Chapter 66: Ambush |
"The majority of the rebel forces and the high-ranking members of the demon cults have been suppressed, and all cities are under federal control. However, the remaining rebel forces haven’t given up. With the support of the demon cults, they’ve started guerrilla warfare against the Federation.
"Due to a shortage in manpower, coupled with the fact that some cultivators and cultists are within the rebel ranks, our patrol teams have suffered casualties in the past few days."
On their way to rendezvous with the squad, Lieutenant Zhang Hong briefed Chen Chu and his companions on the current situation. Soon, they arrived at the designated location.
Seeing ten armored vehicles equipped with heavy machine guns and artillery, along with two sci-fi-esque battle tanks, Chen Chu and his group were stunned.
They had expected a patrol team consisting of a dozen or so people, but they hadn't anticipated such formidable equipment.
Zhang Hong sighed. "For us, the rebel forces are no match upfront. The real trouble comes from the cultivators hiding in the shadows. They blend in with the crowds and strike suddenly, making the attack hard to anticipate. And if we miss our shot, they take advantage of the complex terrain to escape. They're too fast for us to catch.
"Some others will hide in distant civilian buildings and use rocket launchers and sniper rifles. Though these weapons aren't very powerful, they're still a pain in the backside.
"We don’t want to use artillery strikes in civilian areas, and we can't dismount to pursue them. As a result, these guys have become increasingly brazen recently."
Chen Chu nodded. "Lieutenant Zhang, I understand. Leave the cultivators to us, and your team can handle the rebel forces."
This was a special cultivation method used by the Federal military, mainly focused on strengthening the body to complement the use of various high-powered firearms. When formed into a group, their firepower was terrifying. However, their individual combat capabilities were lacking, at least before breaking through to the Fourth Heavenly Realm.
Unlike how the martial arts schools aimed at nurturing geniuses, the military emphasized teamwork. The geniuses were picked out during high school, while many who were only of average talent and were unwilling to be an ordinary citizen would choose to enlist.
These were things Zhang Hong had told Chen Chu when he had asked earlier, though he had glossed over the specifics.
Zhang Hong replied politely, "We'll count on you."
Xia Youhui chuckled, "Actually, I prefer charging into a hail of bullets with my battle armor, then smashing those guys flat with my thick shield."
Chen Chu, Liu Feng, and Bai Mu ignored him. Of course he could do that. He was not only wearing battle armor that could withstand ordinary bullets, but also carrying a heavy alloy shield over a dozen centimeters thick. Under such circumstances, even heavy machine gun fire could be blocked.
But could they do the same?
Liu Feng then asked in confusion, "Lieutenant Zhang, aren't there any strong cultivators in the army?"
"Yes, but they’re elite forces, and they aren't here at the moment."
After briefing them on the situation, the squad set out, with the two battle tanks sandwiching the ten armored vehicles. Chen Chu and his companions sat in the open-top vehicles at the front and rear.
Soon, the armored convoy left the military-controlled urban areas and arrived in the outskirts, where rows of low-rise houses lined the streets.
They were greeted with a desolate and lifeless scene. After three months of chaos, the city's economy had completely crashed. Only a few vendors were selling daily necessities on the roadside. Though there were some people on the streets, most of them hurried past, with their faces pale and malnourished.
As the armored convoy passed by, the onlookers' faces immediately showed fear and respect, while some children curiously looked at the soldiers in the vehicles.
Especially the four figures on the open-top off-road vehicles at the front and rear, clad in black battle armor. Their tall and imposing figures drew even more attention.
This was the significance of the patrol squad—deterrence. When the citizens saw the federal army patrolling every day, while the rebel forces hid in the dark like rats, their support for the rebels would start to shrink.
In addition, the Federal army was only responsible for suppressing the chaos long enough for a new governing body composed of local residents to be established. Once this was achieved, and the various legal systems became favorable to the civilians, the rebel forces would have nowhere to hide, as they would become the enemy of the entirety of Kyrola.
The rebel forces understood this, which was why they had been causing chaos together with the cultists recently, trying to prevent and delay the inevitable.
Soon, the convoy entered a narrow street with pedestrians and low-rise houses on both sides. Chen Chu's expression changed slightly as he stood on the off-road vehicle, sensing imminent danger.
"Look out!" With a low shout, he leaped off the off-road vehicle. Just as he spoke, a rocket roared from over thirty meters away, disregarding the lives of the ordinary people nearby.
But at that moment, a small device on the first battle tank emitted a red light. As the light passed onto the rocket, it exploded in mid-air.
Boom!
A blazing fireball erupted, and the powerful shockwave mixed with metal fragments swept across a radius of over ten meters. Two civilians nearby screamed in horror as they were caught in the blast.
Glancing at the small device on the tank, Chen Chu's eyes flashed with surprise. Then, he shouted, "Thirty-five meters away, leave that person to me."
With that, his leg muscles swelled slightly, and with a surge of strength, he burst into terrifying speed, crossing over thirty meters in an instant like a shadow.
Bang!
Chen Chu landed on the bricks, leaping onto the roof of a two-story building.
There, a middle-aged man with dark skin hurriedly dropped the rocket launcher in fear. He reached for the automatic rifle hanging in front of his chest, preparing to shoot at Chen Chu.
Swish!
With a sharp slash, Chen Chu’s saber tore through the air, and in a flash, the man was slain.
Boom!
At the same moment, the wall of the stairwell on the side collapsed, and a burly figure emerged from the smoke and dust, rushing towards Chen Chu with a strong murderous aura.
The convoy was attacked again from behind. Several agile figures leaped into the air from the panicked crowd, aiming to attack the soldiers inside the armored vehicles. Seeing this, Xia Youhui and the others jumped off as well, their vitality bursting forth as they moved to intercept the attackers.
At the same time, many rebel soldiers with guns emerged from the surrounding houses while shooting everywhere, causing chaos.
It was clearly a premeditated ambush.
Countless pieces of debris splattered against Chen Chu’s battle armor, making crackling sounds. Amid the smoke and dust, sparks flew as he blocked the incoming attack with both hands on his saber, then swung it with a fierce gust of wind.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
The sharp sound of the saber tearing through the air was piercing to the ear. Both blades were rushing against the air, the friction emitting a red glow as they collided and sent dazzling sparks flying everywhere.
Boom!
Suddenly, the burly figure rolled out from the smoke and dust, landing on the edge of the roof twenty feet away.
"How is this possible? Isn’t he supposed to be a new recruit who just reached the Second Heavenly Realm?" The burly man, with a large cleaver in hand, had a serious expression, his eyes filled with disbelief as he looked ahead.
There, Chen Chu stood with his saber, his eyes cold. "Another cultivator at the peak of the Second Heavenly Realm. But you're not a cultist."
Unlike the cultist he had killed yesterday, this person had displayed an extremely solid foundation during the fight just now. Both his physique and true power had reached the peak of the Second Heavenly Realm, giving him a terrifying strength of nearly four thousand kilograms in a single punch. The density of his true power was no lower than Chen Chu's, either, and he was very proficient with that cleaver, exchanging over ten moves with Chen Chu in an instant without falling behind.
If it had been Xia Youhui or Liu Feng facing him, that attack just now would have succeeded in injuring or even killing them. Unfortunately for him, he had encountered Chen Chu, whose intuition had sensed the hidden danger as soon as he had leaped onto the roof.
Chen Chu's eyes slowly turned red, filled with the intent to kill. It didn’t matter if the man was a cultist or not; he would rather kill first and ask questions later.