The Mechanic [BL]

[93]

Chapter 93 – Boundaries (7)

Despite taking out three of the police robots, they had lost one of their companions, plus two jeeps and five motorbikes. Apparently, the police robots had found their vehicles and burned their batteries and engines, not giving them a chance to escape the dead zone.

"It's impossible to get across the border before dark." Todd asserted after examining the damaged vehicles, "We have three motorbikes left to use, three men can go ahead as scouts, the rest will move on foot."

All long-range signals were difficult to transmit here because of the radiation interference, so they didn't have to worry about the robot police transmitting their images to Eden, but with their protective suits on they weren't as mobile as they normally would be and if they encountered more robot police, it was unlikely that they wouldn't sustain more damage.

Zhang Xun looked around uneasily. The setting sun was hanging in the sky, turning the otherwise dull clouds a scarlet colour of blood, "Is it safe to travel at night?"

"We're only a few kilometres from the centre of the super bomb explosion site, the radiation levels haven't dropped for two hundred years, it's too risky to stay here for long. The sooner we leave, the better." With that, Todd selected three men and told them to get on their bikes and patrol the area, making sure no new robot police or anything else came near them.

Zhang Xun walked over to James and asked in a low voice, "Are you sure you're okay?"

"Don't worry." James' face behind the transparent mask smiled brightly at him.

Zhang Xun nodded and glanced over at Enoch, who was still a little dazed, standing not far away with too much luggage on his back.

Why hadn't Enoch taken the initiative at that moment of danger? He remembered that when he had been hiding in the van and encountered the mob, Enoch had acted to protect them and fought back.

Although such passive aggression wasn't common in ordinary service robots, since Lucille had mentioned that he had asked it to "protect" the three of them, Zhang Xun thought that it might be a robot with a certain security system that had been modified on the black market, but why hadn't the defence mechanism been triggered in such a critical situation just now?

It seemed that when they arrived at Feathered Serpent City, he would have to check Enoch's core programming carefully.

After the sun went down, the moonlight was blocked by the clouds making the whole wilderness pitch black. The bumpy road wasn't easy to walk on and the bulkiness of their protective suits made movement even more difficult.

The good news was that they weren't far from the border and it would only take about four or five more hours of walking to enter Mexico. After that they could meet up with Anya's informant and take a flight in the direction of Feathered Serpent City.

After about three hours of walking, the group was a little exhausted. Even though it was close to the border, Todd decided they would take a fifteen minute break before continuing on their way. He walked over to James, who was silently sorting through the guns in his backpack and sat down, saying carelessly, "You know you have to throw all this stuff away when you get out of the radiation zone, right?"

Anything that had been contaminated with radiation had to be left in the radiation zone, even all the clothes they had on would have to be destroyed in one place.

James glanced at him, "I know, it's just a habit of mine that helps me relax."

"So, did you used to be that reckless in Lost Paradise too?" Todd frowned at him, "How did you survive until now?"