As Zhang Zheng's words fell, a massive portal opened in the clouds. Three transport ships flew out from the portal and hovered behind Zhang Zheng.
"Zhang Zheng, what's this?"
Zhi Xin and the others knew that Zhang Zheng had opened the portal, so they weren't overly shocked to see the transport ships. They were simply curious about why Zhang Zheng had brought over several clearly non-combatant transport ships.
"See for yourselves. This is a gift I'm giving to China."
As Zhang Zheng finished speaking, the doors of the transport ships slowly opened, and a thousand vanadium alloy steel battle suits flew out from the ships, all hovering in front of Zhang Zheng. The silver-white suits were all numbered from one to a thousand, neatly arranged.
"Zhang Zheng, did you prepare all these?"
Zhi Xin was a bit stunned. This shouldn't be Earth's technology, right? Additionally, Zhi Xin could see that the outer layer of the battle suits was made of vanadium alloy, which seemed incredibly extravagant.
"Hmph, what use are they? As long as they can access the armor's system, your suits are just fancy toys. They might even be prepared for the enemy."
Though Tian Shi Leng was also surprised by Zhang Zheng's big move, she expressed her concerns, albeit in a rather haughty tone.
"Ha ha, Leng Jie, if you could think of it, do you think I wouldn't? The systems of these battle suits are all here. Try hacking into my system if you can."
Though Zhang Zheng knew Tian Shi Leng was offering a warning out of goodwill, he was still a bit annoyed by her attitude. So, he pointed to his own head, letting Tian Shi Leng try to hack in.
"Hmph, I'll try then."
Tian Shi Leng huffed arrogantly, her eyes turning white as she prepared to hack into the network. However, every time she approached the system, an invisible force blocked her consciousness.
"Seems like you can't do it. I'm not giving experience to the enemy."
Zhang Zheng said triumphantly as he closed his Insight Eye. He hadn't initially thought about hacking issues. He had been wary of the network from the start, which was why he set up the network's terminals within the Mind Stone, directly linked to Zhang Zheng's brain.
This explains why Tian Shi Yan had once mistakenly believed Zhang Zheng had a large celestial computer behind him.
"And what about Karl's Grand Clock? Can you block its intrusion as well?"
Tian Shi Leng asked stubbornly. After all, behind the Taotie was the Grim Reaper Karl, and Karl's greatest reliance was the universe's most powerful celestial computer, the Grand Clock.
"I can completely block the Grand Clock."
Zhang Zheng didn't explain why, only saying it confidently. Afterward, he stopped paying attention to Tian Shi Leng and directly issued orders to the network.
"Go find suitable soldiers from China. They will be your comrades in the future."
With Zhang Zheng's command, all the battle suits flew down towards Tianhe City.
The battle suits Zhang Zheng wore did not carry any heat weapons. Only the wrist part had a metal longsword made of Edelman alloy, integrated with the suit's arms.
This wasn't Zhang Zheng's intention; it was simply because of the rush. Even the network didn't have time to set up a production line for heat weapons in the two months available.
The ordinary soldiers in Tianhe City were bewildered by the falling suits. Wasn't the enemy supposed to be aliens? Why were there robots?
Just as everyone was preparing to charge at the battle suits, the suits spoke from above the soldiers' heads.
"We are here to provide assistance. These are gifts from Zhang Zheng of the Xiong Bing Lian to the brave warriors."
All the suits spoke in unison with a mechanical voice. If Zhang Zheng were present, he would definitely curse. The network indeed did not improve, and the voice was still unpleasant.
The soldiers selected by the network were stunned. They had heard of Xiong Bing Lian, but who was Zhang Zheng? Was there such a person in Xiong Bing Lian?
Some bold soldiers, upon hearing that the suits were from Xiong Bing Lian, attempted to communicate with the network. The suits then automatically donned themselves onto the soldiers.
Chen Long, a company commander in the Tianhe City garrison, was one of those chosen.
After putting on the suit, Chen Long took a few steps and felt no discomfort, so he was relieved.
"System, how do I use this suit?"
Chen Long was a bit frustrated. He had seen the suits descend, but despite several attempts, he couldn't get them to fly.
"Please call me Tianwang. During this battle, I will control the battle suits. After the battle, Tianwang will teach you how to operate the steel suits."
The network's mechanical voice sounded in Chen Long's ears. Chen Long instinctively tried to rub his ears, but couldn't reach them due to the suit.
"Alright then, please take me into battle."
Chen Long said. If the suits were indeed that powerful, he decided to endure the annoying system voice as victory was more important.
"Understood."
With that, the suits flew up and charged towards the Taotie's small aerial units.
Wherever the suits went, Taotie warriors were sliced in half by the Edelman alloy wrist blades on the suits. The metal armor of the Taotie, which could withstand ordinary firearms, was like tofu before the Edelman alloy, easily pierced.
Chen Long was thrilled with his achievements. Seeing him dominate the battlefield, other soldiers were envious and quickly began to suit up if selected, while those who weren't could only watch enviously.
In the Taotie command ship, Commander Xiong Lu and Feng Lei exchanged glances as they watched the steel suits wreak havoc.
"Weren't we told that Earth is a pre-nuclear civilization? How do they have steel battle suits?"
Commander Xiong Lu asked Feng Lei. Damn, is this what pre-nuclear soldiers use? Our armor is so easily defeated?
"How would I know? Earth is a pre-nuclear civilization. Try to control those steel battle suits."
Feng Lei responded curtly to Xiong Lu and then ordered the technicians.
"Yes, sir."
The technicians, hearing Feng Lei's order, hurriedly attempted to invade the suit's systems. However, like Tian Shi Leng, all attempts failed.
"Sir, our system cannot infiltrate the opponent's system. Their firewall is very high-level."
After trying unsuccessfully, the technicians reported to Feng Lei with some frustration.
"Then withdraw all aerial units to the command ship. Our battleships have the Great Cross Energy Barrier, which should be able to withstand the opponent's battle suits. We'll reengage once their energy is depleted."
Feng Lei, though a Void Warrior, was not reckless. Even if he was brave, sending troops to their deaths was another matter.
Feng Lei's plan was sound, but he underestimated the vanadium alloy. During the Taotie's energy weapon attacks on the steel suits, the vanadium alloy's energy absorption characteristics were already in play, converting all absorbed energy into the Ark Reactor. Additionally, with the suits not equipped with many weapons, their endurance remained assured.
"Sir, why don't we use energy impacts to attack the Earth forces?"
The technician asked, puzzled by Feng Lei's command.
"Our weapons are mainly reserved for the gods. The real battle hasn't started yet, and using energy weapons would deplete our own resources first."
Feng Lei replied. As a commander, he could be brave and fearless, but he had to control his murderous impulses for the ultimate goal.
All Taotie aerial units withdrew to the command ship, leaving Chen Long and the other soldiers dumbfounded.
They had attempted to attack the command ship, but the Great Cross Energy Barrier was too sturdy. Even their suits were ineffective.
Thus, all the steel warriors landed back on the ground. Chen Long opened his visor, waiting for further orders from the military.