From Titan Corporation to the Empire of Man

Chapter 773 What is Imperial-Style Combat?

? !
A large number of enemy troops are surrounding this place?

The news spread like wildfire throughout the stronghold.

Instantly, almost all the rebel soldiers' eyes, filled with suspicion, anger, and fear, turned to Leon, Mike, and Maggie.

The air was thick with the acrid smell of distrust, more pungent than the impending battle.

"It's them! They must have brought them here!"

"They'd only been here a short while when the enemy arrived! What a coincidence!"

"These so-called 'Imperial agents' are nothing but bait for the National Guard!"

A chorus of excited accusations rose and fell, and many soldiers even subconsciously turned their guns slightly toward Lyon and his men.

This is understandable, given that betrayal, infiltration, and traps were a daily nightmare they had to face during the brutal two decades-long struggle.

The timing of Lyon's arrival and the enemy's surprise attack was so perfect that it was hard not to connect the two.

It is highly likely that these three people exposed this forward resistance stronghold on their way here, or through some unknown means.

A brief, heated argument was about to erupt.

Several agitated young soldiers surrounded them, their faces a mixture of anger at being betrayed and despair at facing a hopeless situation.

"Calm down! Everyone calm down!" Nikolai tried to control the situation, but his voice was drowned out by the noise.

Just then, Leon stepped forward. His voice wasn't loud, but it carried a calmness that pierced through the chaos, clearly reaching everyone's ears:

Arguing is pointless!

He spoke resolutely, his gaze meeting the hostile stares head-on, “We stand here, armed, facing the enemy alongside you. This is our stance.”

"We are not traitors to humanity; that word doesn't exist in the Imperial Investigation Department's dictionary."

He changed the subject, pointing outside: "It's a waste of time to investigate who's responsible now."

More likely, one of your squads was not careful enough in a previous operation and was tracked down by enemy reconnaissance units or informants.

But now, that doesn't matter anymore!

His voice carried an undeniable determination: "The most important, and only important, thing right now is to organize an immediate evacuation! Only by preserving our forces can we continue the fight!"

Before he finished speaking, Leon cocked his custom Gauss submachine gun with a "click," the unique, crisp metallic clang standing out amidst the noise.

He stopped looking at the questioning soldiers and instead turned his gaze directly to the opposing commander, Nikolai.

Almost simultaneously, Maggie and Mike also drew their weapons without hesitation.

Maggie held a pair of modified fighting daggers that shimmered with a ghostly blue energy, while Mike gripped his large-caliber pistol.

The three instantly entered a state of combat readiness, forming a defensive triangle back to back, silently declaring that they would face the upcoming battle together.

"."

Nikolai looked at the three "strangers" who had instantly prepared for battle, then at his subordinates who were filled with indignation, but more so with fear, and fell into a brief silence.

The veteran's intuition and reason told him that these three men were not acting; their eyes and actions indicated that they were ready to fight the enemy.

However, internal suspicion and division are the greatest enemies at this moment.

Nikolai quickly raised his head, his eyes regaining the decisiveness expected of a commander, and his booming voice drowned out all the noise:

"Agent Kennedy is right! Now is not the time for infighting! Our most important task now is to evacuate! We cannot let those coalition and National Guard scumbags succeed in wiping out our precious fighting force!"

He ignored the grumbling of the few and began issuing orders quickly and clearly—

"First squad! Commanded by Sergeant Ivanov, they will remain here to cover the rear and delay the enemy's advance!"

"Everyone else! Immediately destroy sensitive documents, take necessary equipment, and evacuate through the underground passage according to Emergency Evacuation Plan No. 3! Abandon the current stronghold immediately! Act quickly!"

Once the order was given, the base immediately sprang into action. Although the atmosphere remained tense, the clear instructions brought the chaos under control.

At this moment, Leon said to Nicolas, "Captain, Agent Shaw and I will also stay here to assist in covering the rear."

He looked at Mike and said, “Mike, you will evacuate with the main force of the resistance. Keep the encrypted communication channels open and guide us to the evacuation route and rendezvous point.”

This arrangement startled Nicholas, who immediately objected: "Agent Kennedy! You are an intelligence unit, not the most dangerous positions in the front lines! The rearguard duty should be our responsibility, and ensuring your safety is also our responsibility."

