Steel steam and flame

"The situation is not very optimistic. This is what I saw from the captain, Ms. Moninina." The man stood in the aisle in the middle of the carriage, holding the seats on both sides with his hands and said, "You are the last team organized by the area. As early as a week or two ago, shortly after the start of this transportation mission, the team convened by the liaison chief, Mr. Green Tree, one of the top leaders, began to mobilize many members of the organization along the route. Join the escort."

"In the following time, Captain Moninina rushed over personally and joined the escort team. We always thought that after cleaning up the tail of the escort team several times, the enemies would realize the difficulty. But it seems It had the opposite effect. The escort was said to be extremely important, but in fact, only the senior officials knew. It’s just that our fierce resistance gave the enemy a lot to think about. Therefore, after this time, we may encounter one after another. We encountered several not-so-good encounters. Most of the enemies came from the Flame Alliance. After entering these small countries, they relied on their financial resources to hire many bounty hunters and mercenaries. This is the amount of information currently known. It will not be very long after passing It's better not to follow the goods leisurely and wait to reach the destination. Be mentally prepared, but don't be too nervous. Because you are not the main force, the actual escort team is the 'Gumu' team under Lord 'Green Tree', you Someone among them should know the strength of this team."

"Your main enemies are hired bounty hunters and mercenaries. You should be very familiar with them after staying in a small country all year round." The man paused here, "This train goes directly to our destination. , go to the temporary gathering place first. There is a hidden material warehouse left by the organization, including weapons, ammunition, etc. There is enough inventory there. Try to take what you can, and the army of the Kingdom of Chir will come to assist. "

"Do you still have any questions?" The man looked around and saw that no one was speaking, so he nodded, turned around, sat down, and began to rest.

In the early morning, Cassia woke up from a semi-sleep state according to her biological clock. When I opened my eyes, I could only see the unchanged wilderness outside the window, with low buildings occasionally coming into view. There is no reference, and Cassia currently does not know which area in the Kingdom of Chir he is in, or which city in the border area he will drive to.

"It has deviated from the area mentioned in the mission." After looking at the time, Cassia confirmed. If the destination remains unchanged, he and the people around him should have arrived at the city mentioned in the mission at this moment. "Further away, it should be certain that the escort mission has changed in the week or two that the man said, otherwise This situation will not happen. At this time, the escort has most likely been cut off by the enemy. Many possible routes have been cut off. If it is worse, for the sake of the safety of the cargo, the team should be divided into several. Where is the real cargo? If there is no goods in the team, or in each team, the goods are hidden and there is no way to retrieve them again until the situation improves.”

Sighing softly, Cassia turned her head, already used to this kind of subconscious analysis. He had to do this many times. The development of the forces, factories and knights now mostly relied on him to support them through the most dangerous and fragile stage. At least there's no harm in thinking more about it.

"I don't know what characteristics people from the Flame Alliance will have." Seeing that most of the others continued to rest with their eyes closed, Cassia gave up the idea of ​​taking out a book to read, and then closed her eyes. Thinking of Lina and Silla, I wonder what they are like now after leaving the Brino area. There is almost no chance of meeting again, Cassia thought. The Flame Alliance is also a giant country comparable to the Empire, with a population base and area that ordinary people cannot imagine.

In this kind of thinking, at nearly three o'clock in the afternoon, the train slowed down amid the electronically synthesized prompt sound. The sunlight outside the window is strong, and through the glass window, you can feel the heat of the concrete floor.

We stopped in a small town. It was said to be a small town, but actually I found out later that it was not really a small town.

The station was lifeless at all. The platform spread forward more than a hundred meters along with the railway line. Most of the awnings used for shelter were rotten, leaving only the rusty frame. The station management room is located at the end of the platform, standing there alone. Through the broken windows, there were cobwebs and dust inside, and no one had been working inside for a long time.

On the other side of the platform is a concrete road, dilapidated, full of potholes and cracks, winding and spreading towards the small city in the distance. On the side of the road, there are two dark warehouses. There was a symbolic iron lock on the warehouse door. In the open space next to the door, a few dry men with their upper bodies exposed were sleeping on their own clothes. The simple fan in his hand flapped feebly once or twice. It's the porters waiting to do their work.

The movement of the train failed to disturb them. Cassia and the other group got off the train and glanced at those people. After seeing nothing unusual, they walked along the only road to the small town ahead under the leadership of the acting captain.

We left the road halfway and went to the wilderness on the edge. When they stopped, they saw the ruins of a brick kiln in front of them, with only a towering chimney standing about ten meters away, crumbling. The warehouse is just below the brick kiln. Judging from the traces of hasty processing on the dust, someone has been here.

The underground warehouse is about a hundred square meters in size. The protective door is made of stone and is very thick. It can be pushed open by human power. There is definitely no ventilation system in the warehouse, and all moisture protection relies on some things placed on the bottom floor. A strong smell of anti-rust oil, somewhat spoiled and sour. The weapons and ammunition under the oil-coated paper still maintain the brightness of the production line.

"It's not the design model of the empire." Cassia symbolically took something in her hand, "The equipment from the Flame Alliance, and what other forces are there in the organization?" Followed the team to the predetermined resting place in the small town. , Cassia thought about this problem.

I have always thought that the organization was just a thing created out of thin air by Tavel relying on his own power and influence. However, with recent understanding, this idea is gradually being overturned. Tavel is not the only one. One thing Cassia is certain about now is that the organization he is in seems to be a real force. Although it is different from what Trivikan described, it seems that its structure cannot deviate much.

"It's more like Tavel joined the force himself, and he was just pulled in by her. Or is she cooperating with others at this time? It is impossible for Tavel to not know his identity in the empire, and what he brings with him. The danger. It seems that the possibility of cooperating with others is higher, which can disperse the danger involved in oneself." The more Cassia thought about it, the more likely it felt that the possibility was greater.

"Could it be that you have discovered that Tavel's current behavior is the same as mine, pretending to be like this to each other?"

Cassia was very vigilant. Of course, there was no answer until the end of her thinking. It became a conjecture that required various conditions and information to be verified.

"We set off at two o'clock in the morning. By morning, we will probably be able to reach the escort team." The acting captain said to everyone during the break. "In the next few days, there may be no time to rest. In these short few hours , I hope you can adjust your condition."