Chapter 1 A Deserted Expanse

Three armored vehicles drove in a row across the desolate wilderness, the bright emblem of the Gray Fox shining on the side armor of each vehicle. The dry plains wind whipped up sand and dust against the vehicles' hulls, while the last silhouette of the city receded further and further behind the convoy, eventually disappearing from view.

No signs of human habitation could be seen around this lonely convoy. As far as the eye could see, there were only jagged rocks and a pitted wasteland landscape. The dusty yellow sky hung low in all directions, connecting with the equally gray earth, creating the illusion that the whole world had turned into a cloud of yellow sand. The convoy was now traveling on what was theoretically an intercontinental highway, but only a few cement remnants on the roadside were still faintly discernible: the forces of nature had easily erased the traces of civilization that had once existed here. After more than sixty years of weathering, the solid cement highway was no different from the surrounding rubble wilderness.

This was the mercenary force about to head to the Northern Ruins, led by Nolan himself, heading straight west from Black Street to the Gray River, with Hao Ren also in tow. The team had set off yesterday afternoon and had been traveling non-stop for nearly twenty hours. The city ruins that had just disappeared over the horizon were the last district of Rift City—it was said that beyond this point, all the way to the Gray River, no more city ruins would be seen. For the next two or three days, this desolate wilderness would be the only scenery along the way.

Hao Ren and Nolan were riding in the second armored vehicle together. These vehicles had spacious interiors, seemingly modified specifically for transporting personnel, and the middle vehicle was the most heavily protected: the Gray Fox's clients were in here.

Two expressionless men sat in the back of the compartment, wearing uniforms different from the mercenaries. They were said to be researchers from the White River Conglomerate, and two senior bodyguards from the White River Conglomerate sat on either side, responsible for protecting the researchers and monitoring the Gray Fox mercenaries. Nolan's mission was to safely escort these four people to the Northern Ring Tower—and then bring at least one of the researchers back alive.

The above was the original text of the commission from the White River Conglomerate.

These four "clients" hardly talked to the mercenaries. They only occasionally discussed things in low voices, and tried to avoid being overheard. It was obviously pointless to pay attention to these people, so Hao Ren turned to look at the display screen embedded in the carriage. The screen showed the situation outside the armored vehicle, but the scenery outside was only the unchanging wasteland. Ulanov muttered in a low voice, "This damned place, even the rangers can't survive here."

"Relax, we're now in the safest area in the world," Nolan said, sitting across the carriage with her hands behind her head and her eyes slightly narrowed, impolitely resting her feet on the steel handrail in front of her. "You can't run into humans in this place. The only dangers are the toxins in the soil and water."

Carl hugged his large rifle and shrank in a corner of the carriage, sniffing after hearing Nolan's words: "Tch, that's really safe."

Hao Ren looked at the four members of the White River Conglomerate sitting at the end of the carriage and sat down next to Nolan: "Do you know what they're going there for?"

"Don't know," Nolan said without interest. "I don't inquire about my clients' affairs. That's the secret to my survival. Don't know what you shouldn't know."

She paused, noticed that the curious look on Hao Ren's face had not diminished, and then shrugged and lowered her voice: "Probably going for the master computer. The pre-war nanite swarm control program, and the next-generation nanite swarm blueprints that didn't have time to be transferred from the control center back then... It is said that they are hidden deep in the Northern Ring Tower. Any force that can get even a little bit of information will be rich. The guys who have gone to the north over the years have basically gone for those things."

"Pre-war technology..." Hao Ren muttered in a low voice, "Can it really still be useful..."

"Why are you going to that place?" Nolan raised one eyelid. "I heard that you buried your wife in the wilderness outside Black Street this morning, so it seems that you shouldn't be going to the north to die."

Hao Ren tugged at the corner of his mouth helplessly: "My mental state has always been very normal, okay? I'm just going to the Northern Ring Tower to confirm something... Anyway, there's no conflict of interest with you, just hitching a ride."

Nolan suddenly opened her eyes and looked at Hao Ren seriously: "To be honest, I've always thought you were a weird guy, I've felt that way since the first time we met."

