I, with a long knife in my hand, can only do one move

Watching with great interest Rick's chess game where Huby can never beat him.....

Tell the children in the settlement who have never been outside the cave about the adventure stories they have experienced before and the friends they have met. Although Cheng Rang said on the surface that these are just stories he made up, Shubi will listen to them every time Seriously.

And because the humans here don't have a correct calendar, they can only vaguely grasp how long it has passed.

The four seasons cannot be judged, because it is very likely that the heat emitted by the battles of some high-ranking races on the battlefield can burn the entire continent as hot as summer, and melt snowflakes and black ash into rain, falling from the sky.

And often at such times, even if there is a shortage of resources in the settlement, they cannot go out.The rain of death contaminated with spirit bones cannot be completely covered by the cloak, and going out forcibly will only pay the price of life.

"Today is 1 day..."

The blade made notches on the wall, and the four vertical and one horizontal marks were already engraved on the wall of Cheng Rang's room. Twenty of them were carved on the wall of Cheng Rang's room. He lifted the blanket made of weeds and got out of bed. Crohn comes out of the studio.

"Morning, Kelong."

"Ah, Cheng, good morning!"

After hearing Cheng Rang's voice, she instantly swept the haze away from her face as if she had changed her face, and smiled again, but she didn't know that Cheng Rang could see all of this clearly.

"What's the matter, what happened." Cheng Rang looked around for no one, and then exposed her and said, "I saw that worried expression just now."

"Hey hey, I really can't hide the process, I was discovered~" Kelong smirked like this, subconsciously blocking the door of the studio behind him.

Behind that door leads to the observatory where the telescope is set up, Cheng Rang knew without thinking——

"Has the [rain] stopped yet?"

This situation has been going on for half a month. Except for groundwater sources and a small number of crops, all the livestock raised died before they could be brought back from the outside.

The contamination of the remains makes it impossible to even recycle any parts of dead livestock.

Although the resource reserves in the settlement can last for a short period of time, if the endless black rain doesn't stop, the situation will only get worse.

"Is it bigger?" Seeing that Kelong just bowed his head in silence, Cheng Rang asked.

"....Um."

She hesitated to answer, and it seemed that the situation was not as simple as she had guessed.

Suddenly, Rick appeared behind the two of them like a ghost.

"Cheng, I have a task for you."

Cron's body trembled after hearing this sentence, as if he wanted to immediately refute Rick's words were stuck in his throat, and finally he just opened his mouth and then closed it tightly.

"coming."

Cheng Rang followed Rick who turned and left, and comforted the restless Kelong before leaving: "Don't worry, I'll be fine."

......

Coming to Rick's room, Shubi was also here as expected.

"No one else can hear it?"

"...No...nearby life response...Only Rick and Cheng." Hubby, who stood in place like a statue, only moved his lips to answer.

"Then, calling me here alone, and making sure no one else can hear it...is it a task that can only be done by me?"

"Yes." Rick said in a deep voice, "It's a mission that needs to go out."

A copy of the map was laid out on the small work table, and Rick pointed to the location marked with a red cross.

"Affected by the ongoing black rain, and possibly as a result of the vibrations caused by the fighting, this part of the rocky roof of the groundwater channel has collapsed."

"It's so far...how do you know?" Cheng Rang immediately looked at Shubi who was standing beside him after he asked this question.

After getting along for more than three months, Cheng Rang has gotten used to treating Shubi as a reticent human girl, but the fact is that Shubi's body identity is still the tenth Ex-Machina species in the racial sequence. Analysis individual.

"...Through long-distance detection and analysis...the possibility of collapse here...98%...will block the flow of subsequent water sources...."

Through Hubi's explanation, Cheng Rang learned that a collapse occurred at the location marked on the map.

Depth unknown.

But the only direct source of fresh water is blocked. For example - this is equivalent to a swimming pool being cut off from one place, and the place where more water is stored is blocked. If it is not dredged, the best possibility is The remaining water was enough for people to survive the black rain, and a team was sent to repair it later.

The worst possibility is that the black rain continues to fall, seeping through the collapsed rock formations and contaminating the entire groundwater supply.

"No wonder the amount of water rationed has become less and less recently." Cheng Rang nodded as he recalled the recent changes, "What's the plan?"

"We don't know much about the situation there. The first task is to confirm the collapse and assess the state of the water source."

"Aren't you going to unblock it?"

Rick pursed his lips and pointed at Hubby beside him: "...if you can do it alone, there are at least hundreds of cubic meters of rocks collapsed there, otherwise she wouldn't be able to detect the movement no matter how small it is. .”

"Scry....Did you let Shubi use the elves?"

"...No...Rick forbids Shuby to use the elves...but Shuby...broke the agreement...because, the situation is urgent..."

The girl turned her head and said this, her mood seemed a little depressed, and self-blame emerged from her frowning brows.

"...Huby, for making Rick angry...I'm sorry..."

Rick didn't respond to this, just staring at Cheng Rang as if ignoring Shubi.

It is speculated that the lack of water will endanger Rick's survival, so did he do this without authorization?Cheng Rang silently guessed, and defended Shubi: "Hubi should be worried about your safety, not to mention that under the cover of such a heavy black rain outside, using some elves should not be detected by guys of other races. ..."

Rick clicked his tongue and interrupted: "I didn't mean to blame her. After all, this is also a matter of gathering other people in the settlement. I just don't understand why she proposed a plan..."

