Volume 3, King of the City, Chapter 560: At All Costs
Looking down from the sky, the scene on the dock is especially shocking and terrifying.
The armored vehicles and troop carriers looked like children's toys. Wherever the bus went, everything seemed to be propelled by an invisible force, or suddenly exploded and scattered in all directions, or rolled to one side as if blown by a strong wind. In short, everything had to give way to the bus.
The little boy standing on the bus, however, seemed like a general wielding the power of life and death, commanding respect and invincible.
"General, this won't do!" The major adjutant who was accompanying General Clavel to observe the battle said worriedly, "These people are far stronger than we imagined. If this continues... I'm afraid that just having more people won't be enough to stop them."
"Hmm..." General Clavel said coldly, "However, these people are of great importance. They can only be captured alive, not killed. If we accidentally kill them, then... what we want will be even less likely to be obtained. Moreover... I am worried that these people may have complicated backgrounds. If we really kill them, it may bring even bigger trouble later!"
"Then what should we do? Are we just going to let them go like this?" the major adjutant asked, somewhat unwillingly.
"Let them go?" General Clavel shook his head vigorously and said, "Of course not. No matter what, we must obtain the technology for this miniature tracking missile. That transport plane left no useful clues, nor did it leave behind a single finished miniature missile, so... we can only place our hopes on them. Today... even if it costs lives, we must keep them here, and... they must be captured alive. Pass on my order... immediately have the outer perimeter troops and the air force launch a wide-ranging attack with tear gas and tranquilizer darts. Don't be stingy with ammunition, just bombard them relentlessly... if I see any unit still possessing these two types of ammunition, immediately kill their commander."
"Yes, General!" the major adjutant replied, and then immediately relayed General Clavel's orders through the command system.
"Furthermore..." General Clavel hesitated for a moment, still somewhat uneasy, and said, "Also, have all the engineering companies that have arrived at the scene work together to build a barrier at the dock as quickly as possible. Under no circumstances... can that bus be allowed to reach the sea. Also... have all the ships on the dock leave their posts and blockade the entire sea area. Absolutely no ship can be allowed to approach the shore. Any attempt to get close... must be sunk."
General Clavel, a shrewd and calculating man, saw that Zhou Ziwei's bus, facing so many armored vehicles and troops, showed no sign of retreating and instead charged towards the dock with reckless abandon. He knew that Zhou Ziwei and his group clearly intended to leave the United States by water.
In this situation, they either plan to just rob a boat at the dock and leave, or their accomplices will come to pick them up in a boat.
However, after General Clavel made the above arrangements, everything was basically foolproof. In short, he would never allow Zhou Ziwei and his men to encounter a ship.
And if they didn't have a boat... General Clavel didn't believe they had any other way to leave by water. They certainly weren't planning to swim across the Pacific Ocean, were they?
The major adjutant looked very admiring, flattered the general a few times, and then quickly relayed General Clavel's new order.
"Boom boom boom..." The planes circling overhead began to fly over the dock in organized waves, and with each wave of planes, a row of bombs would be dropped from the sky.
The bombs were not aimed at the bus below, but were deliberately avoided and dropped on the open ground around the bus, or on the wreckage of armored vehicles and troop carriers.
A series of explosions rang out, but instead of sharp shrapnel flying everywhere, thick, acrid smoke billowed out of the bombs.
Meanwhile, the land troops surrounding the dock and those arriving from all directions, in coordination with the air force, launched wave after wave of tear gas and fog tranquilizer grenades.
In an instant, the entire area around the dock was completely shrouded in a thick fog.
Almost all the M soldiers in the fog-shrouded area who had not died in the previous explosions of cars and armored vehicles collapsed in the mixed fog, and even the strongest people could hardly last more than half a minute.
Fortunately, inhaling these aerosols only causes unconsciousness and does not have many negative effects, which is why the M army can so recklessly drop them on their comrades who have not yet had time to retreat.
"Are they actually planning to attack us with poison gas?"
Seeing this, Zhou Ziwei became even angrier. He had no idea that the bombs dropped by the M army were all tear gas and fog tranquilizer grenades, and would not kill anyone. He thought the M soldiers were like the Japanese devils of the past, conducting some kind of biological warfare experiment. He was really afraid that the poison gas would spread and kill the unconscious Dragon Group members on the bus. He roared and his attribute-less energy surged out of his body as if it were free. Then it turned into raging wind energy and began to blow away all the poison gas that was surging in from the bus.
Looking down at the thick fog that stretched for kilometers, the major adjutant said with some concern, "General, we've practically poured the entire Western Military Region's quota into this newly developed fog-based tranquilizer grenades. If you calculate it, just this one round of deployment alone cost an astronomical sum, General... Is it... worth it to use such a huge cost to deal with these few people?"
