First Battlefield Commander! - Chapter 225
Chapter 225: Finale: Attack
Maxwell's forces were weak, and the situation in Districts 1 and 2 was unstable. If Barite decided to make his move, Maxwell would likely be in great danger. Considering potential obstructions along the green channel route, to save as much time as possible, the Alliance immediately began assembling their troops that same day, departing in the afternoon to rescue their ally.
However, Lian Sheng and Zhao Zhuoluo's ten-person team was left behind in District 16.
Though the Alliance departed in haste, as a precaution, they managed to secure a special privilege for Lian Sheng's group—District 16 would grant them access permissions so they wouldn't remain confined to the airport.
After the Alliance's main force withdrew, only these ten remained. The airport couldn't remain closed to the public indefinitely. During wartime, leaving them alone in an open airport would make them too conspicuous, easy targets for radicals—an impossible situation to defend against.
The Alliance was taking considerable risks with this mission, so when they made this relatively minor request, Maxwell readily agreed.
Still, the airport maintained a rest area for them, and their mechs were stored in a dedicated warehouse, accessible upon approval.
Lian Sheng and the others spent the day playing cards in their room before finally deciding to venture out—to stroll around, take in the sights, and learn more about District 16.
Without proper identification from Gelen's side, renting vehicles would be inconvenient and restrictive, so they simply took out the riot control vehicle equipped with Moshi's control console.
They first had hotpot for lunch, then watched a military action film at the cinema, and finally bought a crate of snacks before heading back to the airport to sleep.
Fang Jianchen munched on his snacks and sighed. "I feel kind of guilty. They're on the front lines losing sleep, while we're here living it up, sightseeing and having fun."
Lian Sheng said, "Why didn't you feel that way when we were playing cards?"
Fang Jianchen huffed. "That's because playing cards with you guys isn't fun. It's boring."
Cheng Ze scoffed. "You're just salty because you lost so much. Need to make excuses?"
Fang Jianchen said seriously, "It's a vicious cycle, but it's not really reflective of my actual skill level."
Ji Ban had set the vehicle to autopilot and was also snacking in the front seat.
The car passed through a tunnel and drove beneath an overpass.
In the distance, the city lights twinkled like fireflies illuminating the urban landscape. Ahead, another vehicle approached with its high beams glaring straight at them.
Lian Sheng squinted and grumbled, "Who turns on high beams at night when there are other cars around? That's just inconsiderate. They're only thinking about themselves—how dangerous is that?"
"High beams?" Lu Mingyuan paused. "Wait, I think this is a one-way road."
The group froze.
The oncoming car suddenly accelerated.
Ji Ban immediately dropped his snacks and switched back to manual control, taking over the wheel. He checked the radar display for the other vehicle's position and, seeing how close it was, swerved sharply along the guardrail to slip past.
The other car tried to turn abruptly to intercept them, but with both vehicles moving at high speed in opposite directions, it missed its chance.
Fang Jianchen, who had grabbed the overhead handle the moment the car jerked, exclaimed, "Holy shit, are they driving the wrong way? How did they even get in here?"
Harry stared ahead. "There's more than one?"
Since the riot vehicle was an excellent shield, Lian Sheng forced herself to look forward. "This area's dark. Watch out for cars without headlights—don't crash into them."
Ji Ban said he wasn't looking at the road. "The car has radar. It might not be perfectly accurate, but... Senior Lu, can you open Moshi's control console for me? Link it to my dashboard."
Lu Mingyuan gestured for the others to make space as he adjusted his seat and pulled the console over.
Cornell, peering out the back window, said, "Something's wrong with the cars behind us too."
No one had honked at the wrong-way driver.
The black cars behind them simply followed closely, uninterested in anything else but closing the distance.
The eerie situation sent a chill down everyone's spine.
There was no doubt—they were being targeted.
Their outing had been spontaneous, and their route was decided on the fly. Yet their pursuers had silently taken control of the road, meaning these were Gelen insiders who had been monitoring them closely.
Whose path had they obstructed to warrant assassination?
Lian Sheng couldn't figure it out.
It made no sense.
Neither Barite nor Maxwell had any reason to assassinate them at this moment. With their civil war raging, who had time to spare for a handful of stragglers?
Or was this a rogue decision by someone in District 16? She doubted any local leader would dare defy their superiors to provoke another nation during an internal conflict.
Considering Barite had just survived an assassination attempt, Lian Sheng found it darkly amusing that they were now targets themselves.
The group remained vigilant, scanning their surroundings from the back seats. But with blinding lights everywhere, their efforts only strained their eyes.
Their vehicle wasn't armed. Their only option was to escape as quickly as possible.
Fortunately, their purseurs weren't using explosives either—likely aiming to stage their deaths as an accident to avoid scrutiny. This meant their attackers were operating discreetly, which worked in their favor.
Lian Sheng ordered, "Speed up! Shake them off! Get out of this stretch and head for crowded areas!"
Even with connections and resources, their pursuers couldn't lock down an entire city and redeploy quickly. If they could just push forward a little farther, they'd be safe.
Cheng Ze asked, "When did we even enter this sketchy area?"
Harry: "No idea."
No one had noticed. Probably after passing the overpass, the traffic had thinned out.
Ji Bang angrily smacked the dashboard. "If they can play with their lights, so can we! Let's show them our super beams!"
