The airship did not manage to escape far, as a turret suddenly unleashed a barrage of fire with an astonishing rate, the continuous stream of flames lashing against the airship’s hull. It sent pieces flying and flames bursting forth. The airship only held on for a moment before it swayed and crashed to the ground, exploding into a fireball.
The turret then turned, and the flames lashed at another airship, this time achieving even more devastating results, blasting it to pieces in mid-air!
However, the loss of two airships could not turn the tide of battle. There were still dozens of airships hovering above Heilu City. Among them were several heavily armored gunboats, suspended at a height beyond the reach of the turrets. These gunboats continuously bombarded targets within Heilu City with their cannons, which were over ten meters long.
Inside the Darkflame headquarters, Duan Hao and Song Hu gathered in front of the city defense map, both wearing grave expressions. The sound of explosions rumbled incessantly outside, sometimes shaking the entire building, and dust and plaster would fall from the ceiling.
The city defense map was already littered with markings, and an expert could easily see that the defenses of Heilu City were already in tatters, barely holding together. Only the defenses around the Darkflame headquarters remained relatively intact.
At that moment, a soldier rushed in, his voice hoarse, shouting, “The eastern turret has been destroyed! Now there are no turrets left in the eastern part of the city; we can’t hold out much longer!”
Duan Hao’s brows furrowed, and he said, “I’ll take the reserve team over there!”
Song Hu grabbed Duan Hao and shook his head, saying, “We only have one reserve team left! This team must stay here at headquarters, and you cannot leave.”
“But the eastern part of the city will eventually be breached, and they’ll come flooding in!” Duan Hao roared.
Song Hu remained calm, saying, “Didn’t you notice that none of the airships have any markings? They don’t want their identities exposed, so either they brought a large army to completely flatten Heilu City, or they only brought a limited force to raid and then leave. If it’s the former, your going won’t help. If it’s the latter, then there’s no need for you to go either.”
“Your meaning is…” Duan Hao frowned.
Song Hu’s face darkened, “From the eastern part of the city to here, they have to pass through half of Heilu City. With so many mercenary hunters in the city, we can use them to resist the enemy, and the civilians can also contribute. I’ve already ordered the distribution of weapons.”
Duan Hao frowned, “Those hunters are just a disorganized mob, and the civilians aren’t much of a fighting force. If you let them fight against the enemy’s elite private army, the casualties will be huge. In times like these, we can only rely on our own people in Darkflame!”
Song Hu slammed his hand on the city defense map, saying, “Their casualties, no matter how high, are none of our concern. We just need to defend the Darkflame headquarters. If we can hold out until Qian Ye returns, that’s victory.”
At that moment, a sudden flash of light came from outside the window. A bright orange shell streaked across the sky, striking an armored gunboat hovering at a high altitude, causing it to tilt and start spewing flames from its rear. Before the gunboat could evade, another shell hit it, finally causing it to lose its ability to float and plummeting towards the outskirts of the city at an angle.
This cannon was too powerful, and the shells were too conspicuous. For a moment, the airships all turned away. The anti-aircraft fire from the Darkflame headquarters was exceptionally dense, but these floating gunboats, under the intense anti-aircraft fire, desperately bombarded the location of the heavy cannon.
Song Hu’s face changed, and he said, “It’s Miss Nan Gong and Black Moon! Go quickly, and protect them!”
Duan Hao broke through the window and dashed toward the turret where the heavy cannon was located.
The hidden turret, now under concentrated fire, was engulfed in explosions and flames. However, the heavy cannon continued to fire at a rate far exceeding normal heavy cannons, firing over a dozen rounds in a short time, hitting more than half of its targets, and destroying two more gunboats. But there were simply too many warships in the air. Under the intense bombardment, the turret finally collapsed in a loud explosion.
Two graceful figures emerged from the flames, with Black Moon dragging Nan Gong Xiaoniao out of the inferno. Duan Hao rushed over, using his origin power to shield them, and escorted them back to the Darkflane headquarters. Once they returned, they didn’t stop, instead heading to another location via a secret passage.
A short while later, the firepower of a turret in the Darkflame suddenly increased, both in rate and power. The intense cannon fire quickly destroyed an airship. By the time this unusually powerful turret was destroyed, it had already shot down at least four small airships.
Song Hu made a mark on the city defense map, crossing out a turret with a distinctive symbol. As he saw these special markers decreasing one by one, the pressure in his heart grew.
At that moment, outside Heilu City, inside a floating warship that had been hovering at a high altitude, the atmosphere was equally tense. In the command room, a middle-aged man stood with his hands behind his back, looking down at the burning Heilu City, his face devoid of any smile. Everyone in the command room held their breath, silent.
An officer then walked in, his forehead slightly sweaty, and said, “Commander Xu of the fleet reports that the anti-aircraft fire in Heilu City is unusually fierce and unique. The fleet has suffered heavy losses and requests to withdraw and regroup.”
The middle-aged man at the porthole coldly said, “No! Tell him to continue the attack until only one ship is left!”
The officer left to carry out the order. The middle-aged man watched the battle situation for a while, slowly turning, and coldly said, “This is what you call an easy victory? Such firepower, such special heavy cannons, are rare even in the empire’s county cities. How come there was no intelligence? What have all those spies you sent into the city been doing? Are you saying that without Nan Hua, we can’t get any intelligence at all?”
