bookrandom Chapter 1353 Failure
Chapter 1353 Failure
As he spoke, Shahar continued to the officers, "Gentlemen, go and tell our soldiers that our reinforcements have arrived!"
Some officers nodded.
Then Shahar said to the dummy, "Will you obey our commands now?"
The lead android nodded: "Of course..."
"immediately!"
Shahar issued his first order to the android captain, with unquestionable authority and a reclaimed arrogance belonging to the Tsar: "Ten of you will take charge. The enemy might send in the Iron Bird defenses. The rest can be left to us..."
The android nodded and then said, "Yes, Your Majesty, we will do our best to shoot down those air forces!"
Inside the fortress at this very moment, the soldiers' whispers spread like a plague.
They've already leaked the information...
"Have you heard? His Majesty the Tsar has invited the 'Iron Wizard'! He can smash through stone walls with his bare hands!"
"It's true! Ivan saw it with his own eyes! Right there in the operations room! That iron shield, so thick! It went right through with a 'poof'!"
"They said...those people weren't human! They were devils made of tin! They didn't even blink!"
"Whatever it is! As long as I can take down those damn iron birds, I'll risk everything!"
"Yes! Avenge our fallen brothers! Let those East Asian bastards learn their lesson!"
Fear remained, but under the renewed fervor of these individuals, a suppressed ferocity and a sense of shared hatred for the enemy were growing among the soldiers.
They clumsily operated the modified crossbows, aiming the oil-soaked arrows at the sky; they deployed more crossbowmen on towers and rooftops; some even brought out mirrors made from scrap metal and futilely waved them at the gloomy sky!
Shahar himself was in a state of frenzy. He worked almost non-stop, constantly inspecting every corner of the defensive line, boosting morale with his hoarse voice, and sternly rebuking any slackening.
He felt that he had regained control of his destiny. Ust-Isti was no longer a dead end, but the starting point for him to turn defeat into victory and wash away his shame!
This time, the arrival of their support team let him know that he hadn't been abandoned...
He sensed that all he had to do was wait for the army to launch a counterattack...
He even somewhat anticipated that Han Da would bring his army...
He had initially hoped they wouldn't come so soon, but now he's actually looking forward to their arrival...
...
Meanwhile, Xiao Ce and his group's hot air boat rose to an extremely high altitude.
They quickly arrived outside the Hidden Dragon Armory, where Night Cat led a thousand elite soldiers.
After circling twice above the Hidden Dragon Armory, Night Owl had already clearly seen the defenses there.
Immediately, Night Cat followed Xiao Ce's lead and told them to take care of the guards and defenses here first.
Xiao Ce naturally nodded in agreement, and Night Cat began to give orders.
At the command, the hatch of the hot airship slid open silently. A biting cold wind rushed in, and Night Cat gave a hand gesture. A thousand elite soldiers quickly split into twenty squads of fifty men each, and slid down the ropes like ghosts.
They were equipped with silenced crossbows, poisoned daggers, and silenced rifles.
These are silent weapons specially made by the Tianji Academy, designed specifically for assassination.
The landing was precise and swift. Taking advantage of the snowstorm, the soldiers dispersed into the snow-covered hills, ruins, and bushes around the armory, like a drop of ink blending into the night.
Lingxu projected a real-time thermal image in front of Xiao Ce: green dots represented the Night Owl Squad, and red dots represented the guards, their positions clearly visible.
Night Owl personally led the first squad, targeting a temporary outpost they had set up outside the Hidden Dragon Armory.
Two Slavic soldiers were warming their hands around a fire, complaining about the awful weather and Shahar's stupid orders.
"This damn snow, even the vodka is frozen solid!"
"A bearded guard muttered."
As soon as Night Owl made a gesture, two team members crept closer like raccoons.
The crossbow bolt pierced the air with only a faint "whoosh" sound, precisely striking the guard's throat.
Before they could even cry out, they collapsed to the ground.
The night owl quickly disposed of the body, dragging it into the shadows. The whole process took less than ten seconds, and the embers of the fire were still crackling, as if nothing had happened.
Meanwhile, other squads acted in unison.
The second squad was responsible for patrolling the west side: five guards were strolling lazily, their footsteps muffled by the wind and snow.
