Chapter 263: Turning the World Upside Down

Chapter 263: Earth Shaking

On the sixth day after arriving at Base 011, Jin Zhong finally received the mission assigned to him.

The monsters at Shijiu Lake had already landed— not one, but two.

Two massive fourth‑grade beasts.

Moreover, they were trailed by a horde of blood‑skeleton terror demons and a few water wraiths, numbering no fewer than a hundred.

Chen Jian issued the order, demanding that he lead eighty trained guardsmen of the Imperial Guard Brigade to Tai Ping City to intercept and annihilate the monsters.

The first thought that flashed through Jin Zhong’s mind the moment he received the order was “refuse.”

After all, in his view, expecting a mere eighty guardsmen to wipe out such a swarm was an unreasonable burden.

They had no heavy weapons, only rifles and a handful of rocket launchers and grenade launchers?

If only the monsters could be so easily destroyed!

Even if they could win, the odds were that it would be a one‑way trip.

Expected casualties would exceed eighty percent, and whether the beasts could be slain might depend on luck.

All the way, Jin Zhong’s face remained grave, heavy as if it could be twisted to squeeze out water.

The guardsmen beside him shared the same uneasy tremor.

“.Do we really have to go? We’re only partners with them; if the mission is impossible, we could refuse, right?”

Someone whispered, and the soldier opposite shook his head and replied:

“We must go. They rescued us at Jingkou; even if it’s only to repay that favor, we must go.”

“Our wounded brothers are still in New Jinling; if we run, they will die.”

“No matter what we abandon, we must never abandon our brothers.”

“I know, I know. I just feel this mission is no different from a death march.”

The speaking soldier’s eyes flashed a bleak light; after a pause he continued:

“If there were only one fourth‑grade monster, I’m confident I could slay it.”

“If there were two fourth‑grade monsters but not appearing together or from the same direction, we’d have a chance.”

“But now there are two fourth‑grade monsters, attacking from the same direction in coordinated fashion, accompanied by an unknown number of terror demons and water wraiths.”

“I have no idea how to fight a battle like this. By the way, do they really know what to do?”

“Those Huaxia troops, they—”

“They certainly know how to fight!”

The man opposite cut off his lament.

“They have fought more than once, even back at Han River City, when they were at their weakest, they fought more than once.”

“Stop complaining; instead of whining, think about what you’ve learned these past days!”

“Regardless of stance, what they taught is surely useful; otherwise they wouldn’t have made it this far!”

“Silence, and prepare properly!”

As the words fell, the guard who had spoken first let out a long sigh.

He whispered:

“I’m only afraid; this is their conspiracy.”

“They would not resort to such low, sordid methods.”

Jin Zhong sprang to his feet, and a single sentence silenced all debate.

At that moment, the cargo truck had already come to a halt.

He seized the explosive rifle that Chen Jian had specially handed him, then said:

“Everyone, get out of the vehicle.”

“Form your formations as you were taught.”

“The enemy will arrive in half an hour; we must block them.”

“This battle concerns the honor of the Holy Hall Guard Brigade; victory will be ours!”

With that, Jin Zhong flipped himself off the truck and swiftly ordered everyone to disperse outward.

A cold, metallic voice constantly crackled through his radio earpiece, reporting the monsters’ positions without pause.

He kept adjusting the brigade’s formation, arranging the troops into a trapezoid facing the monsters’ “front line,” a shape unlike any conventional array, as Chen Jian had specifically instructed.

“.Your unit’s individual combat power isn’t weak, your willingness to sacrifice is strong, but tactically you’re almost laughable.”

“This time, when intercepting the monsters, abandon your usual triangle or line formations.”

“Listen to me—try the trapezoidal formation, a slanted‑line tactic.”

“It will yield unexpected results, especially when confronting a mix of large and small monsters; the effect will be even more pronounced.”

Chen Jian’s brief admonitions echoed in Jin Zhong’s mind; he didn’t yet know whether the tactic would achieve the intended effect, but he was willing to try.

In the distance, the rumble of monsters striking the ground grew louder, each thunderous crash hammering against Jin Zhong’s heart.

He held a compass to determine direction, cross‑referencing the radio reports, fired a tracer round from his rifle, and ordered:

“Class One, turn thirty degrees to the right, face the direction indicated by the tracer!”

