Chapter 181: Entering the City! Jinling!

Chapter 181 – Marching to the City! Jinling!

At the same time, in the woods between Lai'an Town and Xuyi.

The queen, disheveled, was helped by a guard onto a stone that had been swept clean; her splendid robes were completely stained with mud and dust, and even her face bore fresh scratches of blood from thorns.

Gazing at the distant inferno still raging from the ammunition’s self‑detonation, an unspeakable sorrow etched itself upon her visage.

‘They’re all dead now. Our objective, at least, can be said to have been fulfilled.’

‘Those warriors utterly consumed by the drug, they—’

The queen suddenly fell silent, then with a fierce swing she smashed a nearby tree trunk, gritting her teeth as she shouted:

‘Who are they, exactly?! Who are these so‑called Huaxia troops?!’

‘We bear no grievance against them!’

‘Again and again! Why must they always oppose us?!’

‘We have never harmed their interests! What does our assault on Jinling have to do with them?!’

‘Even if they also covet Jinling, they should at least reveal their intentions to us!’

‘Why can’t we negotiate? Why is there not even the simplest notice??’

‘They—’

‘No need to say more, Your Majesty.’

The queen wanted to continue, but the equally disheveled strategist beside her cut her off.

A hint of self‑mockery flickered in his eyes before he spoke:

‘Do you inform an ant before you crush it?’

‘To those so‑called Huaxia forces, we are nothing more than ants.’

‘The weapons they wield have never existed in this world—no, even the treasury of Huadu possessed similar arms, but they have long since fallen into ruin.’

‘It must be treasure from the Jinling ruins; we were simply a step too slow.’

‘Now, the chance has slipped away.’

‘All we can do is wait.’

‘Those weapons will eventually break, and their ammunition will run out in due time.’

‘When that moment arrives, we will finally have a chance.’

‘You are deceiving yourself.’

The queen drew a deep breath and said:

‘A single, ruined treasury has already brought decades of prosperity to Huadu.’

‘If they were to unlock a complete treasury, do you think we would still have any chance?’

‘It is all over. I should have seen this coming.’

‘Return, return to Huadu.’

‘At least there we will not be subject to their attacks.’

‘Alas, those secrets may forever remain beyond our reach.’

Speaking, the queen rose to her feet.

The terrible images she had witnessed continued to flash through her mind.

Machines raining fire from the sky, war‑cars tearing across the ground, dense curtains of flame, perfectly accurate shells—

She had once believed herself a genius.

With only the scant fragments left in the treasury, she had deduced the secret of war.

Now she saw that her notion of ‘war’ was nothing at all like true war.

Huadu’s army was merely a shade stronger than the Mechanical Cult.

Yet against the so‑called Huaxia forces, an insurmountable chasm yawned.

Perhaps the only thing she could truly boast of was a keener, more refined ‘timidity.’

Had she not ordered an immediate withdrawal upon discovering that war‑car, and even left a sizable contingent of high‑ranking chancellors and generals in Lai'an Town as bait, she might not have escaped unscathed herself.

With that thought, the queen’s mood grew ever more somber.

For the first time in her life, she yearned to try the drug that promised boundless exhilaration.

It was said to erase all fear from the heart and amplify pleasure without limit.

And that was precisely what she needed most.

She looked toward the distance, where the Imperial Guard’s soldiers were inhaling the drug to replenish their strength.

Pale blue vapour drifted lazily; instinctively she moved to approach, but the strategist at her side suddenly seized her arm.

‘Stop.’

The strategist said gravely:

‘It is not over yet.’

‘Perhaps we should consider another method.’

‘If we cannot seize it, let us try an exchange.’

On the other side, within the Bantha Town defensive line.

The processing of prisoners had already begun in earnest; civilians once swept up by Huadu boarded the 30A shuttle, and in an instant became victors, rivaling a certain nation in the Second World War.

Moreover, their conduct fit the patterns of history perfectly.

When dealing with those ‘enemies’ of Huadu, they proved even more ruthless than the Huaxia troops or the Mechanical Cult; even if the opponent laid down arms and surrendered, any hint of unrest among the prisoners prompted the civilians to swarm, cutting them down mercilessly with cold steel.