General Clavel waved his hand slightly and said, "As long as we can successfully obtain the technology for miniature nuclear bombs... even if it's just a prototype, then... any sacrifice we make this time will be worthwhile. You must understand that if our country wants to maintain its current international standing, it must maintain its military leadership. Without strong military strength as a backing, our position in the world will immediately decline."
The emergence of this micro-missile technology is extremely important. If it had never existed, then our country, the United States, wouldn't be so important. But now that this technology has appeared, and it's not in the hands of our military, that's absolutely unforgivable. We must acquire this technology, no matter the cost, otherwise… what if this advanced military technology falls into the hands of the other major powers in the world and is completely blocked?
So… I'm afraid that in the near future, it will naturally pose a great threat to our country, M. Therefore… today we must acquire the technology of miniature missiles. I don't care who invented this technology; several countries have already mastered it, but at least… our country, M, must seize the opportunity to master this technology in the shortest possible time!
"Yes, General, I understand..." The major adjutant sighed softly in his heart, thinking: Just to maintain this so-called world-leading position, they are so reckless in seizing military technology, even... even sacrificing so many soldiers' lives. Is it really worth it? We live in an era of economic globalization. It's no longer easy to be the boss just because you have the biggest fist. In this world, there are things that are even more tempting, and that is money. A person who has great military strength but can't produce money is no longer the boss, but can only be someone else's bodyguard.
Faced with global public opinion pressure, can even the strongest military force easily plunder the wealth of other small countries? And without absolute wealth, what is the point of even the strongest military force?
Of course, the major adjutant could only mutter these words to himself at most, but he would never dare to say them aloud in front of General Clavel.
General Clavel was considered a leading figure among the hawks in the M Army, seemingly possessing an almost obsessive stubbornness. Once General Clavel set his mind on something, he would stop at nothing to achieve his goal. Trying to persuade General Clavel to change his mind was like trying to persuade Tiger to switch to a vegetarian diet.
"Ah... General, look... look down there... how could it be like this!"
Just as the major adjutant was feeling extremely annoyed, he suddenly glanced unconsciously at the battle below and couldn't help but exclaim in surprise.
"What's all the fuss about?"
General Clavel gave a somewhat annoyed snort, then glanced in the direction the major adjutant pointed, and his mouth dropped open in astonishment, leaving him speechless.
In the midst of the swirling, cloud-like smoke, it was as if a towering giant had slashed the mist with a sword, instantly creating a gap several meters wide. And right there in that gap was the bus, slowly but relentlessly moving forward.
Thick smoke billowed and swirled, and the wind direction kept changing. But no matter which way the wind blew, the smoke that was blown aside would always stop a dozen meters away from the bus, unable to cross any boundary.
"How could this be... how... how could the fog be automatically dispersed?" General Clavel exclaimed in exasperation. If he weren't still on the plane, he probably would have driven over there to grab the group on the bus and demand an explanation. They can't be this shameless... We've used up a fortune in fog tranquilizer grenades and tear gas, the money spent is almost enough to build a city. Couldn't you cooperate a little and let me tranquilize you, then it would be over?
Such a huge fortune, gone in such a short time! These shells are gone, but... they can't just disappear without even a splash! So much money, even if it were all bundled up and thrown into the water, it would take quite a while! But now it's here, and not even a tiny bubble appears.
"How could this happen, how could this happen..." General Clavel was momentarily flustered, looking down at the bus that was the only thing clearly visible in the thick fog below, his eyebrows furrowed into a deep V-shape.
"General, so... what should we do next... if we don't..." the major adjutant asked somewhat nervously, "Should we take some drastic measures... I think... if we don't use some tough measures, it might be difficult to deal with these guys!"
General Clavel gritted his teeth, then shook his head slightly, saying, "No... we'll stick to the original plan... for now, just trapping them on the dock is enough. Hmph... even if they're incredibly skilled, as long as they can't leave the dock or get out to sea, I don't believe they can go anywhere else... besides, they probably won't be able to cross that trench the engineers just dug. Hmph... according to intelligence, it seems that out of the nearly twenty men in this group, only a few are conscious, while the remaining dozen or so are all unconscious. If they can't continue driving forward, those few conscious ones simply can't possibly take so many people off the dock together. And once they're trapped here, then... even if we show mercy, with tens of thousands of troops charging in, do they still have a chance to escape?"
Upon hearing this, the major adjutant nodded repeatedly, then launched into another round of flattery, saying, "General, you are indeed a brilliant strategist... Hmm... There's a Chinese idiom that best describes you, it's something like... 'Planning strategies within the tent, winning battles a thousand miles away,' that perfectly describes you right now!"
General Clavel was greatly pleased by this flattery.
