Chapter 441 The Arrow Is on the String (1/2)

Petra Fortress.

Escorted by two light pickup trucks, Earl Ruskin, who shared a motorcycle with his servant, drove out of the city with a livid face.

With his arm resting on the car window, the Guards Captain sitting in the passenger seat of the pickup truck waved his hand, motioning for the driver to speed up and approach, and said with a smile to Earl Ruskin outside the car window.

"If you need help, remember to shout louder, we are not that stingy and will come to help you."

"I don't need your help! Thank God if you stay away from me!"

Glancing at the machine gun on the back of the pickup truck, Ruskin suddenly twitched his brows, turned his face to the roaring wind and roared, "Can you put that thing away! We are not going to fight... you Want to kill me?"

What if those friends who came from afar misunderstood me?

The guard captain and the pilot exchanged glances with strange expressions, not quite understanding what he meant, but in the end they accepted this strange request.

He reached out the window and patted the roof of the car.

"Put the machine gun away first."

"Yes!" After hearing the captain's order, the machine gunner standing behind the pickup truck skillfully removed the 10mm heavy machine gun stuck in the bracket.

Same thing with another pickup truck.

At the same time, the two pickup trucks slowed down and kept their distance from Earl Ruskin, who was driving ahead on his motorcycle.

Looking at the pickup truck that had pulled away, Ruskin finally breathed a sigh of relief and relaxed a little.

Although he complained about the order of the Lord of Thain City, and although he knew that the pack of jackals would eat people without spitting out their bones, he still had a trace of fantasy in his heart.

What if there is any misunderstanding between the two parties?

If he can resolve the misunderstanding beautifully and turn cannons into bread, he will undoubtedly become the hero of Petra Fortress and even the hero who saves the kingdom.

The nobles of Petra Fortress have always had a dream, that is, like Silver Moon City in the south, they can obtain the power of republican autonomy and get rid of the shackles of feudal contracts.

The biggest obstacle is the Petra family, which is loyal to the royal family.

If he can reach a friendly agreement with the Legion, perhaps his family's long-cherished wish will be realized!

There are certainly risks involved.

But it might not be an opportunity.

"Drive faster!" Earl Ruskin regained his courage and regained his high-spirited expression. He looked at the dashboard of the motorcycle and urged the servant on the motorcycle, "Did you not eat? Or did you not fill up the oil on the motorcycle? ? Why is it only 40 yards!"

"Sir... the road conditions here can only drive up to 40 yards. If we go faster, we will fly." The servant said in a dumbfounded voice.

"Useless thing."

Ruskin cursed, knowing it was useless to urge him, so he stopped talking.

A convoy of two pickup trucks and a motorcycle quickly approached the area near Lost Valley.

Looking over the stacked sand dunes and looking at the looming valley in the yellow sand in the distance, Ruskin felt his heartbeat speeding up.

"Front! That's the front!"

He shouted at the top of his lungs.

The two pickup trucks behind him came closer, and the guard captain stuck his head out of the window and shouted at him.

"Do you want us to follow?"

"No! You guys wait for me here! I'll be back soon!"

Ruskin dropped these words and urged the servant to increase his speed and move on.

Although the servant's shoulders shook at the thought of the legion's camp in front of him, he did not dare to disobey the earl's order, so he could only twist the accelerator.

The dust kicked up by the tires quickly attracted the attention of the other side.

After a while, two three-wheeled motorcycles drove over from a distance.

Seeing the legion's flag, Ruskin's face lit up with joy, and just as he was about to wave and shout, two gunshots were fired from the opposite side.

The bullet landed on the sand next to him, frightening the servant who was driving the motorcycle to quickly turn around, change direction and flee towards the way he came.

Ruskin was also startled. He didn't expect that the other party would shoot without saying hello, and he quickly shouted loudly behind him.

"Don't shoot! I am Count Ruskin of Petra Fortress! There may be some misunderstanding between us! Why don't we sit down and talk-"

However--

The only response he received was the sound of gunfire.

Those people didn't even say hello, they opened fire when they saw someone. After approaching a distance of about a hundred meters, the machine gunner sitting in the passenger seat of the three-wheeled motorcycle pulled the trigger and opened fire.

"Tu tu tu tu—!"

Thick and long tongues of fire spurted out, and bullets whizzed across the sand dunes. Although they were not very accurate, they could not hold up too many.

