Veronica walked out of the door. The warm sun of the end of spring shone on her shoulders. A giant, glorious sun hung high in the sky. The crown of the giant sun and the faint wood grains on the surface of the sun wheel created a magnificent scene behind the thin clouds. A breeze blew from afar, blowing through the bustling streets of Cecil and the lush trees by the roadside. The wind carried the fragrance of grass and the sound of traffic.
She took a deep breath as if she wanted to imprint the smell of the bustling world into her body. After a long time, she exhaled. She opened her arms slightly in the sun and narrowed her eyes slightly. Everything that this body sensed was instantly transmitted to the main servo array. Then, she opened her eyes again. The images, sounds, and tactile sensations captured by the 43,672 integrated sensors filled her thought threads.
The rough, hot wind violently slapped the outer defense belt sentry tower with sand and dust. The damaged armor plate smoked under the dim light. The welding drones flew between the weapon station and the shield platform. High-energy missiles and magic beams from afar cut the sky like a net and bombarded the ancient shield above the old Imperial City. The translucent energy shield rippled under the bombardment. Under the ripples of the energy shield, a huge wave of mutants and chimeras surged from afar. The images of the mutants and the frenzied roars of Chaos were transmitted back to the array through the sensors all over the battlefield, setting off a series of roars in the data processing unit.
The deep-level laboratory was shut down, the mining station was shut down, all processing centers and manufacturing centers were reordered, all energy and materials in the bunker fortress were supplied to the war units, and the Ophilia Array shut down all systems that could be shut down. The energy and resources accumulated over hundreds of years were all invested in the war factories and frontline facilities. The Ironmen were also out in full force.
After seven hundred years of silence, the last remaining army of the Kingdom of Gondor stepped onto the battlefield once again. This might be the last time they defended their home. And this time, they were not only defending the Imperial City of Gondor.
It was the Spring of the Fourth Year of Cecil, the 50th day of the Month of Recovery. The War of the Wastelands ushered in the biggest change since the start of the war. A series of attacks on the civilized world had been stopped, and the Alliance's armies had counterattacked into the heart of the wastelands. With the extension of the barricade unstoppable, the dark priests entrenched in the depths of the wastelands gave up on resisting the Alliance's main forces and chose to attack the Deep Blue Well.
Mutants, biochemical beasts, deformed root giants, and the dark priests … all the forces of the Wastelands Legion were integrated in a short time, turning into a monstrous tidal wave that attacked the Deep Blue Well from all directions. The center of the wastelands, which had been in a stalemate, was instantly engulfed in the flames of war. The dark army covered the vast land around the ancient Gondor's Imperial City like a raging tide. Fierce battles unfolded on every inch of the scorched earth, and amidst the raging Dark Tide, the radiance of the Deep Blue Well once again became the most eye-catching light on the land. It was a scene just like seven hundred years ago.
The great change at the center of the wastelands was immediately transmitted to the entire Alliance. The earth-shattering change shook the leaders of the Alliance nations, but no one was truly panicking. Since the start of the barricade wall, the Alliance's top military officers — led by the Cecil, the Typhon, and the Silver Empire — had already deduced that once the Wastelands Legion realized that the situation was irreversible and that attrition tactics were ineffective, they would consider the Deep Blue Well as the 'last resort'. The entire Alliance had been waiting for the turning point. Therefore, even if the turning point came more suddenly than expected, the mortal armies were not unprepared.
On the fifty-third day of the Month of Recovery, after an unprecedented mobilization of resources and personnel, the Alliance's advance into the wastelands began to accelerate. With the main forces of the three Empires leading the charge, dozens of member nations had brought out everything they could — soldiers, food, workers, steel, and everything was flowing towards the ancient Gondor, turning into a blazing torrent at the frontline, as well as purification towers that rose from the ground.
