"I understand… Leave it to me." He replied after which the intercoms were cut. "Are we going to try it?" Leah asked. "Mn, we have to do what we can."
"But what about the suicide mission you were taking us on?" Nathan sighed as he recalled that. "There is no way we can go ahead with that now. We can't afford to sacrifice the Crawler."
"So how do we take down the enemy Crawler?" "… Let's focus on saving the Mammoth for now."
"Alright then." They quickly got to work. "We need to reprogram the code that the Crawler works on but I have no idea about the Mammoth's programming code."
"Leave it to me, I may have gone through the code a few times. I can rewrite it." Nathan put up a brow. "You just happened to read the programming code for the Mammoth?... That is weirdly convenient."
"What?... Don't look at me like that, I was bored." "….Wow, okay then."
He shrugged as he got to his feet. "Apart from that, we also need the AI for the Mammoth. We can only hope that someone over there would recover in time to get us what we need."
"Enough talk, we should get to work," Leah said as she moved to the control station. "Wait a minute."
"What?" "We still need to ensure the safety of the Crawler. If something were to happen to this one as well… Then we would have no chance."
"… I didn't think of that." "It's fine. Leave it to me. But you should wait a bit before you begin rewriting the programming code. It could mess with the Crawler functions if you worked while I set it up."
"Fine then." Nathan moved to her side and quickly got to work. After pushing a few keys, the production chamber quickly began the assembly process for the Sand Turrets.
The parts were already made thus the process was quickly finished. Thirteen Sand Turrets were produced. "So little?... The number of Turrets that you placed to protect the Mammoth was double this number."
"I know, but that was because the Mammoth had a constant influx of energy from the energy node so it could constantly power the barrier formation.
"The Crawler is severely lacking in power. If I attempted to replicate the same formation, The Crawler's energy reserves would soon be exhausted. That is something we cannot afford to happen."
"But this means that the barrier formation would be weaker?" Leah was worried, she was right to be. Their camp, despite its heavy defenses, was destroyed.
They were in enemy territory and the barrier formation they were making use of was barely half as strong as the one used to defend their home. What were the odds of getting blown up again…. Very high, if they were being honest.
"You don't have to worry." Nathan tried to reassure her… His attempt fell flat. "Are you sure?... Because I can give several reasons why I should be."
"Just trust me." She beheld the look in his eyes. It was filled with confidence, albeit a little shaky, but it was still there. She couldn't understand what made him feel so confident but she found herself trusting him.
They held each other's gaze for some time before Leah broke the ice. "…Alright then." Just like Elena, Leah had also decided to trust Nathan's capabilities fully.
"Thank you." He broke out a smile as he turned back to the controls. As he got to work, the Crawler followed his commands. The hatch at the top of the Crawler shot open, out of which, thirteen circular projectiles were sent flying.
They seemed to drop randomly at different points but once they were nearly settled, they seemed to form a star with thirteen points. They quickly began to build up, it was like watching a Machine build itself from scratch.
Forty-five seconds later and all Thirteen Sand Turrets were ready. "I won't be using the same barrier formation we used to protect the Mammoth."
"Why?" Leah asked. "Because, just as you said, it would be weaker. We can't afford to have a shield that is too weak. I obviously can't create a barrier formation as strong as the one used previously but I can make one that utilizes all Thirteen Sand Turrets to their fullest potential."
"Fine then, do what you want. I can't help out anyway. You are the formation master." Leah put her hands up, signaling her intention to not get involved as she was not at all versed when it came to formations.
"Heh, and you think I am?... You can thank the system for helping me out with that." Nathan lampooned in his head as he quickly activated, [Eyes of Laplace]
The concept of formations was introduced after cultivation was perfected. It dwelled on the concept of using many to empower one. With the help of a formation, strength, speed, and general stats would undergo an increase at an exponential level.
This was taught in theoretical gatherings for all Classes, it was an important arsenal in a Guardian's artillery. Of course, very few would be willing to grasp it as formations were not exactly easily taught.
But for Nathan, he only had to understand the basics. One thing that the newbies were unaware of was the fact that formations worked based on mathematical models.
If one was versed in the subject, it would be easy to produce formations. Nathan was not so versed at it, but [Eyes of Laplace] Made up for what he lacked.
Thus it was easy for him to create formations, at least, low-level ones.
As he stared at the design of the Sand Turrets on screen, [Eyes of Laplace] showed him a different view. Using the Crawler as the central node, he spread out its shield to connect with the thirteen Sand Turrets, turning them into auxiliary nodes.
Once he was done connecting the Sand Turrets with the Crawler, he activated the Formation. Energy shot out from the Crawler's core and powered it.
The Sand Turrets lit up as tachyon energy flowed through their circuits. At that moment, the Formation began to take form.
Instead of a dome, it crisscrossed around it until there were over thirteen layers of light shields surrounding it. If one managed to take a peek from the top, it would take the shape of a thirteen-pointed star symbol.
"This looks amazing…" "They are light shields with a built-in diversion asset. If they want to get through, they would need to take their time." He said with a smirk. "Now can I get to work?"
"Of course. I'll keep watch." He backed away and allowed Leah to take the lead. She quickly pulled up the main program the Crawler functioned on and ventured into its configuration settings. Without further Ado, she got to work.
***
"You are on a mission." He heard a familiar voice. He found himself in a dark place, seated in shallow water possessing a dark and murky characteristic.
"Do not forget what has to be done." He had a complicated expression on his face as he looked left and right to find the origin of the voice.
Just as he was about to say something, a bright flash spread across the dark place and he felt a pull. He suddenly began to fall, he stretched out his hand to grab something… anything… Alas, there was nothing to hold onto.
"Ahhhhh!!!" He let out a scream and then… Silence.
_____
"Hah." Reyes opened his eyes. His breathing was unstable and he felt pain all over. He struggled to control his breathing as he threw what he had dreamt about to the back of his mind.
He tried to move his hands but received very little response. His legs were in a similar state. He looked to his left and then to his right. All around him was metal debris from the aftermath of the Mammoth getting blown up.
He groaned as he forced himself to sit upright, it felt like his body was no longer his. Once he managed to sit up, he realized just how much damage he had suffered at the hands of the ICBM.
His right arm was broken, a metal shard as large as a kitchen knife, pierced through his shoulder. His clothes were practically gone as he had suffered third-degree burns. "Eeaahhhhhh!!!" He screamed at the top of his lungs as the pain washed over him.
"Ugh." He dropped back to the ground. He was ready to quit the game. "What level of sensitivity was this game set at…" His thoughts were a mess.
[Player Reyes Goldman wants to quit Perfect World, first scenario]
[Yes][No]
He did not hesitate to click [Yes]
[Are you sure?]
Just as he was about to affirm, he heard his voice. "Hey, Reyes, are you still sleeping??... Wake up man, we need your help. Come on, just get off your lazy ass and answer me!!" It was Nathan on the other end.