With a single glance from the captain, his team members launched a surprise attack from behind, slitting throats with daggers and using joint locks. The guards fell like puppets with broken strings, their bloodstains instantly buried by the snow.
The third squad was dealing with a machine gun position: four soldiers were dozing off wrapped in thick blankets. The Night Owl team practically crept up to them, taking the opportunity to get close. One man's neck was snapped, and another was impaled by a crossbow bolt the moment he opened his eyes, without a sound.
The small teams moved quickly and acted decisively, responding swiftly...
A short while later, based on Lingxu's reply, the defenses here were easily dealt with...
Night Owl fired a signal flare into the sky, and their airship stopped at a safe location...
After Xiao Ce came down, Night Cat was already standing at the entrance of the Tsarist ruins, where half of the entrance was buried in snow...
At this moment, Xiao Ce said to Night Cat, "These people of yours can definitely be trusted, right?"
After hearing Xiao Ce's words, Night Cat nodded firmly and said, "Your Highness, you can absolutely be trusted..."
Xiao Ce nodded, then walked directly to the door. The entire Hidden Dragon Armory was now under Hidden Dragon's control...
So, after they stood at the doorway, the huge stone door opened.
Immediately, Xiao Ce ordered the Night Owls to follow.
After entering, they immediately opened the second door...
The Hidden Dragon Armory was also opened, revealing an armory that stretched as far as the eye could see.
Even the night owl was surprised.
"Your Highness..."
Xiao Ce nodded to Night Cat, then said, "That's right, this whole area is ours..."
After scanning the area, the night owl spotted some incredibly powerful, massive attack weapons, resembling tanks.
He thought about the entrance he had just come in through; these vehicles couldn't possibly get out.
"Your Highness, do you intend to move all of these things away?"
Xiao Ce smiled, then waved his hand and said, "Of course not. Look, there are still some missiles and stuff here; they definitely can't move right now... What I'm thinking is to have a thousand of our soldiers control these mechs, equip them with weapons, then we'll train outside for a while, and then go support Han Da and the others..."
"Handa and his team have the advantage now, but once robots join them, their advantage will disappear..."
As more and more shadow guards joined, they were finally considered the true shadow guards.
They were stunned to see the entire underground armory.
Xiao Ce didn't waste any words, directly controlling Lingxu and leading them: "Fellow Shadow Guards, from now on, each of you will follow my instructions to choose your mech and equip it with weapons. Follow my directions to operate it..."
The sound echoed from all directions in the center of the armory...
Upon hearing this, the shadow guards all nodded in agreement.
Immediately, Xiao Ce handed it over to Ling Xu, instructing Ling Xu to equip them with weapons and armor...
Lingxu nodded and began distributing the items.
At this moment, Xiao Ce, holding Xiao Yuanwang's hand, strolled around the entire armory.
Xiao Yuanwang's eyes were filled with excitement; after all, the things here had thrilled him when he first saw them...
"Look around, come and choose one, see which mech you like..."
Xiao Yuanwang's eyes immediately lit up with excitement: "Father, once I've set my sights on something, can you give it to me?"
Xiao Ce smiled and nodded at Xiao Yuanwang: "That's right...of course..."
Xiao Yuanwang said to Xiao Ce, "Then Father, can I take this mecha to the battlefield?"
Xiao Ce was somewhat surprised by Xiao Yuanwang's question: "You want to go to the battlefield?"
Xiao Yuanwang nodded very firmly.
Xiao Ce patted his head and then said, "Of course, no problem... Of course, the prerequisite is that you have to pass my test..."
Xiao Yuanwang jumped up excitedly: "Long live Father!"
Xiao Ce looked at Xiao Yuanwang's expression, smiled at him, and then said, "Aren't you afraid, kid?"
After hearing Xiao Ce's words, Xiao Yuanwang was stunned for a moment, then said, "Father, you said you're afraid? Afraid of what?"
Xiao Ce said to Xiao Yuanwang, "Death? Slaughter?"
Xiao Yuanwang shook his head: "I'm not afraid..."
Xiao Ce could tell from his expression that he wasn't faking it...
This kid is a warmonger, I really didn't realize...
