Chapter 47 Chapter 47: Cover and Support
Chapter 47: Cover and Support
"Any news?"
"No activity on the terminal."
Scout took the terminal out of his backpack and shook his head somewhat helplessly.
They were waiting for an evacuation order.
After the battle on the Lovinen Plain, the Military Commission side gained the addition of the Confessarius, the Lord of Fiends, and reinforcements, completely tipping the previously barely stalemated scales of war.
During the conflict, Logos also clashed with the Lord of Fiends and was severely injured. Fortunately, Her Highness Theresa intervened, and the Lord of Fiends retreated temporarily under the pressure of the Demon King.
However, neither the Doctor's strategies nor the Demon King's power could bridge the massive gap in strength on the open battlefield. On the vast and direct plain, there was simply too little room for tactical maneuvering.
In the end, the Doctor issued an unsurprising command: Retreat!
Babel's forces withdrew from the Lovinen Plain on a large scale. But gathering strength and evacuating personnel required time. To avoid excessive losses, someone had to provide cover.
The nature of this cover mission dictated that the executing personnel or squad needed to be small and elite.
Naturally, the cover mission was assigned to squads led by elite operators and numerous tactical squads.
After days of harassing Manfred's forces, Ace and Scout's squads finally converged within the timeframe set by the Doctor.
But they still needed to wait for the evacuation order. Fortunately, under the Doctor's plan, even the withdrawal didn't seem panicked.
If not for those contingency plans she had left behind, Ace and Scout wouldn't have been able to hold out for so long.
Buzz—
The terminal vibrated. Everyone's faces lit up with joy. Scout silently opened it; a text message was displayed.
"Babel's main force is about to complete evacuation. All squads are permitted to evacuate based on actual field conditions. Please ensure your own safety."
A simple group message, but it finally let everyone breathe a sigh of relief.
"Ace?"
Anton shouldered her medical kit. The identification tag that hindered treatment had long been torn off and stuffed into her pocket. She looked at Ace, seeking the team Amiya's opinion.
The others also turned their gazes to Ace; he had always been their pillar.
"Mhm, we evacuate. Destination: Libo Canyon."
——————
Whoosh! Thud!
Under the pursuit and interception of the Military Commission, Babel's special operations squad fought their way through their escape.
Behind them were Sarkaz troops left hundreds of meters away.
"Ace, a vehicle!"
Anton ran while gulping down an energy drink.
"Doesn't it look a bit familiar?"
Scout frowned. With his eyesight, he naturally saw the vehicle's model. A strange sense of familiarity washed over him.
"It's the one from Babel's underground garage."
Ace said solemnly. It wasn't that his memory was particularly good; it was just that this vehicle's exterior was distinctive enough.
Probably any man would find it hard to resist such a sci-fi-esque armored vehicle; they were no exception.
"It's coming over! It's coming over!"
Anton, carrying a wounded comrade, pointed at the vehicle.
"Hey! Ace, what a coincidence!"
A distinctively loud voice that could be heard clearly from miles away.
A head poked out from the window of the Fire Moth Model 53. Who else could it be but W?
"You guys look pretty rough."
W pressed down on her two unruly red cowlicks as she squinted into the distance.
And there were pursuers too!
"Hey hey hey, move aside! Move aside! Get out of the way if you don't want to die!"
Beep————
W slapped the vehicle horn, making it emit a continuous, piercing noise. Ace and the others hurriedly dodged.
W slammed on the brakes. The Fire Moth Model 53's tires locked, executing a perfect drift and stopping right in front of them.
Of course, if you ignored all the kicked-up dust.
"W? You're a lifesaver. Are you here on a mission? Or did the Doctor send you to pick us up?"
Even though she got a mouthful of sand, Anton was still beaming with joy. Even if this armored vehicle might not fit everyone, taking the wounded was more than enough.
"Tsk, we'll chat later. Let me help you deal with those guys chasing you first."
W waved her hand and ducked into the combat module on the armored vehicle's roof.
"Hey hey hey?! But those people————"
Under Anton and Ace's stunned gazes, the Fire Moth Model 53 completed its transformation. The menacing black cannon muzzle looked like bared fangs.
"Did Engineering do this?"
"Hah, if they had this capability, those big mouths would have been bragging everywhere long ago."
Everyone chatted, clearly not believing the Engineering Department had this ability.
Shell entering rail! Smart loading in progress! Loading complete!
Countless fiery lines traced inside the black shell's chamber. Bang! A black mist flower bloomed as the shell was propelled out by immense kinetic energy.
Whoosh————!
A sharp sound tore through the sky. The Sarkaz looked up.
"Take cover! Take cover! It's an ambush!"
Timely vigilance didn't change their fate. This type of shell wasn't originally designed for creatures like "humans," but for Honkai Beasts that could be tens or even hundreds of meters tall!
Using it against people was essentially like using an anti-aircraft gun horizontally—a very inhumane act...
Terrifying flames bloomed, like heaven's wrath!
Blazing heat consumed the Sarkaz bodies.
"Woo-hoo! Kevin, was my shot accurate?"
"If I remember correctly, the Model 53 has an assisted aiming system."
Kevin mercilessly shot down W's attempt to claim credit. The requirements for using that thing had been lowered to "can pull the trigger."
"Ehehe."
The two got out of the vehicle, finally allowing everyone to pick their jaws up off the floor.
"Kevin? You came too? Is it a mission from the Doctor?"
Anton asked curiously.
"No, just 'happened' to pass by."
Kevin said flatly; he wasn't lying.
"Exactly. While doing this mission, this area became enemy territory. We took a detour and ran into you guys."
W said with a sour face, clearly having been thoroughly disgusted by all the troubles encountered along the way.
She hadn't brought her terminal, and Kevin didn't have that habit either, so they had no idea what had happened.
"I see..."
Ace gave a bitter smile, then explained to Kevin and W what had happened over the past few days, including the defeat in the Lovinen Plain battle.
"Oh... So Her Highness Theresa is okay? Looks like your Doctor isn't all that great either."
W sighed in relief while not forgetting to show her aggressive side.
"No, the Doctor did his best."
Ace shook his head; this wasn't a situation strategy could reverse.
"Since it's evacuation, let's go."
Kevin nodded, signaling them to load the wounded onto the vehicle.
Everyone quickly moved, loading a total of six wounded onto the Model 53.
"Hey hey hey you there, careful! Don't get blood on the vehicle; it's hard to wash."
"Help him hold it! Ah, are you just going to watch him bleed?"
"Hey, don't die in the vehicle. If it starts to stink, I'll dump the body."
W stood on tiptoe, more anxious than even the medical operators, but her words were enough to make anyone's blood pressure skyrocket.
——————
Event:
【About Kevin · Part Three】
"That operator Kevin... is that him?"
"Yes."
"It seems you... no, all of you, have great confidence in him. Anton too, Scout too... and that W—she shrinks like a quail as soon as she sees him..."
"Blaze, this isn't about flaunting seniority. But I still need to tell you: this is a mindset every operator who joined during the Babel era has."
"You let him face that dragon girl alone... weren't you afraid..."
"Pfft— Sorry, I didn't mean to."
"Your laughter makes me feel very offended."
"Hahaha, Blaze. You just need to know: once he arrives, this conflict is already over."
"Whether it's Yan or Ursus—the calculations and schemes of two great nations' upper echelons; Reunion Movement; all conspiracies hidden in darkness—it's all over."
That day was the first time Blaze saw that expression on Ace's face—someone who was always quite reliable.
Superstition? Yes, exactly that—superstition.
kevin became a god ofc hes gonna always gonna win