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Page 23
"Aha, what a dazzling and fantastical entrance! We're like aliens, aren't we?"
"Are you kidding me? We're like aliens!"
"That's right! Hahahaha!"
……
“Come on…” Hommel slumped into his seat. “You can’t go wrong by doing what I say, Vera…”
Before them, the giant gate gradually calmed down, no longer resembling a tranquil night sky filled with twinkling stars. Instead, it seemed to have transformed into a sculpture carved from citrine, standing steadily before them, appearing so ethereal.
"Control your speed to 50 mph and maintain a constant speed..."
"After flying into the portal, stabilize the joystick. Keep your hands steady and don't make any sudden movements..."
In the center of the gate, there is a magnificent and splendid view, much like the parade ground of the 11th District City Hall on the other side. It is like a common electronic screen, or a calm lake without the slightest ripple.
"Breathe steadily, keep your eyes wide open, don't let the temporary darkness oppress you, stay alert..."
"Then……"
"It's done."
Without any warning, the crystal gate flashed a not-too-dazzling golden light, and a brand-new helicopter, like a fish leaping out of a lake, flew gracefully across the sky above the camp, leaving behind sprays of dew.
"Welcome to the new aerial ball, Ms. Vera!"
"Thank you, Your Majesty, you are still alive, Hommel." A woman's voice, tinged with joy, came through the radio.
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Inside that same crystal door, a series of flashes suddenly appeared, and one after another, gleaming silver-white helicopters leaped out of the lake and hovered over the muddy land, like noble egrets in a swamp.
"My job right now is to make yet another group of enemies who dare to rebel against Britannia run for their lives, isn't it! Hahahaha!"
A chilling, sinister female voice crept into Hommel's ears, silently etching a fiery mark into his heart.
"So, are you now confident that you can offer the heads of these bastards on the tombstones of the warriors, my dear sir?"
"It will be available at any time." Sitting in the helicopter, he slightly curled the corners of his mouth.
……
Looking eastward along the main road, the Berlin Cathedral still stands tall. The hail of bullets echoing around us, and the curtain of dust and smoke overhead, do nothing to obscure its dazzling green dome.
It still stands like a beacon, guiding Britannia's eastward advance. But the steel giant that once stood so arrogantly atop it is nowhere to be seen; it now leans against the cathedral's west-facing wall, slumped like a drunkard, listlessly nestled in the shadows. Its steel arms and legs are riddled with bullet holes and scratches of all sizes, like the surface of the moon.
In contrast to the unhurried pace here, the east wall of the cathedral has become a resounding drum, relentlessly battered by countless bullets and artillery fire. From the sky, the Spree River, flowing alongside the cathedral, resembles a dim night sky filled with a fiery meteor shower.
Beside the mecha, two people were standing. One of them was operating a strange mechanical arm, calmly holding something the size of a television set and stuffing it into the opening on the doll's body.
"Can it still move?" Another person in a pilot's uniform stood by the control panel, looking at it with a worried expression.
"It's just that the battery was damaged; we can just replace it," the operator replied calmly. "Your mount is really lucky, Lieutenant Arugel. Not only did that machine gun shell pass harmlessly through the control elements, but the battery didn't even catch fire or explode. May I ask if your ancestors had His Majesty the Emperor burn some kind of incense?"
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"Tch, I had no idea," the lieutenant said, his face contorted with suppressed anger. "I should thank you support soldiers for making it this morning."
"You flatter me, Your Excellency."
"No, no, no, not at all..."
The operator turned around, only to find that the lieutenant he had been chatting with had already turned his head toward the sky behind him.
Several helicopters, lined up in a long snake, were skimming through the gaps between buildings, rapidly advancing along the street towards the eastward front of the fire line.
The moment it passed the cathedral, the lead plane suddenly erupted in a terrifying roar of machine guns and chainsaws. Immediately afterward, the second plane followed behind, unleashing an even sharper roar, then the third, the fourth…
Suddenly, it seemed as if thousands upon thousands of bees filled the wide street. Following the falcons, the lieutenant leaned against the corner of the cathedral wall and looked eastward. The stings of the bees swept across the river like a torrential downpour. After the roar subsided, through the thin veil of smoke, the firelight in the windows was no longer dense. Instead, through the lieutenant's binoculars, one could see yellow-clad bandits cowering and disappearing among the ruins.