Not long after the Alliance accelerated their advance, the commanders of the vanguard forces confirmed the signs of the Wastelands Legion's decline. Even though there were more mutants and chimeras deeper into the wastelands, the monsters' command and combat awareness were rapidly declining. The once disciplined and orderly Wastelands Legion was becoming more and more chaotic. On most fronts, the mutants only knew how to charge blindly and rely on their instincts to attack moving units. In a few areas, there were even 'wild' mutants and chimeras that wandered around, reducing the pressure on the frontline while also confirming the commanders and leaders' judgment.
While the Wastelands Legion's numbers were unlimited, there was a limit to the number of commanders behind them. When all of them turned to attack the Deep Blue Well, the 'delaying forces' left on the frontline would only be a motley crew.
On the frontline of Cecil, a dazzling white torrent roared across the sky, leaving a slightly twisted trail in the atmosphere that was constantly steaming due to the high heat. At the end of the battlefield, the torrent made contact with the ground. The high-purity and high-intensity arcane energy directly melted the rocks, evaporated the ground, and left a series of dark red lava scars on the ground. The monsters that were running wildly on the ground were all turned into smoke under the white light, not leaving a single trace behind.
The heavy armored train 'Winter General' rumbled at both ends of the armory. Cooling ports opened under the armor plates. The alchemical coolant absorbed a lot of heat in the heat exchange grid of the Iridescent Generator and turned into white steam, spewing out from both sides of the war machine. The technical sergeants in the armory immediately filled new coolant tanks into the slots, while the empty tanks rolled down from a rail at the end of the carriage and fell into the recycling bins to be refilled.
The disposable coolant tank was a new technology (or rather, a new idea) that greatly improved the firing speed and stability of the Iridescent Cannon on the armored train. Compared to the traditional cooling system that relied on a huge set of pumps and pipes to maintain the cooling system, the new alchemical coolant tank almost doubled the firing speed of the Iridescent Cannon, and the entire system took up less than one-third of the space of the old pumps. The extra space was even enough to install two close-range defense weapon stations and corresponding ammunition depots.
Philip stood in the tactical compartment of the Winter General, watching the battlefield through different monitors. He saw that the remaining mutants and biochemical beasts were launching another attack on the plains. If the swarm of mutants and biochemical beasts could be considered an 'attack'. The fierce bombardment of the Iridescent Cannon and the railway guns did not inspire fear in these unintelligent creatures. In the absence of a command, they could not find cover, disperse their formation, or charge in waves. The only thing they could do now was to swarm forward and face the baptism of fire.
However, their large numbers and fearless attitude still played a role in the end. After their numbers were reduced by more than half, there were still quite a number of monsters that managed to get close to them. At this distance, the armored train's Rainbow Light Generator and Railway Gun could not fire smoothly. They could not do anything to the nearest target within the range of their firing range.
So it was time for the light infantry cannons, grenade launchers, railway guns, as well as the purifying weapons in the hands of the White Knight and the armed nuns, to come into play.
Under the dim sky, the tide of flesh and blood of the wasteland monsters surged towards the line of defense built by the mortals. The close-range cannons and the light rail accelerator cannons began to roar. Dense lines of fire fell like rain into the tide, and after a short delay, a series of shockwaves and explosions were set off. Then, the White Knight in heavy armor stepped out. They had strong armor, strong will, and excellent shields (as well as good holy light with special effects). They could withstand the weak energy beams and useless magic missiles from the mutants. The holy light cannons in their hands could purify all the impurities within a range of two to three hundred meters in a short time.
Then, the armed nuns also launched an attack in the line of defense. They had strengthened shields, zeal for the Empire, and the holy light that created the atmosphere as armor. The long staffs in their hands were all equipped with the 'Fury of Grace' burning system. This burning system designed for female priests was much lighter than the heavy burning system used by the White Knight and had a shorter range. But it was equipped with a conduit that carried a special burning agent. This conduit was connected to the 'Sacred Tank' on the backs of the nuns. The highly effective alchemy potion in the conduit could burn the blasphemous monsters until all their sins were purified.
Of course, some monsters in the wasteland were exceptionally resistant to burning, and the sins on them could not be purified in a short time. But this was not a problem. The nuns had set up a heavy burning tower in the line of defense. The plasma jet from the tower (Advanced Balrog's Whip) could burn through reinforced concrete bunkers.
