In a hollow on Zhang Mountain, where the Iron Chain Gang had once built their defensive positions, the ground was littered with the corpses of gang mbers, most of them dismbered.
The fortifications and bunkers here remained largely intact, as the Molan Company had never launched a direct assault.
These defenses were only designed to handle enemies approaching from the ground below. They were completely useless against the Combat Mantises, which could fly, leap through the mountain jungles, and adapt to any terrain.
Furthermore, the Combat Mantises employed tactics. One group would draw attention from the front while another circled around from the rear and flanks to attack.
Because the positions were built to face forward, and the Iron Chain Gang mbers couldn’t be said to have much combat discipline, they were completely defenseless against attacks from other directions.
After the Combat Mantises’ surprise attack, the Blood Ink Guard stord the position. They were unfazed by conventional firearms, and with movents nearly too fast for the naked eye to follow, they broke through the defensive line in a matter of monts.
As for the gang mbers inside the bunkers, a canister of nerve agent tossed through an opening as they passed was all it took to leave everyone inside paralyzed and dead.
This complex of fortifications, which in the past could have held off thousands of troops, was dismantled in just over ten minutes. Of course, this was also related to the Iron Chain Gang having no artillery and poor combat proficiency.
But even if they had possessed all of that, there was little they could have done against the all-terrain Combat Mantises and the super-humanly fast Blood Ink Guard.
To put it bluntly, these weapons and fortifications were designed for old-fashioned armies of ordinary n. They offered no resistance to modern, heavily ard rapid-response squads and combat machines.
However, there were fewer Iron Chain Gang mbers here than expected—less than two hundred. The Iron Chain Gang was a massive organization with tens of thousands of mbers; they should have been able to muster a thousand elites.
The Molan Company personnel analyzed the situation and concluded that the Iron Chain Gang probably wasn’t willing to die for their superiors. They were rely going through the motions, which was why they had stationed so few people here.
In any case, they had made it. The plan was already more than halfway to success.
This location guarded the narrowest and most easily traversed flat passage in this mountain range. Once it was breached, all their personnel passed through the mountains quickly, taking less than an Hour.
As they erged from the valley mouth, a gentle, sixty-ter-high earthen slope appeared before them. The five directors walked to the top and gazed out at the boundless Great Wilderness. Standing there, they felt as if they held the entire world in their grasp.
Their destination was the Land of Chaos, two thousand kiloters away. Once there, with the power at their disposal, they could re-establish the Molan Kingdom.
However, they had no intention of walking there.
"They’re here."
After a short wait, one of the directors noticed two large, gleaming silver Airships flying toward them from a certain direction. As they drew closer, those with sharp eyes could already make out the spinning propellers at their sterns.
These were two large, rigid Airships that the Molan Company had secretly built in the Northwest Mountain Area. After loading critical equipnt, each Airship could still carry over two hundred people, enough to transport the majority of their forces to the Land of Chaos within a day.
A Po Tower had already been constructed at the base of this slope, arranged by their mole inside the Iron Chain Gang. The Iron Chain Gang’s Upper Layer had previously been persuaded by the mole to build a small Airship and an accompanying factory. The gang’s leadership saw this as their own escape route, a way to retreat when the ti ca.
But they never knew that this was all intentionally arranged by Molan. Even the technology and materials were secretly provided by them. Now, everything—including the nearby Airship factory and the Airship itself—had been taken over by Molan’s people, making their evacuation plan even more convenient and well-supported.
"The pursuers won’t arrive for another Hour at the earliest. We’ve set up a simple defensive position below. No matter how they chase us, they won’t be able to catch up," one of the directors said.
"Once we reach the Land of Chaos, the Molan Company will be rebuilt there."
"Yes. The chaotic land will provide it with enough nutrients. A new Molan will blossom there."
But just as the directors were envisioning their future, the operations room at the Yangzhi City Patrol Headquarters erupted into chaos.
They had just received the news. After all, there was no way they could have missed the movent of such large Airships.
"Airships that big, and you didn’t notice a thing? What are you people paid for?" soone shouted accusingly.
A Civil Servant wiped cold sweat from his forehead with a handkerchief and explained, "We knew the Molan Company had a hot-air balloon factory there, but we thought it was just for tourism. We never imagined it was actually an Airship factory..."
’It was so remote, out in the mountains, completely disconnected from Yangzhi City. Besides, the mountains are far more dangerous than the city. Who would have gone all the way out there for an inspection for no good reason?’
"Specialist Cao, what do we do now? The people we sent can’t possibly catch up."
