Chapter 718: The Situation
Chapter 718: The Situation
As the creature in the sky drew closer, its form became clearer to Chen Chuan and his companions.
It was a unique bird of the Fusion Zone, with sharp, curved beaks and a head encased in a sturdy exoskeleton, its eyes hidden deep within.
Its feathers had a grayish-white texture, with sharp spines along the edges, resembling a light and delicate coat of fine bone feathers at first glance.
Upon seeing this creature, Chen Chuan's Dimensional Token immediately displayed its origins.
It was a "Skull Bird," a common and highly aggressive bird in the Fusion Zone with a strong sense of retaliation. Over a hundred classifications had been discovered so far, and the token also displayed its weaknesses and methods to deal with it.
The driving Second Lieutenant Dai didn't turn back; he merely glanced at it using the car's rearview mirror, showing no signs of tension. In a calm tone, he said, "Please hold on, officers. I'm going to speed up. These Fusion Zone creatures often come here, and we can ensure your safety."
After saying this, he stepped on the accelerator, instantly increasing the car's speed. They were only three to four minutes away from the fortress, and as long as they got within the fortress's firing range, there would be no danger.
At this moment, the covers on several carriages of the train were suddenly lifted, revealing fixed-turret machine guns that were raised and aimed at the sky.
However, the Skull Bird seemed to be aware of the machine guns' power and didn't dare approach the train. Instead, it turned in the air and circled around a simple outpost.
As it flew over the outpost, its claws, which held a thick tree trunk, suddenly released, causing the tree to crash down with a loud boom, smashing the wooden roof of the watchtower into a mess.
After this action, the Skull Bird let out a sharp screech, increased its speed, and charged forward, seemingly intending to fly through the gap between the fortress and the train's firepower.
Judging by its trajectory, it would definitely pass right above Chen Chuan and his companions.
Chen Chuan was initially worried about Chao Ming, but seeing that Chao Ming quickly flew high into the sky, and the Skull Bird showed no interest in Chao Ming, it seemed that its purpose was only to destroy the outpost.
The bird would soon be above them, and at this moment, they could see the hard and sharp claws hidden beneath its belly, along with a sense of oppression. Mr. Pei immediately drew his gun, released the safety, and aimed it at the sky with both hands.
The Skull Bird initially seemed to want to fly through directly, but when it noticed the military uniforms on Mr. Pei and Second Lieutenant Dai, the eyes embedded deep in its skull turned red, and it suddenly slowed down, with a shadow swiftly approaching them.
Chen Chuan watched as the massive wings blocked the light, and his eyes flashed with a burst of spiritual power. In an instant, a mental strike slammed into the Skull Bird's consciousness, causing the red glow in its eyes to disappear as if it had lost consciousness in a flash.
At that very moment, a dark shadow plummeted from the sky—Chao Ming diving down, its sharp altered claws slashing diagonally across the bird's neck, creating a huge gash with a swift swipe!
Almost simultaneously, a gunshot rang out from the fortress, and the Skull Bird's wings and belly simultaneously exploded, a large hole opening up as blood and flesh sprayed out from its body.
Chen Chuan's gaze shifted, and he saw a Major standing on an open platform of the fortress, a large-caliber double-barreled shoulder gun on his shoulder, smoke curling from the muzzle.
The Skull Bird seemed to regain some consciousness due to the pain of its injuries, but it was too late. Without even a struggle, it lost its strength and fell from the sky, crashing heavily onto the ground, kicking up a cloud of dirt.
Immediately, prepared soldiers from the fortress rushed out in a vehicle, passing by Chen Chuan and his group. When they reached the Skull Bird, they got off and fired their large-caliber guns at the bird, causing its body to tremble uncontrollably. It took them half a minute of continuous firing before they stopped.
It was no wonder they were so cautious; creatures from the Fusion Zone had altered tissues and were extremely resilient. If not killed on the spot, they might recover and revive.
A chirp sounded from the sky, and Chao Ming circled a few times before landing next to Chen Chuan on the car door.
Chen Chuan stroked Chao Ming's smooth feathers, sensing its excitement. After all, this was the first time Chao Ming had fought a creature larger than itself and successfully injured it.
Indeed, this surprise attack was decisive and fierce, perfectly timed after Chen Chuan's mental assault, demonstrating excellent coordination.
If not for the hard exoskeleton protecting its head, this attack would have directly shattered the Skull Bird's skull.
