bookrandom Chapter 1359 No suspense
Chapter 1359 No suspense
The smoke and dust on the horizon drew ever closer, and the deep, earth-shaking footsteps grew clearer, like the war drums of an ancient giant.
Finally, through the smoke and dust, the first row of giant steel figures became clear!
What a magnificent sight it was!
Thousands of steel giants, arranged in neat, imposing squares, like moving metal mountains, advanced steadily and resolutely toward the Ustj fortress with heavy steps that made the earth groan.
Their bodies are sleek and sturdy, gleaming with a cold metallic luster. Their form is highly similar to the impressive agile mech that Xiao Ce had piloted before, but they are clearly more uniform and larger, exuding a pure sense of power.
Each slam of the massive metal feet kicked up a cloud of dust; these armored figures resembled ancient Titans...
Sunlight shone on their massive bodies, reflecting a chilling gleam.
At the very front of this steel torrent, a more streamlined mech with a distinctly different paint scheme led the way; it was the very mech that Xiao Ce had piloted before.
Following closely behind, a slightly smaller, seemingly more agile mech was pressed close to Xiao Ce. Inside the cockpit, an excited little head was pressed against the porthole, curiously observing the fortress and the welcoming crowd! It was Xiao Yuanwang.
Behind them, Night Owl and other elite special forces also appeared in the cockpits of several lead mechs.
The steel torrent came to a complete stop about a mile from the fortress, as if a pause button had been pressed, demonstrating astonishing discipline and control.
These mechs, under Lingxu's unified programming, formed a signal local area network.
They can communicate with each other as long as they are within a certain area and inside the mechs.
At this moment, only Xiao Ce's mech continued forward until it reached the fortress gate.
The hatch slid open silently, and Xiao Ce leaped down, followed closely by Xiao Yuanwang. His face was full of fatigue from the long journey, but he couldn't hide the excitement in his eyes.
"Your Majesty!"
Han Da could no longer contain himself. He took a step forward, knelt on one knee, and his voice was filled with indescribable excitement and a hint of sob.
Han Da, the allied commander who was as majestic as a mountain and as calm and collected as an abyss in front of his soldiers, suddenly had tears welling up in his eyes in front of Xiao Ce.
"You...you're finally back!"
He was indeed under a lot of mental stress...
He wasn't afraid of death, but rather afraid of letting Xiao Ce down.
It was precisely because Han Da was there when Xiao Ce had nothing that he grew up alongside him.
He realized even more how difficult it was for Xiao Ce to amass such a large army and wealth.
He was genuinely terrified that his army would be destroyed before he even saw Xiao Ce.
Now that Xiao Ce has arrived, he knows that his pillar of support has returned.
Especially with his iron army under his command, he knew that even if reinforcements arrived...
They will no longer be completely suppressed...
Xiao Ce was slightly taken aback when he saw Han Da's appearance, and immediately stepped forward to help him up: "General Han, please get up! What's wrong?"
He keenly sensed the huge fluctuation in Han Da's emotions, which was by no means just because of the long-awaited reunion.
Han Da stood up, took a deep breath, and tried to calm himself down, but his voice was still heavy and hoarse: "Your Highness... this humble general... this humble general is incompetent!"
He shook his head painfully, his gaze sweeping over the soldiers behind him, their faces still bearing the marks of exhaustion and fear from the fierce battle...
"In the days you were away...we...we suffered terribly!"
He led Xiao Ce toward the central command tent and began to speak, his voice low and suppressed: "That old thief Shahar retreated to the Don River fortress, setting up a deadly trap. And that's not all... the reinforcements sent by his mysterious master have arrived! They're not human, they're... more than a dozen extremely terrifying steel monsters! They call themselves 'divine messengers'!"
Entering the main tent, Handa pointed to the location of the Don River fortress on the sand table, then to the pile of mannequin remains beside it, his speech quickening, filled with lingering fear and anger:
"Your Highness, please look! These are the damned things! They're equipped with high-energy beam weapons that can penetrate stone walls and shoot down hang gliders!"
Their movements were swift as ghosts, incredibly precise! Our armored vehicles were like paper in front of them, one shot, one kill! Officers who peeked out were sniped the moment they appeared! Two of our gliders, attempting dive bombing runs, were shot down mid-air!
