Chapter 92.1 – The City in the Sandstorm
The aircraft swept through the ancient battlefield.
The battlefield was so huge that it was impossible to see the end.
Shi Yuan saw a lot of strange machines, some of which looked like human figures, some of which were fort-type, each of which was magnificent and huge – after a few decades, the wind blew and the sand rose, and some of them were still exposed.
He also saw a robot.
The robot’s legs were buried in soil, and even so, it was 70 or 80 meters high. When the aircraft passed by it at close range, Shi Yuan saw that there were many weapon turrets on its body, and even its eyes and mouth were laser weapons.
It stood on the plain, its shell already rusted but still standing, its shadow covering the sky.
“What is that?” Shi Yuan asked Lu Tinghan.
Lu Tinghan replied: “The Empire’s war robot, codenamed ‘Blazing Sun’, is famous for its loaded laser weapons.”
“How tall is it?”
“About 120 meters,” Lu Tinghan said, “On the battlefield, the sense of oppression it brings is also part of the tactics.”
Shi Yuan asked again, “Then why is it parked here?”
“The energy core of this ‘Blazing Sun’ was destroyed by the Alliance air force, and it can only stand here forever.” Lu Tinghan also looked out the window. The robot was undoubtedly a masterpiece of killing, condensing the highest technological power of the Empire, which had brought a lot of fear. “I didn’t expect it to be there to this day.”
The aircraft flew far away, and after a long time, Shi Yuan could still see the “blazing sun”.
It was like a rusty iron tree or a giant who had died of old age, standing forever.
Further ahead, there was still a wretched and hideous battlefield. Ninety percent of the bones and wreckage were covered up. It might be that there was the spirit of a victim under the breeze, there seemed to be rust and blood in the air, and every gust of wind was like a sigh.
Shi Yuan asked, “Do many people die in wars?”
“Well, a lot,” Lu Tinghan replied, “The longest war lasted for more than ten years, and both sides were very tired.” He touched Shi Yuan’s head, “There were also years of peace. A few years before the end of the world began, the relationship between the Alliance and the Empire eased up, but it came too late.”
Shi Yuan: “Oh… wonder what the Empire people we’re going to meet are like, they should also be good people, right?”
“It’s hard to say. Everyone here has never had contact with the Empire,” Lu Tinghan said, “I hope we can abandon the grievances of the past.”
After a long 2-hour flight, they left the battlefield.
Further ahead was the territory of the Empire, a strange land.
In the territory of the Empire, they were not familiar with the terrain, and the speed of the aircraft suddenly dropped. More importantly, the climate on the Empire’s side was not suitable for aircraft.
In the evening, the sky was dark, and a large sandstorm covered the sky, rolling like a tsunami.
Fortunately, there was a ruined city nearby, so the aircraft hovered low and hid under the shadow of the city walls. In a short time, the sandstorm rolled in, there was flying sand and rocks everywhere, landing on the shell of the craft, emitting a rain-like knocking sound.
Shi Yuan had never seen a sandstorm before, and when it came, it was so loud that he curled up his tail in fright, and couldn’t help but stay by the window and look out.
Lu Tinghan repeatedly assured that this aircraft was solid enough.
He poured Shi Yuan a glass of hot water and straightened his tail.
Shi Yuan said, “It’s scary.”
“Scarier than humans?” Lu Tinghan raised his eyebrows.
“Each is scary in its own way.”
After dinner, Shi Yuan sat by the bedroom window and looked again. Obviously, the city wall was not far away, but he couldn’t see clearly.
After Lu Tinghan contacted the main city, he brought a bowl of millet porridge into the house and held Shi Yuan in his arms from behind.
Shi Yuan drank a few sips of hot millet porridge, and with his human’s comfort and delicious food, he finally became less nervous.
Shi Yuan said, “The weather here in the Empire is so bad.”
“Mm, they have a lot of sandstorms, typhoons, and tornadoes, so they develop underground cities,” Lu Tinghan said in Shi Yuan’s ear, “Here, no matter how advanced the aircraft is, you must be careful.”
Shi Yuan thought for a while: “Is there an air force in the Empire?”
“Yes, but it’s far worse than the Alliance,” Lu Tinghan explained
He continued, “Air control is very important in modern warfare. The Alliance with absolute air control should be easy to fight against the Empire. However, due to the special climate of the Empire and the development of underground cities, it is not conducive to the operations of the Alliance Air Force. Correspondingly, the Empire’s army and navy were powerful, and the war situation was a stalemate, making it difficult to distinguish the winner.”
“Oh.” Shi Yuan scooped a spoonful of millet porridge and blew, “If they hide in the underground city, there will be many survivors, right?”
“The underground is indeed safer than the ground, but the last time we contacted the Empire, their war situation was also bad, and a large part of the city had fallen.” Lu Tinghan kissed Shi Yuan’s side face, “Perhaps, they encountered something that they couldn’t deal with, and even the war robot like the “Blazing Sun” was helpless.”
Shi Yuan: “Oh…”
He scooped another spoonful of porridge, blew it, and handed it to Lu Tinghan.
Lu Tinghan said, “When we meet them, we will understand.”
He took Shi Yuan’s hand and ate the porridge.
The sand and dust were raging, and there was no light in the sky. They looked at the doomsday scene outside the window and finished a bowl of millet porridge.
“Lu Tinghan,” Shi Yuan called out.
Lu Tinghan: “Hmm?”
“It’s okay, I just want to call you.” Shi Yuan hugged his tail, “I feel much better!”
The next morning, the sandstorm stopped.
The sky was still foggy, yesterday was very windy, and today there was no wind at all, and it was as hot as a steam oven.
Adjutant Bing looked at the map and frowned: “It’s really weird…where are we?” He pointed to a place on the map, “According to latitude and longitude, we are here, but shouldn’t there be a city?”
Douglas was repairing the accompanying robot, holding a wrench, his hands full of oil. He said: “Who knows the Empire! I heard that they are all very suspicious in their hearts. Our intel is decades old, and there’s no way the Empire would tell us that.” He laughed twice, “Or else, wait for us to bomb their cities?”
Adjutant Bing touched his chin: “Well, I still find it strange.”
“Don’t dwell on it. This city is so small, it’s normal that it hasn’t been recorded,” Douglas said, “Thankfully, these walls blocked the sandstorm.”
He turned the wrench hard, and several gears clattered in his palm.
After breakfast, Shi Yuan and Lu Tinghan set off.
The aircraft had traveled some distance and it was time for them to place the signal transmitter.
Shi Yuan and Lu Tinghan went down and drove a combat off-road vehicle into the city, scaring away a few rodent monsters along the way. They shook their soft fur and hid in the ruins with a “squeak”.
When they entered the city, they discovered that the city was very small, more like a slightly larger town.
The transmitter was best placed high.
The surrounding area was severely damaged. They turned around for a short time, and when the sky cleared, they saw a church-like building in the distance.
