Chapter 607: A Familiar-Looking Bait

Chapter 607: A Familiar-Looking Bait

North of Jinhe City.

Old residential settlement.

Two "Viper" transport aircraft flew in one after the other, landing on the vacant lot by the collapsed wall at the entrance of the Odd Tribe.

Most soldiers of the Burning Corps were equipped with light armor above the "Type Five" exoskeleton, and each Viper could carry only ten to fifteen people.

To transport all five hundred players of the Burning Corps back to the Steel Heart, which was sixty to seventy kilometers away, these two transports would have to make several round trips.

Honestly, most players didn't really want to go back.

The event was about to end, and everyone wanted to earn more points on the front lines.

Besides, the possibility of mutants ambushing the Steel Heart was just Old Quan's speculation—not a certainty.

Old Bai didn't force the others, since there weren't enough transport seats anyway.

Apart from a few veteran players with higher sequence levels in the Burning Corps, the rest followed the principle of voluntariness: those who wanted to go back could come along, and those who didn't could stay on the front lines.

To be honest, he wasn't very confident himself.

The idea of mutants possibly attacking the Steel Heart sounded somewhat bizarre—even the Legion wouldn't pull off such a stunt.

The key point was that there wasn't even an airport nearby!

Maybe Old Quan was overthinking it?

"Will the mutants really come?" Sitting in the cabin with a pounding heart, Ye Shi couldn't help muttering softly.

"No one knows. Everything we're doing now is just preparing for the worst based on the overall battle situation."

Fang Chang glanced at his VM screen; the task bar hadn't updated with any relevant instructions. Maybe they were indeed overthinking it.

Still, he felt a nagging unease.

If he had to say why...

It was probably as Old Quan had said—their offensive had been going a bit too smoothly. In just four days, they had raided the Odd Tribe's lair.

And bizarrely, these mutants were stubbornly holding onto the research institute controlled by the Torch Church.

It was hard not to suspect that those zealots had promised them some benefit, or that they still had a trump card or two to turn the tables.

Just then, a hand suddenly reached into the cabin, grabbing the handrail by the door as someone grunted and climbed in.

Seeing Jiang Xuezhou carrying a suitcase, Ye Shi was taken aback and blurted out.

"What are you doing here?"

"Going back to the airship," Jiang Xuezhou said, looking at him strangely as if he'd asked a stupid question. "I've finished collecting samples. If I'm not going back to the airship, am I supposed to stay here?"

That made perfect sense.

The Academy researcher wasn't here to help the Alliance fight; she was here to study the Nago fruit and the synthetic monsters created by the Torch Church, seeking a scientific solution.

The EMP missile that precisely struck the interference source was just her showing off. He'd almost forgotten she was a non-combatant.

Watching Jiang Xuezhou buckle her seatbelt without being asked, Ye Shi couldn't find words to argue. But recalling what everyone had discussed on the forum, he couldn't help advising her.

"You... maybe you should stay here."

Jiang Xuezhou glared at him.

"What nonsense are you talking? Stay here? I don't want to spend the night here! If you want to stay, go ahead!"

Not only was there no decent bed, but the whole camp reeked of a foul smell, with all sorts of junk lying around. She didn't want to have nightmares tonight.

And this guy actually had the heart to let her stay in such a place!

Jiang Xuezhou, who had been in a good mood, grew angrier the more she thought about it.

Seeing the expression on her face, he knew she'd misunderstood. Ye Shi, amused and exasperated, was about to explain that he was concerned for her safety, but then he remembered that the possibility of mutants attacking the Steel Heart was just speculation from their forum discussions—not a certainty.

Both the forum and the discussions on it were hard to explain. After thinking for a moment, he decided it was too much trouble and simply nodded helplessly.

"Fine."

Seeing his reluctant look, Jiang Xuezhou rolled her eyes.

"Do I need your permission? I've already applied to your administrator! Who do you think the plane is waiting for?"

Fang Chang and Crazy Wind, who had been watching, stifled their laughter. Ye Shi's expression turned awkward, and he quickly changed the subject.

"...Uh, where's your little Wang?"

Jiang Xuezhou replied casually.

"I left it here. I'll come back later anyway, so it saves the trouble of moving it around. Besides, the plane is full, so I'll just leave it here."

That thing was about a third the size of a Chimera, definitely not easy to move. Ye Shi didn't say anything more.

But come to think of it, he was surprised.

He didn't expect her to be so considerate...

