Wasteland Echoer.

Chapter 632 A Tentative Attack (Part 2)

"Then let's cast an ice wall. This simple spell won't consume much magic power." Dark continued to silently recite the incantation for binding spirits.

Immediately afterwards, he suddenly tensed the muscles in his right arm, took a half step forward, and stretched out half of his arm outside the abandoned building, just in time to avoid the direction of the sniper's shot, and pressed it hard against the ground.

Buzz, buzz, buzz.

The magical fluctuations and the booming sound of magical energy briefly reached the ears of Dak and Adaloni. Both of them were at the "secondary" or higher level of magical energy order, possessing "divinity". This simple and relatively small fluctuation of magical energy only caused them to experience a brief pause in consciousness before they quickly returned to normal.

If an ordinary federal soldier were standing next to him, someone with a strong will would at least sway and take half a day to recover; someone with a slightly weaker will would probably bleed from all seven orifices and collapse instantly.

Amidst the continuous sounds of magical energy, drops of dense moisture in the air began to gather.

Fortunately, a few days after the sandstorm raged, a large amount of rain fell here. Although much of it turned into snow and some evaporated, it greatly increased the humidity in the air, which was a blessing for Dark's water-based magic power.

After all, even a skilled cook can't cook without rice, and everything that exists in nature can perhaps be used as a source of magical power.

Click, click, click.

Soon, ice pillars began to rise rapidly from the ground, initially appearing sparse like prison fences. As the infusion of magical energy intensified, they quickly expanded outwards, completely filling all gaps and transforming into a solid wall of ice.

"Let's go!" Darke whispered.

Seeing this, Adaloni actually grabbed Dark's relatively thin body, leaped off the ground, and drew a perfect, almost parabolic trajectory behind the ice wall.

He and Dark rolled several times on the ground. It seemed that the group of superhumans had been watching them ever since the ice wall appeared.

The moment they burst out of the abandoned building, they pulled the triggers of their sniper rifles and assault rifles.

Amidst a hail of bullets, Dark and Adaloni reacted swiftly, opening the car door, inserting the key, and starting the "Icefield" mechanical battle vehicle.

bump!
The relatively sharp front crossbar of the "Icefield" mechanized combat vehicle was designed from the outset specifically to break through ice and rescue Federation soldiers trapped in extreme weather in the frigid zone.

Dark poured not much magical energy into the ice walls; although they were sturdy, they were only barely enough to stop bullets.

After breaking through the ice wall he had set up, and the two buildings in front of him that were now just ruins, Dark concluded that this group of superhumans could not possibly be carrying any heavy weapons.

After all, for the Federation's superhumans, carrying heavy weapons when carrying out missions related to extraordinary abilities is a sign of a lack of confidence in their own strength and a display of cowardice towards the enemy.

During his three years of service to the Federation in Mayan City, Dark did just that. As the captain of various extraordinary missions, Dark had a fairly good understanding of the psychology of these superhumans.

"It's just ahead, behind that abandoned church, and the enemy is right next to that even bigger ancient tree!" A crimson light, unique to dragons, flashed in Adaloni's eyes. His status as a "Conqueror" allowed him to unleash more of his dragon bloodline when facing humans, generating an element called "pride" within him.

The "Arrogance" element can increase Adaloni's strength, agility, and physical strength, and also make him faster when using magic power skills.

hum!
Da da da!
hum!
Da da da!
The gunshots and the "Khitan Lis Ring" around Adaloni's neck created a strange resonance. Coupled with the "Icefield" mechanical chariot breaking through the wall twice in succession, this series of exciting sounds made the small battlefield seem to be playing a melody that was even more amazing and exciting than "Erythia".

Clearly, the other superhumans, like Dark, were able to sense the general level of the other's magical energy. However, they never expected that Dark and Adaloni would drive their mechanical chariot straight toward them.

"A bunch of lunatics!" the leader-like figure cursed.

The instant the mechanical chariot charged toward the ancient tree, they swiftly gathered the various magical energies within their bodies. Amidst a flurry of flashes, they soared into the air, displaying a graceful, diving-like posture before landing firmly on their feet opposite the mechanical chariot.

