*Sssss...*
A pungent, foul-smelling liquid dripped down the side of the vehicle, splattering onto the sandy ground right in front of Lu Yuan. It nearly sprayed his face, and the proximity forced him to stay completely still. If he moved, he'd risk being discovered, and this time it wouldn't just be a matter of enduring the stench. Worst-case scenario, he might end up needing to squat to pee for the rest of his life.
Those ten seconds felt like half a century to Lu Yuan, even worse than being tied to a flagpole for the past two days. One was physical torture, the other, mental pollution. He, Lu Yuan, a distinguished graduate of Academy 31, a future star of the paratrooper squadron, destined to become a hero of the Star Alliance upon returning to fleet headquarters. Now, here he was, waiting for someone to finish urinating in the middle of nowhere?
The absurdity of the situation filled him with indignation. He fought down the urge to rush out and strangle the life out of this fool, holding back until the guy finished shaking himself off and turned to fasten his belt.
In a blur, Lu Yuan darted out from under the vehicle, swinging a heavy, tiger-head lock he'd been clutching tightly. He swung with all his might at the back of the oblivious local's head.
*Thud!* The guy froze mid-relief, a satisfied smile frozen on his face, and then collapsed. Lu Yuan managed to catch him just in time.
"Ouch—" In catching the man, his injured finger brushed against the fabric of his clothes, making Lu Yuan wince quietly. He shook it off, though, dragging the unconscious native into the shadows beneath the vehicle.
Quickly, Lu Yuan removed the gun holster from the man's waist and inspected the contents. It was a crude, all-steel homemade pistol without even a trigger guard. Lu Yuan had no choice but to stuff it into his own pocket. Next, he found a knife and a small ammo pouch. Just a skinning knife—typical.
Despite the pain in his finger and the rising impulse to mutilate the guy, Lu Yuan kept searching his pockets but found no keys. Instead, he unearthed a strange oval device with a cylindrical bottom from the man's waist pouch. In a flash, he realized these bikers must be using this odd gadget in place of a key, plugging it straight into the oil port. So, not only did they skip the key, they skipped the key ring too!
Silently cursing these savage natives, Lu Yuan quickly donned the man's tattered jacket and goggles. He then flipped the knife around and stabbed the man, ensuring he wouldn't have a chance to report back on the skyfarer.
No time to dwell—Lu Yuan needed to leave. He'd deal with revenge later, perhaps with an orbital cannon blast turning them into ashes.
He took a glance north, spotting an all-terrain vehicle at the far end with two figures, one holding a paint bucket and the other a brush, painting a scorpion emblem. Memorizing the vehicle's appearance, Lu Yuan took three brisk strides toward the parked truck's exterior.
A motorcycle was mounted on the side of the cargo truck. It wasn't locked, but unfastening it would take some effort. It was secured by chains that wrapped around the wheels. To free the bike, Lu Yuan would have to stand in a well-lit spot and unwind the chains one by one, a time-consuming risk.
Time was running short. The urinator was likely returning, and any moment, someone might raise the alarm that the skyfarer had escaped. Lu Yuan couldn't simply run into the desert and hope to hide from these motor-savvy desert marauders.
He weighed his options for two seconds before deciding.
Just do it.
He strode over to the bike, mimicking a casual, unsteady gait, relying on the borrowed jacket to obscure his identity from a distance. Pretending to relieve himself, he subtly examined the controls of the motorcycle.
It wasn't all that different from the motorcycles preserved in humanity's early societal museums back on Astral Deity Star. He doubted that simply inserting the key would start it. Sure enough, he saw an additional row of cylindrical buttons beneath the dashboard.
"Hey! Done yet? We're closing up!" someone shouted from behind.
Lu Yuan responded with a hoarse voice, using the few native words he knew, "Yes! Yes!"
The night wind howled, and the shouter didn't bother to come over and check. Lu Yuan squatted, pretending to "get comfortable," buying himself a few more precious seconds.
"I've told you a hundred times! Don't do your business by the tires!" The guy grumbled and cursed, but without coming closer, he simply slammed the truck door.
"If you don't finish up in five minutes, you're spending the night holding your crap!"
As soon as the door closed, Lu Yuan leapt onto the guard rail. Ignoring the pain as the chain scraped against his injured finger, he frantically unwrapped the chains, mentally counting to thirty before finally freeing the lock and mounting the bike.
He inserted the key and twisted the throttle, but there was no response. He remembered he'd need to press the foot pedal, but that would make a loud roar. Trying his luck, he flipped all the switches and twisted the throttle again.
*Vroom!* The motorcycle lurched forward, breaking free from the guard rail and hitting the ground!
Despite having braced himself, Lu Yuan lost balance from the sudden descent, causing the bike to topple. He hurriedly righted it and climbed back on.
The loud noise drew attention, and several natives opened their doors to see what was happening. Seeing someone crash with their bike, they burst into laughter, assuming it was some drunk.
Lu Yuan welcomed their laughter. He watched as the few natives who'd peeked out quickly closed their doors again, still chuckling, unaware of his escape.
No more waiting.
Lu Yuan strapped on the helmet, gripped the brake, and revved the engine. Spotting an additional dial on the dashboard, he twisted it to the max, then released the brake.
The bike shot forward like an arrow, trailing a faint blue afterimage—a nitro boost!
There was no room for regret now. He clamped his legs tightly against the bike, the wind flattening his hair. Under the moonlight, he glanced at the speedometer; within seconds, he was at a hundred miles per hour!
He glanced back at the distant vehicles, now nothing more than small, dim dots. Ahead of him stretched the vast, endless desert.
Lu Yuan roared and shouted, letting the fierce wind carry his voice away.
Into the desert, without looking back!