He nodded repeatedly, putting on airs, and said, "Not at all, not at all... This is just the accumulation of years of experience. You should work hard, and when you reach my age, you might achieve one-tenth of what I have today, who knows?"
"Yes, yes, yes... then I'll take the general's good wishes."
The major adjutant inwardly spat, but outwardly he remained respectful, showering the officers with flattery and praise, one wave after another, relentlessly showering them with compliments.
Meanwhile, Zhou Ziwei, standing atop the tall bus, had already spotted several sections of the road ahead where deep trenches had been dug in a short time. He couldn't help but let out a slight, cold laugh.
The enemy's scheme was not to be underestimated. The vehicle they were in was, after all, just a car, and a heavy bus at that. It was not an off-road jeep, nor a good car that could withstand violent collisions, much less a tank that could traverse mountains and rivers.
Facing the crisscrossing trenches ahead, it was enough to discourage any skilled driver; there was simply no hope of surpassing the previous level.
It's just a pity... that he ran into Zhou Ziwei, so all his meticulous plans vanished in the face of him.
Zhou Ziwei completely ignored the trenches, keeping his feet on the bus canopy, his eyes darting forward like sharp arrows. Then, he suddenly stomped his feet twice more, silently urging the agent in the driver's seat, "Speed up a bit... Don't stop... Even if there's a bottomless abyss ahead, you have to get through it in one go, understand?"
"Okay, I understand."
The agent sitting in the driver's seat excitedly agreed loudly, but in his heart he didn't really take Zhou Ziwei's instructions seriously.
I thought Zhou Ziwei's words about rushing across a bottomless abyss in one breath were just a vivid metaphor.
This is a dock, how could there be a bottomless abyss here?
However, just after the agent crisply agreed, he suddenly saw a trench three or four meters wide and five or six meters deep appear beneath the boundless thick fog that Zhou Ziwei had dispersed with the gale, completely blocking the bus's path.
Upon seeing this, the agent almost instinctively wanted to lift his foot to step on the brake, but... then he remembered Zhou Ziwei's instructions, and was startled. He looked at the wide trench ahead, then at the thick fog of poisonous gas all around... Finally, he gritted his teeth, and instead of braking, he floored the accelerator, spurring the bus forward at a speed several degrees faster than before, desperately rushing towards the deep trench...
Volume 3, King of the City, Chapter 561: Anti-Gravity
Watching helplessly as the bus below faced that wide and deep ditch, it didn't slow down at all, but instead accelerated and drove straight through it.
General Clavel, who was watching the situation below from the helicopter, couldn't help but exclaim in surprise. He tried to stand up, but the seatbelt pulled him back down hard.
"Are they all insane...?" General Clavel muttered to himself in dissatisfaction, his heart filled with resentment. He knew that the ditch was not narrow, and it was at least five or six meters deep. If that bus had crashed into it at full speed... there could have been very serious consequences. The bus might have exploded. Even if the bus didn't explode, it was hard to say how many people on board would have survived such a strong impact.
General Clavel's elaborate mobilization was certainly not for just a few deserters; the miniature missile technology he had been fantasizing about was what he was determined to obtain.
So far, he has already paid a heavy price. What if... what if the bus crashes into that ditch and everyone dies? Then... he'll be in big trouble this time.
Not only did they lose an entire air squadron before, but this time they've also lost hundreds or even thousands of soldiers. Even just the compensation alone will be an astronomical expense, not to mention the losses of armored vehicles and troop carriers... Good heavens.
If everyone on that bus below were to fall into the ditch and die, then... the first thing General Clavel would probably do is arrest and execute the commanders of those engineering companies, and then... he might as well commit suicide himself. The situation is escalating, and although the operation was approved beforehand,... if something goes wrong... General Clavel knows very well that unless the operation yields sufficient benefits, otherwise... if things get serious, he'll be the one to take the blame.
"Those bastards in the engineering company, what are they doing? Why did they dig the trench so deep? They could have just dug a meter or half a meter deep so that the bus couldn't get through. But they... dug five or six meters in one go. This... is unbelievable. It hasn't been that long since the order was given! How did they dig such a deep trench so quickly?"
General Clavel was puzzled and furious. Usually, when he asked these soldiers to build something, they would dawdle and procrastinate. How could their efficiency have suddenly increased to such a terrifying level today?
Little did he know that the dock was frequently used to store containers weighing over 10,000 kilograms, and the ground was naturally very solid. General Clavel ordered the engineering company to immediately dig a buffer zone around the entire dock in a short period of time, which was no ordinary task.
Fortunately, the engineering company commander in charge of the task had a sudden inspiration. He immediately pulled up the architectural drawings of the dock, found the location of the dock's sewage channel, and then ordered people to lift up the cement slabs covering the sewage channel, which immediately formed a long trench, saving them a lot of effort.
