Wasteland Echoer

Morning light!

It's like being in a dream!

Countless white-burning cannonballs were like brilliant fireworks under dark clouds. They were brilliant and beautiful, making Wright, who was staring at the sky, feel like he was in a magnificent dream.

The whistling sound brought by the cannonballs seems like the whispers of the ancient gods, the crying of the night sky, and the whistle of metal. It is more like the last cry of steam machinery in desperate moments, and even the "joy" before a new era. "The call.

The harsh, sharp, and loud sound of artillery fire lasted for fifteen or six minutes and did not completely dissipate.

In the sky, dense incandescent artillery fire under dark clouds was fired into the distance like raindrops.

Until the sound of an explosion that shook the sky slowly but powerfully reached Wright's ears from a distance, "shattering" and "awakening" his "realistic dream."

It wasn't until the incandescence could no longer be seen in the dark sky of the camp in Area B, and pure black smoke appeared slightly in the distance, as well as the looming, ghostly firelight, that Wright recovered from the shock.

Immediately afterwards, his lips moved. Facing the products of steam machinery and gunpowder shells, his brain could not find the appropriate words to describe the sense of confusion, frustration and surprise that penetrated into the spiritual and intellectual realm. After a few minutes, he slowly said:

"This is... what is this?"

"aluminum."

"Aluminum?" Wright asked in confusion, turning to frown and look at Feng, who also had a solemn face, but held his chin, thinking for a moment.

"Yes, if I remember correctly, my grandfather told me this last year. When an important battle begins, the empire will usually use intensive artillery bombardment to gain a certain degree of preemptive power under fire suppression. And ordinary steel Both sides of the cannonball know very well that for the lost, they can either avoid in advance, or use the magic source power of the earth and vegetation to build a defensive force field, or a shield, to reduce the losses. "Wind" science popularization "road.

"Magic... resists technology. Indeed, nothing is surprising in this world." Wright cursed.

"But the defense of aluminum shells is not that easy. Generally speaking, aluminum ammunition has two advantages. One is that it is lightweight. The density of aluminum is lighter than that of iron and copper, and silver is widely used in currency and collection fields. The industrial value has not been fully exploited. Moreover, most silver bullets are used in individual combat and are rarely used in heavy weapons."

"Second, aluminum cannonballs will burn violently after explosion. Generally, the magic source power of grass and trees builds a 'life aura type' shield, which has restrained attributes and is afraid of flames. And the 'earth core' built with the magic source power of the earth type The series of shields cannot withstand long-term attacks." Feng continued to "popularize science".

"Why? Is it difficult to maintain the magic source power?" Wright guessed.

"It's roughly like this." Feng nodded and said:

"The magic source power comes from the universe and the Creator, and ordinary users of the magic source power usually have to grab it from nature. Like steam machinery, they are used and developed at the expense of natural power. The earth system The most powerful controller of magic power in the empire should be Pope Hope, but even he can only withstand the continuous flammable artillery fire for 5-6 hours by building a shield, but the burning aluminum shells It’s more than that.”

"How long will it burn...?" Wright asked.

He suddenly felt like he was back in the previous world, taking a physics class or chemistry class that he couldn't understand at all, confused and dizzy.

It was also like the "Military Science" course that was required in college, which made him, a liberal arts student in the previous world, confused.

What's even more terrible is that although Wright's body is a battle-experienced [soldier] and a former member of the Guards, his memories are so fragmented that it is difficult to actively access them. His machines, weapons, wars, and even fighting skills are all in pieces. existence, simply cannot be connected in series.

"How long?" Feng's childish voice passed through Wright's ears, causing him to briefly stop complaining about his body.

"I'm not sure about the specifics. Grandpa said that it seemed to be mentioned in a journal called Empire or something?" Feng murmured while thinking, scratching his hair as he recalled.

"It's the Imperial Military Journal."

A rich voice, accompanied by a heavy, slight "dong-dong" sound, and footsteps that almost made the concrete floor that had been poured with water slightly tremble came from behind Wright.

"Team...captain?" Wright quickly saluted with an imperial military salute and said.

Although in his fragmented memory and during the few days he spent in Sokra and Chekavsk, as a member of the escort, he did not have the need or habit to salute.

