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墨書 Inktalez
"What is going on, damn it?"
"Forget it, forget it. Everyone, just walk slowly and control your thoughts, turning them into void."
"Yeah, don't look back."
Their average speed seemed quite fast. Before long, they had covered a considerable distance, and at that moment, they were unaware of the passage of time.
It felt like time was dragging on, but no one knew how long it had actually been. In their hearts, they sensed it might have been over ten hours.
Indeed, who would have thought that merely traversing this place would take more than ten hours? Soon after, a narrow path appeared before them—one they found very familiar. This narrow space was quite long.
However, everyone felt that the situation ahead was somewhat peculiar. In fact, rare markings were etched into the walls—signs that they had been here before. With that realization, their spirits lifted considerably. After passing through this area, they soon saw a glimmer of light ahead.
They stepped out, only to find themselves at the entrance where a flying Jeep was parked nearby.
Looking around, they quickly realized they had arrived in the outside world.
Although they had encountered bizarre phenomena before, this clear sense of alertness immediately made them aware that this was the real world.
The smooth sensation of breathing confirmed that they were indeed in the outside world.
"Damn it! We finally made it to the outside world! We are finally out!" one person exclaimed.
The voice was unmistakably loud, echoing through the mountain gorge and reflecting brightly as it continued to reverberate.
Otherwise, one might think there was someone exactly like him speaking back. In reality, it was just the sound reflecting off the mountains—a situation none of them had anticipated. Only then did a few of them dare to turn back and look.
After enduring the long corridor, everyone felt a significant toll on their bodies and minds, especially their inner thoughts, which had been deeply affected. The previous high-spirited responses were no longer sufficient to address the situation.
They were all in a state of deep suppression, but each person had their own way of recovering. Some needed to rest thoroughly to regain their strength, while others required a loud shout to release the pent-up emotions within.
"Is everyone alright?"
A voice came from inside the vehicle. Everyone looked up to see two figures rising from the back seat—Nosty and Relock. They hadn't originally been a team, but after going through certain events together, they had joined forces. Initially, they thought their companions had met with misfortune, but unexpectedly, those who had survived emerged from the cave alongside them.
This revelation filled them with excitement. It was clear that each person's thoughts were different, and it seemed they had taken a shortcut to emerge after more than ten hours. Now, having recovered, their emotions appeared vibrant, as if they had just woken from a good sleep.
"We're fine. What about you? Did you encounter some other issues? Why did it take you so long to come out?"
"It's a long story, but I want to know what you faced as well. Why did your original group split up? What happened on your end?"
As they spoke, the group hurriedly made their way over and squeezed back into the rear seats of the vehicle.
"Alright, driver, please set a course back to the association. The charging should be complete by now; wake us up automatically in nine and a half hours," Freyr said as he activated the recording function and pressed the button. The engine of the vehicle roared to life, and soon after, the voice of the intelligent control system echoed throughout.
The voice sounded synthetic and lacked any particular distinction at first glance. However, after verifying the voiceprint, a mechanical voice softly chimed in, "Verification complete. Autonomous driving activated. Please rest; we will wake you when the time is up."
"Thank you."
Freyr nodded slightly in response with concern.
"No need for thanks, Master; it's my duty. Now please rest well."
"Mm."
The people in the vehicle fell into silence, each one drifting off to sleep.
As the car swiftly glided through the air without a sound, everyone inside felt an overwhelming fatigue. Although this mission had not been fraught with peril, the situations they encountered were not ones they wished to face again. They had nearly become fodder for creatures.
After being captured by the Serpent People, they had not endured any horrific tortures; instead, they were treated to a feast. The food was somewhat similar to what humans consumed in the surface world, indicating that this race had a high demand for food and did not treat their taste buds carelessly. After all, well-cooked food is far more enjoyable.
"No, no."
The thoughts of those who had been captured were filled with rejection, and upon reflecting on their inner feelings, a sense of helplessness emerged.
In their dreams, they recalled the events that had transpired, while others were haunted by different nightmares. Unless it was something they consciously thought about, it was unlikely they would subconsciously dream of things they wished never to see again. This nightmare had likely embedded itself deep within their hearts.
However, after some time passed in this state, the emotions of the others began to improve slightly as the journey continued.
The nine-hour trip seemed to pass in an instant. When the alarm rang and startled them awake, Freyr did not struggle at all. After freshening up a bit, he opened his eyes wide to shake off the remnants of sleep.
"Where are we now?"
Freyr did not wake anyone else but began speaking to himself.
He was likely addressing the mechanical voice synthesized by the vehicle's system; it was the only reliable source of information he had within the car.
If even the Military Satellite's intelligent assistant could not be trusted, then what could be?
"In a jungle near Eastern," the young butler said without hesitation.
"Is it that place again? How strange. Can we go around it?" Freyr asked.
"Actually, we can, but it would require an extra thirty kilometers to navigate around. Would you prefer to go directly through, or take the longer route?" the butler inquired.
Freyr rubbed his temples and replied, "Is it really that cursed place again? I don't want to encounter any more tragedies. If we take the detour, how long will it take at your Ultimate speed?"
