On the way, Provence briefed ACE on the Calamity's situation.
"This Calamity, code-named 'Cuckoo,' is a highly localized strong wind and rainstorm. We are heading to a small village south of 'Cuckoo.' Previously, it was predicted that Cuckoo would not pass through that village, so no timely evacuation was arranged. Unexpectedly, 'Cuckoo' suddenly changed direction midway, bringing the small town within the Calamity's range."
"According to the information we received, the town's mayor had already moved some residents out in advance, but a group of residents had not evacuated in time. On my way to Rhodes Island, I met another Calamity Messenger. After hearing about it, he had already set off with guards in that direction, but there were only two of them, making it difficult to evacuate the remaining people. That's why I came to Rhodes Island to request support."
"Hey, so you mean the village chief ran off with his cronies after discovering the Calamity, leaving the rest of the people in the village to die, right? And we're going to rescue those who were left behind, right?" Even though Provence spoke very tactfully, Kanna immediately grasped the information in her words.
Provence nodded sadly. "Although I don't want to admit it, Kanna-chan, you're right. That damned official, upon receiving the news, worried that running together would slow him down, so he didn't relay the news we had discovered and informed him of earlier to the villagers. Instead, he took his cronies and fled early after receiving the news. By the time the villagers realized something was wrong, it was already too late. The Calamity was upon them, and without help, these ordinary villagers had no ability to escape from under the Calamity."
ACE adjusted her glasses. "I understand the specific reasons more or less. So, where is this small village located? How do you plan to lead us in, and how will we get out?"
Hearing ACE's words, Provence opened her notebook and pointed to a miniature map, saying, "Our current location is here, and this is the location of that small village. Based on my communication with other Calamity Messengers, we can confirm that the Calamity's path is from south to northeast. Although the Calamity will pass through the village, fortunately, the village's location is on the outer edge of the Calamity, which gives us a chance for emergency rescue. After all, if the Calamity passed directly through, then unless it was a sturdy landship, there would be no way to rescue anyone from the Calamity."
"And my idea is to follow this ridge through this mountain range, reach the village as quickly as possible, pick up the people, and then quickly leave along the original path. This mountain range is mostly rocky, so even with heavy rain, there won't be too much muddy ground. Compared to the more dangerous foothills, where landslides or floods are common, and this flat road, which easily forms swamps, going this way should be the safest."
ACE reached out and took Provence's notebook, carefully studying the map.
"While it does involve some risk, it's within acceptable limits. So, Miss Provence, the task of leading the way is yours."
Soon, ACE handed the notebook back to Provence and affirmed her plan.
The convoy soon arrived at the edge of the Calamity.
Looking at the scene ahead, which was blackened as if by ink, connecting heaven and earth, even the seasoned ACE gasped.
If it looked like this from the outside, one could imagine how poor the visibility was inside, coupled with the increased concentration of "Originium dust" accompanying the Calamity. If ordinary people weren't properly protected, they would undoubtedly become Infected, even if they didn't die in the Calamity.
"Everyone prepare your protective measures. The convoy is about to enter the Calamity zone. Remember, the convoy will use the lead vehicle as a marker, and the remaining vehicles will follow closely in a serpentine formation. If you lose sight of the vehicle ahead, immediately report it via communicator and sound the in-car alarm." After speaking, the vehicle carrying ACE, Provence, and Kanna accelerated to the front of the convoy. ACE took out a red, constantly flashing light from the trunk and hung it on the top of the car. Then, after giving the driver a thumbs-up, the vehicle charged into the Calamity.
After entering the rain curtain, the vehicle's visibility sharply decreased. Even as a top-tier off-road vehicle from Thunder God Industries, with headlights on, visibility was less than five meters.
In such an environment, if it weren't for participating in the rescue, ACE would undoubtedly choose to turn around and leave without hesitation.
But this time, fortunately, ACE had brought Kanna.
Although Kanna's visibility was also severely reduced in such heavy rain, she could still clearly see situations within a hundred meters when concentrating, far exceeding the sight range of others.
She continuously pointed out dangers on the path. At first, the driver was dismissive, as Kanna was pointing out dangers dozens of meters away in such poor visibility, which he found completely unbelievable.
But upon approaching, he found several locations to be exactly as Kanna described.
This surprised everyone in the car greatly.
Provence immediately picked Kanna up and placed her in the co-driver's seat, letting her stand there and use her extraordinary vision to provide support for the convoy's progress.
Initially, seeing such heavy rain, Provence had felt a bit despairing. Because the rain was too heavy, with restricted visibility, the vehicle's speed would not be much faster than walking.
At this speed, by the time we reach the village, it will probably already be a ruin.
But with Kanna's help, the convoy's speed increased severalfold.
At this moment, besides Kanna, who was constantly observing and describing the situation ahead, the others were all very quiet.
From Provence's perspective, navigation is a job that requires a lot of focus and mental energy. An adult would be mentally exhausted after doing it for the entire duration, let alone this child who doesn't look very old.
ACE, on the other hand, felt a deep sense of emotion. He had heard before that Scout thought highly of Kanna and had even specifically gone to Kal'tsit to request that Kanna learn sniping techniques from him, calling her a once-in-amillennium sniping talent. He had even teased Scout about it.
But today, he had to admit, how could she be merely called a talent? With this vision that could penetrate the heavy rain, Scout's evaluation was still too cautious.
Four hours later, the convoy successfully passed through the mountain range, and the village was close at hand. Only then did ACE carry Kanna to the back to let her rest.
Kanna nodded in response. Although her body didn't tire due to her internal power supply, after such a long time, she was still a bit mentally fatigued. They had now reached the plains, less than two kilometers from the village, so she didn't need to report anymore.
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