Unlike the army, members of the Guard have a certain degree of autonomy and in some cases do not have to implement many of the regulations of the Imperial Army.

But here, especially when Wendek forced himself to find a similar excuse yesterday to conduct a "fight training" that made him feel physically sore now. It was a bit of a traumatic stress sequelae, or meant to leave a shadow, but Wright still subconsciously He made a salute gesture.

"If I remember correctly, it should be the idea mentioned in an article titled "Research on the Power of Aluminum Magic Power Cannonballs" in issue 503-01 (12) of the "Imperial Military" journal.

By the way, your little brother Feng is right. In the past twenty years, whenever an important large-scale battle is launched or a general attack is launched, intensive artillery bombardment will be carried out. Just imagine, Wright, just 'bomb', and 'blow' again, a continuous bombardment that lasts for more than ten minutes. If there is no magic power, the camp built with the technological level of the Lost will definitely be reduced to ruins and scorched earth. of. "

"Captain, in this round, our side will definitely have the advantage...at least the initiative, right?" Wright asked immediately.

"That's the case in most cases. And I got exact and accurate information about the shells this time. They were shells named 'Thermite's Final Silence' that were secretly transported from Zhinetsk via railway lines and desert roads to camps in the northern and southern parts of the highlands. , fired by the 600 mm caliber 'Imperial S-01' and 'Imperial S-02' large-caliber artillery, as well as the 'Ice Blade-01' and 'Ice Blade-03 (modified)' rocket launchers. After all, mixed with magic Yuanli’s artillery shells can be more easily resized and used for various standard and temporary firing missions," Wendek explained.

He did not look at Wright or Feng, but looked at the distance in the distance, where the southern direction appeared bright red and seemed to be filled with firelight.

"I'm curious, Captain, what kind of shell is the 'Thermite's Final Silence'? Do our front-line teams have the opportunity to use it?" Wright continued to ask, like a child who is always full of curiosity.

"There should be. After all, there is a shortage of talents in the empire now, and many battle-hardened soldiers die every year. As for the Zhnetsk Army, there are a lot of attrition almost every month. So, even if we don't know how to do it at all, The empire will also require us to quickly learn how to control artillery and then use it in war."

"Speaking of 'The End of Thermite', it is not a product of pure mechanical technology. Although the main materials are still aluminum and some common metals, including some black powder, etc., [fire] ore and Ureum ore have also been added. Quite a few.

Moreover, before leaving the factory, the superpowers among the workers will inject magic power into it. Due to the burning effect formed by various materials mixed with filth and evil, especially for the lost, they will not only suffer physical harm. , as well as attacks from the magic source power and spiritual realm.

In terms of burning time alone, it lasts at least 7 hours. Of course, based on the number of artillery shells we just saw, I am afraid that this kind of attack may be the only one in the entire northern region battle of 'The Coming of Silence'. After all, the most powerful, deadly punch that can knock the enemy into blindness, one punch is enough! "

As Wendek spoke, he stretched out his calloused, wide, deliberately cleaned palms that looked like bear paws, clenched them into fists, and punched the dark sky.

Whoosh!

Buzz!

Snapped!

With just one punch into the air, three kinds of breath flow and "pop" sounds caused by powerful power appeared in front of Wright.

powerful! Really powerful!

Wright couldn't help but admire in his heart.

Before Wright could praise him, Wendek patted Wright on the shoulder and ordered in a deep voice:

"Now take the equipment and supplies and follow me. You and Feng will follow me to the garage and sit in a car with me. My deputy captain Keith was killed not long ago. I need someone with a sense of justice and ideals by my side. He is a deputy who understands the power of magic and is hard to be corroded by extraordinary things. You and your younger brother Feng are very suitable."

"By the way..." Wendek turned his head, looked at Wright, and added in a thick but slightly softer voice:

"The task of the 'Advanced Attack Team' is not simple, and is also difficult and dangerous. The latest intelligence shows that there are not only ordinary lost people from the Giant Church in the several front area camps after crossing the mountain and entering the northern part of Silent Highlands. Of course, there are also unintentional people, but listen It is said that there are also their chief cardinals 'Wu Sheng' and 'Ning Yuan', and I even heard that they are conducting an experiment on the 'giant wolf monster'. I think the empire's order is not simple."

