Chapter 637 (1/2)

The crew moved on once again and left behind the dead city.

The world that was veiled in darkness gave everyone a foreboding feeling, but thankfully the darkness was slowly fading away. A huge, operating plasma reactor was in front of them and the radiant glow from the engines lit the skyline and broke the veil of darkness.

Vivian suggested that they checkout the area near the reactor, and Hao Ren let the car’s autopilot system to determine the best route forward as they went along a slope up the metallic mountain range. As they close in on the reactor, the details of the facility appeared before them. Hao Ren saw on the facility’s conical shape had many other spiralling roads etched on surface, a faint light was darting along the road as the pinnacle of the reactor spew light that stretched on miles on end, until they see a steel bridge of the far end, not knowing exactly what it is for.

As they were half way through the rector’s side, the Northstar’s computer suddenly beeped. At the same time, Y’zaks frowned as well. “Seems like there’s something up ahead.”

Hao Ren immediately stopped the car by the road side and Lily immediately leaped on all fours as she sneakily crawled forward to scout ahead. She was lying down on a giant metallic board as she popped her head out before turning back to the rest, motioning earnestly.

The group immediately went towards her as Lily pointed towards the road, her voice hushed. “Look, a supply convoy!”

Hao Ren looked dumbfoundedly at the straight road that stretched towards the top of the reactor. The road was lined with strobes that glow in light blue, probably serving as some sort of guiding mechanism as lines along lines of transport vehicles back and forth on the road in a very regulated manner.

“There’s no signs of life…” Vivian frowned before tossing one of her bats towards a transport truck. Due to the reactor’s operation, the atmopshere around the area was not stable, and Vivian’s little bats finally had some use.

Speaking of which, she had not used her bat sensor for quite some time already…

The little bat struggled against the wind as it went forward before latching on unceremoniously onto the roof of one of the trucks. It looked about on top of the roof as it skittered about looking for a gap. Any zoologist seeing this would probably start questioning themselves if they were to see a bat doing that. But alas, the bat returned disappointedly as the entire vehicle was sealed except for the cargo hold.

“It’s a hopper on the back, and is filled with something that looked like fuel for the reactor.” Vivian said as she assimilated the bat back into herself, frowning as she went. “There are no entrance, no signs of life as well. Seems like it is automated.”

Hao Ren pondered for a bit before making a rather daring decision. They were to tail the cargo transport.

Lily too had mustered her courage as she scampered about the vehicles, and realised that there were no reaction to her antics. Neither were there any patrol robots or the likes on the tracks. Thus all of them concured that the automated system was ‘blind’. Hao Ren and the rest got into the car and started tailing one of the trucks that left the reactor. As they went through the steel roads for a good while, and a few corners later a steel forest-like facilities appeared before them.

The steel forest was blocked by a mountain range prior, and no one had saw it on their way up.

Hao Ren carefully drove the car into the area as massive clanking rang around him. The area was filled to be brim with black, massive machinery or buildings, as if the city itself was a factory proper. Large number of trucks and other vehicles followed the track from the reactor to here as they zipped through the steel forest. Large mechanical arms raised and lowered as it coordinated with the arriving trucks and filling the hoppers without even ceasing for a moment.

A thunderous noise came from above and the startled Wuyue looked up, what she saw was a ten square meter odd steel block was moving across the air with the help of thrusters as it slowly slot itself into a ‘mountain block’ not too far away. By the looks of things, it was probaby an automated storage system.

The whole factory city was in full throttle as the whirring of machines and passing of vehicles was all over the place. Under the guiding strobes and high-powered lighting system, the area was as bright as day. But… there were no one here.