He slammed his fist heavily on the edge of the sand table, sending wood chips flying: "That battle... we were caught off guard! The losses were heavy!"
The soldiers risked their lives to fill the gap, bombarded the area with mortars, and launched a three-pronged attack to draw attention, which allowed the assault team to blast a breach in the north wall... But even so, the casualties were... devastating!
This humble general...this humble general watched helplessly as his brave soldiers fell before those lifeless lumps of iron, yet...yet unable to mount an effective counterattack! That feeling of powerlessness..."
Han Da's voice choked up again. The dignified marshal was unable to continue speaking. He suddenly turned his back and his shoulders shrugged slightly. Clearly, the miserable and frustrating battle with the simulated human was now being completely vented in front of Xiao Ce!
The tent was silent except for Han Da's heavy breathing. Wei Wuji, Batur, and other generals also looked grave, clearly still haunted by the shadow of that battle.
Xiao Ce listened quietly, the relaxed look on his face completely gone, replaced by a cold and murderous expression.
He walked over to the pile of robot wreckage, squatted down, tapped a piece of charred alloy armor with his finger, producing a dull sound, and then carefully examined the holes burned out by the energy weapon.
These are all robots, just like the Iron Man models he had seen before!
Xiao Ce had come into contact with these robots and even had dealings with them.
He knew all too well how powerful these robots were...
So what Han Da and the others said was not surprising.
On the contrary, he thought Handa did a great job...
He stood up, his gaze sweeping over the generals like a sharp sword.
Finally, the gaze fell on Han Da, filled with powerful confidence. He smiled at Han Da and then said, "Commander Han, you did very well! To be able to hold your ground under such a powerful enemy's surprise attack, to use the existing conditions to find their weaknesses, and to finally capture Ustiya is already a remarkable victory! It's not a fault of your fighting spirit, so how can you say you're incompetent?"
As he spoke, he patted Handa's strong arm, conveying unwavering trust. "Now, put away your feelings of frustration and helplessness. Look outside!"
Xiao Ce strode out of the tent, pointing to the massive array of silent, gleaming mechs outside the fortress, his voice suddenly rising in voluptuousness, carrying a powerful and unrestrained spirit:
"Those feelings of powerlessness, those fears brought by the steel monsters, will become history from this moment on! The ancient legacy of the Hidden Dragon Arsenal has been awakened! These thousand mechs, this is the crushing force I have prepared for Shahar and his master!"
As he spoke, Xiao Ce led the generals out.
He pointed to the mechs and introduced them: "This mech is called Xuanjia. It is equipped with an upgraded version of the Storm-class machine gun, the Thunderstorm Super-High Rate of Fire Multi-Barrel Cannon, as well as a shoulder-mounted rocket pod. It is the heavy hammer that tears apart the front line!!"
"These Ranger armors, equipped with high-frequency particle vibration blades and rapid-fire energy guns, are sharp weapons for clearing hard points and high-speed penetration! Their armor is strong enough to withstand the main weapon fire of those androids! Their firepower is enough to tear those metal lumps to shreds!"
As if to confirm Xiao Ce's words, Xiao Ce waved his hand.
A "Xuanjia" mech approached the fortress, its massive right arm slowly rising. The six dark cannons began to emit a low, terrifying preheating sound as they rotated, instantly filling the air with a tooth-grinding metallic friction and the buzzing of energy gathering.
This poised stance alone exudes a destructive sense of pressure far greater than that of the previous androids!
Han Da, Wei Wuji, Batur, and all the soldiers who witnessed this scene gasped in shock, and then their eyes blazed with an unprecedented, almost fanatical fire!
The fear, frustration, and helplessness I felt before melted away as quickly as ice and snow under the sun in the face of this display of absolute power!
They thought they were ahead of their time, but they never expected this.
They've long been ahead of the times!
Han Da looked at the three thousand silent steel behemoths, then at Xiao Ce beside him, whose gaze was resolute and who seemed like a pillar supporting the sky. The surging blood in his chest almost burst out of his chest.
