Chapter 77: Besieged

Chapter Seventy‑Seven: The Siege

Launch the fireworks, send the signal, recall every scout out in the field!

Huang Yu's words fell, and Chen Jian issued the order decisively:

"Hesuo, bring Zengyi back quickly—don't you two take unnecessary risks!"

"Xieliu, go forward to meet the scouts; if you encounter the enemy, don't get tangled—bring everyone back if you can!"

"Leijie and Shen Yue, you two handle the automatic howitzer and the heavy machine gun respectively, prepare to meet the enemy."

"Lishi, operate the 301 heavy gun just like last time!"

"Huangyu, gather the city defense forces and strengthen the line!"

Understood!

Understood!

The atmosphere tightened instantly; everyone surged forth, each rushing to their post.

Chen Jian launched the drone, following the returning scouts' directions, hovering over the S78 highway southwest of Huangshi City, monitoring enemy movements in real time.

Through the drone's fuzzy feed, he was astonished to discover that an enemy vanguard had already closed to within fifteen kilometers of Huangshi City!

Their numbers were few, only a few dozen.

Yet it was clear these dozens had mustered at once upon hearing the news, marching at forced pace from Xianning straight toward them!

The enemy's resolve was firmer than he had imagined.

Perhaps they weren't frightened by the mimetic heretics; they'd simply been knocked senseless.

Over a hundred years had passed before a faint sign appeared, and the whole old‑order gang had been thrown into panic.

Judging by their gear, these dozens were still of the Machine God Cult; the Sanguine Ones encountered by Huangshi's scouts must be even closer.

Fortunately, Huangshi City's geography is a natural bulwark, with the entire Dazhi Lake as a barrier that almost eliminates the risk of the Sanguine Ones sneaking in.

If I had truly chosen to drive the "Mongols" to the 7025 ruins back then, we might already have been crushed there.

Lucky break!

The maxim "lose the land, keep the people" really works wherever you apply it.

Chen Jian dared not linger; he urged Hesuo to return swiftly to fill the lacking weapons crews, while he snatched the neatly stacked arms from the chapel and hung them orderly on the rack.

Three rocket launchers, one recoilless cannon, a 201 squad machine gun mounted on the No. 1 rack with laser sight, a 201 in his left hand, a PBP201 mortar in his right, and a 191 slung around his neck.

Now he truly became a walking arsenal.

But such a state is utterly unfit for combat; he merely wanted to move the weapons to the designated battlefield as fast as possible.

With the powered exoskeleton at full throttle, his movements hardly slowed.

Two minutes later, behind cover he shed most of his gear, set up the tripod for the 201, and with his other hand lowered the drone for a low‑level sweep to flush out the Sanguine Ones hiding in the woods.

—

But just as the drone descended, its autonomous survival system suddenly blared an alarm.

Instantly, before Chen Jian could react, the drone shot upward, executing a violent evasive maneuver.

The next moment, gunfire cracked, and Chen Jian saw muzzle flashes erupt from the trees.

Sanguine Ones!

They knew to take out the drone first!

Xu Lie

He really shouldn't have been let go.

Now look, they've even given the staff a hard time!

He must have played a key role in this encirclement, possibly even proposing the tactic of using water ghosts to drain our ammo.

Damn it.

But saying anything now is just hindsight; who could have foreseen the fallout of releasing him back then?

There was no choice; if we'd killed him on the spot, Xieliu and the other two could never have joined.

You can't have both fish and bear's paw; letting him go was the move that maximized our gain at the time.

But if we ever get a chance to catch him, we must not let him slip a second time!

Chen Jian had already raised the drone again, keeping a safe distance for surveillance, while at that moment the other residents of Huangshi City sprang into action.

Most of them had not slept all night, their strength and stamina drained to the limit, yet they all knew what this impending battle meant for them.

No one wanted to draw back—this was the meaning of the first round of selection.

Those unable to fight—the elderly and frail pregnant women—busied themselves preparing food, while toddlers just learning to walk darted back and forth, bringing supplies to those huddled behind cover.

Chen Jian did not stop this seemingly risky behavior; he merely told Huangyu that after breakfast everyone should ready for combat, while non‑combatants took shelter in the chapel's basement. Time ticked by, seconds turning into minutes, as the drone tracked the few Sanguine Ones now less than a kilometer from the Dazhi Lake shore—just before they would catch up to Huangshi's scouts, Xieliu finally led everyone back to the island.

At the same time, Hesuo raced back with Zengyi, wheels flying.

Both were smeared with blood; Chen Jian tossed his 201 squad gun to Zengyi and then asked:

"What's the situation? Have we engaged?"

"We ran into two groups of Sanguine Ones; we killed three, three got away."

Hesuo caught his breath, then went on:

"Honestly, it's a damn good thing we brought Zengyi; without him I'd likely be dead there."

"The Sanguine Ones' close‑quarters ferocity is too much—our barrels can't keep up!"

"Never let them get close; damn it, sooner or later we need Leijie to cobble a point‑defense cannon to teach them manners."

Having said that, Hesuo paused, then launched into the main point:

"The enemy coming from the north via Han Shui City are all arriving by boat; Leijie's return should have just missed them."

"We estimate this force has already reached the vicinity of Yuqing Prefecture, though we don't know whether they'll land there or paddle up from Shang Qipan Prefecture into Dazhi Lake."

"We must first blast them with mortars; if they manage to deploy, they'll be tough to handle."

"Provided our mortar ammo holds out—we've only got twenty‑six rounds."

Chen Jian said in a low voice:

"Drag out those two cannons from the Machine God Cult chapel."

"Are they useful? I've looked at those two guns; the shells weigh about five kilograms, roughly Napoleon‑caliber, but range and power probably fall short of a true Napoleon—hitting two kilometers is a stretch."

"Get them out first, Zengyi—you're on it."

"Hesuo, stay and help me set up the mortars."

"To the southwest, toward Xianning, there's a small enemy detachment—about forty strong, roughly three kilometers out."

"Since they dare to come, we'll give them a surprise and let them know who we are!"

Understood!

He Suo sprang into action at once, and moments later the two PBP201 mortars were deployed.

Guided by the drone's ranging, the two adjusted the firing parameters with the electro‑optical sighting system.

Then, a double salvo!

"Bang!"

"Bang!"

Thirty seconds later the shells landed precisely.

"Boom!"

"Boom!"

From the drone’s view, the squad of the Machine God Sect’s militia, racing along the highway at breakneck speed, was thrown into chaos.

Meanwhile, from the direction of Yueqingzhou nearly four kilometres away, a few muffled booms suddenly rang out.

"Thud!"

The black shells plunged into Lake Dazhi, sending up great plumes of water.

Chen Jian’s eyes narrowed, and he said:

"Large‑bore smoothbore cannon!"

"They’ve really gone all out!"

"Everyone, take cover in the bunkers and brace for impact!"

(End of chapter)