Facing the Enemy

Back at Fortress No. 73, Advisor Rao had barely slept all night. When he finally received the message from Chen Chuan and his team early that morning, he murmured, "It seems they really are fine…" He let out a huge sigh of relief. After thinking for a moment, he gritted his teeth and walked over to the radio, switching to a secret frequency that linked directly to the intelligence operations room. He sent a telegram: "Request authorization to initiate tactical deception." After a short wait, a simple reply came through: "Are you certain?" Advisor Rao's hand paused briefly over the key before he tapped out a swift succession of signals: "Certain!" Beside a stream at the foot of a mountain, a cavalry warrior tasked with reconnaissance and communications delivered his report and quickly departed. A commissioned warrior approached the Iron Demon and reported, "Commandant, the squad pursuing us spent last night out in the open. They have a way to fend off the nocturnal aberrations. I suggest we eliminate them as soon as possible." Mounted on his steed, the Iron Demon did not reply at once. Only after a pause did a voice echo from behind his mask: "String them along for another day or two. If they can still keep up, then we will strike." The commissioned warrior argued, "But what if they can keep following us? We will be forced to keep evading them, unable to accomplish anything. And if we don't seize this chance to deal with them quickly, our rear will never be secure." It was precisely their ability to march through the night that allowed them to roam freely across this land, using a single squad to throw a vast swath of the enemy's rear into chaos. Now, if the enemy possessed the same capability, the threat to them was obvious. Moreover, although they appeared to maneuver at will, they were in fact deep inside enemy territory. If they were truly pinned down here, they could be surrounded and wiped out at any moment. Just then, the cavalry warrior operating the radio took off his headset, brought over a decrypted message, and offered it up. "Commandant, an insider report has arrived. Another one to two squads are closing in on our position, estimated to reach us within two to three days. The enemy's Fortress No. 104 has been confirmed locked down. In addition, there is word that their rear has reportedly requested combat airships." The commissioned warrior immediately looked to the Iron Demon. "Commandant, we can't delay any longer!" A single squad was manageable, but if additional squads converged on them, they would be at an absolute disadvantage. The root of all this lay with the squad trailing behind them. If they could get rid of it, they would have far more room to maneuver. The Iron Demon seemed to fall silent for a moment. Back when he was attacking the fortress, a warning had stirred in his heart, yet he had never felt it again afterward—even when that squad pursued them. Still, another voice inside him seemed to say he should avoid this squad if at all possible. Yet the shift in the tactical situation forced his hand. He said, "Pass down the order: form up and mount. We depart in ten minutes." "Yes, sir!" Receiving their orders, the dozens of horsemen immediately readied their gear and checked one another's equipment. Within minutes, all were mounted, galloping toward the location of Chen Chuan and his team. In front of the off-road vehicle, Qin Qingque received a telegram and presented it with both hands to Chen Chuan. "Captain, a telegram from Advisor Rao. Please take a look." Chen Chuan took it. "Tactical deception, is it…" His mind worked quickly. The Iron Demon likely had an insider on their side, which was why he dared to weave back and forth through their rear territory. This false intelligence claimed that two more squads were swiftly closing in on them. Once the Iron Demon received word of that, he would have only one reaction. Raising his head, Chen Chuan met the gazes of the two looking back at him. "Get ready. If nothing unexpected happens, the Iron Demon will come looking for us shortly." Yuan Qiuyuan's spirits rose, and he asked eagerly, "Captain, do we just wait here for them?" "No," Chen Chuan said. "Since they're coming to find us, we shouldn't make things too easy for them. Let's change locations and set up our position." Qin Qingque spoke up at once. "Captain, there was a spot we passed earlier that I thought was quite suitable." "All right. We'll go where you suggested." After a quick pack-up, the three walked toward the off-road vehicle. Right at that moment, a spear suddenly hurtled through the air, dropping straight toward them. Yuan Qiuyuan abruptly whipped around and snatched it from midair, his arm holding dead still while only the spear shaft hummed with intense vibration. Raising an eyebrow, he could tell the thrower was at least two li away, though thick woods in the distance concealed their exact position. Chen Chuan did not look back at all, calmly stepping into the vehicle. Qin Qingque paid it no mind either, getting straight behind the wheel. Yuan Qiuyuan twirled the spear in his hands, snapped the shaft in two, and tossed the broken pieces to the ground. He then vaulted up, dropped through the roof hatch into the vehicle, and seized the machine gun mount above. If any cavalry dared ride close right now, he would give them a full burst. The off-road vehicle quickly roared to life, driving off in a set direction. Sitting in his seat, Chen Chuan pondered something. He had been wondering all along what the Iron Demon's perception of danger really was. In his view, it was very likely a sign of mental refinement honed to near-perfection. Of course, it could also be a unique ability