Chapter 37: Running Wildly in the Night

The scorching sun blazed, and yellow sand filled the sky.

The motorcycle bounced along, dry gales carrying grit assailing them, making a clattering sound against the goggles.

“Bruce, your driving skills are pretty good.”

“Of course! I am a Transcendent of Mech-Corpse Destiny; machines are practically an extension of my body.”

Sirian was sitting on the back seat of the motorcycle, enjoying a rare moment of rest, while a Big White Dog sat in front of him, its two paws resting on the handlebars, somehow making the motorcycle charge ahead on the complex terrain of the wilderness.

Due to his canine limb structure, Bruce couldn’t twist the throttle, much less control the steering.

But Bruce wasn’t an ordinary dog; he was a Transcendent dog.

Spirit Artisan of Mech-Corpse Destiny possess the ability to extract substances from their surroundings and even transmute them. Bruce naturally had the same ability.

“Bruce, I once heard my teacher say that some powerful Spirit Artisan can easily transmute a patch of sand and stone into metal, and in a short time, smelt and reforge it, creating a powerful Dominator Armor out of thin air to engage in battle.”

“How exactly do they do that?” Sirian asked, puzzled. “I don’t mean the part about transmuting metal, but how they forge metal into precision parts and then perfectly assemble them.”

Sirian patted the body of the motorcycle. “For example, how did you modify it out of thin air?”

During these past few days with Bruce, Sirian had gradually come to trust this Transcendent dog, and he suddenly realized the terrifying potential of this Transcendent dog.

Since Bruce could refine metal and modify a Source Energy Engine, logically, he could also create a motorcycle out of thin air and drive himself out of the wilderness, rather than cooperating with Sirian.

Bruce countered, “What do you think?”

Sirian replied, “I think you’ve firmly memorized all the design blueprints in your mind. When needed, you just have to refine metal and assemble the parts.”

“Congratulations, you’re right.”

“Huh?”

Sirian sat up straight, incredulous. “You really memorized all the design blueprints?”

“Why else?”

Bruce explained, “This is one of the characteristics of Mech-Corpse Destiny. As we advance in rank, we can fully memorize more and more complex design blueprints in our minds.”

“For example, some Spirit Artisan memorize the design blueprints for many firearms and ammunition. When necessary, they can transmute the surrounding substances, refine, forge, assemble, and then enter battle.”

Bruce turned his head and shook his dog’s head. “As you can see, a lot of my brain tissue is missing. Not only are my own memories problematic, but many of the design blueprints stored within are also incomplete.”

“I searched my mind for a long time, and only the Source Energy Engine and some firearm weapon design blueprints are still complete.”

Bruce tapped the motorcycle’s shell again. “Otherwise, I could have completely transformed it into an armored vehicle, saving us from the wind and sun.”

Sirian nodded vigorously. “I strongly agree with that.”

After several days of continuous travel, Sirian’s clothes were covered in dust and tattered. His originally fair face had been tanned dark, his skin dry and cracked.

Bruce had transformed from a Big White Dog into a large grey dog, his fur mixed with grit and dust.

The midday sun gradually began to set. After traveling for so long, Bruce also felt tired and swapped positions with Sirian.

He curled up behind Sirian, trying to make his voice override the wind.

“Sirian, how far are we from Heer City?”

Sirian replied, “I don’t know; this is my first long journey too.”

“What about the map?”

“This map isn’t accurate; it can only provide a general reference.”

Sirian glanced at the sky and suggested, “When it gets dark and Heer City’s Beacon Lighthouse lights up, we can re-plan our route and estimate the distance.”

In these past few days, the light from Heer City had become increasingly bright and clear, but whenever Sirian felt they were about to arrive, it would become distant again, like an illusory mirage.

“It’s getting dark; let’s find a place to spend the night first.” Bruce estimated the time.

Sirian hummed in agreement and began searching for wind-sheltered ruins in the wilderness. Suddenly, a glimmering ribbon of light caught Sirian’s attention.

Upon getting closer, Sirian discovered that it was actually a surging river, flowing through the barren wilderness.

“Stop! Stop!”

After Sirian parked the motorcycle, Bruce excitedly plunged into the river, wetting his dry, dirty fur and drinking the cool river water.

“Whoopee!”

Amidst excited barks, Sirian bent down, scooped up river water, and vigorously washed his face.

In the coolness and wetness, Sirian suddenly realized that this was the first time he had seen a river since coming to this world.

Sirian had patiently explained to Ava what a river was. Besides rivers, there were also lakes and even larger seas in this world… but she couldn’t see them anymore.

