Further east from the junction of relatively dry Svartalfheim and Niflheim, which is full of swamps and water vapor, is a vast grassland, and half of this grassland is occupied by tropical rainforest.
Is it normal in the eyes of Pandora people that just by climbing over a mountain or crossing a river, the landscape and environment will undergo earth-shaking changes?
Sherlock temporarily ignored Watson who was running around and yelling "[Ah, grassland, you are just grass]" and raised his arm to contact the 34-year-old single Irene Adler through the multi-purpose tool.
"I have arrived in Alfheim, what should I do next?"
"[It's very simple,]" Erin's avatar appeared on the communication interface: "[In addition to the main base where we sent the team to attack, there are also some scattered research institutions there. I need you to go to those places to retrieve the knowledge of local wildlife.
Research and transformation records, with those things, I can better formulate plans for biological weapons.]"
"Why not let that detachment do it?"
"[I think 'Afterglow' should have eliminated them, but that guy is a rough guy and doesn't understand the value of scientific research at all. Letting him collect data will only cause damage, so we didn't mention it at all when he set off.]
"Irene replied: "[If it weren't for the fact that I couldn't leave, I would still like to go and see those cuties in person.]"
"Little cutie..." Sherlock looked up at the giant two-headed dog chasing Watson, and then turned the camera: "You mean this?"
"[Oh! You are so lucky! Alien dogs of this level are not common,]" Eileen exclaimed: "[Please make sure that the fur from between its two heads to the back is intact, I will buy it for a big price."
Download them.】"
I always felt that the "cute" she meant was different from the conventional meaning... Sherlock hung up the communication and took out his weapon.
So...which head is the fatal part? Or is it both?
————
Previously, Kyle Rayner made it clear that the Volunteer Army did not need Sherlock's help in the ongoing battle, but he was still happy to see this "powerful Vault Hunter" willing to help their people complete some small tasks. After all,
They were somewhat short of manpower for a three-way war.
However, for some reason, these "side missions" naturally led Sherlock to the main battlefield of the critical battle, and he "happened" to meet the captain who was in trouble.
"Are you the 'Vault Hunter' that Kyle mentioned?" It was a tall, thin man wearing a tan leather jacket, windproof goggles, and a red headband, holding a sniper rifle with a somewhat depressed expression.
When Locke met him, he was on the top floor of a research institution that had been emptied out. He was writing and drawing on a simple topographic map with a charcoal pen in his hand: "Great, I am suffering from a shortage of manpower."
[The remaining light of ‘Beast King’.]
【He alone is an army.】
"[This is extra work! You need to pay extra!]" the little robot said arrogantly with his hands on his hips.
"...Want to hear the details." Sherlock pulled Watson behind him.
"This is the base where the 'Laughing Bat' uses 'Yinli' to transform ordinary wild animals. In addition to those two-headed dogs, there are also 'human bats' and 'sandworms'," Can Guang held up his goggles:
"My original plan was to rescue the animals they captured, organize an army of beasts, and level the entire base, but 'T'Challa' was too aggressive and got caught in a trap. Most of my abilities were used
It’s gone, and only useless abilities like ‘ultra-long-range sniping’ are left.”
"T'Challa?" Sherlock felt that the context of this familiar name seemed a bit uncomfortable.
"Oh, that's my pet. Although I don't know its specific race, it can transform into various animal forms as needed and is my best companion." Can Guang said very proudly.
[Current mission: Save ‘Drew Yin’ T’Challa and destroy the biological laboratory. 】
Not as it seems.
[I helped you scan some locked animals and marked them,] "Angel"'s communication connected automatically: [If you destroy the cage and release them, it will be enough for the minions of the 'Laughing Bat' to have a good drink.
It’s a pot.]
Um……
————
【Nidaville】
Going north from Alfheim and crossing a mountain ridge, Pandora's topography changed dramatically again, abruptly transforming from grassland and rainforest to wind-eroded Gobi.
This kind of terrain... Sherlock found a nearby modified car garage, took out his "VIP" car, and started racing in this desert while looking for his goal.
[There are many wild 'Bane's, Vault Hunters, in Nidaville.] Soon, Moriarty sent a remote contact through the universal tool: [Due to the great uncertainty in their behavior, 'The Laughing Man'
Bats have failed many times in their transformation and control, and many of the failed ones that escaped are now living with their wild counterparts - with those 'venom', you know.]
"I can help you collect venom samples, but I don't think Kyle Rayner will allow you to conduct experiments on the soldiers of the Volunteer Army, even if it can improve their combat effectiveness to better fight against the 'Laughing Bat'." Sherlock replied
.
