Wasteland Echoer.

"You mean, the 'new snake girl', the thing that looks like Medusa is actually a...something like a 'guard'?" Yaroslav found it unbelievable. Even under the cover of goggles, people around him could clearly see his wide frown.

The Crusaders, whether old or young, soldiers or workers, all worship and respect Ivan XXII from the bottom of their hearts, the emperor who led the Crusaders to greatness.

Even though Yaroslav already knew that Ivan XXII's "New Construction Plan" was inextricably linked to the "New Dollar Crisis", he was also very clear that the "artificial fire of divine punishment" buried in the "Red Fantasy Ruins" that was initiating the explosion program was the sinful act committed by Ivan XXII to destroy the entire Cruzde area after his death.

But Yaroslav still believed that Ivan XXII was just a momentary thought away, and that he overreacted due to his unrealistic fear of an illusory future heading towards destruction.

Or maybe it was just a group of stupid scientists led by Ivanov who bewitched the great emperor.

But when the slightly unpopular but also common Cruz German word "guard" appeared in his ears, his admiration for Ivan XXII collapsed briefly.

However, reality did not give him the opportunity to feel overly disappointed or blamed. The sounds of artillery explosions outside the window that seemed to tear the hills apart suggested that the war was still moving in a fierce direction. The painful screams of the [warriors] and the complete silence as if stepping into the realm of death showed that the "newly created snake girl" had walked out of the bloody fog and launched an attack again.

In other words, now is not the time to worry about "guarding". As the commander-in-chief of this war, Yaroslav must make his battlefield decision.

After hesitating for two or three seconds, Yaroslav suddenly raised his head, stared into Igor's ambiguous eyes under his goggles, and asked a key question:

"The Federation Council... that is, my old boss Vasily, has he known about the existence of the 'New Snake Girl' for a long time, and also known about her 'petrification ability'?"

"Do you want to hear the truth?" Ross stood in front of Igor, gave him a look that said "don't talk", and then took two steps forward and asked.

"I am not afraid that Commander Vasily will doubt my loyalty, but I must be responsible for the army I command. Perhaps, in your eyes, human life is nothing more than a cold number, nothing more than an existence that is dispensable and can be destroyed in the blink of an eye. But in my eyes, whether it is one person or five people, they are not worthy of being run over by the 'tram'." Yaroslav expressed his attitude in the strongest tone.

"Okay, then I'll tell you." Ross took a deep breath and replied:

"Yes, your guess is correct. The Federal Committee not only knew about the existence of 'MB-1918', but also obtained all the information about it from the 'Evolution Platform' data room in Joeygrad before the 'Artificial Lake' campaign began.

"Due to her 'guarding' duties, the 'New Snake Girl' was designed from the beginning to be a disposable item to be sacrificed in an important battle. In other words, she is as powerful as a god, but the energy to sustain this powerful power is extremely limited..."

As Ross spoke, he took a few deep breaths in an attempt to calm his pounding heart. He knew that once the Federation Committee learned what he had said to Yaroslav, death would be the fate that awaited him.

But Yaroslav didn't bother to observe Ross's expression. Seeing that he stopped, he urged:
"Go on."

"Okay." Ross continued:

"To put it simply, the 'wind wall' is like the oil in a mechanical chariot, which could have been used to continuously supply energy to the 'new snake girl'. But we broke the 'wind wall', which is equivalent to blocking her possibility of 'refueling'. Then, every attack she makes on the Federation [warriors] and every use of her abilities will continue to consume energy.

"This energy is not electricity, fossil energy, or magic power, but the real 'divine energy' related to the gods. In the wasteland era, this energy is unlikely to be replenished. Therefore, the Federal Committee concealed the information about the 'newly created snake girl' just to let the first batch of [warriors] who rushed to the front serve as cannon fodder to consume the 'divine energy'."

“Can the Federal Council…really use the lives of its own [soldiers] as tools for sacrifice?” Yaroslav clenched his right fist, which trembled constantly with anger, and finally slammed it hard on the wooden table.

Suddenly, with the trembling sound of the external artillery, the wooden table cracked with an obvious crack that seemed to never be healed, and a few red bloodstains like red spider lilies were dripping on it. "Grandpa... Commander-in-Chief, this statement is easy to be misunderstood. During the war, as the highest command organization, the Federation Council itself did not trust the military commanders and battle commanders of various places." Sofia pulled Yaroslav's arm and advised.

