My wife is the stand-in.

Eradicating evil forces in deep mountains, forests, and underground caves is particularly troublesome. A single river cart driver might not cause a ripple on the plains, but in the mountains, he could block the advance of a third of an army group.

The vast and varied geographical structure of China forms the basis for the existence of chivalrous heroes—they fill the void left by the modern army in areas far from cities, and also serve as guardians for the rapid mobility of cities.

Entering the cave means that the main army cannot utilize its firepower advantage and will need to rely on chivalrous warriors and elite soldiers.

Finally, and most disgustingly, the government reneged on all its previous promises.

This bastard, in order to survive, actually sold his soul to the Taoist Master Zile. His soul was engraved with the Taoist Master Zile's curse, and he could only utter messages permitted by the Taoist Master Zile.

"damn it!"

Even when Amanosaki ambushed him, number 3, who hadn't swore, surprisingly cursed.

"Saying that makes it clear they're making a fool of us!"

He took off his helmet, revealing his bluish scalp and rugged face. Seeing his face, Amanosaki thought of steel, steam, pistons, and other hard features that symbolized the steam industry.

But his eyes were incredibly sharp, unlike those of a rigid soldier; he possessed the cunning of a wild fox.

This is a responsible and shrewd man.

Amanosaki thought this through and, after exchanging ideas with Lin Shuyu, became even more certain of his guess.

At this point, the advance of the Third Army Group of the Bing-class came to a halt, and the troops began to cook.

Theoretically, it's still more than forty minutes to six o'clock, and the army group should quickly leave this low mountain area and set up camp in the open terrain ahead. However, the left flank road is blocked, and the higher-ups need to re-plan the next steps based on the information from the people on the river road, so there has been a delay.

However, it won't take long, probably only about twenty minutes. After all, modern individual soldier rations come with self-heating packs, so it only takes a short time to prepare and eat them.

So Amanosaki and a group of knights hid in the makeshift rain shelter, using the limited warmth brought by the wildfire, and ate together with the soldiers.

Soon, the aroma of cooked food overpowered the bloody smell from the soldiers' armor.

Amanosaki and Hinata Hyuga ate at the army's food rations and sat with Number 3, chatting as they ate.

"Should we still explore the cave?" Amanosaki ate his self-heating rice with braised pork and preserved mustard greens, giving some of the preserved mustard greens to Hinata. Hinata then used white vinegar to wrap the steamed rice and preserved mustard greens into rice balls—she was preparing to enter the cave.

Number 3 sucked on the fat from the spicy pork rib bone, frowned, and spat it onto the ground: "I want it."

"Although this is most likely a trap, the country has made up its mind to kill him. He must die in Hongdu. Even if the Heavenly King himself comes, we will kill him too."

His words carried a hint of ruthlessness, and then he saw the two of them, Amano and Saki, who were deeply in love. Seeing how sweet and harmonious their lives were, as if they were on an autumn outing rather than going to war, Number 3 silently shut his mouth and ate his food heartily.

He suffered a double blow.

Firstly, his own ruthlessness was hardly convincing when faced with Amanosaki, who looked completely innocent but had brutally beaten him. Secondly, although he was married, his wife was only human and couldn't go to the battlefield, so even with the exoskeleton armor's temperature control system, he still felt the autumn wind was freezing cold.

"Hey, please continue," Amanosaki urged, taking a bite of the small rice ball Hinata had made.

"I..." Number 3 cursed inwardly, and after a few seconds of calming down, he continued speaking, but his mind was in turmoil, and his words sounded listless:

"In short, this time we've gathered more than four army groups, and mobilized thousands of elite soldiers and so many chivalrous heroes. We'll search every mountain and sea to capture him, that's it!"

"Huh? That's it?" Hinata's fair and delicate hand, still damp with vinegar, paused, her beautiful eyes blinking in confusion.

"That's it!" Number 3 ate heartily, as if swallowing all his dissatisfaction. "I'm a soldier, and soldiers should talk less and do more!"

He turned around and, amidst playful banter—"Honey, ah~," "Wife's cooking is so good, give me a kiss!" "Ugh...we'll talk about it when we get back!"—he ate sadly.

