Chapter 19 Farewell Without a Tear
My own roadmap?
Hiltina paused for a moment: “What do you mean?”
“You will need to place the timed bombs in the steam factory according to the roadmap and detonate them by yourself because we must split up and act separately after this.”
While answering, Rast’s hands didn’t stop; he took out the firearm parts from the suitcase one by one, then skillfully assembled, connected, and adjusted them.
It was actually a long-barreled sniper rifle, with ammunition specifically designed for sniping. The optical sight was long and slender, reflecting a cold light in the heavy rain.
“The Iron Cross is not mindless zombies; they possess complete human intelligence. Timed bombs are not difficult for these Iron Cross soldiers to comprehend. Once discovered, they will disarm the bombs, and our plan will fail completely.”
“And we don’t have enough time to clear out all the Iron Cross in the factory… The only remaining solution is for one person to lure the Iron Cross out of the steam factory, delaying them while the other sets the bombs.”
“This person can only be me… My bl**d has a fatal attraction to the Iron Cross, and I can’t keep up with your speed. Acting together would only become a burden, slowing you down.”
Rast took out a glass test tube containing an amber-colored liquid.
“How long will it take you to complete the bomb deployment at all designated locations on the blueprints at your maximum speed, including the time to set the bombs?”
Hiltina’s gaze swept across the structural map of the massive factory, calculating in her mind for a moment: “Considering the time to set the bombs themselves, if we ignore resource consumption, at my limit speed, it would take about twenty minutes.”
“You will have twenty-five minutes.” Rast smashed the glass tube’s seal and used a syringe to draw out the amber liquid.
He then took out another test tube containing Iron Cross bl**d that Rast had collected along the way. The amber liquid and the jet-black bl**d mixed in the syringe, undergoing a violent yet silent chemical reaction.
“What is this?”
“Veterinary stimulant, originally prepared for bulls in bullfighting arenas.” Rast looked at the reaction in the syringe, the merged liquid now a deep brown, settling at the bottom of the needle.
“Blocking differs from fleeing; combat is inevitable. This mixed serum can maximize the physical advantages I have over the Iron Cross, but of course, the side effects are obvious.”
“After experiencing organ failure and d*ath more than a dozen times, I’ve figured out my body’s resistance limit. This dosage will allow me to survive for two to three hours after injection.”
After waiting for the liquid in the syringe to finish reacting, Rast slowly injected the mixed serum into his vein.
Throughout this process, Rast’s expression was emotionless, but the Iron Cross marks on his body expanded further, crawling densely across his face, making him look as if he were cursed; the dark crosses were the marks and incantations.
Rast moved his body and looked at Hiltina beside him: “If you’re rested, we can start now, tackling this final boss.”
He seemed to remember something and added, “As for the evacuation afterward, you don’t need to worry. There is a ventilation duct in the steam factory that leads directly to the harbor area. I’ve estimated your speed; when the explosion occurs, you should just be able to leave the harbor area, staying outside the core explosion zone.”
The strong wind turned the blueprint in Hiltina’s hands, and on the back of the building plan was a simple map of the harbor area that Rast had hand-drawn, clearly marking an escape route from the factory to outside the harbor area with a green line.
With her strength, as long as she avoids the explosion’s epicenter, she wouldn’t be in danger.
But Hiltina still didn’t move.
She stared at Rast: “What about you? What’s your evacuation route?”
“I haven’t prepared anything like that, but it doesn’t matter.”
Rast answered in a flat tone: “Anyway, I won’t truly d*e; d*ath is just entering the next cycle.”
“This cycle, from discovering you to making a decision, has all been too rushed. There hasn’t been enough time to make complete preparations… Given our current conditions, there’s no possibility for both of us to survive, not even a one in ten thousand chance.”
“So from the very beginning, all my actions and plans in Deep Blue Harbor have been aimed at ensuring your survival alone.”
“If you feel indebted to me, then after leaving the echoes of history, improve your strength, seek external help, and prepare items to counter the Iron Cross and the Evil God… Only return to the Night World to rescue me when you are fully confident.”
“I’m not sure of the exact time you will return to the Night World, so during each cycle in the meantime, I will always be prepared.”
Hiltina fixed her gaze on Rast’s eyes, speaking each word clearly: “The flow of time in the echoes of the Night World is not the same as the real world. Perhaps when I return here in a few days in the real world, decades or even centuries would have passed in the Night World.”
“I know, but it doesn’t matter.”
Rast’s voice was cold to the bone: “I have already spent hundreds of years here and don’t mind waiting a few more hundred years.”
Hiltina fell silent, her brow furrowed, still not responding.
“Strange, based on my previous observations, I thought you weren’t the indecisive type.”
“To be honest, I really hate these types of tearful parting scenes.” Rast lifted his revolver: “Every time I see such scenes in books, I can’t help but curse the author for being banal. Instead of lingering here with such thoughts, it’s better to devote energy to the actions that follow, so as not to squander the sacrifice made by the other.”
Bang—
A gunshot rang out.
The metal grating at the junction of the walkway was shattered by armor-piercing rounds, sending sparks flying. Following that was the creaking sound of the walkway structure being compromised, on the verge of collapse.
“By the way, if you can successfully leave the Night World, could you help me check a place?”
“It’s a border town called Canaan, where you can see the rolling snow-capped mountains in the distance. Next to the town is a massive white waterwheel, and the locals seem very skilled at playing the bagpipes.”
“This place might be related to my past, prior to my arrival in Deep Blue Harbor and entering the Night World…”
Boom—
The sound of a thunderous fall echoed.
Before Rast could finish his words, he, along with the metal walkway under his feet, plummeted downwards.
The noise and dust completely separated Hiltina from Rast, placing them in two different spaces.
(End of Chapter)