Hao Ren smiled: "What's wrong with me?"

"Too optimistic, too calm, too indifferent," Nolan turned her head away. "I thought it was because your nerves were abnormal at first, but now it doesn't seem to be the case. You remind me of the kind of person who was born and raised in a peaceful era... but that kind of person can't maintain this kind of mentality for a long time on this scorched earth like you do."

Hearing Nolan's words, Hao Ren also mentioned casually: "You don't look very old, but you're quite good at reading people."

"Not very old..." Nolan repeated softly, while looking up at the display in the carriage. Then she turned on the in-vehicle communication device next to her and called the soldiers in the front cab: "Jin, have we crossed Old Highway 17 yet?"

The soldier in the cab reported: "Just passed it a few minutes ago."

"Well, you can rest, let the vehicle switch to autopilot, we won't need a driver for the next two days."

"Roger that, boss."

Although Black Street and Zero City are the closest human settlements to the Northern Ruins, it is still a considerable distance to travel from there to the Northern Ring Tower. This forbidden zone of life is absolutely insurmountable for ordinary people, and even professional mercenaries need the support of modern equipment and the best physical and mental state to cope. Over the next two days and one night, the convoy, guided by the autopilot system, continued to approach the Northern Ruins. As the destination gradually approached, everyone's mood became tense. The people Nolan brought out were originally the bravest and most loyal of the Gray Fox troops, but even among them, a sense of unease began to spread.

"Being killed by nanite swarms is a terrible thing," Ulanov said to Hao Ren on the fourth day of the journey. "The death process feels very long, and it usually starts from the internal organs. The process of the body being dissolved is accompanied by an extreme burning sensation and a tearing sensation—the greater pressure comes from the psychological aspect. You will clearly feel that you are turning into a kind of heterogeneous substance... and this feeling will be constantly repeated within a few minutes."

Hao Ren was looking at the scenery outside the car, and Ulanov's words made him feel weird: "You're undermining morale by saying this here..."

Ulanov laughed hoarsely, his laughter seemed to carry a hint of mischief: "I just want to remind certain people, don't be interested in those seemingly sleeping nanite swarms, they might suddenly come alive."

The two researchers from the White River Conglomerate looked over here, their eyes seeming to carry dissatisfaction.

At this moment, the driver of the lead car suddenly called out from the speaker in the carriage: "Gray River! It's the Gray River ahead! Boss, we've arrived at the Gray River!"

The words "Gray River" seemed to be a shot in the arm, awakening the mercenaries from their depressed mood. Everyone raised their heads and gripped the weapons in their hands, and a mixture of unease and excitement permeated them. Nolan immediately picked up her equipment bag and stood up: "Everyone, bring your electromagnetic hibernation devices and follow me!"

The armored vehicle stopped in a wilderness, and the mercenaries jumped out of the carriage one after another. Before getting up, Ulanov stuffed a palm-sized device that looked like an old-fashioned radio into Hao Ren's arms: "Take this, your electromagnetic hibernation device."

Hao Ren took the strange device without understanding, and then was urged by the people behind him to jump out of the car.

An endless desolate land spread out before his eyes, and a hundred meters away, he saw the leading armored vehicle parked next to a "big river" as wide as the ocean. On the river bank, he could see a continuous, neat metallic luster.

Hao Ren followed the mercenaries and ran over, he looked at the scene in front of him in surprise: "This is... the Gray River?"

All he could see was an endless expanse of gray-white, viscous and bizarre liquid surging before his eyes. The texture was like asphalt, and the color was like bone. The liquid surged extremely slowly, almost like slow-motion film, and the slowly undulating viscous gray-white "river surface" brought only an endless sense of weirdness. And on the edge of this black-and-white movie-like Gray River, a layer of what looked like plating covered the rocks on the bank—just like a naturally growing river bank, blocking the "river water" that brought a great sense of danger in the riverbed.

This was the Gray River.

(I have something to go out today, so I updated it in advance =.= Still a busy day.)