Ambush

Just as those combatants were sprinting forward, several kilometers ahead along the road, the convoy that had appeared earlier suddenly surged in speed. Almost simultaneously, the convoy that had passed the escort earlier had already made a U-turn midway through its route and was now hurtling toward their rear. Viewed from high above, the two forces formed a pincer movement, closing in on the escort convoy from front and back. Advisor Yao had already realized something was wrong after the trouble ahead was reported. Decisively, he ordered all personnel to haul out their firearms while directing several rear vehicles to pull forward. They formed a defensive barricade in the front to absorb any impact, hoisting mounted machine guns atop the vehicles and aiming them ahead and to the flanks. Even with esoteric rituals at their disposal, firearms remained the most convenient and practical weapons. Knowing this alone would not suffice, Yao immediately contacted the few members of the Esoteric Cult Bureau among them. A few members hopped out at once. Sheltered by the hulls of the front vehicles, they moved along the flanks of the convoy, rolling out carpet-like bundles across the ground on both sides of the road before hammering stakes down along the edges. These esoteric cult patterns prevented anyone in the distance from observing them clearly, creating a kind of optical distortion. The oncoming implant-augmented combatants charged with astonishing speed, closing the distance in just moments. Yet flying even faster than them were the combat bio-weapons. Borne on wings, they descended from the sky. As soon as they drew near, however, the influence of the field caught them, causing them to tumble from the air one after another. The fighters and gunmen in the convoy quickly gunned them down with weapons, rendering the creatures seemingly useless. Advisor Yao felt no relief. Since the enemy had chosen to ambush them, they certainly knew the escort's identity. Sending these charging bio-weapons had merely been a probing move to test the strength of the rituals, clearing the way for the subsequent assault. Sure enough, once the first wave of bio-weapons was eliminated, the combatants behind them gauged the escort's setup and surged forward with greater haste. Behind these advancing fighters, several others raised their firearms in an attempt to provide covering fire. But before one of them could even steady his rifle, a long-range marksman on the escort's side squeezed off a round. The enemy's head snapped back, and he dropped dead on the spot—not even an augmented cranium could withstand such precise, high-caliber fire. By now, the machine gunners on the vehicle roofs opened fire. Confronted by the ferocious hail of bullets, the armed hostiles chose not to charge straight into the frontal fire. Instead, they split apart, attempting to flank the convoy from both sides. Advisor Yao observed the scene and noted what seemed to be more enemy marksmen joining the fray in the distance. He decisively gave an order over the boundary credential: "Everyone, put on respirators and deploy smoke canisters!" Upon his command, the escort personnel immediately hurled canisters outward. They slammed against the road and the surrounding perimeter, bursting in a series of sharp pops as thick, billowing smoke quickly engulfed the area. This was specially formulated smoke designed to obscure vision while doubling as a distress beacon, visible to nearby checkpoints. Wearing specialized goggles, the defenders could clearly discern what lay outside the veil, granting them an advantageous position. Unfortunately, the weather was not on their side today. The wind sweeping across the wasteland blew quite fiercely, scattering a good portion of the smoke the moment it emerged. Worse, the gale showed signs of picking up. Still, any degree of concealment was better than none. Seeing the smoke rise, the enemy combatants did not blindly charge in. The escort's machine gunners also held their fire, relying on the cover of the smoke to let the snipers in the rear pick off targets one by one. At this rate, holding their ground seemed feasible. The radio had already dispatched distress calls to Center City and various outposts. With Center City not far off, if reinforcements arrived in time, the siege would be broken. Yet just as the situation appeared to stabilize, a transport truck suddenly came roaring toward them, seemingly aiming to ram straight through the vehicles blocking the road. Before Yao could issue a command, the machine gunners unleashed a barrage. It did not take long to shred the truck's tires. The vehicle flipped onto its side and slid to a halt across the road, but in doing so, it became a piece of cover that obstructed their line of fire toward whatever lay behind it. A moment later, two distinct thuds sounded, closely followed by twin explosions tearing through the middle of the convoy. One blast detonated right beside an armored vehicle. The hull jolted violently, instantly killing the machine gunner atop it. Shrapnel sprayed in every direction, damaging armored vehicles more than a dozen meters away. The other blast hit empty ground without causing casualties, merely blowing out the tires of one vehicle. Evidently, the smoke and esoteric rituals had played a role in throwing off their aim. Advisor Yao's expression hardened. "Mortars?!" The ambushers had originally deployed these mortars ahead to open fire as the convoy drove by. However, with the convoy halting several kilometers away, landing accurate hits at that range became difficult. Thus, the enemy had carried the barrels forward to fire from close range. Advisor Yao recognized the grave danger. If those two mortars were not eliminated, they would be reduced to sitting ducks. It was too late to send men out on foot, and the enemy was undoubtedly prepared. He