Chapter 56: Martial Law

Following the Baishazhou Avenue expressway all the way south for three kilometers, they took the Qiling Overpass and then continued south on the Qiling Expressway, finally arriving at the Wushen Expressway interchange, close to the outer perimeter of Hanshui City.

Covering a full distance of twenty kilometers, although the road conditions were somewhat poor due to the erosion of time, with the assistance of the tracked Meow-vehicles, it took them only forty-five minutes.

This speed left Xie Liu and the others marveling in amazement.

Could they run this fast?

Of course they could.

Given the physical constitution of the Blood-Sainted, running twenty kilometers in under an hour was a breeze, and at full speed, they could finish it in even half an hour.

The problem was that if they actually ran like that, their physical strength would be almost entirely depleted.

And now?

They were simply sitting in vehicles, feeling the breeze, chatting casually from time to time, and taking in the scenery while completing the journey.

Upon getting out, no one felt physically or mentally exhausted, and they completely maintained their optimal combat readiness.

This experience was extremely novel. After all, even for the Machine Cult, the vehicles they possessed were primarily for specialized transportation purposes.

Using machinery to conserve physical strength and enhance combat effectiveness—this concept gave them a brand-new understanding of the so-called "Chosen" combat style.

No wonder they could exert such high combat effectiveness despite their limited physical traits.

Their research into combat methods had evidently reached a degree of meticulous precision...

This was presumably the wisdom of the old era as well.

The three of them closely followed Chen Jian and He Shuo, driving the two Meow-vehicles into a long-dilapidated factory building beneath the overpass to hide them. Then, they retrieved all the weapons and ammunition they carried, returned to the overpass, and prepared to enter Hanshui City.

At this point, they were only three kilometers away from the residential area of Hanshui City. From the overpass, artificial structures could already be vaguely seen half-concealed by vegetation.

Chen Jian ordered He Shuo to launch a drone for scouting. This should have been a very basic reconnaissance action, but when the drone's high-altitude footage was transmitted back to their smart eyepieces, the two of them simultaneously stopped in their tracks.

"Something is wrong."

Chen Jian half-crouched to conceal himself beside the guardrail and took out his binoculars to observe the situation in Hanshui City in the distance.

"A large number of personnel are gathering at the edge of the urban area, carrying heavy weapons."

"One, two, three, four... I currently see twelve muzzle-loading cannons. The caliber is huge, just like the ones we saw last time!"

"The city guards are on high alert."

"What are they trying to do?"

Hearing Chen Jian's words, Zeng Yi instinctively stood up to observe. Chen Jian pulled him back down, handed the binoculars to him, and said,

"Use these to look!"

Zeng Yi took the binoculars, observed for a moment, and his brow furrowed as well.

"The city is under martial law."

"All city defense forces have been deployed, and the priests and clergy of the Machine Cult have all come out."

"I see elite Skitarii in the rear. They are different from ordinary city defense forces and wouldn't generally be dispatched."

"The Blood-Sainted Hall has sent people too. How strange, they've actually donned the blood robes... What is going on?"

As his voice trailed off, Xie Liu—who was also observing nearby with binoculars provided by He Shuo—interjected:

"I see two Blood-Source Beings in the rear... The Blood-Source Beings of Hanshui City haven't shown their faces in at least a year. What are they doing this time?"

"I don't know."

Zeng Yi shook his head, handed the binoculars back to Chen Jian, and continued:

"We have to go in and take a look. It might have something to do with the killing of that Level 3 monster in the ruins."

"But that makes no sense at all. Xu Hunter clearly went back. If he already reported the news that the monster was eliminated, why is Hanshui City still declaring martial law?"

"Shouldn't they be celebrating?"

"That's my question too..."

Xie Liu wore a grave expression. After hesitating for a few seconds, he suddenly spoke up:

"Chosen... Captain, I don't think you are suited to enter Hanshui City at this time."

"The situation is too complicated. Let us try to communicate first. You can follow behind us. If there are any problems, you can retreat in time."

"No problem."

Chen Jian nodded decisively, then instructed:

"Keep the radios on. Maintain communication."

"He Shuo, prepare for electromagnetic suppression."

