Moon People, top students, elites among elites, spiritual energy users, well-read and skilled in both scholarly and martial arts—what do these traits signify when they appear in one person? The Engineer wasn't entirely sure, but at least she understood how to maintain a respectful attitude.
Therefore, when the most respected Sergeant Major in the garrison station adopted a respectful attitude, even if others still had some reservations about Yu Lian's order to abandon the garrison station and evacuate everyone, they dared not express their dissatisfaction.
Old Karl led his apprentices into action, working with a speed and skill that would qualify them as backup for any ace racer. This kind of old Engineer truly meant what she said; she promised 40 minutes, but in less than half an hour, she had already re-equipped five black panther cars. Even the bare car, missing half its armor plating, had a piece of city wall iron plate crudely attached, which, though appearing makeshift, was better than nothing.
And Yu Lian, relying on his handcraft, indeed produced five bio-energy batteries. After connecting them to the black panther cars' engines, they ran quite well. Everyone Present applauded, feeling as if they had witnessed a great magic trick. More importantly, if they were to head to Tulon, they wouldn't have to travel on foot. Five cars could accommodate 30 people if they squeezed in.
“If we leave now, we can reach Tulon by noon tomorrow,” Ina said.
“Hmm… if we go in a straight line across the Great Wilderness, yes, that’s true.”
Sergeant Major Xi Lika detected his hesitation and immediately realized that they had been ambushed in the Great Wilderness before.
“Sir, I remember you said those monsters might be bioweapons?”
“Uh, did I say that?”
“Which means we might still be attacked?”
“Being attacked is inevitable, but it won't necessarily be those monsters. Hmm, how should I explain it to you? For example…” Yu Lian was organizing his explanation (or fabrication) when Sergeant Youyou, the communications soldier, rushed over, drenched in sweat. He had been wrestling with the short-circuited machine in the communication room, but his mournful expression clearly indicated the machine was dead.
This couldn’t really be blamed on him. Ultimately, it was the fault of Nine Stars Company, the manufacturer of the communication equipment. How could a company that made cell phones explode get military communication equipment orders? You think! You think hard!
No wonder Nine Stars would later be acquired by Starry Sky Network, a telecommunications giant of the Alliance, and then specialize in producing phones for girls. Their lives, on the contrary, became more comfortable.
“Still no contact with Tulon? It’s alright, we…”
“No, Sir, um, we made contact!” the other party said, covered in sweat.
“Oh, really? Then why the expression? Tulon hasn’t been captured by the enemy, has it?” Yu Lian laughed.
He dared to joke like this because he was too familiar with Tulon’s current situation. But the others couldn't be so calm; they burst into an uproar, and Ina shot Yu Lian an annoyed glare, scolding him, “Sir, please be serious! Don’t make such tasteless jokes!”
She could, of course, tell Yu Lian was joking. And, surprisingly, this girl was even more charming when she was angry.
“No, Tulon, Tulon is fine. But, but the Sand People’s siege is complete! The Co-Command HQ wants us to act according to circumstances!”
“…Is that so?” Yu Lian looked at the timer on his personal multi-purpose terminal, confirming that it was the evening of November 13, 829 Galaxy Common Era. In his previous life, the general assault on Tulon Port was supposed to be on the 16th… It was understandable for the encirclement to be completed three days in advance.
“Also, Sir, never mind, you should just see for yourself.” The communications soldier was too nervous to organize his thoughts, so he simply opened his terminal and pulled up a holographic projection map.
“This is the probe surveillance footage just sent by Command HQ, from five minutes ago.”
Yu Lian scanned the holographic map and quickly located the 12th Garrison Station. However, in the vast wilderness between the garrison station and Tulon, a considerable number of heat sources were gathering, clearly heading towards the garrison station.
First, these were not Xenomorphs. Even the massive Dreadfang Worms emitted lower heat signatures when moving than even groundhogs, and existing military detectors wouldn't specifically mark them.
Then, it was most likely the Sand People.
Second, since they were gathering here, their main road to Tulon was also blocked.
“What about now?”
Sergeant Youyou took two seconds to realize Yu Lian was asking for the real-time holographic map and quickly added, “This, this… contact with Command HQ was interrupted again just now.”