He vigorously wiped his face, removing the remaining dampness, straightened his back, and spoke in a loud and firm voice, without a trace of gloom: "Please give the order, Your Highness! This humble general and all the soldiers of the allied forces are willing to be the vanguard! We will raze the Don River fortress to the ground, capture Shahar alive, and crush all invading enemies!"
"it is good!"
A cold glint flashed in Xiao Ce's eyes, his killing intent chilling: "Send the order! The entire army will rest for half a day, have a hearty battle meal! We'll set off under the cover of night..."
Han Da then said to Xiao Ce, "Your Highness, should we postpone the departure of your mecha army for the time being?"
Xiao Ce smiled at Han Da: "You mean, accumulate strength?"
Han Da nodded.
Xiao Ce then asked Han Da, "How many robots are in that fortress over there?"
Han Da shook his head: "I'm not sure, but there were ten of them in total, and we took out four, maybe five or six at most..."
As he spoke, Han Da wasn't entirely sure either...
"Of course, we don't know if they will receive any further support?"
Xiao Ce nodded: "Don't worry. Our armored army won't set off..."
As he spoke, Xiao Ce looked at Xiao Yuanwang...
Xiao Yuanwang saw Xiao Ce's gaze and stomped his feet excitedly on the spot...
"Father, do you want me to go into actual combat with you?"
Before Xiao Ce could speak, Han Da and the others looked at him with disbelief: "Your Highness, you wouldn't let the little prince...go, would you? The little prince is..."
Upon seeing Han Da's words, Xiao Yuanwang interrupted him, saying, "Uncle Han Da, I can... You don't understand these armors. Although I'm young, my father said I'm more skilled at controlling mechs than Uncle Night Owl and the others..."
"I can do it... I..."
Seeing Xiao Yuanwang's face turn bright red, Xiao Ce said to him, "Don't worry, I said I'd take you, and I will... But you must obey my orders!"
Upon hearing Xiao Ce's words, Xiao Yuan solemnly replied, "Father... I will obey your command... I will follow whatever you say!"
Xiao Ce nodded as he spoke, patted Xiao Yuanwang's head, and looked at him with affection in his eyes.
With that, Xiao Ce said to Han Da, "Han Da, that's it! I'll gaze into the distance..."
At this moment, Night Owl stood by expectantly. Xiao Ce then said to Night Owl, "You all hide and await orders... Didn't Handa say that Shahar has already retreated...?"
"So the next fortress won't be heavily guarded. Therefore, we should remain hidden while we can..."
After hearing Xiao Ce's words, they nodded heavily.
Xiao Ce then looked at Han Da: "Alright, Han Da, Yuanwang and I are your soldiers now. You can give us orders..."
Han Da looked at Xiao Ce and said this, although an embarrassed expression appeared on his face.
However, he knew very well that Xiao Ce was not joking since he had spoken in this way.
He said Xiao Yuanwang is capable, so he definitely is.
Moreover, with those armored vehicles protecting him, ordinary people wouldn't be in danger.
Han Da was not a pretentious person; he had spent a long time with Xiao Ce.
He knew Xiao Ce very well...
Han Da said to Xiao Ce, "Your Highness, please wait a moment. We need to make some preparations..."
Seeing that Han Da seemed a little nervous, Xiao Ce smiled at him and said, "Han Da, you don't need to worry... and you don't need to be nervous..."
"How about I excuse myself?"
Xiao Ce's joking remark immediately lightened the atmosphere.
Han Da said to Xiao Ce, "Your Highness, there's no need for that. I'm not that shy..."
With that, Han Da began issuing orders...
...
Meanwhile, on the other side, Shahar had already returned to the capital of their Slavic country.
He recalled all his soldiers along the way, ordering them to withdraw their entire battle lines.
What he had to do was defend the capital of their Slavic nation.
Although they suffered two crushing defeats, their total forces were reduced to only about 20%.
Therefore, they are far from being severely weakened.
Moreover, on their way back, they were met by three more robot teams.
Therefore, at this moment, he was already surrounded by an army of thirty-three robots.
He actually wanted to go back and take revenge several times.
However, his reason soon prevailed over his emotions...
Their thirty-odd men might be incredibly effective for defense, but they'd probably be insufficient for offense.
What he needs is real reinforcements, the large army brought by that mysterious man...