Chen Jian even thought that, had he not issued the order ‘Do not indiscriminately kill prisoners’ and had the surrounding unmanned combat drones not be watching hungrily, those civilians might have devoured the last few hundred Huadu soldiers alive.

After all, in less than half a month they had already endured suffering deep enough to justify such cruelty.

Let them hack away.

After all, those Huadu folk, poisoned for an unknown length of time, have long been guilty of every misdeed; even if this world possessed a military tribunal, they would still face the death penalty.

Thus, while the fundamental rules could not be broken, Chen Jian turned a blind eye to this venting of rage.

Especially after learning that those Huadu people had even planned to ‘revel’ in Jinling, even to ‘lay waste to the city,’ his conscience felt no weight.

It was almost comical.

What is called virtue and vice finally receiving its due?

No deity will judge you, but when the iron fists of the people strike your heads, your cries of pain will be too late.

Chen Jian surveyed the makeshift ‘prisoner camp,’ and once he was certain the Huadu had no capacity for resistance or revolt, he finally exhaled a long sigh.

He turned to He Shuo beside him and said:

‘Now that is truly finished.’

‘A force of over two thousand, almost all elite; this time Huadu’s losses should surpass even those of the Mechanical Cult.’

“Within a short span, they are unlikely to muster a large‑scale assault.”

“This chaotic skirmish may be considered to have drawn its curtain; now, what follows”

“Commander!”

Before Chen Jian could finish his sentence, Zeng Yi's voice crackled over the radio:

“I've located the commander of the Guard Brigade we met last time; he wishes to see you!”

The Guard Brigade commander?

The one named Jin Zhong?

He's actually at the front lines?

Wasn't this kid just back from Unit 011?

What now, sent again into the front to meet his end?

Chen Jian couldn't help feeling a pang of sorrow for the other side; after a brief contemplation, he spoke:

“Bring him here; let's hear what he has to say.”

“Understood!”

Zeng Yi gave a terse reply. Minutes later, Jin Zhong, having shed his full armor, followed Zeng Yi and stood before Chen Jian.

Before Chen Jian could react, he suddenly dropped to one knee.

Then, in a low yet sincere voice, he began:

“I thank you for your mercy and fidelity, sir!”

Chen Jian, eyes on Jin Zhong's chest still bleeding profusely, couldn't help but frown and ask:

“You're wounded so badly and yet you don't retreat to the city for treatment—aren't you afraid to die here?”

Jin Zhong lifted his head, exhaled a long breath, and replied:

“If it weren't for you, I would have died more than once already.”

“Likewise, if it weren't for you, the citizens of Jinling”

“could have been.”

Chen Jian cut him off, then said:

“Spare me the flowery rhetoric; speak plainly—what do you intend?”

“I am here to lead you into the city.”

Jin Zhong answered without hesitation, while Chen Jian, a touch surprised, asked:

“Is this by order of your saint?”

“No.”

Jin Zhong shook his head and replied:

“The saint has not yet issued a command, yet I know you will inevitably enter the city.”

“I am willing to have the Guard Brigade guide your way.”

“At least this may soothe the panic among the city's populace, even if only a little.”

“Please understand, the Guard Brigade does not seek credit; it is merely that the civilians are on edge, and the appearance of unfamiliar troops would inevitably unleash irreparable chaos.”

“Moreover, your forces are somewhat overly”

“Enough.”

Chen Jian interrupted Jin Zhong again, then teased:

“Your excuse for being the path‑finder is oddly fresh and unpretentious.”

“Nevertheless, your conduct merits praise—the organization will remember your contribution.”

“Alright, assemble your troops and then lead the way.”

“The others, prepare and deploy the cellular network stations; let Fuxi command a sufficient fleet of unmanned combat units to monitor the POW camp, along with other personnel and equipment.”

“Follow me into the city!”

“Understood!”

“Copy that!”

Replies crackled through the radio, and He Shuo, standing beside Chen Jian, suddenly asked:

“And after we enter the city?”

“What are we to do once inside?”

Chen Jian gave a faint smile and answered:

“After we enter the city…”

“The first task, of course, is to have Fuxi command the robots to sweep the streets clean for the common folk.”

(End of Chapter)