Chapter 126: Found Him

Without another word, Gecko started the vehicle.

The off-road vehicle, roaring like a wild beast, charged violently onto the small leftward path and sped away.

The investigators left behind wore peculiar expressions. They had previously conducted an extremely detailed investigation of the surrounding area, confirming the targets moved south. They’d found no trace whatsoever on this left-hand path skirting the abandoned city. They couldn’t fathom why the Special Operations Team, whom higher-ups strictly ordered them to cooperate with, chose that direction.

Utterly baffled, they couldn’t help but…

…feel a surge of admiration. Exchanging glances, they murmured, “They must be on another level. Can’t understand what experts like them are doing.”

……

“We should head south now.”

Under Gecko’s control, the off-road vehicle accelerated recklessly, flying over rugged terrain.

At every critical juncture, Mother would gently point out the direction.

Lu Xin relayed it directly to Gecko without second thought.

This baffled Gecko considerably. He frequently steered with one hand while unfolding the map held in his other, scanning its surface.

This was the latest map Qinggang City had compiled in recent years, detailing the surrounding terrain, transport routes, and major conditions across roughly a thousand-mile radius. It marked all gathering points and danger zones. Roads themselves were color-coded: those impassable, disrupted, or blocked were outlined in red.

Tiny crosses indicated roads utterly unnavigable by vehicles.

Dotted lines signified routes that were extremely difficult but still barely passable.

The compact map was packed with highly valuable intelligence, though Lu Xin couldn’t interpret it.

Fortunately, he could tap into Mother’s ability to pinpoint the enemy’s location.

Combining these locations with Gecko’s driving skill and knowledge of road conditions allowed them to chart the optimal route.

……

“These guys sure can run…”

After over two hours of driving aggressively, Gecko flipped the map and muttered.

Lu Xin nodded. Since leaving the city, they hadn’t wasted a moment, pursuing relentlessly. He trusted Mother’s directions implicitly, which saved significant time.

Road conditions varied from good to terrible, but under Gecko’s capable hands, their speed never dipped below one hundred kilometers per hour.

Over two hours of travel put them roughly two to three hundred kilometers from Qinggang City. The straight-line distance probably exceeded a hundred kilometers.

This meant the group, after succeeding in Qinggang, fled immediately and continuously without pausing.

They were indeed cautious.

……

“But it does at least prove these guys aren’t any Knights Order near us.”

Gecko rambled his analysis: “Knights Orders exist outside the High Wall. ‘Knights Order’ is a fancy name—really, they’re just gangs of bandits riding beat-up motorcycles with crappy guns, robbing whoever they can hit. Their targets are usually small gathering point bases or transport convoys nearby. They’d never dare attack a Highwall City directly.

“Now, with Qinggang’s influence growing stronger, many Knights Orders are going legit, taking jobs like convoy escort or wasteland scavenging missions from us in the city. Though, of course, they still rob when opportunity knocks – like a side hustle.”

Gecko’s tone firmed up, “We’ve basically got all the Knights Orders around Qinggang identified; we know their gathering points and activity ranges. But the guys we’re chasing never stopped; they just kept pushing outward. That means their base isn’t local.

“My hunch? They were probably hired by another Highwall City specifically to cause trouble in our Qinggang…”

“……”

Lu Xin gave a slight nod.

From what he knew, this particular Knights Order was likely led by Qin Ran.

They weren’t large—about seven members—but their capabilities were formidable. Three were Ability Users. They’d managed to sow major chaos within the city and even set up roughly six multi-barrel converted machine guns to ambush him and Chen Jing’s convoy.

Their objective must have been stealing that painting.

Their origin? Why steal it? How long had they secretly planned this operation? All unknown.

But he didn’t need to know.

Investigating those things was Chen Jing’s job. His mission on this trip was simply to bring them back.

……

“Whoosh…”

The massive, modified off-road vehicle traversed the endless expanse of The Wilderness.

Its four enormous customized rubber tires, combined with the monstrously sturdy steel frame, transformed the vehicle into a true iron beast. It simply crushed over any crevice or ditch it encountered with the same rushing sound.