As they spoke, the transport's hatch closed. With the roar of plasma engines, the two Vipers lifted off into the air one after another.

Jiang Xuezhou covered her ears. Ye Shi, not knowing where to look, let his gaze drift out the porthole at the gray, hazy night sky.

But just then, staring at that grayness, he frowned slightly and nudged Fang Chang beside him with his elbow.

"Do you hear something?"

Fang Chang was taken aback and frowned.

"...Sound?"

"Yeah."

Ye Shi closed his eyes tightly, nodded slowly, and said in an uncertain tone.

"It sounds a bit like..."

Everyone around looked at him, except Jiang Xuezhou, who didn't understand what language he was speaking.

After he listened carefully for a moment, Crazy Wind asked seriously.

"Like what?"

Ye Shi opened his eyes, his voice gaining certainty.

"...Like the sound of wings flapping!"

...

Bridge of the Steel Heart.

Standing by the floor-to-ceiling window, Chu Guang gazed quietly at the gray, hazy night outside.

Xiao Qi sat on his shoulder, whispering in his ear, reporting the information just gathered from the forum.

Just then, the hatch behind him opened, and an officer strode in, snapping to attention and saluting.

"Report! Active jamming signals detected from the direction of Jinhe City!"

Active jamming, as opposed to passive jamming like chaff, involves actively emitting wide-area electromagnetic signals to drown out radar echoes, thereby making one's own aircraft invisible.

A vivid but inappropriate metaphor would be shining a large flashlight directly into someone's eyes.

The radar system of the Steel Heart was quite advanced, capable even of spotting birds a hundred kilometers away. And since the radar source was airborne, with almost no blind spots, it was like a super-long-endurance early warning aircraft with a shield.

The enemy clearly lacked confidence in deceiving the eyes of the Steel Heart, so they simply resorted to brute force.

But this also exposed their intentions and active jamming.

"The hook is straight and the bait is salty," Chu Guang said with a faint smile, his expression turning serious as he continued to give orders.

"Pass my command: all units on the ship enter alert status, all gun positions load and stand by, the entire shipborne air wing board their aircraft, ready for takeoff at any moment!"

"Also, have the radar team continue searching for the active jamming device's location, and destroy it immediately once found!"

"Yes, sir!" The officer saluted solemnly, turned, and strode quickly out the door.

Chu Guang then looked at the captain beside him.

"Since our enemy has already taken their stance, I have reason to believe they are well prepared. Be sure not to underestimate them."

"I trust in your abilities."

"This airship is yours to command."

After the series of battles in the Luoxia Province, he had considerable confidence in this captain he had personally promoted.

Under normal circumstances, Chu Guang only handled strategic deployments, rarely interfering in frontline command unless players had good ideas requiring NPC cooperation.

He preferred to leave the specific tactical details and execution to the professionals.

Feeling immensely honored by the administrator's trust, the captain nodded earnestly, pressing his right fist to his chest as he accepted the order.

"Rest assured, leave it to me. I will not let you down!"

But having said that, he hesitated for a moment, then couldn't help adding a word.

"Administrator... if I may be so bold, if Torch truly intends to target the Steel Heart, this place may not be safe. I suggest you temporarily withdraw."

He was not worried about his own safety; from the moment he boarded this airship, he had been prepared to sacrifice. But he was not the only one aboard this steel vessel.

If something happened to the administrator, it would be a loss for the entire Alliance.

He was not the only one thinking this; Lü Bei, standing behind Chu Guang, felt the same.

This usually quiet young man rarely spoke up, but now he did, offering loyal counsel.

"Sir, I think so too. Your safety—"

Meeting their concerned gazes, Chu Guang merely smiled faintly.

"Don't worry about me. I can take care of myself. Besides, a few pests like that aren't enough to make me take a detour."

It wasn't that he wanted to be reckless; mainly, both Vipers were still on the front lines and hadn't returned. Staying on the ground might not be safer than here.

Besides, if he ran at the first sign of trouble, what kind of example would that set?

Didn't the administrator have a reputation to uphold?

Seeing that they wanted to persuade him further, Chu Guang rarely showed an authority that brooked no refusal, cutting off their unspoken words.

"Enough. Since I stand here, it means I have absolute confidence in you. What you should be doing now is not trying to change my mind, but being yourselves—doing what you ought to do!"

"Go ahead."

"I will witness your bravery here!"

His words fell with resounding force.

In response came a chorus of high-spirited replies.

"We guarantee the mission will be completed!"

Eyes burned with fighting spirit.

