A common tavern that connects all fantasy worlds

"Sing?"

"Well, I still remember the lyrics and the tune, because it's so good."

The woman closed her eyes, trying to remember.

The farther the memory is from the "now", the easier it is to be crushed by time and become fragments one after another; then, like the ruins of the old era, it is eroded and buried by the desert, losing its color and cause and effect, and finally completely forgotten.

The only thing that can fight this erosion is emotion.The stronger the emotion at the time, the more vivid the memory fragments, such as the joy and surprise she felt when she heard the song.

"...strawberries, cherries, and an angel's kiss of spring...

"...my summer wine is really made of these things...

"...take off your silver spurs and pass the time with me...

"...I'll serve you with my summer wine...

"...that's all I remember."

The girls in the back seat who were listening to her singing suddenly pointed forward: "Furiosa! Look at that!"

The huge modified heavy truck slowed down, and the passengers poked their heads out of the windows to look into the distance.There seemed to be someone moving on an electric tower there, and a woman screamed pitifully: "Help! Help!"

Max pursed his lips.He has been in the wasteland for too many years, and he has seen all kinds of people and things. He has encountered this kind of situation many times.

"That's a bait," he said.

This hook is also straight enough... Only fools who can't figure it out will fall for it, and such fools have died decades ago.

But Furiosa didn't think much of it, her expression became slightly agitated, as if more than one memory fragment had just floated up from the depths of her consciousness.

"Wait, stop. . . . You stay in the car." She said, let Max step on the brake not far from the electricity tower, and then jumped out of the car with puzzled eyes.

As she walked towards the electric tower, she shouted loudly:

"I am one of the Vouverini! . . . I am the son of mothers! . . . My first mother is Katie Concanen! . . . My biological mother is Mary Jo Bartha! . . . Dog Clan!"

These few words seemed to have an effect. The woman who was the "bait" on the tower obviously heard it, and stopped her miserable cry for help. Instead, she sent a series of loud beeps and signaled in another direction.

Several motorcycles appeared behind the dunes, and these riders dressed like sand robbers surrounded the heavy truck.

Max, who was sitting in the driver's seat, watched quietly without turning off the truck's engine.

He really doesn't believe in those "oases" or something.Originally, there were so-called oases everywhere in this area, but isn't it dead silent now?

The war killed part of the human world at once, and the rest was slowly obliterated by radiation over the course of decades.

Perhaps one day the earth will return to its past appearance of lush greenery and birds and beasts, but humans probably won't be able to see it.Those who are left alive are just busy going mad, or being driven mad by other people.

Thinking of this, Max suddenly remembered a door.

Boss and Max are from different worlds, so can I go to them?Can other people in the car?

Escaping won't solve the problem, but escaping to another world is different.

Unlimited water, countless "summer wines", the boss is right, it is much better than the wasteland.

There is just one thing, he really doesn't want to break Furiosa's fantasy about the "oasis".After years of traveling on this land and experiencing several periods of losing everything, he understands better than anyone else that hope is the greatest motivation for people to live well.

After a while, he didn't have to worry about the problem anymore, because it was the mothers of Wuvarini who arrived on their motorcycles, and they brought Furiosa the news that broke her heart: the oasis had long since disappeared. Yes, the sour swamp the truck drove through last night was the oasis of the past.

Furiosa seemed to have lost the courage to fight against the world in an instant. All she could do was kneel on the dune, crying helplessly against the dusky, dusty sky.

"Give her some time." Max stopped the girls who wanted to comfort him, then turned his head and went to the car to pack his things.

This temporary combination came together for the illusory hope of the oasis.Now that there is no oasis, everyone will have to fend for themselves next.The girls, Furiosa, would live with Vouverini's mothers, and maybe they would accept the pale war boy, only he would not stay.

His roots are not here, nor anywhere in this wasteland.

Just as Max turned to the back of the truck in the setting sun and wanted to think about something by himself, he suddenly froze.

