Celestial Human Diagram

As the enemy combatants rushed forward, the convoy that had just appeared several kilometers ahead suddenly sped up.

Almost simultaneously, the other convoy that had crossed paths with the escort team earlier had already turned around and was now charging toward their rear.

From a bird’s-eye view, they were forming a perfect pincer movement against the entire escort convoy.

After the forward team reported trouble, Advisor Yao knew something was wrong. He acted decisively, ordering all personnel to bring out their firearms. He had several vehicles from the rear move up to form a defensive line to block the assault. Machine guns were mounted on the vehicle roofs, aimed at the front and flanks.

Even with Esoteric Rituals at their disposal, firearms were still the most convenient and effective tools.

But he knew this alone wasn’t enough, so he immediately contacted the few Esoteric Bureau members among them.

A few members immediately exited their vehicles. Using the cars for cover, they moved to the sides of the convoy. On both sides of the road, they unrolled bundles of what looked like carpets and hammered them down at the edges.

These esoteric patterns would prevent distant observers from seeing them clearly, creating a sort of visual distortion.

The enemy combatants with Implants advanced rapidly and were on them in moments. But even faster were the combat creatures.

They came from the sky on their wings, but as they drew near, they were affected by the Domain and came tumbling down one by one.

They were then taken out by the Fighters and gunmen in the convoy, seemingly having achieved nothing.

But Advisor Yao felt no sense of relief. ’Since the enemy is attacking us, they must know who we are. These combat creatures were probably sent to probe the effects of our ritual, making their real assault easier.’

Sure enough, after the first wave of combat creatures was dealt with, the combat personnel to the rear had a rough idea of their layout and accelerated their approach.

Behind them, other men raised their guns to provide covering fire. But just as one of them lifted his rifle, a sniper from the convoy fired a shot. The man’s head snapped back, and he collapsed on the spot. Even a reinforced skull couldn’t block such a precise long-range shot.

The machine gunners on the roofs opened fire. Faced with the intense barrage, the armed attackers didn’t charge head-on, instead splitting up to flank them from both sides.

Advisor Yao saw this unfold, also noticing more enemy gunmen joining the fray from a distance. He decisively used the Realm Token to order, "Everyone, on your breathing masks! Throw the smoke canisters!"

Following the order, the escort personnel immediately hurled out canisters that landed all around the convoy and on the road. A series of pops echoed as thick, murky smoke instantly billowed out.

This was a specially formulated smoke designed to obscure vision. It also served as a signal for reinforcements, allowing nearby checkpoints to spot the trouble. The escort team, however, wore special goggles that let them see through the haze, giving them a tactical advantage.

However, the weather today was not in their favor. The wind from the open fields was quite strong, and much of the smoke was dispersed as soon as it appeared, with the wind seeming to grow stronger. But even a little concealment was better than none.

When the combatants saw the smoke rise, they didn’t rashly charge in. The convoy’s machine gunners also held their fire, using the smoke as cover for their snipers to pick off targets.

At this rate, it seemed they could hold their ground. The radio operator had already sent distress calls to Central City and the various outposts. They weren’t far from Central City; if reinforcements arrived in time, the siege would be broken.

But just as the situation seemed to be stabilizing, a transport truck suddenly came speeding toward them, apparently intending to ram through the vehicles blocking the road.

Before he could give the order, the machine gunners opened fire. The truck’s tires were quickly blown out, and it tipped over, landing sideways across the road. But it also became a piece of cover, obscuring the view of what was behind it.

A moment later, two loud THUMPS echoed, followed immediately by a pair of explosions in the middle of the convoy.

One explosion was centered right on an armored car. The vehicle shuddered, and the machine gunner on top was killed instantly. Shrapnel flew in all directions, peppering armored cars more than ten meters away.

The other explosion landed in an empty spot, causing no casualties, though it did blow out the tire of one vehicle. Clearly, the smoke and the ritual had been somewhat effective.

Advisor Yao’s expression changed. "Mortars?!"

These mortars had originally been positioned up ahead by the ambushers, ready to fire as the convoy approached. But the convoy had unexpectedly stopped several kilometers away, making it difficult to hit their targets accurately. So, the enemy had carried the mortar tubes forward and were now firing from a closer position.

Advisor Yao knew this was bad. If those two mortars weren’t taken out, they would be sitting ducks. It was too late to send men out now, and the enemy would surely be prepared. He immediately used the Realm Token to call his snipers.

"Take out those two mortar operators!"

The snipers opened fire on command, but to little effect. Several Protective Shields had been erected in front of the mortars, forcing the snipers to change their position.