"There must be other long-range communication devices in the city. When the Blood-Sainted advance for reconnaissance, ensure that the Hanshui City sentries' information is blocked from transmitting outward."

"Understood."

He Shuo immediately removed the directional jamming device he carried and began searching for frequencies and calibrating it. Meanwhile, Chen Jian retrieved one of the Meow-vehicles, turned off its lights, and followed the team forward.

The five-man squad split into two groups, advancing with an interval of 400 meters.

Relaying on the drone for uninterrupted guidance, Chen Jian cautiously utilized cover to conceal himself and parked to proceed on foot at a distance of 800 meters from Hanshui City.

After ten minutes, the group approached within 300 meters of the first sentry post of Hanshui City.

At this point, the Hanshui City defense forces had already noticed the three approaching Blood-Sainted. Through the drone's perspective, Chen Jian saw the leader raise his hand, seemingly intending to stop the three from advancing further.

"We are Blood-Sainted, just returning from the ruins!"

Through the radio, Chen Jian heard Zeng Yi state his identity.

The city defense force on the opposite side lowered his hand, signaling the three to continue closer.

The distance between the two sides closed further, and Chen Jian finally heard the voice of the city defense force over the radio.

"Why are you only just returning? Didn't the Blood-Sainted Hall notify you of the martial law?"

"Our communication device broke; we didn't receive the message."

"The ruins were dangerous; we couldn't spare the attention."

As he spoke, Zeng Yi continued to walk forward.

He peered past the city defense guard and curiously asked:

"What happened? Why suddenly declare martial law?"

"You don't know? Did you even go to the Hanshui Ruins?"

The city defense guard asked with suspicion.

This question obviously aroused Zeng Yi's vigilance. He remained silent for two seconds before replying:

"Yes, but we only went as far as the edge and didn't explore deeply—did something happen in the ruins?"

"That's right."

The city defense guard sighed, then explained:

"That Level 3 monster entered an active period, wiping out almost an entire squad of Blood-Sainted. Only one person came back alive..."

As his voice fell, Chen Jian and He Shuo, listening from the rear, simultaneously entered a state of high alert.

There is a problem!

They don't know the monster is dead!

Or rather, someone doesn't want them to know the monster is dead!

"Don't tell them! Play along!"

Chen Jian spoke up hurriedly, but a split second before his voice reached Zeng Yi via radio waves, Li Shi on the side had already blurted out:

"Level 3 monster? Isn't it already dead?"

In an instant, the atmosphere between the two sides froze as if encased in ice.

Zeng Yi turned to Li Shi with a look of helplessness, his right hand already resting on the hilt of the sword behind his back.

"Next time, you really shouldn't run your mouth... Who told you the monster was dead?"

Li Shi nodded blankly. The city defense guard on the opposite side stepped back and said:

"Oh, so that monster is already dead..."

"Is that how it is for you people?"

"Mimicking heretics... Open fire!"

"Open fire!"

The two orders were issued almost simultaneously—one from the city defense force, and the other from Chen Jian.

The sniper rifle in He Shuo's hands instantly spat tongues of fire, and the city defense guard who gave the order to open fire dropped to the ground on the spot!

But it was already too late.

The city defense guards at the outpost had reacted, unleashing a volley of single-shot rifle fire. Li Shi threw himself forward to shield Xie Liu and Zeng Yi with his shield, taking multiple bullet hits almost instantly.

The rifle in Chen Jian's hands continuously spat bullets, but no matter how fast his reflexes were, achieving precise hits across a 400-meter distance was no simple task.

The city defense forces held an absolute firepower advantage. Li Shi roared,

"Go! Don't worry about me!"

Zeng Yi darted back and forth among the crowd with his long blade. His speed was extreme, but after the gunshots rang out, Chen Jian had already spotted other equally swift Blood-Sainted rushing in from surrounding areas.

If this continued, they would be worn down to death.

Chen Jian took a deep breath and issued three rapid commands:

"He Shuo, switch to heavy suppression fire, suppress the enemy's firepower ahead!"

"Zeng Yi, Xie Liu, don't get bogged down in prolonged combat, bring Li Shi back!"

"Li Shi! Hold that shield high! Block them!"