novelaction Chapter 257
Chapter 257
The giant egg weighed well over a hundred catties. No way to run a wooden stick through the middle, so the crew had built a special roaster just for it. Two halves of reinforced steel bars, welded in fours and crossed in pairs, with a big oval ring in the center just large enough to clamp the egg. The whole thing opened and shut like a trap, catching the egg snugly.
They lit the meteor‑soil fire underneath, and to keep the shell from burning, two team members stood on either side, hands tight on the bars, rocking the roaster back and forth so the heat spread evenly.
When the rich smell rolled up and the shell darkened, the two women shifted the roaster away and swapped in another egg. Magnus Specter watched the tool with interest, eyes narrowing a little as he walked to the first cooked egg. Lying flat, it reached about one meter and a half—almost up to his height.
The shell was blackened, heat still rippling off it. Two women wiped the sweat off their brows and came over, steel bars in hand, greeting him with bright grins. Liana Jabbar signaled them to crack it open, and they jumped to work.
The outer layer of the shell broke easily, charred on the outside. Wearing gloves, the two peeled it apart layer by layer. The scent of fresh egg drifted gently across the area.
“Fán, want the first bite?” Liana Jabbar asked with a teasing smile, pulling a dagger and offering it to him. Magnus took it, gaze fixed on that massive egg. Even he felt a spark of hunger rise.
Once the top shell was peeled back, Magnus stepped up, pressed the dagger in, and carved out a little triangle. He stuck the blade under the chunk and lifted the whole piece out.
Ten‑plus centimeters deep and still no yolk. The inside steamed, the egg white smooth and tender. Aside from the char on the surface, it looked perfect.
He couldn’t resist. He put it into his mouth. The taste... surprisingly good. Maybe it was just hunger talking, or maybe it had really been too long since he’d had eggs, but to him, this giant egg tasted richer than anything before the apocalypse.
The women in the parking lot polished off the first egg quickly. Liana then directed the others to peel, slice, and pack the remaining ones, ready to distribute when they rejoined the main convoy.
By midnight, after hollowing out Ridgehaven City’s meteor stash, the heavy convoy met back with the others outside the city. Days of exhaustion pressed down on everyone. Magnus changed out of his filthy clothes, washed up, and slept straight through to late morning.
Emily Ward, Lana Stewart, and the rest were already gathered, talking in low voices. As Magnus walked over, he caught Emily tapping a pen against the map.
“From here to the Ironvale County shelter,” she said, pointing, “at our current pace, no less than half a month. On the way, we pass one county—Ironvale County—and seven towns. My guess? Same situation as Ashbrook Town...”
Liana sighed. “But the team really needs a break. We should rest somewhere for a few days.”
Charlotte Renard nodded. “I agree. Find a big farmland, set up a temporary base. Put up some steel‑plate sheds, maybe try that dagger formation Fán made. See if it works.”
Sophia Reid added, “Yeah. We’ve been stuck in the cars these days. Even the healthy ones are going to get sick from this. We need air.”
Seeing Magnus approach, Charlotte asked for his opinion. He sat down on his usual spot on the sofa.
“I agree with what you said. We head out today.”
He grabbed the pen from the table and studied the map carefully. Pointing at the center of Ironvale County, he said, “I say we speed up the next few days. Assign tasks clearly. Then pick a spot in Ironvale County to rest and reorganize.”
“Still that far? What about the towns on the way? We’re just ignoring the meteorites?” Liana asked.
“No.” Magnus circled several towns. “We’ll go over it in a bit.” He turned slightly and noticed Lana still standing outside the seating area, clothes dirty as always, no place to wash.
“Lana, could you call Chloe Clark and the other deputy captains? We’re assigning tasks shortly.”
Lana Stewart nodded. She had more or less caught Magnus Specter’s meaning. Liana Jabbar handed her a Super Fire Crystal, and Lana hopped off the RV to gather the others.
Less than half an hour later, Chloe Clark and more than twenty deputy leaders and squad captains climbed aboard one after another. Magnus laid out their assignments.
Judging from the meteorite count back in Ashbrook Town, a single township should hold around thirty to fifty meteorites. One sleeper bus carried about seventy people; they could dig up three to five meteorites per bus. Ten buses per township would just about cover it.
From Ridgehaven City to Ironvale County, without detours, they would pass through seven such towns. Magnus assigned seven leaders to seven groups: Chloe Clark, Isabel Finch, Megan Bennett, Amber Shelton, Amelia Rossi, Nora Jett, and Luxe Hristov.
Each group would have ten sleeper buses, two cranes, ten off‑roaders, one hundred Super Fire Crystals, five hundred Metal Crystals, plus a grain truck and a supply truck.
Every time they passed a township, the team responsible for that area would stay behind to dig while the main convoy kept moving. Their final rendezvous point was the spot Magnus had circled earlier—just outside the city center of Ironvale County.
“But what if the groups run into those spotted giant snakes again?” Liana Jabbar asked, worry wrinkling her brow.
Magnus paced the RV’s living area, boots tapping the floor as his mind turned over every possible danger. He had already considered the same problem. When he saw Chloe and the others standing in a straight line, gazes fixed on him, he stopped and said, “Our main convoy goes first. With all this noise, if any of those things are still around, they’ll come for us first.
“But if you really do run into one, use the Metal Crystals and Super Fire Crystals. Six people form a squad—five use Metal Crystals to cover the one firing the Super Fire Crystal. Aim for its eyes and lower belly. If you can land grenades under its belly, even better. That should kill it in one hit. Don’t save bullets or crystals.”
The seven women nodded. Isabel Finch stepped forward half a step and asked, “Do we still need to kill animals for blood?”
“You’ll carry animal blood with you,” Magnus replied. “If it’s not enough and you find a good spot, you can hunt more. Find underground parking lots or similar places. But be careful. When you’re killing animals, three squads must use Metal Crystals at the same time, and one squad stays on air watch.”
Liana quickly added, “And don’t forget the containers for collecting water. Our barrels for animal blood aren’t enough anymore. Everyone still needs drinking water. Also, if you find any supply trucks, remember to drive them back. And... well, a bunch of other details.”
She listed several more points. Magnus fetched seven maps and handed one to each leader. He marked their responsibilities clearly, especially the final rendezvous point outside Ironvale’s center.
Right now, the entire group held more than thirty thousand crystals. Most were stored in the RV shared by Liana Jabbar, Emily Ward, and Sophia Reid, guarded by assigned personnel. Magnus helped Chloe and the other six gather their crystals before sending them back to their own squads to prepare.
They worked the whole morning. When the convoy finally adjusted its formation, the engines rumbled to life. Slowly, steadily, the massive caravan rolled forward toward their first destination—Ironvale County—where they would set up a temporary base and let everyone breathe for a moment.