A/N: Hey guys, it's been a while! I know I said that I'd try to release new chapters on a more regular basis, but you know how life can be sometimes. Sucks, but it's true. Anyway, I hope you like this chapter! Feel free to leave comments. Any kind of constructive criticism and advice is welcomed!

Last time, on Re:Insertion, Slater once again finds himself sent to another world against his will. This time, however, he winds up in the middle of some post-apocalyptic desert, seemingly being the only soul for miles around. During his long and arduous search for civilization, Slater happens upon the remains of a mysterious spider tank in the middle of a ruined city. As he tried to scavenge something useful from it, the tank, which calls itself a Testament, suddenly sprang back to life, identifying him as something known as a "Needless," and began to hunt him down like a rabid dog.

Just what the hell happened to this world? What the fuck is a Needless anyway? And will Slater be able to escape from certain death?

All these questions and more will be answered, right here, right now!

"HUFF….. HUH! HUFF….. HUH!"

It hurts... It hurts so much.

Can't keep... running much-

I shook my head.

Damn it! Body don't fail me now! This is SO NOT the time to stop! I'VE GOT TO KEEP MOVING!

'WHIR-WHIR-WHIR'

"Exter- extermin- *BZZZZRT* nate-nate-nate!"

I'm getting sick of hearing that! I swear, that spider tank's been repeating those words ever since it started chasing me. It's like I'm dealing with a malfunctioning Dalek.

Not only that, but despite its size and weight, the tank is managing to keep up with me somehow. How it's managing to do that without sinking into the sand is beyond me!

In any case, I can't keep running like this forever! But if I let that tank catch up to me, I'm a dead man! I've got to lose this thing somehow, but how can I-

"GAH!"

Suddenly, my foot got caught in something, causing me to trip and land face first into the sand. I pushed myself off the ground and started wiping the sand off my face while spitting out the grains that got in my mouth.

I opened my eyes and- Wait, where did this shadow come from?

"Exter-*BZZZZRT* -minate!" As soon as I heard that, my body stiffened as I let out a small 'eep!' Slowly, I turned around and looked up at the spider tank that now stood before me like a towering giant. It began to lift one of its front legs up. Just what is it trying….. to…. d-

My eyes went wide.

"OH SHIT!" Almost immediately, I rolled away from the tank, which not long afterwards, thrust its leg down with surprising speed and struck the ground beneath it.

I stared back at the area that it struck, completely slack-jawed at the sight of it. The tank's attack pierced through the ground, leaving behind a hole that was quickly filling up with sand.

That… That fucking thing just tried to splatter me like a bug on a windshield!

"Ex-*BZZZZRT*-termin-ate-ate-ate!" The tank turned towards me.

That's it! Time to leave!

I stumbled back up to my feet and broke out into a dash, nearly tripping as I did so, but I managed to regain my balance just in time. Naturally, the tank continued its pursuit.

Damn it! I've got to find a way to get away from this thing! NOW! But how can I do that? Where can I go where it can't follow me?

I looked all around the landscape for any potential escape routes. Damn! There's nothing but straight road and intersections ahead of me and nothing is standing out to me! All I'm seeing are the same old buildings, same old broken-down cars, same old alleyways- Wait a minute. Alleyways?

It was then that the gears in my end started turning.

Alleyways! Of course!

I started looking for the closest alleyway, but most of the ones I've seen are either too small or blocked off by debris. Come on, there's gotta be one somewhere- AH HA! Over there on the right! That looks big enough!

I made a hard turn on my right foot, making a beeline straight towards the alleyway and-

"Extermin-nate-nate-nate!"

Wait, can I hear that more clearly now? No, it can't be. I quickly turned my head behind me and-

OH SHIT! It's moving faster now! Oh no! Oh no no no no no no no no no NO!

I continued running, pushing myself to the absolute limit. My muscles were straining. The air was leaving my lungs faster than I can breathe it in. And my heart felt like it could burst out of my chest at any moment. But I can't stop now! Come on Slater! Move it! Moooooooovvvvv-

'BAM!'

"Gah!"

Yes! I made it!

I managed to get into the alleyway by the skin of my teeth, only to be followed by a loud crash that caused me to land on my stomach. I looked behind me and saw the tank, which had crashed into the buildings that surrounded the alley.

However, despite its forced stop, there didn't seem to be much damage to its armor, let alone a single dent. Not only that, but it was still trying to get at me, completely undeterred, but ultimately, it was in vain. Using one of its legs, it attempted to squeeze itself into the obviously-too-small-to-fit gap that was the alleyway I was in. It was almost laughable with how single-minded this tank was, but now was not the time to take pity on it. No way I was having that.

