68. Silencing the Call
On another side, Major Deri and Andre were dealing with a situation just as chaotic on Savannah Island ⭐⭐⭐.
The vast grassland was filled with herds of mechanical Gallimimus constantly circling them. There were more than a dozen, leaving the two of them with barely any room to breathe.
Andre gripped his long spear tightly. Every time a Gallimimus lunged, he swung it to push the creature back or knock it down.
“Major! What do we do? We’re outnumbered!”
On the other side, Major Deri kept moving with shield and sword in hand. He blocked one attack, then countered with a quick slash, turning one Gallimimus into light.
“Switch to crossbow!” he shouted. “Take down the big one first!”
Andre glanced in the direction indicated.
In the middle of the herd stood a much larger mechanical dinosaur. The Parasaurolophus raised its head repeatedly, while the long crest on top of its head began to glow.
At the same time, a voice came from another direction.
“Destroy the horn!”
Major Deri and Andre turned at the same time.
A man in tattered beginner Pioneer gear ran toward them while stabbing a Gallimimus with a standard metal spear.
“I’m Lucas! Pioneer from Brown Bear Nation!”
He pulled his spear back and shouted,
“That Parasaurolophus is calling them! The Gallimimus come because of the sound from its horn!”
Andre slashed another Gallimimus before replying irritably,
“I don’t need trivia! How do we stop it?!”
Lucas immediately pointed at the Parasaurolophus’s head.
“Destroy the trumpet in its horn! That’s what it uses to call them!”
Andre instantly stored his spear and pulled out a crossbow.
“Alright! Cover me!”
Major Deri and Lucas exchanged a glance before nodding.
“Okay.”
They moved forward side by side.
Major Deri blocked attacks from the front with his shield, while Lucas stabbed Gallimimus trying to flank them.
Behind them, Andre began loading his crossbow.
His hands moved quickly, but it still took time to slot the bolt into the mechanism.
Meanwhile, the Parasaurolophus raised its head again. Its crest began glowing, and a low mechanical sound started to build.
Major Deri shouted,
“Hurry, Andre!”
Lucas was also starting to struggle against the incoming Gallimimus.
“Faster!”
“Hold on!”
Andre finally locked the bolt in place.
Click!
Without wasting time, he raised the crossbow, aimed directly at the Parasaurolophus’s crest, and pulled the trigger.
Thuk!
The bolt shot forward.
Crack!
It struck the mechanical horn precisely, cutting off the sound instantly.
The Parasaurolophus let out a short roar before stepping back.
Around them, the Gallimimus that had been attacking suddenly stopped.
One by one, they looked around before scattering in all directions, fleeing across the savannah.
Lucas let out a relieved breath.
“It worked!”
Major Deri didn’t hesitate.
“Andre! The big one!”
Andre nodded. Major Deri and Lucas rushed forward toward the now-isolated Parasaurolophus.
Without the Gallimimus protecting it, the creature didn’t last long.
Major Deri’s sword struck one of its legs. Lucas stabbed into its body joints.
Andre followed from behind, firing bolt after bolt into its head.
Moments later, the Parasaurolophus collapsed. Its mechanical body slowly turned into light, leaving several materials scattered across the grass.
Major Deri stood with his shield raised and sword ready. His gaze hadn’t left Lucas. Beside him, Andre also raised his loaded crossbow toward the man.
Lucas quickly raised both hands.
“Hey, hey… easy. Relax. I’m not here to fight.”
Major Deri didn’t lower his shield.
“I appreciate your help. But I don’t know you.”
Lucas nodded slowly. His eyes instead examined their armor—then their weapons.
For a few seconds, he simply stared with curiosity.
“Where are you two from?”
Major Deri and Andre exchanged a glance before Deri answered,
“We’re from Garuda Nation. Where are you from?”
“I’m from Brown Bear Nation.”
Lucas seemed to recall something.
“Wait… are you the Deri who spoke in global chat yesterday?”
