Having gotten the green light, Astra Yao let out an immediate cheer of delight. She practically sprinted into the car, patting the seat beside her with impatient urgency, urging them to get a move on.
Evelyn watched Astra's display of impatience with amusement. The strict no-spicy-food diet imposed to prep for the concert had clearly been driving the poor girl crazy.
After giving Andrew a nod, Evelyn followed Astra into their private transport.
As the car pulled out, Andrew trailed steadily just a short distance behind, riding his bike in its standard Pulse Chaser mode.
They were barely a third of the way there when Andrew sensed something was off.
Like, nine-out-of-ten degrees of "off."
The upcoming stretch of road was sparsely populated. At the end of this route, a left turn led to the busy streets heading home, while a right turn led to the uninhabited wilderness of the Outer Ring.
The moment they entered this section, two highly suspicious heavy trucks appeared behind them, matching their speed.
Driving abreast, the trucks cut off any chance of a U-turn. The sandy terrain on both sides was impassable for the ordinary vehicle ahead of him.
This luxury car, with its elongated body designed for comfort and its extremely low chassis for aesthetics, had practically zero off-road capability. It would get stuck in the sand instantly.
Seeing this, Andrew immediately tapped his earpiece to dial the comms line Evelyn had set up. The connection was instant.
Evelyn's voice cut in before he could speak.
"You noticed it too?"
Andrew maintained his speed without flinching, replying with a hint of helplessness:
"It's so obvious, I'd be worried if we didn't notice..."
His voice had barely faded when Astra Yao's curious chirping came through:
"What? What is it? What did you find?"
Following that came the sound of Evelyn pushing her back down onto the seat, followed by a weary sigh.
"We're being followed, and they aren't even trying to hide it."
Not trying to hide it? Andrew glanced at the heavy trucks behind him. Yeah, "arrogant" was definitely the word for this.
Recalling the map he'd memorized earlier, he added:
"It's worse than that. I'm afraid the intersection ahead leading home is blocked too. They want to force us into a deserted area before making their move."
Evelyn's expression darkened, though she nodded in agreement.
"Given the current situation, that seems to be the case."
"So, what's your plan? By the way, I've spotted quite a bit of military-grade equipment on those trucks."
"Military?!" Evelyn exclaimed in shock.
How could the military be involved in this?
"Relax. I've dealt with this type before. Without any unit insignia, they're either rebels or smugglers. They might have military hardware, but they definitely aren't the actual army."
Andrew's reassurance allowed Evelyn to breathe a small sigh of relief, but before she could think further, Andrew continued:
"However, each truck is carrying a heavily modified Logger Mech. They're likely autonomous mechs meticulously retrofitted by Hollow Raiders, not those flimsy sticks cobbled together from scrapped Public Security support machinery."
Andrew's addendum caused Evelyn to frown deeply.
Even if it wasn't the military, heavy autonomous mechs were bad news, especially two of them.
If it were just common thugs, she could handle them easily. But enemies decked out in military gear were a different story entirely.
Add two heavy mechs to the mix, and the board changes completely.
It's like how infantry and tanks have their own weaknesses individually, but put them together, and you have a wave of steel rolling over the battlefield.
It was a completely different concept.
After a moment's hesitation, Evelyn spoke firmly:
"In a moment, I'll order the driver to ram directly up the sand dune. Andrew, you take the Young Miss and get out of here. I'll hold these guys off."
Hearing this, Astra Yao immediately panicked and objected:
"No way, Eve! That's too dangerous! I'm staying to help you! If the three of us fight together with Andrew, we can definitely beat them!"
But Evelyn had no intention of accepting her suggestion.
"No, Young Miss. It's too risky. I can't let you take that chance."
With wolves ahead and tigers behind, Evelyn couldn't fathom why Astra Yao would suddenly be targeted by such a heavy armed force.
But regardless of the reason, it wasn't justification enough to let Astra face the danger.
Just as the mood was getting heavy, Andrew cut in, breaking the tension.
"Hold on, why are we getting all tragic all of a sudden?"
Hearing Evelyn's plan, Andrew corrected her with a touch of helplessness:
"What I'm asking is: do we just smash straight through them, or do we pretend to be forced down that road and then wipe them all out in one go?"
