First Battlefield Commander! - Chapter 173
Chapter 173: Infiltration
Infiltration
What would be the consequences of remaining within enemy territory without any defensive weapons?
A group of abandoned young adults stood frozen in place, miraculously showing no fear in the face of imminent death.
It seemed like just a concept, mere words. The emotions hadn't fully registered yet.
They looked up at the sky - aside from the newly appeared obstructive objects, it remained... oh wait, even the color had been grayed out by explosions.
Lian Sheng shrugged and said: "What was I just saying? That I volunteered for the rescue mission. See, if you'd agreed earlier, we'd be dying as martyrs for our country rather than accidental casualties."
Doctor Lin: "Heh."
Who knew what these kids had been fed growing up. It must have eaten their brains.
Doctor Lin scolded: "Stop your nonsense! Find somewhere to hide! If all else fails, grab some white cloth and wrap yourselves in it! Stay alive and I'll take you back to school."
"But we're about to graduate," Fang Jianchen paused before adding, "Thank you, Doctor Lin."
Lu Mingyuan realized belatedly: "Right. I've already graduated."
Fang Jianchen mustered the courage to speak his mind: "You're too fierce, doctor."
Doctor Lin's face pressed closer to the screen. Everyone immediately sensed impending danger.
Lu Mingyuan raised his hands: "Wasn't me who said that!"
Ji Ban went to try the car door.
The driver's seat had been removed, and after taking a direct hit from an air cannon earlier, all the glass was shattered. The overall appearance looked somewhat twisted, but the components seemed intact.
Squatting in front, he tried starting it - it worked.
"This car can still move!" Ji Ban turned back and said, "Should we make a run for it?"
Zhao Zhuoluo covered his ears and asked: "With that sizzling sound, it can still move? Is there really sizzling?"
Ji Ban patted the hood, remarkably unfazed: "No problem, just some electrical leakage. Worst case we break down halfway - these cars are explosion-proof anyway."
Ye Buqing said: "Then let's go."
Cheng Ze and Zhao Zhuoluo prepared to remove the back seats to assemble a makeshift driver's seat up front.
Lin Shu could still hear their deliberately relaxed tones through the screen, their attempts to appear calm. He clenched his fists, voice thick with emotion: "I'm sorry."
Ji Ban asked: "Where should we go?"
Lian Sheng said: "For our final trip, let's pick somewhere beautiful."
Cheng Ze was skeptical: "Is there anywhere beautiful in District 36?"
Fang Jianchen: "With love in your heart, everywhere is paradise!"
After preparations, they boarded the half-wrecked vehicle again with Ji Ban at the wheel.
He'd never driven before, lacking even a license. Moreover, military vehicles had different operating systems from civilian ones. Relying on his years of experience piloting manually-operated mechs, he poked around until he roughly figured out the command codes.
Lian Sheng spoke into the communicator: "I'll hang up now. You should evacuate quickly, it's dangerous here."
Doctor Lin covered his face with a hand, voice muffled: "Anything else you want to say?"
"Nothing much. I think you already know what needs saying. Just handle our affairs." Lian Sheng's communicator vibrated. She looked down and said: "Oh, they sent me a map. Of the security system?"
Reading the red text aloud: "In case of emergency, destroy communicators first?"
Zhao Zhuoluo immediately leaned over, shocked at what he saw: "Security system? The military gave us the map?!"
The security system was secretly buried beneath the city's lowest levels - an underground passage filled with traps, the most confidential defense mechanism in the entire district with enough destructive power to level the whole city.
Originally built to prevent enemy forces from stealing their civilization and research achievements, it had later become one of their most powerful weapons. Once established, its routes never changed, making the security system maps the Alliance's highest classified secrets.
Its internal passages led to the city's central hub and other critical areas.
The Gelen forces hadn't obtained its map yet, and even if they had, wouldn't dare conduct dangerous operations within the security system. So it truly was the safest place.
But how could the military give them something so important?
Zhao Zhuoluo could hardly believe it, but the message clearly stated so. The military leadership had no reason to deceive them.
"Nearest entrance... underground parking at Pengfeng Mall on Jiuli Street!" Lian Sheng's hope for survival reignited as she slapped the front seat: "No time to lose, let's go! Move out!"
Ji Ban responded excitedly: "Roger!"
The entire vehicle shook violently, especially for those in back who felt their seats leave them. And that was just from starting up.
They hunched their shoulders, gripping the overhead handles tightly. Before they could ask if this was safe, the car shot forward.
The already battered vehicle revealed its wounds as it moved, air whistling through various openings. Ji Ban showed no mercy, accelerating straight to high gear.
The engine clearly had issues, making their vision bob up and down. That wasn't the worst part - the seemingly mild-mannered Ji Ban turned out to be a drifting enthusiast.
The rear end swung out wildly, nearly scraping guardrails, making Fang Jianchen fear collision.
Their brains seemed to slosh around with the centrifugal force. After two turns, motion sickness set in.
Then they remembered - Ji Ban's manually-operated mech was also a new model that prioritized speed.
Lian Sheng gasped: "Ji Ban, are you okay?!"
"No problem! With the map directly imported, it's just like piloting Moshi," Ji Ban said. "Fast enough? I can go faster."
Fang Jianchen roared: "Ji—Ban—! Don't mess—around—!"
Ji Ban: "I'm experienced, it's fine! Just this car's suspension sucks, rattling around making me dizzy."
Lian Sheng gripped the handle with one hand while patting his shoulder reassuringly from behind: "Then take it slow, we're actually not in a hurry."