of a monster. Given the lack of information, it was hard to say for certain. Regardless, it made the man exceptionally troublesome, as if he could perpetually evade danger. Yet Chen Chuan believed that even a spiritual premonition had to have an object. When the enemy had withdrawn that night, the trigger might very well have been himself. Therefore, after emerging from the fortress, he had merged with his Second Self to divert all outside incursions and strange fields. Whether it would work or not, it was worth trying first. After driving for more than two hours, the off-road vehicle reached an open stretch of land. It bordered a river that rushed with turbulent currents, offering an unobstructed view in all directions. Furthermore, the ground near the river was a wide swath of soft mud—nothing to fighters, but an entirely different matter for heavy horses. This position would effectively neutralize a rapid cavalry charge, and with the wide river at their backs, it also prevented the enemy from flanking them from the rear. In truth, an ordinary cavalry charge was meaningless against them anyway. The horses could not move as fast as their instantaneous bursts of speed, and charging would only expose more openings, not to mention that the machine gun mounted on their roof was no mere decoration. However, these dragon-snout horses had undergone implant modifications and were ridden by fighters. There was no telling what special traits they possessed, so tactically, they preferred to play it conservative. Once the three parked the vehicle securely, they used their tools to set up a few simple preparations outside, then began their pre-battle conditioning. Yuan Qiuyuan drew out his collapsible staff, walked off to the side, and wiped it down with a cloth. Then he stood holding the staff with eyes half-closed, seemingly circulating a breathing technique. He showed no outward signs of nervousness, yet his spirit was wound tight. Qin Qingque, on the other hand, was quite the opposite, in a relaxed state as though long accustomed to such scenes. Just over half an hour later, the scattered silhouettes of horses appeared ahead, gradually growing in number. However, they drew to a halt seven or eight li away. Seeing them, Chen Chuan stepped out of the vehicle, straightened his uniform slightly, donned his mask, adjusted his peaked cap, and walked slowly to the very front, holding the Xuejun Saber. Yuan Qiuyuan moved to his left, planted his feet wide, held his staff horizontally, and stood firm. Qin Qingque took a red-tasselled spear, walked over to Chen Chuan's right side, and planted herself there. She jabbed the spear into the ground, unslung the Sheji rifle from her back, and raised the muzzle toward the front. The mounted troop seemed to observe them. After a short while, the formation split: two detachments swung wide to flank them from afar, leaving only a single group in the center. Three horsemen emerged from the troop, spaced about ten meters apart in a triangular formation as they urged their mounts forward. When they reached a distance of roughly five hundred meters, all three dismounted and advanced on foot. They chose not to fight on horseback because once third limit fighters went into motion, the speed of horses was a joke. On open ground, dodging them was effortless, to say nothing of the soft mud beneath their boots. Besides, they did not rely on such tactics anyway. In their previous ambushes on squads, they had always found a way to decapitate the third limit fighters first before mopping up the rest. Naturally, the opposition usually shared the same intention. But up until now, they had never lost. The two commissioned warriors flanking the Iron Demon held absolute confidence in him. Their Commandant's mind and body had been honed to near-perfection, and after undergoing that metamorphosis, he could no longer be regarded as a mere human. The potential he could unleash far exceeded the definition of a man. If the enemy failed to realize or understand this, they were doomed to meet the exact same end as all those who had pursued them before. Chen Chuan fixed his eyes on the central figure. The man looked virtually identical to the photograph: clad in heavy armor wrapped in a stab-proof robe, this had to be the Iron Demon. By Chen Chuan's estimate, the man stood over 1.9 meters tall. Behind his mask, his eyes were blood red, and a heavy stench of blood seemed to cling to him. The two behind him both exceeded two meters in height, carrying long spears in hand and five throwing spears strapped to their backs. As they walked forward, their breathing and strides stayed in perfect unison, demonstrating extraordinary mutual coordination. At that moment, Qin Qingque raised her rifle and took a shot at the warrior to the Iron Demon's right. Spotting her movement, the man instantly raised an arm to shield his face. The gunshot rang out, and his frame jolted slightly, yet his forward stride never faltered. Without pause, she aimed at the other warrior and fired again; he made the exact same defensive move. After that, the cracking gunfire echoed continuously across the open ground. Bullets slammed into the three of them again and again. Once the magazine emptied, she quickly slammed in a fresh one and kept shooting. Yet the three disregarded the rounds striking their bodies, maintaining their steady rhythm as they marched silently onward. Amidst the unbroken rhythm of gunshots, the three drew within two hundred meters. At that moment, one of the warriors behind the Iron Demon abruptly unslung a spear from his back and hurled it violently toward them. The point where the spear was hurtling toward was none other than Chen Chuan's position!