Chapter 517, Plan No. 3
Ugh!
Countless air raid sirens blared across the crimson fog, echoing through the sky. The entire train unit's front line, stretching for hundreds of miles, was filled with screams of terror and despair. Even the Iron Guard soldiers operating mechs on the front line looked up blankly at the sky, as if a flood of fear had descended from the heavens!
In the command center, Luo Shaokai's clenched fist trembled slightly, and blood trickled from the corner of his eye. At this moment, dozens of officers of all ranks from the Iron Guard Brigade, who were online on the command channel, were all holding their breath, unable to utter a word.
"Commander, the aerial reconnaissance distance is less than 100 kilometers from the rear line of the 13th Iron Guard Brigade!"
"Extremely high dark energy radiation impact detected; dark energy potential frequency amplification to maximum power across all frequency bands!!!"
"Report: T34-T41, T65, T72-T90... T122, T198... More than 30 marching zones have experienced abnormalities, and multiple locations have opened fire independently!"
"Damn it, this thing is still alive!!" Zeng Weiguo shouted angrily over the communication channel, "How did it suddenly appear here!?"
"Just because we stopped marching for a day today?"
"Our travel speed is less than 100 kilometers a day, how can we keep up so closely!"
"We're too close, what are we going to do now?!"
"Don't panic!" Old Luo's tone was calm and collected, like a pillar of strength, and he immediately issued a clear order: "All defense lines, immediately set up defensive formations. The Firestone, Dragon Kun, and Thunderbolt fleets, prepare to take off immediately, and prepare all nuclear weapon launch units, etc."
"Good!" General Li Sheng, commander of the 13th Iron Guard Brigade, immediately ordered: "The mecha units must move out immediately. Once this thing appears, the Crimson Wave will surely follow. All combat units must immediately deploy multi-layered defensive formations."
"Captains of all the train and motor transport teams," Elder Luo called out again, addressing the leaders of the various train and motor transport teams currently online on the channel, his voice stern.
"Get ready for a full-scale battle. This time, there will be no fire support from the Dawn Center. Be prepared for the lines to be breached and cut off. Once the formation is broken, break out according to our Plan No. 3!"
The so-called Plan No. 3 is a war plan formulated by Luo Shaokai and the leaders of various teams after the collapse of the entire front. Its core purpose is to divide the entire train force into more than 25 super-large train regiments that can break out separately, using the existing all-terrain locomotive groups and the large base vehicles of the Iron Guard Brigade as units. Once the defensive formation is destroyed and the train line is broken, these 25 locomotive groups or flying groups with all-terrain capabilities will abandon the tracks and drag the trains behind them to break out separately.
This contingency plan was not only cruel but also the most desperate option. Once derailed, even the most powerful all-terrain train could not tow more than a few hundred carriages, stretching for several kilometers or even tens of kilometers, across the wasteland. The broken terrain would cause the carriages at the rear to break apart in a very short time. Survivors could only resign themselves to fate and continuously abandon a large number of carriages to escape. Although the plan was prepared in advance, with a large number of people placed at the front of the towed carriages and corresponding improvements made to the connections and some track wheels, actually escaping in all directions amidst the crimson sky was tantamount to a nine-out-of-ten chance of death.
"good!"
"receive!"
"clear."
"We've heard some movement in the Black Stone Forest area of section T208!"
"Section T185, the Liefeng team observed a large-scale tremor coming from the northwest!"
"Oh no!! A predator has appeared on the 7th Heavy Battalion's T96 section, and we're in trouble... thump thump thump..."
The sound of artillery fire began to erupt in some areas, filling the communication frequencies.
General Luo then called out to Sean and Jian Xuwei: "How is the factory? How far can it be moved?"
Hiss...
Sean, who was at the steel mill, immediately responded: "It's not very optimistic. We've used all our production units and all available war resources, but we still have less than 180 kilometers of prefabricated track. Add to that the 40 kilometers that have already been built ahead of the Silver Star, and that's about it."
Inside the bustling steel mill, Sean looked at the mountain of steel rails piled up by drones and continued, "Furthermore, considering the geological terrain, high-speed laying is extremely risky, and the speed will not exceed 40 kilometers per hour."
That's enough!
At this moment, Jian Xuwei walked over from behind, her voice ringing out simultaneously on Sean's communication frequency: "The train rushing forward will give us at least a few hours of buffer time. Moreover, the area around the Rocky Mountains is a completely flat plain, with the ground mainly consisting of hardened granite and sedimentary rock. If we use Contingency Plan 3 there, the survival rate might be even higher!"
