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Chapter 173 Long Night and Long Song (3)
Chapter 173 Long Night and Long Song (3)
When the singing gradually ceased, the snow stopped. The sky is no longer covered with heavy dark clouds, and the wind is a little lighter, which is a good weather.
On the horizon, more than a thousand mechas took off from the northern and eastern districts at the same time. After turning on the invisible light curtain and anti-reconnaissance interference waves, they ran towards the center at a low altitude, shielded by a residual wall.
Eastside. Jiang Jianming put his hands on the black broken wall and looked at it from a distance.
He hung the headset, and the wrist phone projected a virtual screen beside him. On the screen is what the cockpit of the mech looks like, and Ryan is talking to him.
"This will inflame morale, maybe you are more suitable to be the emperor than me."
Ryan was half-smiling: "I should make a will. If the crown prince is buried in the battlefield, his legal spouse will inherit the empire in the future."
Jiang Jianming said with a headache: "...Your Highness, don't make trouble with me."
Ryan glanced at the screen defiantly. The habit of handicapped human beings hanging death on their mouths at will, is simply torturing everyone around them.
Now that he has also learned, he can take revenge in a similar manner.
Jiang Jianming shook his head helplessly, stood up and walked into the fortress. He pressed the headset and said solemnly: "In short, today's situation is very unpredictable. Please be careful, Your Highness. Now Major General Xie is coordinating, and I will go there right away."
"Soldiers in both districts are waiting for orders, and the starship can take off at any time... What support is needed, you can say it at any time."
Ryan responded with a "uh" and was silent for a long time.
Jiang Jianming didn't dare to make a sound when he looked so serious, for fear of interrupting the other party's thoughts. Unexpectedly, the prince asked after a few seconds, "Did you take your medicine in the morning?"
Jiang Jianming: "."
...
In the co-pilot seat of the mech L-Gemini, Wilson was smothered in control.
He had already begun to get used to the way the two His Royal Highnesses got along with each other, and at this time he followed the policy of never looking up to avoid being blinded.
Just below them, you can vaguely see the speeding mecha army.
Leading the team were three officers from Jin Ilun and Yin Beidou, Major Zheng Yue, Lieutenant Raymond, and a squat officer named Kanter in the second fortress.
Regarding the next battle, last night, the two Highnesses had a private discussion with the two generals. Lieutenant General Jin Min said that he had reported the status quo to the empire, and Old Marshal Chen said that reinforcements could still be sent over.
But Jiang Jianming believes that the role of reinforcements is somewhat subtle. This stems from the nature of this war, which is very different from previous wars between human beings.
In wars of the past and present, killing is a means of deterrence, not an end. What the victor wants to win is power, land, or resources. On this basis, we must try our best to compress our own casualties to a minimum.
However, in the face of the Crystal Cult, this principle changed. The enemy hoped to create enough crystal chaotic dead, and killing really became the ultimate goal of the opponent.
The empire needs to avoid the crystal chaos from dying, because it is equivalent to replenishing the crystal nest; the crystal religion is not afraid of death, and there are even crazy cultists who use the real crystal mine with them to cause crystal chaos when they are dying, and then drag the soldiers of the empire together. to die.
So, this is an extremely unfair war.
...
Jiang Jianming walked through the narrow passage inside the fortress.
Temporary lights were hung along the way, and the soldiers on both sides were fully armed and leaned against their mechas. This is a state of readiness.
Walking to the innermost part, he used iris recognition to open the automatic door of the command room.
Xie Yuduo sat in the center and was giving a long distance lecture to the three leading officers.
"Relax, Major General!"
In the small window on the screen, Raymond saluted, "We must complete the task."
"As long as we can get the main gun back today." The lieutenant's face showed a hint of urgency, "The fortress can be recovered."
... In view of this extremely unfair situation, relying on large-scale high-tech weapons to fight is the best choice.
After taking back the two main defense cores yesterday and successfully taking over the north and east areas of the fortress, their goal today is to regain control of the central heavy artillery.
That is also the only weapon in the fortress that can effectively strike against high-altitude starships and high-level giant alien creatures at close range.
As Raymond said, if you get the main gun back, you will basically be able to win the game.
