Tang Yuanfeng said, "We're on the same side, so what responsibility do we have? We have no responsibility whatsoever. Okay, let's split up."
When Tian Zhenming arrived at the government compound, some villagers immediately recognized him. "Secretary Tian, we agree to leave. We want to live in a big city. We want houses, we want jobs. We no longer want to stay in that dilapidated village. We heard that aliens have attacked. You have to take us away!"
Tian Zhenming waved for everyone to be quiet and said, "Nonsense! This is utter nonsense. What did you say when the army came to mobilize everyone, hmm!" Tian Zhenming wanted to put all the blame on the people. If the people thought that the government was preventing them from moving out, they would probably vent their anger on him. He would either be beaten to death or be spat on by the people.
The courtyard fell silent instantly. Everyone was filled with regret. They really hadn't followed the troops. They had even organized a fierce resistance, almost to the point of taking up hoes and sickles to fight the troops. Now they realized that the troops were their own people. If it weren't for their safety, no one would have bothered with them.
Tian Zhenming pointed at the crowd and said, "You lot are all so eager to get ahead when there's something to gain, but shrink back when there's danger. Can't you have any manners? Why isn't our country strong? Why are we looked down upon by foreigners? It's because of your lack of manners!"
Most people were so ashamed of Tian Zhenming's reprimand that they couldn't lift their heads, but some still muttered under their breath, "Didn't the county issue a notice telling us to organize resistance against relocation? How come it's all our responsibility now?" The person who spoke was the village chief, so he knew a lot about the instructions from above.
(Thanks to DAVID问天 for the 100 Qidian Coins reward! Thanks to 看死书55555 and 机甲人NO2 for the monthly ticket support!)
Volume 2 [778] The Enemy Approaches the City
The saying goes, "A single spark can start a prairie fire." When someone raised an objection, it was immediately amplified infinitely. At first, it was a cautious discussion, which could not suppress Tian Zhenming's reprimand at all. But later, the voices grew louder and louder, and Tian Zhenming's reprimand was completely drowned out. Moreover, the crowd surged toward Tian Zhenming.
"Give us back our new life! Why didn't the county government let us go with the army back then!" someone shouted as they rushed to Tian Zhenming's side.
Tian Zhenming shuddered. He had thought these commoners were easy to fool, that a few loud reprimands would confuse them, but he hadn't expected there to be some clever ones among them. Tian Zhenming was so frightened that he backed away repeatedly. "You, what do you want to do!" "We don't want to do anything, Secretary Tian! Give us an explanation! Didn't the county issue an order for the town to organize everyone to resist the army's relocation? We are just ordinary people, we had no idea that this relocation involved our safety. It must be that you are afraid of losing your official positions after Chenguang County is abolished, so you refuse to agree, right, right!" The man who jumped out spoke louder and louder, his emotions becoming more and more agitated. He grabbed Tian Zhenming by the collar. By this time, the police officers had already run away, and Tian Zhenming broke out in a cold sweat.
"Calm down! Calm down!" Tian Zhenming tried to comfort the other person, but the other person wouldn't listen at all. A punch landed on his eye socket. "Calm down my ass!" Tian Zhenming yelled and covered his eyes, squatting on the ground. He was then trampled to the ground by the rushing crowd.
Tang Yuanfeng finally got through on the phone. The people in the city thought that aliens had attacked the county government. They never expected that the people would storm the county government at this time, so Tang Yuanfeng's call shocked the people in the city.
"County Chief Tang, you must maintain the situation. We'll request reinforcements from nearby troops to assist you in maintaining order." "Working with the people is easy; as long as you get to the point," the city leaders tirelessly instructed Tang Yuanfeng. "The Chinese people are content with a little benefit."
Just as Tang Yuanfeng was about to speak, the door outside was slammed open with a bang, and he was punched in the back of the head. He didn't even have time to say anything before he collapsed to the ground, the phone in his hand clattering to the floor. The city leaders were still shouting, "Hello, hello!" "Old Tang," they said, "promise them more benefits. As long as we keep the people calm, whether we actually deliver on those promises later is up to us. We need to be flexible. Right now, stability is the priority. We need harmony and stability." "Hello, Old Tang, are you listening?"