Just as the standard military manual of the Empire stated, the White Knight and the armed nuns were excellent medical units. Not only were their methods of saving lives impeccable, but they were also excellent in healing the wasteland.
The roar of the artillery that reverberated in the armored train gradually weakened. When the enemy was completely defeated, General Winter's close defense cannons were the first to stop roaring. Then, the infantry cannons at the nearby firing points gradually quietened down. Philip retracted his gaze from the monitor and turned to the other side of the carriage. He opened the armor plate outside the window and observed the situation on the battlefield directly through his eyes.
The main force of the wasteland entrenched in this area had been wiped out. Now, there were only a few individuals that were struggling at death's door. They were still crawling in the sea of fire and craters. Their instincts drove them to continue moving in the direction of life. The warriors did not have to go to the battlefield to clear them out. They would crawl to the front of the fire net and stretch out their necks to be slaughtered. After all, the wasteland army that had lost their commander was just a group of monsters that were worse than beasts.
Some wriggling shadows peeked out from the window. They were dark brown vines or tentacles. They wandered around the scorched battlefield, rummaging and picking among the corpses. Philip saw a biochemical creature crawling out of a crater and was caught by one of the tentacles. The ugly monster struggled in the air and roared loudly. Then, it was caught by the tentacle and roasted over the fire. It only calmed down when it was cooked. Then, the tentacle quickly brought the spoils of war back to the nearby crevice.
The sound of chewing came from the depths of the earth.
But more tentacles found nothing. The battlefield was either completely charred and carbonized wreckage, or completely blown up into a 'paste' that could not be pieced back together. There were also mutated skeletons that had begun to turn into smoke. If it was Bertilla who had just crawled out from the edge of the Dark Forest and was starving, she would have been able to accept these things. But now, she was not so desperate for biomass, and of course, she despised these 'inferior food'.
The tentacles that found nothing gave up looking for food on the battlefield and chose to crawl back into the ground to continue eating.
The magic network terminal suddenly lit up. Philip turned around and saw a figure in a green cleric's dress appear in the projection. Behind the figure was a large field of pure white flowers.
"Madam Bertilla." The young imperial marshal nodded to the lady who had distinguished herself on the battlefield. "We have cleared this area. You can extend the rest of the limbs here to build a base."
"I will break out of the ground after the surface cools down. The spore is already waiting in the soil near you." Bertilla nodded. But then she frowned and grumbled, "There is less and less food on the battlefield recently … Aren't you guys a little overboard? Especially today's explosion was a little too much. "
"Well …" Philip did not expect Bertilla to complain about this. He looked a little embarrassed. "Actually, it is because the enemy has no strategy after they lost their commander. Those monsters swarmed to attack the blockade, and most of them were turned into dust by the tank cannons and the prismatic jets before they could even get close to the battle. It is not easy to preserve the wreckage in such a situation …"
"Ah, it is nothing. I am just saying." Bertilla found that the serious young man was actually worried. She could not help but wave her hand. "This is a war. I am not here for a picnic."
"Thank you for your understanding." Philip immediately said with a serious face. But he could not help but ask, "Now it is getting harder and harder to collect biomass from the wreckage on the battlefield. Is there any problem with the growth supply? Do you need us to add some additional transmission pipelines and biomass splitting ponds? Now that the railway line is open, the material transportation — "
"No, the biomass supply is going well." Bertilla interrupted Philip. "The purification device at the rear has been working. Now the clouds above the wasteland are much more normal than before. I can rely on normal photosynthesis to absorb some nutrients, and I have found a new source of nutrients underground."
"Underground source of nutrients?" Philip was a little curious. "You mean …"
"I have successfully cut off the root network of the Apocalypse in the entire northern region. Or rather, my incompetent compatriots have voluntarily given up on these things that they can no longer control." Bertilla's voice had a hint of joy. "Now I am gnawing on the roots."
Philip: "… Umm, as long as you are happy …"
(End of Chapter)
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