Armor-piercing bullets don't believe in carbon-based monsters

Chapter 292 Three Gunshots
uprising.

This wasn't the first time Li Xian had heard this term.

But he never imagined that the word would be used on himself.

Perhaps, in essence, the so-called "uprising" is just a disguised form of betrayal.

But who can definitively say that all betrayals in this world are wrong?

After talking with He Shuo, Li Xian kept thinking about this issue.

But no matter how he thought about it, he couldn't give himself a definite answer.

So he could only try his best to convince himself to wait a little longer, to see how things went, and to give things a little more time.

What if the situation changes?
What if it was never necessary to go that far?

The hope is slim, but it can't be completely hopeless, can it?
After leaving the room where He Shuo was temporarily staying, Li Xian returned to his own residence.

He had been worried that the Holy Army, sent by the Holy Church to "oversee the battle," would question his whereabouts, but in fact, no one cared about his whereabouts at all.

Their only job seemed to be ensuring that the Guardians of Hanshui City would go outside the city to fight the monster as planned.

As for what the bishop himself was supposed to do, it was meaningless to them.

sorrow.

Li Xian vaguely realized that he had already been abandoned.

Just as He Shuo said, even if he carried out the orders of the Holy Church without fail, as long as he lost the only power he had, namely the Guardians of the Faith in Hanshui City, he would eventually be kicked out of the core of power of the Mechanicus.

The only difference is whether it's "decent" or "indecent".

Thinking of this, Li Xian couldn't help but sigh.

He pushed open his bedroom door and reached out to find the light switch.

After pulling down the shutter, he found that the light did not turn on.

Only then did he realize that he, the newly appointed councilor of Hanshui City and bishop of the Cult of Machine God, couldn't even save a single battery.

All generators and batteries have been requisitioned by the Holy Army, and most of them have been sent to Jinling to realize the Holy One's "Great Electricity Restoration Plan".

The few that remained were taken by the Holy Army for their own use.

Now, having grown accustomed to using electric lights, I can only light candles like other ordinary people.
-
But what's even more absurd is that he never prepared candles at home.

Since we don't need it, who would prepare this thing?
He stumbled and groped his way forward, hoping to find his bed and simply sleep until dawn.

But just then, a sneer suddenly came from the darkness.

"It must feel terrible to fall from the top of power, right?"

"Who?"

Li Xian cautiously reached for the pistol at his waist. The man in the darkness spoke again:

"Don't be nervous, it's me."

"Zhou Yan".

"Zhou Yan?"

Li Xian instantly breathed a sigh of relief.

"Why are you back? Didn't you lead your men north?"

There's no need to go.

Zhou Yan flicked the candle in his hand and lit it, illuminating Li Xian's path to the table he had been fumbling around for a while without finding it. He then sat down and began to speak:
"The entire northwest has been completely swallowed up by the beast tide, and a large number of monsters are gathering."

“A few days ago, we could organize hunting teams to find opportunities to ambush and kill a few lone monsters, but now it’s completely impossible.”

"There are too many monsters, and they are too densely distributed."

"Even if we manage to kill one or two during the operation, we will be completely blocked by the monsters that arrive later because we don't have time to retreat."

"So, we're not going to take any more risks."

"The Holy Father has issued a new order: all Holy Blood members must abandon all previously assigned tasks and move towards Jinling New City."

"If we encounter a city that is willing to follow our migration, we will assist the local civilians in their relocation."

"If you are unwilling or do not have enough time, you can choose to postpone it after leaving a reasonable number of people to assist in the defense."

"So, I've come here to say my final goodbye to you."

"We're going to Jinling New City."

"After this beast tide, we may never have the chance to meet again."

"Although we have different positions, I must tell you that you are indeed a respectable person."

".clear."

Li Xian nodded slowly.

After a few seconds of silence, he spoke:
"Leaving a reasonable number of personnel for defense actually means that there is no need to leave personnel for defense."

"So, Hanshui City has actually been abandoned, right?"

"Correct."