“Captain,” Leon interrupted, his tone firm, “from the moment we set foot on this land, we have been on the front lines! There is no distinction between front and rear.”

not to mention."

His gaze swept over the soldiers who had previously questioned them. "Since some of you believe that we brought the enemy here, it is our responsibility to prove our innocence with concrete actions and cover your safe retreat. This is the best way."

He stepped forward, almost face to face with Nikolai, his voice low but powerful: "Alright, Captain, stop passing the buck. Time is of the essence; every second is a matter of life and death. It's time to get started."

Looking into Lyon's unwavering gaze and sensing the resolve and responsibility in his words, Nicola's Adam's apple bobbed, and he ultimately swallowed back his words of dissuasion.

Then, he patted Leon on the shoulder heavily, everything was understood without saying a word.

"Alright! Take care!" Nikolai didn't hesitate any longer, turned around and shouted, "First Squad! Ivanov! You and your men, and Anna, stay here to cooperate with Agent Kennedy and Agent Shaw!"

"Everyone else, follow me and retreat!"

Ultimately, a class of seven rebel soldiers, including Anna, the girl who had led the way, were left behind to carry out the dangerous rearguard mission.

As promised, Leon and Maggie remained at the front line, which was about to become a bloody battlefield.

Gunshots could be faintly heard from outside.
Snapped.
clatter.
The sporadic gunfire outside, like a dying pulse, soon ceased completely.

This means that the hidden sentries deployed in the surrounding area have been swiftly eliminated by those so-called coalition soldiers and National Guard traitors with overwhelming force.

The heavy footsteps, the roar of armored vehicle engines, and the low, cacophony of enemy communicators pressed in from all directions like a tightening noose.

The rebel soldiers who remained in this dilapidated apartment building had faces filled with determination and tension.

Following pre-arranged plans, they all took up advantageous positions within the building—

Windows, gaps in broken walls, stairwell corners—fabricated fortifications built with sandbags and scrap metal stand ready, fingers gripping the trigger guards, breathing heavy with suppressed tension.

On the second floor, in a window seat with a relatively open view, Leon had already set up his Gauss submachine gun and adjusted the focus of the scope.

The young woman named Anna, clutching an old-fashioned rifle fitted with an optical sight, lay prone beside him. Her face was somewhat pale, but her eyes held an unusually firm gaze.

"Uncle."

Anna suddenly spoke in a low voice, her eyes still fixed on the approaching enemy figures outside the window, "If things don't look good, don't hesitate, follow me and retreat immediately. I know a few hidden routes."

She paused, seemingly organizing her thoughts, "Although...although my first reaction was to suspect that you were the ones who brought this bunch of bastards, my gut feeling tells me it wasn't you."

Therefore, ensuring your safety is now one of my top priorities.

She expressed a trust based on battlefield instinct, which is especially precious to resistance fighters who have survived betrayal.

After saying that, she seemed to remember something, looked around, and asked in confusion, "By the way, where did Ms. Maggie go? I haven't seen her."

Leon's gaze didn't leave the scope; he merely tilted his head towards the window, his tone calm as if stating a given fact: "My colleague? She's already outside."

As he spoke, Leon added something that made Anna's pupils shrink:

"She is prepared to engage those traitors in battle first."

? ? ! !
"What? Outside the door?! Alone??" Anna almost lost her voice, and the faces of the nearby resistance soldiers were instantly filled with astonishment and disbelief.

What's outside the door?
That was an open area that was about to be completely surrounded by more than two hundred heavily armed enemies.

To deliberately expose oneself to the enemy's crossfire without seeking cover is tantamount to suicide!

What's the difference between this and waiting to be riddled with bullets?
"What on earth is she doing?!"

Anna's voice trembled with fear and confusion as she looked anxiously at Leon, hoping for an explanation.

Lyon's expression remained unchanged; he simply calmly instructed, "Don't panic, just wait for the signal."

His voice carried a reassuring tone, "Now, everyone, do not fire first, remain concealed."

Despite being filled with immense doubt and unease, seeing Leon's composure, Anna and the surrounding soldiers could only suppress the urge to pull the trigger and choose to temporarily trust these mysterious "Imperial agents."

