Feint, Probe, and Shield!

Nearly five hundred meters in length, its hull was practically equal to two Hindenburg airships. Even the longest aircraft carrier of the other world would look like a little brother before this behemoth. A single 400mm short-barrel mortar, twelve 100mm secondary guns, and 144 antiaircraft cannons ranging from 20 to 30mm collectively formed its system of firepower. Gun barrels bristled across its colossal body like spines on a hedgehog. No matter which angle an attack came from, it would be met by the attentive care of at least twenty antiaircraft guns. Beyond that, there were 7mm machine guns concealed behind firing slits, as well as hangars suspected of housing carrier aircraft. An airship? This thing was practically a flying "aviation battleship"! Chu Guang had no doubt that it was not only stocked with massive stockpiles of ammunition and supplies, but also manned by an ample complement of soldiers and crew. Otherwise, what was such enormous volume for? It had to hold something. Looking at the photographs the players had paid for with their lives, Chu Guang couldn't help sinking into thought. He wondered whether Boulder City could win against such an unreasonable monster. "The peaceful option can basically be ruled out... They struck preemptively to take out our communications equipment, sent ground forces to attack our players, and opened fire immediately to shoot down our plane the moment it entered range." "They reacted very swiftly and struck decisively. In all likelihood, they already have invasion contingencies prepared." Staring at the computer monitor, Chu Guang unconsciously knitted his brows, a heavy solemnity surfacing in his eyes as he muttered to himself: "Not an easy opponent to handle..." Rather than merely difficult to handle, it was closer to having no chance of victory at all. With the Alliance's current equipment, wiping out a marauder faction was more than within reach, but compared against factions that had existed on the wasteland for a long time, they were still a bit too green. It was true that players could respawn, but manpower was ultimately just one part of war. Without adequate weapons, ammunition, and supplies, having more manpower was just throwing lives away for nothing. People could take shelter in the vault, but assembly lines producing weapons couldn't; factories, farmland, and mines couldn't simply be packed up and moved. Chu Guang would never forget how many casualties his players had suffered early on just to barely eliminate an equal number of marauders with pipe rifles hand-cranked by Boss Xia. Therefore, under no circumstances could he allow that thing to fly over Dawn City. Watching Chu Guang's face intently, Xiao Qi had sat on the desk without uttering a word. Hesitating as though caught between two minds, it finally spoke up, pausing before finding its voice: "Master..." Mulling over how to break the impasse, Chu Guang responded absently, "What is it?" "I just feel like the gun barrels on it outnumber the planes in your hangar." Chu Guang's eyebrow twitched. "...I know that without you reminding me." "Um... Xiao Qi doesn't mean to mock you. It's just that as your assistant, I must warn you whenever you walk toward a dead end. If all else fails... we really could just hide in the vault. The Administrator System didn't stipulate that you must complete a certain task by a fixed deadline, did it?" Xiao Qi's voice was very soft. And rarely, it hadn't used any of the bizarre voice packs downloaded from the other world's internet. Instead, it spoke in the flat, monotonous electronic voice from when they had first met. Yet to Chu Guang's surprise, in that voice that theoretically should have been devoid of any emotion, he caught a sliver of an unusual feeling. Rather than a "suggestion," it sounded more like— a plea? Chu Guang didn't think it was an illusion or wishful thinking, and that was precisely why he felt a twinge of bewilderment. He had never put himself in danger, nor had he ever abandoned this "wastebasket," yet it always seemed deeply insecure. Still. Chu Guang remained disinclined to consider that final trump card. Closing that door would be easy. Outside the door, however, were already too many things he could not bear to part with. "We won't lose." "But..." "Analyzing data on paper doesn't determine the final outcome. We hold many cards in our hand, and it's far too early to consider giving up." Looking at Xiao Qi, who still seemed eager to say more, Chu Guang reached out his index finger and gently stroked the top of its head, a confident smile sweeping away the solemnity from his brow. "Trust me." Xiao Qi urged him no further. After five or six minutes had passed, it asked in a small voice, "Then... what do you plan to do?" "Winning this war on our own won't be easy; we don't even know how many cards our opponent holds. The urgent priority is figuring out just how formidable that airship's antiaircraft firepower is and what its weaknesses are before we can devise countermeasures." Chu Guang thought for a moment, then added: "Besides that, we must do everything possible to strap our neighbors onto our war chariot." ... Ruigu