"Beep—! Beep—!"
Piercing alarms shattered the peace of Castle Horizon's outer defense line.
Inside Outpost 3 on the eastern high ground, a heavy guard sentry monitoring the radar bolted upright from his chair.
On the screen, six red dots were cutting into Deep Space Industry's warning zone at a near-suicidal speed.
"Report to Command Center!"
The sentry barked into the communicator, his words flying.
"High-speed convoy approaching! Bearing 15 degrees north of east, distance 10 kilometers!"
"Speed—120 kilometers per hour!"
"They are sprinting at full speed with no signs of slowing down. Estimated contact with the first defense line in five minutes!"
Was this a joke?
Maintaining that speed on a wasteland riddled with ruins and craters was pure suicide. Even a modified off-road vehicle would flip and disintegrate with the slightest misstep.
But the outsiders clearly didn't care. Or rather, they feared what was behind them more than a crash.
The news instantly reached the underground command center via data link.
Roger was reporting to Andy regarding the yield rate of the latest batch from the East District. Hearing the alarm, both looked at the main screen simultaneously.
The display switched to a high-magnification optical camera.
Through the swirling yellow sand, six heavily modified all-terrain vehicles equipped with nitrous oxide acceleration systems were bouncing violently. The dust kicked up by their wheels formed a long yellow dragon.
On the roof of the lead vehicle hung a filthy white bedsheet. On it, a gear and a wrench were crookedly painted with black paint.
"What flag is that?"
Andy frowned.
As an outsider, he knew nothing about the local cultural symbols of Zhais. In his eyes, this ragged flag was painted carelessly, lacked any aesthetic appeal, and didn't look like a regular military emblem. It felt more like a provocation: "I'm coming to mess with you."
"No idea."
Roger shook his head. He rarely dealt with the local natives.
"Looks like some kind of... maintenance guild?"
"Maintenance my ass," Andy snorted. "My place is a restricted stronghold, not an auto repair shop."
"Whoever they are, charging straight at us like this is a death wish."
Andy's finger hovered over the red "Fire at Will" button.
If pressed, fifty twin-linked Storm Bolters and four 155mm Iron Ostriches on the walls would open fire simultaneously.
Such firepower density would obliterate even six Leman Russ tanks, let alone six off-road vehicles.
However.
Right before Andy's finger could press down—
"Beep—!!!"
The radar blared an even more urgent alarm.
"Massive high-energy signature detected!"
"Behind them! Five kilometers behind that convoy!"
Andy paused and looked at the edge of the radar screen.
Behind those six red dots, hundreds of closely packed red dots suddenly emerged.
The optical lens zoomed out.
A much larger mixed convoy appeared.
There were over a hundred armed pickups, assault motorcycles, and even a few light armored personnel carriers.
The paint jobs on these vehicles were highly distinctive.
The group near the front was covered in skulls and vulgar hand gestures, and some people even stood on the roofs waving chainaxes. The madness radiated right through the screen.
The group further back wore a uniform black paint job, appearing low-profile and grim, but their firepower configuration was clearly superior.
Although these two factions didn't seem to belong together, their objective right now was identical.
They were chasing the six vehicles ahead with everything they had.
Machine gun fire and rockets rained down forward like they cost nothing. However, due to the high-speed bouncing, their accuracy was terrible. Aside from kicking up plumes of dirt, they caused no substantial damage.
"This is..."
Looking at the scene, a strong sense of déjà vu washed over Andy.
A few running in front, a massive crowd chasing behind.
The ones in front panicked, the ones behind bloodthirsty.
Andy had seen this before.
When Tech-Priest Saul brought the shuttle fleet loaded with supplies to defect to him, it was the exact same situation.
Back then, Saul had no pursuers, but his urgency matched these people perfectly.
"Isn't this just a delivery service?"
Andy's electronic eye lit up.
On this wasteland planet, anyone being hunted down on such a massive scale had to have good stuff in their vehicles.
It was either valuable hard currency or critical technical data.
It couldn't possibly be an empty convoy!
Since meat was delivering itself to his doorstep, why push it away?
As for the pursuers behind?
They were the perfect target practice for Deep Space Industry's gunners.
"Cancel the fire order."
Andy moved his finger away from the red button and pressed the green one next to it.
"Roger, notify the front line."
"Open the main gate of Sector C3."
"Huh?"
Roger froze, thinking he had misheard.
"Open it? Boss, they're moving so fast. What if they drive in and detonate a suicide bomb?"
"It's fine, let them in."
"Just those few junk cars—even if they're packed with explosives, how many floor tiles could they destroy?"
"Tell Jedon to take men and block the entrance."
"If they're friends, invite them for tea."
"If they're enemies, feed them bolts."
Five hundred meters outside Castle Horizon.
The vanguard convoy leader's palms were soaked in sweat, his grip making the steering wheel creak.
Incoming bullets clattered against the rear armor plating like a death knell.
And dead ahead.
That legendary city of death that had consumed countless lives stood quietly.
Towering black walls, cold metallic glints, and the dark muzzles of cannons lining the ramparts.
The convoy leader despaired.
He originally thought that by hanging the "gear and wrench flag," the other side would at least send someone out to negotiate or give a signal to stop.
Instead, there was nothing.
No communication, no warning, and no sign of life.
