Chapter 83: Nuclear Blast
Towering stone walls enclosed Stonefort Refuge City. Firing ports dotted their surface, while Radiant Path soldiers with rifles slung across their backs patrolled the ramparts.
The off-road vehicle sped across the wasteland and soon reached a barren hillside from which they could barely overlook Stonefort Refuge City.
After calculating a safe distance from the nuclear blast, Olivia carefully parked on the hillside with the vehicle’s rear toward Stonefort Refuge City. She tightened her seat belt and tied a strip of black cloth over her eyes.
Finn jumped out and shut the door behind him. Taking out a pair of binoculars, he briefly surveyed the city.
It was a militarized fortress. The tallest stone building stood at its center—a church.
Around the church, ring after ring of Radiant Path soldiers knelt in devout prayer.
Facing the church, they bowed in perfect unison until their foreheads touched the ground.
By then, the Radiant Path sentries had spotted Finn watching them from the hillside.
One soldier raised his rifle and fired a warning shot. The bullet whizzed past Finn.
Finn took out an enormous nuclear rocket launcher, aimed at the church, and pulled the trigger.
Boom!
A terrifying nuclear explosion erupted inside Stonefort Refuge City, bathing the entire world in blinding white light. Buildings inside the walls melted in the heat or crumbled like brittle crackers.
As an important Radiant Path stronghold, Stonefort Refuge City possessed considerable military strength, but the sudden hammer blow left its entire garrison reeling.
The city rang with the screams of Radiant Path followers. In the distance, several tanks turned aimlessly in circles, their crews utterly confused and unaware that death had already arrived.
The buildings at the other end of the city were still intact. Stone buildings clustered together, with tall towers and watchtowers rising among them. There were also sprawling factories, their chimneys belching black smoke.
Finn gave a long yawn and took out a second nuclear rocket launcher. He activated the fire-control system, hoisted it onto his shoulder, carefully aimed at the factories, and pulled the trigger.
Boom!
After an earth-shattering detonation, the densely packed buildings were flattened. Broken black bricks and shattered tiles covered the ground as a mushroom cloud slowly rose into the sky. Every window in the buildings that remained standing was blown to pieces.
For his third shot, Finn aimed at a formation of armored vehicles parked in an open lot.
Boom!
The deafening blast was like a god striking the earth with a colossal hammer. Intense heat ignited and incinerated everything in its path, while the shock wave swept outward and obliterated every armored vehicle. Tanks spun through the air like sheets of paper.
Finn’s face remained perfectly calm, as if he hadn’t just launched three nuclear rockets but lit three candles.
He took out a mountain bike, mounted it, and rode toward the outskirts of the ruined Refuge City.
Olivia cautiously drove over. Cold sweat beaded on her forehead, and her legs trembled. She did not dare look Finn in the eye.
She had originally thought Finn was merely as powerful as a Tier 5 Vanguard. Now, she could no longer think of him as any kind of mutant.
He might as well have been a god from legend.
Even so, Olivia felt a fierce surge of satisfaction. The Radiant Path had overloaded a nuclear reactor and blown up half of Black Mountain. She had longed for revenge but had been powerless to do anything.
Now, after watching one of the Radiant Path’s Refuge Cities vanish in nuclear fire, she felt a deep, vengeful pleasure.
“Master, where are we going next?” Olivia asked.
“Frostcreek Refuge City.”
Finn pointed at the next target. The red X over Frostcreek Refuge City looked like a sentence handed down by Death—cold, final, and beyond dispute.
...
An interstate highway cut through the wilderness and stretched endlessly north, as if continuing all the way to the horizon.
After centuries without maintenance, along with the occasional explosion, the entire highway was cracked, battered, and riddled with potholes.
The four-wheel-drive vehicle raced along the road. Olivia drove fast but steadily.
Finn no longer needed to hide his storage space. Back in Summit Refuge City, he had packed it with fuel containers right in front of Olivia. They had more than enough gasoline for now and did not need to worry about running out.
“Master, there seems to be a convoy ahead, coming toward us,” Olivia said suddenly.
She gradually brought the vehicle to a stop and took out a pair of military binoculars. After observing for a moment, she said, “It’s a convoy from the Radiant Path’s Holy Army of Deliverance.”
“Then let’s treat them to a nuclear rocket.”
Finn opened the door, preparing to jump out.
“Master, I see someone who looks like a high priest!” Olivia peered intently through the binoculars. “They’re coming from the north. Should we capture him and ask for information?”
“Sure. That lousy veritaserum can finally be put to use.”
Finn agreed with her suggestion. She had a point. If he nuked everyone he came across, sooner or later he might destroy useful intelligence along with them.
The two drove forward and soon came face-to-face with the Holy Army of Deliverance convoy.
It was not a particularly large force. The convoy included pickup trucks fitted with heavy machine guns, armored personnel carriers, and trucks equipped with multiple-rocket launchers.
The black off-road vehicle stopped directly in their path, forcing the entire convoy to halt.
“Get out of the way!” On the lead pickup, the Radiant Path soldier manning the heavy machine gun looked impatient.
He pulled back the charging handle and aimed the weapon’s dark muzzle at the off-road vehicle. The brass cartridges in the ammunition belt gleamed in the sunlight.
Olivia picked up a light machine gun and got out alongside Finn.
The Radiant Path soldiers’ attention immediately locked onto her. The beautiful, bright-eyed young woman wore a tight-fitting combat suit. Her gleaming blond hair fell to her shoulders, and she was tall, with long, slender legs.
Although she held a light machine gun at the ready, they did not consider her a serious threat. Given the overwhelming difference in numbers, none of the Radiant Path soldiers believed they were in any danger.
“Holy Radiance above, what’s this? A pimp making deliveries?” one of the soldiers shouted. “Now that’s service!”
The soldiers around him burst into laughter.
Finn spat on the ground. “Bring out your high priest.”
“Hey, boss! The high priest isn’t the only one with money!” the soldiers shouted lewdly. “How about letting us go first?”
Olivia’s face turned livid. She leaned toward Finn and said, “Master, I’ve confirmed the high priest’s location. He’s inside one of the armored personnel carriers in the middle of the convoy.”
“You’re certain?” Finn asked.
“I’m certain,” Olivia replied firmly.
To Finn, these Radiant Path people all wore red robes, making it nearly impossible to distinguish their ranks. Olivia, however, could tell them apart.
Perhaps that was one of those differences between men and women. Besides being a local, Olivia was also more attentive to such details.
“Open fire,” Finn ordered.