Someone picked up the phone and cursed, "Screw you, fuck your mother, fuck your mother!" Then they slammed the phone down.
The city leader on the other end was completely confused, but he could clearly tell that the other party was swearing. He was so angry that he wanted to slam down his phone, but in the end he held back. The matter was serious and difficult to handle. He should report it to the province as soon as possible. This matter was originally instructed by the province and had nothing to do with the city.
All the news was reported to the Central Committee. The Special Forces Division refused Commander Sun's entry to take over military power. The people of Chenguang County strongly demanded to withdraw according to the previous standards. It is said that they have now turned the county government compound upside down.
"Old Yang, what do you think about this?" The Party Secretary and the Party Secretary discussed it and, in a very democratic manner, sought Yang Zhaoxi's opinion. After all, it concerned Yang Zhaoxi's third granddaughter, so they had to hear Yang Zhaoxi's thoughts.
Yang Zhaoxi pondered for a moment: "I think the key issue is not whether or not to withdraw Chenguang County. The root of the problem lies with the robots that have climbed to the ground. What are they going to do, and what impact will they have on us? Can we contact them? Can we send them back underground? These are the key points. If we cannot solve these problems, it may be the least of our worries to lose Chenguang County. We may even lose the provincial-level administrative unit."
The General Secretary nodded repeatedly: "Good, your analysis is good. So we'll ignore everything else and let them run wild. We must do everything we can to suppress the robots. We can't let them develop on the ground, otherwise not only will our country be in danger, but the whole world could be! Just like the virus crisis in the United States before, one wrong move could lead to the destruction of all mankind! It was the wisdom of our Chinese scientists that saved all mankind." Hu Weimin reminded the General Secretary: "Sir, it wasn't our Chinese scientists, it was Zhao Qiang. We were also researching this topic at the time, but unfortunately, we hadn't collected all the data, and we hadn't even figured out what the American biohazard virus was like, while Zhao Qiang had already created the treatment."
The General Secretary said, "Yes, yes, you're absolutely right. Zhao Qiang is a genius, a prodigy! I think he'll definitely have a way to solve this problem!"
Yang Zhaoxi said, "Although special forces divisions may not be able to stop the robots, Zhao Qiang might actually have a plan."
At this moment, the chief of staff came over to report to the First Secretary: "Sir, the situation is getting worse and worse."
The General Secretary asked in surprise, "How come they've launched another attack?"
The chief of staff said, "No, those robots are still stationed near the sinkhole, but the sinkhole's cover has been closed, and new things are being lifted up from below." (This refers to satellite photos.)
The chief of staff placed the photos on the table. "The photos taken by the military satellite are very clear. There are strangely shaped machines scattered around the sinkhole. Their functions are not yet clear, but judging from the behavior and performance of the robots, they are certainly not charity tools. Judging from their size alone, they should be more powerful than robots."
"What is it?" the chief secretary asked curiously. He wasn't an expert in this field, so he couldn't possibly understand it at a glance. The chief of staff replied, "I don't know. Our technicians are analyzing it right now."
Yang Zhaoxi said coldly, "Analyze? Can you even analyze it?"
The chief of staff blushed. "Indeed," he said, "our people have never handled anything like this before, and the machine doesn't seem to have fully extended, so its function can't be judged from its appearance. It's troublesome, but their numbers are increasing rapidly." The secretary said, "So, our people are out of options?"
The chief of staff said reluctantly, "We are trying."
The Party Secretary waved his hand: "Alright, I understand. Go about your business." Hu Weimin came over and chuckled twice, saying, "There are plenty of people who have been to the underworld, why insist on reinventing the wheel? Hasn't our country suffered enough because we can't bring ourselves to do it?" The Party Secretary smiled bitterly: "You two are using your closeness with him to give me a warning, aren't you?"
Yang Zhaoxi and Hu Weimin quickly replied, "No, we wouldn't dare. This is for the sake of the country and the nation. The current situation is extremely urgent. How could we dare to treat this lightly!" What they said was true. If they couldn't control the situation and let the robots continue to develop, who knew how many of them would appear and how they would treat the humans on the ground?
"You two really can't get in touch with him?" the secretary asked.