Xie Yuduo didn't smile, and glanced at Raymond through the communication: "Okay, you know the truth, doesn't the Crystal Cult know?"
"This match can't be easy. You three, be careful not to throw your life at your door, do you hear me?"
Jiang Jianming walked in at this moment. He looked at the image and said, "Have they entered the central district?"
Xie Yuduo nodded: "Well, let's start dividing our troops."
Raymond: "Instructions received. The First Army of Yin Beidou belongs, stop!"
The wind howled, and the mecha army galloped past a high platform.
At this moment, a few of the mechas abruptly slowed down and separated from the main force.
Their wings were folded and their mechanical feet turned on magnetic adsorption, silently clinging to the alloy outer wall of the fortress like a gecko.
Lieutenant Raymond gave an order: "Go!"
Those mechas hovered horizontally for a few centimeters, and slid down about 100 meters along the outer wall. After a minute, they turned into a dark corner and silently stopped.
Raymond pushed the cockpit away. He was breathing in the white mist. He reached out and brushed the snow away from the seemingly empty alloy outer wall, and pressed it a few times.
The password was correct, and the outer wall cracked a flat gap. The alloy first shrank back a few centimeters, then folded to the sides, and a secret passage appeared.
There was a faint sound of shelling from above.
Raymond looked up and saw that the large group had already met the Crystal Cultists in the Central District.
He retracted into the cockpit: "High alert, sneak in with me."
In the command room, Jiang Jianming and Xie Yuduo looked at each other and nodded.
Sure enough, it is the elite of the elite of the empire, and the execution of the order is perfect as if there is a program.
According to their plan, Kanter and Zheng Yue took 3,000 soldiers from high altitude in mechas to attract the enemy's attention.
Secretly, Raymond led the five hundred Yin Beidou soldiers who were familiar with the first fortress to bypass the dark passage, sneak into the main control room, and regain control.
"Little Excellency, the lower official has to go too."
Xie Yuduo stood up and turned around, holding Jiang Jianming's shoulders with both hands, and said sternly: "Soon the crystal sects in the southern and western districts will rush to the center, and I have to personally lead someone to intercept them."
"You stay here to control the overall situation, don't mess around, ah."
Jiang Jianming's brows stretched, he knew that Xie Yuduo was worried about him: "major general don't worry, please take care."
In this way, Xie Yuduo also left.
Jiang Jianming was the only one left in the command room.
The black-haired young man unhurriedly pulled out the chair in front of the big screen and took the seat Xie Yuduo had just sat in.
The window in front of him was divided into many pieces, and he saw the scene above the fortress from one of them:
Zheng Yue's mecha soldiers approached a certain distance, and the invisible light curtain was cracked. Now they are fighting fiercely with the crystal cultists, and they are not divided for the time being.
As expected, there were Crystal Cultists in the southern and western districts ready to rush over, but they were intercepted by the Imperial Army in the eastern and northern districts respectively. At the same time, the small and medium-sized starships parked in the fortress also took off and rushed towards the location of the central main gun.
Jiang Jianming put on the headset and tuned the channel.
"Your Highness, can you hear my voice?"
Casualties had begun to take place on the battlefield, but Ryan remained motionless. L-Gemini hangs in the air not far or near, like a sword of Damocles.
The crown prince is a deterrent and a trump card, and must be reserved as a back-up.
"can hear."
The voice came from the headset, and it was a little itchy.
"So have you taken your medicine?"
"Eat." Jiang Jianming said with a calm expression, while taking out the medicine bottle from his coat pocket, "Is there anything unusual over there?"
He chewed the tablet and swallowed it directly, and heard Ryan's voice: "Not yet... What are you biting?"
"Candy, it's not important." The medicine was bitter, the black-haired youth drooped his eyelashes, his brows were wrinkled, and he swallowed it reluctantly, "His Royal Highness still remembers the civil strife during the Aslan New Year's Day, the splendid cathedral in the splendid cathedral. The girl bishop?"
... At the highest level in the center of the fortress, stands a huge black heavy artillery, the muzzle pointing obliquely towards the sky.
