Meanwhile, a mercenary squad slammed their tent to the ground, drawing all eyes toward them.
“I’m fucking exhausted—tired and cramped as hell!”
They were usually burly, tall, and broad-shouldered.
With the number of landships sharply reduced, they had to cram several people into one, hunching and curling up in the cargo hold.
After squeezing in like that for an entire day, their backs ached and their waists hurt—they felt like their bones were about to break!
They had been waiting to set up camp and rest at night, but now they were being told to keep pushing forward. Tempers flared instantly; they wanted to jab the tent poles into the Patrol Troops’ faces and started cursing.
“If you want to go, go by yourselves—give back our landship! What bullshit is this? Coming from the City Lord’s Mansion and acting like this…”
In an instant, the Patrol Troops turned in unison, their spiked sword hilts aimed at them.
The Patrol Army Captain said coldly, “Insulting the City Lord’s Mansion—if you were still in the city, you’d be put on trial! Say one more word, and Golden City will deny you entry!”
Desert winds blew up, and the situation suddenly stalemated.
“…Hah, who gives a damn? As if Golden City’s some great place.”
The mercenary rolled his eyes and plopped down on the ground, refusing to budge.
Xie Jianxun caught the movement from the corner of his eye and saw Basero quietly slip away from the crowd, heading toward the Adventure Group Captain.
His movements were discreet; only when he clapped the man on the shoulder did the captain turn and notice him with surprise.
After exchanging a few quiet words, the Adventure Group Captain’s expression eased.
He stepped forward a couple paces, drawing the mercenaries’ glares to himself.
“Uh, let me say a few words.”
This man was relatively steady in both appearance and demeanor. He nodded to the Patrol Army Captain.
The captain eased slightly as well, gesturing for him to continue.
“I understand the officers’ urgency to wipe out the Sand Bandits, but rushing like this won’t help. Rotating drivers is an option, sure, but rest is non-negotiable. What if we hit the Flowing Sand River?”
“Here’s the plan: We push a bit further until dawn, when everyone’s at their most exhausted, then stop—no camping, just rest on the spot until it’s time to go. Saves time.”
He hinted, “Officers, we’re all working for the City Lord’s Mansion here—colleagues, sort of.”
Mercenary: “Hey, you…”
The Patrol Army Captain thought it over, conferred briefly with his deputy, and agreed to the proposal.
The rest of the Joint Group found it barely acceptable and returned to their landships, pressing on while they still had some energy.
The mercenaries fumed as everyone else boarded, but they couldn’t risk being left behind, so they grudgingly followed. “This is fucking ridiculous…”
Finally, at four in the morning, even after rotating drivers, the rest were dead tired.
The Patrol Troops finally relented, allowing everyone to stop and rest for four hours before moving out.
Some pulled out inflatable sleeping bags from supplies; others pitched simple tents and crawled in.
Some just flattened the landship seats and slept inside.
Of course, not everyone needed sleep.
Xie Jianxun laid out his inflatable sleeping bag on the ground. Hearing movement, he saw several Patrol Troops step out from the crowd, taking positions on sand dunes of varying heights.
They wore protective masks that covered the lower half of their faces, expressions hidden.
“They’re posting sentries to watch for bugs sneaking up on us.”
Basero yawned, eyes half-closed.
He wasn’t new to all-nighters, but this one felt especially grueling—maybe because today’s desert temperature swings were worse, making even insulated jackets useless.
He said drowsily, “At least they followed through, even if it felt forced.”
After arranging his merchant team, he returned to their landship.
Seeing Xie Jianxun look over, he grinned. “Little Rose, head up and sleep. There’s still a spot up top—blocks the wind and sand.”
He meant the landship.
The landship had soft leather seat cushions—far comfier than sand.
Xie Jianxun: “I’ve got my sleeping bag; ground’s fine… Where will you sleep?”
Basero yawned again. “I’m the captain—I gotta stay and watch over you lot… Go on, tomorrow One can drive for me, and I’ll catch up on sleep.”
