Even while carrying Zhang Ge, Sister Amelia moved much faster than he could run on his own. After locating the servant they had encountered earlier, the two inquired about the direction of the vehicle and soon arrived at the car that Ernesto had promised to lend them.
It was a four-wheeled sedan, adorned not only with the still ostentatious family crest but also armored plates and grille armor on all sides. Purity seals, mechanical prayers, and the like hung from it as if they were free.
However, the most crucial feature was the heavy bolter turret mounted on the roof, which could be operated by the passenger, significantly increasing the vehicle's safety.
It also greatly displeased Zhang Ge.
No, bro, as a noble, shouldn't your car be one of those flashy sports cars? Why does it look like a small armored vehicle?
But despite his internal complaints, Zhang Ge still walked over to the driver's side of the vehicle.
"Wait a second, this kind of car should have a lock. We don't have the key."
The key was most likely on the servant.
As Zhang Ge spoke, he thought to himself, casually placing his hand on the door handle and giving it a pull.
As his fingers wrapped around the handle, the car suddenly shuddered violently. The door was pulled open without any resistance, and the engine roared to life without needing to be started.
As if deliberately showcasing its powerful engine, the entire vehicle trembled slightly.
Such poor anti-theft measures?
Zhang Ge could only complain in his mind again, then bent down and climbed into the driver's seat.
As he closed the door, Sister Amilia had already taken her seat in the passenger side.
Behind them, the sound of the car did not block out the noise of the ongoing slaughter. Further away, the cultists had launched a new wave of attacks. With the entire defensive line in shambles, there was no way to counter their charge anymore.
The collapse of the defense was only a matter of time.
But inside the car, Zhang Ge faced a new problem: how was he supposed to drive this thing?
Although he knew how to drive a regular car, the issue was the controls of this vehicle... aside from the steering wheel, which he could recognize, he had no idea what the other controls were for. What was that button labeled with a scripture?
However, the sister didn't seem to notice this issue. She thought Zhang Ge didn't know the way to the monastery and said, "I'll give you directions later. For now, just drive forward and get us out of here."
"Ah," Zhang Ge was about to confess, but the car suddenly surged forward without any input from him, the tires spinning rapidly, launching the car into motion. "Cough, got it."
He occasionally adjusted the steering wheel, finding that he could still control the direction, but he had no idea why the car had started on its own. Was it voice-activated?
Noble stuff is really high-end. I can't figure it out.
With this thought, Zhang Ge, who had never seen other civilian vehicles, accepted the idea that high-end civilian cars must have voice control modules.
Meanwhile, outside the vehicle, the family crest that once belonged to Ernesto had been erased at some point, and the pure insignias were shaken off the vehicle as if they were unwanted.
Behind them, the battlefield was gradually fading into the distance. The Chaos Space Marines engaged in slaughter noticed the fleeing vehicle but showed no intention of abandoning their current enemies to give chase. In their eyes, a fleeing "noble" was not worth the effort to capture.
After all, many nobles were potential candidates for Slaanesh, and letting them return might contribute even more to the Dark Prince.
Soon, the vehicle left the danger zone, and if one were to look back, the battlefield was no longer visible.
"Slow down."
After a short while, the Sister, observing the increasingly rapid scenery passing by on both sides, sensed something amiss and spoke up.
While it was understandable that a civilian vehicle, even after being outfitted with weapons and armor, could still be faster than a dedicated armored vehicle, wasn't this speed a bit too excessive?
Driving at such speed on rough terrain, hitting even a large rock or obstacle could easily send the entire vehicle airborne. Although she didn't feel the expected jolts, Sister Amilia decided to issue a warning just in case.
"Ahaha, alright, cough, reducing speed... maintaining speed."
After Zhang Ge requested to slow down, the vehicle's speed began to decrease at a steady rate until he called for it to stop.
"?"
Although Sister Amilia had seen instances where communication with the machine spirit could be achieved through language alone, it was always after elaborate rituals and prayers, conducted by those most skilled in the mechanics of machinery. This casual, conversational approach to making requests—and having them actually fulfilled—was somewhat beyond her comprehension.
But then again, considering that Zhang Ge could pull a radiant holy relic cross from his waist pouch, this level of abnormality didn't seem entirely unacceptable.
Thus, Sister Amelia still swallowed her question. After spotting a large boulder that had served as a reference point on their way, she pointed in a direction and said:
"Drive that way."
"Understood."
As the wheels turned, time passed minute by minute, and the sunlight in the sky gradually faded, with nightfall enveloping the land.
Due to the Mechanicus's unrestrained exploitation, the environment was naturally in a dire state, and even the atmosphere had suffered significant damage.
This resulted in the planet's poor heat retention capacity. Moreover, a large portion of the sunlight during the day was blocked by the thick cloud cover, so the amount of heat reaching the surface was already minimal. Combined with other additional factors, this ultimately led to extreme cold at night.
Sister Amelia was unfazed, but Zhang Ge's carapace armor was not high-end like that of the Stormtroopers. Even with the helmet on, it couldn't withstand the extreme environmental conditions, and it couldn't endure prolonged exposure to such freezing temperatures. Additionally, there was no heating in the vehicle.
Therefore, the two had no choice but to find a spot to stop and rest, lighting a fire to keep warm.
Of course, although it seemed like there were no enemies here, they were still within the combat zone, so using an open flame was naturally out of the question. Zhang Ge went through the trouble of digging a smokeless stove. Fortunately, the entrenching tool made digging through the soil as easy as cutting tofu, so it didn't take much time.
Separated by a layer of soil, Zhang Ge lay over the fire fueled by portable fuel from his waist pouch, eating from his combat ration pack while feeling the temperature gradually rise.
The nun knelt not far away, silently praying.
When Zhang Ge was almost finished eating, Sister Amelia spoke up on her own initiative:
"I'm going to step away for a moment."
Zhang Ge naturally had no objections. Moreover, it didn't seem like she was seeking his opinion but rather just informing him, so he simply nodded to acknowledge her.
After a while, she returned, carrying an officer's greatcoat.
"Put this on. We need to keep moving."
Zhang Ge took it and noticed the rank was quite high—a captain's coat, likely stripped from a dead body. However, he didn't feel any psychological burden. With Sister Amelia's assistance, he quickly removed and then put back on his carapace armor, slipping the greatcoat on underneath.
ps:Energy Stone + Review = Update!