Any trace of hesitation or uncertainty in the face of the unknown threat was now completely consumed by that blazing fire.

Even if born of good intentions, such emotions had no place in them.

From the communications officer to the adjutant to the captain, everyone involuntarily clenched their fists, including the guards behind Chu Guang.

They were confident they could defeat any opponent—

No matter who it was.

This was not only for honor and faith, but because the towering figure always stood shoulder to shoulder with them.

A silent roar echoed in their chests—

For the Administrator!

For the Alliance!

...

The pre-battle mobilization was complete. Chu Guang left the bridge, entrusting it entirely to the captain and the officers.

He himself went to the players' respawn point.

The deployment on the front lines could be left entirely to those trustworthy subordinates, but to ensure the entire battle went without a hitch, he needed to add an extra layer of insurance to this airship.

This task could only be carried out by his beloved little players.

Of course.

Compensation would not be lacking.

The moment he stepped out of the bridge, the entire Steel Heart sprang into action like a wound-up machine, methodically and swiftly.

The radar team quickly locked onto the jammer's coordinates, and a 400mm rocket-assisted round was promptly loaded, sending punitive fire toward the distant target.

Meanwhile, offline.

In the Goblin Corps group chat.

"Log in! Log in!"

"Work's here!"

"Hurry, hurry, hurry!"

Typing three sentences in one second, Mosquito immediately put on his helmet and returned online. Just as he got up from the hibernation pod and stepped into the corridor, he ran straight into the approaching administrator.

Mosquito's eyes lit up. He figured that if the administrator appeared here, it must be triggering some hidden quest. So he cleared his raspy throat and, in his usual comical tone, announced loudly,

"Good evening, esteemed Administrator!"

The voice caught the administrator's attention.

Seeing Brother Mosquito, Chu Guang's eyes also lit up, though he didn't show it plainly on his face. Maintaining the proper demeanor of an NPC, he spoke slowly.

"You've come at the right time. I have a glorious and arduous task to entrust to you."

'WC, there really is a mosquito!' Mosquito thought with great joy, quickly replying,

"Whatever you need, just command! I may be unworthy, but I am willing to give my all for the Alliance!"

Watching Mosquito's exaggerated gestures, Chu Guang smiled inwardly but kept his face impassive, clearing his throat before continuing.

"The mission has been updated on your VM. Just follow the prompts on the taskbar and proceed accordingly..."

...

The 400mm main cannon aimed at the downtown area of Jinhe City. With a flash of thick, long firelight, a rocket-assisted shell trailing white smoke soared into the sky.

The shrieking descent tore through the silent night, and then the tranquility of the entire city was shattered by the deafening roar.

It was as if daylight had risen from the ground.

Scattering the fog for several kilometers.

Watching the direction of the explosion, Alzu, standing on the rooftop, gave a cold smirk. But soon, the smile froze on his face.

"Tch."

The good news was that the Alliance had indeed taken the bait he'd thrown out—a heavy rocket slammed into the camouflaged interference source.

They shot accurately, though their accuracy was for naught.

The bad news, however, was that the Alliance had fitted that rocket-assisted shell with a nuclear warhead. The Compton effect induced by gamma rays created a wide-area electromagnetic pulse.

Though it didn't destroy the real interference device, that momentary electromagnetic wave disturbance fully exposed the decoy radars he had deployed in the city.

One more shot from them, and the interference blanketing the Steel Heart would be completely neutralized.

And what's more...

That tiny slip of a flaw just now might have already revealed the mutant's position.

Though he had wanted to appear before that guy as a saint after all was won, Alzu knew he had to do something now.

Connecting to the chip installed in the biological armor called "Nightmare," Alzu cleared his throat and spoke slowly, a warning in his tone.

"You'd better fly lower."

At that moment, soaring through the night sky, Gahn was reveling in his godlike power, still oblivious to the clash between the Alliance and the Torch Church beyond the battlefield.

He had never felt so mighty!

The entire sky seemed to bow beneath his wings!

And those sharp-toothed, sharp-tongued "demons" clustered around him with utter loyalty; with just a glance, he could make them sacrifice themselves for him without hesitation.

They were like cells of his own body.

Just as Gahn was lost in his ecstasy, a faint voice drifted into his ears, shattering his boundless reverie.

Annoyed by the voice that had appeared out of nowhere in his head, Gahn turned over, furrowed his brow, and let out a low growl from his throat.

"Who are you?"

The voice, coming from nowhere, continued.

"I am the Saint."