"[I am not stupid enough to use things that are likely to have been tampered with for my own use,]" Moriarty replied: "[I will make appropriate adjustments and change the usage from 'internal administration' to
For 'external application'.】"
"...?" Is that achievable?
"[To be precise, I will make them into some kind of projectile. Depending on the type, the gas and liquid droplets dissipated after throwing can very well weaken the enemy or strengthen one's own. Although there is no need to worry about permanent damage, but the
The effective time will be relatively short, tsk.]”
The words "although" and "but" in this sentence seem to be used backwards, but combined with his title of "loving doctor", it doesn't seem to be contrary.
"Just in case I'm asking, who is the operations leader performing the mission here? Does it overlap with your mission objectives?" Sherlock asked.
After all, it took him a lot of effort to rescue T'Challa in Alfheim.
"[Let me think about it, oh, it's the big stupid guy from 'Herlem'," Moriarty replied: "[Maybe because he is also brainless, he can communicate with 'Bane' to a certain extent, so
Kyle arranged for him to attack the modification factory, rescue those 'Wild Bane' who were angry with the 'Laughing Bat', and then use them as cannon fodder when we attack Vanaheim.]"
Sherlock was very sure that this was not the word Kyle Rayner used.
————
"Helem! Yes! King of Bain!"
"[Watson! Yes! The little noisy king!]"
Alas... Sherlock held his forehead silently.
This time, there was no problem with the "action", but there was a problem with the "captain".
Before his arrival, Hreem and the volunteer army under his command had successfully breached the transformation factory of "Bane" and rescued and collected all the wild Bane. Then...he claimed to be the "King of Bane" and commanded
Then the Baines transformed the factory into a lair, and then stayed here forever.
His original volunteer soldiers were camped outside the factory, but they dared not advance and could not retreat. When they saw Sherlock appear, they had a "saved" expression.
Shylock promised them that he would take Khlem back and let them return to the "sanctuary" first, and then those people left with great gratitude.
"Hreem! I'm not going back!" The extremely strong bald man, who looked about the same size as Bain, or even bigger, found that he couldn't quarrel with Watson, so he turned around and shouted: "Herem! I want to stay with my family.
Together!"
"Helem!" "Family!" "I'm hungry!" The Baines inside the factory also shouted in agreement.
[‘Giant’ Helem]
【He is the biggest.】
Sherlock had a slight headache. He originally thought that Helem had been caught in a trap and controlled like T'Challa, so he boasted. But now it seems that this giant is acting completely according to his own will.
It's not impossible for Lem to beat him up and take him away, but then this large group of Baines will lose control and all their previous efforts will be wasted, so it should be...
[Current mission: Defeat Helem and obtain the support of ‘Wild Baine’. 】
"..."
[Bain's group structure consists of 'clan chiefs' and 'war commanders'.] "Angel"'s communication appeared again: [I have marked all the 'chiefs' for you. If you defeat them one by one, you will become Heli.
Mu, the challenger of the 'War Lord', if you defeat him now, this Bane tribe will be completely controlled by you.】
No, thank you, he doesn't want to be the "King of Bain" at all.
————
【Muspelheim】
To the west of Niflheim, after passing through a canyon, there is a volcanic landscape covered with scorched earth and lava - it seems that the locals of Pandora do have a reason to ignore the too abrupt changes in the landscape, after all, there are too many of them.
"[Ouch! My tire! It's on fire! It's going to burst!]" Watson shouted while running around.
"..." After Sherlock confirmed that its wheels were safe enough, he opened the multi-purpose tool and contacted Atreus: "What ore did you say you were looking for?"
"[Yinli Mine, buddy,]" Atreus seemed to be busy modifying the vehicle, and replied in a slightly greasy voice: "[That is an ore that only grows deep underground in Pandora. It contains great energy.
It is also the main energy source for my explosive modified vehicles. It is difficult to mine normally. Usually, it is ejected by volcanoes, and some of it is swallowed by those mutated fire spiders and brought to the ground.]"
"...Don't ask me to catch fire spiders. I can look for them near the volcano."
"[You are right, man, but unfortunately, the minions of the 'Laughing Bat' thought the same way. They occupied all the craters here to build camps to mine Yinli Mine. At the same time, in order to deal with the attacks of those fire spiders,
The sea has installed super powerful automatic artillery - of course, it is worse than the one on my car.】"
"I suddenly thought of a question," Sherlock looked at an armed camp built next to a small volcano from a distance: "Those automatic artillery are to defend against fire spiders, right."
"[That's right, man.]"
"So, they must be very good at dealing with flames, maybe they spray ice or water?"