Major Deri nodded.
“Yes.”
“I’m Lucas there.”
Deri nodded slightly.
“Nice to finally meet in person.”
Lucas looked at their armor again.
“If I may ask… where did you get armor like that? I’d like to make something similar.”
Andre instinctively opened his mouth.
“This is from—”
Before he could finish, Major Deri lightly nudged him with his elbow.
Then Deri answered calmly,
“We made it ourselves.”
Lucas fell silent, his gaze shifting between the two. He clearly felt there was more to it, but he didn’t press.
“Alright,” he said with a faint smile. “If you don’t want to share, that’s fine.”
He then pointed north.
“But I’ll give you some information. It’s more dangerous over there.”
Major Deri followed his direction.
“What’s there?”
“A large mechanical dinosaur.”
Lucas took a breath before continuing.
“It looks like an Ankylosaurus.”
Andre immediately turned to Deri.
“Let’s check it out, Major.”
Lucas quickly shook his head.
“Don’t… I’ve tried getting close. That thing is dangerous—I didn’t dare fight it.”
He pointed again.
“If you still want to see it, don’t get too close. It guards that area—and that area is like… a mine.”
Lucas frowned, trying to recall.
“I don’t know exactly what it is… but the moment I got close, the ground itself became dangerous.”
Major Deri nodded slowly.
“Alright… thank you for the information.”
He sheathed his sword.
“In that case, we’ll take our leave.”
Lucas hesitated, as if wanting to say something.
“Wait a moment…”
Major Deri already understood.
“Sorry… we’ve just met. So I can’t share my island coordinates yet.”
Lucas paused, then gave a small smile.
“I understand.”
He raised one hand.
“Then… see you again. I mean no harm.”
Major Deri nodded.
“See you.”
Andre also nodded in farewell, and without further conversation, the two of them walked toward the direction Lucas had pointed.
Lucas stood there for a moment, watching their backs as they faded into the distance.
“Don’t get too close…” he murmured.
“I’m sure that creature is far more dangerous than you think.”
After confirming they were far enough away, Lucas turned and walked in another direction, continuing his exploration alone.
Major Deri and Andre continued toward the indicated direction. The savannah gradually shifted into a rockier terrain with sparser grass. It didn’t take long before they finally saw the creature.
A large mechanical Ankylosaurus stood still in an open area. Its entire body was covered in thick metal plates, while its massive tail resembled a steel mace. But what caught their attention even more wasn’t the creature—it was the mound of rocks behind it.
Between the rocks, silver metallic veins gleamed under the sunlight.
Major Deri stopped.
“That looks dangerous, Andre. What do you think?”
Andre studied the Ankylosaurus carefully, his gaze moving from its head to its massive tail.
“I don’t think we can penetrate that.”
He shook his head.
“It’s too thick, Major. My crossbow probably won’t get through either.”
Major Deri nodded.
“Then what?”
Andre pointed at the rock mound behind the creature.
“Do you know what kind of mine that is, Major?”
Major Deri narrowed his eyes, trying to see more clearly from a distance.
But eventually, he shook his head.
“No idea.”
“What if we just get closer?”
Major Deri immediately shook his head.
“No… that’s too dangerous.”
He watched the Ankylosaurus, still standing guard without moving far.
“Let’s ask Rangga first.”
Andre nodded.
“Alright.”
They observed for a few moments longer before Andre glanced around.
“Looks like it’s just trees around here, huh, Major?”
“Yeah,” Major Deri nodded. “Nothing special besides that mine.”
“Seems like that’s the main resource in this area.”
Andre looked back.
“So do we head back now, or what?”
Major Deri shook his head.
“No… let’s scout around first. There might be other resources that are safer to gather.”
“Roger, Major.”
They left the area without getting closer. Keeping their distance from the mechanical Ankylosaurus, they continued across the savannah, searching for trees, plants, or other mineral deposits they could collect without risking their lives.