A pack of wolves wandering across The Wilderness heard the sound from afar and perked their ears to listen.

However, upon the Iron Beast’s approach, they scattered in panic.

Pale puddles, their depths concealing unknown perils, were plowed through directly by the Iron Beast.

Colossal sprays of water, reaching two to three meters high, cascaded down, sluicing over the mud-caked chassis.

A certain decaying, shambling humanoid Maniac—moving mechanically and sluggishly at the road’s center—turned stiffly at the roar of the engine.

In its single remaining, clouded eye, a flare of madness ignited…

…But it had barely completed its turn when the roaring Truck Leader crunched it into mangled pulp.

…

♪ _”Though I’m just a sheep, a-ooo…”_

♥ _”Green grass grows sweeter because of me, a-ooo…”_

♫ _”The sky turns bluer still, a-oo-wah…”_

♪ _”White clouds soften up, a-ooo-ooo…”_

_”…”_

Night fell gradually. The Off-road Vehicle had traveled for hours without sighting another human.

Only the remnants of dilapidated villages could be seen, near and far, engulfed by voracious Vines or Wasteland Grass.

Soon, even these villages’ final traces would likely vanish.

The weed-choked path bore only the Off-road Vehicle’s blinding headlights and the Gecko’s singing.

His song felt familiar to Lu Xin; Little Sister had once seemed very fond of that cartoon.

She’d stopped later, complaining the protagonist never got to eat the sheep.

But the Gecko’s version differed from Lu Xin’s Memory, carrying a raw, wild edge.

He sang it with the swagger of the villains.

The melody carried into the distance, occasionally answered by haunting howls from beasts deep within The Wilderness.

“Won’t singing like that attract hordes of Maniacs?”

Lu Xin asked, catching him just before the next chorus.

“Maniacs?”

The Gecko laughed. “It’s not ten or twenty years ago; there aren’t so many left!”

“Especially these roads we’re on—used by transport convoys. Swept clean long ago. The few stragglers we’ve bumped into tonight? Practically endangered species!”

“Hell, if we actually ran into a whole batch, it’d be damn lucky…”

He took a breath and launched back in: ♪ _”If there’s a problem, just go…”_

Lu Xin interrupted again, smiling. “Why the non-stop singing?”

The Gecko glanced at him. “Because you won’t talk to me! Keeps me sharp…”

Lu Xin considered it; the Gecko had been driving for four or five hours.

“Want me to take a shift?” he offered kindly.

“Nope, nope!”

The Gecko shook his head vigorously. “I’ve got this.”

Lu Xin chuckled wryly. “Afraid I can’t drive, is that it?”

The Gecko looked at him gravely. “No… I’m afraid that once I’ve outlived my use, your family might…”

He drew a finger sharply across his own throat.

Lu Xin was startled. Does this guy really think my family’s so unreasonable?

Then, he caught sight in the rearview mirror: Mother and Little Sister, who’d climbed back into the cab, were both watching the Gecko with keen interest.

…

“If we don’t catch them today, better to first—”

Lu Xin started planning ahead, considering finding a place to rest.

The Gecko had been using his ability to drive. While driving itself was a minor exertion for his power, maintaining that intensity continuously for four or five hours had to be tiring.

He didn’t want the Gecko collapsing… mainly because a collapsed driver wouldn’t help him catch anyone.

Just as he was about to suggest it, Mother, in the back seat, shifted slightly away from the window and sat up straighter.

Her brow furrowed slightly.

Her expression held a hint of distaste, yet struggled to contain a deeper, flickering intrigue.

Little Sister, on the other hand, showed clear excitement. Her small head pressed against the window, sniffing intently.

Beneath her dark hair, her eyes visibly brightened.

Lu Xin sensed the change and slowly rolled down his window, looking out.

The Gecko immediately covered his nose and mouth. “Ugh, what is that?”

Lu Xin scanned the landscape outside the window, silent. He smelled it too—a sharp, fresh coppery tang of blood.

An intensely thick scent, carried on the air, floated into the cab.

…

“Found them, hmm…”

Mother murmured with a soft smile, covering her mouth and nose as she peered out the window.

“Over there…”