Hearing that familiar name, Gahn narrowed his eyes.

"You're the Saint?"

This biomass armor was a gift from the Torch Church—of course he knew who these zealots worshipped.

But what he didn't understand was why the legendary Saint would speak to him personally.

Alzu paused for a moment, then said softly.

"Yes."

Each of them was a Saint.

Though he hadn't entered the Sanctum, since he had taken Luo Qian's place, he could certainly call himself a Saint.

The Church wasn't so rigid with internal formalities; as long as it served the great final plan, everything was permitted.

But what Alzu hadn't expected was that he thought this green-skinned beast would show some humility at the Saint's name. Instead, the uncivilized baboon only replied with a wild, insolent laugh.

"Hahaha! You're the Saint? Then open your eyes and watch! Watch how I smash those two-legged beasts to pieces!"

Far from being subdued or low-key, Gahn seemed to want the other side to notice him even more. He let out a long howl to the sky, then flapped his wings and soared higher.

'This idiot!'

Alzu cursed inwardly, but patiently continued.

"Listen, I'm not joking with you. The Alliance doesn't need to see you with their eyes to know where you are. Don't think hiding in the fog means you're safe. If you don't want to crash into a metal shell, spread your men out and fly, and don't go higher than thirty meters above the ground! The lower, the better!"

Hearing that the voice didn't sound like a joke, Gahn finally calmed down, reluctantly reining in his temper.

"Fine. Can you get out of my head first? I don't like talking to someone who hides and shows his tail!"

As he spoke, he folded his wings and signaled the minions around him to descend.

"Tch..."

Alzu clicked his tongue, hung up the call in annoyance, and took a deep breath into the foggy night sky, trying to steady himself.

Though it was a beast, unfortunately, they needed this beast.

All for the great plan.

This, too, was a necessary sacrifice...

...

Meanwhile, the bridge of the Steel Heart was bustling.

The operator sitting at the control terminal had just received the new coordinates of the interference source observed by the radar crew and had entered them into the fire control system.

The 400mm main cannon slowly adjusted its angle, reloading a rocket-assisted shell, ready to take another shot at the real interference source.

Just then, a new report came from the radar station—

"Detected a large number of unidentified flying objects due south! Flight speed between 97 and 99 kilometers per hour! Heading straight for us, only twenty kilometers away!"

Hearing the report, the captain immediately asked.

"How many?"

The operator at the control terminal kept his eyes fixed on the screen, speaking rapidly.

"Ten thousand and seventy-eight!"

The captain's pupils contracted.

Ten thousand?!

His first thought was that it was impossible.

No matter how you looked at it, that number was too exaggerated!

And it was exaggerated in a way that was eerily familiar—

Back then, the Alliance had used decoy drones carrying active interference sources to draw the Steel Heart's fire, and during the reloading gap, they flew a transport plane right over its head.

Could this also be decoys?!

Outside the porthole was a thick, black fog; the sun had completely sunk below the horizon. The airship floating among the clouds was like a submarine diving deep into the ocean—unable to visually observe its surroundings, relying solely on radar as its only eyes.

After a moment's wait, the second heavy rocket struck the interference source in the city.

As the thunderous roar pierced through the mist, the ship's radar returned to normal at the same moment, and those blurry red dots were once again exposed on the radar screen.

The captain made an immediate decision and ordered.

"Scan their silhouettes!"

He needed to determine what those aircraft really were!

After a flurry of operations, the crew member immediately reported the radar squad's observations.

"Cluster individuals range from 2 to 5 meters in size, flight speed is extremely uneven, shape is constantly changing... They are too close to the ground! The reflected echoes are heavily interfered with by ground obstacles, making it difficult to gather precise flight parameters."

The adjutant looked at the captain.

"With all due respect, this doesn't look like aircraft... but if it were decoys, the interference from the urban area would be too deliberate."

He believed there was definitely something there.

The captain thought the same, nodded, and said in a deep voice.

"What is your judgment?"

The adjutant pondered for a moment and spoke.

"Not necessarily aircraft... could it be some kind of aberrant creature affected by a psychic interference field?"

The captain looked at him and asked back.

"Can the range of the psychic interference device cover from Jinhe City to here?"

The adjutant's eyes flickered slightly, and he tapped the radar screen with his index finger.

"What if the psychic interference device is also inside this?"

Hearing this, the captain's expression changed slightly, and he immediately ordered.

"Prepare the anti-aircraft guns!"

"Open fire on the radar-marked area!"