RNP Page 21
Page 21
Well, splitting up might seem like dispersing the forces, but it's better than sending them all into one passage with a 50/50 chance of encountering them. Moreover, based on their less than ten minutes of coordinated action, the Imperial Guard officers could already tell from their various actions that these Amelia people were not just good-looking in terms of equipment and movements. Their crisp, clean, and efficient tactical maneuvers, such as angle cuts and cover advances, could only be developed through long-term training. While they looked good, they also possessed extremely strong combat capabilities.
……
The postscript to yesterday's chapter included a group number; you can join if you're interested.
Group number: 288948672
Volume 1: Chapter 118 (Updating and Rewriting)
I feel like what I wrote tonight doesn't feel right. I wrote two versions and wasn't satisfied with either, so I deleted and rewrote them. No updates today, please don't wait.
Additionally, we're promoting another group where you can join and provide feedback: 288948672
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Volume 1: Chapter 119 (Hostage Bureau)
In this race against time, speed is far more important than concealment. Therefore, this hastily assembled squad did not slow down in order to suppress the noise of their operation. In particular, the lead combat engineer, Marcus, ran with a whooshing sound, and coupled with his extremely aggressive armor, he was even more like the legendary Train King than Blitz.
The rapidly advancing squad passed through several rooms, almost all of which were filled with various military supplies, firearms, ammunition, explosives, and they even saw some standard-issue metal bulletproof armor of the Elgin army. These storage rooms were empty, with no signs of human presence, suggesting that they were not on the right track.
Just then, Lu Wu heard the voice of the "Kingfisher" fire support team commander in his earpiece: "Commander, we've caught up with them! Multiple VIPs confirmed!"
Despite the constant crackling of gunfire in the communication, these words were like a shot of adrenaline, greatly boosting the morale of the several Elgins working together: "You did a great job, hold them off, we'll be there soon." Lu Wu released the PTT button. "Hurry! It's time to save King Rosetta!"
Guided by the "Kingfisher" fire team, Lu Wu's "Dream" fire team quickly arrived at the scene of the battle. By this time, the frequency of gunfire was much less intense than before. "Intelligence report, Lieutenant Case."
Upon arriving at the scene, Lu Wu discovered that although his orders to the "Kingfisher" fire team were to hold off the enemy, their commander, Miranda Keyes, had actually exceeded expectations, bringing three pieces of news: two good and one bad. The good news was that she had not only slowed the enemy's escape but had even driven them into a large room with only one door, creating a trap. Furthermore, all three targets—King Rosetta (target number one), Princess Rosa (target number two), and the Queen (target number three)—appeared to be in relatively good condition, at least without missing any limbs. However, the bad news was that the Elgia guards warned them that the room contained a large quantity of explosives, and that the enemy had taken hostages.
The enemy was highly resistant. Although there were only about ten of them, their close-range firepower, aided by submachine guns, was not to be underestimated. Therefore, the "Kingfisher" squad could only block the entrance, resulting in a stalemate. The Belken people trapped inside would occasionally come out to probe, only to be pushed back by the fierce firepower. Whenever the "Kingfisher" team tried to break in through the entrance, the Belken people would cunningly bring out their king, who was bound hand and foot, which greatly angered the little green men.
"Damn it, there are armories everywhere. Are you planning to turn your fortress into a giant time bomb?" Lu Wu asked, his head aching.
“Logically speaking, these armories located inside the castle should be under heavy protection. Ordinary shells cannot penetrate our newly rebuilt strong defenses, and the enemy cannot easily infiltrate them,” the guard officer tried to explain, but this only earned him a sigh from Lu Wu.
"Can you provide a floor plan of this place? And how much explosives are stored inside? We need this information to develop a rescue plan."
“I can draw it out. We take turns checking the quantity and condition of the weapons and equipment stored in the castle every week. We are very familiar with all the passages and rooms in the castle, so the error in the drawing will not be too great,” the guard officer replied.
"You must understand that your king's life is in your hands, so please try your best to avoid any mistakes," Lu Wu kindly reminded him.
The guard officer nodded silently, took the pen and paper, and began to convert the memories in his mind into a two-dimensional image, listing the location and inventory of the explosives.
