Armor-Piercing Munition: Face Me, Carbon-Based Monster!

"At first, I thought these rules were very rigid."

"Even compared to the religious rules strictly followed by the Forbidden Army, they are much stricter."

"You don't allow flexibility, you don't allow warriors to make independent judgments on the battlefield, and you never rely on any 'miracle' or 'accident.'"

"This is probably the biggest difference between us."

"When the situation is critical, we always hope for the blessings of the Holy Trinity, always hope that loyal warriors will erupt with loyal power."

"But you are different...from start to finish, you only engage in cold calculations."

"It's as if...you are an army composed of mathematicians."

As the words fell, Chen Jian instinctively pursed his lips.

"That's quite a fitting description."

"So, what? Do you want to learn this kind of management method?"

After saying this, Guo Xu suddenly displayed a playful smile.

He coughed softly, turned to Chen Jian, and said with a smile:

"So that's your true purpose, right."

"If I truly accepted your kind of...management plan, the foundation of the Mechanical God Sect would gradually be eroded and eventually collapse."

Chen Jian said nothing in response.

He neither denied nor revealed his intentions.

Guo Xu raised his head and closed his eyes.

After a moment of silence, he spoke:

"I know this is wrong."

"But, if we want the Mechanical God Sect to survive..."

"This might really be the only way..."

....

Meanwhile, near Zigui Town.

The Han Shui City expeditionary force had just crossed the Three Gorges Dam and transferred to the only two usable steamships on the upper Yangtze River, continuing westward towards Mountain City along the river.

According to He Shuo's calculations, at their current speed, they would need at least another 16 hours to reach the outskirts of Mountain City.

And upon reaching the outskirts, they would need at least two more hours to complete their deployment to launch a coordinated attack with the forces inside the city.

At noon, the available attack window would be extremely narrow.

Their time was pressing; they didn't even take a moment to glance at the massive, magnificent, and uniquely commemorative dam as they passed by.

Only now, after boarding and beginning their voyage, did he finally have the opportunity to stand at the stern and gaze far at the receding dam.

The dam was not much different from what he remembered.

Some parts had collapsed, and it was evident that over the past three hundred years, the dam had been tested more than once by floods due to blocked spillways.

Yet, even so, it still stood strong as if it were a silent monument to a lost civilization.

There was a hint of emotion in He Shuo's eyes, while Li Xian standing nearby let out a gentle sigh before speaking:

"The Three Gorges Dam."

"We once regarded it as a miraculous creation of the Holy Trinity, but now it seems...it's not."

"Was this also built by 'humans' before the Cataclysm?"

"How exactly did they...do it?"

Hearing his words, He Shuo retracted his gaze and said:

"Built brick by brick."

"Brick by brick??"

Li Xian was taken aback.

"You can't possibly tell me this dam was manually built by countless people, right?"

"Of course not."

He Shuo shook his head slightly.

"But, many people were indeed involved in its construction."

"Even at that time, it was a 'gigantic project.'

"They dammed the entire river, and just the amount of earth dumped in when closing the river could easily build Jinling City."

"Not to mention other supporting facilities and civil engineering projects..."

After saying this, a look of fascination came over Li Xian's eyes.

"Magnificent."

He asked:

"So, how long did it take to build this dam in total?"

"A hundred years? Fifty years?"

He Shuo laughed heartily and replied:

"You don't know the extent of their power."

"In fact, it only took 12 years to complete the main project, and the entire construction was finished in 16 years."

"...Incredible."

Li Xian marveled, continuing:

"I wonder how many centuries it will take for humanity in this world to regain such power..."

"I don't know either."

He Shuo lightly patted the railing at the stern and remarked:

"However, if we can take Mountain City, our progress in recovering strength will be much faster."

"Although, according to current information, Mountain City may not contain the full set of industrial systems and equipment we truly desire."

"However, they do possess the most valuable computing resources."

"With those computing resources, many of our future endeavors will be much easier."

"Understood----Well, actually, I don't understand."

Li Xian instinctively touched the holster at his waist and continued:

"I don't know what computing resources are, but listening to you shouldn't be wrong."

"Not just listening to me."

He Shuo immediately corrected:

"It's listening to us."

"...That's what I meant."

The two did not speak further, and after a moment of silence, He Shuo issued an order:

"Go back and rest."

"Notify everyone to train as usual after waking up tomorrow morning."

"Tell them this is a life-and-death battle."

"And tomorrow morning's training might be the last training of their lives."

"An extra hour of training extends their chances of survival."

"Have them...be prepared."

As his words fell, Li Xian nodded solemnly.

"Understood!"

...

On the other side, Anhan City.

The Mechanical God Sect's Guardian Army stationed in the city had gathered and was ready to advance towards Mountain City following the Holy Blood, who were also in position.

The not-so-large team was making final equipment checks on the open field outside the city, and not far from them, an improvised airstrip had been set up where Jiang Yu was repairing a damaged ground attack aircraft.

----Actually, calling it a repair, all she could do was replace the panels burnt through by lasers and reconnect the severed control cables.

This wasn't a particularly difficult task, but she did it with great care.

After completing the checks, she jumped into the cockpit, carefully taxied for a short distance after starting it, and only after confirming that the aircraft was in normal condition did she finally breathe a sigh of relief.

Once she turned off the engine and returned to the ground, the aircraft's weapons operator—or more straightforwardly, the machine gunner—immediately approached her.

He looked at Jiang Yu and reported:

"Commander, the aircraft's weapon system has been checked and is ready for ammunition replenishment."

"I've received orders from Director Lei Jie to replace the heavy machine gun ammunition with standard tungsten core armor-piercing bullets, replacing the current armor-piercing incendiary rounds."

"Understood."

Jiang Yu nodded slightly and replied:

"No problem, leave it to the crews."

"Try to fully replenish the ammunition—our next mission, we only have one chance to sortie."

"We need to coordinate with the commander to deliver a devastating blow to the Grade 1 creature in Mountain City."

"However, with our firepower, at most it could be considered...a distraction."

"The main force of the attack is still the ground troops led by the commander. If we can't inflict substantial damage on the Grade 1 creature, focus on clearing out smaller creatures in the vicinity."

"You should also prepare in advance. After entering the battlefield, learn to adapt quickly."

"Understood!"

The machine gunner saluted Jiang Yu and then turned to leave.

He knew that he had no time to hesitate, no time for fear.

Only by ensuring that his weapon operated in its best condition could he hope to survive the upcoming battle.

Watching his back, an indescribable emotion rose in Jiang Yu's heart.

It could hardly be called heroic.

But there was indeed a sense of resolve.

Everyone within sight was rushing to the same battlefield.

This might not be the ultimate battle.

But, it was equally crucial.

And this battle...

In 18 hours, it would officially commence...