With the altered tissues, Chao Ming became more agile, faster, and sharper in its attacks, an advantage of its small size.
However, Chen Chuan estimated that Chao Ming would continue to grow in size. Previously, external environmental factors had restricted its altered tissues and size, but entering the Fusion Zone might further stimulate its development.
At this moment, the open-top jeep had already entered the fortress, and the major who had fired the shot descended from above and saluted them.
"I'm Major Bo Heheng, in charge of security for this passage. Welcome, and apologies for the earlier scare."
Mr. Pei said, "Major Bo, your timing with the shot was impeccable."
Bo Heheng's expression turned serious. "Mr. Pei, rest assured. I would have taken down that Skull Bird before it could attack you."
Chen Chuan nodded slightly, believing this because he had noticed that the major had been aiming at the bird since its appearance, looking for the right moment to shoot. His mental focus and determination were evident, traits only possessed by those with absolute confidence in themselves.
Major Bo then turned to Chen Chuan, "So, you must be Manager Chen. Greetings. We've received the highest directive from the Defense Department, instructing us to cooperate with your mission. Some preliminary preparations have already been made."
He glanced at Mr. Pei, "Feel free to make any requests, and we'll do our best to accommodate you with the resources of our garrison."
Chen Chuan replied, "In that case, we'll trouble you."
After the pleasantries, Major Bo led the two men towards the main officer of the fortress. Along the way, Chen Chuan inquired about the situation, learning that attacks like the one they had just experienced were common. The reason was that the unexplored region lay directly ahead of Fortress Number Three.
The frequent migrations within the Fusion Zone often led to newly arrived creatures attacking the fortress, claiming it as their territory.
Typically, once a member of a group of creatures was killed, the subsequent attacks would cease. However, the garrison here was well accustomed to such occurrences.
Mr. Pei went to meet with the highest-ranking officer to hand over command and then headed to the intelligence room. Upon his return, he said, "Manager Chen, it will take some time to consolidate the information from the front. It's getting late, let's go for dinner first."
Chen Chuan agreed and went to the garrison's restaurant with Mr. Pei.
The food at the Fusion Zone wasn't anything special, but as high-ranking officers, they were served with slightly better taste.
After the meal, Mr. Pei headed to the operations intelligence room. Unrelated personnel had already left, and a map hung on the wall with key locations and routes marked in advance.
Mr. Pei said, "The communications room hasn't received any reports from Captain Xu, but there's no news from other sources either."
He sighed, "No news is good news, I suppose."
Chen Chuan said, "Captain Xu is a very capable person, skilled in self-preservation. We can trust him."
Mr. Pei nodded, "There's something I'd like to show you, Manager Chen."
He walked to the map, picked up a command baton, and approached the map. "Based on the intelligence we've gathered and our analysis team's assessment," he pointed to a spot on the map.
"The Union, or the Linaksis Federation, has likely established a camp here."
He continued, "The communication station has observed airships heading in that direction for several days, averaging one trip per day. These airships originate from various corporate branches within the Fusion Zone, so it's safe to assume that the camp is their main base for exploring the unknown region."
Chen Chuan looked at the map. The location was in the lower-right corner of the unexplored area, marked with a crossed-lightning symbol.
From a broader perspective, this spot was on a direct route to the rear. From this position, traveling forward for about ten kilometers would lead them into the unknown region.
It seemed that the Union and the Linaksis Federation were taking a cautious approach, opting for a well-planned strategy rather than rushing in.
This made sense; without pre-arranging retreat routes and support forces, even if they obtained the relic, they might not be able to bring it back safely. Additionally, having a camp would allow them to provide continuous support and supplies to the front.
However, conversely, if this camp could be destroyed, it would deal a severe blow to the Union and the Federation, at least cutting off their support to the front.
Chen Chuan's thoughts shifted, and he looked to the other side of the map, noticing a blue marker.
Mr. Pei explained, "That was originally our camp, but..." He shook his head. "Five days ago, it was raided by elite cavalry from the Old Imperial House. The camp suffered severe damage, and for the past few days, it's been under constant attack."
"We haven't given up on it. We've been trying to maintain it, but we can't send in reinforcements to support Captain Xu, let alone deter the Union and the Federation on the other side."
His expression turned grave. "Higher-ups suspect that the Old Imperial House may have formed a limited cooperation with the Union, aiming to expel us first."
...
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(End of Chapter)
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