84. Time for Payback
Morning came once again to the world of the Pioneers.
Rangga casually walked toward the small pier at the edge of his island while opening the regional chat panel. Just like the past few days, the Garuda Pioneers who had already reached Level 3 ships immediately began sharing the coordinates of their islands with one another.
The chat was much busier than usual. Several new names began appearing.
Pioneers who had just managed to reach Level 3 ships were reporting the locations of their islands and looking for people to explore with.
Amid the busy chat, Rangga occasionally joined in.
“Those of you who are new, don’t get cocky.”
“If you’ve got a mentor, listen to them.”
“Don’t go alone.”
One of the new Pioneers immediately replied.
“Yes, Bro.”
“Baryonyx sounds terrifying after hearing those stories.”
Rangga chuckled.
“They are scary... So don’t do anything stupid.”
Fajar joined in.
“Anyone who’s with me, just follow along... I’ll explain everything one by one.”
Siska also typed a message.
“Those who are with me, don’t wander too far, okay? We’ll take it slow.”
Rian didn’t want to lose out either.
“If you see a Simosuchus, don’t worry... Only its face is scary.”
Several new Pioneers immediately replied with laughing emojis.
Seeing the chat becoming more lively, Rangga smiled faintly.
The idea had only come up yesterday, but now the Garuda Pioneers who had already progressed further were beginning to guide those who had just reached the next level. At the very least, no one would have to enter a three-star island completely blind anymore.
Once he reached his ship, Rangga closed the chat and opened the Nautical Scanner.
The list of islands for the day immediately appeared before him.
⭐1...
⭐2...
His gaze stopped at the next options.
⭐⭐⭐ Savanna
⭐⭐⭐ Rock
Rangga fell silent for a moment.
Savanna.
He immediately remembered his conversation with Mayor Deri a few days ago.
The vanadium mine, the Mechanical Ankylosaurus, and the message from the government regarding cooperation with the Green Jaguar Nation.
Rangga let out a quiet breath.
“Not yet...”
He shook his head.
“I’m not ready... If I force it now, I’ll just get myself killed.”
As far as he was concerned, the mine wasn’t going anywhere. It would be better to wait until more Garuda Pioneers had sufficient equipment. That way, dealing with the Mechanical Ankylosaurus would be much safer.
“Besides... If we go together, mining will be faster too.”
His selection moved to the next island.
Rock Island ⭐⭐⭐.
The moment he saw the name, his memories returned to the first day he had entered a three-star island.
A Mechanical Kentrosaurus.
The creature that had forced him to flee because, at the time, he had absolutely no way of dealing with it.
Rangga grinned faintly.
“Looks like... it’s time for payback.”
He immediately opened the regional chat.
“Mayor... Today I got Rock Island ⭐⭐⭐... Turns out it’s the same one as before.”
A reply came shortly afterward.
“Me too.”
Rangga immediately smiled.
“Perfect... Mayor, wanna come with me? I want to settle things with that Kentrosaurus.”
Mayor Deri didn’t take long to reply.
“Sure... I also want to find out what that creature is capable of... Then let’s head out.”
Rangga gave a small nod.
“Alright... See you at the beach.”
The chat became busy again as other Pioneers compared their island locations with one another.
Meanwhile, among the rows of Garuda Pioneer names reading the conversation, someone merely snorted.
“Hmph.”
His gaze remained fixed on Rangga’s name, his expression visibly irritated.
Without saying anything in the chat, he immediately closed the communication panel and stared out at the sea from his ship with an unhappy expression.
The journey toward Rock Island ⭐⭐⭐ proceeded fairly peacefully. The waves gently rocked against the hull while Rangga occasionally opened the regional chat to make sure the other Garuda Pioneers had departed for their respective islands.
Every now and then, he answered questions from the new Pioneers who were still confused about group assignments.
“Just don’t separate from your mentor.”
“If they tell you to retreat, retreat.”
