Chapter 432: The Guardians
Chapter 432: The Guardians
After a journey of over ten hours, Chen Chuan and his team disembarked from the train and rested for half an hour at a fortress outpost along the route. They then drove out in seven armed off-road vehicles, continuing their journey towards their destination.
As the sky outside gradually darkened, Advisor Rao spoke up, "We need to reach the next outpost before nightfall if possible!"
Not all military outposts were located along the railway line; some were scattered along the rivers of the Convergence Zone, while others were positioned in treacherous terrain.
The place they were heading to was the latter.
Just before nightfall, around 6 p.m., Chen Chuan and his team entered the local defense outpost. As they entered the fortress, darkness seemed to descend instantly. Looking back, the outside world was already pitch-black.
Advisor Rao had been tense throughout the journey, constantly checking his watch, and now he finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Unlike him, Chen Chuan and the other three fighters were confident in their ability to face external threats. Both physically and mentally, they were in good shape.
This outpost was a small fortress with over fifty personnel stationed there. The sudden influx of their team made the place feel slightly crowded.
However, they were only staying for the night, and they had to continue their journey the next day. Knowing they were on an urgent mission, the garrison officers tried their best to accommodate them, providing water and food.
During the meal, Chen Chuan asked, "Advisor Rao, how many more outposts are there ahead?"
"There are five more outposts ahead. We'll be traveling for another two days," Advisor Rao replied.
Chen Chuan said, "These places aren't far from the train tracks, so logistics should be manageable. But I see there are even more remote outposts. How do they handle their supplies?"
Advisor Rao explained, "On one hand, we rely on air transport, which can provide provisions for a long time. Occasionally, we also obtain simple supplies from some locals."
"Locals? You mean the remnants?" Yuan Qiuyuan interjected, surprised. "Are they willing to cooperate with us?"
"Some are, and some are considered natives here," Advisor Rao answered.
"Natives? Really?" Yuan Qiuyuan became intrigued.
"These natives might have arrived here during the early stages of the Alteration, and they've fully adapted to the environment. They have slight differences in appearance and biology compared to us. A study suggests they could be our distant relatives from two to three million years ago, or perhaps even thousands of years ago."
"Wow, that's a long time for distant relatives," Yuan Qiuyuan remarked.
"These people are different from the remnants of the ancient kingdom," Advisor Rao said. "Most of them maintain a certain level of good relations with us because they also fear the existence on the other side. They've been fighting against them for a long time, and in this regard, we share the same stance. After all, they encountered the other side much earlier than us and possess information we don't. However, some of them hold deep hostility towards us."
Chen Chuan nodded, "It seems their relationship with the remnants of the ancient kingdom isn't good either."
"Yes," Advisor Rao confirmed. "For nearly a century, the remnants have been using their military might to plunder their wealth, enslave their people, and invade their territories. So, when it comes to dealing with this enemy, they are quite cooperative."
Chen Chuan tapped his head, knowing full well that governments and corporations weren't exactly saints either. However, they at least knew which ones they could temporarily cooperate and utilize, a mutual need in the face of a common enemy. Without that, he doubted the governments and corporations would behave any better.
Yuan Qiuyuan whistled, "This place is quite complex."
"Complex?"
Advisor Rao shook his head, "We're not even close to the real challenge yet. As we move away from the railway line, we'll need to be cautious of the various creatures in the Convergence Zone. If we accidentally intrude on their territories, we might face their attacks."
He elaborated further, "Most of the creatures in the Convergence Zone are massive and extremely aggressive. That's still the better scenario, as we have weapons to counter them. What we fear the most are the swarms of creatures that appear in groups, overwhelming us with their sheer numbers. It's impossible to stop them without taking refuge in the fortresses."
He suggested that they should avoid them whenever possible and not risk unnecessary sacrifices by engaging them.
After the meal, Advisor Rao brought out a map and pointed to a location, "If our journey goes smoothly, we should reach this place in two days—the 'Seventy-Three' fortress outpost."
Chen Chuan looked at the map and noticed that this small fortress was strategically positioned at the entrance of a valley, where two mountain ranges converged. If they wanted to reach the rear areas, they would have to pass through this point; otherwise, they would need to take a significant detour, adding ten days or even half a month to their journey in an ideal scenario.
Outside the fortress, there were only a few sparsely distributed sentry points in the front, and beyond that was a vast red marshland, presumably under the control of the ancient kingdom.