"'Giant wolf monster'?" Wright murmured in his heart, but did not respond immediately. Instead, his mind recalled the "young wolf" who claimed to be an upper-level professional [sacrifice] in "The Gray Dream" ".

Wright had an indescribable feeling, as if he had a sudden "inspiration", and connected the two in almost a short period of brain thinking.

"Speaking of which," Wendek's rich voice interrupted Wright's thoughts, "our mission is to retake the old camp first, which has a very important geographical location and is a small node between two roads built very early.

If we can control and stand firm in these two days, we can directly threaten the camps of the 'Giant Church' and 'Dark Night Church', and obtain a lot of clean water.

Presumably, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince is now commanding the legions in the southern part of the highlands to launch an attack on the control area where the Church of Hope's 'Silent Stars' Castle is located.

Attack the north and south with artillery shells at the same time, and then launch a large-scale general attack. In this way, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince's first-mover advantage will be fully demonstrated. As long as the supplies and medicines can keep up..."

…

At about 11:30, Wright put on the new uniform of the Zhnetsk Corps, and carefully put on the new "Zhnet S-C1" for simple external protection, which was made of soft metal and cloth. Armor made of materials to protect the heart, abdominal cavity and joints.

He also wore the legion's standard helmet, carried a "Crazy Bear" pistol, and an "Imperial Z-01" produced by the "Imperial" factory in Zhnetsk that Wendek temporarily found for him. Behind the close-combat rifle, following the wind, Wright boarded Wendek's exclusive "Xinfeng brand" mechanical chariot, followed by 15 other mechanical chariots and 30 team members, heading towards the other side of the mountain. , the northern area of ​​Silent Highlands officially advanced.

Although Wright still felt a little sleepy along the way, sometimes his eyes were blurred, and sometimes he looked out the window wistfully, his spirit was always tense, that is, if he encountered a sudden battle, he must quickly form a spirit, In addition to using the power of the red magic source for combat, you must also stay awake to the maximum extent possible for the first time and raise your gun to fight.

But fortunately, apart from the sporadic vehicles of other participating legions either in front or behind, and other vanguards and "first attack teams" used to undertake the "first attack" task, there were no more legions at this time in the morning. Duan gets involved.

About an hour and a half later, Wright suddenly felt that the "Xinfeng" mechanical combat vehicle seemed to be under attack and stopped suddenly.

Under Windecker's command, Wright and Feng quickly put the rifle in their hands, loaded the bullets, opened the door and got out of the car.

"It's really tragic."

Smelling the pungent smell of gasoline, the strong smell of burning, and the faint "scent" of burning bodies that diffused in the air, as well as the rotten smell and pervasive smell that can make stomach acid rise. The smell of blood; looking at the scattered bodies lying on the ground around him, Wright couldn't help but sigh.

Following Wendek, Wright looked around. They were now at the entrance of the front camp.

Some large tent barracks, iron sheet houses, and two-story buildings that were rare here had been damaged by artillery shells and incendiary objects and were burning. The interiors were exposed, and only half of the buildings appeared directly in front of them.

Cautiously relying on the burning bunker, after moving forward for a few minutes, Wright even saw a piece of metal on top of the iron gate not far away with the words "House of Giants" written in Zine Empire language. There is also a large circular badge engraved with the image of "a giant holding a sharp ax and chopping at the stars".

But the strange thing is that although there are many kinds of mechanical chariots parked in various "positions" hanging with the imperial "Silver Double-Headed Eagle" flag around, there are no living humans, living lost people, or "unintentional people". "None of Wright and the others saw one.

Perhaps because this is the main entrance of the front camp, the competition in the early stage was fierce, so there is currently a short "vacuum period".

After observing the surrounding situation and making a quick judgment, captain Wen Deke gestured to the team of more than 30 people to divide into two teams. One team was observing at the main entrance, waiting for an opportunity to attack the camp, and the other team was circling around, looking for fighter opportunities.

Just as Wright, Windecker and others had been observing for a few minutes, looking around with rifles in hand, and preparing to seize the opportunity to attack the old camp in the front area, they suddenly heard that there was actually a large tent with a white background and a burning atmosphere closest to the gate. There was a sharp "moan".

At the same time, Wright seemed to smell an inappropriate and inexplicable fragrance of flowers.