vstars Chapter 734 This is a mental illness
Chapter 734 This is a mental illness
The heavy tolling of bells echoed repeatedly inside the fortress. All the garrison personnel assembled according to the instructions. The commander of the Southern Field Infantry Regiment of the Central Bank Province, dressed in full combat gear, went straight up the fortress wall.
An officer strode up to the regimental commander and handed him a pair of binoculars.
The commander took the binoculars, pointed the tube at the moonlit sky, and the moment his gaze pierced through the lens, he clearly captured a strange creature rapidly flapping its wings in the air.
The commander stared at the scene through the binoculars, a hint of surprise flashing through his mind. None of the similar creatures he had encountered before had the ability to fly, so the other side had obviously adjusted its tactics after suffering a series of setbacks.
He put down his binoculars and uttered a remark:
"Goodness, they've learned their lesson after the first time and are now using flying ones."
Another officer beside him kept a close eye on the flight path of the aerial creature, and after a moment turned to the commander and conveyed his assessment:
"Commander, look at the direction it's flying in; its target is Helmingen."
The commander's expression instantly darkened, and without the slightest hesitation, he immediately issued the order:
"Then what are we waiting for?"
"If it really gets there, we'll all go home and farm. Order the artillery to shoot it down with the rockets that headquarters just sent."
The messenger quickly relayed the order to the artillery position, and within minutes the fortress walls were covered with rocket launchers. The metal launchers were neatly arranged, and each one had completed the rocket loading operation.
The officer in charge of operating the launcher crouched down to adjust the launch angle. After confirming that the angle was accurate, he straightened up and signaled to the artillerymen behind him, then gave the order to ignite.
A flame landed on the rocket's fuse, which quickly burned, making a soft crackling sound. The next second, a rocket broke free from the launch pad, trailing a pale white tail flame as it soared into the sky, heading straight for Zod, who was flying in the air.
Zuo De maintained a steady flight, continuing to move in the predetermined direction, when suddenly he heard a faint whooshing sound. This sound was different from the sound of air movement; it carried a sharp impact.
He instinctively shifted his body to the side, executing a swift evasive maneuver in mid-air. The rocket grazed past him, landing on the ground some distance away and exploding in a burst of fire. Zod steadied himself and turned to look at the distant fortress.
On the city wall, the officer in charge of observing the firing effects faced the regimental commander and whispered a report on the battle situation:
"Missed."
The commander, seeing Zod still flying nimbly in the air, remained calm and immediately adjusted his commands:
"Order all rockets to launch simultaneously."
Upon receiving the order, the artillerymen simultaneously ignited the fuses of all the rockets. A dense whistling sound instantly resounded above the city wall as dozens of rockets were launched in succession. The dense rocket trajectories intertwined to form a fire network covering the airspace, all aimed at Zuo De's location.
Zod dodged several oncoming rockets, but more rockets flooded his field of vision, leaving him with simply not enough space to dodge them all.
Several rockets struck his body precisely, causing a violent explosion that instantly filled the sky with black smoke, completely enveloping Zuo De's figure.
The soldiers on duty kept a close eye on the smoke-filled area in the sky. Once they confirmed that the rocket had hit its target, they immediately signaled to the artillerymen next to them and relayed the hit signal continuously.
The commander, standing atop the city wall, monitored the aerial battle closely. Seeing the impact of the hits, he remained vigilant and continued issuing follow-up orders:
"Continue firing. Notify all soldiers to load their flintlock muskets and prepare to engage."
The soldiers sprang into action. The artillerymen continued loading rockets in preparation for the next round of firing, while the infantrymen quickly loaded lead bullets and gunpowder into their flintlock muskets. Everyone was ready to face the monster head-on.
Amidst the smoke high in the sky, a massive figure suddenly burst through the smoke and, without pausing, swooped straight down toward the fortress walls.
Its massive body, carrying immense force, slammed into the bricks and stones of the city wall, causing the thick wall to vibrate with a dull thud.
As the smoke slowly dissipated, Zuo De stood firmly on the city wall, his body covered in dark red bloodstains. His already ferocious body looked even more terrifying after the explosion and impact. His bloodshot eyes were fixed on the soldiers on the city wall, and a violent aura surged in his eyes.
"These bugs..."
Zuo De was filled with rage. The human firepower made him feel continuous pain. This feeling of being blocked by humans who were like ants made him want to tear apart all the living things in front of him.
Upon seeing Zod appear, the surrounding officers immediately issued combat orders in unison, the crisp sound of commands echoing across the city walls:
"shot."
The stationed soldiers raised their flintlock muskets in unison, all aiming at Zuo De on the city wall. The moment their fingers pulled the triggers, a dense barrage of gunfire erupted, and a large number of lead bullets, carrying the force of impact, shot towards Zuo De's body.
The lead bullets kept hitting Zod's skin and muscles, bringing a dense, tingling pain, like countless tiny insects gnawing at his body. The pain wasn't life-threatening, but it continuously stimulated his nerves, causing his anger to rise.
Zod let out a deafening howl that echoed throughout the fortress. He grabbed the cannon anchored to the wall beside him, and with a powerful effort, yanked the heavy weapon up, then hurled it at the group of soldiers who had been firing. The cannon crashed down with a whooshing sound, and the soldiers scattered in panic, their formation instantly thrown into chaos.
