Steel steam and flame

The limousine was moving very fast, and Cassia was sitting in the passenger seat and kept urging. The mood that had calmed down became a little excited again at this time.

There was flowing light outside the car window, and the rain pattered on the fast-moving car. Under the temptation of Cassia's double price, the old driver who was supposed to be extremely stable and mature sitting in the limo became energetic. His hands controlling the steering wheel and steam valve were very dexterous and skillful, and the car It transformed into a nimble black cat, surpassing the chaotic limousine cars on the road, and drove towards the outskirts of Manoma at extremely fast speeds.

The limousine swung its tail wildly on the slippery road. Even with the seat belt on, Cassia had to hold on to the armrests of the car to stabilize her body that had begun to move with the rhythm of the car. The car was accompanied by the undulating sound of horns, which were angry announcements and warnings from other limousine drivers.

It is indeed the effect that money brings, and it is an extremely useful thing most of the time. Cassia sighed as she looked at the experienced driver next to her who was getting excited about driving.

The old driver was humming a familiar tune at the moment, ignoring the warning and angry horn sounds.

"This is really an exciting job, sir!" The old driver didn't forget to chat with Cassia. As early as Cassia offered him double the price to pursue the ultimate speed, he had a mysterious smile on his face. I pressed what seemed to be an extra button.

This car has been modified by technicians. The button is used to activate a device that blocks the license plate number and then slightly changes the shape of the limo. The purpose is to prevent others from recognizing the limo. From the words of the old driver, it is not difficult to tell that he once wanted to be a professional mechanic, but later due to various reasons, his life trajectory suddenly changed like this.

"I was very interested in machinery at the beginning. The books I read when I was in school could be calculated by weight. I usually went to the steam factory when I had time. On the one hand, I worked as a part-time worker there to earn some extra subsidies. On the other hand, I wanted to take advantage of the opportunity. Follow the professional masters there to learn more technical and theoretical knowledge." The old driver held the steering wheel steadily, accelerating and decelerating smoothly, and the words on his lips were equally smooth without any discontinuity, "But later from After graduating from school, things that I had hoped for had changed too much. That was the period when industrial manufacturing was at its poorest, because the war had stopped for a long time, and ordinary civilian machinery had already been produced in surplus. So I thought about changing careers and doing something. Other than that, I didn’t expect that this change would be almost a lifetime thing.”

The old driver made a crazy turn in front of him, and the car body drifted and slid through the vertical curve. The rainwater on the ground that had not yet had time to enter the underground waterway was scooped up and splashed far away in the form of water spray. Fortunately, we have left the center of Manoma. There are not many moving vehicles on the road at this moment, and the entire road is left to the experienced drivers.

"So my hobby for machinery has turned into a leisure interest in life. I usually do some mechanical modifications when I have nothing to do. This car is the product of this." The old driver continued happily. Said, the wiper in front of him was like a swaying arm in cheers, swaying enthusiastically towards Cassia and the old driver in the car. Then in the corner of Cassia's eyes, the old driver pressed another button, and the car body shook violently. With her sensitive ears, Cassia clearly heard the sound of the ultra-high-pressure steam valve opening and closing. This is a device that should only be found on the machinery in the steam factory. Its function is to reasonably and accurately control the steam output in the super steam system. But it is now installed on this ordinary-looking limo.

The speed of the limousine suddenly increased to a higher level again. It was not ordinary tires that provided enough friction for the car.

"Brother, if you are interested in the future, you can go to a small workshop in Manoma. I think you will never be disappointed there, and you will definitely be able to find something you like. For example, the interior of this car has been modified The unrecognizable limo is the product of that small workshop. Compared to amateurs like me, the people there are very professional." The old driver said, the limo was speeding on the road, raindrops Cassia's eyes became completely tilted. Because many accessories have been added to the modification, the weight of the car has also increased a lot. Combined with the design of professional tires and bodywork, it gives the sedan enough grip. The speed has stopped at an area that a limousine should not be involved in, but the body is still in a stable state.

At this speed, the planned one hour or so when arriving at the destination can be compressed by more than half. Looking at the scenery flying past outside the window, Cassia thought with this mood.

Leaving the central area of ​​Manoma, on the wide roads surrounding it, due to weather or geographical factors, you can hardly see the shadow of a car every more than a minute. The street lamps on both sides silently contributed their own light. Even if they were connected in a row, they still stood there alone like a tree trunk that had been frozen with a layer of frost on the surface in winter. The same feeling applies to the low houses behind the street lamps. It’s not even clear what they look like under the rain. Except for the occasional flash of lightning on the horizon that briefly illuminates them, the rest of the time there is always a dark still life painting.

Far ahead of the estimated time, Cassia paid double the price first, and then asked the old driver if he could wait for him here for a while and was willing to pay a certain waiting fee. If he doesn't come back after a long time, the driver will have time to go back.

"Of course, there isn't much business on rainy days. I'm tired today, so I'll listen to some music in the car and smoke a few cigarettes, waiting for you." The old driver said with a nonchalant smile, while adjusting the electronic music. The radio was buzzing, and he took out the cigarette from his body. He signaled to Cassia if he wanted one, but of course he was politely refused.

Holding up an umbrella, Cassia stepped on the road covered with a layer of fine rainwater. Instead of letting the limousine drive in, we chose to walk, which was relatively safe. In front of them was the dark-gray shadow of a sparsely lit building under a curtain of rain, lifeless and as silent as a corpse.

This used to be a bustling industrial area. Cassia learned the details of this area from the books in the military school library, and the map information was also memorized in his mind. It’s not that I came here unprepared, but there are only so many things that can be prepared.

"I wonder if Kara is still here." Cassia felt a strange emotion in her heart. It was a feeling of looking forward to but not wanting Kara to stay here any longer. Knowing that after this last encounter, he and Kara were completely separated from now on. Maybe the trajectory of life will also change at this point, just like a train on a railway track, it will be divided into two different routes just because of the action of a direction-changing gate.

There will be opportunities to meet again in the future, and Cassia thought that she would definitely comfort herself with such words in the future. The empire is said to be very large, but with the power of an airship, it only takes less than two or three months to cross the farthest distance. If it is small, even if they are in the same Manoma area, there are no clues, and trying to find the other party is a mathematical probability problem.

With mixed emotions, Cassia walked step by step inside the rain curtain, and slender water columns fell from the edge of the umbrella. The rain still did not decrease at all, and it pattered down.