Armor-Piercing Munition: Face Me, Carbon-Based Monster!
Chapter 239 - 96 I Must Meet Him_2

Chapter 239: Chapter 96 I Must Meet Him_2

This brought a new problem before Chen Jian.

"When exactly will the so-called beast tide occur, and what form will it take?"

He posed this question, but no one could give an accurate judgment.

After all, no one had personally experienced that so-called "beast tide."

Thus, the Huaxia Army was left with only one choice.

Chen Jian took a deep breath and said:

"Neither the Mechanical God Sect nor the Holy Blood Temple can be relied upon."

"If the beast tide does occur, and it’s directed at us, it’s possible that the Mechanical God Sect might even strike us when we’re down."

"After all, they did just that during the Mimic Heretics’ ’plague’ outbreak."

"Therefore, we must be prepared in advance."

"The revival and reconstruction of fortifications and Base 011 must be accelerated."

"We must expand our scope of influence at all costs, especially quickly spreading the coverage of the cellular network."

"Only in this way can we maximize our danger perception zone without satellite assistance."

"So, the plan is very clear."

"The second-level monsters have been cleared, but the small monsters around that affect the stability of the living environment have not been completely cleared."

"Relying solely on unmanned equipment is inefficient, and the losses are too large."

"It’s time for our ’second-line forces’ to step up."

"Huang Yu, you’ve trained these warriors well, now, it’s time for the organization and the people to test you all."

"After returning to Base 011, take them out for some real combat practice!"

As his words fell, Huang Yu stood up abruptly.

Then, he replied loudly:

"Yes!"

"I guarantee to complete the mission!"

...

Meanwhile, just as Chen Jian had sent off Wang Lizhi, the first batch of Mechanical God Sect troops arriving to support Jinling City from other cities had also arrived.

The 15th Brigade Commander of the Guard Brigade, Zhang Tao, initially thought he would see a city in ruins given the dire situation of Jinling City when he received the order.

But unexpectedly, once he entered the city, he saw a prosperous scene that was no different from the countless times he had seen Jinling City before.

The people’s lives had returned to normal, merchants were trading enthusiastically, and even some streets had become cleaner and more orderly than before.

Zhang Tao was completely at a loss as to what had transpired; all he heard were sporadic rumors about that battle.

Elephants racing across the wilderness, artillery fire descending from the sky, warriors clad in heavy armor, and robots controlled by Mechanical Souls autonomously fighting....

Zhang Tao had heard many stories about the "triumphant return of the Mechanical God Sect’s army," but none were as exaggerated as this one.

He even doubted whether the battle had really taken place.

He knew too well the nature of those high and mighty bishops.

This might just be a performance orchestrated with the Huadu people to further expand the influence of the Mechanical God Sect.

But soon, upon receiving new orders, his doubts were dispelled.

On the way to receive the prisoners outside the city, he personally witnessed those "mechanical warriors," saw hundreds of scarred Huadu prisoners, and the bodies of Huadu people piled up, awaiting incineration.

At that moment, he even felt as if he was hallucinating.

Damn.

Did the God of All Mechanisms really descend?

Did the Holy Trinity truly bestow its divine power?

Zhang Tao was both excited and skeptical.

And when he finally met Jin Zhong, the Fourth Guard Brigade commander, who was also cleaning the battlefield and accepting prisoners, he almost couldn’t contain his eagerness as he rushed in front of him and asked:

"Did we really win??"

Seeing this long-lost brother, Jin Zhong couldn’t bear to shatter the possibly newfound beautiful illusion he had just built.

However, he couldn’t lie either.

Because in the face of overwhelming truth, no lie could stand firm.

So, he heaved a long sigh and replied:

"....No."

"We didn’t win."

"The one who defeated Huadu was the Huaxia Army."

"Huaxia Army?"

Zhang Tao was momentarily stunned, as if the name was extremely unfamiliar to him.

Jin Zhong could only remind him:

"It’s those Mimic Heretics, those Mimic Heretics from Yellow Stone City."

"Them?!"

Zhang Tao was dumbfounded.

"They defeated Huadu?"

"Yes, decisively. To be precise, it was an overwhelming victory."

"....How many were they?"

Zhang Tao pressed on.

"8 people."

"8 people?! Did they use that weapon like in Yellow Stone City again??"

"No, not this time. They used tanks, what we call ’Holy Elephants.’

"....That’s simply impossible."

Zhang Tao’s eyes were filled with disbelief, but Jin Zhong, with a bitter smile, said:

"But it’s the truth."

"Everything you see is their handiwork. They brought a large amount of machinery infused with Mechanical Souls that we can’t comprehend, and these machines helped them effortlessly annihilate the Huadu enemy without any casualties."

"I know it’s hard to believe, and perhaps you’re disappointed in our failure, but..."

"No, I’m not disappointed at all."

Zhang Tao suddenly interrupted Jin Zhong, and then a hint of a playful smile appeared in his eyes.

"I’m just surprised."

"But I’m not disappointed."

"In fact, before I came, I was even prepared to take over an empty city."

"You...you didn’t believe we could hold out?"

Jin Zhong asked in astonishment.

"Are you kidding? With only a few hundred remaining, trying to stop Huadu’s three thousand people?"

"Even if the Saint hadn’t decided on an expedition, with sufficient troops and weapons, Jinling City couldn’t be held."

"Brother, don’t you understand yet?"

"The Church Protection Army is no longer what it used to be, and neither are the archbishops."

"Failure was inevitable, and I even suspect the Saint..."

"Lower your voice!"

Jin Zhong immediately interrupted Zhang Tao and frowned, saying:

"You shouldn’t discuss such matters!"

"How did you become so...reckless? You weren’t like this when you left Jinling!"

"If you garrison a city far from the core like I did for a few years, I believe you’ll become even more reckless than I am."

Zhang Tao spread his hands and then said:

"Alright, let’s not discuss this anymore."

"Anyway, defeating Huadu and holding Jinling is a good thing."

"So what’s next? What does the Saint plan to do?"

"The Saint will formally negotiate with the Huaxia Army today."

Jin Zhong sighed and replied:

"I heard that the Huaxia Army has made many demands on us and will propose even more at the negotiation site."

"And sadly, we simply can’t oppose these demands."

"But, the Saint won’t fully concede either."

"He is mobilizing a significant portion of the southern Guard Brigades, ordering them to arrive in Jinling within two days."

"Perhaps the Saint intends to use this to pressure the Huaxia Army into concessions...."

"Pressure?"

Zhang Tao laughed and then said:

"This is the funniest joke I’ve heard on this trip."

"Where does the Saint get his confidence?"

"Honestly, instead of calling us brigade commanders back one by one, it would be more realistic for him to kneel before the leaders of the Huaxia Army and pray..."

"...You shouldn’t speak so disrespectfully of the Saint."

Jin Zhong shook his head, not responding further.

Scenes from yesterday in the manor flashed before his eyes.

The Saint clumsily prostrating before that man named Chen Jian, such a scene...

What difference is there from kneeling?

Jin Zhong wouldn’t tell Zhang Tao about this; it was his bottom line.

But he also truly knew that the lofty image of the Saint in his heart had been utterly destroyed....

At this moment, the work of receiving prisoners was nearing its end, and the soldiers of the Guard Brigade were also organizing their troops to return to Jinling City.

Seeing the sun rising high in the sky, Zhang Tao suddenly asked:

"When is the negotiation?"

"It’s said to be at four in the afternoon, why?"

Zhang Tao gave a slight smile and then replied:

"There’s still time."

"Before they formally begin negotiations...I need to find a reason to meet these so-called Huaxia Army!"