After a few hours of rest and recuperation in the safety of the Fang Trader Enclave, the APC continued on its journey. The trip’s second leg was slower, as they had to cautiously avoid mutant checkpoints and the paths of various mutated beasts.
There was also the added danger of hostile plant life. For example, so plants were known to explode with highly concentrated acid capable of lting steel armor the mont any sign of life approached.
So of these plants had even been deliberately planted around Manhattan by mutants as a deterrent against intruders trying to sneak into their territory.
Of course, these plants could be destroyed from a distance, but once they exploded, nearby mutant outposts would be alerted and swarm the area.
This made going through such areas impossible. Currently, the APC was traveling along a narrow road, mostly reclaid by nature. On the bright side, this path attracted less attention from mutants since it was commonly used by mutated beasts.
"A pack of red wolves, 2 kiloters, on your six. Find a place to hide," Honiahaka’s voice ca through the communication device inside the APC.
Doc quickly drove the APC to the marked safe zone. Honiahaka, acting as a scout outside the APC, had done a good job identifying secure travel paths.
The APC was parked in an overgrown, abandoned parking lot, and the engine shut down, leaving only essential systems powered by the battery. The monitors still displayed the outside environnt, one of them linked to the drone Switch had deployed earlier.
On-screen, a pack of red-furred wolves, each around three ters tall—was seen moving along the beast path, the sa one the APC was using.
The pack drew closer and closer until only a single building separated them from the APC. Fortunately, the vehicle was sealed tight, and no scent of human flesh escaped to their noses—only the sll of fuel, oil, and tal, which they disliked.
Eventually, the pack moved on and vanished into the dense forest.
Even after the wolves had gone, the APC remained still, waiting an additional five minutes. Then—
"It’s clear. You’re free to move," Honiahaka’s voice ca through again, bringing a collective sigh of relief from the team. Maximilian, anwhile, watched with interest.
Inside the System interface, he observed a 3D map where Honiahaka was prone on a rooftop, using his Enhancent Tattoo ability to mask his scent. The wolves had passed just five ters below him without noticing a thing.
Seeing that Honiahaka was heading back toward the APC, Maximilian assud the path ahead was now safe.
A mont later, a knock ca from outside, three rhythmic taps in a specific pattern, like a coded signal.
The APC ramp opened, and Honiahaka, clad in his ghillie suit, walked in. He removed the suit and sat beside the driver.
"Let’s go. The path is clear. We’ve got a few hours before the next pack passes by. We need to reach the next hideout before sundown," Honiahaka told Doc.
With that, Doc drove the APC out of hiding and toward their next destination.
After an hour of careful driving and avoiding danger, the APC finally arrived at the hideout.
It was a ruin, seemingly abandoned, with no sign of life other than a faint light signal blinking from a lookout on the second floor. The building had been deliberately left in its decayed state to avoid suspicion from mutants, as it was located within the Iron Tusk tribe’s territory.
Fortunately, the hideout sat in an area rarely patrolled by the Iron Tusk tribe. Had it not, it would have long since been discovered.
The APC entered the ruined building and was lowered into the basent by a large elevator. The lookouts and Wildwalkers of the Fang Trader Enclave remained alert and vigilant during the descent.
Once the APC was parked inside, the guards and traders relaxed slightly before resetting the appearance of the ruin to make it look abandoned again.
Only a small cara and two lookouts remained on duty outside, especially important now that the sun had set.
Maximilian checked a nearby clock. It was already past 6:30 PM. Dusk had settled, and night was approaching.
The team disembarked from the APC, leaving Maximilian behind to think. But Switch, halfway down the ramp, paused and turned to face him.
"Are you going to sleep in the APC? We have sleeping bags, but wouldn’t you prefer a soft mattress?" she called out.
"Ah, I’m sorry, Ms. Switch. I’ll go right away," Maximilian said, standing up and following her out of the vehicle.