Explosives expert Ethan estimated the power of these explosives and concluded that their composition was not as safe as the explosives they used; it was a relatively sensitive type. While not as prone to secondary explosions as the Empire's decisive weapon, the massive Type 93 oxygen torpedo, or the Mutsu's third turret, it would almost certainly explode if accidentally hit by a stray bullet. If these large explosives were triggered, whether the castle collapsed or not was another matter; at the very least, the shockwave and firestorm would be enough to send them all back to Andon—of course, the Elgins would only be going to meet their gods.
This is not only a test of basic shooting skills, but also a severe test of psychological endurance under high pressure. If any one of them shakes their hand even slightly, the bullet could penetrate the mere two-centimeter-thick wooden plank of the box containing explosives, hitting and igniting the precious treasure inside. That would be an even more thrilling scene than Fuze's hostage situation.
"Don't fire unless you're 100% sure. Of course, don't give the Belkens the chance to fire first either." Looking at the map gradually taking shape under the guard officer's pen, Lu Wu silently put down his short assault rifle, drew his GSh-18 pistol from his thigh, and said after slightly pulling the slide to confirm that it was chambered.
"How's the ventilation inside?" Anna suddenly asked.
The tumor was ventilated primarily through three ventilation windows, the guard officer recalled.
Is the slaughter "big"?
"Nothing serious, is there a problem?" The guard officer looked at Anna's "it's all settled" expression, somewhat unsure of the situation.
“Gas grenades,” Anna answered. “Three gas grenades are enough to cover a room this size. I specifically had them bring some with me for this mission.”
“Very good, but with such a loud commotion, they have no reason not to notice. Besides, it will take some time for the gas to take effect, and once it's discovered, it's hard to say what the Belken people will do. We need to create some noise to divert their attention.” Lu Wu immediately agreed to the plan and began to add details.
“We can send combat engineers up there; they’ll definitely think we’re going to storm in through the door,” Yelena said, adding, “And this state of tension will increase their breathing rate, allowing them to inhale a larger dose in a short time and shorten the onset of action.”
"Wait, are you going to use poison gas?" Although he didn't know what the gas meant at first, when he heard the keywords "it takes time to take effect" and "larger dose," he immediately thought of poison gas and quickly expressed his objection.
……
I'm promoting the book group again. Once the group reaches 30 members, I'll post a bonus chapter that couldn't pass censorship.
Group number: 288948672
Volume 1: Chapter 120 (Chapter 107) Russian-Style Rescue
"It's not poison gas, it's hypnotic gas. It's a gas that can make people lose consciousness, not the kind of poison gas intended to kill," Lu Wu quickly explained. If people thought they were going to use poison gas against the head of state of a friendly country, then once that got out, the Amelia Volunteer Army would be in a terrible predicament.
"Does this anesthetic have any side effects?" The guard officer wasn't dismissed by that question; his inquiry went straight to the heart of the matter.
"We will strictly control the dosage, and we have professional doctors here. They will be properly treated after the battle, and I can guarantee that they will not have any adverse reactions." Lying and making excuses at this time is certainly an option to avoid trouble, but considering that others have already seen through the fact that the hypnotic gas is actually an anesthetic, they must also have some understanding of the side effects of anesthetics. If the truth comes out later, it will probably leave a very bad impression.
"So that means there are side effects." This tactic of avoiding the topic and changing the subject clearly tells the other party that there are side effects. "Besides this, do you have any other methods?"
"As long as the dosage is controlled and the timing is right, there are no side effects." Damn it, you're not buying it, are you? You're all afraid to use it, afraid of side effects, right? Let me tell you, even without hypnotic gas, other methods have risks. Lu Wu's most annoying situation has occurred: a professional being questioned by outsiders. Anyone who tries it knows how unpleasant that is.
"There are other methods, such as using stun grenades to paralyze the enemy's mobility before making an intrusion."
"This is good! Let's use this!" Upon hearing the name "stun grenade," before the guard officer could speak, the guard who had rushed over upon hearing the word "poison gas" couldn't help but shout it out. Although he didn't know how a stun grenade would work, it sounded like it would only paralyze the enemy's ability to move, unlike anesthetics which are more likely to have side effects.