Seeing Xie Jianxun hesitate, he chuckled and gave his shoulder a push.
“Come on, kid. You’re just a youngster; I’m a sturdy adult male—no need to worry. Go on, take your bag. Sweet dreams.” His voice was warm.
Xie Jianxun instinctively glanced at One, but the Mechanical Puppet smiled at him, clearly urging him to go up too.
He knew Mechanical Puppets didn’t need sleep.
“Then, you two gentlemen rest well.” Xie Jianxun said softly. After smiles from the Mechanical Puppet and team captain, he clambered aboard with effort.
The lady lay in the flattened passenger seat, her entire body wrapped in a deep purple sleeping bag, an eye mask on her face—like a chrysalis in deep slumber.
Xie Jianxun quietly dragged his bag in and lay down.
It was warm inside; he fell asleep soon after.
Until a clamor woke him. Before he could sit up, cool fingers brushed his forehead hair, loosely draping over his eyelids to block half the light.
Shrieks of terror came from outside.
“Holy shit!!! Bugs?!”
“What the hell are the scouts doing? Weren’t there no Insect Caves here… Where’d these come from?!”
“Enemy attack—”
Whistles and shouts rang out; the whole temporary camp stirred, people scrambling from their nests without panic, grabbing nearby weapons.
Xie Jianxun pulled away the hand blocking his view and bolted upright.
“What happened? Bugs?!”
Freshly awake, his first thought was small, common ones—like cute stag beetles or June bugs from gardens.
His mind cleared: No, Insect Clan bugs—totally different.
Terrifying things as big as human heads.
The passenger seat occupant woke too, frowning as she sat up, tucking long hair behind her ears, irritably peering outside.
Somehow, the flat sands now crawled with bugs, pitting the ground and scratching several landship hulls.
It was dawn’s first light; the sun peeked over the horizon, visibility low in the hazy brightness.
No one had slept long; the attack alarm fueled their rage.
“Ah! I just fucking fell asleep!”
A hot-tempered guy roared, “Fuck your whole family, bugs! Don’t you know how dead tired I am today?!”
Many were too groggy to even grab weapons, forcing themselves alert—only to see white-and-blue-armored figures up front, drawing arms and opening fire on the bugs.
They didn’t look like they’d just woken; more like they hadn’t slept at all.
The Patrol Army Captain stood at the flank, barking orders: “Three o’clock! Eleven o’clock! Blow their holes!”
“On my mark—safety off, ready—throw!”
Boom—
Gusts swept through; insect holes hidden in sand grass patches were exposed, then collapsed in blasts, killing bugs inside.
The white-and-blue armors moved in perfect sync—highly trained, like identical copies.
Once the holes were physically sealed, they spread out silently to handle the surface bugs.
The Patrol Army Captain lowered his hand from his waist and turned to the Joint Group.
“Two hours left. Suggest you grab quick sleep, restore stamina.”
His tone was flat, face masked. “Time’s up, we move.”
Everyone eyed each other; someone raised a hand. “Let’s clear the bugs together—then everyone crash.”
The Patrol Army Captain chuckled.
“We’re City Lord’s Mansion Patrol Troops—what are you?” He said disdainfully, then joined his men in bug-slaying.
The merchants irritably scratched their heads, skipped sleep, and grabbed weapons too.
Half an hour later, all surface bugs were cleared, leaving Insect Clan limbs scattered like dark blood spots spreading from the earth.
The battle heat faded; silence fell.
Some were injured; the medic darted through, bandaging wounds.
Shouts of pain: A barbed forelimb scrape tore flesh from arms.
Logistics stayed safe, unscathed.
The Joint Group called all mechanics to fix the scratched landships.
Luckily, just hull cracks—no wiring or panel damage.
Xie Jianxun finished his tasks and returned to Magm’s group.
The merchants looked drained, unrested; seeing him jog up, they just waved tiredly, leaning against the landship dozing, not wanting to talk.