Without hesitation, I turned around and made my escape.

-x-

Surprisingly, the alley went on for much longer than I thought. Unsurprisingly, it took a long time for me to get to the other side. By this point, the adrenaline was wearing off. The aches and pains were becoming more apparent, to the point where I was forced to limp. My breaths were becoming more and more ragged. I felt like I was going to collapse any moment, yet I soldiered on until I reached the other side.

Once I did, I immediately plopped myself against the wall and- HOLY SHIT THAT HURTS!

"Holy….. Fuck….. Man!" I said between pained breaths as I slid to the ground. I desperately gasped for air, wheezing and coughing like crazy. I was clutching my chest with my right hand. My heart was beating like a jackhammer.

The pain was so bad that any motion that I made, no matter how slight, caused me to wince. It almost felt like my muscles were burning, and no, the desert heat wasn't a factor in that. I just wanted to sit here for hours, but I knew that I couldn't do that. Not in this climate at least.

Nevertheless, I should rest while I can. I'm going to need all the energy I can if I'm to get out of this place! Hopefully sooner rather than later.

But how can I do that? I'm on the verge of complete exhaustion, I might be coming down with heatstroke, and most importantly, I'm lost in this city with a murderous spider tank on the prowl! Even if I do make it out of here, what then? I could be miles away from civilization for all I know, and in my current condition, I'm not gonna last much longer.

Choosing a short, painless death courtesy of a spider tank or a long, agonizing death in the middle of the desert. Which poison would be more preferable?

…

Letting out a sigh, I chose to change the subject. Just where am I in this city right now?

I leaned out of the alley to take a look around. There's gotta be some kind of landmark that'll tell me where I am.

Ruined buildings? Check. Debris and other random junk? Double check. A whole lot of sand? Check, check, and CHECK!

In all seriousness though, there were no noticeable landmarks. There were a series of smaller buildings lined up against each other from where I was sitting. Sure, they were practically ruins, but from the looks of it, they could've been shops, which would put me somewhere in the downtown area, I think.

Now then, once I've rested some more, I'll begin my-

'THUD!'

"WHA-" I nearly jumped as an unexpected noise interrupted my thoughts. "What the hell?" That was loud! Where on earth-

'THUD!'

There it is again! What the hell was that?!

Ignoring the pain, I got back up on my feet and looked all around, desperately trying to find the source of the noise, before laying eyes on the brick wall not even 5 feet away from me.

It was, for all intents and purposes, a normal brick wall, or at least it should've been. There were a series of cracks not unlike that of a spider web, as well as several bricks that look like they've been knocked out of place.

Oh no…. Don't tell me that-

'THUD!'

"Oh shit!" Using every ounce of strength I had, I trudged myself across the street as fast as I could, making my way into another abandoned building.

'CRASH!'

And after just barely making it inside, the brick wall was completely obliterated, throwing up a cloud of dust and sand into the air. I ducked under a window so I wouldn't get blinded by any of that shit. Then, cautiously, I poked my head out of my hiding spot at the newly-created hole, and a silhouette of something emerging from the-

"Exterminate! Ex-ex-ex-ex-terminate-nate!"

Oh come the fuck on man! Are you kidding me?

You mean to tell me that despite its poor condition – despite the fact that it's been offline for god knows how long and withered from age – that not only could this tank follow me in the sand no problem, but it still has the strength to burst through a brick wall like tissue paper?!

NO! This is bullshit! This is fucking bullshit! That thing shouldn't be able to do something like that, let alone be operational AND be capable of hunting me down! No, I just can't! I just-

FUCK THIS SHIT!

"Ex-ex-ex-ex-exterminate!"

"Shit!" I immediately ducked back into my hiding spot. God I hope it hasn't noticed me!

For the next few minutes, I just sat there scared out of my wits, wondering what the mechanical monstrosity was going to do next. Amidst the sound of a light wind, I heard the whirring of its robotic limbs. Is it on the move again?

Cautiously, I brought myself up to the window at eye level once again to observe the tank. It was looking up and down the street, just for the slightest sign that I may be here. Then, after about a minute, it turned left and started walking down the street to continue its search. The sounds of its footsteps(?) grew quieter until finally, it was gone.

I breathed a sigh of relief. Thank God! I would've been fucked if it managed to find me. In any case, once I've recovered some of my strength, then I'm gonna get the hell out of here. And fast!

