Chapter 1 First Warning

Han Xiao’s tablet received an alert from First Spidrone. He immediately jumped into the driver’s seat of the truck and beckoned to Kuang Dao Nu Jian, who was standing nearby. Kuang Dao Nu Jian hadn't logged off even once during the two-plus days of waiting. Han Xiao remembered that the game pods of this era did not yet have fully functional body detection and nutrition maintenance.

*Truly* a professional gamer, with *amazing* kidneys.

“Let’s go,” Han Xiao said.

“Oh…” Kuang Dao Nu Jian was clueless about what they were going to do, but he knew that following Han Xiao would be right.

The dark truck was coated with a layer of anti-radar material made by Han Xiao using Basic Area Sensing. The effect was decent and could reduce the chance of being detected by radar.

Once Xing Long and Germination’s ground forces met, it would be like striking a match to tinder, a perfect opportunity to fish in troubled waters.

First, he needed to find a suitable sniping location, not too close to the front lines. Han Xiao had already chosen his destination: a hilly cliff in the Yunxia Valley, perfectly positioned to target the open ground behind the trees. Once the Germination troops left the forest, his thirsty gun would be ready to fire.

The only problem was that he had to bypass the hill first without being detected by the army’s radar. The coating wasn't 100% foolproof, and there was a chance of exposure, but he wasn't too worried. Once Germination got close, the army in the valley would be too preoccupied to care about him.

The truck sped into the forest of the valley.

…

“Commander Huang! Radar detects a suspicious target!”

In the Xing Long camp command tent, a soldier shouted loudly. Huang Qiuming rushed to the radar screen. A flashing dot had entered the Yunxia Valley. The signal was intermittent, suggesting the target had some anti-radar capabilities. However, the Xing Long army was equipped with military-grade radar this time, with a powerful output.

“Only one target?” Huang Qiuming frowned. He suspected it was Germination’s advance scout, but the radar’s location was far off from Germination’s expected route.

“Regardless, let’s eliminate it first.” Huang Qiuming didn’t want any unexpected factors affecting the plan. Just as he was about to order a standby assault team to move out, all the radar screens went black!

“What’s going on?!”

Huang Qiuming roared.

The soldiers frantically tried to recalibrate, but to no avail.

“Report, sir! The radar was disabled by a strong electromagnetic pulse attack originating from the direction of Germination’s advance, three minutes ago, we detected their traces. Preliminary assessment indicates that the enemy has some advanced radar destruction device!”

“They’re trying to blind us. Activate the backup radar and implement electronic silence, randomly activating for five to twelve seconds.” Huang Qiuming commanded swiftly with a calm face. As for the suspicious target from earlier, he had to temporarily disregard it. The most important thing was Germination's main force.

*Whoosh—* Suddenly, a rapidly approaching screech sounded in the sky.

A dozen medium-range missiles streaked toward the Xing Long position, splitting into a dense cluster of warheads mid-air. These were cluster bombs, falling rapidly.

…

At the same time, the Germination ground convoy that had just launched the missiles finally entered the forest area outside Yunxia Valley.

Wujal looked grim. The convoy carried a prototype anti-radar device developed by Germination, which could detect radar scans and release a strong electromagnetic pulse to remotely destroy active radar systems, and determine the location of enemy radar by reverse analysis.

Wujal believed that the enemy's position was the one being located and ordered the convoy's few honeycomb-style missile launchers to attack, unleashing cluster bombs. This was a stable weapon that had mostly passed the experimental stage.

He didn’t know that destroying Xing Long’s radar had indirectly helped Han Xiao.

This tactic certainly wouldn't kill many Xing Long troops. As expected, from a distance, Wujal saw dense anti-missile gun arrays sweeping the sky, detonating all the cluster bombs in mid-air.

Both sides were prepared; it was just a matter of who was better prepared!

“The enemy will reactivate their radar soon. We don't have much time. We must rush forward immediately!”

Wujal said grimly, “Mine-clearing vehicles, move out!”

Vehicles equipped with vehicle-mounted mine detectors moved to the front of the column, quickly detecting the range of Xing Long's landmines and using machine guns to detonate them in advance. Amidst the flames and explosions, the Germination convoy advanced with a few close calls.

However, the anti-radar device was detected again. This time, Xing Long used electronic silence tactics, quickly activating the radar and turning it off before Germination’s anti-radar device could react, preventing it from being destroyed again. Wujal knew the real battle was about to begin.

The sound of helicopter rotors whirring in the sky approached at low altitude. The next second, autocannons roared, striking from above. The Germination convoy could only charge forward under the bombardment, in incredibly dangerous conditions.