The sturdy captain had slightly better spirits, offering concern.
“Not hurt?”
“I’m good.” Xie Jianxun nodded, spotting one missing behind him. “Where’s Jie Ge?”
“Bug scratched his leg—at medical.” Magm said curtly.
Soon, the burly but weakened veteran limped back.
Seeing their stares, he instinctively hid the leg, brow raised. “What’re you gawking at?”
Laike, handling logistics, yawned with a grin. “Look at our big hero—charged the bugs, huh.”
Jie Ge rubbed his nose, explaining, “Couldn’t help it—bugs piss me off, clouds the head…”
He turned, met the captain’s gaze, startled silent.
“…S-sorry, Captain.” He muttered.
Silence fell; the captain broke it, roughly ruffling his hair.
“Enough—don’t be reckless next time.” He paused, voice gruff. “You got hot-headed first.”
At eight sharp, the Joint Group set off again.
Harsh schedule, but fast and efficient—not unbearable. Mood improved slightly.
Magm drove one landship; Xie Jianxun volunteered for the other.
Team unrested, but he’d napped daytime—wide awake, perfect to relieve them.
Captain paused, patted the young mechanic’s shoulder.
“I’ll put Joel with you—if tired, swap early. No fatigue driving.”
Joel saluted, grinning. “Big mechanic, holler if needed!”
Xie Jianxun, caught up in the energy, saluted back. “Thanks, Joel!”
Over there, One watched steadily.
Basero buckled in, spotting it in the rearview—unblinking.
Following One’s gaze to the laughing young human with teammates.
He chuckled nonstop. “What, missing your little treasure already? Go join if you can’t stand it—Magm won’t mind a strong bodyguard.”
One withdrew its gaze, met the lady’s eyes in passenger seat, calmly looked away. It curled its legs; emptier cargo hold meant more stretch room.
But the lady kept watching—its eyes, neck profile.
Dark curls and collar hid it, but faint transparent gleam showed.
His turn sharpened the view.
She opened her mouth, silent, faintly trembling.
One casually said, “Their ship’s full.”
Basero yelped. “What? You really wanna go? Bro, I’m your boss—fine, no rules against it. Kid flies when he wants—look how well he’s driving, steady too.”
“…You’re a Mechanical Puppet.”
The passenger lady cut in, voice hoarse—rare words.
Like spotting treasure, she nearly stood in her seat, staring at One intently.
Basero froze; One unmoved, slowly turned to her.
“You’re a Mechanical Puppet!!”
She repeated sharply.
“No wonder I always felt like I’d seen you before… No, I definitely saw you before. You served on that ship, didn’t you? And you killed a ton of bugs…”
A hand reached over and firmly grabbed her wrist, stopping her from getting any closer to the trunk.
Basero leaned back slightly and called her name sternly: “Liya.”
“You didn’t tell me about this!”
The lady lowered her head abruptly, pressing aggressively: “Captain, you didn’t recognize her? …Oh, how old were you back then? You were just a kid…”
“No, that’s not right. You definitely recognized her.”
Her tone was exceptionally certain. “Otherwise, you wouldn’t have so easily recruited a stranger into the team. That doesn’t fit your usual methodical style… She’s the perfect boost for carrying out our plan. That’s absolutely what you thought.”
Basero looked at her without refuting, as if silently acknowledging it.
“A plan?”
One asked lightly and slowly, unperturbed by being part of their scheme.
Basero shifted uncomfortably.
From the tone, the Mechanical Puppet wasn’t angry, but since he had a guilty conscience, he felt a bit uneasy.
Xie Jianxun was on another ship, not here.
It was just the three of them, all involved in the plan. Should he explain it now?
His heart stirred, but he quickly suppressed it.
“The Research Society—I mentioned it to you before,” he said vaguely. “Liya and I are both members of the Research Society, from the traditionalist faction. Our biggest goal is to find the Insect Clan’s main camp and wipe them out at the root.”