Their vehicle was equipped with high-powered floodlights that could illuminate hundreds of meters ahead. But using them on the road would be disastrous—nearby drivers wouldn't just lose visibility of the road, they might not even see their own dashboards.
Lian Sheng slapped her thigh. "Do it! Who cares about traffic laws at a time like this?"
Ji Ban flipped the switch.
A searing beam of light erupted into the night. The cars ahead and behind, already focused on them, were caught off guard—as if flashbanged. Drivers ducked, eyes squeezed shut, some even shielding their windshields.
The effect was immediate. The trailing cars slowed drastically, some nearly colliding as they swerved.
Ji Ban seized the chance to accelerate, putting distance between them.
From beneath the light source, the team couldn't fully appreciate its brilliance—only that they now carried a miniature sun, leaving chaos in their wake.
The floodlight was so conspicuous that even residents in unblocked areas could spot them.
By now, people had noticed the disturbance and were calling the authorities, some even filming from high vantage points.
Relying on District 16's intervention was hopeless—their only hope was escape.
Lian Sheng's group didn't hold out much hope either. They just urged, "Faster! Keep accelerating! They're catching up!"
Unfamiliar with the vehicle's specs, Lian Sheng pointed at the tachometer. "Can we push into the red zone? Step on it, buddy!"
Ji Ban was speechless. Now he understood how Lian Sheng had earned her reputation for vehicular mayhem during driver's ed.
"That's uncharted territory for me—not my expertise," Ji Ban said. "The engine will blow if we push it too hard!"
Lian Sheng: "Even if it blows, it should sacrifice itself for us. How long until it blows? Can't it tough it out? Can we negotiate?"
Lu Mingyuan shouted, "Engines don't work like that! If it sacrifices itself, we're all going down with it!"
Cheng Ze yanked her back into her seat, alarmed. "Lian Sheng, weren't you always complaining about motion sickness? How are you fine now?"
Lian Sheng, pale from the speed, still gripped the seatback. "Motion sickness is physiological. Survival instinct is psychological. Between the two, I choose to respect my heart."
When fleeing for your life, even driving in zigzags was understandable.
"This vehicle has limits—it's no mech. Its braking and turning can't compare," Zhao Zhuoluo said. "If it breaks down mid-chase, we're done for. Better to go slower and outlast them."
Driving at high speed at night was nerve-wracking for everyone.
Fortunately, Ji Ban, accustomed to piloting mechs, kept his cool and maintained control.
Seeing that speed alone wouldn't shake their pursuers—the car wasn't heavy enough, nearly lifting off during sharp turns—Lian Sheng had another idea. "Throw your snacks at them!"
Fang Jianchen immediately rolled down his window and hurled a yogurt bottle.
The small projectile, nearly invisible at high speed, struck the trailing car's windshield with a loud splat, coating it in white.
The driver flinched at the sudden impact—only for more snacks to pelt their car. Chips were harmless, but liquids made them flinch.
At this speed, even lightweight objects became dangerous.
Lian Sheng imagined their pursuers were regretting their choices.
They'd chosen inconspicuous vehicles to avoid attention, never expecting Lian Sheng's group to retaliate with snacks and floodlights. A police car would've been better—at least they could've opened fire legally.
Estimating the distance, Lian Sheng figured they'd soon break free.
The trailing cars, disoriented by the snack barrage, fell far behind, fading from view.
Hearing the wind rush past, Lian Sheng glanced sideways. "Look at the other lane."
The opposite road had returned to normal traffic.
Ji Ban took one look and, relying on their vehicle's durability, rammed through the barrier into the adjacent lane.
The tires screeched as they skidded to a halt.
Cars behind them braked hard, nearly causing a pileup. No one expected a vehicle to drop from the sky onto a one-way road. Once the shock wore off, furious honking erupted, and drivers leaned out to yell, "Are you insane?! I'm calling the cops—nobody moves!"
Ignoring them, Ji Ban quickly merged into traffic, turning off the floodlights.
The group sat in silence, foreheads damp with sweat.
Ji Ban stroked the dashboard, mourning his tires. "That emergency stop must've shredded them!"
Ye Buqing asked, "Are we still going back to the airport?"
"Yes," Lian Sheng said. "Take a detour through busier roads. Staying out here is riskier. Whoever's after us won't kill us in our airport rooms—at least not blatantly."
Ji Ban slowed down, and the group remained alert, scanning their surroundings as they navigated toward the airport, blending into traffic.
Perhaps their pursuers, having failed once, chose to retreat rather than escalate. The rest of the trip passed without incident.
After parking, the team remained tense.
Recalling their reckless driving, Ji Ban mused, "Think we'll wake up in a police station tomorrow?"
Lian Sheng tucked away her optical computer and stood at the garage entrance. "I've already briefed the Alliance, so probably not. Either way, everyone should rest tonight. Stay in your rooms, and don't go anywhere alone for the next few days. Dismissed!"
The group walked to their rooms in silence.
They wanted to analyze the situation but were too exhausted. With a pat on Lian Sheng's shoulder, they delegated the task to their resident strategist.
After reassuring her teammates, Lian Sheng entered her room, flopped onto the bed, and exhaled heavily, shielding her eyes from the light.
Half-asleep, she forced herself up to wash up and change before collapsing again.
As she reached for the nightstand to put away her optical computer, she noticed a slip of white paper tucked beneath it.
Instantly alert, she flipped it over. On it was a string of seemingly random letters and numbers.
Today had been... eventful.
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