The severe pain in his leg made Ruskin tremble all over, and he almost fainted, lying on the servant's back.

"Sir? Are you okay-"

Looking at his bleeding left leg, Ruskin spat out broken words in a trembling voice.

"Quick...run!"

The off-road performance of three-wheeled motorcycles was still inferior to that of two-wheeled motorcycles, so they could not catch up with him. The guard captain who came with him heard the gunfire and brought people to support him in time.

The machine gun was remounted on its mounting bracket.

Two pickup trucks stopped on the nearest sand dune. The machine gunner skillfully loaded the gun bolt and unleashed heavy machine gun fire on the three-wheeled motorcycle crossing the dune.

Strings of dust splashed up on the desert, and the three-wheeled motorcycle rushing in front was instantly smashed into a sieve.

The driver died on the spot. The two crew members jumped out of the car and used the motorcycle as a cover to fire back at the pickup truck on the sand dunes with rifles. However, they were unable to withstand the fierce firepower of the heavy machine gun and soon followed in the footsteps of the driver in front.

The other three-wheeled motorcycle had a lucky escape and returned to the reverse slope of the dune behind it.

While the pursuers were being suppressed by fire, Earl Ruskin's servant rode a motorcycle, carrying his master, and fled towards the direction of the two pickup trucks as if he was dying.

The master lying on his back had lost his voice.

just now……

His master seemed to have received another shot in the back.

A signal flare was raised on the reverse slope of the desert. The guard captain sitting in the passenger seat of the pickup truck frowned, stretched his right fist out of the window and waved back.

"retreat!"

…

A campground not far away.

Looking at the signal flares rising into the sky and listening to the clicking of gunfire in the distance, General McClung, who was standing on the airport runway, frowned. He picked up his binoculars and looked in the west direction, but could not see anything.

It's too far here.

he asked the officer standing nearby.

"What's going on over there?"

The officer obviously didn't know the situation, but he reacted quickly and answered immediately.

"That's the defense area that Centurion West is responsible for. His people should be patrolling that area today."

General McClung lowered his telescope.

"Call him here."

"yes!"

The officer turned and left.

Not long after, a powerful man came over, stood upright and gave a military salute.

"Report! There are two pickup trucks and a motorcycle to the west. They are probably caravans from the nearby oasis. They killed three of our guards... I have sent people to chase them."

When he heard that only a few of his subordinates had died, General McClung stopped asking any more questions. In the past two days, blind merchants have been walking this way.

"Leave it alone, Hong Shang. Tell your people not to pursue him too far. Pay attention to the patrols in the defense zone. The plane will be here soon."

"Yes!" Weiside stood at attention and gave a military salute, turned around and trotted away.

Watching him leave, General McClung frowned slightly.

do not know why……

A strong uneasiness always creeps into his heart from time to time.

However, this unfounded emotion soon disappeared as a silvery shadow appeared in the distance.

The temporary tower next to the runway received a landing request.

The silver aircraft, which was more than ten meters long and had a wingspan of tens of meters, quickly lowered its landing gear after approaching the runway, and landed on the runway with billowing dust.

The plane stopped on the side of the runway, the ramp was lowered, and the ground crew quickly surrounded it with forklifts and fuel trucks.

Of course, it is impossible for such a precious jet aircraft to be driven by Hu Congjun. Several pilots are noble Wilantes.

The two pilots came down the gangway and walked in front of General McClung and gave a military salute. One of them raised his head and said with his chest raised.

"Colen, captain of the 11th Army Aviation Squadron of the 10,000th Troop and H-55 main pilot, is reporting to you!"

General McClung raised his hand in return of a military salute, looked at the plane next to him, and couldn't help but feel happy.

H-55 Hurricane bomber!

Twin jet engines, the fuselage is made of special alloy steel, and the ultimate speed can reach Mach 2!

Although the Army Command positions it as a tactical bomber to support frontline troops, it can also perform strategic bombing missions due to its high-strength airframe armor and durability, as well as the powerful breakthrough performance brought by its high-power engine.

People call it the tank flying in the sky!

Or a butcher's scalpel!

Immediately after the Hurricane bomber landed, there was also a wingman responsible for escorting or attracting firepower-the H-44 "Saber" fighter jet.

