bookrandom Chapter 1374 7 days!
Chapter 1374 7 days!
Shahar led his entourage to greet them, quickening his pace.
At that moment, he felt as if he had grasped a lifeline in the darkness.
The heavy drawbridge of the fortress slowly descended, crashing onto the frozen ground with a dull thud.
In the wind and snow, five figures stood silently at the bridgehead like ghosts. The wind and snow seemed to deliberately avoid them, forming an eerie zone of calm around them.
The five people wore uniforms that were quite different from the previous robots, more like human combat suits, but the material shimmered with a strange non-metallic luster, and the lines were smooth and biological.
Their faces were incredibly lifelike, almost indistinguishable from humans, except that their eyes were excessively deep and lacked the emotional fluctuations of ordinary people, and their skin had an indescribable, unnatural texture under the dim light of the ice field.
Judging from this appearance alone, Shahar was overjoyed...
Shahar was shocked; this was a being of a higher level than the previous "divine messenger".
The leader was tall and slender with a cold and stern face!
Seeing Shahar approaching, he stepped forward silently, and the wind and snow parted automatically in front of him.
He nodded slightly, his movement carrying a formulaic elegance, his voice clear and even, yet piercing the howling wind and snow:
“Your Majesty Shahar, I have come to see you by order of my Lord. My name is Night Owl, captain of the first advance team.” The four androids behind him stood still in the same posture, like the most loyal guards.
"Captain Night Owl! Welcome! A very warm welcome!"
Shahar's voice trembled with excitement, his previous despair replaced by a surge of ecstasy!
He even subconsciously wanted to step forward and shake the other person's hand to show affection!
But the owl's icy gaze froze his outstretched hand in mid-air. He could only awkwardly rub it and quickly step aside to make way. "Quick! Please come in! It's snowing heavily outside, let's talk inside!"
Shahar led the Night Owl Squad to a relatively warm and heavily guarded secret room next to the council chamber.
Kornev personally stood guard outside, while Igor and other ministers were dismissed by Shahar, leaving only him and the five mysterious messengers.
Once the door to the secret room was closed, it shut out the wind, snow, and noise from the outside world!
Shahar could no longer contain himself and asked anxiously, "Captain Night Owl! Is your master... is your master finally going to make a move? When will the reinforcements arrive? You don't know, my... my sixty divine messengers, in the capital... just like that, without any explanation..."
Thinking of the devastating defeat in the capital and the mysteriously vanished robot army, Shahar's heart ached again, and his voice was filled with pain and resentment.
The owl did not answer immediately!
He glanced around the simple, secluded chamber as if assessing the environment, before turning his gaze back to Shahar, his eyes sharp as a scanner: "Your Majesty need not be overly anxious. My lord's army has already set out to cross the northern glaciers. At the latest, the vanguard fleet will arrive at the northern shore of this continent in seven days."
"Seven days!?" Shahar's eyes flashed with astonishing light. Seven days! If he could hold this Everwinter Fortress for seven days! "Excellent! I will hold it! Not just seven days, but seventy days, I will..."
"Your Majesty only needs to hold out for seven days."
The owl's voice remained steady, interrupting Shahar's boastful words. In truth, Shahar was just bragging...
Seventy days? It's not that easy...
If it were that easy, things wouldn't have turned out this badly!
"Our lord's will dictates that this place must not be lost. For the next seven days, Your Majesty must exert all your strength to hold back the main force of the East Asian Allied Army at the Eternal Winter Fortress. At all costs."
"I understand! I understand!"
Shahar nodded repeatedly as if he had received a royal decree, rubbing his hands excitedly as he paced back and forth in the cramped room: "With your words, sir, I know what to do! I'll make sure that bastard Handa crashes his head into the ground in this freezing cold!"
He suddenly stopped, recalling the bizarre and terrifying defeat in the capital, and a deep fear and confusion appeared on his face: "Captain Night Owl, I have a question, please enlighten me!"
The leader, nicknamed Night Owl, gestured for him to speak plainly.
"What kind of evil magic did Han Da... Xiao Ce... use? My sixty divine messengers, all unparalleled weapons bestowed upon me by your esteemed master, why were they... destroyed without a sound during the battles of Eagle Sorrow Gorge and the capital? Even their signals were completely cut off? This... this is simply unbelievable!"