In mid-air, laser beams form a network vertically and horizontally. A mech rotated to the limit, avoiding the special "missile" specially made by the crystal religion: the raw material is the real crystal ore that has been activated by crystal particles.
In the cockpit, Zheng Yue gasped and growled, recklessly bombarding the enemy's formation. In an instant, there was a strong light on all sides.
Ryan: "The girl with the white hair? She has a very high crystal bone rank and can almost rival me... Under what circumstances do you think she will show up?"
"If she participates in this battle," Jiang Jianming said calmly, "two possibilities."
Inside the fortress, the team led by Raymond finally encountered alien creatures and had to start a bloody battle.
The Crystal Sect discovered that Yin Beidou had sneaked in, and the cult members flocked to this group of soldiers like ghosts.
After fighting several times, the Imperial Army has a general grasp of the Crystal Cult's fighting style. Most of the opponent's combat power relies on alien creatures, and the most threatening is the means of causing crystal chaos.
Fortunately, before this expedition, the equipped sedatives have been replaced by the third generation. The soldiers' resistance to crystal chaos is much higher. With some strategies, they can barely carry out normal battles, and they are no longer the original powerless to fight back. .
Jiang Jianming: "If she appears outside the main cannon area and tries to lure His Highness into the distance, then it means that the enemy is showing cowardice. That Bishop of Destruction only has the ability to stop you for a while, and cannot win quickly."
Ryan: "Yeah."
"But if she appears near the main gun, it means that the Crystal Cult judges that the destruction of the bishop has a chance to win over you. soldiers."
"..."
Ryan was silent, and there seemed to be waves in his emerald green eyes.
"This," Wilson next to him broke out in a cold sweat.
He glanced around the sky and muttered: "But now, that bishop hasn't appeared yet, didn't he say..."
Jiang Jianming sighed lightly: "Yes, so I'm a little worried."
He shook his head, suddenly regretful. This morning, I should have chosen to get on the mecha with Ryan.
...
Inside the fortress.
With a loud bang, the automatic door of the main control room of the fort was blown away by the blast of flames.
A bloated alien creature flew in with the door and smashed hard on the floor. A Yin Beidou officer roared with blood all over his face, his limbs clasped on its body, and he used the crystal bone to strangle the head of the alien creature, the more he twisted it tighter.
As he exerted his strength, the officer's crystal bone cracked and cracked, but he struggled as if he didn't know the pain.
"Lieutenant!"
After an unknown amount of time, two or three soldiers behind the man pulled him together, "Lieutenant, Lieutenant... It's dead!"
Raymond was already red-eyed. He was panting and coughing, and spit out a few mouthfuls of blood.
"The rest of the enemy troops have also retreated," a soldier said with ecstasy, wiping the stains on his face, "We are going to win, Lieutenant!"
"Don't be too happy."
Raymond stood up with difficulty, and a soldier supported him, "Come in with me, ahem... Go in and check carefully. Others don't get off the mecha, and stay on guard outside."
The main control room was dark, and all kinds of organisms were silent in the blue defense membrane. The lingering flames of the explosion were still burning in the corner, illuminating the trail of bloody footprints the soldiers had stepped on.
They supported each other and dragged their feet tired after the war. And more comrades-in-arms have fallen on the road behind him forever.
Raymond walked to a raised control screen to unlock the first level.
At the beginning, before the strategic retreat, the Yin Beidou First Army locked all large weapons to prevent them from falling into the enemy's hands. The Crystal Cult couldn't get the unlock password of the empire, so they chose violent destruction - that's how the rest of the main defense core was destroyed.
Fortunately, the main artillery and its corresponding main control room have their own additional defense systems. Even after two rounds of indiscriminate bombings by the Crystal Cult and the Empire, they are still not damaged.
"Di"
The first layer was locked and the blue defensive membrane dissipated.
All the soldiers nervously showed their crystal bones and raised their weapons. The mecha outside the main control room also aimed the muzzle inside.
It was quiet.
There are no enemies in the main control room, only the interlaced breathing sounds of the Yin Beidou can be described as clear.
Bang, bang... Everyone could hear their heart beating violently.
Raymond cautiously called out the numbers of the three mecha soldiers, and beckoned, "Come in, turn on the searchlight and take a look around."