Hearing Andrew's words, the two women stopped arguing. Evelyn's eyes went wide with shock.
"Smash through?"
This car was bulletproofed, sure, but it didn't have the power to ram through a blockade.
Andrew didn't explain. He just smirked and slotted the Engine directly into the front panel of the Pulse Chaser.
"Transform!"
As Andrew spoke, the Pulse Chaser's shell began to melt. Under the astonished gazes of Astra and Evelyn, the entire vehicle body began to surge like liquid.
The bike's frame elongated slightly, the front wheel extended, and then, heavy armor formed from the liquid metal enveloped the entire motorcycle beneath Andrew.
In just two short seconds, the light off-road motorcycle transformed into a super-heavy bike resembling a small tank.
Two massive, heavy tusks sprouted from either side of the front, their razor-sharp tips pointing straight ahead of the tire, emitting a chilling, predatory glint.
To match his armor, the bike wasn't in its gold and red color scheme this time; at Andrew's mental command, it shifted to match his gear.
A black base accented with glowing pale purple—like a predator prowling the night. Dangerous. Terrifying.
Paired with Andrew's ferocious wolf mask, he looked like a beast lurking in the shadows, ready to hunt.
Even though she was being held down, Astra Yao couldn't resist poking half her head up to watch. Having witnessed the entire transformation, her eyes went wide, staring unblinkingly at Andrew's new form as if trying to carve the image into her brain.
Inspiration exploded within her—she wished she could write a song about it right this second.
Unfortunately, current circumstances didn't exactly support a songwriting session.
Andrew looked at the two in the car and laughed.
"Now, never mind a roadblock—even heavy fortifications couldn't stop us. But I still suggest the second option. After all, there's a saying: 'A thief may steal for a thousand days, but you can't guard against him for a thousand days.'"
Andrew had a point. Plus, if they caught these guys, uncovering the mole's identity would be a breeze.
But, back to the original problem.
"But the Young Miss's safety..."
Before Evelyn could finish, Astra interrupted immediately:
"Don't worry, Eve! I'm not some fragile flower who needs constant protecting. I'm tough!"
She hugged Evelyn's arm tight and declared firmly:
"Don't you dare try to send me away so you can adventure on your own! I'm coming too!"
At the same time, Andrew gave his assurance:
"Rest easy. Even if they suddenly pull out some heavy military autonomous support unit, I can handle it without issue."
Afraid Evelyn might still worry, Andrew added:
"That's how I handled the last encounter. No problem at all."
In that previous fight with the small army unit, even when his Dullahan Tachi wasn't sharp enough, that Guardian Type II didn't survive more than a few cuts.
I've gone from Yellow Sharpness to Blue Sharpness now—that's a two-tier jump. Even a dozen of those autonomous tactical mechs wouldn't be enough to make me break a sweat.
Evelyn looked at Astra's determined face.
That resolve was the same unyielding spirit she showed towards her music. Whenever she wore that expression, her mind was made up, and nothing could change it.
Sighing helplessly once more, Evelyn felt she'd sighed more today than in the entire past month combined.
Finally, Evelyn asked Andrew:
"Are you confident you can keep the Young Miss safe?"
Hearing this, Andrew knew she was relenting, so he answered directly:
"I guarantee that no threat I can't handle will get anywhere near you."
Ultimately, Evelyn chose to trust Andrew. With her only worry assuaged, she accepted Andrew's second proposal.
"Alright. In that case, let's bag the whole lot of them!"
Hearing this, Astra jumped with excitement, cheering:
"Yay! Adventure time with Andrew and Eve!"
No longer under immediate pressure, Evelyn relaxed a little. Seeing Astra's excitement, the corners of her mouth twitched up.
Still, she gave a helpless warning:
"Young Miss, we aren't out of the woods yet. And this isn't a vacation spot. You must stay alert and watch for danger during the battle."
"I know, I know, Eve! I'll be careful, nothing will go wrong!"
Astra smiled and nodded in agreement.
However, seeing that bright smile, Evelyn decided she'd better be on guard enough for both of them.
Glancing at Andrew beside the car again, Evelyn subconsciously let out a breath of relief.
She couldn't help but lament that placing that commission on the Proxy Net was the second-best decision of her life.
