Chapter 444
High-speed warships of similar size can only fly up to 1,000 meters. This Sarkaz airship, however, has been measured to be able to fly up to 2,000 meters from a distance.
The higher these airborne warships fly, the more initiative they will gain in aerial combat. After all, dropping bombs from high altitude is far more efficient than firing upwards from mid-air.
Despite knowing it might be bait, the Duke still sent their Elite Squad without hesitation, insisting on boarding the airships to obtain the technology to develop such warships.
The hotel where they are currently located is the tallest building in the Norbert District. If the airship needs to land for resupply, this will be the only place.
Regardless of whether the airship lands or not, the Dukes will not let go of any fleeting opportunity.
"The value of elite troops lies in their quality, not their quantity."
As the officer retorted, his men gradually dispersed, subtly forming an encirclement around the man in the Grey Hat.
Seeing this, the latter feigned weakness and asked:
"I see. Then can you let me go?"
The officer's gaze swept across the scene before finally settling on the man in the Grey Hat:
"Apart from you and that Blue-haired Feline, I won't stop anyone else from leaving now."
Upon realizing she had been recognized by the Duke Wellington, Dephine became extremely nervous. She clenched her fists and leaned forward slightly, appearing ready to flee at any moment.
The man in the Grey Hat was quite surprised by what he heard and glanced back at the blue-haired girl, Feline. Judging from the officer's tone, did this young girl have some special identity?
If it were the original Grey Hat, he would definitely recognize Eldest Daughter of Windermere. But he was instantly killed by Shining, and the Grey Hat who took over was not skilled enough.
"The Duke Kester and the Duke Wellington have been allies for many years. How about you do me a favor today?"
"Ha, how much is your pride worth?"
The officers were amused and began to suspect that the other person might be a newly promoted intern in Grey Hat.
"I obey only the Duke Wellington's orders, and all who try to stop me shall die."
"Tsk, are the Talulah so rigid? We see each other all the time, can't they be a little more flexible?"
"My flexibility is only for valuable people, and clearly you're not on that list."
Unable to persuade the other party, the Grey Hat continued to stall for time, knowing that the Duke Kester's elite troops would soon arrive in trucks.
"By the way, you're not alone in entering the Norbert District this time, are you? Wouldn't it be a shame if you fought us to the death and someone else stole the credit?"
The experienced officer keenly perceived the other party's intentions and directly exposed them:
"Did the Duke Kester send you here just to chat idly? Or are you waiting for reinforcements?"
The man in the Grey Hat waved his hands repeatedly in explanation:
"No, no, no, I just feel there's no need to fight to the death. The Duke Wellington assigned you the task of seizing the technology to build airships, didn't he?"
It hasn't landed yet. If a fight breaks out, both sides will suffer heavy losses, and it would be a losing proposition for someone else. On the contrary, if we establish cooperation, no one can stand against us. The technology to build airships doesn't belong to just one Duke; it can belong to Victoria."
The officer knew the other side was stalling for time, and coincidentally, he was also stalling for time; everyone was waiting for reinforcements.
What business is it of mine what Victoria does?
As soon as he finished speaking, the second elite team entered the Underground Parking Lot. Seeing this, the man in the Grey Hat sensed something was wrong; why were the Duke Kester's reinforcements arriving so slowly?
Damn it, were we intercepted halfway?
It must be said that such a large amount of food and water was incredibly tempting to ordinary people.
He tried to appear calm, using laughter to mask his nervousness.
"Hehe, how about this, let's make a deal? I can give you the airship technology, and I can give you the Blue-haired Feline. In exchange, you can't interfere with my transactions with others."
Grey Hat's highest priority task right now is to bring back the Breath of the Kings. As for the airship technology, that's not under his jurisdiction; it's likely to be handled by other Grey Hat colleagues.
The officer sized up Vigna, and based on her blonde hair and Aslan's features, he roughly guessed her identity. To avoid any complications, he acquiesced to the deal.
"I only received the mission to acquire the technology to build airships, not orders to intervene in other events."
"Oh? So you've agreed?"
The Grey Hat beamed with delight. Sometimes, sacrifices had to be made to accomplish assigned tasks. Although he didn't know who the Blue-haired Feline, was, since the officer had specifically told him not to leave, he'd just let him have him.
