Steel steam and flame

The golden sunlight passed through the round window and cast a large shining spot in the room. After Cassia drank the cold water in the kettle, the glass cup made a "ding" sound when it fell on the fixed position.

Taking a few steps to the round window, the afterglow of the evening sun could not bring any warmth. The only function is to coat the thick snow clouds below the airship with a visually warm golden color. The airship then adjusted its angle and tilted downward. The sun in the distance was setting rapidly, and in the blink of an eye, it disappeared as the round window was swallowed up by the clouds.

Only the cold light inside the house was left, shining through the round window at the snow clouds outside, but it could not penetrate very far.

Unaffected by the tilt of the airship, Cassia turned around and packed her luggage one by one, and finally sat at the table. When the dim light outside the window enters the house, the sound of the mechanically synthesized horn also officially announces the arrival of the destination. After a few minutes, you can step off the airship and go to the evening. All the lights are on, but it still looks cold and solemn. A city on the outskirts of the southern forest.

There were very few people. It set sail from Manoma with a full load, and the several stops along the way were not effectively supplemented. When we arrived in this outer city, there were only eleven people who went to the external parking lot with Cassia. However, they all have the same characteristics. The specifications of the suitcases are very good. Not only do they look huge, but they also have a solid texture.

No one spoke, there was no interaction on the airship, and after stepping off the airship, there was no possibility of talking. A group of about ten people separated at the airport exit, either heading to the parking lot, or choosing a road to go on, and quickly disappeared.

The open-air parking lot also seemed empty under such a flow of passengers. Cassia thought about Lyle's words on the way - you can find the courtesy car at a glance by going to the edge of the parking lot without spending time and energy - thinking it would be a courtesy car. The car’s bright paint, eye-catching decorations, and more. Actually standing next to the parking lot, there was no limo driver like Manoma waiting for the guests to come out, and there were no other people who came specially to wait. A gray-black limo was just in the corner of the parking lot, looking lonely, but also extremely eye-catching. .

A thin layer of dust had fallen on the limo, with traces of raindrops. The ground is semi-humid, and some raindrops should have fallen not long ago.

Cassia put the suitcase, started the limo, and quickly drove away from the parking lot. Although this city is one of the many cities on the outskirts of the southern forest and I have never been there, I am not in the mood to visit it. The fact that it is not lively is one of the reasons. It is like night in the evening. The cold weather has locked most of the aborigines indoors, making the streets deserted. It is also another factor.

This city only has the most basic vitality, at least what Cassia sees now. There are very few vehicles on the road, the sound of horns can be heard far away, and the light from the vehicle's headlights seems to penetrate the entire road.

On the passenger seat was a map to the southern forest that Lyle had prepared in advance. Multiple copies of Webley Arms Company's "steel plate" compressed food were also prepared, enough for a ten-man team to consume for half a month. After buying a lot of bottled water at the roadside store, Cassia, who was already fully prepared, had nothing else to prepare. The limo did not need to stop, and it went all the way through the main city and passed the semi-deserted edge of the city. Location, when I saw a pile of rusty or abandoned building materials, this edge city with not very bright lights was already behind the ceremonial car.

Cassia has no clear memory of how long it took for the street lights on both sides of the road to fail. It seems that there is a gradual process - the street lights are all intact at first, but as the distance becomes farther and farther, the street lights occasionally start to break without repair and maintenance. Until now, all that can be seen are half-broken street lamps, or they have fallen down, the paint has been replaced by rust, and the lamp posts are buried in weeds.

Fortunately, the quality of the road is very good. After driving for several hours, when we got to the end of the road, there were only cracks and no potholes. A building that looks like a station is at the end of the road, and you can see the "Rest and Transit Station" sign written in imperial script. It is almost completely eroded by rust. Maybe after a heavy rain or a heavy snowfall, it will fall to the ground and be covered by weeds.

On the map, this place is also marked as a transit point, and the detailed explanation is that it is the last supply point for hunting. But the information on the map seems to be from a few years ago, and the hunting activities have been canceled for a long time.

Cassia got out of the car and looked around. After combining the map and the actual information, he chose a suitable route and continued to move forward by following the road covered by past hunting activities. The car lights were turned off, and the sound of the limousine was louder than the rustling of weeds in the cold early morning wind. The chirping of insects did not disturb much along the way, and it did not stop until nine in the morning.

Cassia didn't take much rest in the middle, and Cassia maintained a good forward speed. But even if you set out from the outer cities, it will still take some time to actually reach the southern forest. Fortunately, I had a similar experience and kept a relaxed mood. According to the temporary travel plan, the distance to the southern forest was indeed shortened visibly with time.

When sparse trees began to appear in the wasteland, Cassia discovered traces of other off-road vehicles passing by. Although it is not fresh, it is definitely from the past month. The closer we got, the more frequently similar traces appeared.

"Profit is indeed the best thing that drives surgeons." In the dark world, contaminated Class II creatures can already be sold for very good prices. The eleven people who left the airport with him obviously came for this purpose.

Follow these traces. One day later, large tracts of woods appeared and gradually connected in the distance, as if they were stacked layer by layer, slowly getting higher, and finally became a sea of ​​black and green trees under the snow clouds. The cold wind howled high in the sky, bringing with it the sound of leaves rubbing against each other.

Cassia opened the window and let the cold air into the limo. Not long after continuing to move forward, simply camouflaged vehicles appeared around them. Although there are only five cars, there are only more of these limo cars compared to the edge of the southern forest that spreads out and cannot be seen.

Compared with other extreme areas, the southern forest has a gentler environment, and firearms can be used without entering the depths of the forest. It will indeed become the first choice target for surgeons driven by the interests of the dark world's transactions.

The denser trees in front were no longer suitable for vehicles. Cassia chose a place to park the limousine, put on the field-automatic combat uniform, took out a large backpack with an alloy mesh inside, and started one by one. Arm yourself.

In fact, just carrying a revolver, blue-silver bullets, a tactical knife and a second-generation holy sword is enough to cope with all situations. But I really missed the feeling of being in the forest, so I brought them all with me. The journey seems lonely, but endless ancient trees accompany me. Spotting the area where Cassia dug the tunnel network, Cassia took a deep breath and walked forward on foot like a ritual.