Zhou Yan answered without hesitation, and after receiving the answer, Li Xian seemed to have made up his mind and suddenly spoke:
"You don't have to leave."

"why?"

Zhou Yan asked in confusion:

"You don't really think your strength is enough to stop the beast tide, do you?"

“That’s not just a few or a dozen monsters. According to our reconnaissance in the northwest, the current beast tide has reached more than 400.”

"And these four hundred monsters will eventually all head to Jinling New City."

"They may not necessarily pass directly through Hanshui City, but judging from the surrounding terrain and the monsters' activity patterns, at least some of the monsters will pass through Hanshui City in a 'dispersed' manner."

"And even if it's just"

"No."

Li Xian interrupted Zhou Yan and then said:

"I didn't mean to drag you into defending Hanshui City with me."

"What I mean is, we can have the Huaxia army help us defend Hanshui City."

"Good idea, but unrealistic."

Zhou Yan shook his head.

"Currently, the Huaxia Army's main defensive focus is on Jinling New City. They have already set up a fairly solid defensive line there, and the results of the previous two battles against the beast tide have proven that their choice was correct."

"They have no reason to support a city that doesn't belong to them."

"What if this city belonged to them?"

As soon as he finished speaking, Zhou Yan was stunned.

"What do you mean?"

"Today, the leaders of the Huaxia Army have found me."

"He clearly conveyed the message of the Huaxia Army to me."

"He hoped I would revolt and surrender."

"An uprising and surrender?!"

Zhou Yan subconsciously repeated the four words. Unlike Li Xian when he first heard them, he understood the meaning behind the suggestion almost immediately.

"So, he hopes a rebellion will break out in Hanshui City?"

"Yes."

Li Xian nodded again.

"I have decided to heed the advice of the Chinese army."

"I'm going to lead the Christian protectors of Hanshui City in an uprising. I was originally considering how to eliminate the Holy Army supervising the battle within the city, but now that you've arrived..."

"Perhaps we can join forces?"

"I need to consult with the Father."

Zhou Yan stood up.

"Don't worry, it won't take up too much time."

I will give you an answer as soon as possible.

"it is good."

Li Xian breathed a sigh of relief.

Making this decision did not make him feel at ease.

On the contrary, he could clearly feel something much heavier pressing down on him. But perhaps, this wasn't a bad thing?
Twelve hours later, outside the city of Hanshui.

The remnants of the Christian Guard, dragging their wounded and damaged equipment, returned to the outskirts of Hanshui City.

Without a doubt, their mission has completely failed.

Without sufficient intelligence support, enough trained veterans, adequate weaponry, or even adequate logistical supplies, their attack on the monster was a complete and purely one-off operation.

If we can win, we will; if we can't, this is the result.

The number of personnel lost by the Guardians of the Church reached an astonishing third, and even among the two-thirds who managed to escape, there were dozens of wounded.

Of the 300-strong team, only 150 remained combat-ready.

Even the morale of these 150 men had long been completely destroyed.

Standing in front of the wounded soldiers, Li Xian suppressed the urge to curse and question, and tried his best to calm the team's emotions. However, when faced with the doubts, confusion, and even despair in everyone's eyes, his words of encouragement and comfort seemed extremely pale.

The only thing that could slightly lessen Li Xian's guilt was one thing.

This is the last time.

This is the last pointless battle.

Once that task is completed, the people here will no longer need to needlessly throw away their lives.

He let out a long sigh of relief and straightened up. Just then, Zhou Yan walked up to him.

"I've done what you asked me to do."

"I have arranged for personnel to be deployed around the Holy Army's command post, and personnel have been stationed at most key locations."

"However, even so, we cannot guarantee 100% control."

"Because those supervisory teams were all experienced Guards brigade soldiers, and their camp defenses were quite tight."

"If only we had the assistance of the Chinese army. Their drones and unmanned combat robots could save us a lot of trouble."

"I do think so."

A helpless smile appeared on Li Xian's lips.

"But, as you know, there are some things that only we can do ourselves."

"clear."

Zhou Yan nodded, then continued to ask:

"What about the other preparations? Are they complete?"