Otherwise... it hasn't been that long since General Clavel issued the order. If they really let their engineers dig shovel by shovel, how long would it take? It's likely that by the time Zhou Ziwei and the others return home and have their reunion dinner, the project here won't even be finished.
"Stop the bus! Stop the bus! These lunatics... are they really insane?" General Clavel shouted hoarsely as the bus was about to reach the deep ravine, as if to warn the driver. Unfortunately, they were too far away, and the agent driving the bus couldn't possibly hear the noise from the plane in the sky. But even if he did hear it, he probably wouldn't care.
Now, the agent has only one belief in his mind, and he only remembers Zhou Ziwei's words - speed up, even if there is a bottomless abyss ahead, you must rush through it in one breath.
The agent didn't know if he could escape this time, but he knew that his previous escapes were all thanks to Zhou Ziwei. So... even though he knew that driving the bus forward like this would likely only result in crashing into a ditch and dying, he still pressed the accelerator to the maximum without hesitation. The steering wheel in his hands seemed to be welded to it, keeping the bus straight towards the beach pier without any intention of turning.
Even if it meant death... he would obey Zhou Ziwei's wishes, because he knew that it wasn't just about his own life or death; there were twenty lives on that bus.
If something happens because of his momentary hesitation... then even if he dies, how can he explain it to these people in the afterlife?
He had no other choice. He knew that with his abilities, there was no way he could escape alive. So... he had no other choice but to completely obey Zhou Ziwei's orders. This... was the only hope for survival for everyone on the bus at that moment.
"Ah—" When the bus finally reached the front of the deep ravine and the two front wheels of the bus were completely suspended in the air, the agent couldn't help but let out a hysterical roar. He didn't know why he was yelling, he just screamed as if he were facing a ferocious beast and was trying to scare it away with his even more ferocious aura.
The thunderous roar made the agent's ears ring and his head spin, as if he were floating on clouds.
A moment later, when he suddenly felt the car shake violently, the agent's mind cleared slightly. He then opened his eyes wide and looked out the window, only to be greatly surprised...
He discovered that... the bus he was driving hadn't crashed into the deep ditch, but had somehow leaped over it and was now speeding towards the nearby seaside pier at almost twice the speed it had been traveling.
The agent stared blankly for a moment, then shook his head, looking at everything clearly before him, but still somewhat doubting whether what he was facing was real.
This... how is this possible?! I actually drove this car across that three- or four-meter-wide ditch?! God... am I dreaming?!
"God, am I dreaming?!"
General Clavel rubbed his eyes hard, then opened his mouth wide, unable to utter a single word for a long time.
If the bus had simply leaped across the ditch a few meters wide, General Clavel would have been surprised, but he certainly wouldn't have been as horrified as if he'd seen a ghost.
Because at this moment, the bus not only did not plunge into the deep ditch, but... it was actually traveling twice as fast as before on the uneven ground covered with garbage and gravel that had been wantonly destroyed by the engineering company behind the ditch, yet the bus did not show any signs of bumping or shaking.
"Quick... zoom in... let me see... how they... did it."
General Clavel impatiently yelled at his major adjutant. He was really curious. After crossing that ditch, even a tank would have some trouble moving along the road, and ordinary vehicles should have been unable to move an inch in that pile of rocks. But how could that bus move so smoothly and not break down in the pile of rocks?
There was a video receiver in the cabin that transmitted signals synchronously. Although the plane was not flying very high, General Clavel could still see clearly and intuitively by simply turning his head to look out the window.
However, if you want to observe details, high-tech devices are definitely more precise.
The major adjutant hurriedly adjusted the video receiver in front of the general, zooming in and in. Finally... when the image was magnified to its limit, General Clavel was horrified to discover that... the bus did not seem to be speeding along the gravel road at all, but rather... it seemed to be flying close to the ground.
That's right... it was flying close to the ground. Although the bus looked like it was speeding on the ground, General Clavel, after taking a high-powered shot and zooming in, finally discovered that... the bus's four tires were clearly not in contact with the gravel on the road. The wheels seemed to be spinning rapidly, but... the tires were all suspended in the air.
No wonder the bus didn't bump at all, no matter how rough the road was. In fact, it was much smoother than before. This... it's not a car anymore, it's clearly a flying vehicle! Although the tires were suspended in the air, they were only suspended a few centimeters high. If you didn't zoom in and observe carefully like General Clavel did, you wouldn't be able to tell from your aerial perspective that the bus had already taken off.
General Clavel and his major adjutant were momentarily stunned. How could the bus fly? It was just an ordinary bus, so how could it fly?
This was truly unbelievable and unthinkable. Although the facts were right in front of them, the two men were still completely confused. They couldn't help but instruct the pilot to fly the plane lower, and then quickly changed angles several times to take pictures from different sides before finally confirming the fact.