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Dominika was left behind to prepare with the other Sisters, while Zhang Ge accompanied Amelia through various corridors to the command room.
Just outside the door, they overheard a girl's disdainful voice mixed with subtle contempt saying, "Hah? A failed attack... If you can't even accomplish such a task, what use is it for my father to support you? Truly pathetic. Get someone to kill him, and don't make a mess—fool, I don't want to see blood."
Upon entering the room, several high-ranking officers and a young woman came into view. She wore an ornate gown that seemed out of place in the underground environment and was surrounded by seven or eight heavily armed attendants. A PDF Major's face was ashen as he was dragged toward the exterior.
Noticing the arrival of Zhang Ge and Amelia, the girl turned to face them. Her beauty was remarkable, yet despite her extravagant gown and the jewels adorning her body, all paled in comparison to the pendant hanging from her neck.
It was a hexagonal thin plate, only about the size of half a fingernail, so thin that its edges were nearly invisible, yet it radiated a faint golden glow that made it hard to look away.
Unique and unmistakable, even those who had only read about this material could recognize it at a glance:
Auric Gold.
It was the primary material used for the armor worn by the Emperor's Custodians.
No further elaboration was necessary; that single sentence was enough to convey the significance and exorbitant value of Auric Gold.
Even a minuscule piece like this, aside from the difficulty of acquiring it, was unimaginable in terms of price—even for a typical noble from the Underhive.
It seemed her family was among the beneficiaries of the trade in rejuvenation drugs? No wonder she had such confidence.
As she saw Amelia, the girl lifted her gown's hem and ran toward her, exclaiming, "Sister Amelia? I was just about to finish up here and come find you! You could have just called for me!"
There was no hint of the harshness she had shown moments ago. It seemed that in this context, a fist carried more weight than background... but no, she had many layers of authority above her. However, in a sense, Amelia was no longer under anyone else's command.
Despite her friendly demeanor toward Amelia, the girl didn't even glance at Zhang Ge, as if he didn't exist at all.
On Amelia's side, noticing that the girl seemed intent on closing the distance, she had to extend a hand to press gently against the girl's shoulder to halt her advance before saying, "I'm here to discuss the preemptive counteroffensive."
"Preemptive? Preempting to when?"
"Right now, in twenty minutes."
"Sounds good!"
The girl's rapid approval made Zhang Ge question whether she had truly thought this through.
After receiving the affirmative reply, Amelia declined the girl's invitation to stay for tea, hinting that she had no intention of lingering there. Once they left, she said to Zhang Ge, "Once the counteroffensive begins, what happens can be unpredictable. The convoy will execute the initial breakthrough using the first wave; the second wave isn't capable of much breakthrough and won't draw attention."
Unfamiliar with the PDF's situation stationed here, Zhang Ge simply nodded in agreement, not expressing any opinion.
Returning to the original station of the Sisters, Amelia said something to Sister Heloise, who nodded in response. Then she turned back to Zhang Ge and said, "I will join the convoy; command will be handed over to Sister Heloise."
Zhang Ge had expected this. As he walked toward the box beside Dominika, he replied, "No problem."
Testing the weight of the box, feeling that his body had fully recovered, Zhang Ge opened it.
Inside lay a set of carapace armor that still had faint bloodstains on it, likely stripped from some unknown wounded soldier. It seemed that not a single piece of his current gear was purchased by him. Surely after putting this armor on, he would look like a patchwork man.
While he mentally grumbled, Zhang Ge didn't let it slow him down. With Dominika's help, he quickly donned the "new" carapace armor.
Shortly after, the sounds of hurried footsteps grew evidently busy outside. The other Battle Sisters, led by the senior Sister, soon exited. After about ten minutes had passed, Amelia said, "Let's go; it's time to join the convoy, the counteroffensive is about to start."
Following the route they had traversed earlier, the three quickly returned to the forest.
This area that had previously felt crowded now seemed empty, with only the light armored vehicle and the PDF vehicles remaining. Amelia, upon seeing Yixis, didn't ask who he was, but Yixis rushed out of the vehicle and stood in front of Amelia, a bit excited, saying, "Please, duel with me."
"?"
Amelia paid no heed to his request as she walked around him toward the passenger seat, but he again blocked her path.
Seeing this, Zhang Ge, now seated in the driver's position, said, "Just don't go all out."
Yixis thought Zhang Ge was addressing him and replied discontentedly, "This is an honorable duel; how can I hold back?"
After a slight pause, he added, "...Alright, your kindness toward me allows me to accept."
As Yixis stepped back, Amelia did not respond to Zhang Ge but simply asked, "Is it time to begin?"
"Of course!"
In the next moment, a metallic thud almost echoed Zhang Ge's last word. Yixis's entire chest armor was dented as if struck by a shell from a single kick, not even allowing him the opportunity to raise his sword. His nearly two-meter tall frame was sent flying ten meters away, rolling into a nearby thicket.
With the problem resolved, Amelia slid into the passenger seat. A few moments later, Yixis stumbled back, re-entered the vehicle, and sat silently beside Dominika in the rear without mentioning the duel again.
Twenty minutes later.
In the rear, explosions suddenly erupted like thunder from a clear sky, resonating from the artillery batteries.
However, amidst the unceasing alternating fire that seemed never-ending, a resonant low sound eclipsed all others.
Before long, Zhang Ge and everyone else realized the source of this sound.
Within the woodland park, two transport vessels, each two hundred meters long, slowly lifted into the air, powered by their flame jet thrusters. They were temporarily armored with extensive ceramite plating for protection.
Despite this, civilian vessels were too fragile compared to military weapons. This colossal yet vulnerable target, once it reached a sufficient altitude, was detected and subjected to concentrated fire. Its external ceramite armor held for less than ten seconds.
However, that was more than enough.
More than enough for those transport ships to shift from merely gaining altitude to flying toward the enemy's positions.
As another laser cut through its hull, producing a series of heat meltdowns and explosions inside, it seemed like a signal. The two transport ships suddenly disintegrated in a violent explosion from within.
Yet, this was not simply due to the loss of inertia.
On the contrary, countless fragments not only continued to propel themselves toward enemy lines due to their inertia, but they were also violently accelerated by the shockwaves generated from consecutive explosions.
Trailing burning black smoke and contrails, attempts on the part of enemy air defenses to intercept them only shattered the vessels further into smaller fragments, raining down like a meteor shower toward enemy territory.
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