The two snipers didn’t give up. They tried to move to a new position, but as soon as they reached the edge of the convoy, they came under fire from enemy snipers. This pinned them down, forcing them into a counter-sniper duel.

But during this delay, two more mortar shells landed amidst the convoy. Fortunately, thanks to the smoke, neither was a direct hit.

But this couldn’t go on.

Advisor Yao’s brow furrowed. ’The enemy has too many combatants. If we want to destroy those two mortars, I’ll have to go myself. But the problem is, they have at least one Third Limit Fighter, maybe more lying in wait. My primary duty is to protect Director Lei. If I leave my post, I’d be giving them an opening.’

Meanwhile, in the Gard Car at the rear, Chen Chuan sensed the situation. He knew Advisor Yao would have trouble handling it alone. He said something to Wu Han and Weidong.

Then he pushed the door open, stepped out of the car, and walked out from the cover of the convoy’s smoke. The moment he appeared, he tilted his head slightly, and a bullet grazed past him.

He paid it no mind and looked toward the mortars’ position.

He visually estimated the distance to be about two to three hundred meters. He had no intention of charging. Instead, he reached into his pocket and pulled out several stones of varying sizes.

The Mutated Organization within his body began to churn. Once he had gathered enough power, he whipped his arm with explosive force!

The Protective Shield in front of one mortar was struck as if by a heavy hammer and toppled backward. The two operators behind it, who were still preparing to fire, had their heads explode one after another.

A nearby enemy tried to run forward with a shield to plug the gap, but after only two steps, a gunshot rang out, and his head erupted in a spray of blood. The convoy’s sniper, with the shield no longer blocking his view, had seized the opportunity.

Seeing this, Chen Chuan paid it no more mind and quickly moved to the other side. He threw another stone to blast the second shield away, and the team’s sniper swiftly eliminated the mortar operator there as well.

Advisor Yao, watching from the rear, couldn’t help but feel a bit relieved, but he didn’t relax much. He could tell that a major power was definitely behind this attack. Not only did they have artillery and dozens of combatants with Implants, but from what he’d seen, there were at least a hundred combat creatures. That was enough to fight a small-scale war.

If not for the fact that their escort convoy was also exceptionally well-equipped, and that Chen Chuan had joined them at the last minute, they probably would have crumbled under the first wave of the attack.

Just then, a message came through the Realm Token. A convoy suspected to be Lianwei Zhongyu’s had also turned back, but it was now blocked behind them.

He was secretly relieved. ’Thank goodness I listened to Chen Chuan’s advice earlier.’ He had ordered his men to scatter caltrops and lay down spike strips on the road behind them—not just in one place, but at intervals. Those vehicles wouldn’t be able to get through for a while; they’d have to get out and clear the road first.

This way, they wouldn’t have to face a pincer attack for the time being.

After the mortars were taken out, the enemy made no attempt to charge the convoy, which was defended by machine guns. Both sides, by tacit agreement, began a long-range firefight, and the situation seemed to have reached a stalemate.

Advisor Yao’s expression, however, remained grim. ’This calm won’t last long,’ he thought. ’The enemy’s Third Limit Fighter still hasn’t made a move.’

Once such an individual charged in at high speed, his team’s gunmen would have a hard time reacting. If there was no one suitable to intercept them, it would only take a moment for them to completely shatter the fragile stability they had managed to maintain.

So the final outcome would depend on the clash between the Fighters from both sides.

Just as he was thinking this, his expression tensed. He had spotted a figure suddenly appear in his line of sight.

Although dressed like the other combatants, the speed the figure displayed clearly marked them as a Third Limit Fighter. He stared intently at the figure.

But, for some unknown reason—perhaps out of caution—the person just stood there, watching the convoy, and didn’t advance.

But he didn’t dare let his guard down for a second. He braced himself. ’The moment that person comes in, I’ll intercept them. I’ll have to entrust Director Lei’s safety to Chen Chuan for now.’

At that moment, a stretched armored vehicle was driving their way. Jian Chengsheng sat in the back seat, holding his blade and looking ahead.

Although the battle ahead was intense, with many strange things he had never seen on the islands, they were of little consequence to someone like him. So he paid them little attention, merely anticipating his opponent.

The vehicle reached the front line and slowly came to a stop. Someone hurried forward to open the door, and the person in the front passenger seat turned back and said, "Mr. Jian Cheng, we’ve arrived. We’ll be counting on you for what comes next."

Jian Chengsheng said solemnly, "Leave it to me." Then he took his blade and stepped out of the vehicle.

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