Chapter 310: Consciousness

Chapter 310: Awakening

On the overpass.

The two bombers that had landed smoothly opened their cargo bays, and Lei Jie strode toward the three Mechanical Cult guards waiting nearby, speaking:

Load everything onto the aircraft!

Move quickly; one plane will take it away.

Our two planes still have two seats left—though it'll be tight, we can squeeze them in.

You come with us.

Jiang Yu, your plane will carry three people; the weight balance will surely be problematic.

Be careful when you open it, especially during landing.

Understood!

Jiang Yu nodded at the words, then turned toward the guards, scrutinized them, and said:

You two of smaller stature, follow me.

We have to squeeze in, and it'll be cramped.

But that's fine; we can fly at most thirty minutes before landing, so endure it.

Where are the supplies?

Over here!

The guard captain immediately turned to the roadside, then lifted the camouflage made of grass and branches, pointing at the modestly sized cubic device, and said:

When we found it, it looked just like this—essentially unchanged.

This is the corpse of the monster that carried it; we brought it over as well.

Excellent!

Lei Jie nodded toward the guard captain.

Humanity will remember your contribution.

As he said this, he crouched to touch the monster's skin.

The moment his fingers brushed it, he felt an unmistakable chill, alien to any carbon‑based flesh.

It feels like some kind of flexible metal.

It bears an electro‑chromic coating, its cross‑section shows carbon‑fiber‑like traits, yet it doesn't look like carbon fiber.

Such sophistication couldn't have been forged in merely twenty years.

Fuxi, have you ever seen material like this?

Cannot determine for now.

Fuxi's voice crackled through Lei Jie's earpiece.

But based on the images transmitted so far, this material strongly resembles the cutting‑edge flexible composite armor research from before 2045.

It could be an upgraded version of the M77 flexible composite armor.

Understood.

Lei Jie exhaled softly, then drew a dagger from his waist, aimed at the fractured skull, and slashed straight into the neck.

At that moment he realized the 'armor' covering the monster's head was made of a different material than the body armor, with a clear junction between them.

That discrepancy likely explains why the head could be severed so easily.

The dagger met substantial resistance, yet Lei Jie managed to slice through the creature's head visor.

Beneath the visor lay a face already twisted beyond recognition, its eyes either blind or degenerated, leaving only a pair of sunken orbs in the sockets.

A shiver ran up Lei Jie's scalp as he watched; while the others loaded cargo, he flipped the monster's skull over.

At the back of its braincase sat a metal module embedded in the occipital bone.

A neural interface.

An invasive neural interface.

Undoubtedly, this creature shares origins with the controlled beasts of the Swarm.

It, too, is controlled by a neural interface?

Or perhaps its neural system is merely 'functional'?

Lei Jie could not immediately judge.

In any case, the corpse will be taken back; there will be ample time for dissection later.

By then, the 'control device' had been fully loaded.

Lei Jie walked to his plane, waved, and said to the guard captain:

Come with me!

His words fell silent, receiving no reply.

He had already climbed into the bomber's cockpit, and seeing the towering guard captain still rooted to the spot, he asked:

What are you still standing there for? Get up!

The guard captain instinctively stepped forward, then halted in place.

His gaze revealed a clear yearning, perhaps even a devout obsession.

Anyone standing before him could see he longed to board the aircraft and witness how the 'Trinity of the Holy Angel' truly functioned.

Yet some unseen force seemed to hold him back.

I will not go with you.

The guard captain said firmly:

Thank you for your kindness.

May the Trinity of the Holy guard you; your bravery against the monsters will be forever etched in our memory.

But please forgive me for declining your invitation.

Take my comrades away; they need to survive.

With those words spoken, Zhang Chao and Liu Hao, who had been eager to act, suddenly halted.

The two exchanged a glance, then almost simultaneously turned toward Lei Jie.

After a slight bow, Liu Hao spoke:

Thank you for your kindness.

But our brothers are still fighting at Qili Lake; we must go reunite with them.

Are you mad?!

Lei Jie stared, dumbfounded.