"The weapons are ready."

Li Xian lowered his voice slightly and said:

"I have prepared enough weapons for 400 people, including 40 repeating rifles, 100 single-shot rifles, and a large number of flintlock muskets and muzzle-loading guns."

"The firepower should be sufficient. As long as it is properly arranged, there shouldn't be too much of a problem in fighting the supervisory team."

"Regarding casualties, we probably need to prepare in advance."

How many casualties do you expect?

Zhou Yan's expression showed some worry; clearly, he could not trust these low-combat-capability Christian guards.

Fighting a war is not an easy thing, especially when they are facing an enemy that is obviously stronger than themselves.

They will be fearful, suspicious, and refuse to carry out orders for various reasons.

Once the losses exceed a certain threshold, a mutiny is almost inevitable when the collapse occurs.

But Li Xian seems much more optimistic than Zhou Yan.

"With 400 against 40, I expect there will be 50 to 100 casualties."

"After all, those supervisory teams all used Type 75 repeating rifles purchased from the Chinese army."

"The firepower of that rifle is no joke; it's even stronger than the Conqueror rifles of the Templar Guards."

"But no matter what, they are still outnumbered."

“I will divide the 400-strong frigate into eight squads and then cut off all communication between the squads.”

"In this way, even if some squads are routed due to heavy casualties, it will not affect the other squads from continuing their attack."

"A war of attrition?"

Zhou Yan asked subconsciously.

"almost."

Li Xian rubbed his forehead and said:
"According to the Chinese army, this is called the reserve force."

"understood."

Zhou Yan raised his head and looked at the army of Christian protectors who were returning to the city to rest, and said with a slight sigh:
"If you had known there would be an uprising, you should have acted sooner."

"At least this way, the losses caused by this reckless attack can be avoided."

"That's what I thought at first."

Li Xian chuckled.

"But now I understand, it's not that it couldn't have been earlier, it's that the Chinese army had to wait until this happened before making suggestions to me."

"This is actually a condition that must be met."

"If we hadn't experienced this defeat, how could these men under my command have ever mustered the courage to rebel against the sanctuary they have always trusted?"

"really."

Zhou Yan nodded thoughtfully, but then said:

"But judging from this alone, it doesn't seem like enough, does it?"

"Their faith is not so easily shaken, too."

"Therefore, I have no intention of shaking their beliefs—nor does the Chinese army have such an intention."

"He told me a saying called 'purging the emperor's inner circle'."

“I will tell the Apostolic Guard that we are not rebelling against the saint; we are simply being persecuted by those foolish and arrogant Holy Army, and the saint has been deceived by them.”

"Therefore, we must act on behalf of the sage and remove this malignant tumor."

"They won't know what they're really doing. Even if one day the Chinese army takes over this city, they'll still think their 'resistance' is just an act of loyalty to the sage."

At this point, Li Xian fell silent.

Zhou Yan, however, exclaimed in admiration:

"The wisdom of the Chinese army."

"What we can learn from them goes far beyond just weapons and technology."

"Indeed."

Li Xian clapped his hands and stood up.

Then, he spoke:
"Go get ready."

"The uprising will begin in 6 hours."

"At that time, take my three gunshots as the signal and begin the operation according to plan."

"understand!"

After 6 hours.

The sky gradually darkened.

Li Xian slowly loaded the bullet into the pistol magazine, carefully checked it, and then inserted it into the gun.

Then, he pushed open the door and went outside.

He climbed up the ladder set up outside the house to the roof of his dwelling.

At this moment, the setting sun peeked out from the distant horizon with only a small edge.

The last rays of light were fading, and the slightly damp air seemed to have been imbued with the scent of sunshine.

Li Xian looked towards the distant barracks of the Holy Army's supervisory team, where, amidst the bright lights, the aroma of food wafted faintly on the breeze.

He took a deep breath and raised the pistol in his hand.

Then, after the sun had completely set, he pulled the trigger.

"boom!"

"boom!"

"boom!"

(End of this chapter)