Darkstone Code-Chapter 994 - 992: Someone Save Me, Save Me, Save Me
A tranquil small city.
Actually, Ryan would rather call it a town or a village than a "city."
There aren’t any multi-story buildings like those of the Federation here, just some low houses, and even the few buildings seem dilapidated.
It’s been four hours since they entered here.
In these four hours, there’s been no resistance or defiance; in fact, till now, not a single shot has been fired by the entire team.
This was beyond their expectations because they thought that the Darkstone Security, using Sanchez’s name, invaded the city, and the local warlord should have risen up to fight back fiercely.
They anticipated forming a defensive barrier in the city’s intricate streets, stalling everyone in a slow progress.
Just like what they learned in the Marine Corps, advancing in urban warfare is exceedingly slow, every building must be thoroughly searched and confirmed safe before moving forward.
This process is usually accompanied by terrifying firefights and numerous casualties, which everyone anticipated.
Yet, till now, not a single bullet has been fired.
The local warlord seems to have vanished, allowing Sanchez’s people to drive their rundown trucks into the city, now less than two kilometers away from City Hall.
Along the way, they’ve been searching nearby houses and crowds but have found nothing, not a single enemy in sight!
At this moment, Ryan came out from a house by the roadside and casually remarked, "Could they have already fled?"
He had a blade of grass in his mouth, looking relaxed.
His companion was equally surprised and appeared somewhat at ease, "Who knows? If we can occupy this place without firing a shot, that’s the best-case scenario. At least we don’t have to kill everyone we see!"
The squad leader walking ahead frowned; he knew these two were mocking him for killing those two innocent girls.
Not only Ryan, but also some new recruits couldn’t accept this; they can shoot men but lack the vigilance to shoot women, children, or the elderly, viewing veteran soldiers as cold-blooded executioners.
The squad leader swore he thought the same two years ago, but now, he sees everyone as an attacker.
Many locals stood numbly on both sides of the street watching them, remaining unhidden and not making any special movements, just standing there observing.
They watched these outsiders search their homes and inspect their belongings without resisting or struggling.
Those indifferent eyes sent a chill down their spines.
"We are only 1.5 kilometers away from City Hall. According to the intelligence we’ve gathered, City Hall became the stronghold of this local warlord years ago."
"There’s also a possibility that they have concentrated their forces around City Hall, which would explain why we’ve found no enemies and haven’t engaged in combat."
The colonel sitting inside the command vehicle offered his opinion, and the people beside him largely supported it; after all, it’s grounded in reality.
Reasonable speculation based on reality poses no issues; the enemy either fled or regrouped their forces, which fits the strategy of a weaker opponent.
Ultimately, the pressure of mutual offense greatly surpasses that of static defense, allowing them to choose a familiar and advantageous location to hold out, then seek a counterattack—it’s a good choice.
If their roles were reversed, the colonel felt he would do the same, and he would even construct some fortifications to enhance the attackers’ difficulty in taking City Hall.
The thoughts of these officers differ from those new recruits; veterans with two years of experience suppressing anti-government forces in the Amelia Region had sensed something amiss.
Someone approached the squad leader, "I feel like there’s something wrong..."
The squad leader nodded, always keeping ready for combat, "I feel something’s off too, it’s too calm. They shouldn’t be this calm."
The two exchanged glances, tightly gripping their guns, fingers poised on triggers.
From their perspective, the local warlord clearly falls into the weaker category.
As the weaker side, they should utilize everything in their favor to bridge the gap between both parties.
Actually, dragging combat into urban warfare is the best choice; it might take months to clear the city.
Besides these, there are many other ways, but narrowing down territory then seeking a decisive battle isn’t one of them.
It’s too foolish; if local warlords think like this, their 3,000 men could conquer the country.
But evidently, that’s unlikely.
If it’s not feasible, then the enemy must be playing tricks.
"Pay attention to those civilians, they might be hiding among these people," the squad leader ordered, and Ryan and the others heard it.
"I’ll go inform the colonel..." said another veteran, standing still, as the colonel’s command vehicle was behind them, not upfront.
Ryan listened to the squad leader’s words, mimicking with a distorted expression and gestures. Although it was silent, some of the others still burst into laughter.
