"Ugh! Oof! AHH!" Alan groaned as he shoveled the last pile of mud back into his freshly dug pit. The dirt was damp and cool beneath his hands, and he could feel the gritty texture of the soil as he dug. The earthy scent of the soil filled his nostrils, and he could feel the sting of exhaustion settling into his bones.
He'd spent three hours digging through the soil, and another 40 minutes covering it back up. The Obsidian Coil's horns were now safely buried deep within the earth. He wiped the sweat from his forehead and took a deep breath of the fresh air.
Truthfully, Alan felt quite proud of his work. He'd never done so much manual labor in his entire life, and although he was thoroughly exhausted, it strangely felt rather good.
The Obsidian Coil's horns were now safely buried deep within the earth. He was just a budding researcher, and he didn't dare to bring the horns into the stronghold this openly.
How was he supposed to explain the matter of a non-combat citizen like him coming into possession of such high-level mutated beast parts? There was no way he could bring the horns into the stronghold without drawing attention to himself and exposing Zed.
Thus, he'd decided to bury the horns outside and come back for them later.
During this time, Zed had already taken a nap, woke up, gone back to the desert to look for the hoverbike, and returned. Needless to say, Alan was distraught when he saw Zed coming back with just a piece of dial from his brand new hoverbike.
The desert area was now just a gory mess of flesh and blood, littered with fragments of broken machinery parts and deep sand pits all over. Zed had dug around for some time before managing to retrieve a relatively clean and unbroken piece of Alan's hoverbike.
Alan clutched the piece of dial and collapsed limply onto the grass, his expression gray like dead ash. His hands, knees, buttocks, and face were all covered in mud, and there were bloody scrapes all over his exposed skin. He looked like a dirty swamp monster, and his rotund belly heaved up and down as he gasped for breath.
This is too much. His hoverbike was clearly still fine and intact at the end of the battle. So how was it reduced to such a state in just a night?!
"Ah... Life is so difficult." Alan sighed as he closed his eyes and relaxed his body. He thought about the 200,000 Cryptons he'd spent on the bike and suddenly felt that it wouldn't be that bad to just sink into the ground and let the tall grass cover him.
"Alan, you're turning red." Zed commented in a serious tone as he bounced up and down on Alan's bulging belly as though it was a trampoline.
Alan turned his head to the side and ignored the mouse.
A moment later, he felt a sizzling sensation slowly spreading on the exposed side of his neck, and he turned his head to the other side.
When that part of his neck also turned hot, he finally sat up in frustration.
The young, dignified scientist looked up and pointed at the sky, letting loose a mouthful of shocking expletives.
Zed looked shocked.
"You kiss your mother with that mouth?"
Alan: "..."
----------
Several hours later, the duo came to the gate of Stronghold 51.
Zed looked at the massive stronghold in awe. Looking up from his height, the walls seemed to stretch all the way to the sky, as if it was linked to the endless blue dome above. It was the largest structure he had ever seen in his life. The walls were made of reinforced alloy metal and there were numerous turrets and armed guards patrolling the perimeter.
As they approached the entrance, Alan could feel his nerves starting to kick in. Actually, he wasn't very sure of how to smuggle Zed into the stronghold undetected. He'd only come up with a rough plan after discussing it with Zed.
There was no helping it. The security measures were incredibly strict and any unauthorized entry could result in severe punishment.
Moreover, Zed was an important government property that'd gone missing. The government officials must be going crazy right now, trying to look for him. Bringing the main character into the stronghold at this point was practically boldness that verged on the edge of insanity.
At this moment, Zed was curled up in Alan's backpack, his entire body encased in a metallic box. The box was formed with his nanobots, and disguised to look like a rubik's cube.
The nanobots perfectly concealed his body temperature and blocked the probing of any and all scanning devices.
This was undoubtedly a very rudimentary disguise method, but it worked like a charm. The guards only briefly glanced at Alan's residency pass and motioned for him to walk through the door-like scanner.
The scanner lit up with a green hue as he passed through it, indicating that there were no abnormalities.
Then, another guard came and took his backpack away. He rummaged through the contents of the bag roughly before pausing and picking up the strangely large rubik's cube.
Alan felt his heart skip a beat and cold sweat ran down his forehead.
The guard turned the rubik's cube around, observing it from all angles. Then, he tried to rotate the moveable pieces and tossed it into the air a few times. Failing to find any problems with it, he placed it back into the bag and handed it to Alan.
"Go home and take a bath, kid." The guard patted his shoulders and gestured. As a guard manning the main gate, he'd seen too many people coming and going everyday.