I just hope I'll be able to get out of this mess alive and in one piece.

-x-

I poked my head out of the doorway, looking to see if that tank was anywhere close by. I didn't see it, nor did I hear it moving. Good! The coast was clear. Time to move.

For the past, I don't know, 20 minutes or so, I've been cautiously trekking through the streets of the city, using the walls and buildings for cover along the way. I'm not exactly a fan of this impromptu game of cat and mouse, but I don't have any other choice right now. I just hope that my stamina will last.

I soon approached another intersection. Okay, now which way should I go? Left? Right? Straight ahead? Come on Slater! Make a decision!

'Vrooooooooooo-'

Wait? What was that? Am I hearing things, or did I just hear the sound of a car engine?

I put both my hands to my ears, trying to pinpoint where that noise was coming from.

'Vrooooooommmmm...Vroooooooo-'

"-et's go there... Let's -ake our s-cape..."

It's starting to come in more clearly, but I'm also hearing... music? It's hard to make out, but it definitely sounded like lyrics.

"-ome on, -et's -o there! Let's ask can we stay!"

Wait a minute... This song. Could it be?

As I mused, the music got even louder.

"CAN YOU TAKE ME HIGHER! TO THE PLACE WHERE BLIND MEN SEE!"

I was practically grinning from ear to ear

Oh my god! It's not my imagination! It's an actual car! I never thought I'd hear Creed of all bands, but that's not the point.

I'M SAVED! I can finally get out of this place!

'SKREEEEEEEEEEET!'

The music cut out right then.

I….. I think it just came to a stop! That's even better!

From the sounds of it, I think the car stopped somewhere to the right, so right is where I'll go. Without hesitation, I turned right onto the next street.

I shifted into a sort-of run-walk, making sure not to go faster than that as to conserve energy, but I was so excited that I couldn't help but move slightly faster. Damn it, I can worry about the pain and other ailments later! My one and only chance of getting out of this place is just within my reach! If I let it pass me by, then I'm screwed!

I continued down the road. So far, there's no sign of that car. I haven't heard any noise other than the wind. Maybe I should cut through another alley?

I entered into the nearest one on my left. This one was shorter than the other one I took earlier, but that wasn't important. As soon as I got out, I-

"WHOA!"

I grabbed onto the pavement just in time, but I was still hanging on for dear life. I looked down and- Oh shit!

Where'd the ground go?! Damn it, I've got to try to pull myself up.

'CRACK!'

Oh no... Oh-

'SNAP!'

SHIIIIIIIIIITTTTTTTTT!

The part of the pavement I was holding onto broke off, causing me to tumble down to the area below. It wasn't long before I came to a forceful stop.

"OW!"

I found myself on my back, looking up at the sun above. I managed to sit back up, clutching my back with my left hand. Aside from adding back injury to my ever increasing list of ailments, I was mostly alright, all things considered. I stood up, picked up my hat and bat, and started looking around.

I was on another road it seemed, specifically a highway. The street itself was separated by stone barriers, many of which were broken. In between the barriers were a series of old and crooked street lights. And straight ahead of me was a broken, yet somehow still intact, overpass with a car underneath-

Wait a minute? Car?

I rubbed my eyes and looked back again.

I'm not imagining it! It's really there! That has to be the car I'm looking for! And I think I see people too!

I immediately started heading over there as fast as I could. As soon as I got up close, I took in every detail of the car and its occupants.

The car itself was parked next to a huge pile of junk against the wall to the left. It was either some kind of green jeep or a dune buggy. I couldn't really tell, but that kind of off-road vehicle was appropriate for getting around in a post-apocalyptic world.

As for the people themselves, there were two of them. One of them was a large, burly man with a beard sporting a muscle shirt and glasses. The other one was a much smaller, petite girl with short brown hair who was wearing a simple dress, brown boots, and- Was that an apron? Well, that's certainly random. Reminds me of one of those innkeepers or shop clerks from a JRPG.

Anyway, from the looks of it, they appeared to be loading some scrap from the junk pile into their jeep. For what reason, I didn't know, but that wasn't important right now. I need to get their attention.

I took a deep breath and-

"Ummmmmm..." I began. "Hi?"

The two of them stopped what they were doing and started looking right at me. Hold on, are they Japanese? I think they might. I wasn't too sure.