City. The imposing Heart of Iron gradually descended. The shadow cast from the sky fell like a curtain, covering nearly half the urban area and the woods at the city's edge. Hovering in the low sky around five to six hundred meters up, four thick, long anchor chains were dropped from the airship, plunging into the ground below like artillery shells. The anchor chains were fully deployed. Once the airship had completely stabilized, a chain-suspended elevator platform lowered from its underbelly. Soldiers clad in black cloaks marched off the platform in neat formation. They were well-trained, sharp-eyed, and superbly equipped. Whether in aura or combat proficiency, they were clearly far superior to the Legion's standard clone troops—the kind of difference obvious at a glance. Their iconic black cloaks and the compact "Warrior" assault rifles in their hands each attested to their noble status— They belonged to the Legion Air Marines. Steel conquered the skies. And they conquered the earth. "...Unload the supplies from the lift! We need to establish a surface outpost before dark! If you don't want to sleep in the woods, move your fucking asses!" Standing at the front of the ranks, a man in a black exoskeleton bellowed at the top of his lungs, urging his soldiers to unload supplies from the elevator. His name was Rachel, holding the rank of chiliarch, tasked with constructing the surface camp and patrolling and searching the surrounding area. Logistics personnel arrived on the surface with the second batch of supplies and swiftly set to work constructing the camp. Along with shovels, spades, and other hand tools, they also deployed two compact excavators to carry out earthmoving operations. At the same time, two light tracked armored vehicles were deployed as well. The quadruple 20mm antiaircraft cannons mounted on the tracked vehicles could both supplement antiaircraft defenses and provide medium-range fire support for infantry. They served not only to intimidate nearby wastelanders, but also to deal with dangerous mutants. "Damn, finally get to come down from the airship and catch some fresh air..." Walking up beside Rachel, a man in a black military uniform narrowed his eyes in high spirits. He was the logistics officer for the Heart of Iron's Air Marines, named Finnod. He had graduated from the same military academy as Rachel and, by sheer coincidence, had been assigned to the very same airship. Except one went into logistics, while the other went into the Air Marines. "By the way, why did you drop the excavators down too?" "We have to stay here for at least three days. The enemy is in the dark while we're out in the open. A bunch of savages is nothing to fear, but being well prepared never hurts... Those were the staff officer's exact words to me. We're ordered to build according to Level 3 fortification standards. In any case, you guys be careful too." "I will." Rachel lit a cigarette and squinted at the construction crews bustling about the camp, but his mind drifted back to the distant desert. More specifically, the oases there. It was no exaggeration to say that life there was pure paradise. Not only was there an unlimited supply of fresh, delicious fruit, but also hot, curvy girls; even kings didn't live as merrily as they did. Whereas here, aside from damp air and toxic vegetation, there were only dangerous mutants and wastelanders as cunning as foxes... Just then, a staff officer took the lift down to the surface. Walking straight up to Rachel, he got straight to the point: "Where's Hairike? Why haven't we heard anything from that fellow yet?" Rachel shrugged. "No idea. We already fired signal flares; by rights, he should have returned... Unless, of course, something unexpected happened." He leaned toward that suspicion. For no particular reason. Purely a soldier's instinct. The officer frowned and said firmly, "We must find him." Rachel asked, "Can you pinpoint his approximate location?" The officer flipped through the documents in his hand. "His last reported operational plan was yesterday morning. At the time, he was entering River Valley Province from Luoxia Province, tracking a caravan." "A caravan?" "The caravan holds targets we need to apprehend." "All right, a caravan... Let me think. Caravans can't stray far from water sources. Camels or two-headed oxen, they all need to drink their fill before traveling." Rachel pondered for a moment, then looked behind him, his gaze settling on a grim-faced man. "Vito, take a few brothers to scout the nearby survivor settlements and ask around." This guy was his sharpest scout, skilled with sniper rifles and traps. Neither his intellect nor his eyesight left anything to be desired. Though Rachel trusted him completely, he still added an extra caution: "Remember, report to me immediately if you discover anything." "Sir!" Saluting expressionlessly, the man named Vito quickly set out toward the south with his squad. The staff officer looked at Rachel. "How soon can you get word to me?" "Hard to say, but whether there's news or not, I will contact you before dusk." The officer nodded and said no more, turning back onto the lift as though unwilling to