Chapter 684 The Black Box
The sun had just ascended, bathing the vast desert in a golden radiance. The white sands stretched out like an endless sheet of parchment, unmarked and pristine, as Erik and the convoy continued their journey.
Everyone was in high spirits. They just reached the area where the plane was believed to have crashed, and every passing minute brought them closer to finish the quest that had led them on this dangerous expedition.
Erik leaned forward, his eyes meeting Kael's through the rearview mirror. "How long until we reach the black box's location?"
Kael glanced at the GPS, then back at Erik. "Half an hour, give or take."
Erik nodded, settling back into his seat. In a landscape as uncertain as this, every minute held tremendous value, making a half-hour appear substantial despite its short duration.
The area through which they were journeying was incredibly vast, appearing to stretch on endlessly with its sea of sand and rock, and the black box could be located anywhere within it. The crash has the potential to propel it a considerable distance away from the main wreckage, which would further complicate their search efforts.
While the vehicle continued to move steadily forward, Erik's mind churned with a multitude of possibilities. The black box was crucial. The key to understanding what had happened to the plane was held by it, and, even more importantly, it had the potential to offer them valuable information that would assist them in their mission.
With a glance out of the window, his eyes immediately began scanning the horizon. The desert stretched out before them, its vastness both awe-inspiring and terrifying.
…
…
…
While the armored vehicle made its way through the rough and uneven terrain, Erik and Kael, with anticipation and curiosity, peered intently through the windows, meticulously examining the panoramic view of the surrounding landscape.
The desert had a way of swallowing things whole, erasing traces of anything that dared to intrude upon its vastness. But today, it seemed, the desert was willing to give up some of its secrets.
"There," Kael pointed. As Erik followed his gaze, he was met with a chilling sight - fragments of twisted metal and shards, remnants of a once intact plane, strewn across the sandy landscape, resembling the scattered remains of a mechanical creature. They knew the plane was likely destroyed, but seeing the wreckages in person was unsettling.
As they neared the wreckage, the vehicle gradually slowed down, causing its tires to crunch over the smaller debris in its path. As they watched, both men experienced a profound sense of solemnity that seemed to envelop them. These fragments were all that remained of a journey that had ended in tragedy. But they weren't there to mourn. No, their goal was to find the cargo, as the success of the mission depended on that.
"We are here." Kael got a serious look on his face as soon as they got closer to the partial wreckage.
"Yeah, but we are not sure where the cargo is," Erik said. "It could be scattered around the desert for what we know."
With its engine idling and the dust settling around it, the armored vehicle came to a halt. With synchronized movements, Erik and Kael exchanged a knowing glance, their eyes filled with resolve. A sense of purpose resonated within them as they walked out, each clasping a handheld scanner capable of finding the black box's position. Both were on edge, as Thaids could come out of the sand at any moment.
"Go check the wreckage for the cargo. Be thorough and be careful. We don't know what made it crash. It could still be around here."
The sound of affirmatives filled the air as the men and women wasted no time in getting out of their armored vehicles upon hearing his words. Filled with a strong sense of determination, they approached the wreckage of the partially destroyed plane, carefully examining the scattered debris, hoping to discover any clue that could lead them to the cargo they had been entrusted to locate.
At the same time, Erik and Kael shifted their focus and directed their attention toward the handheld scanners they were holding. They began moving in a synchronized manner, fixated on the readings, with every beep and blip narrowing the search area. The desert sun blazed overhead, its intense heat ignored by both men.
The scanners beeped, each a hint they were close yet not close enough. After some research, Kael's scanner emitted a continuous beep. He looked at Erik, knowing he understood what it meant. "I think I've found it."
With his scanner, Erik moved to Kael's side and confirmed the find. Kael lowered himself to the ground and started digging, his hands revealing the black box from its sandy burial site. As he raised it from the ground, taking care to remove any remnants of sand, his eyes met Erik's, and a smile appeared on his features.
"Let's find out what happened," Erik said, his voice tinged with a resolve that seemed to lift the weight of the moment, if only just a little.
Meanwhile, as time passed, the men and women of Erik's convoy spread out across the crash site, scanning the scattered debris with their eyes and preparing their hands to sift through the wreckage.
Amid all the chaos, their eyes caught sight of something that grabbed their attention—wooden boxes. Some of them were still in one piece, while others were broken and scattered both inside the hollowed-out fuselage of the plane and in the surrounding vicinity.
"Over here!" As one of the mercenaries shouted out, he motioned to the rest of the group while using a crowbar to open one of the sturdy wooden boxes. With a creak, the lid gave way, allowing the contents to be revealed.
A team member, who was equipped with gloves, took the time to inspect a box located just a few feet away from the wreckage. Using a small tool, she manipulated the lock to gain access and then lifted the lid.
As the mercenaries opened each box and assessed its contents, they marked them for further inspection.
"There is another box here!" shouted another mercenary.
Erik heard the man and then remembered his men and women. "Remember to find those weapons!" He was referring to the brain crystal weapons, the main thing they were asked to retrieve.
The team worked in an organized manner, accounting for and securely handle every single box. As they completed their task, a feeling of collective accomplishment washed over them. However, based on the information shared by their employer with the guild, it became clear that there were likely many more boxes yet to be found. Their job wasn't done yet.
Erik held the black-box in his hand. He observed the device with a pensive look on his face. That, until Kael voiced a question. "What do you think had happened?"
"I was wondering the same thing," Erik began, his brow furrowed as he gazed at the scattered wreckage. "There's no way we can learn much from this alone. We'd need to examine the plane itself, what's left of it, or the black box to make any real deductions."
Kael nodded, a hint of uncertainty in his eyes. "Yeah. To be honest, I suspect it was a Thaid."
Erik's lips tightened, skepticism clear in his voice. "That's the likely cause, but planes usually fly much higher than where Flying Thaids roam. Could it have been a wyvern?"
The other man shrugged, his gaze drifting to the horizon, lost in thought. "Don't wyverns usually stick to mountains? Besides, I don't know of anything that could fly that high."
"Yeah," Erik said, his voice trailing off as he considered the possibilities. "But it's the only creature capable of something like this. Unless…"
The pause hung heavy in the air. Kael's eyes narrowed, a dawning realization reflecting in them. "It was man-made…"
Erik turned to face him, his expression turning solemn. "Indeed."
"This plane carried precious cargo," Erik began, his eyes narrowing as he pieced together the puzzle. "If someone on board got greedy, they could've sabotaged everything."
Kael leaned against a fragment of the wreckage, his arms folded, a skeptical look crossing his face. "But that's risking their own life, and they likely didn't survive. What are the odds of surviving a fall from that height, not to mention the Thaids in the desert, all while injured?"
Erik shook his head, a grim certainty in his tone. "Almost none," he said. "No, not 'almost none.' None at all." His gaze fixed on the debris.
"What do we do now?" Kael's voice carried a hint of fear. His eyes flickered with the uncertainty of their situation. "We got lucky with the Galewing, but what if there's more, or something even worse lurking nearby?"
Erik, standing with a resolved stance, met Kael's gaze. His face was set, a mix of determination and an underlying sense of duty. "I'll buy you as much time as I can," he said. "Just promise me you will keep Mira safe."
Kael's expression hardened. "I'll do what I can," he replied, his voice steady yet laden with the weight of the responsibility he had just accepted.
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