Everyone present lowered their heads, not daring to speak.
The middle-aged man said indifferently, “Concentrate your fire! First, breach a section of the wall, then send all the troops in. If they can’t take Heilu, then they shouldn’t bother coming back.”
No one dared to defy him. Moments later, over a dozen troop transport airships flew towards Heilu City, landing outside the city under heavy fire, deploying ranks of soldiers.
In a blink, the flames within Heilu City intensified, spreading throughout the city. The soldiers, given the order to fight to the death, fired indiscriminately, shooting anything that moved. The city’s mercenaries, hunters, and civilians fought back with all their might, resulting in a fierce and intense battle.
Another officer then entered the command room, saying, “General Lu reports that he has captured Wolf City and annihilated the garrison. He is currently searching the mines within Wolf City to prevent any remaining enemies from causing destruction.”
Upon hearing this, the middle-aged man’s expression improved. However, his joy was short-lived, as another officer rushed in, urgently saying, “Urgent report! The remaining garrison in Wolf City has blown up the mines, and General Lu is trapped inside, his fate unknown!”
The middle-aged man finally showed a reaction, “They blew up the mines?!”
“Yes, sir.”
The middle-aged man’s eyes twitched, and he gritted his teeth, “What a ruthless move by Song Qi! I never thought he would do such a thing!”
Most of the people present knew the value of the Wolf City mines, which was the main reason for the surprise attack. The mine was invaluable, and everyone usually treated it with utmost care. No one expected Song Zining to have pre-set explosives in the mine, destroying it in one fell swoop. This explosion might have destroyed the entire vein, and Song Zining’s ruthlessness sent a chill down everyone’s spine.
The middle-aged man suddenly became agitated, as if something was about to happen. At that moment, a ball of fire ignited in the distant night sky, and a reconnaissance craft, engulfed in flames, crashed to the ground. Through the firelight, one could vaguely see several warships flying towards Heilu City. Their outlines clearly indicated they were new, advanced imperial warships!
These warships’ intentions were clearly hostile, as they immediately shot down the reconnaissance craft on the perimeter. Although there were many airships besieging Heilu City, their models varied, and most were pinned down by ground fire, sustaining some damage. In terms of combat power, there were few that could match the fast-approaching fleet.
As the warships approached, the firelight illuminated the emblems on their hulls. Suddenly, someone in the command room gasped, exclaiming, “Ningyuan Heavy Industries?! Those are Song Qi’s ships! Does he have so many warships?!”
Having more old-style airships wasn’t unusual, but these were all new, advanced models. Even if one could acquire them, very few could afford to maintain them. Song Zining having gathered several meant that Ningyuan Group’s strength had far exceeded everyone’s expectations.
Amid the shock, the middle-aged man realized that if this fleet attacked from behind, the consequences would be dire. Thinking of this, he immediately ordered, “Send the signal, all warships to withdraw from Heilu City and regroup at the designated location. The flagship will move forward to intercept Song Qi’s fleet!”
The order was quickly relayed, and the flagship led three airships to meet Song Zining’s fleet.
Song Zining appeared on the bow of the leading warship and, rather than attacking, laughed loudly, his voice echoing, “Which esteemed guest is so kind as to visit Heilu? May I have the honor of meeting you, and allowing me to personally express my gratitude?”
In the flagship, the middle-aged man pondered for a moment, then resolutely stepped onto the deck, clasping his hands, “Young Master Qi is as wise as the sea, with meticulous planning, truly admirable. But this place should belong to the Blood Clan’s Qian Ye. Perhaps there are remnants of the Blood Clan here. What business brings Young Master Qi here? I heard that Young Master Qi had close ties with Qian Ye in the past. Could it be that he has some connection with the Blood Clan?”
Song Zining examined the middle-aged man, saying, “So it’s Elder Three Kong. I’ve heard that Elder Three Kong is a profound strategist, unwilling to be outdone. But today, I am somewhat surprised. How could Elder Three Kong’s flagship lack any markings? Does this mean that not all of you are from the Kong family?”
Elder Three Kong’s expression changed slightly, and he replied, “Of course, we are all from the Kong family.”
Song Zining sneered, “Is that so? From my perspective, there may be many bandits and rogues impersonating the Kong family. Since I’ve seen them, I cannot let them go. The reputation of the Kong family cannot be tarnished!”
“The reputation of the Kong family is my responsibility, and I don’t need Young Master Qi to worry about it.”
Song Zining nodded, “Very well. There are definitely remnants of the Blood Clan here, and I need to eliminate them. I won’t waste Elder Three Kong’s time, farewell!”
Elder Three Kong instinctively felt a sense of dread. Before he could say anything, a burst of light flashed, and several powerful crossbow bolts pierced through the air. The gleam on the arrowheads clearly indicated that they were armor-piercing bolts designed to destroy heavy warships!
Elder Three Kong was startled and leaped to avoid the bolts. While he managed to dodge, the flagship was hit by three armor-piercing bolts, explosions rocking it, and soon, it was engulfed in thick smoke, slowing down.
Song Zining’s voice echoed from afar, “You idiots, clumsy as ever, how did you let the crossbows misfire?!”
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