At this moment, he missed his home terribly, his virtuous wife, and her delicious cooking.

The steaming hot food in my hands no longer tasted good, and my full stomach started growling with hunger again.

Hot tears streamed down my face.

Just as the mealtime was drawing to a close, a series of alarms sounded.

Amanosaki and Lin Shuyu's long-distance communication was interrupted by a mechanical, rigid, synthesized electronic voice:

"Large-scale unauthorized activity detected at Wuji Ridge! Repeat, large-scale unauthorized activity detected at Wuji Ridge! The 797th Armored Brigade of the 2nd Group Army has been ambushed! All units of the nearby 3rd Group Army, please take note and provide immediate support!"

Before the words were even finished, an explosion that shook the mountains, amidst billowing smoke and flames that even caused the wind to rage, shattered the awning above Amanosaki's head.

The icy rain poured down the corner of the hip, soaking Number 3, who was sitting in the corner.

He accidentally spilled his dinner.

"……damn it!"

Number 3 slammed the instantly cooled plastic box onto the ground, his face turning red and then purple.

Chapter 228: The Poison That Corrodes Bones

Toxic steam billowed from the cracks in the rocks, turning the dark clouds overhead a ghostly green.

This fluorescent green color is not vibrant, but represents death.

All organic matter dissolves and becomes invisible under this steam.

The armored vehicle roared as it crushed the brittle bones, and the driver, with tears streaming down his face, drove across the road strewn with the remains of his comrades.

The Second Army Group of the Ding Formation suffered unprecedented heavy losses. Unlike the Third Army Group of the Bing Formation, they did not receive enough heroes from the Hongdu branch to fill the gaps in combat units targeting superpowers. In fact, this army group possessed a large amount of mechanized forces, and its destructive power was the greatest among the army groups gathered in Hongdu.

But all mechanical units require soldiers to operate them, and just over ten minutes ago, a swollen figure suddenly appeared on Wuji Ridge, which blocked the Second Army Group of the T-shaped formation from the target high ground.

It was a fellow wearing tattered monk's robes, his body bloated with fat and decay, clinging to the high ground of Wuji Ridge like a giant turd, and swiftly killing the army on the high ground.

The monster, with a waist roughly estimated at thirty feet and a height exceeding five meters, wriggled its body. Its festering pores, crawling with white maggots, spewed out toxic, acidic gas, enveloping itself in thick, green fog.

In the barely perceptible minor earthquake, this guy became one with Wuji Ridge.

Within minutes, all the shrubs and living things on Wuji Ridge were decomposed by the thick fog into a blackish-green pus that seeped into the damp soil.

The large and small stones that have been exposed again due to the death of plants and animals resemble pustules on a human or toad, shaking and spewing out foul-smelling, high-temperature steam, defiling this world.

The commander of the 797th Armored Brigade once attempted to block this outsider with engineers and tanks before he succeeded—the artillery mounted on the back of the transport vehicle needed sufficient position and time to fire, which could hinder the movement of the entire army group.

But now the brigade commander's frustration and pain were so intense that he felt like he was going to vomit his heart out.

All the engineers and soldiers on the troop carriers died.

As soon as the engineers went up the mountain, their bodies melted in the spreading corrosive mist. The wounded soldiers who were rescued cried out and struggled. No matter how many sedatives were used, they had no effect. Hearing the screams of the wounded soldiers begging for death in the wounded soldiers' camp, the brigade commander of the 797th Armored Brigade felt his heart bleeding.

Worse still, the staff of the 2nd Army Group originally believed that this acidic and toxic vapor was only effective against flesh or living targets, but what followed was the reason why the alarm kept being sent to Amanosaki and Takeshi.

The effective target of these damn steams is organic matter!

In today's world, where technology is advancing rapidly and is even slightly more advanced than in the 21st century, there are no longer machines with pure steel shells like those from World War I!

Polymers, a glorious product of the Second Industrial Revolution, range from synthetic rubber that replaced natural rubber to provide raw materials for the booming automotive, aerospace, and consumer goods sectors. Even the colorful stockings that adorn women's thighs and drive countless men wild are made of polymers!