Nine Stars’ crappy machines, now that I’m back, you won’t even be allowed to be acquired; I’ll let you rot!
Yu Lian spat, then clapped his hands to give orders: “Everyone prepare to leave, take as much ammunition, energy packs, and medicine as possible! Yes, no need for food, just bring one day’s dry rations. Ina, give me two hand grenades.”
Yu Lian set a trap in the food warehouse, then walked out to the training ground. He saw the chainsword stuck in a corner of the training ground, silently sighed, and then walked straight out of the ruined gate, Past the mountain of piled Xenomorph corpses, before jumping onto the foremost black panther car.
The convoy of five cars, carrying the thirty remaining survivors of the 12th Garrison Station, drove onto an unknown, vast road ahead… At least many people felt this way, and the atmosphere suddenly became a bit melancholic.
Yu Lian, however, had no such sentiment; he even felt a little excited. He meticulously observed the holographic map, finally determining a perfect evacuation route. He felt that not only could he lead everyone on a reasonable detour, but he could also pass by “that place” at just the right moment.
“Sir, where should we go now?” Youyou, who was driving, asked softly.
“North.”
The black Sergeant shivered, carefully observing Yu Lian, who was still looking at the map with an expressionless face. He gritted his teeth and forcefully turned the spherical steering wheel to the right.
All the vehicles seemed to pause briefly, but after a moment of hesitation, they still followed.
Yu Lian understood everyone’s hesitation and was willing to explain (or fabricate).
The undulating mountains to the north were named the Kiliro Great Mountains by the earliest explorers, almost bisecting this vast wilderness. The south side of the mountains, where the 12th Garrison Station was located, was relatively more open and barren; while the hilly terrain north of the mountains, perhaps because it was closer to the inland sea, was relatively more humid.
Crossing this great mountain and traveling through the hills north of it, even if it meant an extra day or two of travel, they could still reach Tulon.
However, there were currently only two mountain paths in the Kiliro Great Mountains, both directly west of the garrison station, meaning towards Tulon, and they should now be controlled by the Sand People.
As for the mountains directly north or east of the garrison station, there were genuinely no known passages.
But at this point, no one dared to question Yu Lian’s decision much anymore.
Yu Lian continued to meticulously observe the map, trying to combine it with his Past memories: “A little to the east. Do you see that mountain? The one shaped like a beckoning cat—drive in that direction.”
The black Sergeant hastily nodded in agreement. Of course, after a while, while driving and wearing his headset, he still cautiously said, “Sir, Ina… Sergeant Major Xi Lika is asking about our destination.”
Indeed, at this moment, the only one still obligated to speak, and brave enough to do so, was Ina, the staff sergeant.
“Tell her that I just reviewed all the nearby meteorological map data from the Past few years and determined that there’s a mountain hollow in the Kiliro Great Mountains where the temperature is slightly higher than the surroundings, possibly due to warm winds coming from the northern hills. It’s highly likely to be an unknown mountain pass.” Yu Lian, who had already thought of his answer, replied.
If there had been any university student studying meteorology or geography Present, they probably would have slapped him. Unfortunately, this motley crew truly lacked such talent; even Dr. Banks, the most educated among them, only graduated from a diploma mill.
See? Sergeant Youyou, who was driving next to him, immediately showed an expression of admiration, though he didn't quite understand why.
At this moment, the garrison station, which they had left far behind, suddenly erupted in a towering blaze with a loud bang.
Such a commotion successfully attracted everyone’s attention; no one remembered Yu Lian’s words from earlier.
“Sir…”
“At least it proves that our decision to abandon the garrison station was correct. Keep moving forward.”
“Understood, Sir… Sergeant Major Xi Lika has another communication.”
“Is she asking if the car body is overheating?”
The black Sergeant once again showed a look of stunned amazement.
What are you amazed about?! Even with the air conditioning on, you can’t hide your stinky sweat.
“After all, it’s a makeshift biological electromagnetic battery temporarily installed! When we reach that mountain hollow, everyone will get out and rest. We need to clear out the tails behind us, and we also need them to send us some supplies.”