133. Blade of the Warriors
The black sky of Calamity was split by two arcs as two 'Skyhawk' fighter jets with forward-swept wings gradually shed their optical camouflage. The pilots quickly located their designated target area on the radar, and with a thought, the jets turned like sparrows toward it.
Their flight was steady, taking advantage of the natural disaster's cover, making the attack undetectable.
"This area seems to be a civilian residential zone, Banai-san," the wingman suddenly noticed that besides the hemispherical greenhouse structures, there were also many schools and dormitories below.
"Who cares? They're not our civilians anyway."
"True enough."
The wingman shrugged and casually flicked a switch, as if having breakfast.
The next moment, the hidden bomb bay on the jet's belly opened, and several 1,200-kilogram bunker buster bombs fell straight toward the residential area of Sunny Garden.
The Green Base didn't notice the attack. Inside a local elementary school, an elderly [Biochemist] was earnestly teaching students to identify the images projected on the screen:
"This is a plant from the Rosaceae family, called a rose. In some places, it might be confused with the Chinese rose. The main difference lies in the leaves. It's an ornamental plant; ancient people viewed it as a symbol of romantic love..."
Whoosh——————
A piercing roar streaked across the school's sky. Several mischievous students looked up and ran to the windows to see the sky.
Boom!
Four school buildings were pierced directly by high-speed drills, instantly grinding the teachers and students in class into pulp. The crazy dust spread a cold hue under the artificial sunlight.
"What was that? Why are we being attacked!"
"Enemy attack! It's the Four Nations' fighter jets!"
"Sound the alarm—"
The drills furiously tore into the ground. The principle of these bunker buster bombs was simple and brutal, like crashing a tunnel boring machine into the warhead. They could be remotely monitored and detonated based on nearby life signs or set to explode after reaching a certain depth via a delayed fuse.
To be safe, the two Skyhawk pilots opted for manual detonation. They coldly watched as the life signals dropped from hundreds to none, only to surge again to several hundred after digging dozens of meters down.
"It's here! Detonate!"
Boom, boom, boom, boom!
The four bunker buster bombs exploded at a depth of 280 meters beneath the Green Base residential area. The uranium-filled explosives were triggered by precise mechanisms, unleashing terrifying heat and shockwaves in an instant.
Torrential heat waves burned through the rock layers, blasting earth and debris skyward. The horrifying shockwaves reduced buildings to rubble. The people from the external lands attached to the Green Base fled in panic, dodging debris and flying steel beams. Suddenly, someone seemed to kick him in the back, flipping him over instantly. When he turned around, it was just a severed leg.
The distant storm roared like a wild dragon, and nearby fireballs raged like man-made disasters.
At least in creating suffering, they could be compared.
The Skyhawk pilots circled overhead leisurely until they received an angry signal:
"Four Nations people, we did nothing wrong. Why are you bombing us?"
"Shut up. We're slaughtering you. Please don't interrupt our work."
The arrogant pilot dismissively replied, not feeling the slightest superiority, and even considered himself modest for using polite language.
The wingman did not blame the lead pilot's words; it was natural. Over the past decade, they had launched hundreds of military operations against the external lands.
"Those four bombs cost six million Tianhuan zhu each. Maybe you should reflect on why we're willing to bomb you with such expensive weapons."
The spokesperson for the Green Base was furious, snarling, "Tianhuan people, you killed our people, and you expect us to reflect?"
"The weak have no right to judge the strong. If you must blame, blame yourselves for not being one of the Four Nations."
"Tianhuan people, you should be grateful I'm a materialist; otherwise, I would drag your nation into hell! You will all be consumed by purgatory flames, suffering eternal torment!"
"You're not worthy. We have the great Ring King, who protects all our warriors. When we die, we will enter the supreme heaven!"
With that, the lead pilot ended the communication and turned to report to the command center: "Bombing complete, enemy retreat route blocked."
"However," the wingman said, "the Green Base is not pleased with us."
"What's going on?" Kanou Asahi asked curiously.
"They claim they want to drag us into hell."
"Then destroy them along with us." Kanou Asahi said coldly, "A bunch of tree planters—giving them face. Who allowed them to look at us—reduce the surface dwellings to rubble, so when Li Aozi and his men come out, they have no cover to use."
All the Tianhuan forces unanimously agreed with the decision. Artillery units immediately set up, and intelligent cannons automatically mounted. 152mm high-explosive shells were loaded into the barrels by robotic arms.