The squad leader glanced back at them, "If I were you, I’d shut up now and keep my eyes on the crowds at both sides. You never know when someone might rush out and attack us."
Ryan looked at the people on both sides; they were ordinary people, mostly women.
The men of Mariluo had suffered heavy casualties in the chaos of war, leaving the streets populated mostly by women.
These women had to take up jobs typically done by men because there was a shortage of men in the city.
After scanning over these women, the elderly, and children several times, Ryan pursed his lips and shook his head, "They’re all innocent people. Why haven’t we dispersed them?"
The squad leader knew Ryan disliked him but still replied, "We already arranged people for propaganda work before entering the city, persuading them to leave..."
The squad leader paused for a moment, as if something occurred to him, but upon careful thought, the inspiration vanished from his mind.
In the march where veterans were silent and recruits were enthusiastic, they were less than a thousand meters from the City Hall.
Even the squad leader felt confused at this moment; could the opponent really be foolish enough to lie on the chopping block waiting to be slaughtered?
After walking more than three hundred meters further, gunshots suddenly rang out from the front, increasing the whole team’s marching speed. Soon, the situation at the front came through the radio.
Enemy encountered.
This news allowed the squad leader and several veterans to breathe a little easier. When sweeping through those anti-government militants in the Amelia Region, the scariest thing wasn’t engaging them in positional warfare.
The locals supported them; they would pass information to them, help them hide, and provide them with supplies. That’s what was truly terrifying and troubling.
Facing gunfire was, ironically, less unnerving.
Quickly, orders from the command vehicle came in: leave a few squads to evacuate civilians, others were to proceed to the outskirts of the City Hall to engage in battle.
Ryan’s squad, unfortunately, was told to stay behind.
He would much rather head to the front lines than disperse these civilians here.
The veteran’s attitude towards him made him quite dissatisfied; he was increasingly eager to prove himself, after all, he was a top soldier from the Marine Corps, he had his own principles and abilities.
The gunfire in the distance grew more intense, and Ryan frequently tried to peer into the distance, but saw nothing.
"Ma’am, it’s dangerous outside, please go back inside your house and lock the door, alright?" In front of Ryan stood a woman who appeared to be about twenty-seven or twenty-eight. As he persuaded her to go back, a little girl about ten years old peeked out from behind the woman, looking at Ryan curiously.
Perhaps it was the child’s gaze that was irresistible, or maybe he was just a good-hearted person; Ryan instinctively took out an energy-supplying candy and crouched down to offer it.
In the next instant, a gunshot rang out beside him, and he watched in disbelief as the woman beside him suddenly fell to the ground. He turned his head to see the squad leader’s eyes filled with unbelievable anger.
He had just shot an innocent woman, a mother, right in front of her child!
Ryan immediately raised his weapon and aimed it at the squad leader. The squad that was already somewhat on edge suddenly broke into a quarrel. Before the squad leader had a chance to explain anything, Ryan swayed and almost fell.
The little girl beside him held a sharp knife that had stabbed into his waist, and another gunshot rang out, followed by a third.
The squad leader shouted loudly, "Enemy attack, take cover!"
He clutched the uncomprehending Ryan, crashing into a roadside building. Bullets whizzed past their heads in the next moment, and gunfire outside continued to intensify.
"It’s a trap, those passersby are their people!" someone shouted in the distance, followed quickly by screams.
Ryan, with his heart pounding, saw the woman lying at the doorway who had already become a corpse. Her right hand held a handgun.
She had planned to kill him, just as he was bending down!
The squad leader tore open Ryan’s clothes, examining his wound. Blood silently flowed out, not at a slow pace, from the wound.
Staring at the wound, the squad leader froze. He understood it was a sign of internal organ rupture, as only such ruptures and arterial bleeding could cause such terrifying blood loss.
On the battlefield, such an injury offers no chance of survival.
He looked coldly at Ryan, who seemed to realize the situation too; he looked at his waist wound, at the blood rushing out uncontrollably, and a trace of fear appeared in his eyes.
The squad leader turned and shouted loudly, "We need a medical team, there’s been an internal organ rupture, call for reinforcements..."
