Last Totem Novel - Chapter 3

Chapter 3 Locomotive
Tie Zha brought the girl out of Tie Shan Town, and then walked on the gravel road for about 20 minutes …

The girl raised her eyes and saw that they had already arrived at the foot of a low mountain. A wall made of twisted iron sheets and steel bars was built on it, and several containers were scattered on the top of the hill. She couldn’t help but recall the fairy tale books she had read when she was a child. This place was like a robber’s castle depicted in a story. It was chaotic but firm.

The two climbed up the stone stairs and Tie Zha typed the password in front of the door. Along with the friction of the mechanical gears, the rusty iron door slowly rose. Tie Zha told the girl to stay where she was, then pulled out his machete and went in to inspect it. After confirming that there was no danger, he signaled for the girl to enter.

There are about 500 square meters inside the fence. There are five containers in the middle. There are all kinds of things on the ground. There are tables, chairs, tyres, wooden boxes, oil drums, radios, iron cabinets …

The young girl carefully observed that after the iron gate was closed, the young man’s tense nerves had obviously relaxed. Looking at the youth’s changes, she deeply experienced the cruelty and ruthlessness of the world on the ground. In this place, there was practically no room for the weak to survive.

After a while, Tie Zha casually pulled a chair and sat down. He began to inquire about the girl’s situation.

“My name is Yoga Lombar, and I allow you to call me by my name.” The girl said proudly.

The iron slag lazily said “hmm”, indicating that it knew.

The teenager’s lazy attitude seems to have provoked Yoga Lombar’s dissatisfaction. “You shouldn’t underestimate a Lombar’s friendship and goodwill,” she said.

“Lombardi’s friendship and goodwill, can it be eaten as food?” Tie Zha asked casually.

You Ge blushes and says hurriedly, “The Lombardi Clan has a respected status. One day, you will pay a heavy price for your attitude today!”

Tie Zha chuckled as he stood up and walked towards You Ge.

“What do you want” The girl looked at Tie Zha’s malicious smile and remembered the youth’s ferocity. Her anger instantly turned into deep cowardice and she involuntarily took a step back.

“I think you will pay the price for what you have done.” As he spoke, Tie Zha grabbed You Ge and carried him to the container.

You Ge keeps struggling, patting the youth on the shoulder, “Bad guy! Bandit! Demon! Put me down!”

Tie Zha kicked open the container door and the afternoon sun shone in. There were all kinds of furniture neatly arranged inside, and there was also a clean bed.

When she saw the bed, the girl stopped struggling and pleaded, “You Ge was wrong.”

“And then?” Asked Tie Zha.

“Then You Ge will speak properly.”

“So …” The iron slag seemed to be unsatisfied.

“So you Ge will tell brother everything you know.” The girl replied seriously, as obedient as a kitten.

Tie Zha put her down satisfactorily and signaled for her to continue. The girl told Tie Zha that she came from Silver City No. 17. A few days ago, she was flying to City 15. As they passed through the endless sea of sand, the aircraft was suddenly attacked by a UFO and its engine was damaged by a bullet. She parachuted with the other passengers and finally landed in the desert.

The next day, she met a group of desert travelers. Those people brought her here and sold her to the grocer. You Ge then suggested that as long as Tie Zha could bring her back to Silver City’s military base on the ground, the Lombardi family would pay a generous amount of gratitude.

“Can’t we go there?” Tie Zha pointed at Silver City in the distance and asked.

“That’s Silver City 13.” The girl shook her head and explained. The upper echelons of Silver City No. 13 had some conflicts with the Lombardi family, so she could not turn to them. She suspected that the attack on the aircraft was led by Silver City No. 13, in order to prevent her from going to Silver City No. 15 to participate in the annual council.

“Looks like I can send you to Silver City No. 13 to collect the bounty. It seems much simpler.” Said Tie Zha.

“They will definitely kill you. That way, they won’t have to pay a bounty, and they can keep the dead people a secret forever.”

“You’re so smart.” The iron slag sighed.

“Thank you.” You Ge smiles faintly, but the next sentence from Iron Slag makes her smile completely frozen.

“So …” Tie Zha paused, “Even if I send you to the military base in Silver City 17, you will still get a bullet.”

“No way!” You Ge says anxiously, “They will definitely thank you for saving the third young miss of the Lombardi family.”

“Thank you! Then a shuttle of bullets.” Tie Zha waved his hand and said, “Alright, stop fooling me. I’ve never seen anyone above treat our people kindly. So, I can only send you to Sand City and find a rich man to pay the ransom for you. When the time comes, just ask him to send you back. This kind of person values Lombardi’s friendship and goodwill even more.”

“Actually …” The girl hesitated for a moment. “You’re quite handsome and powerful. I can introduce you to the ground forces of Silver City No. 17.” She then tempted, “After three years of service, I can bring you to Silver City 17 as a bodyguard of the Lombardi family, or … my bodyguard.”

Tie Zha quieted down, as if he was thinking about You Ge’s words. His eyes flickered, but not long after, his gaze dimmed and he muttered to himself, “If someone had said these words to me three years ago, I would have believed it.” He raised his head and looked at You Ge, “But now, it’s impossible!”

The youth’s words revealed an indescribable vicissitude. You Ge is silent for a while and can’t help but ask, “How old are you this year?”

Tie Zha choked on her question and was speechless for a long time.

“Tell me, you look so mature. You should be more than twenty years old.”

“How old are you?” Iron slag asked.

“I just turned 16.” The girl put her hands behind her back and said on tiptoe.