Most of the people coming in were travel worn and covered in dirt. Alan's haggard appearance was actually very normal.
"And try to lose some weight, jeez. It's just a short inspection and you're already sweating so heavily." He added in a casual tone.
Alan nodded stiffly and plucked his legs off the pavement, taking one quivering step after another forward.
When he finally walked out of sight of the guards, he stumbled forward and leaned against the wall. His face was green and he looked as if he was about to vomit.
"That was too close!!!" Alan gasped. He could still feel a strong sense of lingering fear that gripped his heart. When the guard picked up the "rubik's cube", he'd almost suffered a cardiac arrest.
"Relax, kid. My disguise is impeccable. There's no way those clumsy humans could have discovered me." Zed's mousy voice rang out from the backpack.
"That's easy for you to say!" Alan coughed, his emotions overwhelming his senses. "You're not the one with everything to lose! I don't even dare to imagine what would happen if we were caught.
You can just fly away if anything happens. But what about me?
Imprisonment would be a light punishment. I might be directly labeled as a traitor and hung in public, along with my family!"
He took a deep breath and reigned in his raging emotions.
"Do you understand the risks I took to smuggle you into the stronghold? Although I chose to do it because you saved my life back in the desert, it's not a light matter at all!"
Zed fell silent. He pondered for a while and patted Alan on the head, "Thank you."
Alan smiled and rubbed his eyes with the back of his hands. "It's fine. Sorry for blowing up on you."
Zed stared meaningfully at him for a few seconds. Then, he tilted his head and asked, "Are you bipolar?"
Alan: "..."
----------
Zed poked his head out of Alan's pocket as they moved through the crowded streets of the Outer Ring.
The air was thick with the smell of fried food, smoke, and the sweat of thousands of people. The buildings were tall and made of gray concrete, towering above them like giant monoliths. The streets were packed with people of all ages, hustling and bustling, and the cacophony of voices and sounds were overwhelming.
Alan led the way, pushing his way through the throngs of people with difficulty. His stomach rumbled as the tantalizing smell of street food reached him. He looked down at Zed, who was already drooling at the sight of the vendors selling all kinds of delicious treats.
They'd traveled the entire morning and hadn't eaten anything yet. "Let's not stop here. I'll get us some food later." Alan said in a low voice as he patted the mouse in his pocket.
He could feel the eyes of the crowd piercing through his skin like hot knives as he walked. He knew they were staring at his plump figure, a testament of a life of luxury and an insult to them who usually struggled to find food.
He could sense their silent insults and disdain and subconsciously wanted to lower his head. However, that would just invite the bolder kinds to provoke him more brazenly, so he didn't dare to.
Just like that, he made his way to the high-speed rail transfer station bound for the Second Ring.
There were over a million people living in Stronghold 51. Most of them were housed in the Outer Ring. Scavengers, hunters, beggars, merchants...there were all sorts of people. All of them lived in the outer perimeters of the Stronghold, just behind the massive walls. If the stronghold was ever breached, these people would be the first to perish. They wouldn't even have any time to run.
Deeper inside was the Second Ring, where Alan lived. The Second Ring was off limits to most people. Only those with a certain status or who held important jobs deemed beneficial to mankind could stay there. A thicker wall surrounded the Second Ring, forming a second round of defense. The security and living conditions were much better than the Outer Ring. As Alan was an Acolyte Gene Engineer, he was qualified to live in the Second Ring.
Beyond that was the Third Ring, and the Core Sanctum. Alan didn't know much about them, but his guess was that those were the areas where the ruling class and the military elite resided. The Core Sanctum was said to be impenetrable, with advanced security measures and the most advanced technology available. Alan had never been there, and he doubted he ever would be.
----------
A skinny figure stood motionless under the shelter of a dilapidated building opposite the transfer station, the dim light casting an eerie shadow over his face. Wisps of smoke spiraled around his head, partially obscuring his sharp, observant eyes. He had been waiting in the same spot for an entire night, patiently watching the path leading up to the transfer station.
At this moment, he suddenly moved, snuffing out the cigarette clasped between his fingers with surprising swiftness. The glow in his eyes intensified as he observed a sweaty oversized youth trudging towards the station. The figure checked the hologram picture on his watch and confirmed that it was indeed the target he was waiting for.
Nodding to himself, he quickly tapped on his communicator and sent a brief message: "Sir, the target has returned to the stronghold, just as you predicted."
The response came in a crackling static. "Is the mouse with him?"