At the same time, after the intense smoke from the mechanical vehicle dissipated, Dark and Adaloni stood opposite the group of superhumans.

However, as they jumped off the mechanical vehicle, both Dark and Yaroni drew their pistols at lightning speed, loaded them, and aimed them at the enemy in front of them.

Only then did Dark see clearly that there were five superhumans in front of him, which seemed to be the configuration of a federal superhuman assault team.

These teams are small in number, but most of them have a "Pain" to "Hope" rank, which is Order 5 to Order 4. By convention, they would infiltrate important enemy military facilities or the residences of the core members of the Lost Ones to carry out assassination and sabotage missions.

However, during Vasily's tenure as governor, these superhuman assault teams mostly carried out small missions on the border. After all, Vasily was superstitious about power, and he always believed that only by completely defeating the Lost Ones on the front lines and completely annihilating the "heartless" could the final victory be achieved, which led to the "Gnady Line".

Shaneva's own army was significantly weakened, barely able to control the strongholds between Novayask and Khoputov. With limited strength, coupled with the continuous transport of supplies through underground pipelines in Nabrius that were not connected to the "ground line," Shaneva's siege strategy was on the verge of collapse.

Therefore, she wanted to send a large number of superhuman assault teams to restrict the transport capacity of these pipelines, providing cover for a larger-scale attack plan. To ensure their numerical advantage, Dark and Adaloni took advantage of the moment when the smoke cleared and the superhuman team was still reeling from the impact of the mechanical vehicles, quickly firing shots into the abdomen and chest of three people, temporarily incapacitating them.

boom! boom! boom!
Three shots were fired in quick succession. After the three shots, bright red blood seeped from the light yellow combat uniforms of the superhumans. Since these superhumans disregarded weapons, they naturally disregarded mechanical technology as well. It was unlikely that they were wearing the latest replicas of various mechanical armors from the Federal Council.

When faced with bullets, especially the "Mad Bear" pistol, a weapon with power comparable to a hand cannon, there is little resistance.

However, both Dark and Adaloni tacitly kept a backup plan and did not exterminate these superhumans.

After all, Wright was still in their hands. If Shaneva knew that Dak and his men were killing Federation soldiers indiscriminately, she would think that they had completely sided with Nebrius, which would be extremely detrimental to Wright, and even to "Ray Page" who had returned to Novayask.

Seeing that Dark was extremely threatening, yet had a hidden attack in store, the superhuman knew he was no match for him. However, the Federal Military Law stipulated that they could not retreat or lay down their weapons when facing an enemy's attack.

Therefore, the captain, still holding his gun, removed the furry, bionic wolf mask with one hand and carefully observed the "enemy" in front of him.

"You are, Commander Dark Tiris, right? And the one beside you is Adaloni, the dragon who went missing from the capital, right?" the leading captain guessed.

“That’s right. Since you know it’s us, why don’t you leave? I’m still an officer in the Federal Council. Even though Nebrius has been stripped of all his posts and declared a traitor and war criminal, Shaneva has never issued an appointment for me. You can simply run away without clashing with your superiors or violating the Federal Military Law.” Dak tried to show some goodwill to ease the tense atmosphere.

Seeing this, the leading captain gave a Cruz salute and then introduced himself:
“Commander Dak, my name is Maxim Chidanriga. I used to belong to the Icefall City Guard, which was a direct subordinate unit of the Strategic Regiment. I was a Hurricane 1st rank. We met briefly last year when you went to the capital for training according to Vasily’s orders to the Strategic Regiment. Perhaps you don’t remember me.”

“He looks somewhat familiar, but a lot of strange things happened during that period, and I couldn’t possibly remember them all,” Dark replied, carefully observing Maxim in front of him.

His upper face had the typical features of a Krusk: a high, straight nose, fair skin, and blue eyes. His lower face, however, was slightly yellowish, with a delicate, almost Khitan-Risi appearance, and his lips were somewhat feminine, giving him a cute look.

