"Enemy attack! Take cover!"
While Lao Ma was sleeping, his body moved on its own as if by reflex, until he hit his head on the ground and was awakened by the pain.
"Where? Where? Where is the enemy attack?" He asked several questions in a row before he came to his senses. Just as he was about to rub his head, he was startled by another huge explosion.
The explosion was so violent that even the hilltop they were on shook like an earthquake. The shockwave arrived first, followed by the soundwaves.
Li Wenjia estimated the time between the fire and the sound waves and realized the explosion point was more than 80 kilometers away. So he said, "It's far away! It's inside the urban area."
Upon hearing this, Ma Dongsheng climbed up, lifted a corner of the camouflage net, and looked in the direction Li Wenjia said.
A massive fireball appeared in the distance, still burning and showing signs of increasing damage. Around its edges, orange-yellow flames, like rocket tails, danced. It seemed the attack had targeted a strategic warehouse—only gunpowder and high-energy fuel could produce that kind of incendiary effect.
"This shouldn't be the case. This shouldn't be the case!" Old Ma stared at the firelight, thought for a while, and sighed repeatedly.
The drones outside were indifferent to the situation inside, but people inside did not release any new drones.
Was the drone out of control? Or was it controlled by someone other than them? Both of them thought of this question almost simultaneously.
"Who do you think is controlling the drone now?" Lao Ma spoke first. He wanted to hear other people's opinions first.
"I think it's unmanned. If one of them has the authority, why don't they use drones against the other?"
"But any split won't be binary. They'll definitely be fragmented, with conflicts of interest. Perhaps those in control want to stay out of it? They might have already exchanged interests with each side."
"They are an isolated system, a group of people trapped on an island. I don't think they can stay out of it. If they really exist, they will be like the Pope of Rome in the past. Everyone wants to get them, and no one wants others to get them. In the end, there is only one end for them - destruction."
Li Wenjia thought for a moment and continued, "I think we need to think carefully now. If we ever get inside, what position should we take? They might have already formed a new social structure. Some of them might be friendly with us, while others might be hostile to us."
Does our mission need some revision? Perhaps we should temporarily hide the "Establish Contact" section. We need to first figure out what's going on there..."
Li Wenjia originally had more to say, but at this point, it was enough for Lao Ma.
"Let's get back to the point," Lao Ma replied in a deep voice. "We still have to find a way to get through that over ten kilometers wide fire network. We've only explored the first few kilometers. We only have pre-war maps to refer to for the terrain behind. Multiple penetrations have proven to be unfeasible, so we can only focus on one."
"Have you tried the reconnaissance missiles?"
"That thing is useless. The Hunter's terminal anti-missile capability is too strong. Unless it's a light-speed missile."
"What about the effectiveness of electromagnetic pulse weapons? Don't even think they can protect against this, right?"
"Don't worry about that. However... the long-term suppression equipment weighs several tons. We'll need to deploy it using tracked vehicles. Geomagnetic pulses are indiscriminate, and the people driving them... will basically not be able to return."
"It's disposable equipment. It would be great if it could be modified to be unmanned!"
"Yeah, it would be great if everything could be done with drones. We're short on manpower right now, and we don't know how many more comrades will die on the way back."
The two of them chatted like a crosstalk, each one remarking aloud for a long time. They seemed to be discussing something, but in reality, it was just useless nonsense. Nevertheless, they chatted happily for hours. As Lao Ma replaced the filter canisters, a hint of morning light began to appear on the horizon.
The red sun rises from the east, dyeing the snow on the ground red.
Li Wenjia's pupils shrank as the brightness of the earth's surface changed, and he gradually made out the distant scene. He pulled a palm-sized camera from a box beside him, took a few photos of the distant fireball, and quickly put it back in its place.
His vision was now truly excellent; he could even clearly see the city dozens of kilometers away. He noticed that within the city, there were numerous machines operating on the ground. From his vantage point, they looked like leaf-cutter ants in the forest, carrying cargo disproportionate to their size.
Before the war, that city, like other cities in Sichuan, began as a heavy industry. It once produced a spicy pickled mustard greens, and later became a popular tourist destination. Now, like other places, it's covered in snow, displaying a scene of decay.
Li Wenjia didn't know what those machines were moving, but judging by their highly automated state, the city's underground must have some basic order. Perhaps breaking through in that direction would be a better option. Of course, the expedition team likely had no choice, as that city was the closest to here, and there was no need to cross a river.
Seeing that Lao Ma hadn't moved for a long time, he asked, "How are you? Are you feeling better?"
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