He was eager to know the answer, which concerned his confidence that the incoming reinforcements could truly counter the enemy.
A fleeting, extremely subtle stream of data seemed to flash through Captain Night Owl's deep eyes. He remained silent for a moment, as if retrieving and analyzing information, before slowly speaking, his voice carrying an unusual gravity:
"Based on the analysis of the characteristics of residual energy on the battlefield and the destruction patterns, and in conjunction with the comparison of our Lord's intelligence database, the weapons used by the East Asian Allied Forces... are very likely from the 'Hidden Dragon Arsenal'."
"'Hidden Dragon Arsenal'?" Shahar was bewildered by the unfamiliar name, but it sounded extraordinary.
Looking at Shahar's appearance, Night Owl said, "It's in that place behind your fortress, the one called the Tsar's Ruins..."
Shahalen suddenly realized, "It's over there... wait, we have a large force over there..."
Shahar was about to say that he had heavily guarded the area, but then he thought, wouldn't his soldiers be a joke in front of real robots?
He didn't continue... but instead asked the owl in front of him, "Then... then how should we deal with this?"
They have such weapons, and I...my Everwinter Fortress..."
Captain Night Owl looked directly into Shahar's eyes, which were pale with fear, and spoke with unwavering authority:
"Your Majesty need not worry about the Hidden Dragon Armory. Dealing with these forbidden items is the responsibility of our lord's army upon their arrival."
He took a step forward, and the invisible pressure made Shahar instinctively take a half step back.
"Your Majesty's only task at present, and the only thing you must do, is to hold this Everlasting Winter Barrier for seven days at all costs!"
"Keep Handa and his allied forces firmly pinned down on this icy plain! Use all the forces you can muster—soldiers, fortresses, snow, even every single stone—to wear them down and hold them off! Buy time for our lord's army to land!"
The owl's voice struck Shahar's heart like a cold hammer.
"If we can hold out for these seven days, when our lord's army arrives, both the 'Hidden Dragon Arsenal' and the East Asian Allied Forces will be utterly crushed. Your Majesty Shahar, your empire will rise from the ashes. Do you understand?"
Shahar was intimidated by the owl's cold and powerful aura, and the fear in his heart was replaced by a stronger, unconditional trust in the reinforcements and a fervent desire for future revenge.
He straightened up abruptly, a fierce fighting spirit rekindling in his eyes, and bowed deeply to Night Owl:
"I understand! Please convey to your master, Captain, that Shahar will not fail in his mission! The Eternal Winter Fortress will be the burial ground for Handa and Xiao Ce! Within seven days, I will not allow them to set foot on the city walls! I will make them shed their last drop of blood on this icy plain!"
After listening to Shahar's words, Night Owl nodded: "Okay! Actually, it's not that difficult..."
The owl's voice had barely faded!
Shahar felt a surge of warmth in his heart, as if he had grasped a new hope.
He took a step forward eagerly, his voice tinged with a mixture of probing and anticipation: "Captain Night Owl, will you... will you stay and lend me a hand?"
Night Owl's deep, scanner-like eyes turned to Shahar, his cold gaze lingering briefly on his face before he nodded slightly, his movements still rhythmic and elegant: "Very well. My master has also ordered me to assist His Majesty here until the army arrives."
Upon hearing this, Shahar's face instantly lit up with ecstatic joy, but it was quickly replaced by a profound sense of powerlessness.
He rubbed his hands together, his voice trembling but sincere: "That's great! Captain, I... I have a favor to ask. After one defeat after another, my generals have lost all morale, and even I... sigh, I really don't have the confidence to command anymore."
"Could you please personally deploy the defenses? Your wisdom and strength will surely turn the tide!"
The owl did not respond immediately, but seemed to be assessing Shahar's request.
After a moment, he calmly said, "I understand. That's exactly what I was thinking! I will take command of the Everwinter Fortress until reinforcements arrive."
Shahar breathed a sigh of relief and bowed deeply, saying excitedly, "Thank you, Captain! With you here, I feel much more at ease!"
A fighting spirit rekindled in his eyes, and his previous fear was replaced by a blind trust.
Night Owl then turned to Shahar and began issuing orders, saying to him, "Your Majesty, execute the following deployment immediately!"