Amidst the gunfire, Wujal roared, “Release the graphite bombs!”

A dozen small graphite rockets soared into the sky, detonating in the midst of the helicopter formation. Many helicopters began to fly erratically. Graphite bombs could cause widespread short circuits. The Xing Long helicopter formation suffered a loss, and the autocannon fire became sparser.

“Mihokes, once we break out of the forest, you will immediately lead the assault team to charge the enemy position and carry out the decapitation strike! Your mission is crucial, at least you must divert the enemy’s attention!” Wujal said sternly into the intercom.

In a troop carrier, the burly Mihokes gave a faint nod as a reply. He was an executive officer with the Germination ground forces, known for his ferocity from a young age. He was a powerful martial artist. His tactical mission was to lead several elite squads carrying individual explosives to assault the enemy position. The martial artist’s agility combined with his body armor would allow him to weave through a hail of bullets.

Supers are generally used for assault and decapitation strikes on the battlefield.

On the other side, in the Xing Long position, Huang Qiuming watched the Germination troops advancing rapidly through the forest with an expressionless face. “Missile coverage array, ready! Armored vehicle units, standby! And the elite squad, be ready at any time to deal with the enemy’s possible assault troops!”

Xing Long’s elite squad consisted of the strongest soldiers and elites in the army, including some supers. Supers had the ability to carry out decapitation strikes on the battlefield, so Xing Long was well prepared for this and ready to go.

The scale of the war was shocking to Ming Yue Chang Zhong, Shan Guang Chao Fan, and Jiang Yu Luo, who were in the logistics unit. The tense atmosphere, the smell of gunpowder, and the roaring artillery made it clear that they were not capable enough to participate.

“I thought I was going to die when the missiles hit us just now.” Shan Guang Chao Fan patted his chest, looking frightened.

Ming Yue Chang Zhong smiled wryly, “Let’s just transport supplies honestly, we can't handle those combat missions.”

Jiang Yu Luo’s face was cold, and her tone was firm, “I want to try.”

“We only have a few small pistols, what can we do?”

“I want to try.”

“Let’s just forget it. We’ll just be cannon fodder if we go.”

“I want to try.”

Ming Yue Chang Zhong and Shan Guang Chao Fan exchanged glances, and said helplessly, “Alright, alright, you’re pretty, you're the boss, let’s go together.”

Jiang Yu Luo was expressionless. After getting their consent, she turned and left decisively. The two had no choice but to follow behind.

…

While the others were having fun fighting, Han Xiao drove leisurely to his destination. The hill offered a wide field of vision, and he could see the intense explosions far away in the forest.

Some of the spidrones hidden in the forest had been destroyed by stray bullets. The remaining ones were still faithfully reporting the latest battle situation to Han Xiao. Based on their positions, the Germination convoy would soon break out of the forest and enter the plain.

Further away, on the Tydamila River, flames were rising as well. Han Xiao took out his binoculars and saw Germination's fleet on the river being attacked. The ferocity was even greater than on the Yunxia Valley side.

Before the Germination fleet could reach the estuary, it was bombed by fighter jets. Missiles rained down, and the fleet’s machine gun array couldn't even stop for a second. A scorching orange-red barrage swept across the night sky, with explosions blooming in the sky. If one didn’t know the details, one would think it was a fireworks display.

“Time to prepare.”

With that thought, Han Xiao took out several small folding turret bases, thought for a moment, created a richly rewarding mission, and tossed it to Kuang Dao Nu Jian.

Laying traps should, of course, be done by… the players.

While Kuang Dao Nu Jian was excitedly setting up the traps, Han Xiao took out a mechanical device similar to a neck pillow, put it on the back of his neck, and a layer of soft padding of unknown material fit snugly. Then, he turned on the switch, and a tingling sensation spread from the back of his neck to his brain. Han Xiao shuddered, feeling as invigorated as if he had taken psychoactive drugs.

[You have gained the Excited state, all attributes +5%, lasts for twenty minutes!]

This machine was called the Electromagnetic Pulse Conditioner, a special device that uses electromagnetic waves to regulate organisms. Using it could enhance one’s condition. Han Xiao had accidentally obtained the blueprint during a knowledge fusion.

He quickly completed all the preparations and activated the required states. Han Xiao lay prone with the Ghost Gauss Sniper Rifle, with the Red Falcon Sniper Rifle placed beside him. His eyes were sharp like an eagle’s, closely watching the changes in the battle.

“Boom!”

A swath of trees was blown apart, and the Germination convoy finally broke out of the forest.

“Come on, little darlings.”

Han Xiao narrowed his eyes.