Yang Zhaoxi and Hu Weimin said, "It's true."
“I don’t quite believe it,” the secretary said. “Even if you two can’t get in touch, you should be able to contact your granddaughter, right? Don’t tell me they have nothing to do with him. Everyone on Earth knows about those girls hanging out together.” Hu Weimin said, “We old folks can’t force them to talk. Besides, they’re avoiding us old folks right now. We wouldn’t have a chance to force them anyway. But as long as we send out a friendly message, Zhao Qiang will definitely receive it. He certainly won’t act like a child at this crucial moment.”
The General Secretary angrily retorted, "Not throwing a tantrum? I think he's clearly just being childish." Yang Zhaoxi argued, "We have to consider his feelings too. He wants to do something for the country, but every time he tries to do something, someone always jumps out to stop him..."
The secretary asked, "Did you do that too?"
Yang Zhaoxi blushed: "Yes, but I've realized my mistake and am now a supporter. But the opposition still exists, so how can Zhao Qiang do his job? Take this cancellation of the relocation of Chenguang County, for example. Zhao Qiang's original intention was good; he contributed his time and money. But things have escalated to this point. Whose fault is this?"
The General Secretary remained silent, but Hu Weimin said, "If it were me, I certainly wouldn't be happy either. It's like offering a warm welcome only to be met with cold indifference, and all I get is criticism. If I were in that situation, I definitely wouldn't do it a second time. I've learned my lesson and won't go back to that."
The secretary said, "So you two mean it's impossible to bring him back?" Yang Zhaoxi replied, "Not necessarily. Zhao Qiang said when he left that he would only come back if the people he didn't want to see stopped appearing."
The Party Secretary gasped, "That was a major earthquake!"
Hu Weimin reminded him, "If it doesn't shake here, it will shake elsewhere. You need to consider this carefully yourself; time waits for no one."
Indeed, time is of the essence. A moment's hesitation could lead to an attack on humanity by the robots. Even though their numbers are not yet a threat, their advanced technology, coupled with the constant emergence of new things from the sinkhole, makes them an endless source of trouble.
Beijing is an option, but there's no time to consider the area around the sinkhole at Wulong Mountain. Strange machines are unfolding; they are winged aircraft that easily ascend vertically into the air and then radiate outwards from the sinkhole. When they encounter ground troops, the aircraft swoop down, revealing two rows of firing ports at the front, from which more than a dozen gun barrels emerge. Amidst the buzzing sound, bullets rain down like a storm, penetrating even heavily armored tanks after dozens of seconds of relentless attacks.
"The robots have attacked!" and it's a very powerful attack. Human forces retaliated with missiles, but the aircraft were extremely agile, easily dodging the attacking missiles. Some could even easily catch the missiles in flight, destroying them in mid-air with a volley of rounds of fire. The aircraft were like metal storm creators, sweeping across the land without leaving any intact positions. Block them? Human fighter jets were no match for their speed, becoming targets as soon as they took off.
To put it nicely, it was a retreat; to put it bluntly, it was a rout. In just a few hours, Chenguang County was completely overrun. A large number of civilians were killed or wounded. Forget about evacuating; even finding a safe place to hide was difficult. The county government was in ruins. With so many people gathered there, it was bound to become a prominent target.
Photos from the scene were being sent back to Beijing, suggesting that a decision was now necessary to salvage the situation. Given the speed of the enemy aircraft, they could reach Beijing quickly, and their combat capabilities were far beyond the reach of existing aircraft; even missile attacks would be ineffective.
Volume 2 [779] Counterattack
The robots spread rapidly, rampaging across the ground as if their stamina were inexhaustible. Above them were their fighter jets, which, although lacking heavy weaponry, were still unbearable for humans with their endless barrage of bullets. Ground-based air superiority weapons were helpless against them, and the entire battlefield was in their hands.
Most of Chenguang County has fallen, but the density of robots decreases as they radiate outwards. Although robots continue to surge up from the sinkhole, their speed and number are far less than the vast land area. Even though the density of robots has decreased, their combat capabilities have not diminished at all. The human forces are still unable to resist them and have to continue to retreat after paying a heavy price.
