The base was several times larger than Jiang Ye had anticipated.
The first floor was filled with equipment: food printers, clothing printers, bullet production machines, and simple limb repair devices. Those with broken arms or legs could be brought in, their wounds roughly stitched up to temporarily save their lives.
Looking out the window, a long row of garages stretched into the distance.
The garages were packed with large, red, double-decker vehicles, resembling double-decker buses. Their capacity was marked on the sides, capable of carrying a hundred people. A single vehicle could transport an entire squad into the city. Of course, they couldn't all cram into one vehicle; they still had to transport civilians!
Golden slogans adorned the front and back of the vehicles: "Militia Rescue Team Exclusive Rescue Vehicle. If you encounter danger or difficulty, seek help from this vehicle."
Furthermore, these vehicles were not hovercars; they were all old-fashioned, ground-running vehicles. The extra-large spare tire at the rear was a clear indicator, as hovercars didn't need spare tires at all.
Jiang Ye counted the vehicles. There were twenty in total, enough for five people to share one.
Three minutes passed, and everyone was assembled in formation before Li Nannan again, punctual as ever. No one wanted to do push-ups again.
"See the garages outside? You'll take those to pick up the injured. The garages have vehicle printing equipment. Each vehicle costs one million, very cheap. Build as many as you want with your own money," Li Nannan said.
"After picking up the injured, two kilometers north of the base, there's a temporary airport. A spaceship will be waiting there. The spaceship will have military personnel; just hand over the people to them."
"Alright, depart."
"Jiang Ye, you're with me in one vehicle."
"Yes!" Jiang Ye responded, turning to order his subordinates, "Pair up and take a vehicle. Put the cost on my tab."
The soldiers in formation automatically separated into pairs.
One soldier was left alone, looking bewildered. He raised his hand, "Report! We're short one person!"
Che Zhen spoke up, "You come with my group!"
"Yes!"
Jiang Ye followed Li Nannan out and boarded the foremost rescue vehicle.
The interior was indeed much like a bus, except for an additional co-pilot seat next to the driver's seat.
Jiang Ye settled into the driver's seat. There were no gears, no accelerator, no brakes – only a screen for control. The operation was standard and intuitive; one could learn it at a glance.
He started the rescue vehicle.
Slowly driving out of the base, he finally saw the true appearance of Crane Star.
Grassland!
Boundless green, vast expanses of wild grass, occasional small groves of trees, blue sky, white clouds – an open and expansive landscape.
"It's a bit like the Mongolian grasslands," Jiang Ye remarked as he tapped the screen to accelerate. "Are there no roads?"
"Where would the roads come from? This base was built temporarily. If you drive straight north, you'll see the city. The nearest city is Graffito City, with a population of over five million," Li Nannan said, fastening her seatbelt. "How is it like the Mongolian grasslands? I've been to Mongolian Star, it's completely different from this."
"Mongolian Star?" Jiang Ye was surprised. "I meant ancient Mongolia, a place on Earth. The grasslands there are quite similar to this."
"So, the name Mongolian Star has a historical origin? This is the first time I've heard of it," Li Nannan realized. "Mongolian Star is very far from here, a 5A-rated tourist planet. I went on a company-sponsored trip there seven or eight years ago. The grass on that planet was bizarrely tall; people standing in it wouldn't even show their heads. They said it was genetically modified grass specifically for the tourist zone. The grass seeds are edible and very similar to grapes."
"What rating is Jiang Ye Star as a tourist planet?" Jiang Ye asked curiously.
"Less than half an A. Only very developed planets can get an A. Jiang Ye Star is nothing, it's village-level," Li Nannan scoffed.
The rescue vehicles galloped across the grassland, reaching speeds of ninety miles per hour. However, the vehicle's suspension was good, with only slight jolts, like a boat drifting on a lake. Countless blades of grass and pebbles were kicked up by the wheels, soaring into the air. The front windshield quickly accumulated a layer of dust. The windshield washer fluid automatically sprayed, and the wipers swished frantically, cleaning the glass.
A total of fifty rescue vehicles, a grand procession, drove in a straight line. From a high altitude, they resembled a red serpent moving forward, or a train composed of double-decker buses. The grassland the convoy passed through was left with dark brown tracks, as if crushed by bulldozers. These tracks were recorded in the onboard computers, marked as "New Road 1."
Occasionally, they spotted some birds and large animals. The most numerous were a type of giant bull, similar in appearance to black yaks but three meters tall, resembling small mountains of flesh grazing in the grass. Their black fur was as long as human hair.
Finally, they saw the city in the distance.
The city was built densely, with occasional super-tall skyscrapers, but most buildings were ten to twenty stories high. There weren't many glass skyscrapers; the most common were reinforced concrete buildings. Their style was very similar to Jiang Ye's hometown, making them look quite familiar.
The highway finally appeared.
The initial stretch of the highway was normal, a dark asphalt road with white lane markings.
Driving further, scorched vehicles appeared along the roadside.
There were also charred corpses of people lying next to the vehicles.
Glass shards were scattered everywhere, all from blown-out car windows.
Jiang Ye's expression turned grim. He craned his neck to look at the vehicles by the roadside. "What happened?"
"It must have been a war," Li Nannan pointed to a grassy slope in the distance. "Look, there are shell craters, from small-caliber high-velocity weapons, rocket launchers, and the like."
"War? Fighting with whom?" Jiang Ye furrowed his brow.
"Who knows? Maybe some gangs," Li Nannan said, checking the assault rifle in her arms.
The further they drove, the more abandoned vehicles there were on the road, of all sorts of models: sedans, sports cars, RVs, trucks. Almost all the vehicles were piled high with supplies, and there were trucks carrying furniture. Moreover, all the vehicles were facing away from the city.
Jiang Ye could roughly imagine what had happened. The city had too many epidemics, and those who hadn't fallen ill had fled with their families in their cars. However, they encountered crossfire here, with rockets and bullets flying everywhere, screams and blood mist rising into the sky, leaving a scene of devastation.
"Report, this is the rear vehicle. I just saw a few people in the grassland in the distance. Requesting permission to investigate." The vehicle's intercom crackled.
"Approved," Jiang Ye said. "We've reached the city. All vehicles, split up. Rescue any living person you see. Once full, drive back. Everyone spread out; it will be more efficient for rescue."
The convoy behind them immediately became chaotic, some turning left, some right, and the convoy quickly disintegrated. After a gust of dust, they quickly lost sight of each other.
Jiang Ye's vehicle drove forward for a while. There were too many abandoned cars on the road, blocking the way.
"Let's park the car here. There are a few buildings ahead, let's search them first," Li Nannan said, picking up her assault rifle.
Jiang Ye braked, picked up his assault rifle, and got out of the car with Li Nannan.
They didn't even close the car doors. Since there were no living people in sight nearby, they weren't worried about theft.
"What if we get infected?" Jiang Ye suddenly thought of a problem.