At this moment, the convoy was still several kilometers away. The twilight was deepening, and a thin mist was spreading. Without any special sensory abilities, it would be impossible to see anything. Qian Ye’s heart stirred as he glanced at Wu Shiqing. Even with ordinary night vision, one couldn’t see that far.
Wu Shiqing said somewhat nervously, “Young Master, I… I have some sensory abilities, mainly night vision, and I can also see things that others cannot.”
Qian Ye had anticipated fairly strong night vision, but he was surprised to learn that Wu Shiqing could see other things as well. This meant he possessed a composite sensory ability, which was not an ordinary talent. Even if this young man could only reach level five in his lifetime, just giving him a Raptor Strike rifle would make him a deadly sniper. As for Wu Shiyin, she hadn’t yet shown more special abilities, but her remarkable training speed alone was something to look forward to.
Wei, the guard captain, looked slightly uneasy and asked, “Young Master Qian, how many people are coming?”
Qian Ye replied, “A lot! From the numbers, it looks like a battalion. Yes, they just landed two airships, each large enough to carry a whole company.”
“Nearly two thousand people?” The faces of the two guard captains turned grim. Although they had been mentally prepared, they didn’t expect the expeditionary force to act so brazenly. Such a large scale operation would be nearly impossible to cover up afterward. It also meant the enemy was determined to win, and the next day and night would be tough.
These guards, though confident they were stronger than the expeditionary force, were vastly outnumbered. Qian Ye’s men were many, but less than half were battle-ready. Moreover, they had only trained for a few days. In the eyes of the two guard captains, these three or four hundred people together were equivalent to one regular company, and their equipment was incomplete.
Captain Wei smiled bitterly, “We don’t have enough equipment, and our ammunition is limited.”
Captain He sighed and said, “We have to fight, no matter what.”
Outside the town, the expeditionary force dismounted and joined with the troops from the airships. The two forces merged, and after a brief moment of chaos, they quickly regained order. From this detail, it was clear both units were elite.
Qian Ye waved his hand, and a soldier behind him blew a horn. The low, somber sound echoed through the town, making everyone fall silent, gripping their weapons tightly.
Qian Ye took out a large-caliber powder sniper rifle and threw it to Wu Shiqing, saying, “This is for you. In the upcoming battle, you can move freely. Remember, only kill the lieutenants; you don’t need to worry about the majors. Shiyin, you are responsible for assisting and protecting your brother.”
Wu Shiqing caught the heavy sniper rifle and then received a bag of bullets from Qian Ye. He looked up stubbornly and said, “I want a force gun!”
Qian Ye shook his head, “With your little force, you’d run out after two or three shots. This is a battlefield, not a place for heroics. Also, don’t target the majors, and it’s best not to bother even the first lieutenants. Your job is to kill as many second and third lieutenants as possible.”
Most majors were at levels four or five, and powder weapons posed little threat to them. However, a large-caliber sniper rifle was still quite threatening to second and third-level soldiers. By killing a large number of lower and middle-ranking officers, the expeditionary force’s battlefield command would be severely disrupted.
At this moment, Wu Shiyin stepped forward, her small face a mix of nervousness and determination, and said, “Give me a force gun. I… I can shoot more times.”
Qian Ye smiled and asked, “How many times can you shoot?”
Wu Shiyin became even more nervous and stuttered, “For a first-level force gun, I can shoot five, no! Six times!”
The two guard captains were immediately impressed. Even a second-level soldier couldn’t always shoot five or six times. Wu Shiyin clearly had the power of only one force node.
Qian Ye suddenly became interested. This data was almost on par with his own. Seeing the girl’s tense, straightened back, he softened his voice and said, “It seems you have some special talent. Can you tell me about it?”
Wu Shiyin whispered, “I seem to be able to control the flow of force, so using a force gun doesn’t deplete much. Also, my force seems to be more than others.”
Qian Ye nodded. So, Wu Shiyin’s ability lay in controlling and having a deep reservoir of force. Though it didn’t sound particularly special, her sheer force capacity would allow her to dominate most of her peers in the foreseeable future.
This pair of siblings were indeed talented.
Qian Ye looked at them and asked, “Do you know why I must fight here?”
Wu Shiqing and Wu Shiyin looked confused. These military matters were beyond their experience.
“Because there are no natural defenses in the surrounding area, and there may be other unkind opponents, like wild beasts on the plain. If we appear too weak, we’ll attract more predators. Even if we want to run, we must first use the terrain to cripple the pursuers. Besides, we don’t need to run. As long as we hold out until tomorrow night, reinforcements will arrive.”
There was one thing Qian Ye didn’t say: this battle would also result in a significant reduction in the number of seeds. Only the strongest would survive. But the survivors, like swords forged in a furnace, would become sharper with each ordeal.
