Transcendents and Flankers
"Do as he says!" a voice rang out, and Jin Rongjia appeared in the command center.
Time was of the essence, and there was no more time to communicate. The commander gripped the communicator tightly. "Bamboo Pole, Thunderbolt Fire 1, 2, attack immediately!"
Almost immediately after the order was given, a high-energy laser beam shot out from a nearby hilltop and accurately hit the target vehicle.
The target vehicle quickly changed color and caught fire.
The car door was kicked open, Diodos leaped out, rolling into the roadside bushes with superhuman agility to avoid the laser beam.
The commander stared in shock at the monitor footage. Jumping out of a moving vehicle at high speed and still being able to move—the target really wasn't human!
The out-of-control vehicle crashed into the guardrail, rolled over 100 meters before coming to a stop, and came to rest upside down in the middle of the road. Vehicles behind braked suddenly, but fortunately the traffic on the highway was not particularly congested, and a chain reaction accident was avoided.
On the highway, the drivers, still shaken, got out of their cars. Several men had already taken out their car fire extinguishers and were preparing to help.
The deafening roar of helicopter propellers filled the sky. Looking up, everyone saw two helicopters flying overhead.
"Wow, they're armed!" exclaimed a knowledgeable driver.
However, the next second, everyone was stunned by what they saw: the HF25 25-tube rocket launchers on both sides of the helicopter opened fire, raining down on the hills beside the road like a storm, instantly turning the forest into a sea of fire!
These ordinary citizens stood there stunned for several seconds before they snapped out of their daze, hurriedly hiding behind the car and then raising their phones to take pictures.
****
The dense forest could not hinder the tracking by modern technology. Whether it was high-altitude satellites or various imaging devices on helicopters, they all clearly captured the figure moving through the forest—even though the other party was agile beyond human capabilities, far surpassing even apes.
The helicopters approached and hovered, quickly unleashing a barrage of fire. Two helicopters, four sets, fired a total of 100 57mm air-to-ground rockets, chasing the target and unleashing a dense barrage of explosions.
"Don't get too close!" Su Ming warned. "The opponent possesses at least the combat strength of Mid-Rank Warrior. If they unleash their full power, they can reach within 150 meters!"
He was actually worried that the other party was holding back, but with the camera in the background, he couldn't really tell.
Just as Su Ming feared, the light emanating from Diodos's body on the surveillance screen suddenly intensified. The enemy leaped high into the air, unleashing a beam of cold light from his hand. The helicopter more than two hundred meters away was hit, its fuselage exploding in a blinding flash of light before tilting.
"Target strength corrected to High Rank!" Su Ming quickly corrected, "Attack range 300 meters, defense distance increased to 500 meters."
The helicopter that was hit made an emergency landing, while another helicopter quickly climbed up, narrowly avoiding a second attack.
The combined footage from various cameras shows that the target did not suffer any visible damage during the recent barrage of fire!
Su Ming saw the problem: the 57mm rocket needed time to accelerate after launch. The soldier had an extremely keen sense of sound, predicted the trajectory of the projectile early on, and dodged it all!
This is also of great tactical significance for Su Ming, who is in another world and facing a choice of weapon strategies!
The commander zoomed in and slowed down the footage, confirming the enemy's unbelievable dodging ability. The enemy's defensive capabilities were equally extraordinary; non-direct-impact shrapnel was blocked by the Battle Qi Shield around the enemy's body.
Even more outrageous, the opponent was wearing a top-of-the-line bulletproof vest! Even when shrapnel occasionally pierced the shield, it only left a few shallow scratches on the vest.
It's truly pragmatic to the extreme!
Su Ming realized for the first time that there was a reason why a certain Lighthouse strictly controlled heavy bulletproof vests.
****
The commander picked up the communicator, "Attention all personnel, operational plan changed, codename ' Zhong Kui '!"
"Flanker 1 and 2 request execution of the 5-D Joint Strike Plan!"
"Approved for execution!"
All combat units immediately adjusted their tactics. The fighter formations, more than ten kilometers away, launched a salvo, four missiles leaving their racks with long trails of flame, followed by four more; this was repeated four times in total.
Looking up from the ground, sixteen missiles were arranged in a matrix, drawing sixteen straight trajectories in the sky. Then the engines shut down, and the missiles almost disappeared into the blue sky.
However, the missile trajectories were still clearly visible in the helicopter's data link above the site, and they were approaching at an alarming speed. The helicopter immediately activated its laser guidance system, and the invisible targeting beam locked firmly onto Diodos.
This time, Diodos was not so lucky. No matter how he dodged and weaved, the laser beams from the sky followed him relentlessly, impossible to shake off.
"[With this kind of situation, do we think we can escape?]" Su Ming asked Miao Xin.
"[It didn't work before.]" Miao Xin replied, "[But once you've seen it, you'll have another chance!]" Her soul fire blazing as she watched the monitor in the command center, analyzing intently, "[My Hunting Dog Form isn't afraid of infrared tracking, and it's faster than his!]"
