59. The First Meeting
The next morning, Rangga was already standing on the deck of his ship, one hand resting on the helm.
Today was different. Today wasn't just about gathering resources. Today, he might finally meet another Pioneer.
Filled with curiosity, he opened the blue interface. Several island options immediately appeared.
Swamp Island ⭐
C-624183
20 hours remaining
Desert Island ⭐⭐
D-627591
18 hours remaining
Tropical Island ⭐⭐⭐
A-813764
16 hours remaining
Random Island Occupied by Another Pioneer
Tropical Island ⭐⭐⭐
A-615725
16 hours remaining
Rock Island ⭐⭐⭐
B-844826
16 hours remaining
Swamp Island ⭐⭐⭐
C-549582
16 hours remaining
Rangga frowned.
"Huh? There's an extra option now?"
He read through the menu again before his eyes stopped on the words Random Island Occupied by Another Pioneer.
"Oh... Is it because I'm not the only one with a Level 3 ship anymore?"
Still curious, he opened the Global Chat.
At the top of the screen, it now read:
Welcome to Global Chat.
Number of Pioneers: 5
Rangga raised an eyebrow.
"So... there are three more people besides me and Major Deri."
He didn't type anything. Instead, he opened the regional chat.
Rangga: Major.
Rangga: Have you checked your island coordinates yet?
A moment later, Deri replied.
Deri: I have.
Deri: My options are:
Tropical Island ⭐⭐⭐ A-615725
Rock Island ⭐⭐⭐ B-273814
Desert Island ⭐⭐⭐ D-906318
Rangga immediately compared them with his own list.
A few seconds later, he smiled.
Rangga: We both got Tropical Island.
Rangga: A-615725.
Rangga: Let's go there.
Deri replied almost immediately.
Deri: Understood.
Deri: I'm setting sail now.
Rangga gave a small nod.
"Hope we meet."
Without waiting any longer, he selected the same destination.
Tropical Island ⭐⭐⭐
A-615725
His ship vibrated gently as the blue interface disappeared.
Slowly, it pulled away from the dock and sailed across the sea toward the shared coordinates.
Elsewhere, Major Deri's ship was also heading toward the exact same destination.
Two Pioneers of Garuda were sailing toward the same island, hoping to meet each other in person for the first time in the Pioneer World.
The sea remained calm throughout the journey.
Rangga's ship steadily advanced toward the same coordinates as Major Deri's.
Since the trip would still take a while, Rangga opened the regional chat again.
Rangga: Major.
Rangga: There are already three more people in Global Chat besides us.
Rangga: Where do you think they are?
Deri replied shortly afterward.
Deri: I noticed that as well.
Deri: But I haven't written anything there yet.
Rangga typed again.
Rangga: Major...
Rangga: If we run into them someday...
Rangga: Do you think they'll be friends?
Rangga: Or enemies?
The chat fell silent for a few seconds before Deri answered.
Deri: For now...
Deri: We should avoid making contact whenever possible.
Rangga read the message carefully.
Another notification appeared.
Deri: We don't know their motives.
Deri: We don't know why they're on that island.
Deri: And most importantly...
Deri: We know nothing about their abilities or equipment.
Deri: If we do encounter them...
Deri: We must be prepared for both the best and the worst possibilities.
Rangga nodded instinctively, even though Deri couldn't see him.
It made perfect sense.
If even fellow Garuda Pioneers needed time to build trust, then meeting Pioneers from other countries would be even more uncertain.
Rangga: Got it.
Rangga: We'll judge the situation first.
Deri: Correct.
Deri: Don't start any conflicts.
Deri: But don't let your guard down either.
Rangga leaned against the ship's railing.
Rangga: Roger.
Rangga: Hopefully the people we meet are decent.
Deri: Hopefully.
After that, their conversation became much more casual.
They talked about what kinds of new resources Tropical Island ★★★ might contain.
They joked about who would get lost first.
They reminded each other not to be reckless if they encountered mechanical creatures they had never seen before.
After sailing for more than an hour, the tropical island finally appeared on the horizon.
Not long afterward, Rangga's ship docked along the beach.
As soon as it stopped, he climbed ashore with all of his equipment.
A longbow hung across his back.
Five javelins were neatly secured behind him.
Inside his ship's inventory were also three sets of armor, along with the weapons he had prepared for Major Deri.
The moment both feet touched the sand, Rangga opened the regional chat.
Rangga: I've arrived, Major.
Rangga: I don't see another ship here.
While waiting for a reply, he walked a short distance along the shoreline.
A moment later...
Deri: I've arrived as well.
Deri: Is there anything distinctive you can see along the beach?
Rangga looked to his right.
"Hmm... almost nothing."
Then he turned left. In the distance stood a large rock formation jutting out along the shoreline.
He typed again.
Rangga: There's a large rock formation on my left.
Rangga: Pretty big.
A few seconds later, Deri replied.
Deri: I can see that rock too.
Deri: But it's on my right.
Deri: That means we're heading toward the same place.
Rangga nodded immediately.
Rangga: Alright.
Rangga: Let's meet there.
The two of them began walking along the beach from opposite directions.
Little by little, the distance between them and the rock formation grew shorter.
Every now and then, Rangga had to climb onto higher ground to avoid large boulders scattered across the beach.
Just a few steps later, he spotted someone. In the distance, a man was walking toward him.
He wore a camouflage military uniform that had been torn in several places. The fabric was stained with dirt and showed weeks of wear. In each hand, he carried a copper axe.
Rangga recognized him instantly.
"That's the Major... Major!"
At the same moment, Major Deri also spotted someone approaching from afar.
He immediately stopped walking. The figure wore an intimidating suit of scale armor.
A large bow was strapped across his back, several spears rested beside it, and various other weapons gleamed at his waist under the sunlight.
By instinct, Major Deri tightened his grip on both copper axes. His eyes filled with caution.
He had never seen equipment like that before, then, a moment later, the figure raised a hand and waved.
"Major!"
The voice echoing across the beach made Deri freeze. He recognized it instantly.
Rangga.
The breath he had unconsciously been holding finally escaped.
Major Deri relaxed slightly before raising a hand in return. A moment later, he broke into a light run toward Rangga.
Back on Earth, millions of people were watching the livestreams of both Garuda Pioneers simultaneously.
The moment Major Deri saw the armored figure standing in the distance, viewers immediately noticed the change in his expression.
The normally calm Major Deri suddenly stopped walking. He gripped both copper axes tightly and his face turned tense.
The comment section exploded.
HAHAHA, Major's panicking!
He thinks it's an enemy!
That's Rangga, Major!
He's never seen armor like that before. No wonder he got startled.
His expression got serious instantly.
Good thing Rangga shouted first.
The moment Rangga called out to him, Major Deri visibly let out a sigh of relief.
The comments burst into laughter again.
HAHAHA, look at that relief on his face.
He thought he'd run into a Pioneer from another country.
Such a soldier's reflex.
Meanwhile, Rangga's livestream had an entirely different atmosphere.
The moment Major Deri appeared in the distance, the comments began scrolling faster than anyone could read.
FINALLY! They met!
The first human encounter!
Face-to-face at last!
Come on, shake hands!
Rangga isn't alone anymore!
Inside Garuda's monitoring room, General Suryo, who had been standing quietly before the screens, slowly smiled.
Beside him, President Prabu gave a small nod.
For more than two weeks, they had watched each Pioneer survive alone on their own island.
Now, two Garuda Pioneers had finally met each other in person.
A simple moment, yet one that marked the beginning of a new chapter in the world of the Pioneers.