In front of me was the black wooden door without any decoration. There were no walls around, and the room could not be seen from the back. If you push the door open, you will be in another world.

Max looked back to the other side. It's not that the others didn't look at him, but there was no special curiosity in their eyes, obviously they couldn't see the door.

…felt like the door was at the mercy of some guardian angel or god, and it existed only for him.

"……Ah."

Max sneered, if there really were gods or guardian angels, how could the world and himself have become what they are today?

He no longer thought about anything, but directly grabbed the handle and opened the door, disappearing into the first darkness after sunset.

In the tavern, Xue Li, who was wiping his glass, raised his head and smiled: "...Max! Welcome again."

In front of the bar, Max, a broad-shouldered bald man, turned his head and raised his wine glass towards him.

"I have a question." Max said bluntly, "... Can I bring others here, and can I go to your world?"

Xue Li thought for a while and replied: "I don't know about my world, because I can't go back myself. I don't know if it's because I lost my memory or because I'm the boss.... As for Max's world, you can try it yourself."

"I think it's okay. We all came in with our clothes on, and the weapons weren't thrown out, right? We just need to see if the living things can be brought in..."

Max interjects, and then sees the boss and Max staring at him.

"...Okay, let me try it, who said that I proposed this method?"

He drank the rest of the wine in the glass, stood up, picked up the suit on the bar chair beside him, and said back, "... If possible, I will bring some food back together. You only have wine here. Drink It’s boring to drink.”

Xue Li nodded: "Okay, let's have some peanuts, edamame, fried liver, sauced beef and so on."

"...What did you say?" Max turned around without knowing why.

"...Well, considering the hobbies of you Yankees, let's have some French fries, ham, cheese, etc. Do you understand now?"

Xue Li pouted, found a clean glass for Max, and poured a glass of wine.

"...Is there no wine like yesterday?" Max asked.

"You took the bottle yesterday, and the automatic replenishment doesn't seem to be so fast." Xue Li said, and sat there to chat with Max first.

At the urging of Xue Li, Max was halfway through talking about the Great War before the Wasteland Era, the door of the bar opened again, and Max walked in from the outside, still holding a hamster cage in his hand.

"Let's see... yes, it's still alive," Max said.

"Why a hamster?"

"Because it's the easiest to find, where do you want me to find other animals at this time? Boss, you keep it. Are you going to see if you can go to my world?"

Max nodded, put down his drink and stood up.

Xue Li rubbed his chin, put the hamster cage on the side of the bar, and made a suggestion: "Max came in with the hamster cage in his arms just now, maybe you have to let him hug you if you want to go out...or hold hands, at least hold hands Bar!"

Chapter 3 Firepower

"Okay, now let's break down the problem Max is facing right now."

In the tavern, Xue Li spread out a piece of paper on the table, took a ballpoint pen and began to write and draw: "First of all, what is your goal?"

Max pursed his lips: "...let others live, don't give up hope."

"Okay. I understand the story you just told. The 'hope' in your mouth has a practical reference. In your wasteland, it usually refers to an oasis... I want to live a relatively normal life and not be controlled by warlords. , If you want to at least support yourself, you can’t do it without a piece of green land of your own.”

Xue Li said, drawing a line from the bottom of the word "oasis" and connecting it to another line: "...then there are two options now. One is to let them come to my tavern. The advantage is that it is like an oasis, with water , food, and a safe place to live. The disadvantage is that if you don’t come, none of them can go back. Also, escaping may be a good choice, but it’s very negative compared to “hope”. It can be used as a backup option first.

"Secondly, find another oasis on the wasteland. The advantage is that it perfectly meets your requirements for 'hope', but the disadvantage is that it is very difficult to realize. There will not be many 'oases' in the wasteland, and the pollution of water sources will make They slowly turned into acid rain swamps; only the undead old Jonah's water is still clean, and he, Major Kalashnikov, and the cannibals established today's locomotive regiment because of controlling these water resources."