“Can we really cripple them?” Captain Wei mumbled, his face full of worry. Though he wasn’t afraid of death, his confidence wasn’t strong.
Qian Ye smiled without answering. Since the expeditionary force had sent a battalion, there were at least two level-six fighters in their ranks. In the eyes of these two guard captains, they had only one level-five fighter, Qian Ye, and were far inferior in numbers and equipment. Holding the position would be difficult, let alone counterattacking.
The town’s defenses were already set, now waiting for the enemy to attack.
These expeditionary forces hadn’t even changed their uniforms, merely removing their insignias. This amateur attempt to disguise themselves as bandits only highlighted their determination to exterminate all opposition.
The expeditionary force had already positioned themselves outside the town and pushed several light cannons off the trucks, preparing to bombard. Moments later, amidst the thunderous explosions, the light cannons began spewing fire, sending shells into the town. Artillery bombardment was a primitive but effective offensive method, especially against ordinary soldiers who hadn’t cultivated force.
In Qian Ye’s eyes, the trajectories of these shells were crystal clear. He suddenly grabbed the sniper rifle from Wu Shiqing and, holding it like an assault rifle, fired a shot into the air.
The roar of the sniper rifle almost drowned out the rumble of the cannon. A dazzling burst of flame erupted in the sky, and a shell exploded mid-air!
Such a scene was common on large battlefields where high-level fighters participated, but it was rare for the expeditionary force’s battalion unit. The young men and women behind Qian Ye had never seen such a spectacle.
Qian Ye didn’t need to aim much, firing four more shots, emptying a five-round magazine. Four fiery bursts rained down, creating waves of heat, plunging the town into silence.
Moments later, the town erupted with thunderous cheers! Qian Ye nodded slightly. With such morale, they could fight! After all, for the common people of the Evernight Continent, especially the former slaves, the expeditionary force was an overwhelming behemoth.
The expeditionary force continued to bombard, and the vanguard infantry began to slowly advance towards the town. The machine guns providing covering fire spewed continuous streams of fire, and stray bullets whizzed through the air. Shells kept falling into the town, and screams occasionally rang out.
However, the bombardment wasn’t very effective. Most of the non-combatant seeds had already taken shelter in the mine tunnels. The other soldiers were dispersed throughout the town, and the expeditionary force, acting hastily, hadn’t had time to bring in heavy artillery. Qian Ye wasn’t worried. The real battle would begin when the expeditionary force entered the town, and the outcome would be decided by the clash of high-level fighters.
Suddenly, a heavy machine gun on the town wall went berserk, mowing down a group of expeditionary soldiers within a hundred meters. However, a force glow suddenly appeared in the expeditionary force. A force bullet, glowing yellow, streaked across the battlefield, easily piercing the steel shield of the heavy machine gun and tearing the shooter in two.
Then, a series of explosions sounded, and several shells fell in quick succession, blowing the heavy machine gun’s position to pieces, killing the ammunition loader and backup shooters.
Qian Ye sighed. These people had trained for too short a time. Apart from the dozen or so regular soldiers, the rest, former mercenaries, hunters, and adventurers, had little experience in organized combat. The shooter had panicked under pressure, exposing himself by firing prematurely. If the expeditionary force had advanced closer, the frontline would have connected, and the covering fire wouldn’t have been necessary.
Qian Ye’s gaze swept over, noting the position of the expeditionary force’s lieutenant colonel. A mere level-three fighter wasn’t worth his attention yet. Qian Ye patiently waited for the big fish, knowing that once he used the Raptor Strike, the majors would turtle up at the rear.
So, when Qian Ye used the Raptor Strike, he wanted to make sure they had no chance to escape.
The expeditionary force reached the walls, and the bombardment ceased. Gunfire and explosions filled the air, and the battle had begun in earnest. Among the expeditionary soldiers, many extremely agile figures leaped out, some jumping several meters high onto the town walls in a single bound!
These people moved like the wind, unlike humans, even more agile than some beasts. Wherever they charged, several of Qian Ye’s soldiers fell, and only the Far East Heavy Industries’ guards could barely hold them back. One bald, muscular man, hit by over ten bullets, was unscathed, grinning as he snapped the neck of a regular soldier!
These were the combat soldiers, nearly unstoppable when facing ordinary people.
Suddenly, the roar of a sniper rifle broke the silence. The burly man froze, assuming a defensive stance, but he was unharmed. A nearby second lieutenant, however, fell backward. The burly man, a level-four fighter, was stunned, scratching his head, unable to understand what happened.
The sniper rifle roared again, and another second lieutenant fell, but the burly man remained unscathed.
This clearly enraged the burly man, who frantically searched for the sniper. Then, he saw a young man walking towards him, eerily passing through the fiercest combat zones, unaffected, and arrived right before him.
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