Engagement

"Everyone, get out of the way!"

Han Shu roared, then grabbed Tianyang and sprinted to one side of Ghost Car's path.

Against a charging monstrosity like this, a defensive formation was meaningless. The Ascenders scattered to either side. Behind them, the Three-Dimensional Armaments, combat vehicles, and other vehicles desperately swerved out of the way.

Even so, when Ghost Car thundered past, the monster still sent one Falcon combat vehicle flying. Before this enormous crawler, the vehicle was as flimsy as a toy. It bounced violently into the air, flew more than ten meters, and slammed into a building.

When it crashed back down, its body nearly fell apart, and a tire flew off.

As for the soldiers inside, there was no surviving a collision like that. The blood winding out of the cabin was proof enough.

Ghost Car charged straight ahead for over a kilometer before stopping, then slowly turned around. The yellow glow emanating from the fleshy growths on its body flickered. The monster let out a chilling screech from its mouthparts and began crawling toward the convoy again.

Han Shu released Tianyang and pointed at Ghost Car, roaring, "Shoot! Open fire! Don't you dare save ammunition! Use everything you've got!"

At his command, the Astral Flare Cannons mounted on the Falcon combat vehicles hummed as they charged. Then clusters of blue energy shells screamed toward the monster...

The two Three-Dimensional Armaments were not to be outdone. The Heavy-Armored Model deployed armored supports from both feet, anchoring itself firmly to the ground, then aimed the Heavy Rocket Launcher on its back at Ghost Car. A flash of fire erupted, and a rocket shot out trailing orange flames.

The immense recoil made the machine sink slightly, but the Heavy-Armored Model was far from finished. Ammunition bays opened across its shoulders, chest, arms, and both sides of its leg armor, activating every kind of missile and astral flare beam weapon.

For a moment, the Heavy-Armored Model's firepower filled the sky, putting the Falcon combat vehicles' Astral Flare Cannons to shame.

The Shooter Model lowered rows of wheels beneath its feet. As the wheels spun, the Three-Dimensional Armament raced forward at high speed. The electromagnetic railgun in its hands fired constantly, sending high-velocity rounds into Ghost Car's body.

Among the Ascenders, the Hunter Class's astral flare arrows and the Elemental Heart's gray javelins wove together into a less conspicuous barrage, but one no less powerful.

Tianyang looked up at the murky sky above the street, which was almost lit up by the radiance of the convoy's combined firepower. Soon, the attacks struck Ghost Car. First, the Heavy Rocket Launcher blasted an enormous, searing fireball into being. Then explosions of every color flared together, interspersed with the heavy impacts of physical ammunition.

The dense bombardment shook the entire street. Thick smoke and violent gusts swept toward Tianyang, leaving him barely able to breathe.

The barrage continued for nearly ten seconds before Han Shu signaled a halt.

Once they stopped, all they could see ahead was churning smoke. No one knew whether Ghost Car was dead or alive.

Only a few seconds might have passed, but to everyone there, it felt like an eternity.

A moment later, the curtain of dust gradually dispersed, and a faint yellow glow appeared through the smoke.

Suddenly, a long screech rang out. A gale swept down the street, blowing away the remaining dust.

Behind the smoke and dust, Ghost Car had spread its horrific mouthparts wide. The gale had come from the creature itself. Though its body bore marks from the bombardment, it showed no sign of having suffered serious damage.

Moreover, enormous diamond-shaped screens of light flickered faintly around its body. Whenever drifting dust approached those screens, it twisted off course and scattered in other directions.

Han Shu cursed. "Fuck, it's a deflection force field! This damned thing can deploy a force field, too? How the hell are we supposed to survive that?"

With a miserable expression, Old Xu suggested, "How about we retreat?"

"We can't." Han Shu shook his head. "There are too many of us. We're too obvious a target. Besides, you saw how fast that thing was. If we retreat now, it'll just catch us from behind... Huh, what's that..."

Before the burly man could finish, a car broke away from the convoy and raced madly into a side street.

Inside the car, Chen Liu held a gun on the driver. The high-ranking Strategic Department official's face was twisted. "Faster! Go faster! There's no way we can beat a monster like that! Han Shu and the others are dead! They're dead!"

The scenery on either side raced backward as an intersection approached. Suddenly, clusters of yellow light lit up inside a shopping mall on the left. Every door and display window burst apart at once, spraying shattered fragments onto the road in a torrent that hammered the car like a rainstorm.

Behind them, Ghost Car smashed straight through the building. Its many arms thrust hard against the ground. Broad sections of the road caved in as the monster launched itself into the air, mouthparts gaping, and descended on the speeding car.

As Chen Liu stared ahead, a vast shadow suddenly fell over the car. The officer could not help muttering, "What the hell..."

Then the monster swallowed him, car and all!

By the time Han Shu ran to the intersection, Ghost Car had already rounded the corner. The mouthparts beneath its belly closed together, as though chewing something. A moment later, a tire dropped out.

"Captain, this..." Cang Du, who had come running after him, went pale.

Han Shu said expressionlessly, "We should thank Officer Chen Liu. He bravely and fearlessly drew the monster away for us. Now, everyone in the War God Class, charge with me. Our targets are the arms on Ghost Car's body. We'll cripple its mobility first."

"Everyone else, including the Three-Dimensional Armaments, give us covering fire. Move!"

As he finished speaking, a class emblem lit up on Han Shu's chest: a shield bearing the image of a castle. At that moment, the shield shone brightly.

Han Shu reached out and grasped at empty air. Star Essence poured from his palm, forming a long spear whose energy flickered and surged.

An ocher glow rose from the burly man's body. It flowed and traced faint outlines of armor, clinging to his skin.

Tianyang knew that the yellow armor was the Fortress Class ability Undying Armor, which greatly increased an Ascender's physical strength and resilience against physical impacts.

As for the Star Essence spear, he had no idea what it was. After all, his knowledge of the other classes was still not detailed enough.

Han Shu led the charge, rushing forward with his Star Essence spear.

Cang Du, Old Xu, and the other War God Class Ascenders followed close behind.

Tianyang drew his Particle Warblade and followed them, too.

Behind them, the other Ascenders and the Three-Dimensional Armaments had already begun bombarding the monster, providing cover for Han Shu and the others.

But their firepower was nowhere near as fierce as the first barrage, especially that of the Heavy-Armored Model. Its earlier attack had consumed seventy to eighty percent of its ammunition reserves. Now it could only keep up appearances with two heavy autocannons and the astral flare beam guns on its shoulders.

Even so, the bombardment still left Ghost Car seeing stars, if it had eyes.

Soon, less than a hundred meters separated Han Shu from the monster. The burly man roared, lowered his body, leveled his spear, and suddenly accelerated.

Spiraling ripples appeared in front of Han Shu. At the sight of them, Old Xu, who had known him for years, immediately realized that his captain had unleashed one of the Fortress Class's few offensive abilities.

Vortex Force Field!

PS: Thanks to Jinqian'er for the 5,000-point tip!