The Xia Dynasty's Air Force

A herd of Triceratops charged toward the dwarf army, their long, rhino-like horns thrust forward.

The Brachiosaurus was one of the largest dinosaurs on Blue Star. It stood twenty meters tall and thirty meters long. Though it was a herbivore, the raging fire forced it to keep running out of the forest.

Bullets struck the dinosaurs in great numbers, but many lodged in their skin, drawing blood and causing pain without proving fatal.

The Triceratops charged into the dwarf army without stopping, gradually clearing a path through its ranks.

The Brachiosaurus was like a crushing machine, trampling several dwarves to death with each step. With a mournful cry, it collapsed, crushing hundreds more beneath its body.

Most of the Velociraptors were gunned down on the way. Those that reached the dwarf army began snapping up dwarves, one crunchy mouthful at a time.

The dwarves were no pushovers either. They grabbed their hammers and charged without a trace of fear. A group of dwarves climbed onto a dinosaur, raised their enormous hammers, and put all their strength into striking its head.

One hammer blow left the Triceratops swaying before it toppled to the ground.

A Tyrannosaurus Rex charged into the dwarf army, its enormous tail sweeping through the ranks. Its bloody maw snapped several dwarves to death at once, utterly savage.

But even a mighty tiger could not withstand a pack of wolves. There were simply too many dwarves, and through their combined efforts, the dinosaurs fell one after another.

The dwarves wielded not only hammers but also blades, spears, clubs, and staffs. Their swords and blades were exceptionally sharp. Working together without fear of death, they brought the Tyrannosaurus Rex crashing down with a mournful cry.

The battle lasted several hours. Almost the entire dinosaur army was wiped out, while the dwarf army also suffered a devastating blow. Casualties aside, the damage to morale was immense.

Watching the dinosaurs fall one after another, Zhang Yang ordered Chiyou to prepare the air force for takeoff.

But they had to fly higher. The opposing god could also see the Human Race's aerial movements.

The dwarf army had Steam Airships as well as Steam Gatling guns. Their long range and tremendous firepower posed a serious threat to the Human Race.

After twenty years of development, the air force was relatively mature, with bomber units, Aerial Combat Force units, and other divisions.

Upon receiving the order, the Xia Dynasty's air force immediately loaded their bombs and took off aboard Quetzalcoatlus in groups of eleven.

Groups of eleven had proved the most sensible arrangement after repeated trials: one person controlled the beast, while the other ten worked in pairs to drop bombs continuously.

Once they reached a suitable position, the Xia Dynasty's air force landed to rest and regroup, sending the Aerial Combat Force ahead to scout.

An aerial combat squad consisted of nine Pterodactyls, each carrying three members of the Human Race. A Pterodactyl's wingspan was around three meters, but it flew very fast, maneuvered nimbly, and had a relatively gentle temperament.

Pterodactyls were the dinosaurs the Xia Dynasty raised in the greatest numbers. Gentle and fairly intelligent, they were practically mounts bestowed upon the Human Race by heaven.

The aerial squad took off at once. Having been warned beforehand, they flew very high. Human eyesight could not make out anything below at that altitude, so the Pterodactyls observed the ground and relayed what they saw to their riders.

At the gruesome sight below, the humans riding the Pterodactyls felt acid rise in their stomachs and wanted to vomit.

A Pterodactyl said, "Don't fucking puke on me."

The battle below was simply too horrific-a hell on earth.

Were dinosaurs really this vicious? Why hadn't we noticed before?

In truth, even with Beast Taming and Beast Speech, taming exotic beasts was not so easy for humans. The most important reason they could do it was that Blue Star's mandate of heaven rested with the Human Race, giving them a natural bloodline dominance.

From the moment the Human Race came into being, the mandate of heaven had rested with them, granting them an innate power to suppress other species. Combined with the laws Zhang Yang had established in Central Province, they could be considered heaven's chosen children.

Bo'er, the god of the Dwarf Race, told Nodin that the Human Race was planning an aerial attack.

At the same time, the horrific situation at the front left him grinding his teeth with hatred, but there was nothing he could do. This was a war between races.

The universe did not support useless creatures, especially when First-Level Civilizations were constantly springing into existence throughout it.

One batch was eliminated for failing to produce a planetary consciousness, and another for failing to produce life.

Another batch created worthless races with no potential to advance to a Second-Level Civilization and was eliminated when their planets' lifespans ran out.

Cosmic disasters eliminated another batch. Those that met the requirements for advancement were paired off to fight, wiping out another half. Very, very few could truly advance to a Second-Level Civilization.