"It would take about three and a half hours more. If we go straight through, we might even push the Suspension Engine to its breaking point," the butler's voice rang out again, providing a thought worth considering.
"That would be an unwise choice. In that case, I might as well risk going straight through. What are the odds of success?" Freyr followed up with another question.
"Eighty-two percent. I have a way to ensure such a high completion rate," the butler replied.
"Is that all?"
Freyr pondered anxiously. They were currently suspended high in the air, and even at reduced speed, their bodies would still be subjected to excessive forces, leading to potentially terrifying consequences.
Even so, they had to make a decision now; choosing any path recklessly could result in unpredictable and severe repercussions.
In such circumstances, there would still be other impacts on everyone involved.
Although Freyr tried hard to keep his voice down, he inadvertently woke up his companions who were scattered and disoriented in the back seat.
These individuals were not affected in the slightest; soon enough, some noticed their argument and couldn't help but curse inwardly. Despite their deep frustration, they gradually began to understand the reason behind the quarrel and attempted to forgive them.
"Full speed ahead. With your abilities, you should be able to navigate through this jungle without much trouble," Freyr said. "If the burden becomes too great, we'll have you set the vehicle down. No matter what damage you sustain, once we reach the association, they will restore you to whatever value you had. All you need to do is get the people in the vehicle out of here as safely as possible."
"But there's one more thing. This jungle is home to many dangerous species. If we traverse the ground, the risk is significantly higher, and our chances of making it out are only fifty-five percent," the onboard AI butler replied without hesitation.
"That's already more than half. Speaking of which, when we set out to cross this jungle, we encountered quite a few troubles back then too. But at that time, we had plenty of ammunition. Now, however, we've exhausted our supplies. Under these circumstances, our chances of successfully crossing this jungle are likely even lower. Dangerous species? Perhaps you're right. Let's push the hover function to its limits and use Ultimate speed. Butler, take us away from here at Ultimate speed; execute my command."
Freyr was well aware of the consequences that would follow if this command was fulfilled. Although the AI system's butler had the option to reject commands, once they reached a certain point, their own troubles would put them in a rather passive position.
However, upon hearing this, Alpha accepted the command. This order had to be completed; Alpha was programmed with a strict sense of Logic when it was created. Once it agreed to a command, it would do everything possible to help those in the vehicle overcome any obstacles.
The vehicle descended sharply, leveling off at an altitude parallel to the treetops of the jungle. At this height, reaching Ultimate speed would be a terrifying phenomenon.
Moreover, this jungle stretched for nearly ten kilometers; even taking a detour would add over thirty kilometers to their journey. Ultimate speed? What kind of impact would that have on the vehicle's hover engine? It was something no one dared to imagine; once they hit the ground, they would be vulnerable to attacks from those terrifying dangerous species.
It was easy to see how frightening such a situation could be. The passengers in the back were jolted awake by the vehicle's sudden acceleration, and high-pitched voices filled the air as their inner calls echoed loudly—after all, no one wanted to die.
After a roar, the vehicle leaped into the air like a leopard, appearing as if an invisible leopard was darting through the trees at a speed so fast that normal eyes couldn't perceive it. Yet they had reached such a terrifying velocity.
The passengers felt as if their bodies were about to float away; in order to prevent their heads from continuously hitting the ceiling, those in the back seat decided to huddle together for stability and maintain their center of gravity.
But such speed could not be sustained indefinitely; they all understood that their actions were merely temporary measures. As time passed and the engine overheated from exertion, Alpha began sounding alarms without restraint.
Freyr remained silent as he looked down at Alpha's flickering red lights within the system and hesitantly asked, "How much longer can you control this, Alpha? How far do we have left?"
Freyr was probably feeling anxious, his emotions exploding like firecrackers in that moment.
"Keep it going for me, just hold on for another fifty seconds!"
"There should be about three kilometers left. The straight-line distance test suggests as much, but the engine has already reached Ultimate overheating. We might only have thirty seconds left. Fifty seconds, you say? I'll do my best, but I might end up in sleep mode due to overload. Freyr, do you still need the electronic map?" Alpha continued to ask.
"Once we reach that point, I'll switch to autopilot mode. You just get some good rest; after you wake up, we might still have a nice chat," Freyr replied with a smile.
"Yes, that's how it should be."
"Alright, master, good luck to you!"
After Alpha's voice faded away, the sustaining thrust continued unabated. The mechanical sounds and buttons had completely malfunctioned, yet the speed of the vehicle surged to an incredible pace, deftly avoiding obstacles without any hindrance.
In that situation, other occurrences soon unfolded, despite initially imagining they only had fifty seconds left.
Now it seemed they would barely manage to hold out for forty seconds before the limit suddenly hit. The car collided with the ground, generating an intense friction.
"Bang!"
A muffled sound erupted, startling everyone. The engine had reached Ultimate overload; the vehicle could no longer activate its hovering function. The ground mode had engaged. Freyr furrowed his brow and made a few adjustments. Indeed, no matter what he did, Alpha couldn't wake up. It appeared that as he had predicted, the engine's temperature had risen to such heights that even the main Circuit Board had burned out.
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