This was a battalion-sized unit, originally only responsible for a small town entrance. This was a relatively important road for entering and exiting Chenguang County. The town was not large, but the battalion's firepower was extremely strong. Heavy machine guns and artillery were lined up in several rows at the town entrance, and a few vehicles were left outside the town in the end.
The morale of the entire battalion was quite high. After all, ideological mobilization has always been a key focus of our Party. At this moment, everyone was determined to serve the country and defend the people. However, when the robots surged in like a tidal wave, they had no ability to resist. Although the heavy machine guns and artillery were spraying bullets like water, their firepower was far too weak against the robots that could leap several meters into the air. For a time, the robots were indeed knocked to the ground one after another. But with the arrival of the aerial vehicles, the ground weapons were quickly scattered.
The metal storm swept through the air like a tidal wave, silencing the artillery. Almost all human forces were ground troops, lacking air power. Although they possessed some air superiority weapons, even if they revealed them and prepared to fire, it was too late. The flying robots appeared almost instantly, leaving insufficient time for preparation, let alone for calling in fighter support. Besides, given the speed of the robots' aircraft, even if a large number of fighters arrived, they would likely be mere targets.
"Battalion Commander, we can't hold them off!" the soldiers shouted as they fired their machine guns.
The battalion commander's eyes were bloodshot. They were quickly pushed out of town from the town entrance, but the robots that arrived later continued to advance mercilessly. The flying robots overhead had already swooped down, and the entire battalion's structure was almost destroyed. Less than a third of them were still alive. If the enemy's fighters circled back and swooped down again, then the remaining forces would be completely wiped out.
"Fight! Fight them hard! Even if only one person is left, you must hold the line!" The battalion commander was a Party member, and his orders were to defend the town entrance to the death, even if only one person was left, let alone the fact that there were more than one person left now.
The machine gunner, blinded by rage, was oblivious to the fact that he had run out of bullets. He kept his trigger firmly pressed until his comrade kicked him to remind him, at which point he suddenly dropped the machine gun. "Damn it, I'll fight you to the death!" Facing the endless stream of robots attacking him, the machine gunner suddenly pulled out a grenade, twisted the trigger, and plunged into the surging robots.
At first, these soldiers were indeed terrified. Anyone would be afraid. Although they were soldiers, they had never experienced actual combat. The country had been at peace for too long, and the soldiers lacked training. However, as more and more people around them fell, the bloody scene made them disregard life and death. They risked their lives to fight the robot. But it was too much of a waste for an ordinary person to fight a robot to death.
When Zhao Qiang arrived, the entire battalion's position was deserted; almost all the dead were humans, with only the occasional wreckage of a robot remaining. Zhao Qiang squatted on the ground, silent. Yang Shiyun tugged at his arm. "Zhao Qiang, what do we do?"
Zhao Qiang gritted his teeth and said, "We must continue to let them spread outwards. Their density and combat capabilities are far beyond what our people can handle. Even if I can defeat those robots, what is my personal strength? Therefore, we must rely on a vast area to disperse their combat power, and then the special forces division will have the opportunity to surround and eliminate them in sections."
Yang Shiyun sighed: "The civilians outside will continue to be slaughtered, and I don't know how many soldiers will die at their hands."
Zhao Qiang said, "I can't change this situation. Humans think they can dominate the earth. This is a real blow. Our technological level is far behind those underground life forms. It's impossible to win this battle without paying a price. What's a battalion? We could lose the lives of an entire province. How are the demolition team's preparations going?"
Yang Shiyun said, "They should be here soon. Do you think if we had blown up the sinkhole from the beginning, so many tragedies wouldn't have happened?"
Zhao Qiang said, "Xiao Wei, don't be naive. Don't blame your brother for not showing up yet; it's just that the time isn't right. I'm not really doing this out of spite against those old men in the Central Government. Even now, I'm not sure if I can get into the sinkhole. So you have to cooperate with me and help me buy as much time as possible. No one else has the fighting power. Are you scared?"
Yang Shiyun puffed out her chest: "Don't worry, I'm happy to be able to help my brother."
Zhao Qiang said, "I'm not sure if those robots will attack you, but you have to attack them first. That way I'll have a chance to blow up the sinkhole and then go down to destroy their lair. Let's pray there are no interference waves near the sinkhole, otherwise our plan won't work at all."
