Chapter 11 Showdown
Every wastelander knows that the two most important things when living in the wasteland are to hold the weapon tightly in your hand and keep an eye on the water bottle around your waist.
The former is the foundation of self-protection.
The latter is the source of life that determines life and death.
If we must add a third thing, it is that we must be vigilant enough. Except for those who have exchanged their lives with each other, no one else, regardless of gender, age or status, can be trusted!
The extreme scarcity of supplies and the extremely harsh environment have allowed Darwinism to run rampant in this wasteland, and every bite of food and every glass of purified water must be snatched away.
Justice and evil are by no means the criteria for measuring friends and enemies.
For example, now.
The wind and sand are still blowing, but it's much better than before.
But visibility was still very low. The group of people standing in it looked like ghosts walking in the fog, shadowy and a little ominous.
This desert-like world seems to be given a different tone.
It is very similar to some old western movies that Jiang Xia had seen. Directors always like to use this kind of contrast to reflect the cruelty of a disorderly world.
But in fact, some things can be understood clearly without comparison.
Behind Jiang Xia, the young warrior Su was holding a pulse rifle.
The hand holding the gun was steady, with the muzzle locked on Jiang Xia's back. He only needed to pull the trigger and the highly penetrating electromagnetic pulse would be able to burn the flesh and blood.
A penetrating wound the size of a little finger was left on the heart of the person in front of him.
This kind of injury may not be fatal to the wastelanders.
There are too many people who have undergone prosthetic modifications, and many people like to install some defensive devices on vital parts such as the heart.
Some extreme people simply set up a "second heart" in their body in advance. Once the heart is damaged, that little thing will start up immediately and take over the function of the heart.
But the person in front of him did not have a prosthetic body.
As long as Su shoots, Jiang Xia will be dead.
But Su didn't really want to do that.
He is a young man. Although he has also been working in the wasteland, he is not as shrewd as Rogue. In the eyes of this young man, his current actions are somewhat unethical.
Obviously, it was this outsider who risked his life to enter the town, which gave them the chance to win, although the two sides were not friends.
But at least they should be collaborators.
Therefore, under the mask, Su's expression was a little conflicted.
Although he understood very well why Rogge asked them to do this through telepathic communication.
"It seems that our understanding of the word 'friend' is a little different."
Jiang Xia did not feel Su's entanglement. He raised his hands and said to Roger who was walking towards him with a hint of sarcasm:
"Is this how you wastelanders treat your friends?"
"I don't mean to hurt you."
Rogge put the tool box aside, then moved the syringe in his right hand to his left hand, stretched out his fingers, and flicked it, just like a doctor preparing before giving a patient an injection.
He said:
“Our interests are aligned, Jiang.
We are all going to your world. For you, it is home, but for us, it is an immeasurable adventure.
I have to do this.
I must try every possible way to increase the survival rate of my brothers and me in your unknown world, and turn a dangerous person like you into one of ours completely.
This is the best solution at the moment.”
Jiang Xia did not refute.
If he were Rogge, he would choose to do the same. This is indeed the best preventive measure before taking a risk with unknown consequences.
He didn't feel any pain of betrayal.
I am already wary and don't consider these wastelanders as my own. If I am always on guard, there will be no question of betrayal.
The two parties were not friends to begin with, and this cooperation was also a case of having different goals.
It's just a matter of seeing who has better means.
After all, only children believe in blood oaths.
He looked at the futuristic and simple syringe in Rogge's hand. The needle was like a small drill, which made people feel cold.
He didn't know how the wastelanders implanted the brain chip, but from the appearance of the syringe, it could be seen that it was probably similar to a small craniotomy.
"You mean, only by turning me into a lapdog that obeys your orders can you feel at ease?"
Jiang Xia said softly:
"Are you so scared of me?"
"Not afraid."
Roger explained:
“If we have more time, I would actually prefer to use a gentle approach so that we can truly become allies.
Before I took up arms and fought in war, I was a biologist.