Compared with the "Hurricane", it is undoubtedly much smaller in size. Not only does it have a single jet engine, but the fuselage is also made of lighter titanium alloy.

Although this fighter is positioned to compete for air supremacy and solve high-threat targets that propeller aircraft cannot deal with, because this equipment was designed by a research institute under the Army Command, its ground support capabilities are also not weak.

The 20mm cannon mounted on the nose has an astonishing 500 rounds of ammunition, and two expensive TV bombs are mounted under the wings.

As for why not hang blank ammunition?

Because Luoxia Province doesn’t even have propeller planes.

If it had been known in advance that there was an alliance in the River Valley Province, and if it had been known in advance that the Pioneer was planning to go to the desert to find Shelter 0, the legion might be prepared to send it from the west.

Unfortunately there is no if.

General McClung stretched out his right hand, shook it vigorously with the two tall pilots, and said with joy.

"The stage has been prepared for you! Let those bugs see what purgatory on earth is!"

Curran grinned, took the unfortunate general's right hand and shook it.

"That's what I'm here to do."

Although Griffin did not inform McClun of all the details of his plan in advance, he was still a colleague who had been working with him for so many years. McClun knew exactly what the cunning skunk was planning to do when he stuck out his butt.

There is no doubt that what is installed on the "Hurricane" bomber is a nuclear bomb——

That three-phase bomb with a yield of one million densities!

At this time, a few sporadic gunshots were heard in the distance. Curran, who was holding hands with General McClung, subconsciously turned back and glanced in the west direction.

"what's the situation?"

General McClung said with a smile.

"They are probably the wastelanders nearby. This place is close to Oasis No. 4. Don't worry about them..., those cowards don't dare to interfere with our affairs. By the way, before I came here, I got the smelly... old guy from Griffin There are some bottles of red wine, do you want to try them?"

Curran waved his hands quickly and declined with a smile.

"No... we have a mission tonight, so the wine of victory should wait until we come back!"

The Iron Heart's departure from the Vale Province is the best time to bomb.

But that doesn't mean the mission is risk-free.

There is also an old survivor force in the southern part of the River Valley Province called Boulder City, which I heard is also part of the alliance.

There is a lot of equipment left by the post-war reconstruction committee deployed there, and its combat effectiveness is a question mark. It is difficult to say whether it will pose a threat to the "Hurricane" bomber.

This was the only nuclear bomb transported from tens of thousands of kilometers away. In order to ensure nothing went wrong, they planned to wait until dark and carry out the bombing mission under the cover of night.

Nuclear strikes are different from tactical bombings. They do not require too precise coordinates or visual observation of the ground. You only need to fly to the approximate location, press the switch, and then step on the accelerator to the bottom.

When he heard that the mission was to be carried out in the evening, McClun was delighted and laughed knowingly.

"Then I'll wait for your good news!"

He couldn't help but feel happy when he thought that the bugs who climbed onto his airship would soon be burned to ashes under the shock wave of the nuclear explosion.

Pity.

Their trembling faces before the end cannot be seen.

…

the other side.

Petra Fortress, the gate of the heavily guarded prison.

Accompanied by several guards, a muscular and gray-faced man passed through the tall stone door and was let out.

"Remember to watch your mouth, you won't be so lucky next time."

Giving the big man a warning look, the bearded guard captain waved his hand and left with his subordinates.

The door slammed shut.

When the footsteps were no longer heard, the man spit on the ground and turned around with a curse.

And just when he turned around, he saw two people and a bear standing at the intersection not far away, and the expression on his face suddenly became awkward.

Some hesitation.

After rubbing the back of his head, he finally stepped forward and greeted his employers, muttering in a low voice.

"Sorry boss, things went wrong..."

"fine."

Looking at his gray face, Sisi couldn't help but raise his eyebrows and looked at the prison behind him, "They beat you up?"

The man said sheepishly.

"Uh...this was done before."

Sisi's expression was slightly disappointed.

It's a pity that the bruises were not caused while in custody, otherwise he could have gotten a compensation from the city lord.

However, it doesn’t matter if I don’t have it.

A contented person lives long.

Nodding to show understanding, Sisi continued.

"What are your plans for the future?"

The man said with a wry smile.

"I plan to go to Silver Moon City in the south to try my luck... I probably won't be able to stay here anymore."

