Chapter 144: The Pulsation of Steel

Chapter 144: The Pulse of Steel

Before the aerial bomb detonated, Chen Jian swiftly led his squad to withdraw according to the original plan, moving beyond the Anqing ruins.

They had no intention of taking advantage of the enemy's disordered formation to launch a sneak attack; instead, they carefully concealed all traces, leaving only two drones to alternate reconnaissance.

Even so, the damage they inflicted upon the horrors within Anqing was already astonishing.

Through the drones' perspective, everyone clearly saw the horrific scene when the massive explosion occurred.

The blast's shockwave hurled nearly every horror within its radius into the air, their bodies crushed by overwhelming force, bones snapping, tendons tearing, blood spraying everywhere.

The ground became a sea of fire, and the air instantly filled with thick gunpowder smoke and a scorched stench.

The horrors' cries and agonized groans were completely drowned by the explosion's aftermath; shrapnel struck unprotected flesh, tearing it apart in an instant.

And after the blast, the survivors lost their bearings, able only to struggle amidst the chaos.

Their clothing was shredded, their bodies covered in wounds.

Their eyes were blinded, their ears deafened; they emitted terrified shrieks into the air, yet could hear nothing themselves.

These sounds echoed in the night, yet whether it was a scorched body or a shattered corpse, they seemed to foretell the end of their fate.

The mangled limbs and torsos of over a hundred horrors lay scattered across the scorched earth; once driven forward by hatred and lust, they now left only ruin behind.

This bombardment was not merely a physical mauling of the horrors, but a complete shattering of their will.

The horror horde, already lacking high organization, immediately teetered on the brink of collapse; many even defied their leader's orders and their bloodthirsty instinct for the first time, fleeing backward in a desperate bid for survival.

They collided with the horrors still pressing forward, and the rout spread like a contagion; just as their fighting spirit within the An was about to be utterly shaken, a shaken, brutal yet effective repression began.

The leader, at the head of their finest blood‑skull underlings, charged the fleeing troops; in a single clash, over a hundred horrors fell to the claws, fangs, and gunfire of their own kind.

Blood once again soaked the ground, yet this time the blood‑skulls could not lay their grudge upon any foe.

After a few minutes, the turmoil caused by the great explosion finally subsided.

They regrouped, attempting to continue tracking the enemy's trail.

But how could that be possible?

Chen Jian had long since led his squad several kilometers away, far beyond the range of the Anqing ruins.

Not a single horror dared to leave on a whim.

Their teeth had been knocked out, yet they could only swallow them down with blood.

An unprecedented sense of helplessness permeated the Anqing ruins; even those horrors whose minds were too simple to grasp complex orders experienced, for the first time, a highly refined emotion.

Frustration.

They realized that death was not an inevitable consequence of failure.

Yet repeated failures led them to doubt whether they still had any chance of success.

The blood god's blessing did not descend, while the enemy easily toyed with the blood god's servants in the palm of their hand.

Corpses littered the battlefield, yet the skull‑thrones stood empty.

Perhaps they worshipped a stronger god?

The blood god would not abandon its followers, so this is likely the only explanation.

Thus, a bloody sacrifice, using the flesh and blood of kin as offering, swiftly unfolded within the Anqing ruins.

Through the drones, everyone saw the horrors severing each other's heads and devouring each other's brains.

The crimson fluid mingled with the white, viscous substance, a sight that made one want to vomit.

Even the well‑traveled Ji Xing could not help but push aside the PDA before him and then speak:

"I have never before witnessed such a large‑scale blood‑skull sacrifice."

"They have gone completely mad; they can no longer even be called blood‑skulls, for they have mutated into far more terrifying monsters."

"What is happening to them is as if the last shred of their reason has been destroyed."

"Could the explosion have damaged their brains?"

"No."

Chen Jian shook his head and said:

"It's not the explosion; it's drugs."

"Those who inhale ice already have ruined minds; let alone these blood‑skulls that never had brains to begin with."

"You're partly right; they have mutated into even more horrible monsters, and therefore they must be eradicated."