After soaking in the river for a while, Bruce climbed out, wet, shaking his head and body, splashing water everywhere.

He rolled onto his back, lying on the ground. No matter how much Bruce emphasized that he was a human, he had clearly grown accustomed to this body.

“I’m alive again… What are you looking at?”

Bruce noticed that Sirian had been staring at the end of the river, as if searching for something.

“Heer City is named ‘Confluence’ because several rivers converge there, forming a rare green oasis in the wilderness.”

Sirian’s gaze shifted back to Bruce and he continued, “That means as long as we follow the river, we’re sure to find Heer City.”

No sooner had he spoken than the sun completely dipped below the horizon. The afterglow lingering in the sky had not yet faded, presenting a serene blue.

The transition between day and night was a good time to prepare for camping.

Just as Sirian was about to build a bonfire, a pure white halo slowly rose from the end of the river.

Both man and dog looked in unison towards the direction where the white halo rose. Sirian, fearing he was hallucinating, picked up his binoculars again.

Beneath the white halo, faint silhouettes of continuous buildings could be seen.

Sirian and Bruce exchanged glances. Without any communication, both made the same decision.

“Quick, quick, quick! Sirian!”

Bruce jumped onto the motorcycle, urging, “I don’t want to spend the night in the wilderness anymore!”

“Do you think I want to?”

Sirian straddled the motorcycle. The Source Energy Engine roared, instantly reaching maximum power, and they rushed forward with a whoosh.

The sky grew darker, and grey mist billowed out behind the motorcycle, like sinister pursuers, hot on their heels.

Sirian concentrated intensely, ensuring no accidents would occur, while Bruce stood up, his front paws on Sirian’s shoulders, letting out joyful shouts.

The distant halo became increasingly clear. Even without binoculars, Sirian could see the outline of the City-state.

“It’s dark!” Bruce shouted, “Watch out ahead!”

“I see them!”

Night had fallen, and the demons swarmed out.

They ran wildly, chasing Sirian’s figure. Some blocked their path, letting out bloodthirsty howls.

“Hold on tight, Bruce!”

Sirian crashed into them without slowing down. The clang of metal and flesh colliding was incessant. Amidst jolts, the demons were torn to pieces.

The motorcycle ran over bodies, and blood splattered on Sirian’s goggles, turning his vision crimson.

“No, there are more and more of them!”

Sirian thought he had broken through the encirclement, but after running over a large number of demons, another endless horde awaited him, like overgrown weeds.

“We still have to stop and spend the night.”

Sirian drew his boiling sword.

Just then, several beams of pure white light tore through the grey mist. The roaring engine sounds were like thunder, easily drowning out the wails of the demons.

Sirian turned his head to look. Bright flames ignited; it was actually a simple Beacon array. Pure white soul marrow fire burned fiercely, dispelling the surrounding grey mist and fully illuminating its true form.

A square armored vehicle burst through the grey mist, like a mobile fortress. Its heavy armor easily crushed the demons into fragments, and the fallen bodies were run over by its tracks, spewing blood like a juicer between the wheels.

“It’s a Fog Breaker, but the model looks a bit old.”

Bruce recognized the armored vehicle’s model at a glance. “Get closer, follow behind it!”

Sirian was already doing so without Bruce’s instruction.

The armored vehicle, like an icebreaker, tore an unobstructed path through the demon horde. The motorcycle sped along this path, covered in shattered corpses and foul blood, rushing through the night.

They sped through the wilderness, one after the other, until the halo grew clearer and clearer, until the land was fully illuminated.

The City-state stood before them.

Sirian excitedly looked up, just about to glimpse the full view of the City-state, when the Fog Breaker in front also stopped.

The vehicle door opened, and several figures quickly disembarked. They were both men and women, some wielding swords, others carrying guns.

“Don’t speak, act like a dog.”

Sirian realized something was amiss and instructed Bruce.

“Woof woof woof!”

Bruce very sensibly put aside his human dignity.

Sirian parked the motorcycle. The others walked over then. They wore uniform grey uniforms, with three intertwined rivers emblazoned on the shield emblem on their chests.

“I am Dailin Morrison, an officer of the City Guard Bureau.”

The man in the lead walked over, his gaze wary, wearing metal knuckle dusters on his hands.

“Please cooperate with our work.”

The others stood behind the man, making no effort to conceal the restless Source Energy within them. They were all Transcendent.

Sirian understood the other party’s warning and cooperatively sheathed his boiling sword.

At this moment, he and Heer City, the City of Confluence, were within reach.