Just then, as they reached the coastline of the Eastern Continent, the Fifth Princess suddenly sounded an alarm!
“It’s an anti-aircraft missile,” Black Spider said.
She maneuvered the airship to drop decoy flares, defusing the missile attack crisis, and then fired two missiles to flatten Chen's coastal defenses.
Black Spider reported, "Don't worry, boss. The Fifth Princess has powerful firepower; most air defense systems can't do anything about it."
Qing Chen pondered, "How many more attacks can it withstand?"
Black Spider said, "Five times."
Qingchen nodded: "Let's land after it runs out of ammunition. I'm going to hike to the southwest."
Black Spider asked in confusion, "The Fifth Princess has plenty of fuel..."
Qingchen laughed: "Its current flight speed is not as fast as my running speed... and I have read the information given by the Fifth Princess and want to walk the route taken at the parent-teacher meeting."
...
...
Inside the command vehicle, a combat staff officer reported rapidly: "The Parents' Association successfully launched four surprise attacks, eliminating a total of four thousand orc soldiers. However, during subsequent attacks, we discovered signs of an ambush by the orc legion. Our unit suspects that there are mages among the orc troops... Currently, the Parents' Association has withdrawn from the battlefield, and its casualties are almost negligible."
Zero shook his head: "I hope that in your future reports you will no longer use the phrase 'casualties are almost negligible.' I know you humans are very brave, but in any war in the name of defense, every individual deserves to be remembered... Why are you looking at me like that? Is it strange that such words came from the mouth of an artificial intelligence?"
Someone whispered, "It's very strange..."
Zero smiled and said, "Don't worry about it. I'm just interacting with you in your own way. As for Qingyu, have him come see me."
The command vehicle stopped, and Qingyu, who was supposed to perish with the Scepter, appeared outside the door.
At the last moment, just as the Duke of Storms had chosen, they used the Key Gate to escape.
However, only a small portion was evacuated. The fighter crews, airship crews, and the Qing soldiers who died on the Scepter were unlikely to return.
Qingyu looked somewhat downcast.
Zero asked, "The Qing Clan's air force fleet's mission was a great success and will completely open up the situation for the upcoming war. The order has been issued that the Qing Clan's army will split into seven routes as originally planned. If I'm not mistaken, Duke Storm's orc legion will also split into seven routes and head south along seven roads to avoid us having to use miniature nuclear bombs to destroy them together again. Everyone, we are about to fight a tough battle."
Zero continued on the communications channel: "Qingye, you lead half of the Shadow Force northward along the A1 line to intercept them; Qingqu, the rest of your Shadow Force will join up with the Army and head north along the A2 line; Li Changqing and Li Shu, you will join up with the 183rd Field Brigade and head north along the A3 line..."
As orders were issued, Qingyu discovered that the Qing clan's entire army had been mobilized!
He asked doubtfully, "Your plan is very good, but the problem is that no matter which unit they send, it is impossible for them to face an orc legion of up to 30,000 or 40,000 alone. Even if the Shadow Force goes, it will still be a death sentence."
Zero calmly said, "Execute."
The entire Qing army was mobilized, and everyone realized that this was the final battle!
Chapter 993, The Final Journey (Part 5)
Line A1.
Qingye led the Shadow Squad swiftly through the mountains and forests. They wore black combat uniforms and their faces were painted with black and green paint, making them blend into the night.
The soldiers carried black armory boxes, the contents of which were unknown.
A shadow soldier chewed on an energy candy and whispered, "Boss, even though we're an elite force, sending us to fight the orc legion head-on is just sending us to our deaths, isn't it?"
Qingye turned to look at him and said frankly, "I also feel like I'm here to die."
"Huh?" the shadow soldier asked, puzzled. "Shall we go again?"
“Obeying orders is our duty, even if it means sending us to our deaths, we have to come,” Qingye, who was also a chatterbox, started talking on the way: “Besides, I always feel that it’s not that simple… Think about it, we originally thought that those who went to Jianmen Pass were just going to die, and that their deaths would be meaningless, but what happened? In that battle, even King Roosevelt was killed, and the parents’ association gained 40,000 more A-level experts through Jianmen Pass.”
"Yes..."
“So just follow orders,” Qingye said. “By the way, do you have any energy candies left? Give me two.”
The shadow soldier wailed, "You ate your own food first, and then came to eat ours?!"
Qingye fan tapped the back of his head: "I'll give you two back when the war is over!"
"Back then you had twenty or two hundred, but I didn't care anymore!"
"Shh! Quiet!" Qingye suddenly said, abruptly crouching down. "Scan!"
The shadow soldier took out his device, only to find a burly red figure appearing on the screen two kilometers away: "Boss, we're surrounded. It's the orc legion, attacking from both sides... and from behind as well."
"quantity?"
"2000!"
Qingye only brought 160 shadow warriors with him this time; the rest were taken away by Qingqu.
He was the only A-level in the team; the rest were all B-level gene warriors. He was no match for them.
Qingye cursed under his breath: "A master of deception!"
It's likely that the Virtuoso saw them from a god-like perspective and then used a small orc army to intercept and kill the shadow troops in advance.
"What should we do?" the Shadow Warrior muttered. "There might be a Jhin in this orc legion... If only we had practiced the Cundi Dharma back then, and gone to the parent-teacher conference, we would all be A-rank by now."
"That's right, practicing the Cundi Dharma will not cause you to lose your fertility!"
Qingye laughed and scolded, "What's the use of saying this now? Everyone has their own fate! Listen to me, let's run forward together and join up with the Qing army ahead, then launch a defensive counterattack on their positions!"
