Chapter 756: Countermeasures
Chapter 756: Countermeasures
There were many items inside Skinner's tent, and there was more than one box. Chen Chuan was able to find them quickly because they were labeled with stickers indicating the source and collection date of the "collection."
Aside from Wen Manager's remains, there were three other boxes. Two of them had the names of foreign fighters on them, and the other seemed to belong to someone from the Western Continent.
Chen Chuan vaguely recognized the names of the foreign fighters; they were renowned fighters with some reputation, likely targeted and killed by Skinner to become part of his collection.
Despite Chen Chuan's effortless capture of Skinner, the man was a famous fighter on a global scale, belonging to the top tier of those who mastered psychic power. He was a formidable opponent wherever he went, not someone local fighters with a bit of fame could easily contend with.
Chen Chuan took the box containing Wen Manager's remains and found a barrel of residual algae oil, which he poured into the tent before setting it ablaze.
As the raging fire consumed the entire area, Chen Chuan signaled to Chao Ming, who was hovering above, and then left the camp with the box in hand. In less than ten minutes, he returned to the place where the Worm Moth was located.
Xu Chan and the others had been waiting for him since his departure, and seeing his safe return, they were instantly relieved.
When Chen Chuan returned to the camp above, they noticed the box he had placed on the ground and couldn't help but ask, "Manager Chen, is this...?"
Chen Chuan replied, "Wen Manager's remains are inside."
Everyone's expressions turned solemn, and they removed their hats, bowing respectfully towards the box.
After a moment, they put their hands down.
Chen Chuan found a suitable place to store the box and then went outside again, calling Xu Chan and the three captains together. "I received some information at the camp," he said. "The army of the Former Imperial Court is already outside, and they're trying to locate us to seize the relic in our possession."
Although Xue Teacher had told him this, explaining it would be complicated, and theoretically, it was against the rules for Xue Teacher to share this information with him. Therefore, he couldn't reveal the source of the news to others, but this time, he could use the Linax Federation's intelligence source as an excuse.
Facing Xu Chan and the others, he said, "The Sandworm Swarm has already thinned out today, and I estimate that in a day, or at most two days, they will disperse completely. By then, the Former Imperial Court will launch a swift advance, using their elite squads to raid and probe us, confirming our specific situation.
If their raid fails, and they learn our exact circumstances, they will employ various methods to deal with us. The most likely scenario is that they will gather more elite forces to engage us in a direct battle. However, they may also use artillery for blanket bombing or attack us with airships, aiming to exhaust our stamina."
Xu Chan considered this and said solemnly, "Using artillery and airships is the most common tactic the army employs against us. Even if they can't kill us, they can keep us busy and wait for our stamina to deplete before sending in more powerful troops to finish us."
Captain Hai added, "Airships are indeed difficult to evade, but artillery isn't very mobile, especially the heavy-caliber ones. They are slow to fire and move, so we can use our agility to avoid them in advance.
However, the Former Imperial Court's advantage over us is their ability to operate in the Convergence Zone at night. They will likely choose to attack at night, making it easy for them to find us if we carry the relic. No matter where we run, they will locate us. So, we might need to keep moving without rest, but this doesn't solve the problem. As long as the Former Imperial Court doesn't give up, we will face wave after wave of their offensives."
The others also looked grave, knowing that with the relic's radiance, they couldn't hide themselves. The relic was what they needed to take back, and they couldn't afford to abandon it.
At this point, Chen Chuan said, "There are still countermeasures we can take. If they can use the aurora to find us, we can also use the aurora to manipulate them.
Currently, there are tens of thousands of troops facing off at the front line to block our army's advance. They won't be able to mobilize too many troops, making it nearly impossible to surround us from all directions. They can only use airships and a limited number of elite squads to delay us, giving their army a chance to move forward.
At this stage, it's unlikely that they will cluster together; they will keep a considerable distance from each other, providing us with an opportunity."
He looked at Xu Chan and the three captains, "My plan is this: instead of waiting for them to come to us, we will retreat first. This will prompt them to dispatch their elite squads to pursue and stall us.
We can set up an ambush along the way and launch a preemptive attack on them. Ideally, we should eliminate these elite personnel, temporarily reducing one part of the threat and significantly easing the pressure on our retreat."