“Shut up,” Hiraghi, who had been diving, couldn’t sit still any longer. He glared at the reckless soldier and apologized, “Sorry, they’re a bit out of control. They didn’t mean anything by it; they just wanted to learn more about this thing called a stun grenade.”
"I won't go into the specifics of how it works, as it would take too long to explain. I'll just mention two drawbacks: First, stun grenades incapacitate targets instantly by emitting a bright flash and loud noise. At close range, this intense flash and noise can potentially cause lifelong damage, such as permanent hearing loss, deafness, or blindness. Second, stun grenades generate high temperatures and sparks when they explode. There have been cases where stun grenades have burned hostages or ignited flammable materials. You know the situation in this room better than I do. What if the ammunition storage container is unlucky enough to be ignited by a spark..."
"Bang!" Lu Wu made an explosion gesture with his hand with a wicked grin. "That will be a huge, huge explosion."
爱尔吉亚人9：[4∞±8∏`2］∑43×｛305搜索∷’：面面相觑。
"Alright, I've said my piece. The choice is yours: risk the side effects of the medication, or a big explosion?"
In reality, the Elgins had no choice. They didn't know the exact positions of the Belken soldiers in the room, and the layers of shelves would weaken the flashbangs. If even one Belken soldier still had the strength to pull the trigger, or even if it was just a subconscious stress response from the human body causing the bullet to fire, an explosion could still occur. All these uncertainties combined significantly increased the likelihood of this plan going wrong.
"Use the hypnotic gas. We believe in your abilities." At this point, agreeing to the hypnotic gas plan would be extremely embarrassing for the Elgins, and naturally, it would only cause the highest-ranking Brigadier General Shiragi to lose face.
"Come on, please." Lu Wu said sarcastically, "Very well, this way we've kept our wasted time to within five minutes. Ladies, did you hear that? Put on your gas masks, don't be as slow as some of you. I don't want to see any idiots get knocked out by the sedative gas they threw! As for you ladies, please go over there. We don't have any extra gas masks. If you accidentally inhale the anesthetic, you'll probably just have to wait for the effects to wear off and wake up on your own."
Hiraghi knew these people carried extra gas masks, some for VIPs and some spares. Saying they didn't would be somewhat disrespectful. He could only nod and lead a few guards in the direction Lu Wu pointed, watching them from a distance.
“Alright, now that everyone in the way is gone, we can go all out.” Lu Wu dropped his sarcastic tone. “There are three ventilation shafts, one of which is out of our reach. We can use those two ventilation windows to throw the hypnotic gas in…”
“Brigadier, throwing something in there will be too obvious a commotion. Even if someone at the main entrance attracts attention, if there happens to be someone near that ventilation window, there’s a high chance they’ll discover the gas grenade,” Miranda objected.
"Do you have a good idea?" Lu Wu asked.
“We can put the gas grenade in the recycling bag, detonate it, and then cover the recycling bag with the ventilation window. The size is just right.” Miranda took the recycling bag off his backside, stuffed an empty magazine into the least convenient magazine pouch, and then pulled out a sedative gas canister to demonstrate. These recycling bags are high-quality products made of high-density fabric and have undergone a series of physical or chemical treatments, providing excellent protection for their contents in various environments. This made it possible for Miranda’s ingenious idea to come to fruition.
“Hmm, that does reduce the commotion considerably. If we add a direct countermeasure, it will be even more secure. We can give it a try.” Lu Wu weighed the options and agreed to Miranda’s plan. He then looked at the two combat engineers and said, “You two know what to do, right? I don’t care if you’re planning to do a pole dance for the Belken or just talk trash. I just want one result: to get the Belken’s attention focused on you.”
“Understood, Commander.” Marcus tapped his breastplate with his fist, producing two muffled thuds.
"Doctor, how long will it take for the gas to take effect?"
"Three pills will only take five minutes. Even if you take them right in front of them, they won't react at all." The doctor's answer made the girls in the team unanimously show their disgust.
