Heading Towards Trouble

Saluting back, Sanjay gave the location of the items to the two soldiers and excused himself.

The two soldiers nodded and left. They planned to check the location at sunrise, as traveling at night was dangerous.

As for Sanjay, he would receive the technology blueprints and demos once the commander verified the quality and quantity of the items, as per the contract.

Sanjay took a shower after his hectic day, then sat on the sofa and resumed his task of replicating medicine bags and MRE kits. With reduced mana consumption, his replication capacity had significantly increased. He managed to replicate around thirty thousand medicine bags and fifty thousand MRE kits before heading to bed for some much-needed rest.

The next morning, a doorbell woke him. Groggy, Sanjay opened the door to find the two soldiers from the previous day standing there. Behind them were several more soldiers carrying large boxes.

"Sir, the commander sent these boxes," one of them said, handing Sanjay a letter.

Sanjay gestured for them to place the boxes inside the hall. The soldiers carefully unloaded about thirty large plastic boxes, completely filling the space.

"Thank the commander for me," Sanjay said to the two soldiers.

"Will do, sir. Have a great day," they replied, saluting before leaving.

Sanjay closed the door, his gaze falling on the towering pile of boxes that now dominated his hall. He found a small visible part of the sofa to sit on and opened the letter from the commander.

In the letter, the commander personally thanked him for delivering such crucial supplies to the camp. He confirmed that all one hundred thousand units of medicine bags and MRE kits had been received with the agreed quality and quantity. As a token of gratitude, the commander had deposited sixty thousand points into Sanjay's account instead of the fifty thousand originally agreed upon.

The letter also included a detailed list of items in the boxes, along with their usage manuals, blueprints, and other relevant documentation. The commander had gone to great lengths to ensure everything was included.

Eagerly, Sanjay opened the boxes one by one. Inside, he found various types of rifles, a military-grade drone, and an assortment of miscellaneous items such as binoculars, a watch, a helmet with vision glasses, and other advanced gadgets.

He picked up the binoculars first and skimmed through the manual. The capabilities left him amazed. These binoculars could detect all living creatures and machines within a twenty-kilometer radius by identifying heartbeats and power sources. Similar to the sniper scope, they could locate hidden enemies like a radar. However, these were even more advanced, accurately pinpointing non-moving targets up to fifteen kilometers away.

Next, he inspected the watch. It was a military-grade timepiece accurate to one-millionth of a second. The watch featured an EMP release function capable of disabling electrical components within a customizable radius, up to one kilometer. It could also selectively target specific components like cameras or drones.

Sanjay marveled at the helmet. It offered a 360-degree detection range within a twelve-kilometer radius, displaying enemy locations directly on the integrated vision glasses. Additionally, it could connect to drones for manual control or camera feeds. The helmet's construction impressed him further—it was made of an unknown material tougher than titanium alloy.

Sanjay spent the entire day exploring these incredible gadgets and reading their manuals. With his intelligence stat at eight points, he memorized all the details with ease. He couldn't wait to test these items on the battlefield to gain firsthand experience.

He carefully removed all the weapons from the boxes, touched each one to prepare for future replication, and then stored everything in his space pouch.

The next morning, Sanjay got dressed early and went out for a stroll. He headed to the merchant guild and made a significant purchase: a military-grade SUV.

The SUV was bulletproof and designed to withstand landmines. It came equipped with a ten-kilometer radar for detecting machines and robots, as well as camouflage technology that rendered it invisible on the road. Additionally, it featured mounted machine guns, making it one of the deadliest vehicles available.

The price tag was steep—twenty thousand points—a sum so enormous that even teams found it difficult to afford. The vehicle was primarily listed in the market as a symbol of hope, something unattainable for most. No one expected anyone to actually buy it, but Sanjay had proven them wrong.

When Sanjay bought the military SUV, some soldiers wanted to reject his purchase. However, the commander approved it, allowing them to part with one of their most precious vehicles. Sanjay hadn't yet taken it for a test drive, having only read the instruction manual.

As he wandered outside, he spotted Tyson, the team lead of the Phoenix Guild, pacing back and forth inside the merchant building. Tyson was alternating between checking the mission board and talking to soldiers. After one such conversation, Sanjay noticed Tyson frowning and shaking his head in disappointment.

"Did something happen?" Sanjay wondered. He also remembered that he was supposed to meet Shruti outside the merchant building today, but she was nowhere to be seen. Thinking Tyson might know her whereabouts, Sanjay approached him.

"Tyson," Sanjay called out.

Hearing his name, Tyson turned to see who had called. When he spotted Sanjay, his expression darkened further, reflecting his disappointment.

"Do you know where Shruti is?" Sanjay asked.

Tyson's frown deepened, and he didn't reply.

Seeing his reluctance to speak, Sanjay pressed, "Tyson, what happened? Did something happen?"

At this, Tyson looked at Sanjay and, with a tone of regret, said, "Sanjay, it's my fault. Shruti and the entire team are trapped in enemy territory."

"What? What happened?" Sanjay asked, alarmed.

Sensing Sanjay's worry for Shruti, Tyson began to explain the situation.

"Basically, we planned to complete a top-tier mission that rewards twenty thousand points. With those points, we wanted to buy powerful weapons and present them to the guild as a gift. The Phoenix Guild is one of the top guilds, and there's constant competition between the powerful teams. To gain the guild's recognition, we needed to prove ourselves. Completing the mission and providing the weapons was meant to be our validation."

