Reboot: Mechanic

382  Mentality Drained n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

The military soldiers outside were discreet and made some noise signals, prompting Shi Tian to know that they belonged to Phoebe's platoon. Given that their actions right now were considered a confidential matter, it would be bad if they were too flashy with their actions and attracted others. Grabbing the box that was now concealed tightly, Shi Tian told Vanessa to watch over the perimeter of the command center. "Make sure that there is no one spying on us, Vanessa."

"I'm already watching on the screen. You should hurry yourself up instead."

Hearing that response, Shi Tian didn't bother to say anymore as he carried the box out. On the way out, he also noticed Mary was indeed checking on the recording, her eyes remained focused. Without distracting or interrupting her, Shi Tian carefully maneuvered his movement. A few seconds later, Shi Tian exited the vehicle and was somewhat surprised to meet with the two military soldiers dressed in a casual mercenary outfit. "Have the packages been done with, Sir Nathan?" One of the soldiers asked solemnly.

Shi Tian nodded his head and extended the box. "It's ready, and that is the end of our deal." The other soldier grabbed the box and as he grabbed it, he realized the weight of the box was quite heavy. He wanted to check on the content of the box by opening it, but Shi Tian halted him with a warning.

"If I were you, then I wouldn't open it. Despite the security being in place, you'll never know if someone was spying on us with different methods." Shi Tian's words meant that no matter how careful they might be. There would always be a loophole that their enemy might use.

Hence, to protect the content of the box, the best method was to check it once they returned to their base. Otherwise, once the content of the box was leaked, then all effort was for naught.

The other soldiers also understood this meaning and doubted Shi Tian would attempt to swindle their commander. Thus, he nodded his head and signaled for his companion to simply carry the box to their vehicle. A few minutes later, the soldiers exited, and unbeknownst to them, someone was indeed spying from afar. "Tsk, just what was on that box?" Felix, who was holding a pair of advanced binoculars, cursed in anger. He had surveyed the area beforehand and found a perfect spot to check on the movement of Shi Tian. However, because of the distance he was in, he could not hear anything aside from seeing Shi Tian handing over a box to a group of soldiers. And since the soldiers were dressed in casual clothes, he was not able to deduce whom they were working for.

Felix also wanted to track the vehicle that the soldiers had gone to but was unable to. Once he attempted such an action, the chances of him being caught were high. And at that time, it would be difficult for him to obtain his vengeance. Turning his attention back to Shi Tian, Felix clenched his fist angrily and wished to strangle him alive. "Just you wait, bastard! I'll have you know the price of taking my eye and embarrassing me would be your life." With that said, Felix exited his hiding spot, planning on returning to Theobold's side to report the situation. Since he can't do anything, he might as well inform Theobold that Shi Tian was planning something fishy behind his back. Maybe he would regain his truth in that way and even the power that he used to hold. And just like that, another two days had passed by. Gunfire and casualties seemed to be the norm in the frontline, with everyone starting to become exhausted at this repetitive fight that doesn't seem to have an ending.

"Ugh, just how many Gilaso variants are there?" "I'm sick and tired of eating this garbage food. I want to go back to the city."

"What's the point of going back to the city? Do you think those military forces would let us return when we're still capable of fighting? All the military commanders have shown themselves on the battlefield." "Hmph, I bet that Commander Damon must be enjoying his life now. I wonder if he did that farce from the beginning to avoid the frontline!" As time went by, the mercenaries and other people who were eligible to fight were starting to think crazily. They even started to accuse Damon's actions of being on purpose as an excuse to avoid fighting. People were exhausted by the constant repetitive fighting— to the point that even the news broadcast had gradually stopped reporting the situation.

The citizens in Gearits City were also bored by the same report news, saying that the frontline was containing the monster wave, but with no information of when it would end.

Inflation had also started to rise with transportation being delayed or completely blocked due to the frontline needing to receive a continuous stream of supply lines. Back in the Iron Sentinel, Vanessa was also complaining like most people. "Jeez, just when will this monster wave end? It's been way too long and I'm tired of eating these jerky." Vanessa ranted, her mentality draining rapidly.

"I also want it to end, but with the current situation, I doubt so." Shi Tian took a deep breath and responded. He typed something on the keyboard and showed it to Vanessa. "Just look at the data that we have gathered in the past few days. The number of monsters we kill is increasing daily, but it doesn't seem like it because there are always more monsters afterward. Meanwhile, our casualties are starting to take a toll and it shows." "Mhmm, at the current rate, we would actually lose," Mary interjected. "What? You're telling me we're actually losing when we managed to thwart the monster wave from advancing?" Vanessa exclaimed in shock. Shi Tian nodded his head. "If we want to win, then we can only find the source of where these monsters are coming from. And that means— we need to go underground."