“Very good, then let’s finish this quickly. After the three gas grenades have finished reacting, we’ll wait five minutes before starting the assault, finish off all the Belkens in the head, and bring the VIP out.” Lu Wu automatically ignored the oddity in the doctor’s words and put on his PMK-4.
……
When you thought I'd skipped it, I hadn't.
This is such a wonderful thing.
Volume 1: Chapter 121 (Evacuation)
Marcus and Ethan, acting as bait, swaggered into the entrance of the storage room and began to hurl insults at the head of the Belken Empire in heavily accented Russian English. The vulgarity and variety of their language truly shocked Lu Wu and the nearby Elgins. Lu Wu couldn't recall ever assigning these combat engineers such an extremely foul-mouthed attribute.
At first, the Belken people could tolerate it, but when Marcus's remarks escalated to the point of wanting to have some kind of intimate relationship beyond friendship with female members of the Imperial family, and when he made it concrete and feasible, these loyal Belken people could no longer bear the foul language and began to use their rifles to hit the two men.
In fact, not only the Belken people, but even Lu Wu was starting to lose his composure. As for Anna and Yelena, the way they looked at the two combat engineers was no longer just disgust; it was like looking at cockroaches in the sewers.
Fortunately, I had transferred those few Ergia people away beforehand, otherwise the reputation of the 7th Brigade would have been ruined by those two lecherous guys.
The combat engineers, under attack, retaliated with their pistols. Of course, with careful aim, all the bullets avoided any potential accidental explosions. This feeble attack seemed to ignite the Belken's fighting spirit, and their counterattack became even more ferocious. Seeing that the time was right, Miranda and Anna, holding hypnotic gas grenades, pulled the pins, threw them into the recycling bag, and then covered the ventilation vents.
The hypnotic gas grenade hissed, and thick white smoke billowed from the pre-installed vent at the bottom of its cylindrical body, quickly dissipating into the air and turning into an invisible gas. Enclosed by the recovery bag, the hypnotic gas could only dissipate through a single exit—the ventilation vent.
Amidst the hissing and buzzing, the concentration of hypnotic gas in the storage room gradually increased. The three grenades quickly released all the gas compressed under high pressure. Although the gas concentration in the air hadn't reached the level required for a five-minute unconsciousness, the Belken soldiers in the storage room were constantly inhaling it. Therefore, shortly after all three tranquilizer grenades were released, the frequency of their retaliatory fire began to decrease, and within just two minutes, the gunfire inside the storage room ceased.
"Prepare."
To be on the safe side, Lu Wu did not advance the start time, but proceeded according to the established strategy. After all, they lacked indoor reconnaissance capabilities and could not determine whether someone inside had chosen to feign death after seeing their comrade fall. Furthermore, everyone's physical condition was different, and the amount and duration of the anesthetic gas's effect varied; the prudent approach was to wait until sufficient time had elapsed before taking action.
"action!"
As always, the combat engineers led the way, and two fire teams quickly stormed into the storage room. Their GSh-18s covered the entire field of fire. When they saw the Belken militants lying on the ground, they shot them twice in the chest and face, then kicked their weapons aside. The powerful tranquilizer gas prevented the gunshots from waking the Belken men who were fast asleep. There were no accidents during the whole process.
The three members of the royal family were placed deep within the storage room, handcuffed and still in their pajamas, and were now unconscious. Beside them were two armed men, one of whom held a wooden-handled grenade with the primer already unscrewed, clearly intending to detonate it and take them all with him if things went wrong.
"Take the VIPs and let's go." After making sure that all the Belken people in the storage room had opened their eyes, Lu Wu gestured to Anna to take the three VIPs out.
The doctors waiting outside immediately came forward, took over the three VIPs, and conducted a quick examination of them away from the entrance to the storage room.
“No problem, they're under normal anesthesia. Should we give them an antagonist to wake them up early, or wait for them to wake up naturally?” Desmond had already taken out the antagonist.
“‘Fire Spirit’ fire support team, what’s the situation outside?” Lu Wu didn’t give an immediate reply, but instead contacted the fire support team that was left outside.
