Chapter 360: City Entry Upheaval (3k)
As the truck approached, the Aers International Metropolis, situated across the national highway, gradually came into view for Su Jiu and the other person.
Due to traffic congestion, Su Jiu’s truck advanced intermittently. She squinted, watching vehicles with Yela military markings entering the city gates not far ahead, mostly pickups and light SUVs.
“Has this city fallen?”
Seeing no one being stopped, a hint of solemnity flashed in her eyes as she murmured to herself.
She hadn’t expected the Yela Army to be so fast. This international metropolis was nearing its fall, but why were there hardly any signs of resistance?
Bairnis also looked into the distance, a thoughtful expression flickering in her sapphire eyes. She sighed softly, “It probably hasn’t fallen. Judging by the Yela Army, they’re only deploying lightly armored ground troops. I fear Aers might be playing street warfare.”
Through Bairnis’s words, Su Jiu’s brow furrowed. Her pupils swiveled a few times, and a beam of mental power probed into the city. She actually discovered soldiers disguised as civilians hiding in concealed corners of houses.
They gripped their weapons tightly, watching the Yela vehicles cautiously, their faces filled with extreme seriousness, as if they understood the gravity of the current crisis. If street warfare failed…
“Then why isn’t the Yela side directly dispatching Battle King level experts to clear the streets?” Su Jiu suddenly considered a blind spot, withdrew her mental power, and asked somewhat curiously. Compared to the hundred-year-old Bairnis, she was just a young person who didn’t understand war.
Bairnis chuckled, propping one hand on the car window sill, and softly explained, “There are usually two reasons. The first is restrictions from international treaties. Experts above the High-Rank Battle King level who can manipulate rule power are forbidden from entering the battlefield. As for Battle Kings of other levels, if they engage in battles in densely populated areas without proper control, causing significant civilian casualties, they will inevitably face international condemnation.”
“What’s the second reason?” Su Jiu rolled her eyes, not believing these people would care about civilian casualties. If they truly feared them, there wouldn’t be so many civilian corpses.
“The second reason…” Bairnis glanced at Su Jiu and chuckled, “It’s the saying ‘King against King, General against General, Soldier against Soldier.’ Perhaps Aers is not as fragile as we think. They might also have experts at the High-Rank Battle King or even War God level deterring the Yela higher-ups.”
“I lean towards this one. After all, if they push too hard openly and make the people of Aers lose their minds, they might disregard the so-called ‘terrorist’ label and launch retaliatory actions,” Su Jiu nodded slightly and said softly. “If a rampaging High-Rank expert infiltrates their country and retalibately kills their civilians, Yela would likely be very troubled.”
Suddenly, a sharp shout interrupted their conversation, “Stop the large truck ahead! We need to check if you are harboring Aers soldiers.”
The vehicle had reached the city gate. Su Jiu glanced at the roadblock ahead, as Yela soldiers who seemed to be conducting routine checks walked over. She then rolled down the window, a blood-red light flashing in her eyes, and smiled, “Officer, we are from the International Red Cross, and we are on our way to the hospital to deliver supplies to civilians. You can check the back of the truck if you don’t believe me; it’s all compressed biscuits.”
There were also some Yela-marked food supplies in the back, but hypnotizing mere grunts who weren’t even Battle Generals was simple for Su Jiu. Their subconscious would only perceive everything as compressed biscuits.
“Still going to the International Hospital at this time? We need to inspect the situation in your rear cargo.”
Hearing Su Jiu’s words, the soldier showed a peculiar expression. However, seeing Su Jiu’s Eastern appearance, he believed her to some extent. Besides international personnel, no one else would go to that heavily guarded International Hospital.
Immediately, several soldiers approached the rear of the truck and inspected for a while. The leading soldier looked at the rows of compressed biscuits inside, a strange smile appearing in his eyes. He thought, “Have the refugees of Aers even run out of canned food?”
He mocked them inwardly. Before letting them pass, he routinely asked Su Jiu to show her identification.
“Let me see your identification. If there are no problems, we will naturally let you pass. However, once you enter today, you cannot leave easily unless you obtain a pass from the Yela side.”
“Alright.”
Upon hearing this, Su Jiu responded and then took out a Red Cross sign, quietly saying to Bairnis, “You go down and show them our documents.”
Without further ado, Bairnis nodded, then opened the passenger door. Seeing the soldiers not far away, she walked straight towards them. Just as she was about to hand over the documents,
“Tsk, this little girl is quite good-looking… I wonder how her performance in bed is? Hahaha.”
Suddenly, a sharp voice rang out, followed by a plump figure waddling over. He was dressed in military uniform, but his small, fleshy eyes glinted with greed.
High-Rank Battle General?
Bairnis could clearly sense the cultivation level emanating from him. Her expression remained neutral; such a character was trash to her now.