“Don’t try to be a hero.”
After making sure there was nothing else that needed answering, Rangga closed the chat panel.
He then opened his inventory.
A bow, regular arrows, explosive arrows, five javelins, and several bottles of medicine he had made the previous night.
Rangga took a bottle of bleeding-stopper medicine and placed it in a small pouch at his waist so it would be easy to reach.
“Just in case I need it.”
He also made sure to bring antibiotics and regenerative ointment. It was better to bring everything than regret it later.
Once his equipment was ready, Rangga’s thoughts returned to his encounter with the Mechanical Kentrosaurus a few days earlier.
That creature, its spines and the golden screen that had appeared before him.
“Its weakness... only appeared after all of its spines had been fired.”
Rangga murmured quietly as he stared at the sea.
“So the strategy is... dodge everything first... then hit it.”
He nodded to himself. At least now he had a basic idea of how to deal with the creature.
More than an hour later, the landmass of Rock Island ⭐⭐⭐ began to appear in the distance.
Rangga slowed his ship.
However, before he could get any closer, his eyes caught sight of several other ships also heading toward the same island.
One... Two... Three...
“That’s a lot...”
Rangga narrowed his eyes. There was no way all of them were Garuda Pioneers.
Which meant...
“...There are Pioneers from other countries.”
He clicked his tongue softly, slightly bothered by the thought.
Not because he was afraid.
Rather, after what happened with David yesterday, he had become more cautious around foreign Pioneers on three-star islands.
Rangga didn’t want to fight other humans. But he also had no intention of letting his guard down.
He steered his ship toward a section of the beach somewhat farther away from the other ships. There was a fairly tall rocky hill there that could serve as a meeting point.
Not long afterward, Mayor Deri’s ship could also be seen approaching from another direction.
Once both ships had docked, the two immediately met on top of the rocky hill.
Mayor Deri spoke first.
“Everything went smoothly on the way here, Mas?”
Rangga shook his head.
“No problems. Just...”
He pointed toward several ships still visible in the distance.
“Looks like it’s crowded today.”
Mayor Deri also looked toward the sea.
“Yes... We’ll have to be more careful.”
Rangga nodded, his expression becoming slightly more serious.
“Mayor... Before we go in... There’s something I need to tell you.”
Mayor Deri immediately gave him his full attention.
“The creature we’re looking for... the Mechanical Kentrosaurus.”
Rangga picked up a small twig and drew a simple shape in the sand.
“It has spines on its back... I’ve encountered one before.”
Mayor Deri crouched down to examine the drawing.
“And?”
“Never stand directly in front of it... Those spines can be fired.”
Rangga drew several lines spreading outward from the Kentrosaurus’s back.
“And they explode.”
Mayor Deri nodded slowly.
“So our priority is to avoid its attacks first.”
“Exactly. Once all the spines are gone... then we attack.”
Mayor Deri stood back up.
“Understood.”
Rangga tossed aside the twig he had used.
“Basically, whenever it starts turning its body toward you... find a rock and use it as cover.”
Mayor Deri nodded firmly.
“Alright.”
Without wasting any more time, the two began walking into Rock Island ⭐⭐⭐.
After only a few minutes of making their way through the rocky terrain, Mayor Deri suddenly pointed toward the slope on their right.
“Mas Rangga.”
Rangga turned.
“Hm?”
Behind the rocks was a dark-black rock outcrop protruding from the ground. Rangga approached and picked up a small chunk.
He examined its surface for a moment before smiling.
“Coal.”
Mayor Deri stepped closer.
“Looks like there’s quite a lot.”
Rangga nodded.
“Good... We keep using coal all the time.”
They didn’t waste the opportunity. Their axes and pickaxes were quickly pulled out.
While remaining alert to their surroundings, Rangga and Mayor Deri began mining the coal deposit before continuing their exploration deeper into Rock Island ⭐⭐⭐.