Chapter 6: The Allied Forces (Part 3)
Just as Edwin was feeling rather confused by their behavior, a sudden, piercing alarm rescued him from the situation.
Inside the central level, the system AI issued a warning. The broadcast echoed throughout the entire base:
Iskan District Three is under attack by a Zerg race.
Immediately afterward, the ground outside the base detached and transformed, forming the upper sections of two starships. As the natural light gradually dimmed, the massive interstellar structure enclosing the base completed its assembly. It then lifted off vertically and left the ground.
Felix appeared before everyone together with Ewan, the empire’s supreme commander.
Facing the fully assembled Allied Forces, Ewan was the first to speak.
“At 3:57, the tiger clan settlement in Iskan District Three was attacked by an Zerg race. The Allied Forces will now proceed to District Three immediately and will arrive at 4:32. Frontline Reconnaissance Teams One through Four, please proceed to the armament level.”
Jin Chi’an and Qin Hua exchanged a glance, then followed the group, which was mainly composed of carnivorous beastmen, toward the armament level. Leading them was Adjutant Edwin.
Under Edwin’s guidance, the group arrived at the armament level. Rows of mechanical energy mechas came into view.
The frontline reconnaissance members traveling with them naturally walked to their corresponding battle armor. Only Jin Chi’an remained beside Qin Hua.
After everyone had taken their positions, Edwin’s voice rang out.
“Your equipment has all been modified and upgraded by the armament team. The mental-power defenses of the armor itself have been strengthened. You may now inspect your equipment.”
Seeing Qin Hua beside him board his armor, Jin Chi’an walked toward Edwin with confusion on his face. But Edwin seemed to have already expected what he was going to ask and spoke first.
“The situation is special. The empire did not prepare enough armor bodies for everyone in the team. For this operation, you only need to remain in the command room.”
Jin Chi’an frowned slightly. “Edwin, I don’t need special treatment.”
According to the empire’s military arrangements over the years, military guides mostly handled rear-line mental-power reconnaissance. Because of this, guides were not provided with armor bodies connected to mental power. In fact, not long after Jin Chi’an graduated from the Guide Academy, the academy’s mecha operation courses were completely abolished.
Because of this, Jin Chi’an was not surprised by the special arrangement this time. But the fact that his final destination was the command room was unexpectedly suspicious.
Edwin waited for Felix’s text instructions through his consciousness optical computer while awkwardly smiling at Jin Chi’an, who looked as if he were interrogating him.
“It’s not special treatment. It’s just normal personnel deployment.”
“Oh. Personnel deployment.”
Jin Chi’an’s meaningful gaze made Edwin’s scalp tingle. In his heart, he could only silently curse his marshal for being so unreasonable.
The starship arrived at District Three. The members of the frontline reconnaissance teams had already piloted their mechas toward the disaster zone.
Iskan District Three was a primitive planet, eighty percent of which was covered by forest. Unlike District Seven, this place had, after several hundred years of development by the beastmen, become a modern forest city that fused cyber technology with natural landscapes.
The area invaded by the Zerg race this time was the border defense zone of Hundred Birds City in District Three. The bird beastmen stationed at the border were mostly birds of prey.
Inside the command room, the live footage from Frontline Reconnaissance Teams One and Two was projected in real time onto the screen.
At this moment, in the frontline combat zone, the calls of birds echoed throughout the forest. Several bird cries came one after another from all directions, disturbing everyone’s judgment.
“Rear Reconnaissance Team One guides, spread your mental net and search the eastern zone. Team Two, search the western zone. Team Three, maintain tendril form and provide cover.”
Lin Chuan’s voice was transmitted simultaneously to the rear reconnaissance troops.
After receiving the order, several guides activated their mental nets at the same time. Overwhelming mental tendrils shrouded the disaster-zone forest, shrinking from the perimeter toward the center.