“This is a futile sacrifice!”

“The Qili Lake line can no longer be held; even if you rush there now, you cannot aid them!”

“The Holy Legion will withdraw from the so‑called Xuyi line within six hours, marching all the way back to Jinling City!”

“What do you intend to do? Shall you simply walk over?!”

“Come with us back to New Jinling; when the time comes, even if you wish to return, we can escort you back, can’t we?”

“No, we must stand and fall together with our brothers.”

The commander of the Imperial Guard answered resolutely.

“The Sacred Trinity will never permit us to abandon our own brothers.”

“Even if we die here, we must stay.”

“Madness.”

Lei Jie shook his head in bitter disappointment.

In truth, he could fully comprehend the choice of sacrifice for faith, for his own unit had traversed that very path.

Yet he could not at all grasp the decision of those three guards.

If they truly stay, they are not sacrificing—they are merely courting death!

The premise of daring the impossible is that one must first be certain that the act bears meaning, is it not??

Lei Jie inhaled deeply and spoke:

“I will ask you once more: will you go?”

“If you do not go, you will surely die!”

“Not necessarily.”

The Imperial Guard commander shook his head slowly.

“The Sacred Trinity has bestowed upon us revelation, granting us such vital equipment.”

“Its radiance will continue to walk beside us.”

“We shall survive.”

As his words faded, Lei Jie felt a sudden clarity settle over him.

Once more, that foolish mystic faith!

Without time for further discourse, he ordered decisively:

“Jiang Yu, leave your personal weapons and ammunition for them.”

“We depart at once!”

“Understood.”

Jiang Yu obeyed, retrieving a short‑barreled Model 191 rifle from the bomber’s cockpit and tossing it through the air to the guard commander.

Lei Jie did the same, and after receiving the gun, the three offered their thanks once more.

Yet Lei Jie was too weary to concern himself further.

The engines roared to life, and the bomber surged skyward with a deafening scream.

When the two aircraft once more flew side by side at a kilometer’s altitude, Lei Jie could not restrain his sarcasm:

“The brain‑washing prowess of the Mechanical Cult is truly unparalleled; they must not think they are martyring themselves, do they?”

“No.”

Jiang Yu’s voice crackled through the headset. “They are atoning.”

“They believe they must die.”

“Because they chose humanity, they must atone to the Church.”

Meanwhile, on the eastern shore of Qili Lake.

The final line teetered on the brink of collapse; watching the beast tide surge ever closer, Zhang Tao felt a profound sorrow.

From beginning to end, he never truly understood what was transpiring.

He seemed, beyond doubt, to have prepared for every contingency.

A torrent of artillery, elite troops re‑formed and loyal.

Ample auxiliaries, abundant supplies.

On paper, this force could not match the main body of the Huaxia army, yet against the expeditionary corps stationed on the Bang Lake line, its combat power was undeniably superior.

Then why could the Huaxia troops achieve what our Sacred Legion could not?

It’s not merely a matter of inability.

Since the battle began, the Sacred Legion has never seized even a single advantage.

When the howl of the second‑grade Qin Yuan rang out, the entire unit collapsed instantly.

Thereafter, no matter how he maneuvered or tried to salvage, the situation plummeted like a stone into an abyss, irrevocable.

It was but a few hours.

Hours earlier, the unit stood in immaculate order, ambition blazing.

Hours later, only a single path remained.

Retreat.

“Is the steam locomotive ready?”

Zhang Tao asked the nearby archbishop.

“All preparations are complete; we can commence the retreat at once.”

“It is only sixty‑five kilometers from here to Jinling City; we will arrive within three hours.”

“Those monsters cannot catch us—perhaps they will not pursue us at all.”

“Sir, you have surely noticed that the beast tide’s tactics have changed.”

“They have lost any semblance of organization, fighting solely on instinct.”

“I believe our assault has taken effect, destroying some crucial element within the tide.”

“Our withdrawal is justified.”

“Even if we depart now, the beast tide cannot endure much longer.”

“They will disperse on their own, returning to a normal state.”