Just as Dephine was about to run away, Amiya stepped in front of her and sternly rebuked her:
"What are you trying to do? Treating someone as a commodity without their consent?"
Seeing Amiya step forward, Mudrock proactively intervened between the two, ready to intervene at any moment.
The officer secretly sized up the beautiful white-haired woman, knowing that Rhodes Island had taken in quite a few Sarkaz.
"The leader of Rhodes Island, is that it? Duke Wellington, I do not wish to be your enemy for the time being. If you withdraw now, I can pretend I never met you."
"But I can't pretend nothing happened."
The Vision on Mudrock's chest emitted a faint glow, and a two-meter-long greatsword of Rock Constructs instantly materialized in his hand.
"You cannot take this Miss away, because my mission is to protect everyone here."
Dephine was taken aback, not expecting that Sarkaz would stand up for her at this crucial moment. Whether it was because of her mother or not, it was touching.
The officer remained silent, observing the exaggeratedly long sword in Mudrock's hand to assess his strength.
Although they haven't faced off directly yet, this white-haired Sarkaz looks formidable. Unless one has absolute confidence in their strength and believes they can win, it's best to avoid them if possible, especially with a mission in hand.
However, before leaving, the officer didn't forget to annoy the man in the Grey Hat and sow discord among the group:
"Fine, I can leave her behind. But like the Duke Kester, he's a backstabber. I don't care what the details of your deal are, cancel it if possible. Don't let them surround you after the deal is done. Otherwise, you'll lose both your money and your person, and don't blame me for not warning you."
After saying that, the officer snorted coldly and beckoned two Elite Squad to head to the hotel grounds.
This time, it wasn't just the Duke Kester; other Duke also coveted the airship technology. If complications arose here and ultimately led to mission failure, the officer in charge of the Victoria army would have no choice but to atone with his death.
As they left, the Underground Parking Lot returned to silence. Feeling the stares from everyone, the Grey Hat considered whether to activate the emergency plan:
"Your His Highness, what I just said was all a delaying tactic, intended to buy time until reinforcements arrive. You won't cancel the deal because of that, will you?"
Vigna had received fake Breath of the Kings, and she wouldn't feel any remorse even if she gave it away. Driven by the desire to punish the Duke Kester, she felt the deal had to continue.
"I know your character. This is my last deal with you. After this is over, we'll go our separate ways and never contact each other again."
Upon hearing this, the man in the Grey Hat relaxed slightly.
As long as Vigna doesn't refuse the deal, there's still room for maneuver. If she wants to back down because of what just happened, the only option is to gather elite troops and try to seize it by force.
It's already 8:08 AM. The trucks delivering supplies still haven't shown up. Could something have happened?
"Thank you, Sarkaz."
Dephine bowed ninety degrees to thank Mudrock.
I was only saved from being arrested today thanks to her protection; otherwise, the consequences would have been unimaginable.
For example, threatening his own life to coerce the Duke Windermere into fulfilling various demands. Since they've already torn off all pretense of civility, it's not surprising that they're completely Morality.
Dephine didn't want to make empty promises or promises of future repayment from her mother. Based on her current intelligence analysis, she hoped to offer some assistance to Mudrock.
"The Duke of Wellington 'Duke's Army has entered the Norbert District. Reinforcements from the Duke Kester and other Duke are probably on their way."
They were all determined to acquire the technology of Sarkaz's airship and could not accept that their rivals had gained a significant technological advantage in aerial combat.
In short, the Norbert District has become an arena for the Dukes to vie for power. If there's no need to linger, it's best to leave quickly to avoid getting caught up in the vortex of war."
Mudrock isn't very politically astute and doesn't usually think about these things. Besides, with her master making the decisions, she doesn't need to use her brain; she just does whatever he says.
If Shi Lei wanted to stay, Ni Yan would stay by his side no matter what, even if it meant facing a massive Mudrock. This was an absolute sense of security that no outsider could provide after several years of living together.
With him around, I'm not afraid of anything, even if the sky falls.
"Don't worry about that, I have my own arrangements. You wanted to find a radio station, right? Perhaps I can go with you."
