When the transport truck arrived at the second charging station—the second stop—the two cybernetic guards had already vacated their vehicles. Only one stop remained, which meant they were very close to emerging from this signal-jamming cloud.
Azrak sat atop the vehicle while Jul hovered directly above his head, scanning the surroundings. To their east, in the middle of the lake, that colossal robot—resembling a giant carrying a ship on its head—was still locked in a magnificent battle.
The robot was now exhausted from the fight. The metal plating on its torso, legs, and many other points had been pierced, its internal systems shattered. While black clouds from fires burning across its body rose toward the sky, it continued to fight with its countless cannons.
"Did you find anything, my friend?" Azrak asked Jul.
After gliding a bit further with its drone wings, Jul looked down and shook its head as if to say "No."
"Hikmar says there's no sign of danger!" Azrak shouted.
Hikmar stood with his back to the vehicle, watching the horizon.
"But danger is coming!" Hikmar said, pointing with his finger. "Do you see those clouds? Just minutes ago, they were stationary. Now, it's as if they are trying to concentrate toward a single point... Their direction is toward the TESO3 factory."
"So, you mean..."
"There might be a new cloud cluster forming there. It's likely an army is approaching from that direction."
"So what do we do?" Azrak asked excitedly.
"We will fight hand-to-hand. But first, we must move the transport vehicle to a safe place."
The road they were on was several meters higher than the sandy terrain to the right. If they could bring the vehicle down to sea level, they could tuck it under the road and hide it. Hikmar climbed onto the vehicle. He hacked into the autonomous steering system. As soon as he took control of the wheel, a seat materialized beneath him. The moment Hikmar grabbed the steering wheel, he drove the massive transport vehicle off the road. Azrak jumped from the moving vehicle beforehand to avoid falling.
He drove along the path, veered right, and launched the vehicle toward the sandy terrain. He kept his foot on the gas to prevent the vehicle from getting stuck in the sand. Before entering the lake water, he turned right and tucked the vehicle under the road. Even if the road collapsed on top of it, the truck might be destroyed, but the Cyro-V crate would remain unharmed. At the very least, if the vehicle wasn't so visible, they wouldn't be easy targets.
"I take it we need to set an ambush," Azrak said, looking at Hikmar as he stepped out of the vehicle. "Assuming they are coming from the west, we can go further west and hit them from behind."
"We don't have many weapons," Hikmar said. "We aren't prepared to fight an army."
Azrak glanced at his friend Jul. Jul looked just as confident as Azrak. "We don't have many weapons, but we are faster and stronger than them. If I can use my speed to infiltrate from behind, I can take out many of them before the battle even truly begins."
"And what should I do?" Hikmar asked. "As wise as I may be, in the moment of battle, I trust the knowledge of a hunter more. So, Azrak, lead the way."
"Of course, dear Hikmar. Begging your pardon, I'd like to offer a suggestion." Azrak sat on the ground. He drew the battlefield on the sandy floor with his fingers. He drew an arrow from the northwest, indicating the incoming enemies. To their west was a stick figure representing Azrak, ready to strike from the rear.
"We don't know how many they are or what they are," Hikmar said. "Are you going to fight them alone?"
"Shall we call it an eight-million-dollar move?" Azrak said with a light chuckle. Normally, the money they were to receive at the end was eight million. Thinking about it, this escort mission they had undertaken just for the money had begun to lead the story into very strange places. "War is my business, dear Hikmar."
"And where am I in this plan of yours, Great Hunter Azrak?"
"I saw you produce an energy shield when those cannibals attacked us," Azrak said. "I initially thought it was a simple module. You know, energy shields are like flares. Once opened, they work until the energy runs out, then you toss them aside. That's why it amazed me that you were using an energy shield just to avoid a few bullets while the cannibals were attacking."
Azrak pointed with his finger to the primitive staff Hikmar had taken onto his lap while sitting on the ground.
"Do you remember when you hit me with that staff? It was when you first spoke with the creature named Volem, if I'm not mistaken. Normally, when a metal staff hits me, I should have collapsed with a heavy blow to my chest instead of flying for meters. There should have been a dent in my chest or perhaps damage to the staff itself. But despite flying for meters from the impact, there was no significant mark on my body or your staff."
"What are you trying to say, dear Azrak?"
"What I mean, Wise Hikmar, is that the staff you hold is no ordinary staff. It's an energy shield generator, isn't it? When you struck me, you hit me using an energy shield. That staff was also what allowed you to open the shield against those cannibals."
"You truly have the sharp vision of a hunter."
"Thank you."
Hikmar took the staff in his hand and studied it for a moment. "What do you want me to do with this staff?"
"I want you to protect this vehicle," Azrak said. He leaned toward the sand and continued drawing. First, he added the vehicle, then placed a dot next to it. "This dot is you, dear Hikmar. I want you to stay hidden with the vehicle under this road. That crowd will come toward the road to find the vehicle. I will attack them from the rear. If you are spotted, I want you to protect the vehicle with your energy shield until I handle them all."
"Is that all? Your belief that you can win the entire war alone is a commendable display of courage, but... regardless of what kind of combat-averse cybernetic I am, my hand can certainly hold a staff."
"I need you to protect that crate no matter what, dear Hikmar. My mind must not be on this crate during the battle... I must give all my concentration to fighting." Then he looked at Jul, who was coming toward the underside of the road. "I set out on this journey to deliver that transport vehicle. I did it for Jul... No matter what, that truck must reach its destination."
"But there is another matter I'm curious about, dear Hikmar. Your friend Volem... could he perhaps help us in the battle?"
"Your friend? Are you trying to imply something?"
"I'm just being ironic. Please, don't be offended."
"If that's the case, I'd like to tell you this: Volem must not help us in the battle."
"And why is that?"
"My guess is that Volem was brought here to be used as an energy source."
"What kind of energy source..."
Hikmar glanced at Jul, who was hovering over the sands. Then, as if swallowing his words: "I don't know..."
"Does your friend named Volem not say anything?"
"He doesn't, because he doesn't know either."
"Then why shouldn't he help us in the battle?"
"Because if he leaves that crate, he will try to consume whatever is around him to produce energy. That includes us..."
"So you mean..."
"Yes... The moment he leaves that crate, he will want to tear apart whatever is in front of him to satisfy his energy needs."
"So he isn't a creature intelligent enough to help us, is that it?"
"On the contrary... he is a creature intelligent enough to want to kill us."
"Is he that powerful? Could he destroy us?"
"His biological body is quite weak. It could easily be torn apart by any blow. But that's only because he hasn't fed on energy. Before us is a creature that can evolve further every moment it feeds on energy."
"I see... So even if we released him in battle, he might not be useful. And even if he were, he would end up being a problem for us in the end."
"Exactly..."
"Then..." Azrak said and stood up. "...the plan is made. You will stay here and protect Volem. Jul and I will hit them from behind! May the Great Leviathan Ship protect us!"
"May the Great Leviathan protect us!"