As the shadow troops fled, they dropped life-sensing mines on the ground. After all, while the orc legions could raise shields, they couldn't protect their lower bodies, could they?
They had only run a few hundred meters when they heard an explosion behind them. A shadow soldier whistled softly, "See? I told you, bringing landmines would have been effective against them!"
"Fine, fine, you think you're so smart," Qingye said irritably.
The shadow soldier turned around to check the results of the battle, only to see that even the muscles on the calves of those beast soldiers had burst open, yet they were still limping and running on all fours!
His face turned pale with fright: "They're so tough!"
"This beast soldier is a little stronger than an A-rank, a little slower than a human A-rank, but its most ferocious feature is its durability," Qingye said as he ran.
The orc legion was getting closer and closer to the shadow troops. When they were about to be within 200 meters, five automatic rifles flew out from each of the black boxes carried by the shadow soldiers!
Automatic rifles formed a matrix in the sky like a rain of swords. An invisible force simultaneously disengaged the safety of the firearms, and with the synchronized sound of bolts being pulled back, gunfire began to erupt!
The powerful firepower swept through the beastmen behind them like a metal storm. Hundreds of beastmen were charging forward at full speed and were caught off guard, turning into sieves.
No matter how tough they are, they can't withstand the onslaught of this firepower.
Just as the shadow soldiers were about to cheer, the beast soldiers quickly raised a shield wall, protecting not only what was in front of them but also what was above their heads!
The enemy's organization was so sophisticated that they didn't seem like a group of orcs; they looked more like a group of well-trained warriors!
Qingye's gunfire was at full power, but it could only produce a string of sparks on the shield wall. Even if bullets entered through the gaps in the shield wall, they were not fatal.
"Damn it," Qingye said, "There must be a Fate Master behind them. I wonder if it's an ordinary Fate Master or an old monster among them? Fortunately, their speed has been slowed down. Let's run!"
“That’s strange,” one of the shadow soldiers said. “Why would they go to the trouble of flanking us from behind? Could it be that the front has already been breached and they’re coming straight at us?”
Qingye cursed, "Don't you dare jinx it... Holy crap!"
He heard the sound of beastmen rushing forward, coming from directly ahead, which should have been the direction of the Qing clan's position...
Sure enough, these orc legions were not there to flank them and ambush them; rather, they had broken through the Qing army on the A1 line and had come directly here!
Qingye said blankly, "That's it, we're finished! You must have some special abilities!"
"Ah!" the shadow soldier exclaimed.
"Stop running! Under my gun cover, form a firing line on the spot!" Qingye roared. "We're definitely going to die here today, but let's kill a few to make up for it!"
One of the shadow soldiers muttered, "Boss, I'm afraid you're not going to be able to pay me back the energy candies you owe me!"
Qingye was both amused and exasperated: "What the hell is going on? And you're still trying to pull a fast one on me? I'll repay you with my life in my next life..."
In an instant, all the members of the Shadow Squad dropped their playful expressions, calmly and quickly weaving in and out, kneeling on the ground to form the most tight defensive position.
This shadow unit was the most unconventional in the Qing clan's battle lineup; even when faced with an orc legion, they didn't change their playful and sarcastic demeanor.
But that's because they've killed too many enemies and experienced too many battles.
They were the most elite warriors under the Qing Clan's shadow forces, and they had long since forgotten what fear was.
When the battle truly begins, they are executioners who inspire fear in their enemies, as if the blood in their very bones is so cold it emanates chilling air.
"Fire," Qingye said.
The rhythmic firing began, and these shadow warriors were able to penetrate the gaps in the shield wall with every shot, hitting the densely packed beastmen behind it.
The seemingly impenetrable shield wall was riddled with holes in front of them.
After running out of bullets, Qingye abandoned his gunfire and instead took out a sewing box from his pocket, from which he took out three embroidery needles.
The forbidden item ACE-053, Grandma's sewing box, clothes sewn with three embroidery needles are tough and indestructible, but in the face of Qingye's ability to manipulate metal, this thing becomes a vicious killing weapon.
In an instant, three embroidery needles pierced through the shield wall and through the hearts of the beastmen.
In just over ten seconds, dozens of beast soldiers died under the embroidery needles, and even a gap was opened in the shield wall!
"Attack the breach! Killing one now is a bonus, killing two is a huge bonus!" Qingye commanded.
This isolated army had no intention of leaving alive; all their tactics were aimed at killing the enemy and recouping their losses.
However, the orc legion continued its advance despite casualties, determined to kill hundreds of orc soldiers and directly charge into the enemy lines to behead Qingye.
Seventeen seconds later, the orc legion advanced the shield wall to the firing position, only to see the shield wall quickly disperse and orc soldiers rush in.
The Shadow Squad didn't have time to change magazines. They quickly abandoned their weapons and shrank their formation, with more than a hundred people shrinking into a small group, surrounding Qingye in the center, giving Qingye time to kill.
Everyone knew they couldn't hold out for long, but for every second they could hold out, one or two more beastmen would die.
When it comes to close combat, the Shadow Troops lose their level advantage. It's difficult for them to kill a beastman on their own, so they have to risk their lives to buy time for Qingye.
"Boss, kill one for me! You don't need to return the energy candy!"
"Kill one for me too! That'll pay back the favor I did for you last week by washing your socks!"
"Kill one for me too, and I'll be your wife in my next life!"
The shadow soldiers surrounded Qingye in layers, and as soon as one row fell, the soldiers in the inner circle would take its place.
While manipulating the embroidery needle, Qingye roared, "I don't want you as my wife, you have athlete's foot!"
"Haha, yeah, he has athlete's foot! I'll do it!"
These people really don't take death seriously.