Xue Li turned his questioning gaze to Max, who nodded and responded, "I don't know much, but that's probably the case with Undead Joe."

"...Then the problem is simplified again." Xue Li drew another line, "The only oasis we know of within reach is Undead Joe's 'Fortress'. And he is now bringing almost all the armed forces under his command Going out means that the fortress is unguarded..."

Max, who had been fiddling with the large-caliber revolver in his hand, immediately objected: "Sneaking back under the noses of a group of armed thugs stalking your ass? It's not easy, let alone you are driving a car that is quieter than a train. Big heavy trucks. Even if they take a detour while they can't react, they will be caught up sooner or later."

Max thought for a while, took the ballpoint pen in Xue Li's hand, and drew a few irregular-shaped clumps on other places on the paper, then pointed to a blank space in the middle and said: "It may not be... from the fortress to our place. When we went through the Grand Canyon, there was only a very narrow access opening. If there was a way to block that, it would take them a long time ... to go around or clear it."

Xue Li nodded and said: "Okay, at least it sounds a little feasible... The current plan is, Max, you have to turn around where you are now, hide from the sight of the pursuers for as long as possible, and move at full speed. Rush to the Grand Canyon; after reaching there first, how to blow down a section of the canyon, block the road, and then go back to the 'fortress'."

"That creates new problems," Max said, pressing his pistol to the paper. "I don't think he's a fool from his nickname; Disperse into several teams after the canyon, and expand the formation horizontally within each other's visual range, so as not to be walked like a dog. No matter how or when you turn around, you will definitely be found before entering the canyon."

"That means we still have to fight." Xue Li responded.

Max nodded, he didn't care about that.Hope is a very good thing, but the more beautiful things need to pay a higher price, this is the basic rule of the operation of the civilized world; even if the future has to be obtained in blood and fire, he will never back down half a step.

"Okay." He said succinctly.

Since the battle cannot be avoided, the analysis of the plan can only be carried out around the battle.Max is not very good at writing, but he is still good at drawing. He drew various vehicles and weapons of the Locomotive Legion on the paper from memory, and he was still showing the two people in front of him while drawing. Explain the possible attack methods of the enemy.

Xue Li also listened to his description, and listed the simplest table beside it, advantages and disadvantages.

Unsurprisingly, the disadvantages here are far more than the advantages. There is a serious shortage of manpower, equipment, and combat effectiveness. It is also necessary to ensure enough space and time to make the key link of "reaching the canyon first" be established; but the advantages are not No, the biggest advantage is of course - Max is here.

"No matter what plan we adopt, we have to prepare everything tonight. It is best to turn the car in the dark, so that we can hope to drive as far as possible." Max finally concluded, raising his hand to signal the other two people: If you have an idea, you can start mentioning it now.

Xue Li was the first to speak, pointing to the various magically modified chariots drawn by Max and said: "I didn't list this as an advantage at the beginning, because your car is the same as theirs...but if there is another The world’s material support may indeed be the key to your victory. Even if this kind of vehicle is modified, it is not a professional infantry fighting vehicle, no matter how fast they run, they are only ‘lightly armored units’.”

Yes, even if these vehicles are fancy modified, welded with spikes, chainsaws, iron plates, etc., they are nothing more than civilian versions of tanks... This performance may be enough in the wasteland, because their weapons The best would be a homemade light machine gun.

Missiles, tanks, individual rocket launchers... All these ready-to-use, war-level weapons and equipment were listed as key nuclear strike targets at the beginning of the war, and they were destroyed together with the warehouses where they were stored and the people who used them.

However, another guest in the tavern, his world is still intact, and these equipments are of course still used to kill and injure human beings all over the world.

"So..." Xue Li concluded, "Max, can you get one hundred and eighty 'javelins', 'stingers' and so on?"