"The rebels launched two attacks, but fortunately we have the doe. Now they are attacking cautiously." The observer from the "Fire Spirit" team glanced subconsciously at the nearly one hundred corpses in the open space outside the castle and reported truthfully, "However, thick smoke has appeared about ten kilometers northwest of the palace. We suspect that the Belken have attacked."
"Received." Lu Wu gestured for Desmond to put away the antagonist. Although the situation here was under control for now, it was unlikely to be so soon. There was no need to wake these three VIPs prematurely. After all, if the King woke up and made any inappropriate demands on their future actions, they would be caught in a dilemma, unable to agree or refuse, which would be very troublesome. Given the experience of those guards, to save some trouble, you gentlemen should go to sleep first.
"Understood." The doctor withdrew the antagonist.
“‘Steadfast’ firepower team, we have completed our mission. You can withdraw now and return directly to base.” Lu Wu had not forgotten the “Steadfast” firepower team that had been sent to guard the exit of the secret passage. He began the withdrawal process. “‘Young Eagle’ No. 4, land in the tower. We are preparing to return. Estimated arrival time: eight minutes.”
“Received by Young Eagle 4SoUSUO:qi?＆1露|ˉ酒∠］齡∫{〇号”.
At this moment, the anxious Ergia returned. Before they could ask any questions, Lu Wu preemptively silenced them, saying, "They're fine. They'll wake up once their metabolism is complete. Let's go back to the helicopter now. We can discuss any problems once we're on board."
Seeing that the vital signs of the three royal family members were indeed stable and without any abnormalities, the Elgins were relieved. They simply helped the VIPs up and followed the lead "Kingfisher" fire support team.
Eight minutes later, two fire teams escorted these important missions back to the landing area on the tower side. "Eagle 4" had been waiting for a long time, and the hatch on the side of the fuselage was wide open.
"Commander, the rebels have launched another attack. They probably realized something," came the "Fire Spirit" team's alert over the headset.
“They don’t have effective anti-aircraft weapons, so they can’t stop us.” Lu Wu came to the back of the tower’s parapet and glanced down. He saw a large number of rebels had left their cover and were charging at the castle’s main gate, completely ignoring the gunfire overhead. However, even if they successfully broke through the gate, by the time they reached the tower, they probably wouldn’t even be able to catch a whiff of the doe’s exhaust.
Volume 1: Chapter 122 (First Meeting)
Perhaps due to the vibrations from the doe's flight or the noise of the propeller, King Rosetta of Elgia awoke earlier than the doctors had predicted. Because the effects of the anesthetic were still lingering in his system, Rosetta's mind was still foggy, and his ability to think had not yet returned. Following his instincts, he raised his hand to touch the painful spot near his eyebrow, but this movement pulled at his other hand, which was handcuffed. He stared blankly at the silver bracelet on his wrist, trying desperately to figure out what it was.
"Your Majesty!"
"Your Majesty the King!"
He heard someone calling his name beside him, and he had a feeling, deep down, that it was calling him, but...
How could his name be "Your Majesty the King"? That's so weird...right? Uh, no, that's not a name, it's an identity...right, my name is Rosetta, I am the King of Elgia. Like a computer booting up, after completing its self-check, his memories began to clear, and his thinking abilities returned. Hmm, his last memory was of the Belken people who had kidnapped him falling one by one as the world before him began to blur and tilt, until finally, everything went dark.
It seems that someone must have rescued him from the Belken.
But the question is, since they rescued him, why didn't they remove the handcuffs? Are these rescuers friends or foes? Also, what about his wife and daughter? Were they rescued too? A series of questions suddenly popped up, putting Rosetta's brain at 100% capacity. However, due to the drugs affecting the efficiency of data transmission, his thinking speed became very slow, making him seem like a fool to outsiders.
"Hey, buddy, is His Majesty really alright?" Hiraghi was the first to notice Rosetta had woken up, and he was now anxiously asking the army doctor.
"Don't worry, this is normal, it's similar to being half-asleep." Desmond only glanced at her before he roughly knew what was wrong with Rosetta.
But this argument seemed unconvincing to Hillagi, however, things took a turn when Desmond reacted further.
"Commander, Fledgling 6 reports: an object is approaching at 7 o'clock, the intercom is not responding. It might be a Belken aircraft." Fledgling 6, at the very end of the formation, relayed a message that would normally be unsettling.