I know very well that chip connectivity is not a panacea.
It has not yet developed to the point where it can completely manipulate brain wave activity and completely manipulate thoughts. I also know that such actions will make you resentful of us, which is really a bad idea.
Unfortunately, we don't have that much time.
You don't have to worry about this chip erasing all your free will.
It is not as scary as you think. After all, it is just a tool. It has little restraint on thinking and will not affect your thinking. It will only make you trust us more.
That’s all.”
"Whatever you say, I don't understand it anyway."
Jiang Xia turned his head and looked.
The wasteland warriors with guns on all sides were wearing masks, so their faces could not be seen, but the probe-shaped muzzles of the guns were still intimidating and made it impossible to move.
He took a deep breath.
His heart was beating fast and adrenaline was being secreted quickly. He was going to make one last stand and he didn't know if that temporary "ally" would fail him.
It feels terrible to put your life in the hands of a stranger.
Absolutely not, there won’t be a next time!
Seeing that Jiang Xia did not answer and remained silent, as if he had completely given up resisting, Rogge also breathed a sigh of relief and gave orders to several soldiers.
The two guns on Jiang Xia were taken off and thrown aside.
Su also reached out and tried to take out the revolver that Jiang Xia had inserted into the holster at his waist, completely disarming himself.
But just as he reached out his hand, Jiang Xia's hand suddenly grabbed his wrist.
"This gun won't do, I like it."
He said something.
Su was stunned for a moment, but the next moment, Jiang Xia burst out with strength, trying to throw Su to the ground.
A huge force came at him, and Su reacted extremely quickly.
At this moment, his limbs, which were replaced by prosthetics, burst out with strength far beyond that of humans. Not only did he not be knocked down by Jiang Xia, but he lifted Jiang Xia up instead.
Just like swinging a sack, throw it to the ground.
"boom"
His torso was hit hard, and the abnormal brute force made Jiang Xia's eyes go black, but he was still able to react. He pulled out his revolver and shot Rogge.
There was no accuracy at all, and the bullets were going in almost the wrong direction.
Several soldiers nearby immediately rushed up with guns, trying to subdue the guy and beat him up.
But Rogge felt something was wrong. Although he had been in contact with Jiang Xia for less than six hours, he already had some understanding of this outsider.
He doesn't seem to be such an impulsive person.
If he still resists in such a desperate situation, it means that he has gone mad and is willing to risk everything.
Or it means that he is still prepared!
On the other side, in the brown vegetation, the girl lying there also heard the crisp gunshots, which made her body tremble. She subconsciously picked up the blood-stained, crumpled piece of paper and read it again.
There was no writing on the paper, only a few crude sketches.
The first is a stick figure shooting into the air.
The second picture shows two clumsy robots launching missiles.
The third picture shows two people, one big and one small, walking into the door hand in hand.
The painting skills are very poor.
But the meaning, coupled with the scene before us, is not difficult to understand.
The girl touched her belly, where it seemed that there was still a cold bomb counting down.
She shook her body, held her head with both hands, and sent a signal through the brain wave chip to command the hunter to attack.
Her authority is very low, being at the lowest level of the Eternal Life Society.
It is impossible to control the robot as freely as the two mentors, but the order to search for the enemy and open fire can still be sent out.
"Bang"
A loud bang sounded behind Roger.
The leader turned around and saw that the two hunter robots in the center of the town, which had been shut down for a long time because they lost their operators, were suddenly restarting but not moving.
The rocket nests behind them were quickly adjusting their direction, slowly tilting towards where Rogge and his group were.
“Get out of the way!”
Rogge's pupils dilated, he shouted, and threw himself to the side and rolled over. The next moment, several rockets whizzed away, passing a distance of less than ten meters and hitting a low wall.
Flames burst out, the ground shook, and gusts of air surged into the sky.
This attack was totally inaccurate and it was obvious that it was controlled by a rookie.
But the chaos that was supposed to happen has been sparked.
