Chapter 58: Swaggering Away

Chapter 58: Marching On

The most important theory on the modern battlefield is the OODA loop.

The smooth cycling of observation, judgment, decision, and execution guarantees a unit maintains superiority in combat.

In this sudden battle, although the city defense forces were not professionals, they had already established an OODA loop from the outset, tightly suppressing the three unprepared Holy Blooded.

Without external assistance, even with Li Shi's large shield and the others' high mobility buying an extra half minute, the three Holy Blooded could not ultimately escape their fate of death.

Fortunately, they were not an isolated squad.

Behind them were Chen Jian and He Shuo.

Deciding to have He Shuo temporarily set aside his 12.7mm sniper rifle and instead carry a Type 201 light machine gun was one of Chen Jian's most correct decisions.

When the Type 201 light machine gun, firing at 750 rounds per minute, began to spit tongues of flame, the heart‑pounding gunfire and the rain‑like hail of shrapnel finally shattered the city defense's early advantage.

The OODA loop was broken; under the terrifying suppressive power of modern machine guns, the city defense troops, lacking real combat training, instantly fell into chaos.

The newly formed three‑echelon firing line was ripped apart by He Shuo's long burst, the rifle‑wielding defenders fled in panic, seeking cover from the unknown shrapnel flying in.

Taking advantage of the brief lull in fire, Xie Liu and Zeng Yi each grabbed one end of Li Shi's belt and hauled him backward with all their strength.

At that moment, the Holy Blooded's physical superiority finally proved its worth; even burdened with the tall, exceptionally heavy Li Shi, their retreat was not slow.

Seeing the three had just moved slightly out of the danger zone, Chen Jian hesitated no longer, immediately unfolded the weapon rack on his back, took down the lightly polished PBP201 mounted there, and set it on the ground, ready to fire.

The integrated electro‑optical sighting system shone to its fullest; he no longer needed to calculate complex mils, only to overlay the system's computed impact point onto the target's artillery position, and aim was done.

The entire deployment took less than five seconds; on the sixth second, Chen Jian's first high‑explosive round left the barrel.

A piercing scream tore the sky, the shell slammed down, and after the massive explosion, a ball of fire blossomed behind the city defense outpost.

Everyone turned in terror, perhaps thinking it was the Divine Machine Cult's cannon firing.

In fact, Chen Jian was aiming at the Divine Machine Cult's 'artillery position'!

The cult's priests and monks were in disarray, some still holding lit incense burners, performing a simple rite to soothe the machine spirits.

But the next second, the sweeping shockwave knocked them down; the incense burners that fell to the ground scattered a faint, ethereal flame.

"Xie Liu! Zeng Yi! Hurry up!"

"Drone, gain altitude! Beware of flanking Holy Blooded!"

"Mark whatever those source‑blooded are; they are high‑priority targets!"

"Captain! I don't have that many brains! The drone switched to smart priority mode!"

He Shuo, shouting his reply, swiftly swapped out the empty magazine; the barrel of his Type 201 was already faintly smoking, a testament to his furious rate of fire.

"Take it easy! Don't overheat the barrel!"

"I know!"

As He Shuo's words faded, Chen Jian's second, third, and fourth shells had already landed.

"Boom!"

"Boom! Boom!"

Several more deafening blasts followed, and the Divine Machine Cult's artillery position was plunged into utter chaos.

But at the same moment, their counter‑attack finally arrived.

"Rat‑tat‑tat‑tat‑tat—"

A tearing, rapid‑fire barrage erupted from the rear position, a hail of shrapnel sweeping constantly over their heads.

"Damn! They've got machine guns too!"

"Not machine guns, just parallel‑mounted rifles—ignore them, prioritize suppression!"

He Shuo swung his muzzle to suppress, while Chen Jian kept loading ammunition into the mortar tube.

After a few seconds, the enemy's 'machine gun nest' fell silent, yet meanwhile more and more city defense troops were gathering.

The electromagnetic interference still had effect; had the information relay not been cut in time, Li Shi's trio would have had no chance to withdraw.

But the electromagnetic interference's effect is also limited.

Han Shui City is only so large; once gunfire rings out, even if the situation is unclear, the city defense will mobilize!