Anyway, the two of them looked rather confused at my presence, which was... understandable, I guess. I mean, how many people do you see wandering the desert by themselves? Regardless, we silently stared at each other for about a minute. And it was seriously nerve-wracking for me.

Finally, the man decided to speak up.

"Ummmmm... hey there." the man awkwardly began. "I didn't think there was anyone else all the way out here."

Definitely not the attitude I was expecting from someone as burly as him.

"Yeah, well... Life is just full of surprises, you know what I mean?" I replied followed by an awkward laugh.

Come on Slater! Now is not the time to be getting cold feet! Get to the point already!

"Yeah, I get what you-"

'BAP!'

"Oof!"

Before the man could finish speaking, the young girl suddenly kicked him in the shin.

"Dad, will you stop beating around the bush already?!" the girl berated.

"Oh. Sorry pumpkin." the man sheepishly apologized.

All the girl- I mean, his daughter could do was let out a sigh in exasperation. It wasn't long before she directed her attention towards me.

"So who the hell are you?" she demanded. "If you're here to cause trouble, then there's gonna be trouble!"

I froze up. Yikes! I wasn't expecting hostility of any kind. She better not be thinking that I'm trying to rob them or anything. I don't have the intention of doing that, let alone the energy to do it. And even if I did, she could've gotten her dad to subdue me.

"Well?" the girl said impatiently.

"It's... complicated." I awkwardly replied.

Hoooooooo boy. This is gonna be tough.

-x-

Drink. Drink. Drink. That's all I was focused on right now.

I took another big gulpful of water as I sat in the car seat. Man, did I miss the taste of water so much!

It took me quite a bit of time to explain everything to these two, especially after being put on edge from the prior accusations. However, once I explained how I found myself in the middle of the desert, things quickly settled down. The father and daughter, Daikichi and Miki, were sympathetic towards my plight. They offered to take me back to their village, to which I graciously accepted, as well as allowing me to drink some of their water.

They had a few big containers filled with water onboard their jeep, so they weren't worried about me possibly drinking it all.

As I continued to relax, Daikichi was continuing to gather junk from the pile while Miki stayed near the jeep to keep an eye on me. I'm just happy that the first people I've met out here were so generous and accommodating, Miki especially. With the way she accused me earlier, I thought she was gonna kick my ass or something if I even looked at her funny, but thankfully she changed her tune quickly after I gave my story.

Yeah... I don't take getting accused very well.

"Don't drink it so fast Slater," Miki said to me. "Take it nice and slow."

I stopped my all-important quenching of my thirst and looked at her.

"But-" I began. "I haven't had anything to drink in god knows how long. It's not every day you wake up stranded in the middle of a desert, you know?"

"I understand that, but if you drink too much water at one time, you're gonna get sick, and that's not gonna help you." Miki chided.

She gave me a stern look as she put her hands on her hips.

Defeated, all I could do was let out a sigh.

"Sorry..." I sheepishly apologized. "I'll... be more careful."

"HA HA HA HA HA HA!"

I jumped as Daikichi suddenly belted out a laugh.

"Don't let my daughter's words get to ya Slater!" Daikichi looked at us with a wry grin. "She can be a little bossy and headstrong at times, but that's just her way of looking out for folks!"

"DAD!" Miki yelled. "Jeez! Just hurry up and finish loading the scrap! And who are you calling bossy?!"

At this point, the two of them started arguing-Wait no, scratch that. Miki was chastising Daikichi, who was just futilely attempting to placate her.

I couldn't help but let out a small chuckle. After all I've been through so far, the sight of this was just what I needed to lift my spirits.

"Hey!" Miki was looking at me now. "What's so funny?"

"Oh nothing!" I tried to play dumb. "Nothing at all!"

"It certainly doesn't sound like nothing to me!" Miki gave me an annoyed frown.

"Now now Pumpkin." Daikichi said as he ruffled his daughter's hair. "This isn't anything to get upset about. Slater's had it rough, so the fact that he's able to laugh like this shows he's getting better! You know what they say: Laughter is the best medicine!" And just like, he belted another mighty laugh.

I belted out a laugh of my own, not even bothering to suppress it this time. Miki just crossed her arms and let out a pout.

"So anyway Slater," Daikichi quickly composed himself. "You also mentioned that you were being chased earlier?"

My smile turned into a frown.

"Yeah, I was." I began. "I was being hunted down by some crazy broken-down war machine. And I don't even know why."

That seemed catch Miki's attention.

"War... machine?" she asked.

"Yeah, it looked like a spider tank of some kind, and-"

"Wait, what!" Daikichi suddenly interrupted me. "You were being chased by a Testament?!"

