Chapter 434: Changes
Chapter 434: Changes
This squad consisted entirely of fighters, with the exception of the Iron Demon and his two assistants, who were Imperial Warriors, while the rest were Cavalry Infantry, also known as Second Tier Warriors.
Each of them wore three layers of protection. The innermost layer was a protective suit, followed by a layer of battle armor plate, and on top of that, a green stab-resistant cloak that covered their bodies, rendering most gun and stab attacks useless.
On their backs, each carried five linked spears, which could be used both offensively and for climbing over obstacles.
One by one, they crossed the not-so-dense barbed wire and trenches from the rear. As for the wider moats, they could easily cross them with the help of their spear ropes.
Once they reached the fortress wall, they only needed to throw their spears onto the wall, allowing them to climb up directly. The entire process didn't take much time.
They had conducted thorough reconnaissance of the fortress's interior long ago, familiarizing themselves with its structure and the distribution of personnel. Each person knew where they should enter and what they should do once inside.
At this moment, Chen Chuan sat in the room, focusing on cultivating his essence blood and divine normality. Suddenly, he felt something, and his eyes opened. He checked his watch; it was 4:30 am.
Then, he picked up the Snow Empress Blade and walked out.
From the observation port, he looked outside. The night sky remained as dark as ink, with searchlights sweeping across the outer ground and walls. However, a little further away, everything was pitch-black, and nothing could be seen.
He continued forward, opening a passage door and arriving at a narrow platform where he stood silently.
After about half an hour, the sky gradually brightened, but there was no movement below, and everything seemed normal.
Suddenly, an alarm sounded from the patrol team within the Boundary Token. It seemed they had discovered something.
He immediately moved, following the interior corridor to the indicated location. Upon arrival, he saw Hai Cheng had already arrived and was speaking with two patrol personnel. One soldier was pointing somewhere, reporting something."
Chen Chuan followed his gaze and saw spears nailed to the wall, some reaching the upper end. If they were fighters, they could enter the fortress interior with just a flip," Chen Chuan said.
At that moment, footsteps approached, and the others who had received the message arrived. Rao Advisor, watching this, felt a mix of anxiety and excitement, said, "They're here!"
"Are they?" Chen Chuan asked.
Hai Cheng affirmed, "Yes, it's them. I recognize this spear, but it won't be easy for them to get through the front defenses. They must make some noise. They must have come from behind."
"From behind..."
Upon hearing this, Rao Advisor immediately connected the dots, understanding the opponent's strategy. This confirmed that his battle plan had not been misjudged; the opponent was indeed targeting the Seventy-Three Fortress.
But then, he frowned, looking at the spearheads, "But why, when they've reached here..."
At that moment, in the distance, the Cavalry Infantry had retreated to their original positions.
A High-Strung Warhorse warrior approached the knight wearing the iron mask, puzzled, and asked, "Marshal, why did you order us to retreat? The brothers have reached the wall. If we just climb over, we can capture this fortress immediately!"
The Iron Mask Knight remained silent, gazing at the top of the fortress, as if waiting for something.
As time passed, the sky grew brighter, and the distant scenery gradually became clearer.
Chen Chuan, sensing something, glanced outside. He left the group, walked to the edge of the passage, and looked downward.
In the distance, about two kilometers away, a knight wearing a crimson iron mask sat on horseback, with a spear adorned with white tassels across the saddle.
He was alone, standing with his horse.
"That must be the Iron Demon," Yuan Qiuyuan said, having also spotted the figure. He moved forward to take a closer look. "At this distance... the machine gun probably can't reach..." He turned to Hai Cheng and said, "Can you fire a shot?"
Hai Cheng stood with his arms crossed, shaking his head. "Don't waste the effort. We've tried before, but the Iron Demon seems to have a unique skill. Before we fire, he always moves to avoid it.
Yes, it's as if he has a special warning for danger.
That's why he's so difficult to deal with. We've never been able to catch him. There haven't been many Imperial Warriors as troublesome as him."
Yuan Qiuyuan sighed, "What a pity."
Just then, the Iron Demon suddenly tilted his neck, and in the distance, a loud gunshot rang out.
Chen Chuan looked over and saw Qin Qingque holding a spear rifle, but she seemed puzzled as to why the opponent had dodged her attack.
Chen Chuan stood with his sword, staring at the man. When the man finally glanced at him, he pulled the reins, turned his horse, and galloped into the distance, disappearing into the thicket.
Rao Advisor approached, his eyebrows deeply furrowed. "Last night, the Iron Demon should have been preparing to capture this place. But I don't understand why he didn't come up. Did he sense our presence?"