Nodin could do nothing about the aerial scouts except aim his weapons at the sky. On the War Sand Table, he could only see red dots indicating the presence of living beings.

By the time God Bo'er's orders arrived, the scouts had already flown away.

Nodin tightened security. Looking at the raging blaze ahead, he ordered his troops to stay alert for an air raid.

As the fire burned, very few animals escaped the forest. Only a scant number made it out; most died within the primeval forest.

The leader of the air force was Ji, a son of the Yellow Emperor.

The Yellow Emperor had twenty-five sons in total. Fourteen had been granted fiefs and surnames, receiving twelve surnames between them: Ji, You, Qi, Ji, Teng, Zhen, Ren, Xun, Xi, Ji, Huan, and Yi.

Those granted surnames were his most outstanding sons. They oversaw the Xia Dynasty's major fields of affairs, with some serving as provincial governors or military leaders. All had been rewarded with fiefs by the Yellow Emperor.

His remaining sons were also entrusted with important responsibilities regardless of their abilities, planting the seeds of the Xia Dynasty's future fragmentation.

His four daughters were married to ministers of the Xia Dynasty to win their loyalty.

As Xuanyuan Huangdi's most outstanding son, Ji was naturally highly capable. Taught by the Yellow Emperor's words and example since childhood, he was very talented.

When the scouts returned to camp, they reported on the enemy army, describing its deployment, the airships overhead, and the various round devices aimed at the sky, which they could not understand.

However, the scouts also reported that they believed the enemy had spotted them.

Ji did not dare act on his own initiative. The enemy's route forward had been blocked by the blaze, and judging by the situation, it would keep burning for some time. He immediately ordered a messenger to relay the news to General Chiyou and awaited orders.

Zhang Yang was very satisfied with the Human Race's overall ability to act and did not intervene further.

He merely served as a messenger, passing crucial information to Xuanyuan Huangdi at critical moments.

Since the Xia Dynasty's founding, he had communicated only with Xuanyuan Huangdi, who called himself the Son of Heaven.

He had to maintain his image as a god. Put simply, the others were not yet worthy.

This maneuver had cost the Dwarf Race nearly a hundred thousand troops in casualties, but they had no choice. A primeval forest lay ahead, and to reach the human city-states, they had to cross it. Otherwise, they would have to take to the sea...

The sea was far more terrifying than the land.

That was also why the Human Race did not worry about the otherworldly army making a detour by sea and landing deep in their rear.

Chiyou ordered Ji to devise his own tactics, but to proceed cautiously and avoid rash advances.

Upon receiving the order, Ji immediately sent the Aerial Combat Force ahead while the bomber force flew straight to the highest altitude. The Aerial Combat Force would provide coordinates and take out the enemy's Steam Airships.

The entire air force numbered twelve thousand. Vast numbers of Pterosaurs took off together, blotting out the sky and sun.

Meanwhile, the opposing dwarf god also ordered Nodin to prepare his defenses, warning that the enemy was about to attack.

Though Nodin was already prepared, the moving black cloud overhead still left him somewhat dumbfounded. The sky had gone dark.

He immediately ordered his troops to open fire. The Steam Gatling guns spun, unleashing a frenzied barrage into the sky.

The bomber units flew so very high that the Gatling guns had yet to affect them. But the downward-facing gun barrels on the Dwarf Race's several thousand Steam Airships suddenly began to tilt slowly upward.

The Steam Airships had long range and tremendous firepower, and they were already airborne. Now they aimed at the black cloud overhead and opened fire wildly.

The Aerial Combat Force flew at the very front, keeping watch and relaying bombing positions. Caught under the dwarf airships' powerful barrage, they began falling from the sky one after another.

Pterodactyls flying a little lower were struck by bullets and spiraled downward.

Seeing this, the Aerial Combat Force commander led his units straight ahead, accelerating directly toward the Steam Airships.

Knowing full well that tigers lurked on the mountain, they still headed straight into their lair. Now was the time to stake their lives.

Among the falling aerial combat units, the humans aboard the Pterodactyls who had not been hit by bullets used fire strikers to ignite the copper-cased bombs in their hands, facing death as though returning home.

They struck the ground with a boom, like demolition charges, blasting the nearby dwarves into the air.

While the Aerial Combat Force harried the Steam Airships at the cost of their lives, the bomber force finally reached the skies above the dwarf army.

Everything was ready.

Watching the Aerial Combat Force fall one after another, Ji burned with fury and immediately gave the order: "Drop the bombs!"