"And we can use this time to transfer a large number of people from the rear to the fleet and the Sky Train, gradually abandoning the latter part of the train!" Chen Sixuan's urgent voice rang out on the Sky Train: "So even if the steel mill plan is only half successful, it has still bought us a lot of time!"
call!
General Li Sheng said urgently in a deep voice, "This is terrible luck. If only we had another day or two..."
The steel mill, operating at full capacity, produced nearly 200 kilometers of prefabricated track in just over a day, at least twice as efficient as before. Everyone had thought that after their hard work in killing the S-class, they would have gained precious time to escape. As long as the train connected to the eastern track, the main force could rush out of North America and into Mexico within a day.
But fate is always so cruel. Before the crimson wave arrived, the super dark energy fluctuations released by the terrifying giant eye in the sky had already caused a large-scale mutation in humanity. Countless lives were rapidly dying. Many companions who were just talking enthusiastically had turned into mutated corpses in the next moment. Pain and despair continued to fill and spread, and cries and screams were heard from all the train lines.
"Shuqin, Luo Yang, we're preparing to take off to assist in the rescue and breakout operation!"
On the Sky Train, Chen Sixuan immediately mobilized her team to prepare for action.
"etc!"
Just then, Monica's voice rang out. She was standing on the Sky Bridge of the Sky Train, her eyes shimmering with supernatural energy. Countless sound waves from the heavens and earth resonated within her ears like a symphony. Monica surveyed the distant crimson fog, her delicate face icy cold. She slowly spoke.
"The insect swarm, the strange creatures, the zombies—they've all stopped."
"It stopped?" Qian Dele asked immediately upon hearing this, "What does that mean?"
"Those monsters seem to have stopped moving."
Inside the cockpit of Longshan-1, Shi Diyuan stared at the radar screen. Behind him, Abai, panting heavily, looked out the window and pointed in a direction, whispering, "Over there, there are dense clusters of scents, but they've all stopped..."
Ning Jing asked with a serious expression, "Stop? Are you under some kind of command?"
Xiaoqing looked out the window at the thick, crimson fog and slowly tightened her grip on the long sword in her hand.
"They're poised to strike, waiting for the right moment. It seems the demon horde is under the control of that giant sky demon." Lu Xingchen landed on fire beside Monica from high above, his expression stern.
Monica shook her head, crossed her arms, and said, "That must be it. We're surrounded from all directions now. We can tell that there are not only small movements, but also a lot of large movements that are no less than the Special level. Even such big guys don't dare to make a move easily. I can't think of anything other than the World level."
“We’ve seen this kind of thing before when we were on Haiyan Island…” Shu Qin said with an extremely gloomy expression.
At the same time, the radars in the command posts of each war zone also detected this strange situation.
The earth trembled, as if endless monsters were surging through the night, marching in large numbers towards the Blackstone Plains and the Great Rift Valley. The soldiers of the Iron Guard Brigade on all fronts stared at the dark, crimson fog in the searchlights, their hearts in their throats, cold sweat pouring down their faces, but no monsters emerged.
Apart from the few suddenly appearing predators, the crimson swarm seemed to be blocked by an invisible barrier from the east and west directions of the train's attack, hidden in the mist, howling softly, ready to pounce.
"The bio-radar detected a large number of bizarre creatures and swarms of insects, all gathered in an area approximately 50 kilometers from both sides of the train!!"
On the holographic topographic map in the command center of the Second Intercontinental Force, the radar interface was covered with a dense array of red dots, turning the east and west sides of the train into a blood-red expanse, like two red waves winding parallel to the train line. At the same time, more red dots continued to pour in from deeper areas, gradually turning the entire screen red until only a clear empty line remained.
"This is weird. Are these things preparing for a mass attack?" Zeng Weiguo said immediately as he looked at the screen.
"Or are you waiting for orders..."
General Li Sheng took a deep breath and slammed his hand on the table: "Whatever it is, it's not a good omen. It's already night, and these insect swarms are incredibly violent and endless. Let's take a gamble and seize this opportunity to gain the upper hand!"
"I agree!"
"I agree too!!" A group of generals and leaders set an example.
But at this point, someone else said, "Could it be because we haven't taken any action, and once we do, the charge will begin immediately?"
"Even if we do, it's pointless. The monsters are gathering in ever-increasing numbers. Are we just going to stand here and wait?"