Seeing that Zod's destructive power far exceeded expectations, and knowing that the city wall area could not form an effective barrier and that continuing to hold out would only result in heavy casualties, the commander immediately issued a retreat order:
"Retreat, all retreat to the inner fortress."
After the order was given, all the soldiers began to retreat in an orderly manner. While firing their guns to delay Zod's actions, the soldiers moved towards the inner fortress. The continuous suppression of fire bought time for the retreat, and they managed to delay until all the soldiers had entered the inner fortress area.
The heavy metal gate slowly rose, completely isolating the inner fortress from the outer area, leaving Zod alone in the area between the city wall and the outer fortress.
Zod stared at the tightly closed inner fortress gates, a wave of disdain washing over him. To him, humanity's retreat was nothing but cowardice; he refused to believe a small fortress could stop him. He scoffed and muttered to himself:
"Hmph... You think a mere fortress can stop me?"
Zod spread his wings and took off to the top of the fortress. After landing, he adjusted his body and gathered all his strength into his fist, then slammed it down hard on the bricks at the top of the fortress.
A clear cracking sound rang out instantly, not from the bricks of the fortress, but from his own arm.
Intense pain instantly spread from his hand to his entire body. Zuo De could clearly feel the extreme pain caused by the broken bones. All the bones in his fist were broken, and his originally taut muscles became soft and weak due to the broken bones.
As the dust slowly settled, Zod looked down at his hands, then at the structure atop the fortress, a hint of surprise rising in his heart.
His fist was completely broken, rendering him unable to move normally, while the stone bricks on top of the fortress only showed signs of cracking. Inside the stone bricks was a flat protective structure, and the entire structure was made of huge stone slabs, far exceeding his expectations in hardness.
Zod hadn't expected the fortress built by humans to have such strong protection, and the backlash from that punch added a touch of irritation to his anger.
Inside the inner fortress, all soldiers had aimed their weapons at the ceiling, ready for defense and counterattack. The commander looked up at the ceiling, confirming the protective structure could withstand external attacks, then turned to the soldier beside him who was cranking a wheel and asked:
"Has the intelligence been sent out?"
The soldier, focused on operating the signal horn, responded immediately upon hearing the commander's question:
"It's been sent, and the signal receiver on the other side has responded."
The signal was a communication device that had just been installed a few months ago. The operator used binoculars to observe the direction of signal transmission and adjusted the position of the two wheels on the tower by rotating the wheel to transmit basic combat information and at the same time confirm whether the receiving signal had responded.
Outside the inner fortress, the bones in Zod's hand began to heal on their own, the broken bones slowly pieced back together, the pain gradually subsided, and his damaged body rapidly recovered under the effect of his self-healing ability.
He stared at the sturdy inner fortress for a long time, his frustration growing stronger. Repeated attacks failed to break through the defenses, and the humans remained hidden inside, too afraid to come out. This standoff seemed meaningless to him.
He spoke again, his tone full of impatience:
"Boring, they're just a bunch of humans who only know how to run away."
Zod stopped worrying about breaching the inner fortress, spread his wings, adjusted his posture, and prepared to take off and leave this troublesome area.
Just as Zuo De was about to take off, a clear sound of footsteps came from behind him. The footsteps were steady and regular, without the slightest panic.
Zuo De abruptly stopped taking off, turned around sharply to look in the direction from which the sound came, and saw a person dressed in priest's robes. The person did not try to avoid him and walked straight toward him without showing any fear in his eyes.
Zod looked at the priest before him, a hint of curiosity rising in his heart. The humans he had encountered before had either fled in panic or fought back with guns; none had ever dared to confront him like this. He felt that the human before him might be worth fighting, so he spoke up:
"Roar, human, you're not afraid of me? Looks like you want to fight me."
The priest stopped a short distance from Zod, looked up at the monster before him, and spoke calmly:
“You are a very impolite person, but you will soon learn manners. I will torture your body severely so that your soul will become humble.”
Zuo De frowned, a sense of doubt rising in his heart. The other party's words were illogical, and he couldn't understand their meaning at all, or even be sure if the other party's words were directed at him.
The priest ignored Zod's reaction and continued speaking, his tone carrying a kind of obsessive stubbornness:
"The God of Light has chosen me to fight you. Saint John is the teacher, and you are the student. I am the instrument he uses to teach you. When I grab your neck, you will beg me to spare your life, and your heart will open to God."
After saying this, the priest slowly opened his arms and raised his voice, as if proclaiming some sacred mission:
"God's teachings are so beautiful..."
Zuo De was completely certain that the priest in front of him was in an abnormal mental state and was a completely irrational madman.
The slight interest he had initially felt vanished instantly. All he wanted was to leave this place as soon as possible and get rid of this inexplicable madman. The only thought in his mind was to get out of this awful place quickly.
Zod ignored the priest and pushed hard again to prepare for takeoff. His wings began to flap, and his body slowly left the ground.
At that very moment, a dazzling golden light emanated from the priest's pupils and mouth, growing ever brighter until it enveloped his face.
A powerful energy rapidly gathered before the priest, and a thick beam of light quickly formed within the golden light. The beam, carrying intense heat and immense impact, shot straight towards Zod in the air without hesitation.