"They have a way to lock onto your spirit," Su Ming said.
[That's even simpler!] Miao Xin said confidently. [I can transform the Little Spiky Head into a stone to stop it abruptly, while its spirit form continues running forward. That way, the missiles will hit my spirit form, and they can just bomb me!]
What kind of undead version of a decoy is this?!
"What about visual aiming?" Su Ming continued to press.
Miao Xin answered fluently, [directly disrupting the shooter's mind! If necessary, she can even knock the pilot unconscious on the spot!]
"[... Why do I feel like you've put all your talent into these areas?]" Su Ming couldn't help but complain.
****
Upon entering the terminal maneuver range, the thrusters of the sixteen missiles ignited again, trailing dazzling plumes of flame as they turned from the sky and swooped down, guided by lasers, towards their target.
Diodos made a final struggle, his entire body bursting with dazzling light, and his speed suddenly increased. He pushed off the ground with both legs, instantly shooting a hundred meters away.
However, the sixteen incoming missiles did not concentrate on the laser-marked detonation point; instead, they struck in a 4x4 matrix, and the shockwaves from the explosions perfectly covered Diodos's escape route, completely engulfing him in the devastating blast.
On the monitoring screen in the command center, various bright flashes appeared. After quickly switching between different observation modes, the tracker immediately made a preliminary assessment. "The target has suffered heavy damage! It has ceased movement!"
A restrained cheer immediately erupted from the command center.
As he watched the vast expanse of forest vanish in an instant on the screen, the first thought that popped into Su Ming's mind was: I want this!
"[... This kind of attack... I'm in... a lot of trouble.]" Miao Xin said to Su Ming, somewhat speechless, while seriously considering a new countermeasure.
"Commander Jin," Su Ming said, controlling the Little Spiky Head, "This ' Zhong Kui ' plan of yours, was it prepared specifically for me?"
The entire fishing operation was clearly planned to target human enemies. However, faced with the unexpected situation, the team seamlessly switched to a coordinated combat plan targeting superhumans from top to bottom in an instant.
Jin Rongjia smiled. "How could that be! This is our standard tactic for dealing with armored formations!"
"Then don't use such blatant code names! Your Zhong Kui is the one who catches armored vehicles! "Su Ming couldn't help but mutter to himself.
****
At the scene, a swarm of drones had approached the target area and captured images of Diodos from various angles.
A true death perspective.
In the scene, Diodos lies motionless on the ground, his hair disheveled, most of his cheeks sliced off, revealing bare White Bone, his body covered with gruesome shards and wounds, and blood soaking the surrounding earth.
A robotic dog equipped with various devices approached, thoroughly checked the target's vital signs, and confirmed that the target was dead!
The forensic team, clad in protective suits, approached and began their work. Besides collecting the bodies, they also sought to recover as much of the body tissue that had been blown apart during the attack as possible.
Armed police have deployed and set up a cordon around the perimeter. More people are gathering to implement interception measures and prevent curious crowds from approaching.
That's right, now comes the time for a people's war.
Despite the violent explosion, communication feedback indicated that numerous enthusiasts from nearby cities had already sprung up in response. They possessed various wilderness equipment, such as drones and long-range cameras, which were merely basic necessities.
If they were even a little slower, the emergency response teams wouldn't be as quick as them!
The command center was clearly already accustomed to this, and cameras were being installed in all possible off-road locations. Vehicles equipped with drone countermeasures equipment had begun forming a network around the perimeter.
"So, this 'person' is from your side?" Jin Rongjia asked Su Ming.
Su Ming shook his head; he couldn't be sure. He had a guess, but lacked empirical evidence.
"Could we perform gene sequencing on your side and compare the results?" Ling Wen suggested, "To trace the source?"
"No, this project is far too massive!" Jin Rongjia objected.
Sequencing a single person's genes is not difficult, but conducting a genetic survey of the entire alien world is indeed no simple task.
Su Ming's resources in the other world are not suitable for being used on this kind of matter at the moment.
An analyst suddenly exclaimed, "Target 2 spotted!"
Everyone looked up; the relevant image was projected onto the screen—a satellite image from several minutes earlier. Zooming in, a small, also black car could be seen.
As soon as they had a spare moment, the analysis team expanded their scope and investigated all vehicles and communications that had appeared in the vicinity of the scene over a period of time, and quickly discovered the suspect.
"Target 2 was also observing the crash site of ' Miss Qiu ' during Target 1's operation," the intelligence analyst reported, "And they are suspected of having had mobile phone communication with Target 1!"
"Where is Target 2 now?" Jin Rongjia asked.
"Reconnaissance units are approaching from the emergency lane of the highway, 15 kilometers away!"
The drone arrived first and transmitted live footage. Everyone's hearts sank, because the black car had been abandoned on the roadside.
The surrounding area is an endless forest, and no suspicious heat source can be found in the real-time satellite images.
"Initiate a thorough search immediately!" Jin Rongjia ordered.