Chapter 76: Wait, I'm Actually a Mimic Heretic?

Chapter 76: No, am I truly a mimetic heretic?

While ordering He Shuo to go out on reconnaissance, Chen Jian accelerated the construction of shelters within Huangshi City.

He had originally planned to let the residents rest for a night before beginning work, but now he changed his mind.

Rest?

At this critical juncture, resting is out of the question!

First, let's survive, then we'll talk.

Although we are not yet certain where these water ghosts come from, it is obvious they did not appear here by chance.

As the saying goes, when things go awry, there must be something uncanny; on the battlefield, the ability to make swift decisions based on limited information is a commander's most basic virtue.

Therefore, even though no sign of the Machine God Sect's approach has been found so far, he resolved to treat this clash as a probe by the sect.

Thus, under the glow of the newly installed electric lights, the entire Huangshi City sprang into action.

Men and women, old and young, regardless of strength, including himself and the three Holy Blooded, all threw themselves into the construction.

At this moment, it seemed not only the martial genes had revived, but even the genes of a construction maniac had awakened.

Those who could dig dug; those who could haul hauled. The populace, fresh from a great victory, burst forth with immense energy, and in just a few hours they had built dozens of individual shelters capable of withstanding heavy artillery fire.

But this was not enough.

Individual shelters could conceal, yet they were insufficient to support a counterattack.

The optimal solution was to dig extensive trenches connecting the shelters, allowing combatants to move swiftly to their designated assault positions.

But it was obvious that, without heavy machinery aid, the remaining hundred-odd citizens of Huangshi, with their disparate strength and fitness, could not possibly accomplish that.

Thus, Chen Jian had no choice but to settle for second best, piling the earth and stone dug from the individual shelters into simple earthen walls to serve as bulletproof cover.

Whether they could fully stop bullets or be blown apart by shells was left to luck.

Only when the sky grew bright did the makeshift shelters finally finish construction.

And at that moment, the second wave of water ghost attacks arrived.

This time, the water ghosts were more numerous and their tactics more flexible.

Fortunately, after experiencing a battle, the citizens of Huangshi had gained experience.

Although it was impossible to go straight from raw recruits to veterans, at least no one was left pulling the trigger on empty air just for atmosphere.

Under the cover of automatic fire, this attack was swiftly repulsed, and Huangshi City erupted in celebration, yet Chen Jian grew increasingly uneasy.

"This is highly abnormal—two attacks in a single day."

"We can almost certainly say these water ghosts are the Machine God Sect's forces rushing here."

"Their purpose is clear: to use these cannon fodder to continually drain our ammunition supplies and disrupt our defensive deployment."

"Damn it, these religious fanatics may lack technical skill, but they certainly have a knack for mind games."

"If we keep draining like this, aren't we just doing voluntary bandit suppression?"

"If they truly exhaust our ammunition, what good will fighting do afterward?"

"We need to change our way of fighting."

"Unless we take the initiative, there is no chance at all."

Lei Jie interjected abruptly:

"Actually, it's not just the water ghosts; subsequent operations will be the same."

"They have plenty of people to wear us down, while we lack both men and guns; sooner or later they will exhaust us."

"Only by giving them a good scare once can we truly end the fighting."

"Back then we needed a founding war for the nation; now we need a founding battle for the city."

"I know."

Chen Jian nodded, then said:

"The reason for sending people out is precisely this consideration."

"If we can seize the initiative and win a decisive victory, I think they will reconsider how to coexist with us."

"But I doubt whether the enemy will engage."

"At least in our previous encounters, they seemed merely odd, yet their tactics were not foolish."

"We've come full circle."

Lei Jie spread his hands helplessly, then continued:

"There is only one way to break the stalemate."

"Take the offensive."

"But we will not attack Han Shui; we will attack Xi Shui."

"According to Huang Yu, the armed forces of Xi Shui City number only about a hundred, making the assault far easier than that on Han Shui." "After taking Xi Shui, we can gain new supplies and manpower, then proceed down the Yangtze waterway to continue attacking Jiujiang."

"According to Huang Yu, the settlement there is not large either; if we take it smoothly, we will secure ample living space."

"Surrounding the cities from the countryside is an old refrain; we should"

"Wait a moment."

Chen Jian suddenly cut off Lei Jie's words.

His expression grew somewhat grave; after a few seconds of thought he said:

"Have you not noticed?"

"You are planning the operational scheme."

"It sounds very much like the 'mimetic heretic' Huang Yu spoke of."

As the words fell, Lei Jie stood frozen in place.

Indeed, Huang Yu had said that the mimetic heretics, upon reaching Huangshi, had already killed many and endured numerous battles.

In Huang Yu's impression, the mimetic heretics were like some man‑eating demon, leaving rivers of blood wherever they passed.

They, too, had fought and killed their way here.

If we follow Lei Jie's plan, the force we are building in Huangshi could truly become like the mimetic heretics!

What the hell is this situation?

So the Machine God Sect's people were right??

Ah? Are we truly mimetic heretics??

Lei Jie stared at Chen Jian in astonishment; Chen Jian furrowed his brows, fell silent for a few seconds, then said:

"I, too, have just thought of that."

"Is it possible that, if their style and tactical logic are the same as ours, then what they want to do is actually the same as what we want?"

"You mean they are, in a sense, liberators?"

This remark left not only Lei Jie stunned, but even Shen Yue, who had been listening silently beside them with little reaction, was taken aback.

The reason was simple: the conclusion was far too unexpected.

We had thought the 'mimetic heresy' was merely an unfounded accusation the other side raised to eliminate dissent, but now it seemed their concerns were also grounded in some rationality.

That rationality might not be correct, yet it was indeed the choice that maximized the interests of the Machine God Cult.

In an instant, the struggle against oppression and aggression escalated into an ideological battle.

Good heavens, this meant the Battle of Huangshi was truly becoming a war of nation‑building.

Chen Jian slowly shook his head and replied:

"They may not be liberators, but they certainly represent a new order."

"Undoubtedly, we too represent a new order."

"And the birth of a new order inevitably comes at the cost of the old order's demise."

"That is the true motive, the real reason they declared Han Shui City under martial law in such a short time and launched such a massive attack."

"Because they have truly been frightened by a beating."

"Damn!"

"The situation is not right!"

Chen Jian's mind cleared, and he quickly said:

"Our enemy is not just the Machine God Cult, but also the Hall of Holy Blood!"

"This encirclement is not as simple as we thought!"

"Our foes come not only from Han Shui, not only from Xi Shui, nor only from Xian Ning!"

"I have a premonition they will, in the shortest time possible, gather every force they can muster and crush us like a lion hunting a rabbit."

"The Jiujiang you just mentioned, and even farther Jinling, they could very well march against us—"

"I am He Shuo, important intelligence!"

Before Chen Jian finished speaking, everyone's earpieces suddenly crackled with the voice of He Shuo, the forward scout.

"We have detected a large number of vessels on the Yangtze—no fewer than twenty ships, at least five of them powered steamships."

"It's over—I guessed it right!"

Chen Jian's heart tightened, and almost simultaneously, Huang Yu burst into the makeshift command room, hands bloody, shouting urgently:

"Xian Ning! The Xian Ning direction!"

"Someone is coming!"

"Our people have encountered Holy Blood adherents—one dead, one returned!"

"There are many of them, and they are already very close to us!"

(End of chapter)