The Butcher of Sargon (Patreon)

Chapter 49: The Rainy Season in the Hotlands

In July, the scorching desert environment made progress for the convoy incredibly difficult.

An hour ago, the Rhine Lab convoy reached the border of Sargon. Everywhere they looked, they saw coarse sand, gravel, and lifeless dry gulches stretching across the landscape. 

Occasionally, a whirlwind would stir up a column of yellow sand, spiraling into the sky.

This was the end of Terra civilization. The nearest town was over a hundred miles away, and once the convoy ventured in, there was no turning back.

"Ladies and gentlemen, we are about to enter the Foehn Hotlands. If anyone still wants to back out, now is the time!"

At the front of the convoy, Saria stood with her shield. To cope with the scorching heat, the Rhine Lab R&D department had developed an Oripathy cooling protective suit for this mission. 

However, due to Garde’s warning, these high-tech suits were abandoned in the warehouse, becoming useless junk.

Now, Saria was wearing just a black protective vest with a white hooded coat over it.

In front of the convoy, the nineteen Rhine Lab operatives stood resolute. Their presence here meant they were ready to sacrifice themselves. 

More importantly, they trusted that if they did perish, Saria would take care of their families.

Garde, sitting in the vehicle under the blazing sun, observed the operatives. 

He wondered how many of them would make it out alive from this expedition into the Hotlands. 

Those willing to stay with Saria at this point were undoubtedly her closest confidants. If they all perished here...

Wait, if they all died, wouldn't I be left alone to take over the security department at Rhine Lab?

Garde finally realized Saria's plan. Noticing his gaze, Saria’s expression became a bit awkward, further confirming Garde’s suspicion.

‘Damn you, Saria. So this was your plan all along!’

Wanting to stick out his tongue, Garde realized there were no free lunches in the world.

Still, even if he had figured it out, his actions wouldn’t change much. The dangers of the Hotlands wouldn’t lessen based on anyone’s will.

Garde turned to the girl beside him.

“Carnelian, are you sure you want to come with us?”

He couldn’t understand the girl’s thinking. If she wanted to learn Columbian, she could easily find someone else. Many of the personnel evacuated from Rhine Lab were fluent in Sargon and could teach her Columbian. Why stick with him?

“Hmph, I just find this expedition interesting,” she said, arms crossed. Her white coat fluttered in the wind, and under her short white hair, her face was full of determination.

“Besides, I don’t like charity. If I’m to learn Columbian from you, I must give equal value in return.”

You could have easily hired a professional Columbian teacher with the Originium ingots you have, Garde thought. His peripheral vision caught sight of Carnelian’s long, slender, and slightly muscular legs under her coat.

Carnelian’s height was similar to Saria’s, but Saria’s build was more robust, likely due to her regular training, giving her a solid and powerful look. 

Carnelian, on the other hand, was slimmer in every sense.

After final preparations, Saria approached.

“Garde, I’m counting on you.”

“Yes, yes. Since you’ve asked, how could I possibly slack off?” Garde gestured reassuringly.

Saria tilted her head in confusion. Did she ask him for anything?

After the final briefing, the convoy set off. The first task was to crank up the air conditioning to the maximum because it was unbearably hot outside.

Entering the Foehn Hotlands, the first thing they felt was the scorching wind. The temperature soared to over seventy degrees Celsius. Sitting on the vehicle roof didn’t feel cool at all; it felt like being in a steamer.

Initially, Carnelian had an expression of determination to conquer this land. However, she soon became parched and quickly climbed back into the vehicle.

“It’s unbearable outside!”

Carnelian had grown up in harsh environments, but the conditions outside the Hotlands paled in comparison. And this was just the beginning.

Even inside the vehicles, Rhine Lab operatives were tense, fearing the vehicle’s air conditioning might fail under the extreme heat. These cheap air conditioners from Elliot couldn't compare to the equipment they brought from Rhine Lab, which they couldn’t use.

The external temperature averaged fifty degrees Celsius, with extremes reaching sixty or seventy degrees. 

Even Rhine Lab’s elite operatives would lose combat effectiveness in such conditions.

Contrarily, Garde, lounging on the vehicle roof with his tail swishing lazily, seemed unbothered. Having survived in the Hotlands for three months, Garde knew the weather could change.

Columbia’s summer was the hottest time, but in the Hotlands, it was relatively cool now. Garde estimated that if Terra was a spherical world like his previous one, the Hotlands should be near the equator.

During this season, the Hotlands could even experience rain. However, Garde had entered during the hottest period, and his crocodile man physiology barely endured the three months, shedding several layers of skin.

Now, this temperature was nothing.

The Hotlands were eerily quiet. Apart from the occasional rustling of sand and gravel in the hot wind, there were no other sounds.

They avoided using communication devices to prevent detection by ancient machines, but that didn’t mean the Hotlands were devoid of life.

As the six dune buggies rumbled over the gravel and sand, some predators, lying dormant beneath the desert, waiting for the rainy season, opened their eyes.