The First Order

The sky was filled with dark clouds while the ground rumbled like thunder.

The dark clouds and rumbling thunder gave chase to the off-road vehicle ahead of it. The road leading straight north was like a long black line carved into the terrain as Dusk constantly smashed through the tail end of it.

Dusk was a behemoth. Wherever it passed, the road's surface and foundation cracked like a fragile layer of rammed earth that had fallen into disrepair.

"Although that monster chasing after us is terrifying, we might still be able to get rid of it with heavy firepower. But those things in the sky, what means do we have to stop them?" Luo Lan asked worriedly as he looked in the rearview mirror.

In the past, although the birds roaming the skies had turned very aggressive and gained territorial awareness of the sky, attacking any flying objects that entered their airspace, they had never initiated attacks on humans.

Although some people said that the eagles in some areas would carry off children as food, that was actually still within the definition of hunting instincts.

But these birds had become way too terrifying after being controlled by the artificial intelligence.

Most importantly, humans did not seem to have any means to keep them in check.

They could do a sweeping fire on them with machine guns, but the birds in the sky were far more agile than these firearms.

When the steam locomotive appeared on the horizon, Luo Lan was overjoyed. "Ren Xiaosu has arrived. Hahaha, I knew he wouldn't disappoint me!"

Zhou Qi muttered, "It was Qing Zhen who said that, not you."

Luo Lan casually stepped on the accelerator and said with a laugh, "It doesn't matter who said it, what matters is that we won't die once Ren Xiaosu arrives. I've sat in his steam locomotive before. The glass windows are bulletproof. I don't believe those birds can break into Ren Xiaosu's steam locomotive."

It seemed that Ren Xiaosu had never disappointed Luo Lan since they made their escape from Stronghold 113.

If not for Ren Xiaosu, Luo Lan would have died five or six times over.

Luo Lan floored the accelerator. The off-road vehicle's engine emitted a buzzing sound and the engine's rotational speed instantly increased. The exhaust that was expelled entered the turbines through the pipeline and instantly increased the impeller pressure.

As the engine's throttle increased, so did the intensity of the exhaust discharge and speed of the turbines. The pressure and density of the air increased, instantly burning up the fuel in the gas tank.

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The black off-road vehicle was like a wild beast as it sped up again. Qing Zhen and company were all pressed tightly against the backrest as they felt the adrenaline rush from the getaway.

Initially, Luo Lan would not have been able to drive so fast. After all, if they went too fast, they could perish in a car accident before the monster behind them could catch up to them.

But they did not have to care about that anymore. What they needed to do was to rendezvous with Ren Xiaosu so he could continue leading them on their escape.

At the same time, Dusk picked up its speed again and broke away from the shadow of the "dark clouds."

The sight of the steam locomotive in the north, and the off-road vehicle and Dusk in the south, was like the most violent representations coming to a clash in the wilderness. A collision was about to happen.

As the distance between the off-road vehicle and steam locomotive drew closer, Luo Lan and company's anticipation also grew stronger.

But as they were about to join up with Ren Xiaosu, Luo Lan gradually stepped on the brakes while Ren Xiaosu drove the steam locomotive straight past them.

Ren Xiaosu sat at the front of the railcar with a calm expression. When the two vehicles passed each other by, a huge gust of wind stirred and fluttered Ren Xiaosu's clothes.

A huge column of black smoke spewed out from the steam locomotive's smokestack behind Ren Xiaosu. As he sat there in front, Ren Xiaosu resembled a god.

Luo Lan, Qing Zhen, and the others got out of their off-road vehicle in shock and turned around to look behind them.

The steam locomotive was hurtling south towards the surging dark clouds.

On the opposing side, a flock of birds blotted out the sun while the terrifying Dusk crawled on the ground, but the steam locomotive did not slow down.

Ren Xiaosu was not only here to deal with them, but also to deal with what was potentially the most dangerous threat.

"Wait a minute, is Ren Xiaosu able to defeat that monster?" Zhou Qi said in shock, "Don't tell me he doesn't want to live anymore?"

Qing Zhen and Xu Man also frowned, seemingly thinking about something.

Only Luo Lan suddenly remembered that the leopard gecko called Midnight Ren Xiaosu had summoned back in the Kingdom of Sorcerers was really similar to the one chasing them right now.

Although Midnight's color was lighter, a fiery red, the one pursuing them was fully brown.

However, Luo Lan definitely would not believe that these two lizards were unrelated, owing to the fact that they both appeared around the same time.