However, the Convergence Zone was vast, and every central city in the world had an entrance to it. So, for now, they only had to face the enemies on their side.
It's unclear what the situation is in other Central Cities.
At this moment, Advisor Rao speaks up, "There are three options for entering the rear area. The first is to take a large detour, but that would consume too much time, and the situation is constantly changing. By the time our squad returns or we gather more forces from the rear, the situation might have already shifted. So, 'Iron Demon' won't choose that option."
He points to a specific location, "Here, at Fortress One Zero Four, it's blocking an upstream river bend. It's very easy to travel downstream by raft or along the river."
"Iron Demon won't be able to move his forces through there without being noticed. Even if he manages to slip past, we can block this rear route. So, he'll either ignore it or choose to eliminate this fortress before advancing."
"And the last option is Fortress Seventy-Three, which is where we're headed."
Chen Chuan asks, "Advisor Rao, do you believe that Iron Demon will choose to break through at this location?"
Advisor Rao nods in agreement.
"Based on the intelligence we gathered earlier and our analysis of Iron Demon's personality and behavioral patterns, we believe that this time, he's most likely to breach from this point and enter our rear area!"
Qin Qingque then inquires, "Advisor Rao, if they launch an attack, when does the intelligence room estimate it will happen?"
"Iron Demon is leading no less than fifty cavalry infantry this time. According to the distance, if they're heading straight for Fortress Seventy-Three, they'll reach there in three to four days at most, maybe a day or two later than us. If they don't spare the horses and travel day and night, they might arrive in just one or two days. So, we're on a tight schedule."
After a good night's rest, they sped up their journey during the day, and it went smoothly. In a day and a half, they arrived at Fortress Seventy-Three, where over two hundred soldiers were stationed, including a Tier Three Combatant who had been guarding the place for years.
The combatant, named Hai Cheng, was a burly man with thick arms and legs. Both his hands had been replaced with implants, and one of his eyes was also an implant. He was around fifty years old, but his age didn't diminish his strength much, and he had even richer experience.
Hai Cheng had already been informed via radio that they were coming specifically to deal with Iron Demon, so he was prepared and showed great enthusiasm. He had lost several close friends and many subordinates in the attack led by Iron Demon.
Chen Chuan ordered his squad to rest while he conversed with Hai Cheng to understand the situation. At that moment, he noticed a teenager of fourteen or fifteen observing them from a distance and trying to gather information from Yuan Qiuyuan.
Chen Chuan glanced at the boy and asked, "Hai Cheng, do you have such young soldiers here?"
Hai Cheng rubbed his short hair and replied, "Well, his father is one of us from Great Shun, and he's supposedly from my hometown. He was a senior soldier stationed here who later took a fancy to a local woman and decided to settle down here. He never returned to the Central City.
My fellow countryman passed away early, leaving behind two sons. The elder son joined the garrison forces, a fine young man. Later, Iron Demon attacked our patrol team, and the entire squad, including this young man, was killed by Iron Demon. This boy has been determined to avenge his brother, so he stayed here to find an opportunity.
I originally wanted to send him back, but I thought that if I didn't agree, he might run off on his own. However, his mother's family has considerable influence here, and if something happened to him, it might affect our relationship. So, I kept him as an orderly by my side, giving him something to look forward to."
Chen Chuan nodded and said, "There will be a chance."
He asked Hai Cheng to assign a soldier familiar with the surrounding area to guide him around the fortress, familiarizing himself with the terrain. After the tour, he returned to the fortress and discussed and planned specific tactics with Advisor Rao.
However, they waited for two days without any sign of Iron Demon.
During this time, they received a message via radio that a small group of troops had crossed the river guarded by Fortress One Zero Four the previous night.
The sentry had conducted a prolonged machine-gun sweep, and by dawn, they found that the interception cable on the river had been severed. Downstream, they discovered a dead rhinoceros horse, suggesting that Iron Demon and his group had passed by.
This new intelligence disrupted their original plan. Could it be that Iron Demon didn't intend to breach from this location and had chosen to break through from another area? If so, they had positioned themselves in the wrong place. The next step seemed to be withdrawing from here and pursuing that group.
However, Advisor Rao remained adamant. He told Chen Chuan, "No, I still believe that the other side isn't his choice. It's highly likely that this is a smokescreen from the enemy. Iron Demon's target should still be here!"
...
...
Chapter end
Report