"What's a Testament doing all the way out here? They don't usually patrol this area!" Miki added before flashing me another stern look. "You're not a Needless, are you?"

"Need...less?" I asked in confusion. "What's a Needless?"

The two of them looked at each other before looking back at me, completely befuddled by my words as they just heard a crazy person spouting nonsense. Oh no... Did I set off some kind of red flag?

"You're kidding right?" Miki began. "There's no way that you have no idea what we're talking about here. Everybody here in the Black Spot knows all about the Needless and the Testaments that hunt them."

"Black... Spot?" I asked, even more confused now. Miki just looked even more bewildered than before.

"Oh come on!" she suddenly spoke up. "What kind of rock have you been living under?! You can't be this stupid!"

Whoa whoa! Why is she getting so mad all of a sudden. I don't have a fucking clue what's going on with this world or what's going on within it, let alone know which world I'm stuck in. How can she- I mean- That is to say- ARRGH! I can't even form a coherent thought right now!

"Pumpkin, please." Daikichi tried to calm down her daughter. "You don't need to go that far to-"

"Not now Dad!" Miki shut down her father immediately.

"But-"

Okay, that's it! I've had enough!

"EVERYBODY STOP IT!" I spoke up at last, getting Daikichi and Miki's attention. "I don't fucking understand a single word that either of you are saying! What the hell's a Needless?! What's a Black Spot?! And how do you know what that spider tank is?!" My eyes began to well up with tears. "I've... been through hell all this time, and to hear all this shit being thrown my way with no explanation? D-Do you know how stressful that is?" I heaved a sigh as the tears continued to flow. "It's just too much, I mean... I just want to know what's going on. Is that too much to ask?"

Daikichi and Miki looked at me in silence, unsure of what to say. I just sat there, trying to hold back the tears.

Finally, after a moment, Daikichi decided to speak up.

"Slater, I-"

'CRASH!'

And before the pity party could commence in full, a loud crash got our attention.

"Gah!"

"What the hell was that?" Daikichi asked.

"Dad! Over there!" Miki said as she pointed toward the source of the sound.

I looked to my left to see where she was pointing at. My blood ran cold as I laid my eyes on the one thing that I didn't want to see again. It was like staring death in the face.

"Exter-*BZZZZRT*-minate!"

"Shit!" Daikichi gritted through his teeth. "Slater! Is that the Testament that was chasing you?"

"Y-Yes!" I replied as I wiped away the tears. "Th-That's the one!"

Damn! How did that thing find us? Did it follow the sound of the music? Or did it just find us by coincidence. Either way, we were in trouble!

"Miki! Get in the car! Slater! Buckle up! We're getting out of here!" Daikichi ordered.

We were both quick to comply, as I immediately buckled myself in. Miki climbed into the passenger seat, while Daikichi got in the driver's seat shortly after.

"Exter-min-nate-nate-nate!" the Testament uttered for the umpteenth fucking time as it quickly made a beeline towards us.

"It's coming our way!" I said.

"Don't worry," Daikichi said as he started the engine. "I know a way that we can get rid of it!"

"Dad, you don't mean-" Miki began.

"Yes, I'm going to use that!" Daikichi cut off her daughter, "Slater! See that backpack on the floor?"

Backpack? I looked down and- Oh there it is! I immediately picked it up.

"This one?" I asked as I held it up.

"Yeah, give it to me!" Daikichi ordered. I handed it over to him. He rummaged through the bag for a moment before pulling out something that looked very much like a bundle of- Oh my god! Is that dynamite?!

"Miki! Get my lighter out of the glove compartment!" Daikichi pointed at the compartment in question. Miki gave a silent nod, before opening it up and handing him his lighter.

With a flick of a switch, Daikichi lit the fuse. I looked behind us once again and- Oh shit! It's almost got us!

"Here we go! Hang on everyone!" And just like that, he tossed the dynamite behind the jeep as he floored it immediately. I was thrown back into my seat by the sudden movement, but thankfully the seat belt held me in place.

The Testament reached the overpass and-

'BOOM!'

Not long afterwards, the dynamite exploded, bringing down the entire bridge onto the mechanical menace. I don't know if that was enough to destroy it, but I hoped that it was enough to trap it.

Regardless, I breathed a sigh of relief. It was finally over! I don't have to worry about that stupid spider tank anymore! And I can leave all this trouble behind me!

Goodbye desert! Next stop: civilization!