"I need to use your arms transport plane."
At the Farian Group stronghold, Xiao Han spoke to Antonov.
Antonov was slightly taken aback. "We only use arms transport planes for bulk orders. Even as a black gold VIP, you will have to bear the corresponding cost."
"I know."
"Very well. How many people are you transporting, and when do you leave?"
"Just me. Immediately."
Antonov's pudgy face rippled like a disturbed pond. He was speechless for a long moment, finally managing, "What a waste."
An arms transport plane would take about a day to reach its destination. The aircraft was equipped with a basic workshop, so Xiao Han could craft machinery and grind experience even while travelling, without wasting time on the journey.
"The trip costs fifty thousand. Are you sure?"
Xiao Han pulled a stack of notes from the briefcase containing one hundred thousand and tossed it onto the table. "When do I board?"
"In one hour."
Farian Group had a long-term lease on a runway at Morning Breeze City Airport. Several massive dark green transport planes sat on the tarmac. Xiao Han boarded one of them with his equipment and materials. Soon, he felt the airframe vibrate as the plane accelerated, climbing into the sky.
Once it levelled off in the stratosphere, he could begin crafting.
---
The blazing sun beat down on the endless desert. The sand was heated beyond human tolerance.
A group of more than twenty people trudged through the desert, staggering.
They wore ragged grey robes that had not been washed in who knew how long, reeking of sweat. Their clothes were soaked and clung to their bodies. Their lips were cracked, their eyes sunken, their faces marked by exhaustion they could not hide. They swayed as if about to collapse at any moment. Even the packhorses they led were thin and listless.
The Somar Desert had once been home to an oasis nation, prosperous and peaceful. After the war broke out, that nation was destroyed. The oasis was ravaged by gunfire and shelling, reduced to nothing and assimilated into the surrounding desert. These ragged people were once citizens of that nation.
An old legend spoke of ruins deep in the Somar Desert, relics of another civilisation from millions of years ago, said to contain a treasure that could control the desert itself. Decades ago, during the war, the Somar Desert had experienced an unnatural phenomenon: the sand had flowed like a current, forming a massive whirlpool that moved across the desert as if controlled by someone. It lasted seven days before dissipating on its own. Documentary evidence was lost when the oasis nation fell, but some of its surviving citizens remained convinced. They sought this legendary treasure, pinning their hopes for national restoration on the myth. They had been searching for many years.
Pilgrims. That was the mocking name given to these survivors by wanderers near the Somar Desert.
These twenty-odd people were the last of the pilgrims.
"The Phironia Ruins. The power of magic. It must exist..." murmured the eldest pilgrim.
---
In the Somar Desert, a convoy returned to a heavily fortified stronghold.
"Dorothy. Still nothing?" Luo Qing, the leader of Rose Arms, asked coldly.
"We searched zones E4, E5, and D4 this time. Still no trace of Phironia."
Dorothy answered in a deep, husky voice. She was a strong black woman with a scar like a centipede running across her face, making her look hideous. Her arms, bare below her tactical vest, were thick and muscular, covered in tattoos—though these were almost invisible against her dark skin, making one wonder why she bothered.
Rose Arms was an all-female mercenary organisation, based deep in the Somar Desert, searching year-round for Phironia.
The organisation had two instructors. The other, Ghost Fox, was a slender, petite white woman, skilled in assassination.
"We exchanged fire with Gordon's people on this search. Wen Li and Cece are dead."
Nearly all the returning female mercenaries were wounded. Their body armour was pockmarked with bullet holes, the ceramic plates inside shattered.
Luo Qing's gaze turned cold. "Be more careful next time. The Cheswold family, who bankroll those Gordon bastards, have been trying to wipe us out."
Behind every armed group in the Somar Desert was a financial backer. They occupied the desert to search for Phironia. Skirmishes broke out every few days, and major battles every five. Any mercenary who survived here had at least ten kills to their name. They were ruthless, living on the edge of a blade.
---
Xiao Han felt the plane shudder. A powerful force pressed him into his seat, easing only after a moment. Gradually, the aircraft came to a stop.
"We've landed," came the pilot's voice over the intercom.
Xiao Han grabbed his luggage and walked down the ramp. Hot, stuffy air hit him in the face.
The landing site was a medium-sized warehouse complex surrounded by barbed wire. Armed men patrolled the area. This was the Farian Group's stronghold in the Somar Desert. A global arms dealer like Farian had a presence in every region to facilitate logistics. After all, no courier company would ship weapons out here.
"Welcome to the Somar Desert." Antonov also stepped off the plane. His bulky frame strained against his white shirt, the contours of his flesh clearly visible—not much different from being bare-chested.
"Why did you come along?"
"Heh. The person in charge here got caught in a firefight a while back. Poor bastard took a stray bullet that took the top of his head off. So I came to sort things out. Besides, I haven't travelled in a while."
Xiao Han nodded and didn't stand on ceremony. "I need intelligence on the various factions in the Somar Desert, a coordinate map, and a desert off-road vehicle."
"I'll have someone arrange it."
The Somar Desert was vast. A person driving non-stop without veering off course would take ten days to cross it. Because orientation was difficult in the desert, only coordinate radar could serve as a map. Many armed groups were stationed there.
Xiao Han wondered why anyone would gather in this barren wasteland, fighting tooth and nail.
"To find Phironia."
"What's that?" Xiao Han was curious. The name rang no bells. Clearly, it was a hidden quest that no one had triggered in his past life.
Antonov just laughed. "I have no idea either."
Xiao Han caught the evasion in his tone. He raised an eyebrow but said nothing. He picked up his gear, got into the vehicle, and set off to scout Rose Arms' stronghold.
"Safe travels." Antonov waved lazily.
The barbed-wire gate opened, and Xiao Han drove the desert buggy out.
---
Using his coordinate radar, Xiao Han reached a point far from the Rose Arms stronghold a few hours later. He observed through a high-powered telescope.
The stronghold was a small, heavily fortified fortress. Concrete outer walls topped with barbed wire. The only entry was a metal gate.
Inside, guard towers and pillboxes stood ready. Lookouts maintained constant surveillance, with an excellent field of vision. High-powered searchlights were mounted, ready to be switched on at night.
Xiao Han concluded that unless he could pass through sand itself, infiltration was impossible.
Besides, Rose Arms consisted entirely of women. Big chests, perky backsides. His own backside was perky enough, but he could not squeeze a chest out of nowhere. Even with his mimic mask, disguise was out of the question.
Infiltration plan: dead.
He looked at the several grenade launchers and dozens of heavy machine guns mounted on the guard towers, as well as the sturdy concrete walls.
Fine. Frontal assault plan: also dead.
"The only way is to lure them out. Trap tactics. I'll need to build some new things." Xiao Han turned and quietly withdrew.
He returned to the Farian stronghold and asked Antonov to use the workshop.
He had seven potential points remaining. He raised [Basic Electromagnetic Theory] to level four and [Basic Wide-Area Sensing] to level three, spending four points in total.
[Proceed with knowledge fusion (Basic Electromagnetic Theory Lv4, Basic Energy Theory Lv3, Basic Wide-Area Sensing Lv3). This fusion will consume 15,000 experience points.]