Chapter : 692

The transport vehicle rumbled forward. The atmosphere inside was transformed. It felt like a group of friends going on a noisy, happy road trip. The fear was erased.

Outside the small, narrow windows, the landscape began to change rapidly. The green grass faded away. The trees became twisted and black. The sky lost its bright blue color.

The 13th Unit was approaching the edge of the deadly 5 Wastelands. The real, terrifying mission was about to begin. But inside the metal box, the underdog faction felt unified. They felt strong. They felt ready.

Ken Eliot chewed his blue gummy worm. He sagged his shoulders. He closed his eyes. He knew the environment outside was highly toxic. He knew the missing artifact was dangerous. He knew the secret laboratory held massive threats.

But his team was smiling. Risa was safe. His snacks were delicious. For the secret ruler of the shadows, that was the only thing that actually mattered. He just hoped the toxic zone had a nice, quiet place to take a nap later.

---

The armored transport vehicle rolled to a complete stop. The loud engine finally turned off. The sudden quiet felt very strange. The metal doors at the back of the vehicle hissed loudly. The doors slowly lowered until they hit the ground. They formed a metal walking ramp.

The 13th Unit stood up from their seats. They grabbed their bags. They walked down the metal ramp. They stepped out into the 5 Wastelands.

The environment outside was terrifying.

The sky did not have any blue color. It was a sickly, toxic shade of yellow-gray. The sun was hidden behind thick layers of smog. The ground beneath their boots was bone dry. Deep cracks ran across the dirt. The earth looked dead. Nothing grew here. There were no trees. There was no grass.

A thick, yellow-gray mist floated everywhere. The mist rolled across the cracked ground like a slow ocean wave. It smelled like burnt metal and rotten eggs. The air felt toxic.

Ken Eliot stepped down the metal ramp. He wore his baggy navy blue sweatpants. His white shirt hung untucked. He carried his dark green canvas bag.

Normally, Ken would complain immediately. He would complain about the dirt. He would complain about the smell. He would pull out a bag of potato chips. He would make a goofy joke about needing a nap.

But Ken did not do any of those things.

Ken stood on the cracked dirt. He stopped joking . His sleepy dark eyes opened a little wider. He stared at the ruined, poisoned landscape. He looked at the toxic mist. He saw a world that was destroyed by human greed. He saw the ultimate result of the Solurius mining disaster.

This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

He stayed perfectly silent. The silence was very unusual for him.

Naomi walked down the ramp right after him. She wore her dark combat pants and a sleek green shirt. Her bright red hair was tied back in a neat ponytail. She held her twin silver daggers.

Naomi looked at Ken. She noticed his silence right away. She walked up beside him. She did not yell at him to tuck his shirt in. She gently bumped her shoulder against his arm. She offered a very soft, understanding smile.

"It looks really bad, does it not?" Naomi asked quietly. Her green eyes scanned the dead horizon. "It looks like the end of the world."

Ken blinked. He looked at Naomi. He took a slow breath. He decided to break the uncomfortable silence. He used his favorite coping mechanism.

"This is the worst level design," Ken stated casually. He slouched his shoulders again. He slid his hands deep into his pockets. "The game developers used way too much yellow filter. It ruins the visual aesthetic. This is a classic poison swamp area. I despise poison swamp levels. They drain your health points every single second. You have to walk slow. It is a massive waste of gaming time."

Naomi let out a soft, musical laugh. She felt very relieved. Ken was back to his normal, ridiculous self. His silly video game logic made the terrifying wasteland feel a little less scary.

"You always relate everything to your games," Naomi smiled. "But you are right. The toxic mist will drain our health points. We need our shields."

Princess Iris stepped out of the vehicle. She wore her simple silver dress. She held her silver rapier. She looked at the toxic environment with very sad, determined violet eyes. She hated seeing the empire's land destroyed like this.

"Sayma," Princess Iris called out smoothly. "Please distribute the protective items. We cannot stay exposed to this air for long."

Sayma walked down the ramp. The intelligent Vice-Captain carried a secure, silver metal briefcase. She pushed her thick glasses up the bridge of her nose. She placed the briefcase on the hood of the transport vehicle. She typed a quick code into the keypad. The metal case clicked open.

Inside the case, eight small crystals rested on black velvet.

The crystals glowed with a pure, brilliant white light. They looked like tiny stars. They were fragments of the legendary Core of Luminus. The 13th Unit earned these shards during a previous mission.

"Everyone, please come here," Sayma instructed politely. She picked up a glowing shard. "The radiation in this zone is lethal. The ambient toxicity will melt a normal human body in ten minutes. You must keep this shard on your person at all times."

Laxmi ran over. The fire user wore bright orange pants. She grabbed a glowing shard. She held it up to the yellow sky.

"It is very warm!" Laxmi cheered. She grinned a wide, excited grin. "It feels like holding a tiny piece of the sun! Can I throw it at a mutant monster?"

"No, Laxmi," Zinia scolded gently. The strong earth mage grabbed her own shard. She placed it inside a secure pouch on her belt. "It is not a weapon. It is a shield. Do not drop it."

Sayma nodded. She clicked her silver pen. "Zinia is correct. The Core of Luminus shard emits a continuous holy energy field. It creates a localized purification bubble. It will push the toxic mist away from your body. It will create a safe zone of breathable air. Without this bubble, the radiation will kill you."

Luna walked over slowly. She wore comfortable gray clothes. She rubbed her sleepy eyes. She picked up a shard. She let out a massive, dramatic yawn.

"This place is terrible," Luna complained lazily. She put the shard in her pocket. "There is no grass. There are no soft spots. I cannot take a nap on cracked dirt. My back will hurt. I want to go back to the estate."

"We will go back after we find the missing artifact, Luna," Princess Iris promised kindly. She took a shard for herself. "We just need to stay focused."

Sayma picked up the very last glowing crystal. She turned around. She looked at the back of the group.