"First, select a group of absolutely loyal soldiers from your personal guard. Have them disguise themselves as civilians fleeing from war and 'ask for help' from the East Asian Allied Forces. Once they infiltrate the enemy camp, seize the opportunity to launch a surprise attack and create internal chaos. This is the key to demoralizing the enemy."
Shahar nodded repeatedly, not daring to delay: "Yes, I'll take care of it right away!"
Night Owl continued, "Second, deploy suicide squads along the outer perimeter of the Everwinter Fortress. Their mission is singular: to trade lives for lives. Do not worry about casualties; every moment of delay to the enemy is a victory. Lengthen the battle line, actively harass, and do not passively wait for the enemy's general offensive."
Shahar swallowed hard, but remembering Night Owl's promise, he gritted his teeth and replied, "I understand! I will gather all my loyal followers and have them use their flesh and blood to buy time for the reinforcements!"
“Third!” Night Owl’s voice left no room for doubt as he continued, “Lay a large number of mines around the fortress and along the main roads leading here. The snow will cover the tracks, so make sure they are dense and well-hidden. The goal is not to annihilate them, but to slow their advance. Every moment of delay will buy our lord’s army an opportunity to win battle.”
Shahar immediately straightened his back, as if he had found his pillar of support: "Yes, sir! I will immediately order the mobilization of all manpower to lay a minefield overnight!"
Night Owl then said to Shahar, "Your Majesty Shahar, I will follow you. I will point out any problems you have, but the execution still requires your assistance..."
Shahar nodded and then went out.
Shahar excitedly summoned all his trusted confidants.
Shahar tried to suppress his elation, but the blush on his face and the light in his eyes were impossible to hide.
He immediately sent for General Kornev and Prince Igor, who had just sworn to fight to the death, along with other key members.
When Kornev, Igor, and others stepped back into the council chamber, they could clearly sense that the atmosphere was different.
It was no longer as lifeless as before.
Shahar was no longer filled with despair and despair, but rather with an almost frenzied excitement.
Beside him stood the five "Night Owl" team members, their demeanor icy and statue-like, radiating an invisible sense of oppression.
"Kornev! Igor! Gentlemen!" Shahar's voice trembled with excitement, but was filled with unprecedented hope. "We're saved! The real reinforcements have arrived!"
He eagerly repeated what Captain Night Owl had said!
"Master of the Divine Envoy, the true army is on its way!"
"In seven days, the vanguard fleet will land on the north shore! As long as we can hold Han Da and his army at bay for seven days at this Everwinter Fortress!"
"Seven days from now, the situation will be completely reversed! The East Asian Allied Forces, and that damned Xiao Ce and Han Da, will all be crushed to dust! Slavs will surely rise from the ashes!"
The news struck like a thunderbolt, reverberating in the minds of Kornev, Igor, and others.
Kornev's scarred face instantly turned bright red, a terrifying light flashing in his eyes, and his breathing became heavy: "Your Majesty! Is this true?! Seven...seven days later? Seven days!!"
The overwhelming surprise left him speechless, his fists clenched so tightly they cracked.
"We are determined to take back all the land we have lost..."
Igor's cloudy old eyes suddenly lit up, and the ashen despair was torn apart by this sudden ray of hope.
But then he thought of the harsh reality, and a deep worry appeared on his face: "Your Majesty! This is indeed wonderful news!"
Igor paused again before continuing, "But... seven days... we... we haven't even truly held on for a single day..."
"They'll rest in our capital for at most a day before attacking... They're probably on their way now, and should arrive in two or three days at most... meaning we'll have to hold out for four days..."
His voice trembled as he spoke, revealing the deepest fear in everyone's heart.
The capital was so fortified, yet it was gone in half a day. How could the Yongdong Fortress possibly hold out for four days against the East Asian Allied Forces, which were riding high on their great victory and well-equipped?
"so!"
Shahar slammed his hand on the table, interrupting Igor's worries!
His gaze shifted to Captain Night Owl, filled with unwavering trust and a hint of awe as he said, "We have Captain Night Owl! The captain has promised to personally guide our defense until reinforcements arrive! He has a meticulous plan and can lead us to repel them!"
Igor and his group did not interrupt Shahar, but simply waited quietly for him to continue.