“I’m seventeen.” Iron slag said casually.

The girl smiled craftily, “Actually, I’m eighteen this year. Come on, call me sister.”

Tie Zha narrowed his eyes, his gaze filled with danger. You Ge stares at him unyieldingly. He felt a burst of inexplicable anxiety as he forcefully picked up You Ge in front of him and walked into the container, throwing him onto the bed.

“Call me sister.” You Ge’s tone is full of provocation.

The warmth and elasticity coming from beneath him made him feel uncomfortable. At this moment, You Ge is lying on his back on the bed. The two of them are facing each other at close range. As she speaks, hot air spurts out on his face, aggravating his irritability. You Ge’s calmness is somewhat beyond his expectations. He originally thought that she would shout and beg for mercy, but in the end, it turns out like this.

“Please remember, you’re just a cargo.” Tie Zha got up and said indifferently.

“Even if it’s a cargo, you can try it.” You Ge suggested.

“Have a good rest. There is water and bread on the table. We will leave early tomorrow morning.” After saying that, Tie Zha left without turning his head.

Looking at the youth’s seemingly calm but guilty back, You Ge purses her lips and laughs.

The iron slag walked out of the container and immediately opened the big iron door, heading to Old Niu’s repair shop. He wanted to retrieve the jet locomotive and go to the immortal doctor to buy some medicine to prepare for crossing the endless sea of sand. In Tieshan Town, there were only a few people who could cross the endless sea of sand by themselves, and Iron Slag was one of them. In the Sea of Death, the temperature was as high as forty degrees in the daytime and thirty degrees below zero at night. All sorts of creatures were buried in the sand, ready to deal a fatal blow to the travelers in the desert. If he wasn’t prepared enough, he would be buried in the sand.

Old Niu’s repair shop was located at the foot of a low hill, facing Tie Zha’s stronghold from head to toe. The repair shop covers an area of about 2,000 square meters and is surrounded by barbed wire fences. There are old cars, tyres, oil drums, various household appliances, waste products and so on everywhere. In the middle of the open space, there were a few iron sheds with all sorts of messy parts piled up inside.

Tie Zha walked into the repair shop and imitated the cries of animals, “Moo … Moo … Moo … Moo …”

Very quickly, a tall and thin young man with dark skin came out to greet him. He had a deep eye socket and a wide chin that protruded forward like a gorilla. His skeleton was also very large, and his shoulders were very wide. Although he looked a little skinny, his muscles were very strong.

“Brother Niu, I’m here to get the motorcycle and gun.” Iron slag said.

Old Niu immediately turned around and returned to the tin shed, pushing out a red motorcycle. The locomotive was half a person tall and its body reflected a metallic sheen. Its two thick wheels were close to the ground, making it look very smooth. Three oval airbags were mounted on each side of the motorcycle. This is a road and sand dual-purpose locomotive. Normally, it uses tires to drive. After entering the desert, it can put away two wheels and use six air bags to float in the air.

In the endless sea of sand, the jet locomotive is the second life of the traveller. Because the desert here is home to a giant terrestrial arthropod, the sandworm. It’s a nightmare for every desert traveler. The adult sandworm was more than 20 meters long, its entire body covered in carapace. Its body was surrounded by two adults, and its upper body was covered with knuckles. It lurks in the sand and can walk freely in the shallow sand. Its movement speed is very fast. Without a motorcycle, any sandworm in the sand sea would be immediately caught up to and devoured, turning into a pile of dense white bones in its acid-filled body.

“The booster pump I picked up last time has already been installed. It should be more flexible.” Old Niu said.

“I also need a double barrel and 200 rounds of bullets.” Slag stepped onto the locomotive and commissioned as he spoke.

“You want to go to Sand City?” Old Niu asked with concern.

“I bought a girl from Giant Mulberry. I’m going to send her to Sand City to exchange for money for the winter.”

“Then you have to find a good family for her.” Old Niu repeatedly warned, “We can’t harm him.” Then he went in and brought a shotgun with a shiny wooden handle and two strings of red shotguns, as well as a pistol and two magazines of pistol ammunition.

Tie Zha first took the shotgun and hung it on his left and right side, then tied the shotgun to his back. Then, Old Niu pulled out the pistol from his waist and handed it to him with a magazine. Tie Zha asked curiously, “When have I ever used this thing?”

“It’s not for you, it’s for that girl. If you want to cross the endless sea of sand, you should give her a weapon to defend yourself.” Old Niu explained.

“What if she uses it to hit me?” Iron slag asked.

“You can do it yourself.” The old bull then reminded, “I checked every shotgun, you can rest assured to use it.”

Tie Zha nodded and stepped on the locomotive with his right foot. The locomotive let out a smooth mechanical sound. The display screen on the front of the car lit up. A hollow blue circle gradually filled up, and a synthetic sound came from the car body.

[Red Comet, Activated]

[6% Charged Completed]

[Currently road mode, charging less than 20%, unable to start injection mode]

“This charging is so slow. Is there any way to improve it?” Iron slag asked.

“When you go to Sand City, you should be able to get a new battery and a new capacitor made by HH Company. It should be able to improve a lot.” The old bull replied.

“What do you want to bring?” Slag asked.

“I don’t lack anything here. Hurry up and go back.”

The two of them chatted about trivial matters. After 15 minutes, the motorcycle was charged to 30%. Tie Zha bid farewell to the old bull, twisted the accelerator, and drove towards Tieshan Town amidst the roar of the motorcycle.