Driving a fly pod for a Mech Designer like Everlearn?
It was as simple as breathing.
But what wouldn't be simple was getting out of the forest.
Looking at the map, there was already a specified route showing the path the pods had taken on their way here.
If he followed it, he would most definitely end up at the back gate of the Organization, and that… was a problem.
Such an advanced Organization would have heavy security, and for their back door, where they performed dirty deeds like this, there might even be a Corer squad or two on special standby.
He would be stopped immediately, and everything would blow up once that happened.
Hence, since going back to the Organization was out, that meant he needed a new path out.
Placing the pod on auto-drive mode, Everlearn opened the map dashboard and rapidly began analyzing.
With a couple of button presses, he locked in with Nvidia's lower satellites, allowing him to see exactly how wide the forest was.
It was rectangular in shape, and 80% of it was barricaded under the Organization's territory.
But then, there was something else.
The remaining twenty percent of this forest wasn't under the Organization's control. According to the satellite, that portion belonged to some…
"Lorenzo House?" he muttered repeatedly, but the name didn't hit home.
"To think such a house could manage to keep part of its land from being swallowed by such a big Organization."
"Definitely not ordinary, but judging from the satellite image, it looks quite… abandoned," Everlearn mused.
"Whatever it is, that's my chance out of here."
Refreshing the button, he switched off autopilot mode and grabbed the controls.
His legs slammed onto the accelerator, and he swerved the steering hard to the side.
VROOM!
A powerful ripple of energy rumbled through the air, and immediately, the pod burst forward, flying at full speed toward the only open section.
It wasn't too far, just twenty minutes later, Everlearn could already see the wide, unbarricaded walls fifty meters away.
But then, his eyes narrowed as he noticed something strange around the walls.
'Wait, are those—'
WHHIIIIIRRRR!
The sound of machinery suddenly rang out, and Everlearn's eyes widened as two objects, shaped like elongated bazooka muzzles, suddenly appeared from hidden dips in the walls.
WHIIIIIIIIIIIIIIR!
A second whirring sound followed, and green laser lights locked onto Everlearn's approaching pod.
Two seconds later—
BEEP!
BEEP!
WHOOOOOR!
The green laser lights turned red!
"You gotta be kidding me…"
THROOOOOOOOOM!
The air rippled violently, shockwaves undulating as a gigantic bomb, a meter in length, shot forward like a spear toward the pod.
He immediately swerved the steering wheel to the side.
BOOOOOOM!
It missed, crashing into the ground, but the resulting explosion flung the pod chaotically into the air.
THROOOOOOOOM!
Not even a second later, the second wall turret fired its own shot, deadlocked on pod.
SHATTER!
The glass of the pod shattered, and through the hole, a hand appeared holding an energy pistol.
THROOOM!
A shot was fired, slamming into the incoming bomb.
Both collided mid-air, canceling each other out.
With one hand through the glass, Everlearn repeatedly fired shot after shot, while his other hand and legs worked the controls, forcing the pod toward the gate's entrance.
The closer he got, the more agitated the turrets became, the shots coming faster and faster with shorter reload times.
Smoke and explosions chipped away at the pod's body.
When he finally pierced through the middle and was nearly out of the forest, one of the turrets suddenly fired two shots at once.
He managed to cancel one, having expected it, but the other slammed right at the center of the pod
BANG!
It was like being hit by a fast-moving train.
The pod went flying, crashing chaotically into the ground and bouncing repeatedly.
Each bounce shed heaps of metal before it finally smashed down, sending Everlearn flying out.
He crashed through a window of an old building.
BLERGH!
Blood burst from his lips, veins popping in his eyes as he forcefully ripped his stomach free from the iron beam that had impaled him.
He landed on both knees, both hands twisted unnaturally, his body covered in soot, and even shreds of metal dug into him from the collision, making him look like a bloody porcupine.
[HP: 1/200]
The panel blinked, and in an instant, Everlearn collapsed face-first, the world quickly darkening.
But before it did—
STEP
STEP
STEP
He faintly heard footsteps stop before his face, and all he saw were a woman's high-heeled shoes before the darkness swallowed him.
"Taking a direct hit from an advanced-caliber turret shot, and impaled straight through by sharpened Nofdian steel, yet somehow still breathing?"
The voice echoed through the dusty, dark room, followed by a puff of smoke drifting through the space.
"Just what type of treasure has walked right into my hands this time?"
A gloved hand picked Everlearn up by the back of his neck, dragging him away.
All that was left was a trail of blood that stretched into a corridor so pitch black that the bloody trail stain could no longer be seen.