Transcendent Gene
Chapter 80: Vehicle Delivery [4]

Chapter 80: Vehicle Delivery [4]

"We’re approaching from the west. The Rest City is two kilometers ahead. Approach from the northwest to avoid beasts prowling the perimeter."

The truck arrived at the scene of the battle so fast that Gio felt like they were already there when he looked up from the screen for the first time. He took only a moment to observe it before returning his eyes to the data.

The question of why the ground team needed an armored vehicle was answered already.

They could hear them from a distance away, but now that they were close, they could see what was happening as well.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

There were bombs dropping from the sky infinitely. They were coming from a massive red cloud covering the entire city and specifically dropping at spots that Gio had marked.

"Who drives?"

"Ulver."

"First target is half a kilometer into the city from this approach angle. Once you get on that street, take the first left and blast it until you can’t go straight anymore."

"Confirmed."

Garrison was always a casual person. He slurred his words and used a lot of slang whenever he talked.

All of that was gone.

Gio was sitting next to someone who’d become accustomed to this kind of lifestyle.

The truck crossed the border. Its wheels touched on concrete and spun to gain traction for only a moment before the truck was zooming down the streets.

It felt like they’d entered a different world. There were dead bodies hanging out of all of the decayed buildings and lining the streets. Most of the corpses weren’t whole as they’d been blasted apart by the bombs dropping from the sky.

Gio had no idea how the situation reached this point, but he could learn all of that later.

Right now, the most important thing was collecting the ground team, reaching the separate pickup vehicle, and escaping.

The truck hauled itself according to Gio’s directions. There were several life signals being detected and displayed on the screen in front of him, but they weren’t nearby.

No, rather, they looked like they were in the city, but they weren’t there at all.

"The enemies seem to have evacuated below the city. The only hostiles we have to face are the explosives."

"Affirmative."

Garrison stepped on the gas. They pushed down the street, hearing the explosions getting closer.

"Service Crew, reporting to Vice Captain. We are on your position."

Those words were spoken right as they reached that zone.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

The blasts came from all around them. The sound was muffled inside the protective cover of the truck, but the flashes of light and the shocks that rocked the chassis were concerning, to say the least.

Gio looked up just in time to see Natalia in front of them.

BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!

She was standing with a massive avatar of darkness behind her. Every time she swept her arms through the air, it moved with her, swiping at any explosives in her radius and eliminating them before they could hit the ground.

The moment she saw the truck, she made a run for it. Garrison didn’t stop to let her on. He didn’t even open the door.

He just continued to drive, slowing down just enough for Natalia to hoist herself onto the side of the truck.

"Next location."

Gio glanced at the woman hanging to the rear passenger door for a moment before answering.

"Next right. We’re going to the northeast. Jason is next."

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

The drive wasn’t safe anymore. Natalia was shooting down the bombs she could reach from her position, but the rest were landing all around them.

The massive red cloud in the sky covered the entire city. It was as if someone was controlling it so that the bombs produced inside would follow those living on the surface.

The truck shook violently, almost throwing Natalia off. She was forced to use a portion of her power to keep herself attached to the truck.

Garrison swerved from left to right, making himself as difficult to hit as possible. They raced through the city at the fastest possible speed with Gio giving directions whenever it was necessary.

Natalia found an opportunity to open the back door and get in the truck before pushing the window panel open and hanging out of it to keep the situation steady.

Jason was picked up in the same way. He had to fight the bombs differently, dashing around to avoid them while destroying anything too close with lightning. It was far riskier, especially when he approached the truck, but this was not their first operation.

Gio was the only one present who hadn’t done this countless times.

"Head straight south down this road. Amaya and Jax are both a kilometer that way."

They weren’t together, but they were close enough. When they reached Amaya, they could see Jax in the distance and he could see them.

It was always meant to be a smooth operation. The only thing that could ruin it was if Gio crumbled under pressure.

However, what kind of pressure was this?

The truck was made to withstand heavier blasts than these bombs. It would take quite a few of them directly striking to penetrate its armor.

He wasn’t in any danger apart from the occasional debris that flew into the truck whenever a team member got in.

There wasn’t a reason for him to fold.

Jax and Amaya got in the third row of seats while Natalia and Jason sat in the second row. Without fail, all of them had their torsos hanging out of the truck. The number of explosions reaching the ground had lessened considerably.

Garrison and Gio worked in perfect tandem. The next closest person was Raymond. His flames were being used perfectly when they arrived. In fact, he looked the most relaxed out of all of them.

He stood under a massive cover of fire that covered the entire sky above him.

He casually walked up to the truck and got inside, smiling as if to brag about his accomplishments.

"Good work, you two," he said as he got in.

"I appreciate the compliment, Sir."

Garrison responded quickly as Gio gave him the next location. Ulver and Alice were together. Really, it was something to be thankful for.

"Ulver’s power only works against living beings. He has some support abilities, but they’re mostly meant to bolster his main Sequence. If Alice didn’t end up with him when we were forced apart..."

Raymond explained from the back seat. Gio was now aware of why Ulver was the driver.

’More importantly, the switch needs to happen fast.’

That was the main point of the explanation. As the truck approached that location and they saw the large dome being pelted by explosions, Gio prepared himself. Garrison did the same.

They could see their pickup vehicle. The blue paint job and the white racing stripes made it obvious in the dark and dreary atmosphere. It was parked inside a building to the left, safe from the chaos on the streets.

"Are the two of you ready?"

Raymond was the one who spoke, but the entire team looked ready to jump out of the car.

"Ready."

"Here too."

The two of them gave their responses. The cacophony of sound around them reached the height of a crescendo as all of the bombs falling from the sky were concentrated in a single place.

And, in that same situation, the truck rolled to a stop outside that dome.

"Strike!"

As soon as Raymond said the word, the team members in the car jumped out and started shooting their abilities into the sky. The concrete dome in front of the truck came down, leaving two people to run towards the truck as fast as they could.

Garrison and Gio looked at each other and nodded. They looked out the front window at the two people who were about to reach the car.

And then...

"Go! Get to the car! We’ll cover you!"

The order came down.

They had to run.

Now.