After he was sent in, several brothers from the mercenary group quickly revealed his identity as the main culprit. This brother definitely had no choice but to do anything.

In fact, they were not even brothers.

Everyone just joins together to make a living. There are only six or seven people in the mercenary group. It is easy to get together and break up just as easily.

Sisi nodded, not surprised by this, and continued.

"If you have nowhere to go, just work with old Boomer. The White Bear Knights station needs security... Well, if you are interested, go there and become the security captain."

The Lord of Petra plans to designate a base for the White Bear Knights to help them more conveniently carry out their charitable deeds of rescuing refugees.

To be honest, there was a lot of misunderstanding in this. For example, she actually wanted to take advantage of this rare opportunity to help everyone make a fortune.

But if you say it out loud, it will be too late to take it back.

"They came here to save those poor people under the guidance of the gods" - this was what she said herself.

The moment he heard these words, the man was stunned. He looked at the young lady in front of him with a look of disbelief, and even broke his voice with excitement.

"You...are you still willing to have me?"

Looking at the man who took a step forward, Sisi took a step back in disgust and glanced at the guy.

"Don't say such weird things, or I'll change my mind."

"No, no, I didn't mean any disrespect to you!"

The job opportunity he got almost slipped away because of his gossip. The mercenary leader quickly explained, his voice becoming incoherent.

"I just... don't quite understand. I obviously messed up what you told me——"

"Everyone has a first chance, and everyone is from unskilled to skilled," Sisi interrupted him, looked at the grateful guy and continued, "Of course, you have used up one opportunity, if I’ll screw it up next time—”

"Just kill me! No, you don't need to do it, I will bury myself in front of you!"

The mercenary leader had a loyal look on his face and said in a sincere and respectful tone, "You may not remember my name anymore. My name is Jodi! It's an honor to continue to serve you."

Regardless of whether the loyal expression was fake or genuine, Si Si nodded with satisfaction.

The White Bear Knights' regional reputation will probably reach its peak after this war. In fact, they have already gained the trust of the local city lord.

However, they cannot stay here to manage the fixed assets that cannot be taken away. They have agreed to travel to more distant places.

Therefore, the best choice is to find a reliable local to help manage.

For example, Old Bulma is a good choice. She is honest, capable, devout, and owes them a life.

But even so, she is still unwilling to test human nature with interests and put everything in the hands of one person.

It is better to divide the money and guns into two different people.

Later, she will hire an NPC from the Merchants Guild of Dawn City to take charge of the accounts, so that she can keep abreast of the situation here at any time.

Since this game is said to be 100% real, she naturally has to do her best to make it foolproof.

Hearing the name of the mercenary, Tail suddenly spoke.

"Oh! Jody! Have you considered changing your name?"

The mercenary said immediately.

"Please give me a name, Miss!"

I was waiting for this sentence, Tail raised his thumb with shining eyes.

"You can be called Qiao Qiao from now on!" The mercenary looked confused, but still nodded. "Okay, Miss... I will be called Qiao Qiao from now on." Rourou: "..." Sisi said with a subtle expression. "Awei's naming skills are comparable to those of the manager." Wei looked at Sisi in surprise. "Eh?! Am I so good at naming?" Sisi raised his hand. "Oh! Super good!" Rourou urged with a smile. "Anyway, the matter has been done. Let's go back quickly. It's too pitiful for Zhimahu to stay there alone." Whether the city lord and those nobles completely believed Sisi's nonsense, at least the old man in the white robe had been fooled. I heard that he also planned to write a letter to the capital to tell the respected high priest and His Majesty the King. The Silver Moon Goddess has descended a miracle to protect her people! Is there anything more exciting than this? This is indeed an exciting thing for the believers of the Silver Moon Sect, but it may not be for them. She always had a bad feeling.

The trouble was still to come...

At the same time, Earl Ruskin, who was on a mission to the Lost Valley, was carried back by the captain of the personal guard of Lord Sean.

Shot in the legs and back, Ruskin was dying on a stretcher, and his face became even paler due to excessive blood loss.

The Lord's Palace.

The nobles gathered here were silent. Even the one with the loudest voice was stunned by the unbearable sight.

Sitting on the stone chair, Sean admired the expressions on the faces of these cowards with satisfaction, and a cold smile rose at the corner of his mouth.

Look.