With that question, all eyes in the room turned to Specialist Cao. He was, after all, the person in charge of this matter.
Specialist Cao said in a low voice, "There’s no need to pursue them."
"What?"
Specialist Cao looked outside and slowly repeated, "There’s no need to pursue them."
At the border between the Great Wilderness and Zhang Mountain, the Molan Company personnel began to gather at the Airship factory built by the Iron Chain Gang. They needed to inflate the small Airship inside while waiting at the mooring point outside for the two large Airships to land.
"Manager Cui, what are you doing? Who are you radioing?"
A company employee looked curiously at Cui Hong, the deputy security manager. He was sitting off to the side by himself, transmitting a ssage on a radio set.
Cui Hong replied casually, "It’s nothing. Just radioing our colleagues in the Land of Chaos who are waiting to receive us."
Seeing his relaxed deanor, the employee didn’t suspect anything. After all, even if he were radioing Yangzhi City, it would be useless. Their people couldn’t possibly make it in ti.
’Riding a vessel like that to the Land of Chaos... it must feel like a Celestial God descending from the heavens.’
anwhile, twenty kiloters away, parked on a series of circular railway tracks, were fourteen 270mm large-caliber railway guns. They had been moved into position beforehand, prepared over three days, and their bases were now securely anchored.
The gunnery crews had already calculated the firing solutions, and all the muzzles were aid at the area where the Molan Company personnel were currently located.
The army from Cold Valley City had spent a year building the railway to this point. In the future, the track would be extended all the way to Yangzhi City, connecting Cold Valley City and Yangzhi City by land.
At this very mont, a radio operator received the long-awaited telegram and imdiately notified the supre commander of the operation.
The officer, wearing a peaked service cap, looked toward the mountain silhouettes in the south, picked up the phone, and said in a low, grave voice, "Relay my order. Fire on the designated target!"
"Fire!"
"Fire!"
"Fire!"
"..."
As the order was passed down, the fourteen railway guns let out a deafening roar. For an instant, ti seed to freeze. Then the earth began to tremble violently, and the air was instantly filled with thick smoke.
After sending his ssage, Cui Hong leisurely pulled out a cigarette and lit it with an air of enjoynt. He then handed a written telegram to the company employee next to him. "Go deliver this ssage to the five directors."
The employee took it, overjoyed. ’This is a chance to make a good impression on the five directors! It’s a rare opportunity.’ He said gratefully, "Thank you, Manager."
"Mm, go on."
Cui Hong slowly exhaled a puff of smoke, took off his Molan Company cap, and replaced it with an old cap he had been carrying. He then pinned an insignia of the Dashun Republic to his chest and looked up at the sky.
"What a blue sky..."
The employee ran eagerly toward the five directors but was quickly stopped by the Blood Ink Guard. He could only wave the telegram in his hand and shout, "Directors! A telegram from the Land of Chaos! Deputy Manager Cui asked to deliver it to you."
The words "Land of Chaos" imdiately caught the directors’ attention, but they were puzzled. They hadn’t asked Cui Hong to handle this matter, and it should have been the intelligence departnt’s responsibility anyway.
A trace of vigilance and suspicion appeared in their eyes. They imdiately had soone go and retrieve the ssage.
At the sa ti, they glanced outside. All the Blood Ink Guards were standing watch by their sides, dutifully protecting them. This gave them a great sense of security. ’As long as these n are here, nothing can go wrong.’
Once the telegram was confird to be safe, it was brought over. One of the directors took it and read the ssage: "Cui Hong, Special Agent of the General Affairs Bureau, codena Lone Goose, sends his regards. I wish you all a pleasant journey."
The director’s pupils contracted violently. An imnse sense of dread suddenly seized his heart. But just as he was about to speak, at that very mont, the artillery shells—which had been in the air for a full half-minute—finally landed.
BOOM!
The shells not only blanketed the entire area but also detonated all the hydrogen stored in the Airship factory, sending a massive fireball rolling into the sky!
The muffled sound of the explosion carried all the way to Yangzhi City, clearly audible to everyone. It even made windows hum and shake dust from their fras.
"Specialist Cao?"
"Specialist Cao, was that..."
Specialist Cao offered no explanation. He simply gazed northward and silently removed his hat. He wasn’t the only one; all the General Affairs Bureau personnel in the room did the sa.
Most people didn’t understand why, but so realized what it ant, and a solemn expression ca over their faces.
After half a minute, Specialist Cao put his hat back on. He walked to the side, picked up the phone, and said in a low voice, "Order the teams to advance at full speed. Eradicate all visible hostiles!"
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