Chen Chuan contemplated for a moment and asked, "Did the Operations Room have any information about his early warning capabilities?"
Advisor Rao replied, "Yes, but there's no precise understanding of the extent of his abilities. We can't just sit and do nothing because of this."
His expression turned solemn as he said, "Judging from this situation, his premonition abilities are stronger than I initially estimated, and he's even more cautious in his actions."
He sighed, "This time, the ambush failed. With his caution, he probably won't come back easily."
Chen Chuan shook his head, "That's not necessarily true. I've looked at the information Advisor Rao gave me. He often takes pleasure in attacking difficult locations and even ventures into potentially dangerous areas. It seems he's relying on this ability to pre-emptively warn of danger, allowing him to move back and forth freely. I think he won't give up that easily."
In their brief eye contact, he read something in the other's eyes—a mix of provocation and determination. He suspected that this attack might not be over yet.
Advisor Rao cautiously said, "Even so, we might not be able to deal with him. As long as he doesn't come to the fortress, we have no way to handle him in the wild."
Chen Chuan said, "Not necessarily. Right now, he probably doesn't know our strengths and weaknesses. Once he realizes that only our small squad is stationed here, he might go to great lengths to lure us out."
If that's the case, Advisor Rao, having regained his composure, quickly followed this line of thought and made a swift assessment.
"The simplest way for him is to attack the patrol teams or even the garrisons near us. By continuously killing and destroying, he can pressure us into chasing them outside."
"In one-six-one-nine, a book bar, one look, and no mistake in the version!"
"Once we go out, if he successfully kills us in the wild, he'll return to attack the Seventy-Three Fortress."
"Hmm, that's very likely. One-Zero-Four Fortress should have been sealed again, so it's like he's locked in here. If he wants to go back, he'll have to find a breakthrough point. The longer he delays, the greater the risk, so he's focusing on us here. The possibility of breaking through here is the highest!"
He suddenly looked up and said to Chen Chuan, "He can confirm the situation in two days at most. If there's backup, they'll respond in about two days."
Chen Chuan thought for a moment and said, "Since he wants us to go out, we'll follow his lead."
"Captain Chen, what do you plan to do?"
Chen Chuan turned to him and said, "I'll lead the team to chase and give him a chance."
Advisor Rao was taken aback but quickly tried to dissuade him, "Captain Chen, I don't recommend that. Here in the fortress, we have support and the cooperation of personnel and weapons. But outside, you have no support other than yourselves."
Hai Cheng walked over and said in a low voice, "Captain Chen, I admire your courage, but we've tried to hunt him down in the wild before, and the result was that several squads were wiped out, and we couldn't even recover the bodies." His voice grew heavy as he spoke.
Chen Chuan sincerely said, "Thank you, Hai. But if we don't do this, he won't take the initiative to attack the fortress. He'll only harass the surroundings, and we can only watch helplessly."
He turned to Advisor Rao, "Previously, choosing to hold our ground was the right tactical decision, but now, holding our ground is useless. So, we have to take the initiative. As for support..."
He slowly said, "As fighters, we have ourselves, and that's enough."
"The captain is right. As fighters, we have ourselves, and that's enough! Captain, I'll go with you." Yuan Qiuyuan spoke up from the side.
Qin Qingque stood up straight and said, "Captain, I'll go too."
Seeing that he couldn't stop them, Advisor Rao sighed inwardly. After some thought, he solemnly reminded them, "Since that's the case, I won't stop you three. But don't go too far, and try to return by nightfall."
After half an hour of preparation, Chen Chuan gathered the necessary items, and the three of them drove an off-road vehicle out of the fortress, following the direction where the Iron Demon had disappeared, amidst the complex and worried gazes of the crowd.
This time, he didn't bring other team members because in combat, it would be challenging for these ordinary members to manage everything. Qin Qingque, however, could drive and do repairs, and she also knew how to operate the radio, so having her was enough.
Yuan Qiuyuan was excited. Aside from that, Chen Chuan's decision was right up his alley. Hiding in the fortress and waiting for the enemy to come knocking was too passive. He felt uncomfortable with that approach; taking the initiative was the way to go.
Qin Qingque drove the vehicle in front, her driving both stable and fast. She asked, "Captain, there's no road ahead. Where are we going?"
Chen Chuan sat in the back seat and glanced outside, "Just follow the trail left by their large group, and we'll be fine. Even if we can't catch up to them, as long as we're far enough from the fortress, they'll come looking for us."
...
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(End of Chapter)
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