remain on the surface a single moment longer. Rachel didn't quite understand people like him; he himself rather liked the feeling of having his boots planted on solid ground. Right then, Finnod, standing nearby, spoke up suddenly. "Do you think that Hairike might have run into Enterprise people?" Rachel narrowed his eyes. "Hard to say. Though I rather hope so. The sooner we finish fighting, the sooner we go back." "Afraid that might be difficult." "What do you mean?" Finnod glanced left and right, lowering his voice: "Our captain doesn't seem satisfied with merely intercepting the Enterprise's reinforcements... Word is, he plans to conquer River Valley Province." "Conquer... River Valley?" The cigarette butt dropped from Rachel's hand, his jaw falling open in shock. The plan was frankly fantastical. It wasn't that he doubted the capability of the Heart of Iron or General Macklen, but rather that he couldn't fathom the point of doing so. This place was ten thousand miles away from the Legion's territory. Seeing his astonished expression, Finnod whispered, "I was just as surprised, but that's the captain's decision. You'd best give up any thought of leaving here anytime soon... Also, don't tell anyone, and definitely don't let anyone know I told you." Rachel pulled himself together. "My lips are sealed." The cigarette butt on the ground had already gone out. Rachel glanced down at it with slight regret and crushed it beneath his boot. Remembering the task given by the staff, he was just about to take a few men to patrol the camp perimeter when an air-raid siren suddenly wailed through the sky. The piercing blare startled everyone. A flicker of surprise showed on Rachel's face as well, but now was obviously not the time to hesitate. Even if he didn't believe anyone could pose a threat to the Heart of Iron, he still fulfilled his duty, roaring commands to his subordinates: "Air raid!" "Take cover! Quick!" The soldiers and construction workers inside the camp scattered rapidly, diving behind cover. A dense drumbeat of cannon fire echoed from overhead. Rachel could tell it was a salvo from the 100mm secondary guns. Prostrate behind an unfinished blast shelter, he pulled out his binoculars and peered toward the distant sky. Peering through gaps in the treetops, he could catch glimpses of the action. Beneath the clear sky, orange bursts of flame formed a straight line, and the thick smoke of explosions coalesced into an impenetrable wall. Yet five smoke-trailing aircraft managed to punch through the barrage of that first volley, carried forward by superb piloting skills. However, their fate was already sealed. The enemy seemed to realize this as well, abandoning useless evasion altogether to dive straight at the airship. Before the second barrage of antiaircraft fire could arrive, they fired off every single rocket mounted beneath their wings. The planes were blasted to pieces without suspense, but the dozen or so rockets streaked toward the airship with slender tails of fire. Rachel had an odd sensation. He felt that the rockets fired by those planes seemed far more impressive than the planes themselves... Yet only slightly so. In front of the Heart of Iron, an attack of this caliber was as laughable as toothpicks poked into an elephant. Ignoring the rockets completely, the airship ceased fire after destroying the remaining five planes, leaving the incoming rockets to hurtle forward unhindered. The rockets were practically on target. Yet the instant they came within twenty to fifty meters, they acted as though they had slammed into an invisible wall of air. The vast majority were deflected, while a few detonated sympathetically on the spot. Flying shrapnel failed to scratch the airship in the least. The steel fortress suspended in midair remained utterly unyielding; only a faint veil of smoke drifted toward the hull, quickly dispersed by the air currents. Dangling from a parachute, the player's eyes were filled with disbelief. "...Are you kidding me?" The airborne rockets newly developed by Goblin Technology hadn't dealt a single point of damage. Could that thing just now have been an energy shield? However... Although the explosive payloads had been deflected and the shrapnel had failed to inflict damage, the smoke from the detonated rockets had blown against the airship. Blood seeped from his abdomen. Though he had suffered a nearly fatal wound, it did not stop his mind from working. "Does that mean only low-speed objects can get close?" Looking at the antiaircraft guns aimed at him that hadn't fired, the player thought for a second, then unfastened his VM and camera-equipped headset and tied them to the parachute. He then drew a dagger and decisively cut the suspension lines, letting the airstream carry the parachute away while he entered free fall toward the forest. Other players would surely be able to find the VM. Bringing intelligence back made it well worth it. Before taking off, they hadn't expected to return anyway. In his current state, he probably wouldn't survive regardless. Being healed just enough to cling to life and locked in a cell would be even worse; better to finish himself off and respawn