“Classes Two and Three, follow the turn!”

“Classes Four and Five, advance fifty meters forward!”

“Classes Six, Seven, and Eight, maneuver to the flank of Class Five, spread out in loose two‑person squads!”

“The monsters are now two kilometers away; they will not turn again!”

“This is our first position, and also our last!”

“Ignite the flames! Throw grenades! Draw the monsters’ attention!”

“Prepare yourselves! Combat may begin at any moment!”

“Fight for the Holy Trinity!”

“Fight for the Holy Trinity!”

Roars erupted from all directions; Jin Zhong drew a deep breath, suppressing the frantic pounding of his heart.

Smoke and dust began to rise in the forest.

Yet the first thing that appeared before the crowd was not the two fourth‑grade monsters.

It was the terror demons.

Brandishing an assortment of weapons, their bodies slick with blood

the terror demons surged out of the woods, seemingly intent on using a single charge to tear the Guard Brigade’s line apart.

This was the hard‑won experience they had gathered from countless battles against the Crusader Army.

Cowering was useless, and attempting to flank or grapple meant nothing.

If, after paying a certain price, one could rush straight into the ranks of the Crusader Guard, the enemy would crumble in an instant, seized by terror.

That is the sole means to defeat them!

The leading terror‑demon commander brandished his single‑shot rifle, firing at the loose front line; he had already realized that opposite him could not be the heavily‑armored elite legion.

They were merely ordinary Crusader Guards.

This only swelled his confidence, and he could not wait to surge to the front, to taste the first drop of blood and tear off the first head offered to the Blood God.

——

But the moment he exposed himself—

A torrent of savage bullets suddenly ripped his body apart.

He watched, eyes wide, as two rounds pierced his shoulders; then his right arm tore free and fell to the ground.

Staring blankly at the bleeding wound, he instinctively tried to retrieve the arm, only to discover he had lost all ability to move.

A gut‑wounding projectile made his muscles, no different from a human's, convulse violently; a fierce spasm sent him sprawling.

Blood flooded his eyes, tinting his vision a crimson scarlet.

In the final instant before consciousness slipped away, the last image he saw was the Crusader Guards leaping from cover, traversing the jungle in a manner he could not comprehend.

“Rocket launcher! Advance within two hundred meters!”

“All fire! All fire!”

“Reload!”

“Squads Six, Seven, Eight, begin converging toward Squad One! Clear the blood‑bones along the way! Strengthen flank fire!”

Jin Zhong roared out orders without pause; in that moment he finally grasped the power of Chen Jian’s “diagonal assault.”

Indeed, when manpower is scarce, this is the best way to deal with densely packed monsters like the terror demons.

The most compact, heavily‑armed Squads One, Two, and Three swiftly eliminated the charging demon, then advanced in threes to cleave the demon’s front line.

Soon after, the other squads moved forward steadily, coordinating with the vanguard’s assault.

Almost all their attacks came from the flanks; the blood‑bones could not find a true direction of advance. Bullets seemed to rain in from every side—if they turned toward one direction, fire from behind and the sides would still shred them!

With the mighty firepower of the Type‑75 rifle, the first stage of battle unfolded as easily as a leisurely stroll.

Jin Zhong’s confidence swelled, yet he knew this was only the first stage!

Two level‑four monsters now loomed before them.

With only his rifle, he could not possibly—

No, it wasn’t impossible!

Jin Zhong stood dumbfounded, staring at that unbelievable scene in the distance.

Ten three‑person combat teams from three squads scattered in all directions, wielding few “powerful” weapons; not even a soldier with a rocket launcher or a disposable grenade launcher had closed to effective range.

Yet, armed with just over twenty rifles, these men managed to hold the monster at bay!

The relentless hail of bullets never ceased; a soldier who emptied his magazine shouted commands to his brothers, then dropped to the ground and fed fresh rounds into the magazine.

A few seconds later, the gunfire roared again.

“Bang bang bang bang bang—”

No pause, no respite.

Spray‑like bullets might not inflict substantive damage on the thick‑skinned beast, nor even achieve

the effect of a one‑shot kill.

Yet, faced with bullets from all directions, the monster fell into a bewildered, directionless stupor.