This is the fate of a coward.

Ruskin's lips trembled, and he squeezed out a voice of fear and anger.

"The Legion... They don't intend to talk to us at all! Those barbarians! No, they are beasts! There is no way to communicate with them using the language of civilized people!"

Get up from the stone chair.

Sean walked down the steps, glanced at Ruskin lying on the stretcher, and said lightly.

"You have to thank that lady for giving you a chance to come back alive."

If he rode a horse.

He had no chance to escape.

Ruskin's face was full of humiliation. He turned his head to look at the woman standing in the corner of the crowd, and almost squeezed out the words from his teeth.

"Thank you..."

Sis shrugged, didn't speak, and there was no change in her expression.

She just didn't want to waste time on such an insignificant NPC. His life or death would obviously have no effect on the next game plot.

But if he rode a horse, it would take a lot of time, and it would probably take two or three days for Petra Fortress to find his body.

"What did you see there?" Sean looked at his captain of the guard.

The reason why he sent this man out of the city with Earl Ruskin was not to monitor whether the idiot was doing his job well, but to find out the situation in the Lost Valley.

As early as when Ruskin left the city, he had ordered the troops in the fortress to prepare.

The captain of the guard saluted.

"The garrison is about 10,000 people. The construction in the north of the camp has been suspended and is probably completed. Before leaving there, I noticed a plane flying from the northwest, and it seemed to have landed there."

"Plane?" Sean frowned.

The crowd around him immediately spread a commotion.

Every face was filled with fear and anger, and even those who had previously doubted the prophecy showed surprised expressions at this moment.

"Plane... are they building an airstrip there?"

"Those people are really planning to attack the Petra Fortress!"

"Has the Lion Kingdom fallen?"

"Spirit of the Sand Sea... those greedy barbarians are really insatiable!"

"We shouldn't have waited so long! We should have started long ago!"

Listening to the indignant conversations of the people around them, the faces of the White Bear Knights also showed surprised expressions.

Pulling the meat next to him, Tail asked in a low voice.

"Did the official website say that they were building an airport?"

She patronized the post.

I didn’t read those posts very carefully.

Rourou was serious about pouring water, but after recalling it carefully for a while, he had no impression and shook his furry head.

"It seems...no."

Tails was startled.

"Giao! Could it be that... the treasure has been found by them?"

Rourou couldn't laugh or cry.

"How did you come to this conclusion?"

Tails gestured with his hands with a serious look on his face.

"Think about it, the armor of the God of the Sky... must be huge! It's so big, it can't be transported by truck, right? Maybe they built the airport to transport the treasure away..."

Listening to this random analysis, Rourou's face gradually showed an expression of realization, and his expression became serious.

"Hiss... maybe it's really possible!"

Sesame paste standing aside was dumbfounded.

"I think if it is really the armor of the God of the Sky, let alone an airplane, even a train can't drag it away..."

Not hearing the whispers from his teammates, Si Si frowned slightly.

Although there was no discussion about that airport on the forum, she always felt that the airport was not that simple.

Oasis No. 9 has not fallen yet.

Moreover, in the past two days, the managers also brought the Heart of Steel and the Stormtroopers to the Lion Kingdom for reinforcements. Although the Legion and the Falcon Kingdom have strong military forces, they will never take the initiative to fight on two fronts.

unless……

A glimmer of understanding appeared in her eyes, as if she had thought of something vaguely.

"That 'scepter'... maybe they will actually find it."

A pair of eyes looked at her.

Sisi looked at Lord Sion and said seriously.

"The scepter falling from the sky sealed the evil god and destroyed the oasis. I'm afraid the evil ritual has reached its final step... We have no time to hesitate, you must make a decision immediately!"

A kind smile appeared on Thane's face.

"It seems we thought of getting together."

After saying that, he looked at the ministers in the palace, suddenly stopped joking, and his expression became solemn.

"I heard the call in the sand. The great will is calling us. Our kingdom is facing the most severe test in history. Whether our enemy is the legion or the ancient demon, Petra will be the kingdom's strongest enemy. Shield!"

As he spoke, he pulled out the saber on his waist and looked at the captain of the Guards and the officers with equally solemn expressions.

"Gather your men—"

"Ready to fight!"

——

(Thanks to the leader of "East China Sea Fishing Village" for the reward!!!)