Yang Shiyun said, "The jamming device is no small item. How could they have had time to move it up here? Besides, they probably didn't expect the jamming wave to have such a big effect. They are probably busy expanding right now and don't have time to consolidate the base."
Zhao Qiang said, "I hope so, I hope the others catch up. Let's go."
The robots near the sinkhole were patrolling meticulously, showing no sign of letting their guard down. Since they were not human and did not get tired, it was impossible to wait for them to tire and sneak in.
The sinkhole, now covered with a large manhole cover, no longer sees anything emerging. While the number of robots and aircraft is large, they are not inexhaustible. After all, what lies buried underground is only a giant spaceship, not an interstellar space. Having endured so many years of ravages underground, their ability to mobilize such a force already astonished Zhao Qiang. The two of them had personally witnessed the robots experimenting with the spaceship, and even failed. From this, it can be inferred that their technology had regressed by many years. Otherwise, it wouldn't just be a county or city that had fallen; it would likely be the entire Earth. However, Zhao Qiang couldn't understand: if the robots' spaceship experiment failed, where did the aircraft in the sky come from? Were they weapons originally inside the giant spaceship, only to be discovered now?
Zhao Qiang and Yang Shiyun observed from a distance. Behind them was a squad of soldiers equipped with anti-gravity devices, each carrying a pack of explosives. These explosives were no ordinary ones; just a small amount was enough to break through solid rock. This was an improvement Zhao Qiang had made to ordinary explosives over the past few days; otherwise, he wasn't sure the explosives the troops had used before could have handled this sinkhole.
"Instructor Zhao, let me go! I'll definitely charge in. Even if I can't get in, I'll at least detonate an explosive to distract the robots," a special forces soldier volunteered, while the others rubbed their fists together in anticipation.
Zhao Qiang waved his hand to signal everyone to be quiet, saying, "Don't be impatient, or we'll miss our chance if we alert them."
Yang Shiyun scanned the area and said, "There are over two hundred robots left to guard the sinkhole. It's uncertain when new robots will be brought in. Let's get started, don't wait any longer."
Zhao Qiang said to the demolition team behind him, "The explosives must be sent dozens of meters down into the crater so that the blasted rocks can block it. This task can only be completed by drilling rigs. If three drilling rigs can't do it, you guys can take over, even if it costs you your lives! And this is only the first step. Once the crater is blocked, the robots below will lose contact with the ground troops. I think only two things can happen: either the robots on the ground will continue to expand regardless, or they will return to re-establish the connection between the surface and the underground. Either way, we may be in danger. After all, there are quite a few robots around here, so we must be prepared for a tough battle."
Several special forces soldiers gripped their weapons tightly—enhanced versions of heavy air compression cannons and electromagnetic acceleration guns. "Don't worry, Instructor Zhao, we've already prepared our lives for this."
Zhao Qiang waved his hand decisively: "Action!" The other two soldiers followed him into the drilling rig. This time, they had gone to great lengths to secretly bring all three drilling rigs together. Each rig was equipped with a large amount of explosives. They would use the special capabilities of the drilling rigs to descend to a suitable location in the sinkhole and detonate the explosives. If all went well, the three of them would drive the drilling rigs back to the surface. If not, no one would know.
As Zhao Qiang and two other soldiers drove the drilling rig into the ground, Yang Shiyun led the soldiers forward. Their mission was to attract the attention of the ground robots. If the underground activity was discovered, Zhao Qiang and the others would likely fail in their mission. Therefore, Yang Shiyun and the ground troops also had a heavy task, and even had to serve as a reserve force. If the underground blasting failed, they would have to risk their lives to rush into the sinkhole and blast it again.
Bang! Yang Shiyun fired her gun. She knew she couldn't go any further, or she would easily be discovered by the robots. The robots were extremely vigilant. Besides, Yang Shiyun and the others' current task was simply to attract their attention, so whether she could kill the robots or not was not important. The key was to lure them over.