"It's also time for the Machine God Church to act. He Shuo, what's happening over in Anqing City?"

"The Protectors of the Faith are mustering."

He Shuo replied:

"An artillery unit has completed its assembly; at least four hundred Protectors of the Faith are now aboard steamships heading toward the Anqing ruins."

"This must be their vanguard, just as they did in Huangshi City."

"Based on their marching speed, they should reach the outskirts of the Anqing ruins in two hours and establish a forward outpost."

"Moreover, I have noticed holy‑blooded ones departing from within Anqing City, crossing the river and then proceeding overland toward Anqing City."

"These holy‑blooded individuals are likely all scouts; they move swiftly and cannot be tracked."

"There's no need to track them."

Chen Jian nodded and then said:

"Focus on monitoring the movements of the Machine God Church."

"They are undoubtedly organizing a large‑scale offensive; this is our prime opportunity to observe them."

"Raise the drones' altitude and take care not to be spotted."

"If we can"

"Wait!"

Before Chen Jian could finish his sentence, He Shuo suddenly spoke:

"A new unit has appeared within Anqing City."

"It's the Holy Hall Guard Brigade!"

Chen Jian instantly turned his gaze to the tactical visor displaying the drone's feed; upon seeing those clad in heavy armor, wielding automatic weapons—those tin cans—he finally exhaled in relief.

It was indeed the Holy Hall Guard Brigade, no mistake.

Once this brigade appears, it means the Machine God Church must inevitably reveal its trump card.

They intend to break into Anqing City; all our prior plans and preparations have finally borne fruit.

Thus, Chen Jian decisively issued the order:

"Everyone, ready your equipment and proceed west along the predetermined route to the western flank of the Anqing ruins."

"If they are about to act, then so must we."

Once they start fighting, we’ll rush into the Anqing ruins and slaughter every Huadu person there.

Remember, our target is the central hospital.

If a Blood Skull leader turns to attack us

then we’ll take them all out!

Understood!

Understood! the team replied in unison, and the squad, having barely rested, sprang back into motion toward their objective.

While maneuvering toward the predetermined assembly point, Chen Jian kept watch over every move of the Machine God Sect through the drone’s feed.

This was the first time he truly observed the Machine God Sect’s combat operations from a strategic viewpoint, and it made him realize that their rise to such prominence in this world was no fluke.

A massive steam locomotive hauled a flatcar laden with artillery over the rough road, its steel smokestack belching unburned coal dust and sparks.

The sky was shrouded in thick smoke; the steam priest’s soot‑blackened face pressed against the pressure gauge, his clouded eyes reflecting the frantic dance of the scarlet needle.

“The machine soul needs more fresh air!”

The priest’s roar resonated with the relief valve’s shriek; several machinists lunged for the blower, frantically spinning the huge wheel to force air into the emergency ducts.

Flames erupted from the smokestack, and the steam locomotive surged forward with tremendous power.

The thunderous meshing of gears rose like a grand symphony, urging the faithful of the Holy Trinity to fall into line and advance.

They swiftly reached the assault position, and all combatants began to form up.

Clad in immaculate steel plate, the Sanctum Guard Brigade raised their weapons and intoned their unique battle chant.

“Gears inscribe the holy circumference, steel’s veins pulse as before (as before!)”

“Oil of burnt offering poured into the valve, the iron womb bears redemption (redemption!)”

“Let the heretics hear our roar, let the shot tear their entrails.”

“The pressure gauge is the holy eye, the mercury column’s rise and fall measures the sin count (sin count!)”

”

When the hymn ended, the Sanctum Guard Brigade stepped onto the battlefield in perfect unison.

With rifles in hand and side‑carried longswords and steel spears, they swept the wandering demons from the vicinity, clearing the entire area in a brief span.

Under the cover of the Sanctum Guard, the rear artillery arrived smoothly and deployed.

The artillery priest swung the censer, splashing the captives’ blood, offering the final benediction to the gun’s machine spirit before the battle.

Then, amid a few roars, the smoothbore cannon’s muzzle belched fire.