"Belken's planes? Haven't they gained enough experience in Svorbella yet?" Lu Wu was very curious. Pilot training is extremely costly; a pilot's value is equivalent to their weight in gold, and a military pilot's value is even higher. From a rational perspective, knowing that their air force is far inferior in both technology and combat experience, they should avoid direct confrontation and conserve their strength. Of course, perhaps the Belken Air Force's high command has already realized the insurmountable technological gap between the two sides and is simply giving up.
"Notify the Golden Eagle Squadron and let them handle the problem." Whether the Belken Air Force wasn't hurt by the previous annihilation or was simply giving up, they'd deal with whatever came their way. Let the Golden Eagle Squadron do their job.
"Are you the volunteers from Amelia? Thank you for rescuing us." By this time, Rosetta's mind had returned to normal. Seeing his wife and daughter beside him, he immediately recognized that these strangely dressed soldiers had rescued him from the Belken. Adding to that the North Star insignia on their armbands, how could he not guess that these were the now-famous Amelia volunteers?
"Whether it's your noble act of risking your lives to fight for a group of complete strangers, or my personal gratitude, Elgia will not let its friends down. If there's anything you need, please feel free to ask, and we will do our best to meet your needs." Judging from his demeanor and the behavior of those around him, Rosetta judged that this young man was most likely the commander here, so he spoke to Lu Wu very sincerely.
“Lu Wu, commander of the 7th Independent Guards Brigade of the Amelia Volunteer Army, it’s a pleasure to meet you.” Before Shiraji could introduce him, Lu Wu extended his hand. Rosetta instinctively wanted to shake his hand, but he forgot that he was wearing a pair of silver bracelets. What was originally just an action of extending his right hand turned into extending both hands.
Damn it! How could I have forgotten about that! Seeing the gleaming handcuffs, Lu Wu felt only stiffness in his heart. Damn it, how could I have been so focused on saving people that I didn't even think to look for the key to the handcuffs on the Belken people? Going back to find the key now was impossible; he could only wait until he returned to the base to find the tools to crack it.
Seeing King Elgia subtly change his gesture to clenching his fists, Lu Wu adjusted his expression, suppressing his stiffness. Hiragi also noticed the gleaming bracelets and opened his mouth, wanting Lu Wu to unlock them. However, seeing that neither party seemed aware of the awkward situation, he hesitated, unsure whether to break the silence.
“It’s a pity we’re meeting in this setting; we should have met in a more formal setting…” Rosetta broke the awkward silence. “General Lu looks very young.”
"They just look young." When it came to age, Lu Wu could only remember his birthdate on Earth. As for how much time he had spent on Andon, he couldn't recall. However, this sentimental thought only flashed through his mind for a moment. He said in a serious tone, "We searched the Belken people who broke into the palace, but we couldn't find the key. We suspect they might have lost it on the way. But it's not a big problem. We'll get back to Svorbella. For now, we'll just have to make do with you all a little."
The apology in that last sentence was genuine.
"I can't wait to see what Amelia's friends' base looks like. I hope those Belken pursuers won't interfere with our journey. I've been looking forward to it for a long time."
Lu Wu laughed and said bluntly, "Belken may have more planes than us, but in terms of strength, if we say we are second, then no one in the world would dare to claim first place."
Rosetta realized that this statement, which was overly confident, even arrogant, was not boastful to these Amelia people, but rather a factual account of what they had for lunch, without any exaggeration.
Volume 1: Chapter 123 (Chapter 110) - Blood Battle with Fabandi
In stark contrast to Amelia's one-sided domination of Belken above Fabandi, the worrying situation on the Fabandi defensive line was a different story.
The Elgia Kingdom's army, already at a disadvantage in terms of numbers and equipment, was relying on its defenses, morale, and the buff from the Emperor guarding the nation's gates. However, the Belken's mysterious electromagnetic suppression threw many defensive lines into chaos. Morale plummeted, especially after learning of the palace's predicament. The Belken, with its armored forces as the vanguard, carved a seven-kilometer-long breach in the defensive line.