As Yang Shiyun fired, the other soldiers also aimed and fired. At this moment, the power of the electromagnetic acceleration gun became apparent. In addition, this was an automatic scanning version, so one shot could kill nearly ten robots, with very few escaping. Bullets accelerated by electromagnetic force were hardly something that ordinary robots could stop. Robots made of matter might have a chance, but they would probably be damaged at this close range.
Suddenly attacked, the robots surged from around the sinkhole as if on command. They knew little about strategy and tactics. As they amassed in large numbers, preparing to charge, Yang Shiyun ordered the soldiers behind her: "Prepare the compression cannons!"
Volume 2 [780] Explosion
Yang Shiyun and the others attracted most of the robots. After receiving the order to annihilate the invading enemy, the robots swarmed forward like a swarm of bees, unlike regular troops that pay attention to tactics. Is it that aliens never care about tactics, or do they simply not think it is necessary to use tactics? They don't care about Earthlings at all.
Robots certainly have reason to be proud, because their bodies are extremely tough, ordinary bullets cannot cause them any damage, and they are agile, rushing in before humans can launch any further attacks and swiftly eliminating their enemies. But this time, they seem to have met a formidable foe.
The first batch of machines numbered about fifty. They were located on the outermost edge of the sinkhole. Upon receiving the order to annihilate the enemy via wireless signal, they immediately rushed over. They didn't even activate their laser weapons. The sheer number of humans made them consider wasting energy shameful, so they planned to capture and tear these humans apart!
"Fire!" Yang Shiyun swung her hand fiercely, and at the same time, the electromagnetic gun in her hand fired angry bullets. Each bullet was aimed at the head. Even if their core was not in the head, damage to the eyes would still reduce their combat power and thus eliminate them.
Boom! The two-person compression cannons fired two shots simultaneously, completely covering the fan-shaped area where the robots were charging. This was the first time the robots had encountered such a powerful attack. No matter how tough their bodies were, they couldn't withstand the power of the compression cannons. Immediately, more than a dozen robots were blasted away, their limbs already broken when they landed. Although their cores were still functioning, they had lost all their abilities unless they could self-destruct or cause some damage.
Yang Shiyun chose to target the robots in the back row. Firstly, they were slow, and secondly, she could avoid repeatedly killing enemies with the compression cannon. However, no matter how fast Yang Shiyun's shooting speed was or how fast the electromagnetic gun bullets flew, they still couldn't beat the robots. Even if the intelligent chip tried its best to predict the robots' trajectory, half of the robots still slipped through the net.
Five robots had their heads blown off. Three were immediately paralyzed after losing their heads, and the other two just spun around, presumably having lost their sight and unable to discern the direction of the enemy. A disastrous start; the robots suffered their first major defeat.
The blast from the compressed cannon knocked the following robots to the ground, giving Yang Shiyun enough time to reload. She quickly aimed and fired her second shot. By this time, the robots' momentum had dissipated, and their running speed had noticeably slowed down. Many of them, which had just gotten up from the ground, became easy targets. With her second shot, Yang Shiyun fired ten bullets, taking the lives of eight robots.
The second wave of compression cannons fired, and the robots that had just formed a formation were once again blasted away. It was as if they had encountered an insurmountable barrier. They kept charging forward and were killed one after another. Although their numbers were increasing, there were six teams of compression cannons, each consisting of two people. Each time, two teams were fired. After the first team finished firing, the second team immediately took over. After the third team finished firing, the first team had already finished charging. The continuous bombardment caused heavy losses to the robots.
Zhao Qiang and two other special forces soldiers were getting closer and closer to the sinkhole wall. Led by Zhao Qiang, the three of them slowly advanced underground, fearing that they would be detected by the robot's detection system. Fortunately, the robots did not seem to have time to deal with them. They focused their main strength and attention on Yang Shiyun and the others. After this short battle, Yang Shiyun had the upper hand, but the compression cannon was not without energy limitations, and it was a more powerful 'cannon' than a gun.
Although the continuous barrage did not damage the compression cannon, its energy was running low. Two groups had already abandoned the compression cannon and used electromagnetic guns for sniping. However, unlike Zhao Qiang and Yang Shiyun, they did not have chips in their bodies to control aiming, so the special forces soldiers could only use a single gun barrel to fire. Although the firing speed was fast, the increasing number of robots could not keep up, and the overall situation was not good.