As for the first? That would always be accepting the final commission to become Astra Yao's bodyguard.
Though it seemed like a long conversation, only a few minutes had actually passed.
The drivers of the trucks behind them had panicked slightly upon seeing Andrew's motorcycle transform, immediately reporting it in.
However, trusting in the bulk of their heavy vehicles, they quickly regained their composure.
That didn't mean they sat idle. As if receiving new orders, the truck windows rolled down simultaneously.
Soon, a man clad in full armor leaned out from each side, wielding an Ether Submachine Gun resembling a UZI. They opened fire on Astra's car.
It was a pressure tactic, designed to make the driver panic.
Their movements were practiced—not their first rodeo. They were like seasoned hunters chasing prey.
However, once Andrew swung the tail of his bike around and slotted firmly behind Astra's car, that tactic lost all effectiveness.
The bullets struck the motorcycle's rear with zero effect. The shield on his back acted as perfect armor; the rounds merely sparked harmlessly off it.
Aside from that, nothing happened.
The impact of the bullets didn't even make Andrew flinch.
Watching Andrew guard the rear, Evelyn had to admit: when it came to protection, the sense of security Andrew provided was off the charts.
Enough to make one forget the danger they were actually in.
Meanwhile, the shooters emptied three magazines only to realize it was pointless. They could only rage impotently from behind, unable to do a thing about Andrew.
While they could choose to ram him, if the little idol inside got hurt, their crew would have done all this work for nothing.
If the client's mission failed, there certainly wouldn't be any "after-sales service" to clean up their mess.
But what they didn't know was...
If they actually tried to ram him, Andrew's biggest problem would just be figuring out how to make his "struggle" look convincing.
Seeing Andrew as steady as a mountain—even wagging the bike's tail in mockery—a Vanishing Wolves elite in the truck couldn't take it.
"Damn it! That's too arrogant! Should we just activate the Logger Mech now? It's gonna happen at the target spot anyway."
But the moment the words left his mouth, another man scolded him.
"The Logger can't catch a car. The Boss said we have to wait until they're in the encirclement no matter what. Ideally, we trick them into giving up!"
At the mention of tricking people into surrendering, the previously angry member perked up, sounding excited.
"Heheh, yeah. Trick 'em into giving up, then once they're totally subdued, we make our move. I never get tired of seeing that look on their faces when they ask 'why' in total despair."
He giggled excitedly as he spewed these bone-chilling words. The others didn't find it odd; in fact, they laughed along with the same twisted excitement.
As if what he said was intoxicating.
Or perhaps, for scum like them, this kind of thing was just good fun.
Soon, the car reached the fork in the road.
A truck blocked the intersection completely, and several cheval de frise barriers were set up in front.
The mercenaries guarding the perimeter, afraid the car might panic and ram them, fired warning shots around the vehicle to assert their threat.
Although this was no issue for Andrew, following the agreed-upon plan, they obediently steered toward the empty, uninhabited road.
Past the intersection, just two hundred meters in, they arrived at a slightly open flat area surrounded by rocks.
Once the three entered, they found the exit blocked by wrecked cars.
The car pulled up against a rock face, using it as natural cover. Meanwhile, the heavy trucks behind them sealed off the road they came in on.
Hiss...
With a soft sound, the Logger Mechs activated. From the vehicles waiting around the perimeter, over a dozen men in full military kit disembarked.
Their gear was clearly several tiers above that of the guys blocking the road.
The leader was equipped with a "Gray Rhino" heavy combat suit, typically reserved for heavy artillery units.
As Evelyn and Astra stepped out of the car, Andrew dismounted and stood before them, shield already in hand.
Looking at the three of them, the man's deep voice sounded sinister through his helmet, though one could tell he was trying to maintain a facade of amiability.
"Don't be so nervous, you three. I'm Ryza, brother of the Vanishing Wolves' leader and second-in-command. I invited you here today strictly for financial reasons."
Despite his words, the muzzles of the surrounding mercenaries were all trained on the trio.
Ryza continued as if he didn't notice the threat his men posed:
"As long as you give up resistance, I absolutely will not harm you."
Watching the man's shameless performance, Andrew just sneered.
"Give up resistance? And then become just another part of that pile of wreckage over there?"
____
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