/--/
Ken pressed the gas pedal to the maximum, causing the car's speed to increase dramatically. The vehicle swayed violently as Ken skillfully avoided the trees.
The passengers, especially Rakrak and Ruri, were tossed around, feeling nauseous.
"Whoa... Watch the road, Ken!"
Even Takeru, experiencing high-speed driving for the first time on such rough terrain, shouted in surprise. Ken responded quickly, his face tense. He tightly gripped the steering wheel, eyes focused on the road ahead, navigating through potential obstacles. Despite his serious demeanor, there was courage and determination in the way he handled the armored car. Takeru's shouts prompted Ken to heighten his awareness, and his facial expression reflected his engagement in this thrilling situation.
The giant insect monster clinging to the windshield couldn't withstand the acceleration and took off into the air.
Meanwhile, Ken remained intensely focused on driving, oblivious to the passengers' motion sickness.
After a while, they successfully emerged from the foggy forest onto a vast plain. Surprisingly, the misty forest barrier was only about 10 kilometers long, and beyond it, a grassy field stretched out.
"Stop, Ken!"
Takeru, unable to contain his stomach's queasiness, ordered Ken to abruptly halt, causing everyone to lurch forward.
Rakrak and Ruri quickly opened the car doors and vomited by the roadside. Ken stopped the car and assisted them in getting out. Takeru, although feeling dizzy, tried to control it with breathing techniques that initially seemed effective. However, the acidic fluid reaching his throat made him open the car door as well.
The breeze helped refresh the air. Takeru and the others tried to calm their nausea. Ken fetched water from the car to aid in cleaning themselves. After a short break by the roadside, they felt better.
"We need to be more cautious," Takeru said, planning their next steps. "Who knows what else awaits us in the forest."
Rakrak and Ruri, still a bit pale, nodded in agreement. Ken checked the car for any damage. Once assured that everything was fine, they continued their journey cautiously, heading towards the unexplored expanse.
/--/
"Damn, that really surprised me. It tarnished my image, but..."
Glancing back at the siblings who were peacefully sleeping with gas masks askew, the humorous scene of them vomiting with the masks on due to dizziness caused some masks to become dirty. I instructed them to remove the masks since there was no more fog on the road ahead. As far as the eye could see, only a vast oasis-like field was visible.
"Sigh, it seems the difficulty we faced was only at the forest barrier's edge. I never thought the fog would be a hindrance for outsiders entering the forest. And I never imagined finding tall trees and landscapes like in America."
Ken, driving seriously, overheard Takeru's statement. He gazed straight ahead, absorbing the newly acquired information.
"Yes, sir. I never expected to see trees like these again. I believe they're called Hyperion," Ken said seriously. He then glanced at the siblings sleeping behind, realizing that this journey was full of challenges, especially for those who had just been freed.
However, I, sitting in the front seat, continued to ponder with a facial expression mixed with surprise, curiosity, and a hint of admiration. While observing the towering Hyperion trees, I felt that this world still held many mysteries waiting to be uncovered.
"I thought so, but... Isn't it too similar?"
I paid little attention as we entered the forested area again, but this time with Hyperion trees. And it was true; these were indeed Hyperion trees.
While I was engrossed, observing trees similar to those on Earth, Ken suddenly slammed the brakes, startling me and the two siblings in the back.
"Hey, what's going on?" I rubbed my forehead, having hit it on the car window, while Ken pointed forward, prompting me to look.
"Damn, Ken stepped on the gas!" Ken stepped on the gas, causing our bodies to jolt again. What we wanted to avoid was a gigantic lizard passing by, coincidentally crossing our path.
Ken sought an alternative route to evade the lizard. However, the lizard seemed to have found its prey and chased after us.
The two siblings also looked back, finding the lizard pursuing the car. They hugged each other in fear of being preyed upon by the creature.
Meanwhile, I crawled towards the middle of the car, opening a compartment where a machine gun was mounted.
I quickly retrieved the machine gun from the assembly on the car's roof. Without hesitation, I aimed it at the giant lizard continually chasing us. Ken tried to drive the car at full speed to distance us from the lizard, while I attempted to shoot the machine gun to intimidate or at least slow down the creature.
The heavy thuds from the machine gun shots echoed through the forest. The lizard roared and seemed to stagger, but it wasn't enough to stop it completely. I continued shooting, searching for a way to halt the creature.
"Enough, this lizard is stubborn!" I muttered to myself, searching for a solution. I looked around the car and found a mounted gas cylinder. Without much thought, I detached the gas cylinder and threw it towards the lizard.
Swiftly, I aimed the machine gun at the gas cylinder and fired. A massive explosion occurred, creating a cloud of dust and smoke. The giant lizard was thrown backward by the force of the explosion. This gave us a little time to escape.
"Ken, hurry! We need to get away from here as fast as possible!" I shouted, still holding onto the machine gun. Ken drove the car quickly, leaving the pained lizard behind.
In the silence after that incident, I sat back in the front seat, still gripping the machine gun. Rakrak and Ruri, initially frightened, now looked at me with a mix of awe and fear.
"Is that... some kind of magical weapon?" Rakrak asked, his eyes shining.
"Haven't you ever seen a machine gun before?" I chuckled, trying to ease the tension. "It's just one of the tools we can use in this world."
We continued the journey cautiously, leaving the previous event behind. The forest grew denser, and the mysteries ahead became increasingly unpredictable.
/--/
After overcoming various difficulties, they finally reached Takeru's original destination. They arrived at a stunning open plain, spread out before them. This plain was located on the banks of a large river, flowing swiftly, reminiscent of the grandeur of the Nile River in Africa. The river carried its waters towards the sea visible in the distance.
The plain was covered with lush green grass, stretching as far as the eye could see, providing a sense of tranquility and serenity. Large trees were scattered around, creating pleasant shades. A gentle breeze blew, carrying a fresh aroma from the river.
At times, they could hear the sound of flowing water and feel a gentle breeze that made the atmosphere comfortable. In the distance, towering mountains added to the beauty of the natural panorama. With all the obstacles they had faced, this place became an ideal location to establish a base and commence Takeru's previous plan: building a new nation.