"But how do you explain the 'fireworks of the past'? If the previous act of sacrificing tens of thousands of citizens was for the great 'Evolution Platform' plan, and now the same evil behavior is still being taken against the Federation [Warriors], I have to suspect that Commander Vasily has been bewitched by the 'evil monster'." Yaroslav said in an indignant tone.

"There is no other way, Commander-in-Chief. You are also an experienced commander who has been on the battlefield for a long time. You should be clear about the rules of war. No, not just the rules of war, but the rules of the wasteland world." Ross said in an exceptionally calm, yet devilish tone:

"Death is the eternal topic here, pain is people's lingering nightmare, despair is the tone of terror that cannot be concealed, and hope is the only light we should explore in the fog. Commander Yaroslav, I can tell you responsibly that Commander Vasily's spirit is not polluted, and he is not sick. He is just an idealist that we cannot understand."

"Okay, I know I shouldn't discuss the Federal Council. However, Ross, I now order you in the name of the commander-in-chief of this war to tell me how much 'divine power' the 'Newly Created Snake Girl' possesses is left now?" Yaroslav ordered.

"Yes, Commander-in-Chief." Ross walked quickly to the door of the board house and pushed open the small door that had been stained by artillery fire. He silently chanted the "Central Language" spell used to bind spirits and looked in the direction of the "wind wall".

The blood-red fog that symbolized fear and despair finally disappeared. The ten-meter-tall "newly created snake girl" was wriggling her snake-like body, relying on the small snake on its back to devour the hearts of the federal [warriors] who dared to charge forward.

Soon, flames burst from Ross's hands and poured into his goggles. Golden magical energy lingered in the rest of his head, and a green glow appeared in his eyes.

A few seconds later, he found that the body of the "newly created snake girl" turned into black and white in his eyes, with only a few green light balls shaking constantly in that huge and strange body.

"There is about 20% of 'divine energy' remaining. The 'life aura' that accompanies it and exists in the body of the 'newly created snake girl' is also being consumed continuously. Facts have proved that these 'petrified' federal [warriors] have indeed consumed a lot of her 'divinity'. In other words, sacrifice... is meaningful, commander-in-chief." Ross said with his back to the people who walked out of the board house.

"Now, since our [Warriors] are able to approach the 'New Snake Girl', that means the power that maintains her petrification ability is almost exhausted, right?" Yaroslav asked.

"That's right, Commander-in-Chief." Ross gave an affirmative answer. "Now, although the bombardment still has no good effect, as long as her body is covered with flames, the 'life aura' that cannot escape will burn along with the flames until... this body becomes a fragment more broken than ashes."

"'Thermite's End' can be done. There is still half of the 'Thermite Incendiary Bombs' left that were transported by trucks through Xinfeng Town under Morn's jurisdiction. My Lord... Commander-in-Chief, these ammunition are enough if we don't have to be responsible for the war west of the 'Gnadi Line'." Sophia reminded.

"Then I'll listen to you, Sophia, my granddaughter." Yaroslav looked at Sophia with a rare kind smile and gave orders to the adjutant who had been standing beside him for a long time.

A few minutes later, the "Hyacinth" and other artillery pieces on the front line retreated one or two hundred meters along with the mechanical trucks, and the federal [warriors] that had come into contact with the "Newly Created Snake Girl" also withdrew one after another, freeing up precious space for the "Thermite's Final Silence" to perform.

Then, when the "newly created snake girl" shook her snake tail with a puzzled look on her face and saw that there were no longer any "enemies" on the ground around her, countless shells emitting extreme light, as if they had descended from the heavenly realm to the world, carrying white light that could "purify" everything, fell around her body along with the exciting roar of the aerospace force fighter planes.

Then, a terrible explosion that seemed to tear and destroy the entire world resounded through the sky, shaking the surrounding grass and trees so much that they "jumped" violently. The catastrophic explosion that was extremely consistent with the wasteland world seemed to originate from the body of the "Newly Created Snake Girl" and spread outward.

Even in the fastest time, the "new snake girl" had used her wriggling little snakes to form a perfect battle armor of crying steel chains, and her lower body covered with scales, which resisted most of the direct damage from the explosion.

However, as the "aluminum" continued to cover her body, soon, the inextinguishable flames began to shake like crazy, and together with the maddening roar, a beautiful fantasy scene like purgatory was formed. (End of this chapter)