Just a deathly silence.
This only confirmed the rumor—this place was an alien nest, forbidden to the living.
"It's over... all over..."
Looking at the approaching wall, the convoy leader felt utterly hopeless.
With wolves behind and tigers ahead, death was inevitable either way.
Rather than being captured by the maniacs behind to be skinned and disemboweled, it was better to charge into the alien nest for a swift death.
He slammed the accelerator to the floor and closed his eyes, preparing to face either a crash or being shredded by lasers.
However.
When the convoy was less than two hundred meters from the wall—
Rumble...
A heavy, dull sound of mechanical operation echoed.
The convoy leader snapped his eyes open.
The heavy alloy gate directly ahead, standing a full ten meters high, was slowly sliding open to both sides!
Revealing a wide, smoothly paved concrete passage.
The interior was brightly lit, casting a blinding glow.
"It... opened?"
The convoy leader's mind went blank.
The aliens opened the door?!
What kind of move was this? Luring the tiger into the trap? Planning to keep them inside as emergency rations?
But he had no time to think.
The vehicles were moving too fast to stop.
"Charge in!!"
The convoy leader roared. Leading the five vehicles behind him like a pack of startled wild horses, they roared through the gate.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh shreds!
Just as the six vehicles crossed the threshold—
Boom!!!
The massive gate behind them slammed shut with incredible speed, sealing perfectly.
A few rockets fired by the pursuers slammed into the newly closed door, exploding into bursts of fire.
All the noise and pursuits were completely cut off outside the wall in an instant.
The convoy skidded a few hundred meters more due to momentum before braking to a halt in a wide plaza.
Tires left long black marks on the ground, and the air filled with the stench of burnt rubber.
The convoy leader's hands trembled as he pushed open the car door and stumbled down.
He raised his head and looked around.
There was no slime covering the ground, no corpses hanging on the walls, and none of that nauseating metallic tang of blood.
This place... was too clean.
It felt surreal.
Uniform building complexes, ground so smooth it could reflect like a mirror, and automated mechanical arms moving cargo in the distance.
What alien nest?
This was clearly a well-functioning heavy industrial base!
"Is this... Castle Horizon?"
The drivers of the other vehicles climbed down as well, exchanging glances, their expressions shifting from terror to bewilderment.
Before they could process the situation—
Clank! Clank! Clank!
Synchronized footsteps echoed from all directions.
The heavy, metallic thuds against the ground struck like hammer blows to their chests.
Dozens of dark figures emerged from the shadows of the buildings, quickly forming a perimeter around the convoy.
The convoy leader got a clear look at them, and his pupils shrunk to pinpricks.
Every single one wore a pitch-black exoskeleton armor full of industrial aesthetic, standing over two meters tall, holding heavy weaponry that looked immensely powerful.
At the very front stood several even taller iron warriors, their faces entirely concealed by fully enclosed helmets.
Power armor!
Actual power armor!
Jedon wore his stormtrooper carapace armor. Though he was the shortest, his presence was the most imposing.
"If you don't want to die, put your hands on your heads and kneel!"
The dozen or so people from the vanguard didn't hesitate for a second, dropping to their knees instantly.
In the face of absolute military might, resistance was pointless.
Jedon walked up to the convoy leader, using his gun barrel to tilt the man's chin up.
"Speak. Which faction?"
"What did you bring?"
"Why run toward us?"
The convoy leader was forced to look up, meeting Jedon's young but murderous face, then looking at the surrounding ring of heavily armored warriors.
His brain underwent a massive storm at that moment.
No, these weren't aliens.
Absolutely not.
Aliens wouldn't wear standard-issue gear, wouldn't speak such fluent Low Gothic, and certainly wouldn't build such pristine roads.
On this planet of Zhais, where warlords rolled in the mud all day, when did such a well-equipped and well-trained army appear?
And they had actually occupied the cursed Castle Horizon?
They even opened the gate for them willingly?
An incredibly absurd yet remarkably logical hypothesis sprouted wildly in his mind.
"Could it be..."
The convoy leader's throat squeezed out a dry sound.
"Are you the legendary... remnants of the Golden Age?!"
Jedon: "?"
The more the convoy leader thought about it, the more it made sense.
It had to be!
Only an isolated, high-tech faction like this could ignore the alien curse and possess gear that crushed everything else.
The reason they opened the gate must be that they already knew about his convoy's existence through some advanced technological means.
They might have even known exactly what was inside the vehicles!
Something highly important to them!
That was why they intervened to save them!
Having figured this out, the terror vanished from the convoy leader's face, replaced by a fanatical expression.
He slammed his forehead against the ground and shouted loudly, "My Lord, I am here to present treasure!"
"I know you have been waiting for this!"
"Everything is in the vehicles—top-tier blueprints! And that... that ancient relic!"
"Please, accept these things and save our ship!"
Jedon looked completely bewildered at this guy who was terrified to death a moment ago and was now suddenly bowing and calling him Lord.
He scratched his head and looked at Colbert next to him.
"Old Col, did this guy lose his mind from fear?"
"What is he talking about? What were we waiting for?"
Colbert shrugged, indicating he didn't understand either.
But one thing was certain.
"He said there's treasure."
Colbert pointed at the vehicles.
"Go check it out."