...
Meanwhile, in Shahar's operations command center, he finally heard the news he was about to receive...
That means Han Da and his men launched another attack.
Shahar exclaimed excitedly, "They've finally arrived..."
"Preparing to meet the enemy..."
Then Shahar said to the androids beside them, "Gentlemen, I'll leave those iron birds to you..."
The lead android nodded and then said, "Your Majesty, we will do our best..."
With that, they began preparing to meet the enemy again.
Shahar was particularly enthusiastic this time, leading by example: "Gentlemen, the East Asians' 'iron birds' are coming to their deaths again!"
Shahar tried to boost his own morale with words, as if he were also encouraging himself.
"Everyone, to your positions! Prepare to counterattack!"
At this very moment, the air force on Han Da's side, which had initiated the offensive, was already swooping down towards their fortress...
The engine's shrill roar tore through the air, carrying a destructive pressure.
This time, they learned from their previous experience...
"Prepare to drop bombs! Seize the tower target with machine guns!"
Wei Wuji's orders were clearly transmitted via the communicator.
Just as the first batch of incendiary bombs was about to detach from the rack and the gunner was about to press the launch button!
Suddenly, several blinding blue-white beams of light burst forth from the towers and hidden firing ports of the Ustj fortress!
That wasn't the flash of a gunpowder weapon, but a pure flow of energy!
The beam of light moved at an astonishing speed, carrying the acrid smell of ionized air, and precisely pierced the sky.
"Evade! Evade! Unknown energy weapon!!" The pilots' urgent alarms and cries rang out instantly in the communication channel.
However, it was too late!
Sizzle... Sizzle...!
The two gliders with the steepest dive angles were hit head-on by the blue and white beam of light.
There was no violent explosion; the beam of light, like a red-hot knife cutting into butter, instantly melted through the glider's thin aluminum alloy skin and internal structure.
One of the planes had its wing root severed, and the entire aircraft instantly lost its balance, tumbling and crashing to the ground, trailing thick smoke and flames, exploding into a huge fireball on the frozen ground!
The other plane was pierced through the cockpit by a beam of light. Before the pilot could even scream, the plane went out of control and crashed into a nearby cliff, turning into countless fragments.
Several other beams of light were directed at other gliders.
One of the planes had its tail section grazed, melting most of it instantly. The plane immediately began to yaw and spin violently, and the pilot desperately tried to recover, facing a perilous situation.
Several beams of light were narrowly avoided by the experienced pilot, leaving charred marks on the fuselage.
"Report! 'Mountain Eagle III'!"
'Falcon 5' has been confirmed shot down!
The tail section of the 'Blue Wolf No. 7' was severely damaged, and it is making an emergency landing!
The remaining aircraft suffered varying degrees of damage! The enemy possesses...high-efficiency energy-based anti-aircraft weapons!
The messenger's voice was filled with disbelief and horror.
Upon hearing this noise, Wei Wuji's heart sank, and a chill instantly ran through his body.
He witnessed firsthand the terrifying destructive power of the blue-white beam of light.
Have their reinforcements already arrived?
"Order all air units! Climb immediately! Maximum altitude! Get out of enemy range! Cease all dive bombing maneuvers! Repeat: Cease dive bombing, maintain maximum altitude alert!"
He gave the order decisively, his voice still calm, but the veins on the back of his hand, which was gripping the baton tightly, were bulging.
The East Asian Federation's proud air force, which had just achieved great military exploits, was severely damaged by this unknown enemy in just a few breaths!
These weapons, hidden in the shadows, were far more powerful than he had anticipated.
On the ground, the coalition frontline troops, who were preparing to launch a probing attack in coordination with the air strikes, also witnessed this terrifying scene.
The fall of the two warplanes struck everyone's hearts like a heavy hammer. The soldiers' charge halted involuntarily, their faces filled with shock and disbelief.
"What...what the hell is that?" a machine gunner lying behind cover muttered, his voice tinged with fear.
"Damn it, they even managed to shoot down our air force?" The veteran next to him spat, his eyes fixed on the eerie light flashing on the fortress tower.
Han Da stood in the makeshift frontline command post, his face extremely grim. He had witnessed what had just happened...