Especially nylon and other fabrics, which were used in every soldier and military tent!

Therefore, large troop carriers with green stiff cloth cloaks are completely meaningless in this environment!

Moreover, transport vehicles and many other vehicles use tires instead of tracks!

"Accelerate! Accelerate! All drivers, get through this area at top speed!" The brigade commander of the 797th Armored Brigade roared desperately into the communicator, while suppressed sobs filled the channel.

Traffic conditions were terrible, with tanks and burning transport trucks everywhere. A few transport trucks with surviving drivers were revving their engines wildly, throwing out dozens of fully armed skeletons as they jolted along.

These armored and motorized units would normally have observation and ventilation ports, but the rapidly spreading steam and corrosive organic matter far exceeded everyone's expectations, and these still intact pieces of equipment are now unmanned.

Worst of all, these roads are paved with asphalt, a mixture of gravel and asphalt, and asphalt is, freaking, organic!

In other words, the traffic situation on this road will become increasingly worse over time!

The staff of the 2nd Army Group was shrouded in gloom. They had not yet been able to eliminate any enemy forces after the new orders were issued from the capital, and they had already lost more than four thousand men! This number was still rising, with nearly half of the entire 797th Brigade and another motorized infantry brigade killed in action!

There is a highway on the north and south sides of Wuji Ridge, which is the only way for the army group to reach the target location - Baituyuan, codenamed Hill 61!

The other, more circuitous route will slow down the entire army's progress by two days!

Therefore, the entire army group is currently calibrating parameters before the heavy artillery and missile launchers have even passed through Wuji Ridge, and is determined to take this hilltop at all costs!

Even if it means letting this outsider escape, they must reach their destination within the allotted time!

This is also why the commander of the 797th Armored Brigade is anxious—if they continue to linger, not only will the death toll continue to rise, but the entire brigade may also be overwhelmed by friendly fire!

A sense of despair hovered over every traveler on the 797 trail.

These emotions, invisible to the naked eye, are thoroughly enjoyed by Wuji Ridge.

The outsider on the winding ridge let out a wild, malicious laugh.

The deaths of these soldiers, along with the despair of those still alive, ravaged by the cruel reality, cast a second shadow over Wuji Ridge.

Amanosaki and his soldiers advanced, their faces filled with solemnity.

Not only him, but all the heroes were quite nervous.

The negative emotions generated by the tragic deaths of thousands of people were, in the eyes of these superpowered individuals, more terrifying than the corrosive steam.

The poison is hidden in the water vapor, but it can be avoided as long as there is a water-controlling swordsman nearby.

But these negative emotions are not so easy to resolve.

These things can help a hero grow rapidly and enhance their abilities, but they can also turn a glorious and proud hero into a clown despised by everyone.

Just like the people on the river.

During the operation against the river cart people, Amanosaki originally planned to let Zeng Aman and other heroes rest, but the frequent mudslides forced Zeng Aman to take action. The heroes of the Qianmiao Village branch suffered severe blood loss after this battle and are currently lying in the medical vehicle receiving blood donations from other soldiers.

Most of the other warriors who had just gone through a battle were still resting.

The remaining warriors who had not yet participated in the battle, led by Li Junzi, a seemingly tireless fellow, rushed to the scene.

But now they've been caught up by Amanosaki again.

Looking at Amanosaki, who was mixed in with a large number of soldiers, Li Junzi's face was full of worry:

"Big brother! What do we do now?"

"What to do?"

Amanosaki glanced at Number 3 beside him, thinking to himself that while swordsmen might fear these negative emotions, warriors weren't, especially since they had exoskeletons to block the toxins.

With just a few simple glances, a group of swordsmen surrounded Number 3 in an instant.

Surrounded by a group of smirking, chuckling swordsmen, Number 3 instinctively raised his chainsaw sword, on high alert.

"What are you trying to do? I'm warning you, the soldiers haven't done anything to wrong you!"

Chapter 229: How can the affairs of a chivalrous person be called stealing!