your technological loophole exploitation.]

[The Gallery-being 'Seyl the Unblinking' approves of your tactical evasion.]

[500 Tribute has been sponsored.]

[Current Tribute: 17,700]

Without wasting a second, they sprinted across the cracked asphalt toward the western sector.

The wind howled through the ruins, carrying the distant, terrifying hum of automated artillery charging up on the distant watchtowers.

Dudududu.

"They're calibrating the targeting grid!" Elara shouted, pointing toward a towering watchtower half a mile away.

Red laser sights swept back and forth across the wasteland, searching for movement.

"Keep moving," Noël said.

They dove behind the collapsed concrete hull of an old transport truck just as a plasma blast scorched the ground where they had been standing a moment before.

Kwaang!

Dirt and debris rained down over them.

They reached the entrance of the underground maintenance depot. The heavy iron doors were jammed shut by tons of rubble.

"Lyra. Blow the latch."

Lyra didn't hesitate. She jammed a thermal charge into the locking mechanism of the door and hit the detonator.

Chiiiik!

Kwaang!

The doors blew inward with a cloud of choking dust.

They scrambled inside into the dim, oil-scented interior. Parked in the center of the subterranean garage was an old, heavily armored all-terrain truck, its steel body covered in thick rust and mechanical levers.

An analog vehicle.

"Get in," Noël ordered, jumping into the driver's seat.

Lyra climbed into the passenger side, frantically flicking manual ignition switches. "The battery is dead! We have to crank it manually!"

"I'll do it," Gideon said. He stepped to the front of the truck, grabbed the heavy iron hand-crank protruding from the engine block, and Concentrated his Strength in his arms.

Kiiiiiiiik!

He cranked it with terrifying speed. The old engine coughed, sputtered, and finally roared to life with a deafening mechanical thud.

Kuuong!

"Get in, Gideon!" Lyra yelled.

Gideon vaulted into the truck bed just as the ceiling above them began to buckle from another artillery strike.

Noël gripped the steering wheel, firmly planting his feet as he slammed his boot down on the accelerator.

"Hold on," he said.

The truck burst out of the garage into the open wasteland, accelerating directly toward the outer perimeter.

[You have entered the Wasteland Crossing zone.]

[Automated artillery has locked onto your vehicle.]

A dozen red lasers converged instantly on the truck's windshield.

Right side.

Noël whipped the steering wheel hard.

Left turn.

He skidded the heavy vehicle through a crater, narrowly dodging a barrage of plasma fire that blasted the earth behind them.

Kwaaaaang! Kwaaaaang!

The explosions shook the truck violently, but the analog frame held together.

Noël looked at the timer flashing on his Codex interface.

[Time remaining: 2 minutes]

They were closing in on the Sector Three boundary.

Suddenly, a massive shadow dropped from the sky directly into their path, blocking the road.

Kuuong!

It was a heavy Syndicate blockade walker, its twin ether-cannons glowing with deadly blue light.

[A final variable has appeared on the route.]

Noël made a dark expression, gripping the steering wheel.

…It was a lie to think they could just drive through.