Facing the eyes of the two people looking over, Max spread his hands: "Do you fucking think I'm the President of the United States?"

"No, we didn't ask you for an atomic bomb."

"Fuck you, individual missiles are way beyond the reach of a former New York police detective!"

Xue Li could only imitate him and spread his hands: "Well, I think private security companies are at least a little powerful, subverting a small African country... pretend I didn't say it, pretend I didn't say it. I have an alternative plan, then That's it."

He grabbed a ballpoint pen and sketched a strangely shaped gun barrel with a few strokes on the paper.The barrel sits on a solid cone tripod, the action and drum are slightly rearward, and it features an impressively rounded shoulder rest and ring sight.

Max recognized what it was at a glance. He leaned over his head to take a closer look, and asked hesitantly, "...An anti-aircraft gun?"

"That's right, but it's air defense when it's aimed at the sky, and it's anti-light armor when it's aimed at the ground. It can be installed on ships, tanks, and helicopters. In the worst case, it can be operated by a single person. It can change bombs quickly. The power is astonishing. Even better, although this model has been out of active service for many years, there are still many left in the army of many third world countries and even civilians."

Xue Li said, and wrote a line of small characters on the side: Oerlikon 20mm machine gun.

"Seriously, if you can't even get this, it's up to Max and his sisters to figure it out."

Max didn't say a word, leaned back, frowned while drinking, thinking about all the resources he could use.

Xue Li was right about one thing. Having opened a private security company in such a chaotic place like São Paulo and living for so long proves that he is not easy to mess with.

Although it is really impossible to get individual missiles, but... He seems to have seen such things as machine guns in Sao Paulo.

"Plus, we've got to get it fast because we have to get it on Max's car by midnight and weld the whole chassis down... or the recoil will throw him out with the gun. "Xue Li continued to remind.

Max nodded irritably: "Okay, I can get this thing, okay? But I need a price, and I can't afford the price myself."

Max looked at the owner of the tavern, Xue Li could only shake his head: "I only have wine, and the most expensive stuff is not worth a machine gun."

"I come from the wasteland." Max said the same thing, implying that living in a place where it is difficult to even drink clean water, what price do you ask me to pay?

"It's not necessarily..."

Max seemed to have thought of something, and said to Max: "I went with you during the experiment just now, and saw that pale child's mouth was strange... Did he spray something into his mouth?"

"Some kind of chromium lead compound, hallucinogenic, the favorite of the immortal old Joe, and those war boys who worship him also follow suit."

Max replied, and then saw the eyes of the bald man on the opposite side light up.

Outside the tavern, the desert at night is calm and windless.

The pale Nax rubbed off the white paint on the back of his hand little by little with sand.He and war boys like him weren't born pale, nor did they become so because of progressively more serious acquired diseases; Close to the "Hall of Valor", a paradise without pain.

But just now, the red-haired girl Kepabei who was very gentle to him told him a ruthless fact: Old Qiao had already suffered from lung cancer and lymphoma because of excessive inhalation of chromium-lead compound spray. Due to the current situation, he had no choice but to paint his whole body with white body powder, and then put on a transparent hard plastic armor that squeezed flesh and blood.

His own ailments, malignant tumors on his lymph nodes were also the result of overuse of the spray... Radiation didn't kill him, it was his beliefs.

Nax took out a vial from his trouser pocket, smiled self-deprecatingly, and was about to throw it out.

"Don't throw it!"

Suddenly there was an exclamation from behind, and he was startled, only to see Max rushing over with a fierce look in his eyes, snatching the spray bottle from his hand.

"...What are you doing with it? It will make you grow things, bad things." Nax asked puzzled.

Max looked at the undamaged spray bottle and heaved a sigh of relief: "It's not good for us, but some people probably like it very much. I'm going to use your spray to buy a gun, and you don't want it anyway."

Nax thought for a while and retorted, "We have guns."

"...you will understand when you see the gun I bought."

[3. No. 3]