"These things should last about five days, so eat them sparingly. If you hear the Germinal search team passing by, don't make a sound," Han Xiao instructed.
Aurora timidly, burying her face in her knees, watching the two figures disappear into the Sight of Father's Back. Suddenly, she said, "Sister, I'll wait for you to come and get me."
Hila paused, took a deep breath, and then steeled herself before walking out.
After disguising the cave entrance and leaving a location, Han Xiao had Hela drive while he cleaned up the Hila tracks behind the car, erasing the clues so that the Germinal would no longer be able to track the route through the tire tracks.
Once they were back on the main road, Han Xiao got back into the car. Hila turned to look at him, her eyes intense, "Are you really sure?"
Han Xiao nodded.
I never joke with my life.
Hila was silent for a moment, then suddenly said, "If I die, my sister is in your care. With your strength, you have a better chance of escaping alone than I do."
"If you use that same tone and entrust your child to someone else a few more times, you might really die."
Han Xiao glared with his long-absent dead fish eyes.
Despite his complaints, he understood Hila's feelings. For her, every step she took was fraught with danger. She didn't have his strength and didn't know what the future held. Her only support was her sister, and she devoted herself entirely to Aurora, even willing to sacrifice her life for her. As a result, she developed a pessimistic outlook on her own fate.
However, saying these words also means that Han Xiao has completely gained Hila's trust, which was his goal from the very beginning when he got involved in this matter.
"I contacted the support forces of the Six Nations. They have arrived nearby, and I have arranged a meeting point with them. If the breakout fails tomorrow, we will have reinforcements. If everything goes smoothly, we can break out without any support."
I hope so.
Hila glanced at Han Xiao, then said nothing more.
An hour later, the car stopped on a relatively secluded hill.
"There are ten hours left until the agreed time. The breakout direction is east. The plan is as follows..." Han Xiao took out the Viper Modified and placed it in front of Hila, saying, "You will use this mech. In these ten hours, you must master the use of all the weapons on the mech."
Hila was startled. "And what about you?"
"To break through, we need to cause chaos. I'll blow up their vehicles and ammunition. They're definitely prepared for my disguise, but I have the ability to become invisible." Han Xiao was referring to the Dean character card he had used once at headquarters.
Hila understood. "That's why I used the mecha to disguise myself as you and draw the enemy's attention, because you are their most important target."
Han Xiao nodded. This tactic utilized conventional thinking and was a covert maneuver. It wasn't particularly clever, but it was effective.
He adjusted the mecha, granted it usage privileges, and taught Hila how to put it on.
Wearing the mecha was a completely new experience. Observing the outside world through the display screen was like opening the door to a new world. Hila tried to move her hands and feet and found that she had extra strength. Following Han Xiao's instructions, she called out the operation methods of the mecha's various equipment on the built-in screen. It was very complicated and dazzling.
"So complicated... Did you create all of this?" Hila's tone was tinged with surprise.
"Otherwise, did it fall from the sky?" Han Xiao said irritably.
Han Xiao guided Hila to familiarize herself with the Viper Mod's operating mode. Hila knew that time was of the essence, so she studied very diligently.
Han Xiao didn't need her to be proficient in using it; he just needed her to hold out for a while under siege.
Night faded, the sun rose, and time flew by during training.
Neither of them slept all night.
Han Xiao glanced at the sky and said, "It's almost time. Don't take off your mecha. Remember the plan, and don't make any mistakes."
The encirclement of the New Stone Wasteland was like a vast net, covering every gap. Its defenses were formidable, with troops evenly distributed in all directions, subject to unified command from headquarters. As the encirclement tightened, the sheer thickness of the forces increased, making it even harder to break through. Furthermore, it possessed rapid reaction forces, capable of quickly reinforcing any location attacked.
In the eastern part of the New Stone Wasteland, a large number of ground vehicles are slowly advancing, with people and vehicles working together, constantly alert to any movement in their surroundings.