As they gradually approached the poisonous wood forest in the eastern zone, a section of the mental network was instantly sliced open. A guide stationed in the rear immediately dropped to his knees.
“Xiao Ba!”
The guide next to him immediately withdrew his mental tendrils and crouched down, about to help him up.
“Don’t touch him.”
Inside the command room, Jin Chi’an spoke and interrupted his movement. He turned and gave Lin Chuan a look.
“Notify the guide medical team.”
“No need for the medical team. It’s just acute pain from a severed tendril.”
Xiao Ba forced himself to get up. With difficulty, he spoke and tried to extend his mental tendrils again, but he was defeated by several waves of sharp pain in succession.
“This isn’t a severed mental tendril. It’s a mental-power destroying toxin,” Jin Chi’an judged.
As soon as he said this, the expressions of all the guides present turned grim. They all retreated several steps, moving away from Xiao Ba, who was kneeling on the ground while clutching his head.
Seeing this, Lin Chuan immediately switched to the medical team’s channel.
“Medical Team Three, go support rear reconnaissance. Teams One and Two, stand by.”
As soon as he finished speaking, an explosion came through the main line connected to Frontline Reconnaissance Team One. After flickering for a moment, the central screen in the command room switched to Frontline Reconnaissance Team Two’s field of view.
Team Two, located in the western part of the forest, was also affected by the explosion. Qin Hua activated the mecha’s defensive barrier, blocking the splattering tree bark and debris.
“What’s going on?”
On the other side of the command room, Felix and Ewan looked solemn as they attempted to connect to Frontline Reconnaissance Team One’s optical computer line.
“Team One, respond if you copy.”
After several busy tones, the line was reconnected.
In the footage, all of Team One’s mecha devices had been scrapped. One sentinel in the team had multiple wounds and lay on the back of a cheetah beastman, barely alive. The remaining sentinel and three beastmen had also been injured to varying degrees by the explosion.
The forest fire caused by the explosion had trapped Team One in the eastern section of the border forest. The sentinel with lighter injuries injected himself with a mental stabilizer, then reopened his optical computer and contacted command.
“Frontline Reconnaissance Team One reporting. We were attacked in the eastern forest. The enemy has placed energy-gathering explosives throughout the forest, and there is also a mental-power controller present.”
Felix swept his gaze over Team One’s injuries.
“Team Two, divert to the eastern zone and reinforce Team One. Medical Team Two, stand by. Rear reconnaissance, focus your search on energy-gathering devices in the border forest.”
On the other end, Lin Chuan’s gaze landed on the most seriously injured sentinel in Team One. He had multiple wounds from the explosion and fractures all over his body, yet he was still tied to the cheetah beastman’s back by a chain.
Lin Chuan turned and gave Jin Chi’an a look.
“Mental-power disorder. His consciousness cloud was attacked, causing a mental riot,” Jin Chi’an replied, confirming Lin Chuan’s guess.
Lin Chuan pulled up the sentinel’s information.
“A sentinel with a red fox mental body?”
According to sentinel psychiatry, mental stabilizers had extremely limited effects on powerful sentinels. But for sentinels with small carnivorous mental bodies, two stabilizers were enough to get through a period of mental disorder.
Jin Chi’an guessed his confusion and explained, “The stabilizer isn’t working. After invading the consciousness cloud, the Zerg race’s mental attack establishes an outer mental barrier. It can block stabilizer-type products from carrying out basic reconstruction of the consciousness network.”
“How long can he last without a guide’s intervention in that situation?”
“About an hour. After half an hour, he’ll shift from the mental riot phase into mental-power weakness. Then, over the final half hour, his mental power will completely decline, and his consciousness cloud will enter a shutdown state.”
“Rear Reconnaissance Team One guides…”
Lin Chuan was just about to connect to the rear reconnaissance team when Jin Chi’an immediately interrupted him.
“It’s useless.”