This hideout resembled a military outpost more than a trading post. It had likely been built so the Fang Trader Enclave could monitor the Iron Tusk tribe’s movents.
Switch led Maximilian to a guest bedroom prepared by the outpost. The room was modestly furnished with a bunk bed, a small table with two chairs used for als or work, and an old battery-powered radio. Given the location within Iron Tusk territory, they avoided using noisy equipnt like generators.
"Do you want the upper or lower bunk?" Switch asked.
"Huh? Oh... Lower bunk, Ms. Switch," Maximilian answered reflexively.
"Okay, then I’ll take the upper bunk," Switch replied.
"Huh?" Maximilian tilted his head in confusion.
"Don’t get any weird ideas, Max. I’m just sleeping on the upper bunk. Don’t even think about sneaking over. I sleep with a gun under my pillow," she warned with a huff before removing her shoes and claiming the top bunk.
"Err... I don’t an to intrude, Ms. Switch, but... shouldn’t Mr. Honiahaka sleep here? Or... maybe one of the other n? I an... is it appropriate?" Maximilian asked with a wry smile.
"Honia went out to scout the path we’ll use tomorrow. Doc’s sleeping in the APC, Radio goes out to set up detection equipnt, and Dragon Fist hates your guts. That leaves to claim the only guest room with a proper mattress," Switch explained, giving Maximilian a sly, almost seductive smile.
"Any questions?"
"No, ma’am. No questions," Maximilian replied stiffly.
"That’s good. Sleep well... we have a long day tomorrow," she said, gesturing toward the lower bunk.
Maximilian crawled into bed and lay down, feeling a bit strange about the situation. He had a lot of questions, like why he couldn’t have just stayed in the APC and let the won share the room to avoid awkwardness. Or why Switch seed to single him out like this in the first place.
Of course, he knew better than to ask. When won reached a state of unreasonableness, no logic or reasoning in the world could change their minds. So, he decided to let it go.
Maximilian closed his eyes but called up the System interface to check the 3D map. He observed several groups of mutants passing through the area about one kiloter away, though none ca close to the hideout. Only a few stragglers wandered nearby, but they eventually left after finding nothing of interest.
While scanning the 3D map, Maximilian noticed sothing on the rooftop of the hideout. Radio was setting up a detection system. She opened a piece of equipnt that looked like a receiver disk, inserted a small device inside, and then secured the lid with screws before leaving.
Maximilian didn’t know exactly what the device was, but her behavior caught his attention. She kept glancing left and right, clearly trying to make sure no one saw her while she installed the small device. Suspicious, he made a ntal note to keep an eye on Radio.
{Hey... are you asleep?} Maximilian asked Aetherna through the link they shared.
[...]
What responded was the faint sound of breathing from the other side of the link.
{G’night...} Maximilian whispered in his mind before drifting off to sleep.
— Morning —
The next morning, the team had a quick breakfast and gathered in front of the APC. Maximilian joined them, standing alongside the others.
Honiahaka stood before the group and began to speak.
"In this part of the mission, we’ll have to enter Old Manhattan with the APC and park it in an old ruin. From there, we’ll proceed on foot for about half an hour to reach the destination. I’ll go with Mr. Graham to lead the way. Who’s coming with to help protect him?"
Switch stepped forward.
"Let co with you."
"Alright, three people is better than the whole group. Doc, Radio, Mr. Dragon Fist, you’ll all stay with the APC and remain on standby. If things go south, be ready to retreat imdiately. But don’t stray too far, we’ll still need you for extraction," Honiahaka instructed.
After the assignnts were given, everyone went on their way to carry out their respective tasks.
Doc, seated in the driver’s seat, sped the APC out of the hideout as soon as the elevator brought it to the surface. The vehicle accelerated toward the destination Honiahaka had previously marked on the map.
During the journey, there were several close calls, such as an encounter with mutant stragglers, but Honiahaka quickly dealt with them, allowing the APC to continue on its path without further delays.
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