Reboot: Mechanic

309  Prayed A few days had gone by since the post was made in the Darknet. The room where Shi Tian, Mary, and Vanessa were stationed had become something of a command center. Computer screens flickered with data, charts, and information.

During the past few days, Shi Tian, Mary, and Vanessa were utilizing the drone to scan the dense area. The low hum of the drone's engines filled the room as its camera transmitted images of the dark and mysterious dense area.

And just like the two of them had said, Shi Tian saw numerous evolved versions of the mutated monsters, each one more deadly than the other. The screen displayed grotesque creatures, their forms twisted and grotesque, with limbs and appendages that seemed to defy all logic. They moved in herds, like a nightmarish symphony of chaos.

"No wonder the two of you retreated." Shi Tian finally understood why even someone as capable as Mary would choose to retreat. The sheer number and ferocity of these creatures was overwhelming.

Hell, the dense area itself seemed to be the true monster wave in contrast to the one they were dealing with in the frontline. Had these evolved monsters decided to leave and attack them, then they would have suffered tremendous casualties. Their previous battles would have been nothing compared to what awaited them here.

Not even the Claymore Mines would deal much against them.

"See, I wasn't lying when it was really beyond our capability." Mary sighed softly, still feeling regretful about not being able to venture in. Her eyes were glued to the screens, the images of those terrifying creatures etched into her memory.

The evolved monsters gathered there aren't interested in their presence. Their motivations remained unknown, but it was clear that they had no intention of leaving their newfound territory.

However, once they decided to step foot into the premises of the dense area, even if it was just by a small millimeter, all of them would start to turn hostile, ready to decimate them. What was worse was that the drones alone were incapable of dealing with even one of them, with the laser proving futile to their tough armored skins. "It's frustrating that these monsters are hogging the strange energy all for themselves. I want to bathe in it and see the effect as well." Vanessa placed her hand on her chin, pouting softly. Her expression showed a hint of envy for the creatures that had claimed this strange energy source.

"As frustrating as it is, there's nothing we can do. With our current strength and equipment, we'll be squashed to death before even getting a chance to bathe in the strange energy." Shi Tian said emotionlessly. His gaze was fixed on the screens, but there was a sense of realism in his voice. He was the practical one in the group, always considering their limitations.

He was the realistic type, so knowing their capabilities were not adequate enough, they could only accept their fate. Fate of being incompetent and could only wait and watch from the sideline.

"And this is why you're boring, Nathan. You don't risk anything, and always calculate everything beforehand." Vanessa rolled her eyes, frustration apparent in her tone.

"It's better to be boring than a naive hot-blooded youth that only knows how to charge forward without a plan." Mary chimed in, agreeing with Shi Tian's rationality.

Shi Tian nodded his head. In a world where survival was a daily struggle, being a bit boring often meant the difference between life and death. He understood the importance of caution in this unforgiving environment.

One moment of carelessness was enough to forfeit your life. And Shi Tian had just learned that kind of valuable lesson a few days ago when confronting the elite soldiers. He was in the upper hand, with all the ambushes and coverage, yet he was still riddled with bullets.

If he were weak-willed and failed to retreat in time, then he would have died there on the spot. "Right now, it might seem like we are in a relaxing state, but me and Mary have been surveillancing the surroundings every few minutes." Shi Tian explained, letting Vanessa know that they had never let their guard down.

Although Vanessa understood their perspective and action, she still couldn't help herself feeling overwhelmingly frustrated. She was used to doing whatever the heck she wanted, without any restriction whatsoever. However, arriving in Gearits City had practically turned her world upside down.

This she can't do!

That she also can't do!

How was she supposed to cope with such drastic changes from her usual lifestyle? "I'm bored, Nathan." Vanessa poutingly said, walking toward him and poking his arms repeatedly. She was acting like a complete child, wanting to have some fun and requesting the parents for it. Shi Tian twitched his mouth, feeling goosebumps in his arms from her childish act. He secretly glanced at Mary, seemingly pleading for her help.

Alas, Mary pretended to be blind as she looked left and right, ignoring Shi Tian's eyes. To his disbelief, Mary went as far as to go to the computer screen, pretending to be working on something when he could clearly see her opening up a retro game to play.

'At least turn the computer screen on private mode so I don't see it.' Shi Tian screamed internally, wanting to curse Mary for her heartlessness. It was just a shame that he could no longer stare at Mary as Vanessa stepped forward and looked at him with docile eyes. "Nathan, don't you have some interesting story to tell me? Anything is fine, as long as it distracts my mind." She said coyly. "Please stop it, Vanessa." Retaining a solemn composure, Shi Tian pushed her aside softly and demanded. "I can reveal something, but you need to act seriously and stop these fake acts of yours. I'm about to die of cringeness." "Tsk, how rude of you." Vanessa clicked her tongue and crossed her arms. "Many people would die to see me acting this way." "Then I supposed I am the minority. And thank heaven for that." Shi Tian prayed in response. Rebirth of the Death Knight