Jin Chi’an glanced at the border defense layout map on the left screen and continued, “Frontline Reconnaissance Team One is currently located at the edge of the eastern forest. The rear reconnaissance team’s mental tendrils will be interfered with by the enemy and won’t be able to reach the edge zone. Even if Team Two is diverted there now, it will still take at least half an hour.”
“Then what do you mean?”
“Have the rear reconnaissance team fully inspect the eastern forest. The enemy’s goal this time is most likely to completely dismantle Hundred Birds City’s border defense system. In that case, Hundred Birds City’s outer barrier won’t be able to fully activate. Mobilize personnel as quickly as possible to destroy the devices.”
Jin Chi’an’s gaze landed on the structural diagram of Hundred Birds City’s defensive barrier. As if he found it interesting, the corner of his mouth curved up slightly.
“There is direct confrontation with the Zerg race on Team One’s side. Go transfer over a bird beastman.”
“What are you planning to do?”
Lin Chuan sneaked a glance at Felix not far away, then asked Jin Chi’an tentatively.
Jin Chi’an calmly organized the mental-power enhancers in his bag and asked in return, “Do you think there is a guide more suitable than me?”
Lin Chuan’s gaze drifted toward Felix again. After confirming that the other man was not looking this way, he whispered to Jin Chi’an, “But your command authority isn’t with me.”
“Why are you looking at him, Commander Lin? You are the guide commander, and I am a guide. You have the authority to mobilize me for a task.”
Jin Chi’an inserted an energy gun into the holster at his waist and raised his hand to pat Lin Chuan’s shoulder.
“Send me that bird from the medical team.”
“But…”
Lin Chuan was just about to turn and look at Felix again when Jin Chi’an immediately turned his head back and pressed down on his mouth before he could speak.
“Do as I said.”
Jin Chi’an leaned close to his ear and teased with a soft laugh, “I’m a rather petty person. If you keep looking at him like that, I’m going to get angry.”
After saying that, before Lin Chuan could react, Jin Chi’an turned and quietly slipped away.
.
Above the eastern border forest, a section of mental tendril extended into a spike shape in midair and attacked a white stork beastman flying through the sky.
Just as the white stork was about to dodge, Jin Chi’an, who was riding on its back, immediately sent out a mental tendril and cut the opposing tendril apart.
Jin Chi’an plucked a small tuft of feathers from the top of the white stork’s head and complained, “Fly properly, little bird. This isn’t something you should be worrying about.”
The white stork was so angered by his feather-plucking that it tried to turn around and peck him, only for Jin Chi’an to straighten its head back with one hand. In the end, it could only flap its wings a few extra times.
Jin Chi’an released two mental tendrils. The branches of one tendril kept extending, spreading a mental net around the edge zone of the eastern forest. The other was responsible for intercepting enemy attacks.
“Ten o’clock, front left.”
Jin Chi’an tugged at the white stork’s feathers and twisted it toward the direction detected by his mental tendrils.
The white stork let out a sharp bird cry, flapped its wings, and flew straight toward the place Jin Chi’an had indicated.
Deep in the forest, the cheetah beastman dragged his injured leg forward with difficulty. The forest fire caused by the earlier explosion had already been fully brought under control by Hundred Birds City’s firefighting system. At this moment, thick gray-black smoke filled the edge zone of the eastern forest.
A humanoid figure blocked the path of Team One. The two beastmen with lighter injuries immediately moved to the front and took battle stances.
“Zerg race?”
“Heh.”
The mysterious figure, whose entire body was wrapped in black cloth, did not take the two beastmen blocking his path seriously at all. Invisible mental tendrils extended from his mind and attacked the wounded behind them.
Just as the mysterious figure confidently believed he had succeeded, the several mental tendrils he had sent out were instantly cut apart. What followed immediately after were several shots from an energy gun.
Jin Chi’an stepped on the white stork’s head and leaped down. Spinning the energy gun loaded with ammunition in his hand, he landed steadily in front of Frontline Reconnaissance Team One.
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