Chapter 105: Masquerade Party ( 19)

Chapter 105: Masquerade Party ( 19)

Grrrgh! Hah, arhhhh!

God fing damn it! Hey! Hang in there! Youre not dead yet, not yet, so!

Ian picked up Vexs scrawny body and rushed behind the armored car. As if he had let go of something after meeting him, Vex was losing the light in his eyes and slowly collapsing.

Its too late.

Hes killed countless people, and countless more have died next to him. It was easy to tell the difference between those who would live and those who would die. Those with their necks straining. Those who endured the pain, clenched their teeth together, and struggled to live were those who still had enough strength to live. On the other hand, people who attempted to hand their comrades something had limp bodies and glassy eyes

S-sorry I-I

Shut up! Dont waste your breath saying anything stupid!

P-pt! P-p-p-p-pt!

While he was struggling to block up the hole in Vexs stomach, the enemys bullets were showering down on them from behind. It seemed like they used his moment of hesitation to change their locations.

Those motherers!

He needed first aid. But he couldnt do it in a spot where bullets could fly towards them at any time.

Ian carried Vex and hurriedly entered the armored car next to them. Vehicles like armored cars and tanks were hard to break through once the hatch was closed.

And the Raptors plastered a ridiculous amount of shields on these, so it should buy some time.

Tsssssss

Just as he sprayed the styptic spray he brought from the Dome onto Vexs side, he could feel dozens of eyes train onto him and Vex.

The enemy no, just kids. This is the waiting room for the expendable drivers.

Tssssssss!

Gurgle gurgle!

Styptic spray. It was an item with an element that swelled up like protein when it came in contact with water. This was all he could do at the moment, but it was far from enough to provide proper care to Vex, as his intestines were already dangling out.

Ohhhh. How could this be? No, it cant be!

An old man who had been in the center of the children ran towards Vex and collapsed in front of him.

The truth that Ian had been so desperately trying to avoid was displayed on the elderly mans face as an engulfing despair. Vex was going to die. In a few minutes, or maybe right now.

I had told you to just go The kind cannot survive in this world! I told you that this was enough, but why did you push yourself to this state?

Ian quietly placed himself near Vex, kneeled down on one knee, and brushed away his hair from his forehead, drenched in sweat and blood.

He was convulsing. And even if he had prevented the bleeding, the man had been hit in an organ. Blood was pouring out on the inside, so he was feeling cold. A human body without blood is much colder than youd think.

He hated the cold too.T/his chapter is updated by nov(ê(l)biin.co/m

Itll get warmer some day! What about this winter?

Are you dumb, midget? Each winter is getting colder and longer.

Youre the dumb one! I lived in a run-down building in Area 45! Youve never plastered mud on your skin to avoid freezing to death, did you?

You are you really that poor?

Keheehee! Back then, I felt guilty if I had too much on me! Ill be warm and cozy inside the shelter this winter! This Christmas, Im going to ask for a different present from Santa for the first time!

What did you ask for last year?

The morning sun! I asked him to make the sun rise just a minute faster!

In the end, he was unable to experience the warm winter and left on a long journey.

A world where the kind cannot survive, you say.

It was a quote that every Wasteland survivor lived by. The phrase that they repeated like a spell any time they needed to carve away another portion of their morality in order to survive. He could roughly figure out why Vex stayed behind. Because aside from the very first moment, all of the tiny eyes inside this armored car were hanging onto Vex.

Tremble

Vex must have felt his hand as his eyelids opened with great effort.

Jaw.

Vex.

His dumb, feeble-hearted, oddball comrade was about to take his last breath.

Carpicked outcarfor you

Why didnt you do as we told you to? We said to drive out a tank.

Tank istoo small cant take everyone

Ian tightly clenched his teeth and raised his head. It was just going to be another one of the many deaths hed face in his life. One that he can never forget and that will consume his mind if he doesnt spend his life dangling his foot on deaths door.

He was trying to save these children. Vex. Even when the situation changed for the worse, he was unable to give up and faced the enemy that closed in on him, ending up like this.

No wonder. Too many of those shells missed for it to be dumb luck. And a lot less shots compared to the number of tanks.

The corpses outside. Some were just soldiers, but most likely, many of them were tank crew soldiers. Since the number of people operating the tanks decreased, it was only natural that the rate of artillery fire decreased as well.

I owe him. I had too much to pay back already.