Previously, when Luo Lan asked about Midnight's origins, Ren Xiaosu answered him honestly.

So Luo Lan suddenly gulped and said, "You might not believe me even if I tell you, but that monster chasing us might be Ren Xiaosu's pet. He has another one of them. Zhou Qi, you should have already guessed it as well…."

Qing Zhen and Xu Man looked at Luo Lan and Zhou Qi in unison.

Zhou Qi nodded. "Ren Xiaosu indeed has a pet that's about the same size as that monster. However, this one's likely controlled by the AI."

Qing Zhen was the smartest one among the four. "This monster had been living in the mouth of a volcano in the Jing Mountains. The Jing Mountains is where the Pyro Company's Laboratory 39 was located, and the Pyro Company calls that place a hallowed ground. So, if this leopard gecko is Ren Xiaosu's pet, Ren Xiaosu must be the No. 001 Experimental."

Otherwise, no one could explain the connection between this monster and Ren Xiaosu. The Qing Consortium had evidence that the two lizards had been living inside the Sacred Mountains since a hundred years ago. Some traveling merchants had heard roars coming from inside the volcano. Of course, it was still only a myth at that time, but the legend was now as good as confirmed.

These two lizards had existed since a hundred years ago, and they were also Ren Xiaosu's pets. Therefore, Ren Xiaosu must be at least a hundred years old.

The Experimental who was dressed in the black robe had once told Li Yingyun that they were looking for the perfected No. 001 Experimental. It was said that that was a true god, and it was very likely he had already blended into society.

Experimentals. This was a terrifying term for anyone who heard it.

However, when Luo Lan suddenly realized Ren Xiaosu was the No. 001 Experimental, he felt that this term did not sound that scary anymore.

"So be it if he's an Experimental. He should be a successful specimen that's definitely different from those gray-skinned ones." Luo Lan said firmly, "Qing Zhen, if he doesn't bring it up himself, we mustn't mention it to anyone either."

"Mhm," Qing Zhen agreed. "Actually, the fact he honestly admitted to you that it's his pet already confirms his identity. This is a sign he trusts you."

"Wait!" Zhou Qi shouted, "Ren Xiaosu is about to collide with that lizard and the flock of birds! Should we retreat farther away? If Ren Xiaosu can't manage to defeat them, it'll be easier for us to escape!"

Luo Lan snapped, "Get a backbone, will ya? Ren Xiaosu is here to rescue us, so how can we just abandon him and run away?"

"The problem is that there's not even a river here. We aren't going to be of any help at all," Zhou Qi roared.

"Still, we can't just leave." Luo Lan said, "What if we're able to help in some way? If we can't, we'll just perish here together."

At this moment, Ren Xiaosu stood up at the front of the railcar and reached his hand into the column of black smoke chugging out of the smokestack.

A moment later, a hand suddenly appeared in the dark cloud of birds in the sky. It was holding four playing cards between its slender index and middle fingers.

The cards were 9s.

Ren Xiaosu retracted his arm and closed the Shadow Door, but the four playing cards remained suspended in the air.

The spade, heart, club, and diamond suits on the cards seemingly underwent a chemical reaction. The suit symbols started to glow and erupt with an unparalleled, majestic burst of energy.

Luo Lan and company watched from afar as a red glow suddenly appeared among the dark clouds in the sky.

The light shrouded behind the dark cloud was like lava spewing out of a volcanic rock crack. It was peaceful, yet extremely violent.

Before Luo Lan and the others could get a clear look, they saw rays of light splitting the dark cloud apart. It was as though it had been cut open by a blade of light. Then all of the energy released by the four Explosive Poker cards erupted.

All of the birds burst into flame and were turned to ash in an instant.

The explosive range of 9s was enough to cover a radius of 800 meters and destroy all life within it.

However, 9 was also the highest card Ren Xiaosu had drawn so far.

It was not that he did not have the luck to draw better cards, but that he had already traded for more Proficiency Stones with his gratitude tokens.

Just as the Great Hoodwinker, Zhang Husheng, often said, everything was for the Prosperous Northwest.

The Prosperous Northwest was now an incantation.

Just as Luo Lan and company were in shock as they watched the fiery explosion in the sky, they saw a huge stellar gate suddenly opening in front of the steam locomotive.

Luo Lan muttered, "There it is! There it is!"

Midnight rushed out through the stellar gate and crashed head-on into Dusk.

Translated by: Legge

Edited by: /book/the-first-order_14219251705674005