"[What a great idea, I will modify it into my car next time.]"
"One more question, what is the name of the operational captain responsible for the attack here? What's his nickname?" Sherlock's eyes followed the flaming meteors streaking across the sky.
"[Jide, 'Firehawk' Jade, what's the problem?]"
"...I think I know the reason why her actions are making no progress." Sherlock saw that the meteor was about to fall into the camp, and was swatted away by several ice-blue defensive fires like flies: "Later
connect."
————
Boom!
A ball of blazing fireballs suddenly landed in front of Sherlock, and then the flames dissipated, revealing the figure of a woman on one hand and one knee, copying the Iron Man pose.
She was wearing a tight-fitting red leather suit, her short hair and eyes were equally fiery red, her appearance was sharp and oppressive, and she had a pair of falcon-like wings made of flames on her back.
【‘Fire Eagle’ Jade.】
【Let this world burn!】
Judging from the introduction panel, she didn't seem very friendly, and Sherlock took half a step back.
"'Vault Hunter'? Huh?" Jade flipped her hair on her temples, and the pair of fire wings on her back disappeared: "I heard from Kyle that you are a 'witch' just like me?"
"We usually call ourselves 'Wizards'." Sherlock shrugged.
"It doesn't matter," Jade waved her hand: "I'm here to help that boy Kyle collect 'Yinli Ingots'. I've already destroyed half of the 'Laughing Bat' camps here, but the rest are a bit difficult to deal with. You'd better do it."
There are other means besides fire, otherwise it’s better to go back as soon as possible, ‘Wizard’.”
Now, would it be a bit arrogant to say, "I have a hundred ways to demolish those bunkers?"
[Current mission: Help Jie De destroy the remaining Yinli Mining Farm (7/14). 】
[Optional mission: Destroy the three ‘Fire Spider Queens’ in this area to obtain melted Yinli Ore. (0/3)]
It’s really just half.
[I have marked the defensive weak points of these camps for you,] "Angel"'s communication arrived in time: [In addition to conventional offensives, if their insulation or cooling equipment can be stopped, the effect of self-destruction can also be achieved.
.]
Hmm...huh? "Angel" doesn't respond to "optional missions"?
Now we can rule out the inference that "the mission was actually sent by an 'angel'".
————
【refuge】
"Thank you very much, Vault Hunter," Kyle Rayner shook hands with Sherlock enthusiastically: "You have helped us a lot and will always be the best friend of the Volunteers."
That would be a legendary weapon. Among the rewards given in the three major missions, only Canguang's gun is pretty good. I usually use it all by myself and get it from the BOSS.
"Unclean Harold" is the best in the world!
"It's okay. After all, I also have some accounts to settle with the 'Laughing Bat'." Sherlock shook his hand back.
"Speaking of this, we are about to launch a general attack on 'Vanaheim' from three directions at the same time, but there is still one most critical issue." Kyle Rayner let go of his hand and lit up the tactical screen next to him: "That fortress
The star port city where the 'Batship' takes off and lands has the same solid shield as ours, which cannot be broken by conventional means."
I don’t know whose shield will break after one round of saturation bombing.
"So?" Sherlock asked.
"Based on your previous actions, we came up with a good idea," Kyle nodded: "Intercept the shield batteries it purchased for replacement."
Do you all buy batteries online? Who is the supplier?
"But the problem is that it is a shield that supplies energy for an entire city. It cannot be transported by a single person, so..." Kyle Rayner switched the screen and showed a picture of railroad tracks and trains running through the mountains: "We
What we want to hijack is a freight train."
[Current mission: The Great Train Robbery.]
"..."
————
【Vanaheim】
This "planet block" is located in the northernmost part of Pandora. About 70% of the area is an urban area with extremely high technological content at first glance, but the solid walls erected around it and the sky-high sky directly above the city
The closed hemispherical golden shield always reveals its attitude of rejecting people thousands of miles away.
However, the residents of Pandora who longed to enter the city would not give up. They built many temporary residences around the city that were like simple and dilapidated garbage dumps, and stayed there determined not to leave. In this spontaneously formed "slum area", actually
There are also robots wearing the logo of "The Laughing Bat", "Robin" and "Bane" maintaining order.
If it weren't for the fact that people and monsters on this planet "drop items" and "disappear when killed in battle", as well as "treasure boxes" can be picked up anytime and anywhere, Sherlock would really have the idea to investigate the causes of their strange ecology.
"Hi~Secret~Hunter~"
"[Hi, hi, hi]!"
"..." Sherlock's eyes twitched and he turned his attention to the two people who waved their hands to interrupt his thinking.