Derwent is the executive officer captain of this unit. He is not a veteran executive officer. He has a body-enhancing ability. When fighting, the bones in his body will protrude and cover the surface of his body, and his whole body will swell up, turning into a bone armored little giant about two and a half meters tall. His strength and endurance will increase significantly.
Although this superpower is formidable, the enemy he faces is the infamous Black Phantom, and Derwent has absolutely no confidence in the situation.
"Hopefully that guy doesn't try to break through from my direction; I can't beat him," Derwent prayed silently.
The executive squad following him mostly shared this sentiment, fearing an encounter with Han Xiao. The situation within Germinal was increasingly dire, and the loyalty of some was wavering, leading to a growing perfunctory attitude towards orders. This was a vicious cycle for the disadvantaged, with only the die-hard loyalists who considered Germinal their faith remaining steadfast. Germinal's internal ideology was to overthrow the Six Nations. These so-called die-hards were radicalized remnants of a fallen nation from the old era; they were willing to die fighting the Six Nations, disregarding their own lives. The more brutal the war, the more their hatred could be unleashed.
Suddenly, the lookout shouted loudly.
"Something's wrong from the northwest! A car is heading towards us without slowing down!"
Everyone looked over and saw an off-road vehicle charging forward, trailing dust, with the driver clearly wearing that black combat suit.
"Attention! Attention! Target spotted! Target spotted!"
With so many options, why choose this one?
Derwent was parched and lamented his bad luck, even contemplating giving up. Dozens of executives had already been killed by Han Xiao, who was infamous, and Derwent didn't want to be the next one.
At that moment, the tank fired, and the shell left the barrel!
Bang--
The sound was deafening, and the explosion, with thick smoke and flames, ripped around the SUV, shaking eardrums and leaving a buzzing sound.
The off-road vehicle wobbled erratically as it dangerously drove through artillery fire.
When they reached a distance of 500 meters, the off-road vehicle was finally unable to avoid being hit by a shell and exploded into countless fragments!
At the same time, Hila, wearing her mech, leaped into the air, activated her Electromagnetic Hover Boots and jet propulsion device, and charged at high speed. Her smaller size made her more agile, dodging shells and crashing into the Germinal unit while enduring machine gun fire, knocking down more than a dozen soldiers.
The sounds of impact, gunfire, roars, and screams filled the air; the scene was utterly chaotic.
A fierce battle suddenly broke out!
The situation here was immediately relayed back to command center, where images of a chaotic battle appeared on the large screen. The leader, who had been waiting for news, suddenly stood up.
"He finally couldn't resist showing himself!" the leader roared. "Rapid reaction forces, provide immediate support! Assemble the encirclement, centering on the east!"
The other troops in the encirclement received orders and immediately sprang into action. The leader kept a close eye on the changing deployment map, which was rapidly closing in, like a cage, about to leave Han Xiao with no way out.
Victory is assured.
In the eastern region, Hila, clad in her mecha, moved about with incredible agility, causing a huge commotion.
In order to imitate Han Xiao, she did not use any superpowers and relied entirely on her mecha for combat.
She wasn't a mechanic, and the mecha in her hands was far less powerful than Han Xiao's. She didn't know how to use many of its functions, so she could only use the most basic combat mode to fight the enemy in close combat, which she found very difficult.
Ordinary soldiers couldn't stop the enemy, so the executive officers had to take action.
"Crackling sound..." The sound of bones twisting rang out. Derwent swelled up, his bones piercing through his skin and turning into bone armor, transforming him into a small giant. He suppressed his unease and fear, and threw a punch to meet the "Black Phantom." Their fists collided fiercely, unleashing an invisible shockwave.
Bang!
"What immense strength." Hila gasped for breath, barely managing to stay upright. She wasn't known for her strength, nor did she possess Mechanical Affinity; she could only rely on the basic attributes of her mecha, and she was finding it difficult to withstand Derwent's power.
Derwent had prepared himself to be sent flying, but to his astonishment he found himself standing firm, while "Black Phantom" was unable to withstand his attacks.
"How can he be so weak?"
Derwent became suspicious.