immediately hailed the snipers over the boundary credential. "Take out those two mortar crews!" Receiving the order, the marksmen fired at once, yet their shots achieved little. Several ballistic shields had been raised in front of the mortars, forcing the marksmen to reposition. The two marksmen did not give up. They tried shifting to another angle, but the moment they reached the edge of the convoy, they came under fire from enemy snipers. Pinned down, they could not break cover and were forced into a counter-sniper duel. During this delay, two more mortar shells plummeted into the convoy. Fortunately, thanks to the smoke, neither scored a direct hit. Even so, this could not continue. Advisor Yao's brow furrowed deeply. The enemy possessed numerous combatants. Unless he went out himself, neutralizing those mortars would be nearly impossible. The problem was that the enemy had at least one third limit fighter, perhaps even more waiting in the shadows. His primary duty was to protect Bureau Director Lei. If he stepped away, he would hand the enemy the very opening they wanted. Back in the rear Jiade, Chen Chuan had already taken stock of the situation. Knowing that Advisor Yao could hardly handle this alone, he gave brief instructions to Wu Han and Wei Dong. Then, pushing the door open, he stepped out of the vehicle and walked through the concealing veil of smoke. The instant he revealed himself, he tilted his head slightly as a bullet whizzed past his temple. Paying it no heed, he looked ahead toward the position of the mortars. By his estimate, they were roughly two to three hundred meters away. Having no intention of charging all the way out there, Chen Chuan reached into his pocket and produced several pebbles of varying sizes. Within his body, the layers of mutated tissue shifted and engaged in sequence. Once the force gathered fully, his arm snapped forward in a ferocious whip! The ballistic shield guarding the mortar was blasted backward as if struck by a massive warhammer, and the heads of the two crewmen preparing the next shell burst one after the other. A nearby hostile tried to rush over with another shield to plug the breach. But he had only taken two steps when a gunshot cracked, and his head blossomed into a spray of blood. Seeing the protective shield gone, the marksmen in the rear had seized the chance. Seeing this, Chen Chuan paid the position no further attention. He quickly shifted to the other flank and casually flicked another stone to shatter that shield as well, allowing the convoy's snipers to swiftly eliminate the second mortar crew. Observing this from behind, Advisor Yao felt somewhat relieved, yet his tension did not lessen much. He could tell this ambush was orchestrated by a formidable faction. Beyond being equipped with artillery and dozens of implant-augmented combatants, they had deployed at least a hundred combat bio-weapons—firepower sufficient to wage a small-scale skirmish. Had the escort convoy not possessed exceptional countermeasures, augmented further by Chen Chuan's presence, they likely would have folded under the enemy's very first assault. Just then, a message came through the boundary credential reporting that the convoy suspected to belong to the Lianwei Heavy Control Company had also circled back, but had been halted to the rear. Hearing this, Advisor Yao felt secretly fortunate. It was a good thing he had followed Chen Chuan's advice earlier to scatter caltrops and deploy tire deflation devices along the road behind them. They had placed them at several intervals along the way, meaning those vehicles could not simply barrel through; the hostiles would have to dismount and clear the path first. This bought them time and prevented them from being sandwiched on both sides right away. With the mortars neutralized, the enemy made no reckless attempt to charge a convoy armed with machine guns. By unspoken agreement, both sides settled into a long-range firefight, and the battle lapsed into a temporary stalemate. Advisor Yao's expression remained stern. He knew this lull would not last, because the enemy's third limit fighter had not yet engaged. Once such a figure broke through at high speed, the marksmen in their unit would hardly be able to react in time. If no one capable stepped forward to intercept him, that lone fighter could dismantle their fragile balance in a matter of moments. Ultimately, the outcome would hinge on the clash between fighters. Just as the thought crossed his mind, Yao's posture stiffened. A figure had abruptly surged into his field of vision. Though dressed in the same gear as the other combatants, the sheer speed this person displayed undeniably marked him as a third limit fighter. Advisor Yao fixed his gaze tightly upon the silhouette. Yet, perhaps wary of something, the figure merely stood there watching the convoy from afar, making no move to advance. Even so, Yao dared not drop his guard. He was already prepared: the moment that man breached their perimeter, he would step up to intercept him. As for Bureau Director Lei in the rear, he would have to entrust his safety to Chen Chuan for now. At that very moment, an extended armored vehicle was cruising toward the scene. In the back seat sat Mashiba Masaru, cradling his blade as he looked out ahead. Though the battle raged intensely outside, showcasing many bizarre devices never seen on his home islands, none of it held any real threat for someone of his caliber. He paid little attention to the skirmish, his heart set only on the opponent he anticipated. The vehicle rolled forward and came to a gentle halt. Someone rushed forward to pull open the door, and the passenger in the front seat turned back to say, "Mr. Mashiba, we have arrived. We leave the rest in your hands." "Leave it to me," Mashiba Masaru replied solemnly. Taking up his sword, he stepped out of the vehicle.