Heavy shells arced toward the distant demon encampment, while the artillery priest clutched a radio, attentively listening to guidance from the far‑off Holy Blood scouts.

“Traverse the gun right by one quarter of a point!”

He bellowed the order, and the machinists moved in unison, finely adjusting the gun’s aim.

“Boom! Boom!”

Another volley thundered, and the demon camp was instantly blanketed by a dozen or so shells.

The enemy finally stirred, yet the Sanctum Guard, already advanced a hundred meters ahead, stood like an iron wall, blocking the demons’ advance.

Behind them, the Church Militant arrayed themselves in a tight formation, wielding assorted weapons.

To the commander’s anthem, the line fired its projectiles in orderly succession.

“Pistons reciprocate! Chamber a round!”

“Pull the trigger, let the machine soul roar!”

“Bang!”

“Bang!”

The rifle fire merged into a near‑continuous roar, and after one round, any demons attempting a flank attack were instantly swept away.

They lacked the terrifying automatic fire of the Chinese army, yet, unharassed and undisturbed by long‑range barrages, their precisely tuned formation unleashed tremendous power!

The steam flatcar kept advancing, with machinists forging ahead to clear the path.

And just as this mighty host was about to crush its foes, the Blood Skull chieftain finally appeared.

They perceived the difference between this force and the one that had previously assaulted them, weighed it briefly, and resolved to attack again.

Although they knew assault meant casualties, this time they finally faced a familiar foe within their comprehension.

The battle‑directing archpriest spotted the leader erupting from the woods; after a long bellow, the Sanctum Guard Brigade instantly tightened its formation and charged straight at the first chieftain.

Gunfire erupted in a wall; the monster’s claws shredded the steel armor, yet simultaneously the massive barrels took aim at its body.

“Boom!”

A projectile larger than an egg shot forth amid smoke and flame, its tremendous impact staggering the beast.

Unlike the cautious Church Militant, the Sanctum Guard’s warriors hurled themselves forward without fear, closing to point‑blank range to assault the monster’s leader.

Grenades were flung incessantly, and rocket launchers spewed tongues of flame.

Their aim was still wanting, yet under the barrage two rockets grazed the creature’s flesh, and the searing heat alone tore away its hide.

The beast shrieked, leapt high into the air, then crashed back down among the throng.

Its lanky form weaved through the Sanctum Guard’s ranks like a hammer’s arm, flipping one tin can after another.

Yet its solitary thrust deep into the line exacted a heavy toll.

As countless projectiles lodged in its body, its movements slowed.

Meanwhile, the Sanctum Guard’s countless spears had already driven toward its skull.

In ancient times, humans once hunted mammoths with spears.

And when confronting this humanoid monster, smaller than a mammoth, the Sanctum Guard employed the same tactic to slay it utterly.

Blood poured forth; the monster’s corpse lay sprawled on the ground, twitching incessantly.

The Guard’s heavy footsteps crushed the monster’s skull, then turned to face the next foe.

The rear artillery train pressed forward, the Church Militant in the lead and the ordinary city militia behind; the Machine God Sect’s battle formation resembled a massive arrowhead aimed at the heart of the Anqing ruins.

The forward‑scouting Holy Bloods also played their part, drawing several leaders away with harassment, preventing the chieftains from launching a massed charge that would overwhelm the Guard.

This human contingent gained the upper hand in its fight against the demons, while a Chinese army squad several kilometers away readied its own assault.

“The Machine God Sect is about to collapse.”

Chen Jian spoke:

“The Holy Bloods’ delaying of the demon chieftains is limited; those leaders will soon realize that chasing these uncapturable mice is pointless.”

“They will launch an assault on the Machine God Sect’s main force, and at that moment the Sect’s sluggish battle formation will shatter under the impact.”

“Time is short; we must seize the opportunity.”

“If we attack the central hospital, we will quickly draw the demon chieftains’ attention.”

“The tactic is simple.”

“We’ll first charge into the hospital, sweep clean all the flower people there, then turn back to meet the returning demon lord!”

“Now, everyone, move out!”

“They fought well indeed; our battle is about to begin!”

“Understood!”

(End of Chapter)