Chapter 137: You Call This Combat Reconnaissance??

Chapter 137: You call this combat reconnaissance??

The ultra-high lethality and extreme range brought by heavy weapons gave Chen Jian's squad ample safe space; after deciding to retreat, everyone immediately began executing the prearranged tactical maneuvers.

Lei Ge laid down suppressing fire with the automatic grenade launcher on the vital routes, Li Shi held the rear to block and suppress, Chen Jian unfolded his weapon rack ready to decapitate any approaching leader, while the others piled into the vehicle and sped away, stopping at the designated rendezvous point to provide cover.

The cat‑vehicle’s high speed coupled with abundant firepower made the withdrawal proceed without a hitch.

The swift demons could not withstand the squad’s heavy fire, and the leaders who could endure the fire could not catch the cat‑vehicle.

Even if one or two monsters gave chase nearby, upon seeing Chen Jian’s team tear apart three leader demons in an instant, they lost the courage to rush forward, instead howling from afar, hoping the rest of the demons would go first to draw fire.

But by this point, the chaos of the demons inside the Anqing ruins had already reached an unstoppable level.

Command might still have some effect, yet truly effective command was impossible.

The vast majority of demons had been dragged along, losing their will to fight; fear, confusion, and anger overwhelmed their bloodlust, and some even surged toward the central hospital, attacking the Huadu people who had already been left demoralized by a few mortar shells.

Compared to the demons, they were still, after all, human!

And as long as they were human, their blood was inevitably more tempting than that of the demons.

The situation grew ever more uncontrollable; the demons’ external battle in the Anqing ruins suddenly turned into an internal conflict—a development even Chen Jian had not foreseen.

Those leaders were forced to abandon the pursuit, rushing instead toward the central hospital to try to protect the Huadu people with whom they had vital cooperation.

Out of self‑preservation, the Huadu people scattered vast quantities of white crystals, then, disregarding any effect, set them ablaze.

The moment the white smoke rose, the demons became even more agitated.

Yet in the end, their attacks gradually ceased.

——

But by then, Chen Jian’s squad had already withdrawn several kilometers, even crossed the bridge and reached the opposite bank.

“Should we blow up the bridge?”

Lei Ge asked.

“No!”

Chen Jian immediately shook his head and replied,

“If we blow the bridge, how will they get over? If they can’t come, how can we lure the disaster eastward?”

“Let’s set up camp right here and ambush any stray demons that come after us.”

“We are definitely going to put on a show here, so the people of Anqing can see exactly what we’re fighting for!”

“Control the use of weapons; don’t let the battle become one‑sided.”

“If we fight hard, they will feel the crisis.”

“When they feel the crisis, our later plans will be easier to execute.”

“Understood!”

The squad members nodded in mutual understanding, while at that moment the pursuing demons had already reached the far shore of the river.

It was merely a scattered handful, no more than fifty in number.

Yet this time the squad found the fight extraordinarily difficult.

Even after Xing Ji had circled a large loop and returned, the heavily armored Li Shi was still shielding Chen Jian as they battled a dozen or so freshly arrived demons.

She stared, dumbfounded, at the scene, not even grasping for a moment what Chen Jian intended.

Meanwhile, the turmoil inside Anqing city had begun to subside.

Chen Jian sensed the moment had arrived and gave the order decisively:

“Per the original grouping, the first team will carry the main equipment and withdraw south under cover.”

“The second team follows me into the Anqing urban district to continue the next phase of the plan.”

“No more delays—quick and decisive!”

“Understood!”

In an instant, gunfire erupted.

The demons that had been locked in a grueling stalemate with the squad suddenly sensed that the wind had shifted.

But they had no time to react before a hail of vicious bullets engulfed them, leaving only a field of corpses.

Half an hour later, Chen Jian successfully led his team out of the combat and began advancing toward the Anqing urban area.

Ji Xing occasionally glanced back toward the ruins, wanting to ask something but not knowing how to begin.

Chen Jian noticed her expression and spoke up: “You performed your task excellently; in fact, you played a rather crucial role.”

“In this battle, you are a hero.”

“So don’t hold back—ask whatever you want to ask.”

Hero?

A wry smile flickered across Ji Xing’s face.

If this had been the past, she might truly have felt proud of her brave actions.

But now she had already realized that her modest abilities, in the face of this squad, were essentially insignificant.

What they valued was genuine teamwork; each individual was merely a cog in that great machine.

More importantly, their system would not collapse instantly if one role were missing—perhaps the combat effectiveness would dip, but it would never suffer a crippling blow.

To call herself a hero, then, was really an overestimation.

Even without me, wouldn’t you have left those demons utterly helpless?

At least three fourth‑rank monsters were dispatched with ease.

Although they were not the gargantuan beasts of traditional lore, their combat power and threat were all too real.

And it seemed none of those monsters could withstand more than ten seconds before you.

Ji Xing finally understood how this tiny squad of a few could dare to challenge the thousands of demons in Anqing city.

Yes, they might truly be unable to annihilate the demons there.

But likewise, the demons there had no means to deal with them.

Come when you will, leave when you will.

Entering the Anqing ruins felt like coming home—except they killed the master of the house outright.

Ji Xing let out a long breath and finally asked:

“So this is what you meant by combat reconnaissance?”

“I had thought combat reconnaissance should be a feigned attack to pin down the enemy’s strength, then continually shift position to guarantee our own safety.”

“Instead you just planted yourselves there and killed anyone who came?”

“Can that still be called reconnaissance?”

“Actually, there’s nothing wrong with doing it this way.”

Chen Jian coughed once, then replied:

"Normal combat reconnaissance should of course be carried out as you said, but we have drones that already establish a full situational view, so there's no need to risk enduring enemy attacks."

"We only need to get them moving."

"And indeed, this strategy has worked quite well."

"The enemy's firepower disposition, command ability, and organization have basically been figured out; thereafter, when we strike again, we will hold the initiative."

"Understood."

Ji Xing instinctively glanced upward; the drones in the sky had already descended, and she found nothing.

Yet she couldn't help wondering just how many unknown tactics this small squad around her still possessed.

Where do such people come from?

Perhaps they are actually from Shancheng themselves?

Ji Xing's gaze toward Chen Jian shifted slightly, and at that moment, Anqing City lay before her eyes.

Large numbers of city defense troops and the Machine God Sect's Protector Army had established a line outside the city, sealing off the roads.

Chen Jian gave Zeng Yi a look; the latter, understanding instantly, stepped forward and shouted loudly:

"The terror demons are coming!"

"Please, save us!"

(End of chapter)