for the next round. On the other side, inside the unfinished camp below the airship, cheers and triumphant whistles broke out. Rachel stood up from behind the blast shelter, stowed his binoculars, and dusted off the chestplate of his exoskeleton. Just then, a voice came through his helmet's earpiece: "What are the casualties in the camp?" The transmission came from the airship's staff department. "No casualties... What just happened?" Rachel answered with absolute certainty without even taking roll call. After all, he knew his men well; they weren't fragile enough to be killed by a bit of falling dust. "Thirty aircraft approached us." "Aircraft?" A flicker of shock appeared in Rachel's eyes. "Just a swarm of grasshoppers that barely learned how to fly, nothing to worry about... I have an assignment for you. We spotted a parachute falling into the forest to the south. Send someone to retrieve it," the staff officer commanded in an imperious tone. "That pilot appeared to commit suicide," Rachel pointed out. Though he hadn't seen it clearly, he had indeed seen the pilot sever the parachute cords. The officer continued: "I know, but he fastened something to the parachute before he died. We need to find out what it was." Rachel sighed and replied impatiently, "Fine... I'll find it." ... Kating Post. Beside the devastated campsite, herdsmen knelt on the ground praying, while others tended to the corpses scattered across the dirt. Mudeka, the village head, puffed rhythmically on a faded pipe, his furrowed face etched with deep sorrow. Sensing the scent of danger, traveling merchants were packing their luggage, preparing to flee this place of trouble in a frantic scramble that looked like refugees escaping a disaster. Mercenaries who had yet to decide on their destination gathered together, chatting in lively commotion. "Why has the Legion come here?" "Who knows... I always thought they were fighting up north." "You mean the expeditionary force? Weren't they wiped out last year? Otherwise where would the Bone Chewer tribe have popped up from?" "These crawling roaches... wherever they show up, trouble follows." Tail fiddled with the VM in her hands, attempting to translate useful clues from their conversations, but unfortunately she picked up nothing of substance. Just then, Sisi walked back from the direction of the well. "Tail, get ready to hit the road." In each hand she carried a rack of water canteens, with another pair slung over her shoulders. The exaggerated load formed a stark contrast with her slender figure. Yet she wore an unbothered expression, hanging the heavy canteens weighing several kilograms onto the truck. This fresh water would last them a long time. "Eh? Aren't we supposed to wait here for Brother Spring and the others?" the great white bear asked in confusion as she took off her steel armor. "Yes, but we can't stay here any longer." Rou Rou tilted her head, not quite understanding. Sisi gestured with her chin toward the tents not far away. The people over there were watching them. Yet the moment their eyes met hers, those people quickly looked away. "You mean they might sell us out?" Sesame Paste said thoughtfully. "Most people would think that way after seeing that airship. Personally, I can't imagine anything being able to damage it." Pausing, Sisi added: "Besides, even if they don't sell us out on their own, the Legion will definitely come here asking about their missing soldiers... A few dinars would be enough to buy them off." No sooner had she spoken than a dense barrage of cannon fire rumbled from the distance, sending another ripple of commotion through the camp. This was already the second time today... and unlike the one two hours ago, this time multiple salvos fired in quick succession. Looking toward the direction where the airship was pouring its firepower, Sisi frowned slightly, a flicker of unease rising in her eyes. One step ahead of her, Tail craned her neck to peer into the distance and was the first to spot black specks plunging out of billowing smoke. She let out a cry: "Giao! That looks like our planes!" "Yeah... I reckon so too." Sisi glanced at her VM screen. Thirty IDs had appeared on the nearby player list. Yet in almost an instant, only five remained online. "Wait," Tail's expression suddenly shifted. "Doesn't this mean... someone already took the intel about the new patch to the official forum?!" Sisi froze, not yet reacting. Beside her, Rou Rou caught her drift, her face falling into a crestfallen pout, though it wasn't very obvious beneath her thick fur. "Damn it... We were the ones who found it first." "Is this really the time to care about that?" Her cat ears twitching anxiously atop her head, Sesame Paste urged them with a wry smile, "We'd better hurry up and figure out where to go next." Even without that airship, after causing such a huge ruckus earlier, it was no longer suitable for them to linger here. After conferring, the group decided to relocate to the forested area east of Ruigu City. It was a valley, easy to conceal themselves in, and maintained a safe distance of twenty kilometers from the airship. Until they received new orders, they would wait