Chapter 42: Chapter 42, Fishing, Just Bold Fishing

“`

Gu Hang indeed had his own plans.

Having suspected that the situation was unusual and that the route to rescue Yan Fangxu would likely not be a calm one, he certainly wasn’t about to walk into the enemy’s trap unprepared.

At present, he was fairly certain that the people targeting him were from the Primordial Wrath Owl Sect. This cult had been pressured by his actions in Revival City and now, unable to solve the problem, they had begun to try and deal with the person presenting the problem.

That is, himself, the Governor.

They also possessed the initial ability to manipulate mutant monsters, which was somewhat unexpected.

However, he judged that the cult members’ ability to mobilize forces should not be too strong. If they had that capability and wanted his life, then there would be no need for the current complications; they would have simply amassed their forces and launched a direct assault on his camp.

The fact that they didn’t do so was obviously because they couldn’t. They had to choose a dense forest environment for the battlefield in order to leverage the advantages of the monsters they could control, thus having a better chance at victory.

With this understanding, Gu Hang was not about to rashly lead the 2nd Infantry Battalion into the woods.

Four armored vehicles led the way, with a large group of foot soldiers following behind, the whole team advancing on the edge of the woodland.

Gu Hang led his troops, searching for a route that was closer to the besieged Yan Fangxu and had sparser trees.

Even if they had to walk a bit slower, it didn’t matter.

After all, Yan Fangxu had said that there wasn’t any immediate danger where he was.

So Gu Hang was content to take it slow.

Actually, rescuing Yan Fangxu wasn’t really Gu Hang’s main objective for coming out this time.

His actions were not urgent. Despite appearing to be on a rescue mission, he was actually just trying to lure the enemy out.

At the edge of the woods, before even entering, his troops suffered a small-scale attack.

A bunch of pustule monsters rushed out, but were cleanly wiped out by a round of firepower from the soldiers.

That seemed more like a probe, or a display of insufficient control over a large number of monsters.

Unfortunately, it did not lure out the enemy’s main force.

So after some thought, Gu Hang waved his arm grandly and led the troops into the dense forest.

To continue the lure.

After officially entering the woodland, Gu Hang’s team moved even slower. They always maintained a tight formation, relying on the four Walkers and refusing to let their guard down. If the trees became too dense, they preferred to temporarily stop, burn, or cut down the trees to ensure clear visibility.

When fishing, using oneself as bait, one mustn’t actually get bitten.

The Governor’s army with its unruffled, unhurried demeanor was truly exasperating.

Perbov was getting a bit anxious.

His 2nd Battalion had not outdone Yan Fangxu recently and had missed out on the opportunity to clear the woodland of mutant monsters, which was somewhat frustrating. Stuck in the camp, they could only vent their energy by drilling the soldiers.

Upon suddenly receiving orders from the Governor to gather his troops, he and his subordinates instantly perked up. Especially when they heard that their mission was to rescue the 3rd Battalion led by Yan Fangxu, who was surrounded by a large number of mutant monsters in the woods, he was even more eager to jump into action.

An old-timer, huh? A bona fide Imperial Navy officer, huh? Still, isn’t it me, this country bumpkin, who has to come save you?

“`

He truly wished he could lead his team through the entire woodland right away, confront Yan Fangxu and, in front of that guy’s face, loudly mock him.

However, he was still able to contain his yearning for battle.

Upon departure, the Governor had roughly outlined the objectives of the operation. Rescue was secondary; the primary goal was to anticipate and draw out any ambushers they might encounter en route.

When he heard the news, he was utterly enraged.

Someone dared to target the Governor?

That truly made them irreconcilable enemies!

In Perbov’s heart, plotting against the Governor was even more detestable than plotting against himself.

Some time ago he had returned to the Abandoned Cave Society. Even though he hadn’t been gone long, there had already been earth-shattering changes. Eating well and having warm clothes were the basics; everyone had moved into houses on the surface and no longer needed to crowd in dank, sunless burrows.

The residential houses were only temporary prefab structures for the time being, but plans were already in motion to build new brick and cement factories. A plot of land had also been allocated for the construction of a row of detached small buildings. Perbov had seen the architectural designs; they were beautiful. Back when he was working in the caves, he could only dream of living in such a home.

Eventually, housing would be allocated based on work points. Given the work points Perbov earned as a soldier and those earned by his wife in the factory, they would definitely be among the first to move in once the planned houses were built.

Life was getting better and better, and Perbov deeply understood that at this moment, he was not just fighting for the Governor, but also for the defense of his hard-earned, ever-improving life.

All of this was brought about by the Governor. Whoever dared threaten the Governor, whoever dared to disrupt their pursuit of a better life, would be his sworn enemy!

It was for this reason that he could fully restrain his desire to fight. He executed the Governor’s cautious orders without compromise, keeping all his rage inside, waiting for the moment to release it.

This rage, when it burst forth, would surely burn fiercely.

And this moment to unleash didn’t make Perbov wait too long.

The enemy was here.

They could hear the distinctive roar of pus monsters growing clearer from all around the dense forest.

These roars were unique. These brainless, mouthless creatures would emit an intimidating sound to prey, a shrill and unpleasant noise produced by high-frequency vibrations of swellings all over their bodies.

Upon hearing the noise, there was no need for the Governor to say anything; Perbov immediately relayed orders to each platoon. They stopped their trailblazing work on the spot and swiftly shifted to defensive positions.

A short while later, the grotesque figures of those monsters could be faintly seen through the woodland.

Yet the soldiers, upholding strict combat discipline, did not open fire immediately. Only the designated sharpshooters within each platoon, armed with precision rifles and superior shooting skills, attempted long-range kills.

For the moment, gunfire was sparse, but with almost every shot, a creature in the forest fell.

After another short while, the monsters came even closer to the edge of the woodland, even closer to the small clearing that the soldiers had made.

It was at this time that the officers at all levels gave the order to fire.

In an instant, bullets, artillery fire, and the machine guns of the combat vehicles blanketed the entire surrounding area.

Under the storm of metal, many of the creatures were felled before they could break out of the dense woods; those that did were met with a closer embrace of death, gunned down by bullets.

The prepared human soldiers held their ground, impregnable as a fortress!