"Hey, are you really going in? Let me state this in advance, if anything happens to you, I absolutely won't go in to save you!"
They thought that Ibut Lord Ameer's obstruction would delay their entry into the Foehn Hotlands, but to their surprise, Saria and Garde went out for a spin and got the supplies sorted.
Muelsyse felt a bit annoyed. She was still waiting for news from the general headquarters.
No matter what, entering the Hotlands was too dangerous. That tough Crocodile man was one thing, but if something happened to Saria, who would take charge of the Defense Department in the future?
"This is a decision that's already been made. I will lead a small team in, with Garde as our guide. We will retrieve the potion as quickly as possible."
Not giving Muelsyse any room to argue, Saria looked at the Pero Deputy Captain.
"Olba, I'm entrusting Director Muelsyse and Director Parvis to you. Please make sure to get them back safely."
"Leave it to me, Director Saria. Please make sure you come back safely too."
"Mm."
Parvis's elderly face showed some guilt. "I'm sorry, Director Saria. I should be going with you, but my body..."
"It's okay, Director Parvis. You've done your best to hold on until now. I believe I will bring the potion back."
"I look forward to the day you return, Director Saria."
A kind smile appeared on Parvis's face. He was already eager to return to his lab at Rhine Lab. In just a few days, the chunk of meat from the Seaborn had grown into a fist-sized embryo.
However, because the nutrients in the culture dish had been exhausted, the embryo had stopped growing, which had made him anxious.
Fortunately, the Seaborn embryo's vitality far exceeded his expectations. Upon realizing there were no more nutrients to absorb, it tried to break the culture dish.
But after discovering that the object confining it was very hard, the embryo stopped resisting and shrank into a tight ball of fibrous tissue.
The Seaborn's intelligence far exceeded his expectations. He decided that as soon as he returned, he would immediately apply for the sturdiest research equipment.
He couldn't let the Seaborn escape.
Unfortunately, Saria had gone to the Hotlands. Whether she could return alive was uncertain.
Parvis thought regretfully.
Otherwise, with Saria in charge of the Defense Department, their research would be much safer.
"By the way, are we really only driving this thing in? No intelligent navigation system, no automatic transmission, it's completely a decades-old machine."
Out in the wilderness outside the Reefsteep Town, having received supplies from Elliot, Grey Stone, the code-name of a Pero operator, scratched his head and looked at the clutch, brake, and accelerator under his feet, feeling his scalp tingle.
"Hey, has anyone driven a manual sand vehicle before? This thing is completely different from the cars we usually drive!"
After finding the window button, lowering the window, Grey Stone stuck his head out and asked.
"I told you to get a manual license, but you didn't listen. In some remote areas, manual cars are much more common than automatics."
"But automatics are easier!"
Grey Stone muttered. Besides, learning to drive a manual was more expensive than an automatic back at the driving school.
When he was getting his license, he never thought he'd one day be on a mission in Sargon.
"Move to the passenger seat. I'll drive!"
A Feline operative with brown hair wearing only a tank top climbed into the vehicle, her ample bottom settling into the seat.
As she sat down, her large chest wobbled with the motion, causing the operative Pello to quickly turn his head away.
"What are you doing?"
"I–I feel a bit dizzy!"
"Hmph, I haven't even started the car yet. Such a wimp."
Elliot delivered a total of six vehicles to Rhine Lab. Since they didn't have any particularly large trucks, each vehicle carried only three to four people.
Initially, thirty operatives had agreed to enter the Foehn Hotlands, but in the end, eleven backed out.
They were operatives of Rhine Lab. It was their duty to work for Rhine Lab. If it were an ordinary mission, although risky, they could accept their fate if something went wrong.
But the Foehn Hotlands were a deathtrap. Even though they found a local native who supposedly survived the Hotlands, didn't they notice that he was reluctant to go back in the first place?
So, despite signing insurance and receiving a large bonus, only nineteen were willing to follow Saria into the Hotlands.
Saria didn't blame anyone for this. Even she had little confidence in the success of this mission.
However, her strong-willed nature wouldn't allow her to retreat at this point.
"Saria, check one more time before we leave. Make sure not to bring any electronic devices. These old manual cars are the limit. If I could find enough pack beasts, I'd prefer riding them."
"I understand."
Nodding, Saria had already learned from Garde about the potential dangers in the Hotlands. Each security personnel entering received a booklet detailing Garde's previous experiences in the Hotlands.
The first line in the booklet stated not to fully trust its contents.
Time brings changes, and Garde couldn't guarantee that the creatures he saw four years ago would be the same ones encountered now in the Hotlands.
Do the disaster beasts in the Foehn Hotlands migrate?
Garde didn't know.
Having only entered the Hotlands once, Garde had too many uncertainties.
So, he couldn't ensure that what he saw represented everything in the Hotlands.
The only certainty was that communication was impossible, and they should avoid bringing any electrical devices.
Finally, Garde warned the security team again.
"In the Hotlands, there are multiple ancient lost civilizations. Even though they are long gone, their production bases still maintain basic repair functions."
"If they detect intruders, they will dispatch their 'soldiers' to eliminate them without hesitation."
"Trust me, you don't want to be chased by a swarm of mechanical creatures that could number in the hundreds, thousands, or even tens of thousands."
Even if most of them were just ordinary mining machines.
With a silent grumble, Garde climbed onto the roof of a vehicle, sitting atop it, and waved his hand forward.
"Let's go. Let's enter the Hotlands and see those ancient lost civilizations."
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