Rumble rumble rumble--!
After a sharp, piercing sound, came a deafening explosion.
High-explosive bombs rained down like a storm, shattering the metal frame into Diffindo, and the secondary explosion of the fuel depot unleashed an even more intense fireball.
The bizarre wooden behemoth, with six massive thrusters symmetrically distributed on both sides, floated in mid-air, unleashing its firepower without concealing its true nature as a weapon of war.
" Dharma Protector-Class Airborne Battleship "—this official title perhaps better matches the destructive power it has demonstrated.
No one expected that the seemingly harmless, enormous Dorok ship was actually a meticulously disguised warship.
With its ability to take off and land vertically, it turned the airport into a sea of fire before any ship from any of the Sea of Corruption nations could take off to retaliate.
The market outside the Mining Town remained bustling, and even as the Conference of Nations was underway, the individual markets outside the exhibition area tents continued uninterrupted.
However, the moment the explosion occurred, all the lively shouts turned into fear and chaos, and the entire market erupted into chaos.
No one knew whether the monster warship hovering in the air would turn its cannons and fire a volley at the town, and no one dared to gamble with their lives.
In the chaos, many "smart people" turned their attention to the main part of the Mining Town, the mine known as " Bridge ".
The main body is made entirely of refined Ceramic Steel, with a height of nearly 100 meters and a length of over 800 meters, and an overall streamlined shape.
Its outer shell is made of Ceramic Steel armor with a thickness measured in meters, and no modern weapon can penetrate its defenses head-on. In other words, the Mining Town itself is the most solid fortress.
The wide ramp leading to the main entrance of the Bridge was crowded with panicked people scrambling to get into the mine for refuge. But as they pushed and shoved, the battle broke out inside the Bridge.
" Dorok! They're Dorok Monk Soldiers!"
"Damn! Where did they come from?!"
"Stop standing there! Open fire! Take them down!"
Suddenly, a large number of Dorok monks clad in bronze armor and wearing masks poured out of the passageway leading underground, colliding head-on with dozens of Pejite soldiers who were on guard throughout the mine.
That was originally a backup plan that Haideng had laid out in case of Gore's rebellion, but unexpectedly, it just so happened to run into Gore's ambush.
The two sides collided head-on on a narrow street. After a brief moment of shock, a fierce close-quarters battle instantly broke out!
Just as a monk raised his bayonet, Accio pierced his mask; and Pejite guard who had just finished a volley of fire was cut down by a monk who sprang from the shadows behind him.
To make use of the space, the early builders constructed layers of platforms and houses along the original rock walls of the mine. The entire Bridge was riddled with winding roads and crisscrossing pipes, making the battles extremely chaotic.
The two sides fought each other on the stairs, in the corridors, and even on the rooftops, with stray bullets flying everywhere.
Initially, the Pejite Guards gained the upper hand with their Storm Rifle and better tactical coordination; these automatic weapons could deliver powerful suppressive fire.
But soon, the leading sergeant realized something was wrong.
Dorok monks emerged from the all-pervasive entrance to the mine tunnels, and more than two hundred of them were firing at them at that moment!
The Pejite soldiers were forced to take refuge behind sturdier buildings and large pipes, but they were still suppressed and unable to raise their heads.
Without the guards to suppress them, the monk soldiers began to surge towards the middle of the Bridge and even the exit leading to the outer town.
Their mission was to create enough chaos that everyone outside would know that " the Dorok attacked the Mining Town," while simultaneously ensuring that what was happening inside the Bridge remained unknown to the outside world.
But soon, they encountered new obstacles.
It wasn't Pejite's reinforcements, nor the guards hiding behind the bunker, nor Nausicaä and her group who had just emerged from the central fortress.
Their enemy came from behind, from deep within the mine.
puff!
At the back of the line, a monk soldier who couldn't react in time was brutally pierced in the back of the head by Ceramic Steel pick that emerged from the darkness. The immense force dented the entire skull, and even the cervical vertebrae were smashed into the chest cavity.
The veins on his hands, gripping the pickaxe, bulged and were covered in grime.
Immediately afterwards, a long-suppressed roar came from the darkness.
"Kill them--!!!"
"These sons of bitches are all Gore's lackeys!!!"
"The time for revenge has come!!!"
By the light of the torches, the monks finally saw the enemy behind them: countless ragged but ferocious figures roaring and charging out like demons crawling out of the depths of hell!
Thousands of slave laborers poured out of the mine tunnels!
Armed with pickaxes, shovels, chains, and captured rifles, they were emaciated from long-term malnutrition and overwork, but the hatred burning in their eyes made them more frightening than any regular army.
In terms of individual combat strength, these slave laborers may not be as good as well-trained Dorok monk soldiers, but combat is not simply a contest of data.
Whenever a slave laborer has their arm severed by a long sword or is shot in the chest and falls to the ground, whoosh!
A golden meteor will streak across from a high vantage point, spreading out into golden ripples that can instantly heal serious injuries.
The Heal from Afar —this is also a new Incantations Por has only recently learned.
The purpose of ranged casting and area-of-effect healing is to ensure that most slaves can survive on the battlefield.
"Ha ha----"
After throwing out what felt like the umpteenth healing Incantations, Por felt a sudden darkness engulf him, nearly tumbling off the edge of the second-floor platform where he was hiding.
Even as Golden Folk, he felt he had reached his limit after continuously using high-energy Incantations.
A rough, strong hand caught his arm just in time.
The old man looked at Por's pale face with an extremely complicated expression; this young man had shocked him far too much.
That golden, magical power; that terrifying fighting ability that instantly killed dozens of vicious overseers; and that speech that ignited the ashes in the hearts of all the slave laborers—
He remembered Por's words. "Don't wait for others to save you; only you can save yourselves!"
Those words were like a thunderclap, cleaving through the long-standing fog in his heart.
"You've done your best. Now, leave the rest to us old folks."
He pulled a large cleaver from the corpse of the Dorok monk soldier from his waist and twirled it skillfully.
It's time to let the world know that Pejite, once the greatest explorer, is not too old to wield a knife!
"Old man----"
"No need to say more, we can win on our own!"
No, what I mean is—
"Hmph, haven't been on the battlefield for years, let me show you what my Pejite's strongest spy is like—"
"Grandpa, why don't you take a look over there?"
The old man looked in the direction Por was pointing, and saw that the other three Blessed Warrior were already charging ahead, fighting alongside the slaves.
In the flash of golden light, gods and Buddhas alike were slain, and the Dorok scattered like clay chickens and earthen dogs.
The old man held up a large knife, his bold words frozen on the tip of his tongue.
Can't you give the elderly a chance to shine?