Chapter 56: Battletown
A patrol intercepted them halfway on their way to Battletown.
The sight of three SUVs with twice as many power cruisers driving after them to intercept the spirit-train brought back a few terrible memories of Slash’s band slaughtering his own, even though he knew he had grown strong enough to defend himself. He watched them approaching from the locomotive’s window, with Orient at his side and Holster hiding in another compartment.
Cultivators, all of them, Yuan guessed upon seeing the patrol approach. They were a motley crew of men with skull masks, hoods, and firearms. The fact they carried weapons like those at all marked them as First or Second Coil at best. Not too dangerous.
Still, the Khan being able to send large contingents to intercept newcomers already spoke volumes about his manpower reserves. The man was no two-bit sect elder vying for leadership.
Orient stopped the spirit-train without a fuss, allowing the patrol to peacefully approach the locomotive. A muscled man with a bag with holes over his face and a pack of scrolls on his back climbed down from his cruiser and walked up to the window. A skull motif with a yin-yang color scheme was painted on his chest.
“Tourist or competitor?” the man asked gruffly. Neither he nor his men appeared bothered by the spirit-train, which told Yuan everything he needed to know about his future competitors. “If the latter, what’s your identification?”
“We’re the crew of Orient Junction TR-61,” Yuan replied. “We’re here to take part in the race.”
“Orient Junction TR-61?” The man scoffed after checking one of his scrolls for the name. “You’re the Moonlight Sect’s team? First year they sponsored a participant, you know that? And of course, they’d hire an out-of-town mercenary band.”
“We are professionals,” Orient said with a charming smile. As always, she had a better way with words than Yuan himself. “We will receive a generous payment whether we win or lose, but we will be happy to do our best.”