Thinking this, a stern look flashed in her eyes, and the corners of her mouth curved upwards. A small blue butterfly drifted from her left hand…
Those who had experienced that era, even priests, had not shed much less blood than Su Jiu. Anyone who dared to speak to her like that in that era would have their very bones difficult to find within days.
The plump officer’s gaze fell on Bairnis, and he found her more and more to his liking. Waving his flabby hands around, he shouted, “I suspect she is a spy planted by Aers. Someone grab her and bring her to my office for a thorough interrogation.”
“Sir, I just checked, and their documents are fine… If you forcibly detain them, your superiors will be displeased.”
Hearing the plump officer’s words, the surrounding soldiers exchanged glances. The leading soldier walked up to him and whispered, knowing that many eyes were watching in the vicinity, and silencing them all would be impossible.
Laying hands on a girl around fourteen years old would have a huge impact on Yela’s public opinion control if it got out.
“What are you afraid of?! Even if Jesus himself showed up, I want to see her tonight… Damn it, there are still mosquitoes this season.” The plump officer pushed the soldier aside, scratching his neck as if he had been bitten by something.
Seeing the butterfly already attached to the officer’s neck, a chilling killing intent flashed in Bairnis’s eyes. Just as she was about to break his neck,
Suddenly, many black shadows darted from the city walls, accompanied by the throwing of alchemical devices emitting white smoke. Instantly, the scene turned chaotic, and the soldiers looked terrified, shouting all around, “Enemy attack! It’s Aers soldiers.”
In the panic, four or five lights of different colors flashed, accompanied by the “swish” sound of flesh, and two soldiers fell like leeks. It was clear that Aers had implemented elite soldiers, and these soldiers, who were only at the Advanced Stage Warrior level, couldn’t resist.
“Don’t panic! I can sense their strength is at most High-Rank Battle General, and there’s only one of them. Each of you form a five-man unit and await the dissipation of the smoke to counterattack!”
The plump officer’s pupils trembled, and he roared, erupting with scorching external qi. The external qi transformed into a tornado, slightly dispersing the mist and revealing some figures dressed in night-vision suits.
As their attention was focused on these soldiers, one woman, who seemed to be their leader, took advantage of the mist to embrace Bairnis and dash towards the truck. With a flash, she reached Su Jiu and said in a low voice, “Don’t make a sound. Get in the truck and leave quickly. Don’t go to the International Hospital either; it’s heavily surrounded by the army.”
“Are you the one who… ?”
Pulling Bairnis into the truck, Su Jiu’s gaze met that of the woman, and a strange thought crossed her mind: where had she seen her before.
Although Su Jiu didn’t recognize her, the woman recognized Su Jiu. Her eyes slowly widened, a look of shock in them, as she murmured, “Never mind who I am… You guys hurry and leave here; I’ll hold him off for you.”
The International Red Cross, she who was so exceptionally brilliant, abandoned her competition and responded to a call to her hometown?
Was she truly just a university student from an ivory tower?
After a few seconds of silence, Su Jiu shook her head, closed the car door, and said softly, “I can’t leave, not yet.”
With an army advancing, Su Jiu wasn’t sure if there were really Aers Battle King experts guarding the hospital vicinity. She couldn’t abandon the priests who had come along.
As for being searched, Su Jiu had no evidence of interacting with the Aers soldiers. Moreover, after tonight, she would possess the strength to contend with late-stage Intermediate Battle Kings.
With that said, under the other party’s stunned gaze, Su Jiu stepped on the accelerator and drove forward. Since Su Jiu’s truck had been inspected earlier and found to be problem-free, the Yela soldiers didn’t try to stop them.
Even if they suspected her of being involved with these attacking Aers soldiers, the main problem now was dealing with the enemy soldiers.
On the road, Su Jiu glanced at Vivian sitting beside her like a good baby, then looked back at the plump officer holding a massive beastly weapon in the rearview mirror and said softly, “Deal with him. You’re old enough, don’t play dumb.”
“Click!”
“Miss, truly uninteresting…”
Pursing her lips, Bairnis revealed a strange smile, snapped her fingers in the void, and leaned back in her chair, pulling out a fairy tale book from somewhere and began to read.
“Heh, so what if they entered the hospital? A comprehensive search will be conducted at dawn. You run… Ugh…”
The plump officer glanced at the receding shadow of the large truck. A disdainful smile played on his lips. His wolf-tooth club cut through the mist as he was about to make a move against the black-clad woman when suddenly… “Sizzle… sizzle…” Blood sprayed out from his neck like a fountain, and then his plump head fell to the ground as if it had been cut off by a chainsaw…
“What happened to him?”
Although the black-clad woman thought it would take a tough fight to leave, she found the other party’s situation very strange. The moment his head fell, she abruptly looked up at the retreating truck, and a chill surged through her heart.
Was it them?