The wasteland warriors looked for shelter everywhere, and the sandstorms they raised made the scene even more chaotic.
Su was unlucky. The rocks that flew from the shattered low wall hit him. Thanks to the protection of his prosthesis, he was not injured, but was blown away.
The moment he landed, the prosthetic part of his left eye quickly captured a figure in the chaos.
Jiangxia!
That outsider was probably the only calm person in the chaotic scene.
It seemed as if all this was within his expectations. At the moment of the explosion, he not only did not dodge, but rushed out like a cheetah.
The target is very precise.
Battery!
Star array!
not good!
He wants to run!
Su's blood boiled at this moment.
As a person trusted by Rogge, he can be regarded as Rogge's adjutant. He understands the significance of this operation to find the star array better than other warriors.
It is no exaggeration to say that this star array leading to another world is the Black Hand Society’s only chance to survive right now!
And Jiangxia is the best guide given to them by God.
Can't let him run away!
Su roared, and the prosthetic body burst out with power, the dirt and gravel under his feet exploded, pushing the young man towards Jiang Xia, who had rushed to the battery pack and punched the red start button.
The parallel battery pack is activated at this moment.
As a few creepy blue plasmas rose up on the cables as thick as human arms, all the energy of the high-energy batteries poured onto the star array slabs like water from a floodgate.
It was like the memory of Jiangxia was replayed.
As the energy poured out, the lines and circles around the stone slab quickly lit up like blue mercury pouring on the ground.
The energy was leaking out, creating a violent wind that made it difficult for Jiang Xia to open his eyes.
A second later, a bright light opened before his eyes.
Just like a tightly closed eye, it opened to the sides. The familiar oval light curtain rotated, opening the door to another world.
He is going home.
Jiang Xia didn't even look back, but took a step forward. However, a vicious wind came from behind, roaring like a wild beast, and it was like a battering ram hitting him, knocking him to the ground.
Su seemed to be crazy. He rode on Jiang Xia's waist with nimble movements and smashed down the outsider with his iron fists mercilessly.
Jiang Xia is also fighting back.
Unfortunately, the power of flesh and blood is ultimately not as strong as that of mechanical prostheses.
After three or two punches from Soda, he was bruised and dizzy. The chaos around him had subsided, and shouts were heard all around, which made Jiang Xia's heart rise.
not good.
Not good.
"Whoosh"
In the midst of the chaos, the sound of gunfire rang out like needles.
The pulse beam penetrated the body, bringing with it a burning sensation. The sudden pain caused Jiang Xia and Su to stop wrestling with each other.
Jiang Xia felt a burning pain in his waist and abdomen, probably because of a scratch.
But in front of him, Su, who was riding on him and attacking crazily, shook his body and fell to the ground. The young man was like a fish thrown out of the water.
He breathed in big gulps, but it was difficult to inhale air.
The bullet, fired from behind, pierced his lung.
As Su fell to the ground, Jiang Xia saw the short girl wearing the Eternal Life Society uniform in front of him, in the chaos of wind and sand in front of the light gate.
He was shaking, holding a worn-out pulse pistol in his hand.
She was the one who fired the shot just now.
"Hahaha"
Jiang Xia burst into laughter at this moment. He jumped up with a bruised face and nose. He kicked Su who was having difficulty breathing, wiped the blood from under his nose, and ignored the gun that the girl was pointing at him.
He shook his body and looked at the chaotic situation behind him.
In the firelight, the Black Hand warriors were shouting, and Rogge, half of his body was buried under the rubble, was yelling at him with flaming eyes.
But Jiang Xia didn't care.
In the chaos, he raised his middle finger to Rogge with malice, picked up the toolbox that fell to the ground, held the syringe in his hand, and finally grabbed an ammunition bag and put it on his shoulder.
Finally, he hooked his finger at the girl who was pointing a gun at him.
"I didn't intend to bring you along as a little burden, but it seems like you and I are destined to be together."
"Let's go, kid."
"It's time to return from hell to earth."