“Moreover, those gathered monsters will turn on each other over territorial disputes.”

“We have already won, sir.”

“Won?”

A wry, mocking smile flickered across Zhang Tao’s face.

“Do you call this a victory?”

“We have sacrificed over eight hundred loyal warriors of the Holy Legion, and the remnants number less than a quarter of what we set out with.”

“If this counts as a triumph, then indeed we have never truly lost.”

The words hung in the air, and the archbishop stood frozen, embarrassed.

What else could he possibly say?

In front of Zhang Tao and the current saint of the Mechanical Faith, could he dare claim that our total defeat stemmed from your faulty command?

He could only remain silent.

A moment later, Zhang Tao drew a deep breath and spoke:

“Perhaps I am unfit to serve as a saint of the Mechanical Faith.”

“I lack such talent; I was thrust into this role merely because I happened to meet the ‘requirements’ of the Huaxia army.”

“Since my ascension to sainthood, I have not done a single thing right.”

“I have only ever brought suffering to the Mechanical Faith, to Jinling City, and to the common folk.”

“The Huaxia army is not wrong.”

“The blood debt of Liangxi City should be recorded upon my head.”

“I must repay that debt, and now is the time.”

As those words fell, the archbishop's gaze toward Zhang Tao shifted in a subtle, barely perceptible way.

Of course, he could hear the despondency in Zhang Tao's tone.

Yet behind that gloom, he discerned something more clandestine.

The newly appointed saint had truly matured.

Perhaps everyone ought to grant him another chance, a little more time.

With that thought, the archbishop began:

“You need not chastise yourself excessively; you have already done well.”

“Most of your measures are plainly correct; they merely require more time.”

“The monsters will not grant us time.”

Zhang Tao raised his hand, cutting the archbishop off, then said:

“I have already made my decision.”

“From now on, I will hand the saint's seal to you.”

“You shall replace me, leading these brothers back to Jinling City to reestablish its defenses.”

“And I will lead my elite troops to hold off the pursuing monsters, buying you time to withdraw.”

“That is absolutely unacceptable!”

The archbishop, startled, rose and said:

“The succession of a saint is a matter of utmost sanctity; it must receive the approval of the Holy Trinity!”

“We still have a chance! We can leave the elite troops to cover the rear, but you need not.”

“This is the final command from the saint.”

“You must obey.”

Having spoken, Zhang Tao rose and stepped down from the steam locomotive.

The elite guards outside, having overheard his exchange with the archbishop, gathered around him—over thirty men, their faces awash with reverent devotion.

“I think you have all heard my decision.”

Zhang Tao reached out, taking the armor handed to him by a guard, and pulled back the bolt of a brand‑new Type‑75 rifle.

“The Holy Legion must retreat to Jinling City, to rebuild a line of defense and repel the final onslaught of those heretical monsters.”

“They need time, and someone to cover their rear.”

“And that is a duty we cannot shirk.”

“Now, the most loyal warriors of the Holy Trinity, are you ready to march toward the Divine Realm?!”

“For the Holy Trinity!”

The elite soldiers shouted in unison.

Zhang Tao donned his armor and issued another command:

“Leave sufficient weapons and ammunition.”

“We need ample explosives; grenades and rocket launchers must all be reserved for us.”

“Our numbers are insufficient; we must compensate with equipment.”

“Time is short; allocate the gear swiftly.”

“Then, follow me to the gorge of Jianxi Town.”

“There we shall erect a defense, there we shall charge toward the Divine Realm!”

“For the Holy Trinity!”

Once more, a synchronized shout rang out as Zhang Tao took a rocket launcher and slung it across his back.

He then withdrew the seal of the Holy Trinity from his satchel and placed it into the archbishop's hand.

“That will be all.”

“Take the others and return to Jinling.”

“But this…”

The archbishop attempted to argue, but Zhang Tao raised his hand and cut him off.

“This is my enlightenment.”

“Rest assured, perhaps we may yet survive.”

“After all.”

“I was once the strongest commander among the elite guard regiments.”

(End of Chapter)