The rest of the soldiers were divided into three teams and followed the three mechas to start checking.
The footsteps were scattered and orderly, and the searchlight swept through the darkness, occasionally revealing a tense face.
"Report the lieutenant, there is no enemy situation!"
"Report, I didn't see anything unusual."
Every corner was carefully searched, and the Yin Bei Dippers walked along the main control room to the open-air fort. The dazzling sunlight came in, and they saw the mecha hovering in the sky.
The shadows of the cannon lights and alien creatures flickered, and they watched helplessly as the Imperial Army's mecha fell down in flames.
Finally, someone couldn't help it: "Lieutenant, there's still a hard fight outside. Soon those crystal sect bastards will come over, we have to quickly turn on the main gun, this time it's our responsibility to cover the other brothers!"
Raymond shook his head, the main gun is too important, and it can only be unlocked after confirming that the large troops are stationed in the central area.
He put on the headset, connected to the communication channel, and said in a hoarse voice: "Report to the major general, the main control room has been cleared, and the main gun can be activated at any time."
When it came to the end, Raymond couldn't help but get a little excited, and the ending sound was a little unsteady, "I request the big troops to move in as soon as possible!"
There was a gentle and clear voice from the other side.
"This is the Eastern District Command Room. Major General Xie went to the unified army to support you. I'm Jiang Jianming."
Raymond was stunned for a moment, and he touched his head embarrassedly, "Oh... it's your little lord."
Then remembered that Major General Xie had indeed said that he would go to the front line to supervise the battle in person. The battle just now was so cruel that he forgot it.
"Then, I would also like to ask your little Excellency to inform the major general, or you can directly give an order to let the large troops enter the Central District as soon as possible."
Raymond said, raising his legs to walk up the long steps connecting the main control room and the open-air battery, "The main gun has been recovered..."
"Wait." Jiang Jianming lowered his voice.
"Don't get close to the fort first, it's too smooth, there is a strong enemy that has never appeared."
"Little Excellency," Raymond was a little anxious, "the main control room is empty, and there is no one on the fort with the naked eye. We know our own place, the underside of the fort is solid, and there is no way to hide anything!"
Command room.
The blue light of the screen dyed Jiang Jianming's pupils into a mysterious color. He looked indifferent and did not speak.
"Little Your Excellency!"
Raymond's anxious voice was still coming from the headset.
Finally, Jiang Jianming took a light breath, leaned forward, and reached out to connect another communication channel: "Your Highness."
"exist."
Ryan's voice.
"Please……"
Jiang Jianming's eyes were fixed on the big screen, and one by one, he swept through the images reflected in it—
The high altitude where the wind is blowing, the low altitude where the cannon fires, the alloy outer wall of the fortress, the main control room with bloody footprints, and the main battery fort that penetrates directly into the cloud.
His eyes stopped at the end, Jiang Jianming calmly said: "Go and see the inside of the main gun."
in?
Wilson, who was sitting in the passenger seat, almost doubted his comprehension, inside the muzzle?
Could there be something hidden in there?
But Ryan didn't even hesitate. The red gold crystal bone was attached to the console, and the mecha reached its maximum speed almost immediately after it was activated.
hum!
L-Gemini's mecha wings made a crackling sound, and the fuselage galloped towards the main gun in an arc orbit.
The main cannon of the fortress is too huge, and you can see it clearly before entering. Frost that has not melted for many years has condensed on the dark surface, like a strange vortex that wants to choose someone to devour.
When the L-Gemini was completely submerged into the depth of the muzzle of this heavy artillery, it was visually as if it was swallowed by the vortex.
So Ryan and Wilson saw it too.
A little white figure.
Margaret was sitting there.
The girl was wearing a white dress, barefoot, and tucked her hands around her knees.
If the main gun is activated, the position where she is sitting is instantly bombarded to pieces by the energy. But the Bishop of Death was quiet, like a doll placed there.
Too bad she's not a real doll.
Margaret stared at the flying mecha with those blue eyes, she stood up slowly, and a spider web-like snow-white crystal bone stretched out from her back.
"You guys," the bizarre maiden bishop, said in a soft, soft voice, "are going to die today."