One of them is naturally doing something bad, messing with the first-placed Watson, and the other is a little girl in fancy clothes.
She looked to be no more than ten years old. She was wearing an indigo mechanical maintenance worker's uniform that was too wide and made her figure appear thinner. The collar, cuffs and belt were also decorated with various inappropriate mechanical parts, and she had an orange crown on her head.
Welding goggles, the facial features look pretty delicate, but the thick dark circles under the eyes and the crazy look put all the comments related to cuteness to the ground.
And the background of her first meeting was a huge bomb:
[‘Little’ Luna]
【Everything can be fried!】
At this point, all his "teammates" have been gathered. They are relatively well-disciplined, well-organized, and have clear goals. They are more or less like "volunteers." The students at Hogwarts are not only weirdos, but also a little bit crazy.
Regardless of others, the greetings Luna and Watson exchanged when they met were:
"Hello~ My name is Luna. I don't have a father. What about you?"
"[Isn't this a coincidence? My name is Watson and I don't have a mother!]"
“We are half-siblings/brothers and sisters!]” X2
"Sisters and sisters!"
"[Brother and sister]!"
"Let's fight!"
"【elder sister!】"
————
"Well..." Sherlock recovered from his brief distraction and looked at the elevated railway track behind the two of them: "Is the freight train coming?"
This is an abandoned water tower located on the edge of the "ghetto". From an almost parallel position, you can observe the train tracks that transport supplies to the golden city called "Gotham".
"That's right, that freight train will arrive soon, and then it will be blown up to the sky~ Hehe~" Luna took out a large pocket watch, looked at it, and handed it to Sherlock: "As Luna's best friend
, I decided that you will personally detonate 'Thomas' and 'Martha'~"
"..." Sherlock took the detonator decorated as a pocket watch and looked at the viaduct in the distance.
On the piers of the bridge were tied two "dolls" that were assembled from various mechanical parts and could barely be seen as human-shaped, and there were a lot of explosives of different styles hanging on the dolls.
It was assembled from raw materials that he and Watson found in the slums after running around under Luna's command and setting off more than a dozen alarms.
Luna's talent in being able to assemble bombs from things that have no explosive elements at all is really something that should not be underestimated - after returning to the real dimension, let her light it.
"Hey~ you know what? Vault Hunter," Luna trotted around in circles: "Luna has investigated and found out that that city is full of bad guys like the 'Laughing Bat' and their freaks.
Subordinates, such as 'Penguin', 'Scarecrow', 'Riddler'..."
"[The Riddler gets out of Gotham!]" Watson shouted.
"Don't steal my lines!" Luna glared at Watson: "So, blowing up those things will make them hungry for a week, hehe~"
[This is the base camp used by the 'Laughing Bat' to conquer other planets.] It is rare that "Angel" did not appear with the mission: [But we are lucky. He is busy with a more important thing now and has no time to pay attention to Gotham.
', as long as it is resolved quickly.】
Other planets? More important?
In other words, in the eyes of the "Laughing Bat", Kyle Rayner's all-out resistance was just a trivial matter that could be dealt with easily?
Well, come to think of it, if it weren't for the help of the "Vault Hunter" himself, all the actions he organized would have ended in failure.
As for the strength of the "Laughing Bat" itself... Sherlock looked at his waist.
Even if he can deal with his own ordinary spells, can he resist a "Gominyard"?
Woo——
The faint sound of a whistle in the distance interrupted Sherlock's thoughts.
"Hurry, Vault Hunter, it's now!" Luna jumped up to the top of the water tower and danced.
Hmm... Sherlock looked down at the detonator in his hand.
After "hijacking" the train, he still had to find the shield battery and take it away before the Gotham Guard came out to rescue the cargo and find the prisoner.
But the question is, what does that battery look like? It can’t be as small as the one in the “shelter”, right?
Woo——! Woo——!
A freight train appeared on the viaduct. Before Sherlock could think about it, he raised his hand and pressed the detonation button.
Boom!
The bridge collapsed as expected, and the front end of the freight train plunged into the river and broke into several sections.
"Haha! 'Laughing Bat'! Your parents exploded!" Luna cheered.
This childish behavior - forget it, she is indeed a child.
"Next, let's... go to hell." Halfway through his words, Sherlock was shocked by the sight in front of him and interrupted.
At this time, more than a dozen armed robots were drilled out of almost every carriage that fell into the river. But before it fell into the river, in a position that was temporarily invisible because it was blocked by rocks, there was a ten-story-high robot.
The giant robot is slowly standing up.
So... what this operation is going to deal with is actually the "battery" itself?