Under the watchful eyes of everyone, the white falcons gracefully crossed the bridge and soared into the deeper ruins and labyrinth ahead. Apart from the roar of their engines, they could no longer be found.
"Lieutenant! The firing positions on the other side of the river have been cleared. Shall we continue the advance?" A cheerful radio message came through Arugel's ears.
"No, thank you." As soon as he hung up the communication, what flashed before his eyes were two imposing KMFs and a group of menacing tanks and infantry.
"Arugel, thank you for your hard work," the leading giant shouted from the loudspeaker.
"Ah, with someone like you, who always tries to steal credit at the drop of a hat, around, who's going to fight a hard battle? Don't you think so, Wilson?"
"Ha! Don't say that about me yet!" The giant shrugged. "I'll leave my chariots and infantry under your command for now. Lord Edus wants me to go hunting with him. Goodbye for now."
As soon as the words were spoken, the drive wheels of the two steel giants scraped against the ground, creating a jarring violin-like sound, and disappeared from everyone's sight along the street the helicopter had flown away from.
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At that moment, the helicopter swarm that had just swept across the riverbank was now speeding through the streets of Berlin.
"Let's get back to what we were saying, guys. The attack formation and effect just now were ideal. Do the same next time you encounter an enemy target! Don't fly above the building complex, and those in the back, keep up with those in front, understand? Our objective is to destroy the artillery positions, and this honor will definitely be ours! For Walker!"
"Yes! For Walker!"
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The thunderous gunfights had already been repeated on these weathered streets. Berlin had just crawled out of the clutches of death in the sky, welcoming the rising sun. But war never brought peace to anything. The billowing smoke and the murky waves of the Spree River swallowed every broken corpse and snatched away every shattered brick—no one, whether alive or not, could escape.
Like tide hunters, the five silver-white helicopters transformed into five lively dolphins, swimming wherever they went, leaving behind waves of dust. The thunderous roar of machine guns beneath them mingled with the thunderous roar of artillery fire from all directions, dandelion-like dust swirling around them as they moved swiftly. Even the sun, above all things, bestowed its radiance upon these spirits of the battlefield, draping them in a dazzling cloak of light.
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"Could we go any faster, Mr. Leader?" Vera, who had greeted him earlier, asked over the radio.
"This isn't practice in District 11, let's play it safe." Hommel took a deep breath and secretly glanced at the dashboard.
"Ah, that's true. For a mission with no return, it's better to die in a hail of bullets than to die amidst tree branches and broken walls. That would be truly frustrating..."
"Alright, that's enough for now, everyone! Turn left at the intersection ahead, keep in formation!"
"Yes!"
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"Hey!" his partner suddenly shouted, "There are enemies ahead!"
"I see them!" Hommel wasn't too alarmed, he squinted. The yellow-clad soldiers who had just appeared on the screen, caught completely off guard, were spreading out like ants at the street intersection ahead, surrounding something that looked like a small truck.
"Battle positions! Falcon No. 2 and No. 3, move to the left! Owl No. 2 and No. 3, move to the right! Full firepower!"
"OK!"
……
As they were talking, the five imposing helicopters had already dispersed the original long line formation. A bird was positioned at the very front in the center, with two aerial killers on each side behind it.
"Ready!" Hommel shouted, lightly rubbing his thumb against the machine gun's control button.
On the field of fire screen, the machine gun on the roof of the green truck on the ground suddenly roared in unison with the storm of bullets raging through the street. Particles of steel clattered against the helicopter, which seemed to soar fearlessly through the tempestuous storm, like a proud bird soaring through a tempestuous tempest.
"Fire!—"
A command burst forth like fireworks over the radio, and suddenly, five golden whips shot out from beneath the bird, pounding the earth like galloping bulls. Immediately, five giant insects, driving away dust, sprang from the ground, trampling the mottled street, smashing through the bricks, and swallowing everything in their path into their stomachs.
