Armor-Piercing Munition: Face Me, Carbon-Based Monster!-Chapter 574 - 293: Punishment-Driven_2

And it has to be much further.

Thinking of this, Chen Jian began to speak:

"This is the answer I want."

"Understand them."

"Actually, this is also the first task I’m giving you."

"Find a way to understand those you call... wasteland inhabitants."

"And find a way to assimilate into them."

This probably won’t be easy.

Xie Cheng’s brow slightly furrowed.

He knew that the way of life in the sanctuary and on the wasteland were entirely different.

Although in recent years, his small group had tried to explore and understand this world.

However, no one had truly adapted to this world.

The sanctuary was an ivory tower, a utopia.

What kind of shock would leaving this utopia bring to his companions?

His eyes revealed a hint of worry, but it soon turned into a kind of calm relief.

At least, we don’t need to face the wasteland directly.

Mountain City...

The Huaxia Army’s Mountain City.

This is a bigger utopia.

Or perhaps, a "buffer zone"?

Xie Cheng looked at Chen Jian and solemnly said:

"Thank you."

"Thank you all."

Chen Jian waved his hand and replied:

"No need to thank me."

"After all, we’re not helping you for free..."

...

Meanwhile, near Wanzhou.

Yu Qian held a telescope, gazing into the distance at Wanzhou City.

After observing for a while, he shook his head and said to Guo Xu beside him:

"A city like this—honestly, calling it a ’city’ is a bit of an exaggeration."

"It’s just a slightly larger town, and by estimation, its total population doesn’t exceed 500."

"For such a town, you’ve deployed... 200 Church Protection Army soldiers?"

"I don’t even know how these 200 soldiers survive—can this town really support so many Church Protection Army members?"

After he finished speaking, Guo Xu was silent for a moment before replying:

"They have their own ways."

"Wanzhou City is the transportation hub of the entire region and for a long time, it was our last gathering point before exploring Mountain City."

"It exists for special reasons, so... it’s a bit different from other towns."

Different?

Yu Qian slowly shook his head.

In his view, all towns controlled by the Mechanical God Sect were essentially the same.

Seemingly peaceful, but always with a hint of lurking madness.

Seemingly peaceful, but who knows how many corpses are buried underground.

Seemingly united, but undercurrents flow beneath, and even the slightest disturbance can lead to serious consequences.

In such towns, the eternal topic doesn’t seem to be "survival," but rather power.

He still remembered the city he had previously visited that had already fallen into oblivion, destroyed by an internal strife within the Mechanical God Sect.

In this regard, the Mechanical God Sect couldn’t even compare to the Holy Blood Temple.

After all, though the Holy Blood Temple was fragmented, their splits were usually just "internal struggles" and didn’t affect the ordinary people living under their order.

----Perhaps this is why the Holy Blood Temple, despite its loose nature, could develop to the point where it rivaled the Mechanical God Sect?

Yu Qian found himself thinking more and more.

He didn’t know whether this was a good or bad thing.

Recollecting his slightly chaotic thoughts, he coughed and said to Guo Xu:

"No matter how special this city is, we have to take it over."

"And taking it over means we must have complete control over this city."

"Because this is a critical node of the network path, and we need to rely on this city to connect with other towns."

"This matter... I hope you understand."

"Of course, even if you don’t, there’s nothing I can do."

"I have to do it, and you all can’t oppose."

After he finished speaking, Guo Xu slowly nodded.

If someone had spoken to him in such a "domineering" tone a few months ago, he would have flown into a rage, ready to use the Holy Weapon bestowed by the Holy Trinity to punish this arrogant individual.

But now, he had already submitted to reality.

Outmatched is outmatched.

Not only outmatched, even in terms of "rightness," he couldn’t compare to the Huaxia Army.

Their ideas were correct; the network path had to be established.

And to establish the network path, Wanzhou City must be controlled.

This path was definite and reasonable.

But Guo Xu still wanted to make one last attempt.

"Give me a chance."

He said:

"I want to enter the city to try to persuade the Church Protection Army there, to persuade the bishop there."

"I will get them to withdraw from Wanzhou City and hand this city over to you for management."

"Of course, they might propose some conditions."

"If the exchange terms are reasonable... I hope you won’t refuse."

"Of course."

Yu Qian nodded earnestly.

"We don’t even need them to withdraw from Wanzhou City."

"All we need is the city’s functionality—the bishop can stay here, the Church Protection Army can stay here."

"The only requirement is one."

"They must comply with the network path plan and establish a close partnership with us."

"That’s great!"

Guo Xu let out a long breath.

This was the best outcome.

It wouldn’t shake the Mechanical God Sect’s control over the city and could help the Huaxia Army complete a task that was... actually correct and beneficial to everyone.

Even the initial Saints wouldn’t refuse such a proposal, right?

"Give me half a day."

Guo Xu said:

"I will enter Wanzhou City and persuade them."

"There’s no need for meaningless battles and deaths—if they’re smart, they will absolutely not refuse your proposal."

"Moreover, I’m the leader of the Forbidden Army."

"I think, the words I say, they most likely... won’t oppose."

After Guo Xu finished speaking, a meaningful smile appeared on Yu Qian’s face.

He fumbled around himself for a moment, then handed something to Guo Xu.

"Take this with you."

Guo Xu reached out to take it and asked curiously:

"What is this?"

"An emergency communication device."

Yu Qian replied:

"Captain He Shuo gave it to me—perhaps he originally planned to give this to you."

"In any case, if you encounter danger in Wanzhou City, just press this button and we will immediately carry out a rescue."

"However, I suggest you not to be too conservative."

"Don’t wait until you’re about to die to call for help; it may be too late by then."

"As soon as you sense something unusual, you can... use it."

Guo Xu nodded thoughtfully.

"Rest assured, I won’t need it."

Saying that, he turned his head and ordered:

"Zhang Chao, Liu Hao, each bring a squad and follow me into the city."

"Move quickly!"

"After solving this issue, we’ll enter the city for food and rest!"

At his command, Liu Hao and the others immediately sprang into action.

Soon after, Guo Xu led the most elite part of his team away from the main force and into Wanzhou City.

Yu Qian remained standing in place, quietly gazing into the distance.

He was waiting.

In truth, he really hoped that Guo Xu’s plan could proceed smoothly.

But before setting out, Captain He Shuo had already anticipated what would happen here.

"A peaceful takeover of Wanzhou is impossible, cooperation isn’t even possible."

"That city is very special, and the only way to take it is through force, not just suppression, but cleansing by force."

"In any case, try to protect Guo Xu’s life."

"He’s very important."

"And after the Wanzhou incident, he’ll become even more important..."

The captain’s words echoed in Yu Qian’s mind.

Time ticked away moment by moment.

An hour passed, and the communicator was unresponsive.

Two hours went by, and the communicator remained silent.

Five minutes into the third hour, gunfire erupted in Wanzhou City.

Immediately after, the communicator’s alarm blared.

Yu Qian exhaled heavily.

Then, he gave the order:

"Commence bombardment."

"Coordinate both infantry and artillery."

"Enter Wanzhou City and get Guo Xu out!"