The situation looked grim; Chen Jian moved the Type 201 mortar to He Shuo's front, dropped the last two shells, and said:

"You fire, I'm going to drive!"

"Understood!"

He Shuo operated the machine gun with his right hand, braced to his shoulder, while his left adjusted the mortar's data, a frantic yet orderly scramble.

Chen Jian no longer paid him mind, switched his exoskeleton to combat mode, and sprinted toward where he had parked.

He dared not lag a step; though carrying over 45 kg of gear, the exoskeleton's aid got him there in just four minutes. Then, without pause, he ignited the cat‑vehicle, floored the throttle, and sped forward along the shattered road.

From the drone's view, Li Shi's trio had withdrawn to over two hundred meters outside the city outpost; another hundred meters would put them in rendezvous with He Shuo's covering fire.

But the city defense pursued just as tightly; a dense thicket of heat signatures loomed in a half‑arc, and if they didn't hurry, the lightning‑fast Holy Blooded might slip around and cut off the squad's retreat.

Chen Jian's breath came short, his heart unknowingly quickening.

Adrenaline flooded his system, yet his mind grew ever clearer.

A few hundred meters later, the cat‑vehicle surged forward.

At the instant it stopped, he had already turned and clambered onto the mortar's firing position.

The next second, the mortar round launched!

"Thud!"

"Boom‑boom‑boom‑boom‑boom—"

The automatic mortar, spitting 350 rounds per minute, unleashed over a dozen shells in seconds; they fell like rain, instantly tearing the city defense's front line to shreds.

The city defense stalled; Chen Jian shifted his order:

"He Shuo, watch the flank!"

"First take out the advancing Holy Blooded!"

"Understood!"

He Shuo swung his muzzle again; this time he caught a Holy Blooded who had already closed to within two hundred meters, attempting to climb a tall tree onto the overpass.

The bullets showed no mercy; a long burst sent the airborne Holy Blooded tumbling like a great bird struck from the sky.

His body split apart in mid‑air, falling toward the ground, while his torn arm spun and flew onto the overpass.

That horrifying sight chilled the Holy Blooded following behind; though he had hesitated a moment, when the tracer‑lit fire line swept toward him, fear overcame him and he turned and fled without looking back.

Chen Jian exhaled, easing his trigger finger a fraction.

Half a minute later, the wounded Li Shi was finally dragged back; Chen Jian directed Xie Liu and Zeng Yi to lift him onto the vehicle, then commanded:

"Zeng Yi, drive! Xie Liu, administer first aid! He Shuo, mount the vehicle and operate the automatic mortar; machine gun to me!"

"I can't drive! I'll stay behind to cover you!"

Zeng Yi refused outright, and Chen Jian snarled:

"If you don't know how to drive, learn as you go—even at a crawl it's quicker than walking!"

"What era are we in, still lagging behind? Are you trying to get yourself killed?"

"Get in the damn vehicle, old man! Step on the accelerator!"

With that order, Zeng Yi's hesitation vanished.

Chen Jian replaced the 201 mortar on its rack, seized He Shuo's abandoned machine gun, and opened fire from a standing position.

The exoskeleton finally performed at its peak; even in that dreadful firing posture, he held his aim steady.

The Mechanic God's enforcers, surging forward from the rear, were driven back under the viaduct; at the same moment, a delayed thunder announced a huge shell crashing down less than fifty meters before Chen Jian.

"Boom!"

The opposing gunners finally let loose.

Though their aim was lacking, the sheer intimidation remained staggering!

"He Shuo! Forget the artillery—they couldn't hit the broad side of a barn!"

"First, pin down the front rank!"

"Copy that!"

"Bang-bang-bang-bang-bang—"

Another barrage erupted; the CL-20‑filled 35mm grenades unleashed a tremendous shockwave, and when it struck, the already strained viaduct gave way with a deafening crack.

Smoke and dust billowed in all directions.

Chen Jian bolted, without a heartbeat of doubt.

The cat‑car surged forward at breakneck speed, and he matched its pace.

Under He Shuo's accurate, efficient covering fire, the party slipped away right under the watchful eyes of Han Shui City's garrison.

At that instant, every mind harbored the same query.

What madness has seized the folk of Han Shui City?!

(End of chapter)