It raged in place, flailing its claws at the irritating “flies” that attacked it, to no avail.

Jin Zhong felt a faint sense that he had grasped some essential truth.

But at that moment he had no time for further contemplation.

He lifted the grenade launcher.

Aimed, triggered.

“Bang!”

“Boom!”

A modest explosion erupted atop the monster’s skull.

Then came the second shot, then the third.

Its scaled armor tore apart, flesh and blood sprayed.

Jin Zhong shouted his orders:

“This one is mine!”

“Assault team, take the other!”

“Yes!”

A reply rang out, and immediately a rocket detonated against the chest of the second level‑four monster.

“Boom!”

“Boom!”

The deafening blasts echoed as Jin Zhong raised his grenade launcher once more, staring at the fallen beast.

But this time he could not decide which target to aim at.

He raised his weapon and looked around, overwhelmed by an unprecedented bewilderment.

Three hours later, Base 011.

Jin Zhong stood before Chen Jian, with the triumphant, high‑spirited elite legion behind him.

He still could not fathom how this battle had been won.

It seemed as if he had merely waved his squad forward, fired a few shots, launched a couple of rockets, and the monsters fell as naturally as if destiny itself had ordered it.

Truth be told, he had not been unfamiliar with “crushing” style engagements.

With the elite legion’s heavy artillery covering them, he had once slain a level‑four monster in under a minute.

Yet that victory paled beside the one he had just secured.

A vast chasm separated the two.

Knowing what one is doing versus merely drifting with the tide.

Clearly, the legionnaires shared his sentiment.

In the past, after each great triumph they would first celebrate, revel, boast of their bravery, and extol their devotion to the Holy Trinity.

Now, the situation was entirely different.

They remained exhilarated, still proud of their heroic deeds.

But their discussion was not about the “future”; it was about the “past”.

They were debriefing that battle, debating how they ought to have acted to achieve a better outcome, pondering the differences between training and real combat, and wondering whether inferior equipment could still yield the same effect.

From the intensity of their gazes, Jin Zhong could even sense that they were doing more than mere debriefing.

They were savoring

as if what they had just endured were a sumptuous feast of gluttony.

Jin Zhong exhaled a long breath, then turned back to Chen Jian, bowed deeply, and spoke:

“Thank you, sir.”

“You have shown these warriors a world unlike any they have known.”

“It was nothing.”

Chen Jian waved his hand casually and replied:

“I have long told you, your individual combat prowess is not lacking.”

“The reason you seem weak is only because certain things were done wrong.”

“I corrected part of those mistakes, and you grew stronger.”

“But to be frank, you are still far from a true Huaxia army.”

“I understand.”

Jin Zhong nodded solemnly, then said:

“We will keep learning, and continue to receive your training.”

“Whatever the case, we will shoulder the duty of eradicating the monsters, and we will ease the burden for you and your Huaxia forces.”

“Very well.”

Chen Jian smiled faintly, his tone tinged with a teasing edge, and asked:

“But what if one day you discover that what you are doing conflicts with your own faith?”

As the words fell, Jin Zhong froze in place.

He had not been unaware of the question; he had merely been avoiding it.

Yet it remains a question that must eventually be faced.

After a long silence, he lifted his eyes to Chen Jian.

Just as he was about to speak, a heartbeat before, Chen Jian spoke again:

“Do not worry, you need not answer me now.”

“In time you will understand.”

“For now, lead the troops to rest.”

“Your battle is not yet over; ahead you must continue westward.”

“To the Han River?”

Jin Zhong asked abruptly:

“An hour ago we received a plea for aid from the Han River; the situation there does not seem good.”

“Perhaps we should go over and lend them a hand.”

“That is not something you need to concern yourself with.”

Chen Jian shook his head and said:

“We are already prepared.”

“The level‑three monster will reach Han City in three hours.”

“But you need not worry.”

“It will never arrive.”

“Never arrive?”

Jin Zhong stared at Chen Jian in astonishment.

“Why?”

Chen Jian gave no answer, but raised his hand and pointed toward a distant clearing.

There, a Mosquito‑type bomber bearing two 250‑kilogram aerial bombs was gliding slowly across the field.

Seconds later, as the aircraft surged upward from the ground, Jin Zhong’s question found its instant answer.

(End of Chapter)