there for the Storm Corps marching to join them. Along the way, as they passed Ruigu City's southern outskirts, they could also retrieve the pilot's fallen VM. If they could find it, that is... ... Having settled on their next destination, the group wasted no more time and packed their gear at top speed. Aiming her gun at Hairike, who was bundled up like a rice dumpling, Sisi hitched him to the back of the "Electric Mule" truck. Looking at his pale, greenish face, she could roughly guess what he was terrified of, so she gave a faint smile. "Don't worry. The road conditions here are terrible, so the truck won't go fast. But if you deliberately drag your feet, you'll bear the consequences yourself." Hairike's Adam's apple bobbed, his mouth staying shut, not daring to utter a sound. When he first saw the airship, he had indeed fantasized that these people would be frightened out of their wits by the Legion's might and release him. At this moment, however, he had discarded all illusions. These people were lunatics... They didn't give a damn about the consequences. Satisfied with the prisoner's expression, Sisi tied an extra knot in the rope. Once that was done, just as she and Tail were about to lift the severely injured, unconscious Luo Hua onto the truck, the NPC named Kariman approached with his dozen or so guards. Pausing her movements, Sisi looked at the men before her. Just as she was about to ask what they wanted, Kariman, walking at the front, took the initiative to speak: "Do you plan to return to Qingquan City?" Before Sisi could answer, he extended an invitation: "We can travel together." "No need." Sisi refused the offer to travel together without a second thought. Kariman hesitated. "Do you suspect me?" Sisi said plainly, "Not really, it's just unnecessary. Besides, we've known each other for less than twenty-four hours; I have no reason to trust you." Kariman fell silent for a moment, then nodded. "Understood... It was presumptuous of me. And given your strength, you indeed have no need of us." Although he had only watched the tail end of the earlier battle, that didn't stop him from gaining a new appreciation for the seemingly frail young girl before him. She was actually an Awakened. However, he did not give up there. Taking a deep breath, he gathered his thoughts for a moment and said, "I apologize for selectively concealing my identity out of safety concerns. Please allow me to introduce myself again. I do indeed hail from the Lion Kingdom of Oasis No. 9, but I am no mere merchant—I am a prince, the son of the King." "Say what?" Sisi blinked in surprise. Standing beside her, Tail's eyes lit up. "Oh, a prince! Does that mean you have tons of wives?!" "It's really not as amazing as you imagine." Looking at the surprised expression on the short-haired girl's face, though Kariman didn't understand what she said, he could roughly guess what she was thinking. With a wry smile, he continued: "My royal father has many children; I am merely one of them. Furthermore, I have voluntarily forfeited the trials and my right of succession to the throne. Now I am nothing more than a subject." Pausing, he added: "Yet even having renounced the throne, my loyalty to the kingdom remains as clear as a diamond. The Spirit of the Sand Sea may bear witness to my oath." Sisi looked at him quizzically. "Why are you telling us this?" If it were a day ago, she might have listened to this fellow's tale with great interest, but now their sightseeing journey had fallen through. At least for the time being. Kariman looked at her earnestly. "We share a common enemy. We need your help!" A look of surprise crossed Sisi's face. Did this mean she had just entered a main storyline quest? At that moment, a short, dry cough from the truck interrupted her train of thought. Hearing the cough, Sesame Paste, who was closest, hurried over immediately and agilely climbed into the bed of the truck. Looking at the wounded NPC on the stretcher, she asked with concern in halting Human Alliance language: "Are you all right?" "Chu Guang... cough... Where... where am I?" His cracked lips parted, his voice faint like a flickering candle in the wind. Fortunately, thanks to the two IV bags of glucose and saline solution Sisi had hooked him up to, his condition was already much better than yesterday. "This is Ruigu City, still a hundred and fifty kilometers from Qingquan City. We originally planned to take you back once your injuries stabilized..." Luo Hua didn't speak. Shifting his gaze away from the unfamiliar face before him, his eyes slowly settled on the VM strapped to her arm. Seeming to recognize the device, he breathed a sigh of relief. Then, clenching his teeth, he lifted his heavy arm and peeled open the bandage wrapped around his abdomen. Blood seeped out faintly. "Ah! Don't move around!..." Startled by his abrupt action, Sesame Paste scrambled to stop him, but the moment she touched his hand, she found a blood-stained card pressed into her palm. "...We... found it." "Found it? Found what?" Dumbfounded, Sesame Paste asked instinctively. He didn't explain. He merely muttered to himself in an ever-fainting voice: "Give this... to him."