He didnt have time to hesitate, nor did he plan to. He already promised himself that hed rather die than make any more regrets in his life.

Get out of the way.

We dont have time to do this! If what you just shot into that young man is the drug I know, then stop wasting time on this scrap and escape through a tank!

I said get out of my way!

Ian pushed aside the old man that blocked his path to the cockpit, as if he was going to make Vex ride on a tank no matter what.

In the corner of the cockpit. There was a screen with a blinking green cursor that identified the user when they brought their wrist up to it. The bio-identification device.

Ian put his wrist against that device without hesitation.

Beep. Be-beep

The bio-identification device read his code and started to compare it to the other codes saved in its database.

Normal methods werent going to work to start this armored car. Since the Noisy Pack completely locked down the system, unless he unlocked it with the code that only those nerds knew, the car wouldnt start up.

Except for just one exception.

B-beep!

On the bio-identification device that had been looking for his identity on a blinking red screen, a green light lit up, and a row of smooth letters greeted his return.

[Code Verified. Welcome, Ian Desmont.]

Yeah, nice to meet you too. Although this does sort of feel like meeting an ex.

Dn-dn-dn-dn-dn

Vrrrrrgm!

As soon as the system greeted him, he started up the car, and the armored vehicle let out a loud roar and burst into life.

The old man who had been watching him from behind jumped back in shock the moment he saw the green light, then collapsed right on the spot after reading the words on the screen.

I-IIIIII-Ian D-Desmond, the trait

Lets end it there, wont we, mister? I know old men like to talk about the old days, but try to think from the perspective of the listener too, will you?

Y-youre really Ashfield? Is that yo

Bang!

Go out and switch with that Ronin or Coleman kid. Youll need to be a veteran driver if you want to keep up with me.

After sharply cutting off the old man and sending him up, Ian proficiently pulled the lever to raise the RPM, then completed preparations for departure.

Clang!

K-k-kk-krg!

Something flew towards the vehicle, shaking it, but that was it. Just the short glimpse he got of it outside let him know that this was a sturdy armored car, with even its tracks neatly covered. It would be hard to cause damage unless they had tank-level firepower or anti-tank weapons.

Theyre surrounded by tanks, so they probably didnt bring that many tank-level firearms. The Exosuits are weaker to physical mass impacts, so they would have brought more large-caliber ammunition. That means we have some time until equipment that can deal with an armored vehicle comes.

Once they were out of formation, artillery would rain on them just like before, but he was able to do it with a combat vehicle, so with an armored car, itll work out somehow.

There was some spare time while he waited for the tank in front to get out. Now a little bit calmer, Ian scoured the nearby panels under the vague memories that floated up like smoke.

Although its been several years and it was a car that he didnt use that often, there was one thing he definitely remembered. When you opened the small lid at knee height under the handle, there was a cigar jack, and the compartment next to it had a pack of cigarettes. He pushed it open to see a cigar box with a finish of the Raptors trademark scale pattern.

Click!

Phhht

Ten-eighths of the Raptors Nest consisted of soldiers, had that many more nicotine-addicted men, and was that much better at making cigarettes.

The distinctive, rough scent of cigarettes that he had forgotten for a long time.

My damned past finally caught up to me, alright.

Rumbleeee!

Seeing the tank in front of him start to move forward, Ian stepped hard on the large metal axel of the armored car.

In his eyes as he looked back at Vex, who was breathing heavily surrounded by the children, was something that could be called anger, grief, or madness. Or perhaps something that could be called the combination of the three started to creep into his eyes.

You returned a name I have long forgotten, so youll need to be prepared to pay the price! You hot-blooded reptile bastards!

Next to Ian, who was driving with a violent glint in his eyes, appeared new letters on the green screen that had been blinking peacefully.

[Noisy Pack. Confirmed Administrator connection attempt. Rejected. Request from higher commanding authority.]

The Noisy Pack had head administration over all, although not much, of Raptors electronic-related devices.

There was only one group that had a higher authority over the electronic devices, the Raptors.

Those with power to completely shut down the Noisy Packs access electronically under the situation where the Noisy Pack betrayed them. The five top-level Raptor Executives.

Be-beep

[Swarm Alpha Online]

It was the moment Ian Desmont, who was called a demon that lived on ash and one of the Raptors legendary founding members, then went into hiding for years, finally revealed himself.