The Mechanic [BL]

[1]

Chapter 1 - Lost Paradise (1)

2418, in the Rocky Mountains. The vast forests of giant ponderosa pine and spruce trees reaching a height of a hundred metres stretched for hundreds of miles and was one of the few places in the world that hadn't been covered by "Eden".

It was completely silent except for the sound of birdsong in the sky, but the silence was disturbed by the roar of engines. A convoy of huge off-road trucks dragging containers were crossing a manmade dirt road into the forest. The convoy was scarred with bullet holes all over the camouflage-coloured bodywork, and what appeared to be bloodstains on the front windshield.

In the forest valley there was a "city" consisting of row upon row of pavilions, barracks and sentry towers, as well as areas of arable land, all surrounded by cement walls as high as 150 metres. There were three gates made of bulletproof steel plates, driven by countless huge gears, and there were high sentry towers on both sides. There were always two sentries on duty in the towers, day and night, equipped with M625 machine guns. It was covered by a semi-circular Herbert barrier with a radius of two hundred miles from the city centre, which could block any satellite signals, radar pulse signals and infrared signals, and could use mirage technology to reflect the signal elsewhere to fill the isolated gap, thereby achieving the effect of being invisible to "Eden".

This was Lost Paradise, one of the last few sanctuaries for male humans on Earth. Except for a very small number of mechanics and researchers, people hardly used any electronic products anymore, instead lighting ordinary, non-smart light bulbs or even kerosene lamps, and communication was via the postman in the city, not even telegraph was used. Even the storage network used in the Research & Development centre was completely closed off and all servers were locked deep underground. Only personnel with permission level five or higher and approved by the "Round Table" committee could enter.

The convoy stopped before reaching the gate and all the drivers and co-drivers in the trucks got out and stood in a row. These men looked to be in a sorry state and some were even injured, their coats stained with blood. The sentry on the tower took up his binoculars and checked the faces of each man one by one. About ten minutes later, the mechanical sound of gears turning could be heard and the gate slowly opened.

After the convoy entered through the gate the crowds, who had been waiting on both sides of the road, sent out deafening cheers. The men shouted frantically and their faces even turned hideous in the extreme excitement. The cheers were clearly audible even though they were separated by three kilometres.

Zhang Xun sighed softly, took off the single lens microscope glass buckled on the bridge of his nose, picked up his documents and walked out of the Lab. He squeezed through the crowd of people who were watching the fun on both sides of the road and walked all the way to the bustling Warehouse 8. Compared to the unshaven, sweaty men around him, he looked too clean, his hair too neatly combed, his work clothes too spotless, his shoes too clean, and his physique not strong enough. In fact, he wasn't thin at all, and his face had an upright handsomeness, but compared with the Caucasians who were as strong as cows and covered in body hair, he looked too "weak". What's more, he didn't have any interest in weapons and fighting, he only liked to spend time in the Lab every day, which makes him even more the object of ridicule in this country that prided itself on being "manly".

His father never liked this about him. In fact, his father basically didn't like anything about him.

A man in an old leather jacket, with brown hair, dark eyes and scruffy clothes, arrived on a motorcycle and stopped not far in front of him. He waved at him and shouted in English with a German accent, "The convoy is here, Commander Zhang asked me to come over and ask if Warehouse 8 is ready."