"Fire!"
At the command, the sky instantly filled with crimson barrages. The 16-tube rocket launchers played like an organ, unleashing overwhelming firepower that quickly engulfed the Green Base in flames.
Electronic warfare aircraft took to the skies, scattering black chaff to disrupt the artificial sun's hemispherical projectors. Military hackers further broke through defenses with ease.
The fake sun was shut down, and the furious snowstorm immediately swept into the Green Base.
Countless people fled the bombing, but the smoky battlefield obscured their vision, and instead, they ran straight toward the fully armed Tianhuan forces. Spotting a few sturdy farmers and workers resembling soldiers, a warrior shouted loudly:
"Shoot them all!"
The warriors raised their rifles single-handedly, and the 6.8mm bullets tore through the civilians' bodies with powerful force. The initial rifle fire wasn't particularly gory; people silently collapsed one after another.
Then, the armored personnel carrier aimed its 13.8mm heavy machine gun at them and fired in three-round bursts.
Each heavy machine gun bullet struck with such force that bones and muscles were torn apart, and heads and necks were ripped off. The snow-covered ground was instantly stained bright red.
Enraged, the Green Base launched a military counterattack: hundreds of military biochem beasts charged out from the underground base, launching a sudden assault on the Tianhuan warriors. Mosquito-like creatures took to the air, engaging the air units in fierce combat. Various toxins filled the battlefield, corroding much of the metal armor.
Countless [Biochemists] stood up in fury, attacking the Tianhuan forces with various biochemical weapons, and even stepped forward to engage the warriors in close combat with their biological implants. Only then... did they slightly slow Tianhuan's advance.
To the external lands, these terrifying, swift-moving biochem beasts were nightmarishly invincible, but unfortunately, the Four Nations were gods to the external lands.
"First row! Draw swords!"
After a volley, dozens of Tianhuan warriors flung their rifles behind them and drew their standard-issue katanas from their waists.
Countless biochem beasts surged forward like a mad tide, with monsters spitting acid and plasma from afar.
The Tianhuan forces coldly formed ranks, ignoring any attack, each holding their long swords raised over their shoulders.
"Prepare, Qi Infusion!"
The Qi Amplification System linked their meridians and weapons, further enhancing the weapons' output efficiency. The violent Qi was balanced and stabilized, coating the blades with a layer of fixed-frequency white light.
Buzz... Buzz...
The warriors' synchronized Qi Infusion resonated, combined with their precise formation, maximizing their firepower into a fan-shaped shockwave.
Roar!
The ferocious biochem beasts kept closing in, but the warriors showed no fear. Behind their masks, their eyes burned with battle fervor fiercer than the beasts and colder than any machine.
They came closer, close enough that even the veins on their bodies and the cold gleam on their claws were clearly visible.
But none of the warriors flinched. They coldly watched the horde, many times their number, approach, staring straight ahead.
Only when the beasts stepped into the optimal attack range did the commander growl:
"First strike, Vacuum Slash—slash!"
Swish————————!
All the blades slashed down precisely, creating a powerful slicing wind that tore the air apart. In an instant, the 600-meter radius, 145° fan-shaped area in front of them was ripped into a vacuum zone.
Pop, pop, pop, pop!
Countless biochem beasts were instantly drained of fluids in the vacuum, spraying white mist and collapsing into dried corpses. Even the few that survived were swept up by the influx of air into the vacuum, lifted into the sky. The immense pressure differential made all carbon-based life as fragile as paper.
"Switch stance—Vermilion Bird!"
Snap!
The Tianhuan warriors who completed the Vacuum Slash sheathed their swords and pushed the scabbards onto their backs. The intelligent scabbards slowly sprayed a layer of flame-boosting powder coating inside. The warriors kept their eyes forward, maintaining an Iaido stance. The three-eye tactical visors on their heads quickly analyzed various data, prompting them to adjust their posture.
As the second wave of beasts charged back into the attack zone, the commander gave another order. They drew their swords again, swinging upward to unleash crescent-shaped waves of flame.
Boom!
The resonance of Qi transformed the flame waves into a 'sea' that continuously rolled and layered. Crucially, the flames were given 'mass,' and the high-speed slashes converted this mass into powerful kinetic energy, repeatedly tearing and burning the biochem beasts that surged into the fiery waves.