However, a large area of ​​healed burns on the right side of his face made his entire face look somewhat sinister and terrifying. But judging from the overall outline and appearance, the captain in front of him was only about 21 or 22 years old.

It seems that the waves of "heartless people" at the beginning of the year dealt a heavy blow to the military power of the Federal Council. The rumors that veterans and skilled superhumans had all perished in the "Battle of the Capital" were not unfounded.

After all, the high-ranking officers that Shaneva is currently promoting are all a bunch of greenhorns.

“However, you’re a newly appointed officer, aren’t you? As far as I know, those ‘servants’ of the strategic regiment who provided us with assistance during last year’s training weren’t of high rank.” Dak tried to get more information from Maxim.

“Indeed, after escaping from the 'Heartless' hordes in Icefall City, I came to Novayask to report to Commander Shaneva. The Federation had a plan called 'Momos's Departure,' and the part relevant to me was: once the capital falls into the hands of the 'Heartless' or the Lost Ones, all surviving members of the Strategic Regiment, after completing their defense mission, must go to Novayask and seek the assistance of the local administrator to carry out a recapture mission,” Maxim replied.

“In that case, Shaneva’s appointment as head of the Federation Council and head of the Federation’s administration is not necessarily the result of usurpation of power, but rather has a legitimate legal basis. No wonder she can command such a large following, and why Novayask is the first choice for those fleeing from the west,” Dakmo analyzed, stroking his chin.

“Actually, Commander Shaneva has always hoped that Commander Dak would rejoin the team and return to the Federation. Our ‘Transport Assault Team 1’s main objective this time was to destroy the underground pipelines of the ‘Former 02’ military outpost, hindering the traitors' supply transport. But…” Maxim said, tossing his black pistol to the ground to show his sincerity in negotiations, “…”

"All the superhuman squads have received a common order: to find you and Adaloni, or at least to find out your exact location. Commander Shaneva needs talent, both in the current war and in the post-war reconstruction. Stay in Crusad and stand with the Federal Council; Shaneva can offer you very generous terms."

"What are the conditions? Tell me." Dak did not put down the "Imitation-Mad Bear" pistol in his hand.

Shaneva was, after all, a relatively ruthless and vicious woman. Almost none of the women who could sit on the throne of the supreme leader could still retain the gentleness that is unique to women.

He couldn't completely trust Shaneva, and naturally couldn't ascertain the truthfulness of Maxim's words. If Shaneva's order was to execute him and Adaloni, Maxim had every reason to lower his guard with highly tempting conditions before launching a surprise attack.

There is an old saying among the Khitans: All's fair in war.

Maxim seemed oblivious to the hostility lurking within Dak and continued answering on his own:

"Your friend, Wright Sogra, is currently at the 'hub office' of the former '08' military outpost. Shaneva has prepared a rather luxurious room for him, and the Federation Council is doing its best to meet all his needs, whether it be food, supplies, or weapons."

"Commander Shaneva's thirst for outstanding talent is like the vampires' thirst for fresh blood. Commander Dak, you and Wright, as long as you agree to continue serving the Federation, can both join the Federation Council, the highest body that holds federal power."

"'Federal Council'?" Darke muttered dismissively.

“Of course,” Maxim nodded.

"Commander Shaneva's idea is that after the victory of the 'Fall of Atlas' campaign, you and Wright will first go to the strategic regiment or the administrative regiment for a period of training, and then fight alongside the army, and then serve as a legion commander or something."

"Of course, Commander Shaneva will provide you with all the resources the Federation can mobilize. You can use the food, weapons, and even ordinal monsters or replicas of old Empire weapons in the 'Evolution Platforms' in various places. As long as you are willing to become a member of the Federation Council, the next Krusd Administrator after Shaneva and Commander Mikhail will be you or Light Sogra."

"Pie in the sky?" Dark glanced at Mikhail with disdain, finding his already ugly face even more repulsive. "The situation is so dire right now. Even if Shaneva wins, even if he needs to promote a group of young officers, even if Wright and I can join the Federation Council, do you think we'll be able to utilize our talents in a Federation that's on the verge of collapse?"