It was like a painting.
In this painting, Militech is depicted clearing out the vicious wanderers in the wastelands, using the Vargus to drive them into a corner, calmly executing the cleanup, fully demonstrating the professionalism and efficiency of the world's top security company.
Then, a laser shot into the sky, as if a red sword suddenly split the perfect night scene in two, like someone rudely slashed through it with a pen, ruining the beauty of the entire piece and—
Destroying the very meaning of the painting.
The Vargus was the one most brutally damaged in this painting because the disruptive slash landed right on it!
Boom!
The Vargus exploded mid-air, splitting into two!
The red light went out, and the battlefield fell silent—
But that wasn't the end. The two Basilisk propulsion vehicles just about to reach the cement factory rapidly retreated, but the focused laser lit up again, flashing twice and blowing up the Basilisks' engines!
With the final flash, the terrifying red laser even spread out, resembling an apocalypse!
"Counterattack!"
Leo's voice snapped Aldecaldos back to his senses. Saul immediately raised two guns and peeked out from behind cover:
"Aldecaldos—counterattack!!!"
The Militech forces had just advanced halfway, stranded in the open desert with no cover. Without air support, they could only rely on armored vehicles for ground suppression, and their advance efficiency plummeted!
(Cement Factory Front)
With no air firepower suppression, Aldecaldos quickly moved within the cement factory—
The encirclement by the Militech forces was not yet complete, so if they attacked in one direction, there was still a chance!
But which direction should they hit?
A massive armored Basilisk appeared in the distance, halting its advance.
"Are you sure?"
"I'm sure—that thing's about to fire, give me some cover!"
"But what about the plan? We're out of anti-armor rounds!"
"The plan is, you guys waste your ammo, and we'll hijack the vehicle!"
Boom!
The Basilisk's electromagnetic projectile fired from over a thousand meters away, easily toppling the already dilapidated main building of the cement factory!
Clearly, they thought there was a terrifyingly powerful laser cannon hidden here!
However, in reality—
The focused laser cannon exploded after the last shot. It wasn't that Leo intended to make it flash twice or create a spreading effect—the circuits just burned out.
Jackie dusted himself off and stood up. His expensive "Valentino brand" clothing was tattered, and his body was covered in horrific wounds—
But they were visibly healing at a rapid pace.
The Windgate sped over to Jackie's side, and Jackie, without hesitation, grabbed a basket of military high-energy biscuits and his Widowmaker and jumped on board.
After some thought, he decided to ditch the brand and tied the remaining fabric into a rope to secure his gun and biscuits.
"Get in!"
"And then?"
"Then—see that Basilisk?"
"Yeah, looks like trouble."
"In a bit, you'll go up there and open its hatch, and then we'll take the vehicle."
"Oh, so we just need to steal the Basilisk, and we can beat up the company dogs," Jackie nodded, "You serious?"
"Do I look like I'm joking? Get off and lift the car!"
The cement factory was surrounded by mountains on three sides—technically, it was a man-made structure dug into the mountain.
The cement company had excavated sand and stone here, creating a stepped landscape.
Though a bit tricky, it wasn't impossible for a powerful cyber-enhanced person and a monster desert racer to scale the hill.
Boom!
Another shot came, and a giant sheet of iron roofing crashed down.
Leo pointed at it, "What are you standing around for? Move it!"
Jackie said nothing more, maxing out his cybernetic enhancements, hoisting the iron sheet onto the stone steps to create a path for the Windgate to climb the mountain.
The vehicle crossed the mountain's steps, and Jackie grabbed onto the rocks and climbed in. The vehicle wound its way up the mountain, eventually reaching the side of the cement factory—
This was originally a high point occupied by Aldecaldos's forces, but they retreated after seeing the Vargus, losing the high ground.
The Militech forces' plan was to use artillery to take out these high points, but since there was a high-spec laser weapon in the factory, the armored units couldn't charge in recklessly.
The Basilisk armored vehicle was parked in front of the cement factory, continuing its bombardment.
Even without air cover, the fear of the potential high-spec laser weapon kept the Basilisk at a distance, maintaining fire suppression.
Unless they dealt with this, Aldecaldos wouldn't make it out today.
The vehicle climbed to the top level.
As Jackie munched on his biscuits, he asked, "What now?"
"Don't you think this height is perfect for a flying car?"
Jackie's expression changed slightly—
Flying car?
"Bro, it's not that I don't trust you, or that I'm scared, but did you notify V about this?"
"Notify? Hell no, it's an emergency! Get on the car!"
The vehicle switched to remote control mode, and the two of them, using magnetic suits, clung tightly to the car's exterior.
The Windgate's engine roared as the safety limits were removed, its noise almost drowning out the sound of gunfire from the cement factory—
On the car, both of them swallowed nervously—
To be honest, Leo wasn't entirely confident either, his hand gripping Jackie's back.
But at this point, there was no turning back!
"Hold tight!!!!"
Boom!!!!!!!
(Takeoff)
Militech Sergeant: "Command, Vargus has been destroyed! And there's a floating vehicle!"
Militech Colonel: "I see it, I see it! Hold the line! Damn it, get the Basilisk to stop! Keep your distance!"
Militech Colonel: "Keep advancing! Keep advancing! That little bastard violated protocol! Damn it!!!"
The Militech forces were momentarily stunned, but only for a second.
From the moment they enlisted, they had hormone controllers implanted and underwent extensive neural training to stay calm in battle.
However, when encountering unexpected situations outside of training, there could still be some disruption.
Like now: according to their training simulations, this kind of weapon usually only appeared in official corporate wars...
Their hormone controllers started adjusting their output.
The Basilisk operator maneuvered the massive vehicle closer to the mountain—it allowed him to maintain a firing angle and find cover if a high-energy reaction was detected.
But this played right into Leo's hands—
The Windgate could fly far, but it was still subject to gravity. Too far, and it wouldn't make it.
Basilisk Operator: "Reached designated position, visibility good."
Basilisk Weapons Operator: "Continuing bombardment."
Boom.
The Basilisk operator frowned, "Unusual biological signal detected from behind the mountain, coordinating with infantry to investigate."
"Approaching designated position, audio signal intensifying—it's a vehicle, a flying vehicle!!!"
Boom!
The engine roared deafeningly. Before the infantry reached the high point, the Windgate flew right over their heads!
Jackie soared through the air, looking down at the armored vehicles and the dark gun barrels below, his heart racing as the lizard serum coursed through his veins, activating all his energy!
He was hungry, and he wanted to wreak havoc!
The vehicle flew over their heads, and the Ba xing Chong Smart shotgun and Yinglong unleashed all their ammo in a single barrage!
64 high-explosive rounds, 45 rounds of smart submachine gun ammo triggering two electromagnetic pulses, and a whole basket of grenades!
It was as if a god had descended!
Boom!
In the blaze of explosions, the Militech soldiers saw, in their final moments before losing consciousness, a man.
A man descended from the sky, landing on one knee atop the Basilisk.
A legend had descended!