They held their breath, watching the solitary, proud figure standing alone in front of the ruins outside the window.

Meanwhile, outside the apartment building, the coalition forces and National Guard, who were forming an encirclement, were equally shocked.

?

They saw a woman, a woman who looked tall but seemed "unarmed," calmly walking out of the bunker alone and standing in the middle of the open space, facing their army of more than two hundred men.
This is simply the most blatant contempt for their military power.

It's important to understand that among them were not only numerous National Guard traitors, but also many well-equipped and well-trained Union soldiers—the true elite compared to the traitors.

After a brief moment of shock, the loudspeaker on a wheeled armored vehicle came on, and a voice that seemed to belong to a National Guard traitorous officer rang out, carrying an air of condescending arrogance and a hint of provoked annoyance:
"Listen up, you inside! You are completely surrounded! Lay down your weapons and surrender immediately! This is your only way out! Think of your families, your friends! Don't drag them down with your futile resistance! Your struggle is pointless! Surrender now!"

However, before he could finish speaking—

Ta-ta-ta-!
A burst of rapid, precise fire from a Gauss submachine gun suddenly shattered the brief silence brought about by the surrender negotiations.

Maggie, who had been standing still, suddenly raised her Gauss submachine gun and, without the slightest hesitation, began firing directly at the armored vehicle.

The spiked bullet, with its extremely high initial velocity, left the barrel, leaving an almost invisible trail.

The first volley of fire, as if guided by eyes, pierced directly through the skull of the National Guard captain who was shouting, tearing his helmet apart like paper, and sending him crashing backward.

This is not over yet.

The spiked projectiles, with their extremely strong armor-piercing capabilities, continued their momentum, penetrating the seemingly thick bulletproof glass of the driver's compartment and the armor of the side turrets.

A cloud of blood mist instantly exploded inside the vehicle, and the driver and gunner were killed before they could even scream.

The armored vehicle, like a dead steel behemoth, suddenly stalled.

!!!

All of this happened too fast, too suddenly.

After a brief silence, the enemy forces launched a fierce counterattack.

"Fire! Take her down!!"

"Kill that bastard!!"

The National Guard traitors, terrified and enraged, hastily retaliated, unleashing a barrage of automatic weapons that rained down on Maggie like a deluge.

The coalition soldiers also demonstrated their professionalism, immediately seeking cover and firing precise short bursts in an attempt to suppress the formidable target.

But Maggie reacted faster.

The instant she opened fire, she began a high-speed, erratic tactical evasive run at a speed beyond human limits.

Her figure weaved through the hail of bullets, sometimes rolling, sometimes stopping abruptly and changing direction. The dense bullets often only hit the afterimage of her a fraction of a second ago, or kicked up a series of dust particles on the ground behind her.

What's even more astonishing is that while performing this extremely difficult dodge, she was also able to calmly change magazines while running and continuously counterattack enemies in exposed positions with precise short bursts of fire!
The distinctive firing sound of the Gauss submachine gun echoed across the battlefield, and almost every time it rang out, it was accompanied by the fall of an enemy.

Just as Maggie drew most of the firepower, throwing the enemy formation into chaos—

"boom!"

A coalition soldier who was hiding behind a bunker and preparing to fire a rocket launcher fell to the ground.

Lyon opened fire.

Through his scope, he calmly searched for valuable targets, while simultaneously shouting to the group of resistance soldiers:
"Now! This is the signal! Fire!"

The remaining resistance soldiers, who had been holding back their energy for a long time, were overwhelmed with shock, but even more so with a renewed fighting spirit!
Without further hesitation, they leaned out from their respective firing positions and unleashed their pent-up anger!

"beat!"

"For our fallen compatriots!"

"Cover Ms. Maggie!"

The sounds of rifles and light machine guns filled the air. Although the weapons were old, the accurate firepower effectively suppressed the enemies who were trying to flank Maggie, providing her with valuable cover.

What was originally expected to be a one-sided siege turned into a fierce and chaotic battle of attack and defense due to Maggie's groundbreaking attack and the suppressive fire of the resistance forces.

The Empire's agents, in their own way, showed the world's resistance what Imperial-style combat truly meant.
(End of this chapter)