Dephine was very surprised to hear this, and could hardly believe her ears, so she took the initiative to confirm it again:
"Eh, really?!"
"Yes, but we'd better not split up, as that would make us vulnerable to ambushes. Could you tell me the approximate location of the radio station, and I'll ask for instructions."
"No problem, the radio station is usually in the Staff Lounge on the basement level, not far from the Underground Parking Lot."
Meanwhile, a truck loaded with supplies arrived late. Its tires screeched as it approached the crowd.
Seeing this, the Grey Hat quickly stepped forward to check. He opened the car door and asked the driver what was going on:
"Why are you the only one? Where's the other car?"
"I can't come. I was intercepted on the way by the Duke Wellington's men. I'm lucky to have escaped at all, so don't be so picky. If you don't want it, I'll leave now."
No, no, no!
He didn't care about the quantity of supplies, but he was concerned that the Crownslayer might change his mind because of it.
"Your His Highness, look at this..."
Vigna was quite helpless. She had originally passed the question of the share to the Grey Hat, saying that they would only trade after confirming the man's sincerity. Now, this situation was forcing her to make a decision.
The other party values Breath of the Kings highly, and if we refuse the deal, we don't know what they might do. But if we agree too quickly, it could arouse suspicion.
Vigna called Dagda aside and they discussed the matter symbolically for a moment. In the end, she reluctantly agreed to reduce the traded goods to one cartload.
"Since you're already here, one truckload it is fine. But the quality and quantity of these supplies must be guaranteed. If we find any problems, we will terminate the transaction immediately!"
Then everyone got busy, moving the supplies into the arriving trucks.
Mudrock had Horn accompany Dephine to find the radio station, but unfortunately, nothing was left in the hotel staff room.
After the handover of the supplies was completed and it was confirmed that there was no expired food or tracking devices, Vigna solemnly handed the fake Breath of the Kings to the Grey Hat.
The latter held the National Sword, examining it closely, clearly enamored with its exquisite craftsmanship.
The group left the Underground Parking Lot, preparing to quickly return to their respective positions on the surface.
As soon as they appeared, they were met with a large number of Duke Wellington's soldiers, roughly estimated to be several hundred.
Upon seeing the female leader, Dolak, Purple Flame ignited on her tail. The Grey Hat was drenched in sweat, trembling as if gripped by the fear of death.
"No, impossible! How could she be here? Why didn't anyone tell me?"
"What's wrong?"
"Damn it, isn't this driving me to my death? If you want to live, don't hesitate, run!"
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Chapter 521 No, it's too hard (Bonus Chapter)
June 24, 8:03 pm
During the standoff between the Grey Hat and the colonel, a squad of Sarkaz landed on the hotel rooftop under the cover of darkness.
They descended into the underground via the escape tunnel, heading straight for the area inside the block. They examined why the block had successfully detached but then reattached itself.
When the engineer entered the building with the key, he was utterly shocked by what he saw!
At the junction of the Norbert District Plot and other blocks, there were a large number of brown rocks. They were tightly connected and sounded very solid when struck.
"Where... where did all of these come from?"
The Sarkaz occupied Londinium in less than half a year. Engineers speculated that perhaps it was there that mad scientist from Victoria who was conducting experiments.
"I don't know. He might be a madman, or he might be a genius. Otherwise, who would bother to conduct experiments in a place like this? It's insane! Please take a sample back for me to study."
"Good."
The Sarkaz Soldier protecting the engineer casually found a spot, raised his greatsword, and slashed down with all his might.
"When!"
With a clang of metal, the blade was chipped open, leaving a large nick. In contrast, the rock where it was struck was completely unmarked.
"No, it's too hard."
The engineers only brought repair tools and did not expect there to be so much brown rock underground.
Unable to take samples, he could only search around. After on-site investigation, he arrived at a startling conclusion!
The Norbert District plot has been successfully cleared.
However, these brown rocks caused the land to be forcibly pulled back when it reached a certain height.
Because these rocks are so hard, clearing them would be extremely difficult. This means that General Manfred's escape mission is completely impossible to complete.
And let alone tonight, it'll probably take a month or two. All the brown rocks connecting the plots need to be cleared away before the plots can be successfully freed.