Chapter 8.1 - Holding Your Hand
A crack finally opened up in the clouds full of radiation, allowing the blood-like sunlight to seep through.
The sun once again set in the west.
In the great plains that were depressingly vast, two off-road vehicles continued to slowly crawl on the great earth like two ants.
The rare glow of the setting sun dyed the entire field red, to the extent where a faint red color even filled Su’s pupil. Only Madeline’s eyes remained a deep blue as she stood there quietly, staring towards the half suspended blood-colored setting sun. Her little face was quiet and content. However, when one saw it, it would leave them with a strange heartache.
The setting sun was like blood, a frigid and dismal red that placed one at the edge of despair.
The sunlight of this era was not something one could stare directly at. The powerful rays were powerful enough to blind the eyes of olden era humans. In the rear vehicle, both Li Gaolei and Li wore light filtering combat goggles. Kane was laying on the rear cabin. He already finished repairing the electromagnetic rifle’s barrel, and this already exhausted his originally unimpressive stamina.
Su had his hands on the steering wheel, allowing the off-road vehicle to bring him west.
This was a lonesome and endless journey. Everything they were used to was tossed behind them. It was unknown just how many years and months it would be before they would return to that place where they formed countless beautiful memories.
It was rumored that in the far out distance rested another vast and great sea.
The setting sun gradually descended. Darkness once again enveloped the great earth.
The off-road vehicles calmly drove through the darkness, the vehicles themselves rocking at a steady rhythm. The driving cabin was completely dark, but it was filled with a scent Madeline was familiar with, Su’s scent. Under her sharp perception, Su’s scent was already different from how it was eight years ago. Even now, it was already a bit different from how it was several days ago. Right now, the energy he was releasing had a weakness hidden within. At the same time, there was a stench that was hard to differentiate seeping out from the tightly bounded bandages.
Su’s scent was no longer as pleasant as before, yet it made Madeline even more willing to stay close to him.
She closed her eyes and slowly relaxed her body, gently leaning her head against Su’s shoulder. Her long gray hair fell down like clouds, releasing bits of stellar radiance as they scattered downwards. As her hair danced about in the driving cabin, this small space was decorated like the world of children’s fairy tales.
Through his clothes, Su could also feel Madeline’s body temperature, her gradual relaxation, as well as her body that was gradually entering a state of sleep. As a result, he slowed down the vehicle, smiled, and under the peaceful quietness drove towards the limitless distance.
Madeline fell asleep. She already couldn’t remember when she last slept before she entered eternal rest in that blood coffin. Day after day, night after night alone in the Town of Trials, within the endless darkness, coldness, and loneliness, she intentionally forgot a few things, a few gentle memories.
While asleep, a single tear trickled out from the corner of her eye.
When the light of dawn ascended again, Su could see roiling dust and smoke at the end of the horizon. Several armed bikes rushed out from the morning glow, the coarse and wild tires drawing out long lines of smoke and dust. The motorbikes had all types of olden-era weapons installed at their sides, and the muscular riders on those bikes all wore dark leather clothes full of nail decorations, not much different from the olden era’s motorcycle gangs. However, the most important thing was that these bikes and riders all had a symbol on them, a large sword that floated above a water surface.
Behind Su were large regions of uninhabited areas without any natural resources to speak of. Food, water, energy, minerals, there was nothing. That was why he decided that this motorcycle fleet was the patrol of some great power. From the patrol’s scale, this power should be rather large, and the amount of terrain and resources they controlled should be quite impressive as well. However, their level of technology seemed to still be lacking when compared to the Black Dragonriders, to the extent where it might not even match up to the Alloy Brotherhood they encountered along the way.
This kind of organization and strength was precisely what Su was looking for.
The four motorbikes’ engines roared. They quickly spread out, with two circling around them and the other two standing in the off-road vehicles’ way. The machine guns at the sides of the vehicles opened fire, blasting apart the dirt in front of the off-road vehicle.
Su stopped the vehicle. Li Gaolei slowly drove the other vehicle up, and then stopped by Su’s side. Then, Su and his subordinates got off the vehicles and coldly swept their eyes over the six riders around them.
One of the riders jumped from the back of his bike and moved towards the robust man that was still steadily seated within an old style Harley motorcycle. With a low voice, he said, “Leader, these fellas don’t look easy to deal with. Look at the gun on that fella’s back!”