The others nodded in agreement. This method was feasible, and elite personnel were scarce everywhere, making it challenging to replenish their numbers. Without these pursuers, as long as they kept moving and avoided a head-on collision with the massive army, they could ensure their safety for the short term.
Captain Lu spoke up, "But what about the threat from the airships? After the Sandworm Swarm's passage, there's hardly any decent trees left in the wilderness. There's almost no cover from the sky, and they can spot us easily. Before we return to our base, they can keep sending in stronger forces."
Chen Chuan replied, "That's why we need to draw the battle to a place that suits us." He took out a map he had prepared earlier and pointed to a location.
"This area is crisscrossed with ravines and streams, making it ideal for us to hide. Moreover, the Sandworm Swarm didn't come from this direction. I sent Chao Ming out a few days ago to scout, and he confirmed that there's likely a large forest behind us that we can utilize."
The group gathered around the map and studied it. Captain Lu's eyes lit up as he realized something. "Isn't this the direction leading to our forward camp?"
He continued excitedly, "Yes, let's head that way. We might even get support from the camp, and if we can make it back in time, we can return by airship."
Captain Hai, however, was less optimistic. "Captain Lu, what you're saying is the best-case scenario. We know this route, and so does the Former Imperial Court. They won't leave it undefended. The nights in the Convergence Zone and the wilderness are their home turf. It's hard to say if our camp will still be there."
Chen Chuan said, "That's why this time, we can only rely on ourselves. Don't think too much about the rest. Treat it as if there's nothing there. As for the specific plan of action, this is what I have in mind..."
He first shared his general idea and then consulted with Xu Chan and others, filling in some details and addressing any gaps. Finally, they formulated a comprehensive action plan.
Once they finalized the plan, Chen Chuan said, "So, this is what we'll do for now. Let's each prepare separately. Regardless of whether the Bug Tide has completely retreated or not, we must depart by tomorrow morning at the latest."
"Yes!"
The group responded with a respectful silence and then returned to their tents to prepare for the next day's operation.
Chen Chuan went back to his tent, took out the Snow Lady Sword, unsheathed it, and began polishing the blade with a maintenance cloth.
He was well aware that the upcoming enemy was not just any army or elite squad. Xue Teacher had made it clear: if the military forces failed, the fighter would personally intervene to seize the relic.
Although there were fighters from Dashiun watching over the situation, the battlefield conditions could change in an instant, so Chen Chuan had to ensure he had the power to protect himself.
In the end, the best approach was undoubtedly to strive to reach the fighter's realm limit.
His physical strength had already peaked, and his mental cultivation had reached its final stage. Judging by his previous rate of progress, by the end of the night, he should attain perfection. At that point, he could attempt to ascend to a higher realm.
However, the promotion he sought was beyond the realm limits, reaching a level that existed only in theory. To achieve this, he needed to ensure that his second self and his main body underwent a second fusion before that.
Currently, his second self was almost on par with his main self. Once his mental state progressed to perfection, he would need to wait for his second self to catch up.
At that moment, he raised the polished blade, its surface gleaming, and observed the cold light reflected on it, hoping that the pursuing opponent would be powerful enough to provide him with an opportunity to complete the final resonance.
With this thought, he swung the blade, instantly slicing open a rift. Then, he placed the sword across his knees and began his cultivation for the day.
The night passed peacefully, and the camp remained undisturbed.
The next day, after six o'clock, as the sky brightened, the group emerged from their tents. Upon observing the surroundings, they found that the bugs outside had indeed thinned out significantly, and it seemed they would disperse completely within a day or so.
At that moment, they suddenly heard the faint sound of helicopter blades. They followed the sound and saw a distant airship in the sky.
The people on the airship seemed to have spotted them as well, but they didn't approach. After a while, numerous scout birds flew out from the airship's cabin, heading towards them and hovering above their heads.
Many of the team members couldn't help but fire their guns at the birds, but due to the distance, the small size, and the speed of the birds, none were shot down.
Captain Hu, gazing at the sky, said, "Scout birds, they're here to keep an eye on us."
Xu Chan glanced at the birds but didn't pay them much attention. "It doesn't matter. According to the plan, we'll retreat to Valley Streamland soon. As long as we can reach the forest in time, these birds won't be a problem."
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(End of Chapter)
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