The others chimed in: "No hurry at all."
Lu Mingyuan warned: "Ji Ban, this car's build quality might not be great. Completely different materials from Moshi. It can't take impacts or heat, really. You understand that, right?"
As the car hit a bump and briefly went airborne, they clearly heard something crack and fall off upon landing.
Ji Ban's eyes widened: "Ah—"
Cheng Ze swallowed hard and whispered: "Did something just..."
Ji Ban instinctively denied: "Nothing!"
"This car really can't compare to your mech. It's not that sturdy, don't try crashing through things." Lu Mingyuan was near tears. "I'm scared..."
Ji Ban said: "Don't worry, almost there. Just need to step on it."
Step on it my ass!
Might as well die now rather than ride this rollercoaster of near-death experiences.
Five minutes later, thanks to Ji Ban's relentless speeding, they reached Jiuli Street. Ji Ban slammed the brakes, parking far from the mall's underground entrance.
"The garage route is blocked. We'll have to go down ourselves." Ji Ban turned and asked: "You all okay?"
The group was busy vomiting - that ride had been brutal.
Ji Ban stepped out first, circling the garage entrance. "No gaps, sealed tight."
Half the underground garage had collapsed from artillery fire, blocking the entrance.
"Then we'll enter through the mall, take the stairs down," Zhao Zhuoluo pressed a hand against the door. "This part's intact but locked."
"Heading to a bomb shelter and they lock the doors?" Lian Sheng said angrily. "Break it down."
Lu Mingyuan said: "Can't break it - mall doors are sturdy. At least not with brute strength alone."
Lian Sheng examined the door.
Just as they exited the car, another artillery shell struck nearby. The powerful shockwave flipped their vehicle completely.
Reacting quickly, everyone dove to the ground. The car absorbed most of the blast.
Fang Jianchen, being closest, suffered severe burns across his back. Only when trying to rise did he realize he was injured.
"Fuck..." Fang Jianchen groaned in pain from the ground. "Fuck!"
Whether from embedded shrapnel or uneven heating, his back muscles felt torn apart in sheets of pain.
"Great, just great," Fang Jianchen said pale-faced. "Someone check my back."
His voice was too soft, and with everyone's ears still ringing, no one heard.
After a moment, he repeated himself.
Sensitive to explosions and injuries, the others felt weak just hearing this. They gathered around.
Without proper protective gear, such blasts could easily prove fatal.
The burns covered two palm-sized areas on Fang Jianchen's back. At first glance, not immediately life-threatening.
Lian Sheng gently tugged, finding flesh fused to fabric.
Doctor Lin urgently demanded: "Let me see!"
Only then did Lian Sheng remember him and turned the camera view.
After a quick look, Doctor Lin reassured: "Pain means nerves are intact, so not too deep. Get inside quickly and try to rest lying down."
Their overturned vehicle had the medical kit trapped under the driver's seat. Lian Sheng tried pulling it out but it was firmly stuck.
Their situation was dire. The recent shell meant they'd been spotted. Another might follow soon. They had to leave immediately.
Fortunately, the blast had shattered the mall's glass doors. Zhao Zhuoluo carried Fang Jianchen inside.
Fang Jianchen whispered: "Forget the meds, just go."
The military's detailed map showed a convoluted route.
An eerie silence filled the mall.
They took the emergency stairs down to a corner storage room, then descended further through ventilation ducts into a hidden compartment.
Zhao Zhuoluo carrying Fang Jianchen made navigating tight spaces difficult.
Regaining some strength as the initial pain subsided, Fang Jianchen asked to be set down.
Finally, they stood in the so-called security passage.
Dim lighting revealed a straight, circular tunnel completely devoid of clutter.
Lian Sheng bent down: "You okay?"
Fang Jianchen shook his head, sweat dripping from his brow.
Ye Buqing covered him with his jacket.
Ji Ban secured the entrance hatch before they all sat down to rest.
Exhaustion and surreal relief at survival washed over them.
Sitting there, Lian Sheng listened to Doctor Lin's repeated instructions to check for injuries but lacked energy to move.
She pulled up the map again for closer inspection.
"This leads to the signal tower. With the map, why not enter through the security system directly? Wouldn't this route be easier?" After studying it, she confirmed: "It connects, right? Is this X mark the signal tower?"
Doctor Lin said: "It does connect. But when Gelen forces attacked, administrators changed the access codes, which Gelen then changed again. Without new credentials, we can't pass the security measures."
The group: "..."
So the security system had secured itself against them?
Doctor Lin warned: "Don't act recklessly. Stay near the entrance. Further in are detection robots that will eliminate unauthorized personnel."
The map detailed the security mechanisms' types and parameters.
Lian Sheng began analyzing it intently, joined by experts Lu Mingyuan and Ji Ban.
Seeing this, the veteran panicked: "Your current thoughts are extremely dangerous! Our new signals don't reach the central district. Going in without guidance means death. Stay put and wait for instructions, understand?!"
Lian Sheng calculated infiltration odds against the map.
Lu Mingyuan pulled up his optical computer to model the data.
They had to be realistic. Without using the security passage to reach the signal tower, how many more would die retaking it? How much would be lost leaving the district in Gelen's hands?
How long could they wait here? If Fang Jianchen's wounds worsened untreated, what then?
The Alliance forces being driven from downtown and nearly abandoning them showed their combat disadvantage when constrained.
However dangerous, this was clearly the shortest path - worth attempting.
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