Sanjay listened patiently, even as Tyson shared details that seemed irrelevant to him, but he didn't interrupt and allowed him to continue.

"Okay, but what exactly happened during the mission?" Sanjay asked.

Tyson took a deep breath and started explaining. "The mission was to retrieve sensitive information from a machine stronghold. We even gathered intel from previous players who had attempted but failed the mission. Although the geography of the stronghold changes, the mission objectives usually remain the same, with only minor variations in some cases."

He continued, "We managed to break through the first line of defense by defeating eight androids using some items we bought from the guild. We thought that was the only line of defense because the previous players couldn't even breach it. But we were wrong. There was a second line of defense guarded by T-3 androids."

Noticing Sanjay's neutral expression, Tyson explained further. "T-3 androids are the next generation of titanium-based androids. They're made of some unknown material, making them extremely difficult to destroy. Their weapons aren't standard machine guns either; they carry far more advanced weaponry. Only armies with high-grade equipment can effectively deal with them."

Tyson continued recounting the ordeal. "After breaking through the first line, seven T-3 androids appeared. Luke tried to use his lightning arrow, which we were so confident in because it fries the circuits inside normal androids. But it had no effect on the T-3s. Still, we kept fighting, relying on the defensive items we had with us."

He paused for a moment before saying, "When we realized there was no way to break through the second line of T-3 androids, we decided to retreat. But as we started falling back, Luke—shaken by the failure of his lightning arrow—froze completely. He couldn't move."

Sanjay nodded as he listened, fully understanding the gravity of the situation. Freezing in the middle of battle was a death sentence—not just for the soldier but for their entire team. It was one of the reasons armies often trained soldiers with dummy bullets to get them accustomed to the chaos and sounds of gunfire.

Seeing an opportunity, the T-3 androids targeted and shot one of the teammates who had tried to help Luke. Watching their teammate die in front of them, the team's formation completely broke down, and one by one, they were captured. Only Tyson managed to escape, thanks to the defensive armor he wore as the team leader—a gift from the guild.

Now, Tyson was trying to gather a rescue team and seek help from the army to save his captured teammates. He had arrived at the base yesterday, and despite his efforts, he hadn't managed to recruit a single person for the mission. Each time he explained the situation, he was met with rejection. Tyson wanted to post a mission request on the board, but the minimum requirement was one thousand points. He didn't even have one hundred points left after trying to bribe some soldiers to arrange a meeting with the commander.

Sanjay noticed tears slipping down Tyson's cheeks. He could see the pain in Tyson's expression. Though Tyson was physically large and strong, he was still just a boy, likely between sixteen and eighteen years old, doing his best to survive in this unforgiving world.

But this wasn't just about Tyson. Sanjay couldn't forget Shruti's smiling face—how she had helped him so many times without expecting anything in return. He couldn't leave her behind when she was in trouble.

"Then let's go," Sanjay said firmly.

"Where?" Tyson asked, unsure of what Sanjay meant.

"To save them."

"Are you planning to go alone?" Tyson asked, surprised.

"Yes," Sanjay replied without hesitation, walking out of the building. Tyson hurried after him.

"But we'll die without a team!" Tyson exclaimed, his voice tinged with worry.

"You tried asking for help. Did anyone come forward?" Sanjay said, his tone sharp. "The mission is at the top of the board because the military already tried and failed. It's not their priority anymore. No one will risk their life after knowing what's at stake."

Tyson frowned, understanding the harsh reality of Sanjay's words. In this world, bullets were more valuable than human lives. People died under the machines every day, and no one would willingly put themselves in danger. The army wouldn't move for the sake of twenty thousand points. Tyson realized that other squads had likely already attempted the mission and perished, which was why it now sat at the top of the board.

As Tyson stood on the stairs of the merchant building, lost in thought, he heard a horn blaring. He looked up to see a massive beast of a vehicle with Sanjay seated inside.

Sanjay called out from the driver's seat, "Are you coming?"

Tyson nodded and climbed into the vehicle, taking the passenger seat.

Sanjay grinned and floored the accelerator, the SUV roaring as it sped through the camp gates and onto the open road.

"Is this your car?" Tyson asked, astonished. He had no idea where Sanjay had acquired such a vehicle.

"I borrowed it from a friend," Sanjay said with a sly smile. Tyson nodded, though he wasn't convinced. The SUV looked like military-grade technology, and the thought of Sanjay having such powerful connections made him curious. Still, given the urgent situation, he decided to keep his questions to himself.

Though the car was military-grade, Tyson still felt uneasy. With just the two of them, even with one being a C-rank, it felt like a suicide mission. At least, he thought, he would die with honor and not disappoint his family.

The SUV raced invisibly at high speed, covering the distance quickly. After traveling twenty miles in half a day, they reached their destination.

Tyson pointed toward the horizon. "That's the place."

Sanjay peered ahead and saw a heavily fortified location. Tall walls surrounded the area, with four sentry towers positioned at each corner. The gates were guarded by titanium androids, and he could see them patrolling in a coordinated manner.

Without wasting time, Sanjay pressed a button on the car's control panel, activating the radar detection system. The dashboard lit up as the computer began scanning the area.