General Luo stared at the blood-red radar scan, his hawk-like eyes narrowing slightly.
"They've got their bags all set, waiting for the big stuff to be served..."
He took a deep breath and immediately ordered: "Sky Train, Silver Star, Utopia, prepare the tracks. After suppressing the anomaly, all other trains and motorcades should prepare to move. Comrade Li Sheng, you reserve three heavy regiments in the Tieshanping Pass area to prepare for a rear guard and containment operation. Other combat units should provide segmented escort for the rear convoy according to Plan No. 3."
"I see!"
"Liu Gang, have the 2nd and 3rd Battalions move towards the left flank, making sure no gaps are left. The 4th, 6th, and 7th Battalions will follow up in the middle. The Firestone Fleet will be responsible for covering the 13th Iron Guard Brigade. If necessary, they will carry out an armed sling-out breakout."
"yes!"
"Comrade Weiguo, your 22nd Iron Guard Brigade is fully responsible for the breakout. Sections T50 to T98 will be jointly defended by the Utopia, the Republican Alliance, the Hongyuan Business Alliance, the New Era Engineering Corps, the Iron Shield Convoy, and the Burning Phoenix, with the Dragon Kun Fleet providing cover. Wu Xiangqun, your Thunderbolt Fleet will continue to assist the Sky Train and the Silver Star!"
"We have five minutes. All units, get ready. We're about to launch a full-scale breakout!"
"yes!"
The Grand Canyon, shrouded in a crimson sky, fell into an eerie silence. As the order was given, more than two hundred train convoys and more than thirty motor vehicle convoys, along with hundreds of thousands of soldiers from the Iron Guard Brigade, all sprang into action at the same time. An atmosphere of despair weighed on everyone's heads, and the various deployment orders spread like silent ripples in the crimson waves, like boulders thrown into a still pool.
A steel dragon stretching for hundreds of kilometers suddenly awakened!
The Sky Train's bridge flashed blue light as thousands of construction drones swarmed out like a silver beehive, joining the torrent of drones heading towards the steel mill. Inside the factory, countless tracks were neatly hoisted into the sky by transport drones and then flew off into the distance, like a high-speed ribbon of light.
Jian Xuwei boarded the aircraft and began to leave the scene. Transport vehicles began to transport engineers and factory personnel to the front line. Soon, only drones were still operating in this newly built factory. The engine power was increased to the maximum to build as many tracks as possible before the firepower broke through.
Throughout the train carriages, figures were busily preparing for battle. Countless defense personnel began to climb onto the roofs, and the turrets and gun mounts were activated again. In an instant, the lights and searchlights on the train roofs lit up, and countless searchlights shone continuously into the sky and the thick fog all around. Everyone was extremely tense at this moment, their hearts in their throats.
"Quick, quick, get the ammunition!!"
"Pull up all the windows, and use every gun you can!"
"Electromagnetic gun charging, backup power ready!"
"Move the child to the front vehicle, check the car connections, and be ready to detonate and disconnect the rear at any time!"
Buzz!
Car engines roared in suppressed anger. The camps of the various car alliances were brightly lit. People who had mounted guns and cannons on each car had climbed up. Mothers tied their babies to their chests with strips of cloth, and empty cans filled with the last of the water were silently passed among the wounded.
Several large airships slowly rose into the air amidst the roar of their engines, raising clouds of dust. Various types of fighter jets took off simultaneously. On the Zhenhai warship, figures moved swiftly across the bridge. Wu Xiangqun strode quickly onto the main bridge and shouted loudly...
"We are responsible for the frontline breakout. All flight units, listen up! Even if you crash, you must not crash into the orbit!"
Click, click!
On the Sky Train, Chen Sixuan looked at the sky in front of her with a solemn expression. On the radar screen, as the unit at the forefront, they were now surrounded by enemies on three sides: the south and the east and west sides of the train. The tide of red biological signals had illuminated the entire main bridge with red light.
“If Contingency Plan 3 fails…” Chen Sixuan looked at the people in their respective positions: “The Sky Dome’s hulls will be disassembled and transported in sections to the Silver Star and Dragon Mountain No. 1. He Linqiu and her motor transport unit will move to the train first.”
"This is the last resort." Jian Xuwei's voice came through the communicator. She looked at the giant, strange eye in the sky on the screen: "I don't know why, but I have a feeling..."
"The situation is more serious than we realize!"
(End of this chapter)
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