With his fingertips slicing through the air, Rick pointed directly at Cheng Rang in front of him and said word by word: "The one with the highest success rate... is for you to go to the collapse site alone to dredge it.

Cheng Rang couldn't help laughing at this, he held his forehead and shook his head repeatedly, and then said: "Is there any need to say that?"

"Of course it's because I'm strong!"

Chapter 26 Vampire

Just wait here for my good news.

Cheng Rang left only this sentence, and took the map and set off on the road alone.

Wearing his own cloak and not even riding a horse, he disappeared into the light blue rain in an instant.

"Is he really human? Or, besides bringing a broken Ex-Machina back to the settlement, I have recruited another guy whose acting skills are better than yours."

Shubi stood beside Rick and watched Cheng Rang's figure leave, and said: "...Physical appraisal, it is [-]% human...There is no mistake...just the function of action... ...beyond Hubby's knowledge...the reason...unknown."

"Is the reason unknown...Then, which one is more difficult to analyze than the 'heart'?"

Hubby was still silent for a while, and then said: "I don't know."

However, Rick didn't seem disappointed with Hubby's answer, but re-said: "It seems that you are at least more frank about what you don't know, and you have made progress."

"...is Rick complimenting Hubie?"

"Well, sort of." Rick nodded.

"...Well, Hubby...is very happy...."

The corners of the girl's mouth turned up slightly, drawing a smile.

This reaction caught Rick in awe.

"happy...?"

"Yes, according to Cheng's answer, when you are praised... you should feel happy..."

Rick seemed relieved, scratched his head and said, "Ah, I was shocked, I thought you would really have a happy reaction."

Is the result just being taught what to do?

"...?"

Hubby seemed a little puzzled by Rick's reaction, tilted his head and said, "...So, what's wrong?"

"It's not right at all. You just applied a formula-like reaction to a specific environment. I don't know why Cheng Rang taught you this way. But not all compliments to you must reflect a happy expression!"

"....for example?"

"For example, you used elves to investigate without my permission. You did a good job." Rick used such ironic irony to give Hubby an example.

The answer that can be obtained is-

"...Huby, I'm not happy with Rick's praise, but... want to express my apology...but the reason is unknown..."

The girl pressed her chest, her expression showing distress, as if she didn't have a very thorough understanding of such an abstraction.

But even that was enough to surprise Rick.

The one in front of me was supposed to be classified as a broken machine——the Ex-Machina girl.

It seems that there is really a small part of the 'heart' that can feel other people's feelings and respond to them.

..... Such a feeling.

"Not bad." Rick couldn't help sighing.

"...Where is Rick referring?"

"Can you guess it?" Rick played charades with Hubie as if interested.

The girl lowered her head in thought, but finally shook her head.

"...Although I don't know, but...Such a compliment, Shubi is very happy..."

Rick laughed along with Hubie, and murmured, "Really?"

"....Um."

----------

call!

There was a sound of breaking through the sky, and a figure whose trajectory could not be seen clearly broke through the rain curtain and headed in a certain direction.

Although the distance is very long, it should take at least three days to go all out on horseback, but that is only for Rick and the others.

For Cheng Rang, this is only a few hours away, even in such a rain of death, under the protection of the special equipment Avalon, the speed will not be limited much.

The woods that should have been covered with snow and black ash were melted, and the rain mixed with the corpses turned them into dead places, shining with a frightening blue shimmer.

This overwhelming heat wave is definitely not normal, but no one can say for sure what caused it.

Coming out of the cave sheltering human settlements, Cheng Rang, who lived in a seemingly peaceful and safe place, was suddenly pulled back to reality by the scene in front of him.

——This is still a world where the [War] is going on.

The so-called tiny happiness of human beings is just escaping and lingering in places that they can't care about.

And obviously, after such a long time of comfortable life, Cheng Rang, who was acting alone, was not as lucky as before.

.....It is about tens of kilometers away from the location marked on the map. Even though the deployment range of other races has been deciphered, it is obvious that the current situation has been broken.

There have been [conflicts] between other races, or conflicts are still happening.

The melting sky and endless black rain are proof.

The uninvited guest who appeared in front of Cheng Rang obviously regarded himself as an enemy.

It was a woman with a coquettish figure and scantily clad clothes. Her purple pupils shone with a strange light and seemed to have the magical power to suck in consciousness.

With bat wings on her back, her seductive red lips rippling into a smile, exposing the sharp teeth in her mouth.

"Oh look what I found, a stray puppy?"

..... blood-sucking species.

It is a race that absorbs the blood of other races to maintain life and become stronger. It has 'secret and illusion', a magical adaptability that can affect cognition.

But it is also possible to acquire other abilities based on the blood absorbed from different races, such as the magic bullet used to force Cheng Rang to stop.

It seems that it has nothing to do with illusions and the like.

A circular crater with a diameter of several meters was emitting green flames behind Cheng Rang's side, and the terrifying heat that could ablate even rocks swayed silently, telling him the power of the magic bullet just now.

Cheng Rang raised his hand and grabbed his hood. He didn't answer the vampire's words. He just checked the surrounding situation for the first time. The result was that there must be ambushes, but he didn't know the number and location.

Even if it is a blood-sucking species, this time it is a multi-person operation, so it dares to confront the "beast man" who is alone.

"Oh hoo~ He's still a male, so lucky!"

Because of the speed just now, and there was no reason for the elf's reaction, the vampire who mistook himself for a beastman and called himself a "puppy" spoke again.