Five birds, like five chainsaws roaring simultaneously, their eerie clanging echoed through the sky without any obstruction. The aircraft, which had previously resembled holy angels under the sunlight, had now transformed into butchers wielding life, raising clouds of dust and debris in their wake. Those struck by their whips instantly turned into a spray of blood mist, disappearing beneath the dust-covered, yellowish-brown coffin lid.
"Get out of the way! Homer!" Vera suddenly shouted excitedly, "That little green truck is mine!"
As they were talking, a giant worm on the left suddenly sped up, leaving the other worms behind. Behind the machine gun on the roof of the small truck, a soldier who was holding it and firing seemed to sense something was wrong. He hurriedly lay down on the side of the truck, then tumbled off in a flurry.
Actually, she probably didn't see clearly that the truck's rear wheels weren't wheels but a set of tracks and road wheels. In other words, it wasn't a truck but a half-track troop carrier. Like a steel pipe being sawed open by a chainsaw, a giant insect with billowing smoke crawled onto the half-track's hood and gnawed a very irregular crack in the poor tin toy.
A neat formation of silver swallows swept over the half-track vehicle, followed by a roar of flames erupting from the truck's engine and slamming into the back of the pilot's seat—the yellow-clad soldiers who had miraculously survived on the ground were witnessing its front end transform into a massive fireball.
"Awesome!—"
"Happy hunting, gentlemen!" The radio was filled with excitement and joy.
"Ahem, everyone, please be quiet."
"Owl 3 calling command center! Multiple enemy armored units detected in area C38! Over!"
"Command center received. Please continue the assault mission. Good luck. Over."
"Sorry everyone, I'm just taking care of some business!"
"Yay! Charge! Glory belongs to the Fortress Eagle!"
Section 26, Chapter 14: Enemy Coordinates: 122
"Lieutenant Wilson and Lord Eddius, listen up! Helicopter units have spotted enemy armored units in area C38. Proceed immediately to destroy them. Over!"
"Received, we're on our way!"
In a small city alley, two purple Gloucesters, like deer, weaved in one after the other. Dust streaked beneath their driving wheels, swift phantoms flashing past, whipping up a gust of wind through the street.
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“Slow down, Wilson!” came a radio wave from behind.
“Oh? Well then, Your Excellency.” The lancer in front slowed down slightly. “A lance and a machine gun combined don’t even weigh as much as this thing.”
"Otherwise what? What do you think I went to have the mechanic remove the fist bar from my right arm for? It's a heavy thing for firing on the move, and without it, it might not be able to do anything to those incredibly sturdy tanks. It's a real headache..."
“Yes, yes, that’s why I insisted on getting my hands on the spears and machine gun.” A slightly annoyed breath escaped Wilson’s nostrils. “The name of the Iron Cavalry belongs to us! Tanks, get out of our way!”
"Okay, stop getting angry. The target should be behind that house. Get ready!"
"Thank you for your trouble, Your Excellency!" The lord looked closely and realized that before he could finish speaking, Wilson had already maneuvered the knight, which had not slowed down at all, and pointed the tip of the lance forward.
"Stay close to me!"
"Hey! What are you doing!" With a muffled thud, the lord watched as he used his spear to pierce a large hole in the building in front of him, then charged in like a wild boar, leaving only a thin, grayish-brown waterfall of water flowing beneath the building.
"Come on over here!" A cheerful burst of machine gun fire came from the other side.
Contrary to Wilson's expectations, the Lord twisted Gloucester aside and abruptly veered to the right. The building that had just been breached was crumbling down piece by piece like building blocks.
"Are you trying to kill me?" The lord was quite angry. He knew very well how serious the consequences would be if these huge concrete blocks hit a mech weighing less than 8 tons—especially at high speed.
"Quickly take a closer look and see what weapons they have!"
"Take a look around!" he said over the radio, while Lord's screen was already receiving images from Wilson's vehicle.