Chapter 58 Entering Leiden Again

Morning.

A four-person squad entered the city of Leyden from the southern sector.

Compared to a few days ago, the collapse of buildings was far more severe. In many places, fierce fires burned day and night, the air was heavy with the stench of rot, and the distant, ethereal crack of gunfire drifted through the air.

The building closest to the southern entrance was a canned food factory, heavily fortified with numerous fire teams. It also served as the starting point for entering soldiers. The outer walls had undergone desperate, multi-layered reinforcement, allowing the basic framework to withstand several rounds of fighter jet bombings.

The four figures exited through the side door of the cannery. Si Ning swaggered openly at the front, swaying a pair of gracefully long legs. Even covered in military trousers, their length and fine shape were still evident, looking utterly out of place on a smoke-choked battlefield.

Jiang He knew that this fellow's true body was definitely hidden elsewhere; such a conspicuous movement could entirely serve as a decoy.

Because their superior appeared far too relaxed, the two privates also relaxed considerably. When they left the academy, the retired officer had delivered an inspiring speech, offering evidence-backed projections of the situation: before winter arrived, the grand army would march into Berlin and capture the Prussian Emperor alive.

Just as Si Ning stepped out of the abandoned factory, a bullet struck from the side, piercing her forehead. The spray of blood looked chillingly real, and her collapse even kicked up a puff of dust.

"Sir!"

David cried out, then quickly ducked back to find cover.

"I'll fight you to the death!"

Charles XIV leaped out of the factory, his expression abnormally ecstatic, verging on ferocious. He practically hoisted his rifle, firing repeatedly at the second-story windows of a distant civilian house, displaying exceptional combat valor.

Well-prepared, someone traced the trajectory to pinpoint the sniper's location. However, the enemy likely fled immediately after firing. Fortunately, a sparrow fluttered around the residential building, its speed roughly approximating that of a moving person.

Jiang He pulled the trigger of *Scarlet Baptism*. The bullet traveled two hundred meters and struck the wall. The sparrow startled and fled, while the fragmentation-effect bullet shattered the bricks and mortar. A miserable scream rang out. Without Knight-level extraordinary power, even with obstacles dampening the kinetic energy, it was nearly impossible to resist the fire of an arcane-treasure firearm.

"The new guy is a bit unhinged. You seem a bit abnormal too."

Si Ning emerged from the shadows, her hypnotic projection technology making her look like a ghost.

Jiang He directly swiveled his muzzle, aiming it right at her.

A trace of confusion flashed in Si Ning's eyes. Reaching out to grasp the smallsword at her waist—which looked more like an ornament—she asked warily, "What are you doing?"

"Two clauses linked together, each containing matching elements in the front and back—meet these two conditions, and you've reached the minimum threshold to trigger the Abyss Logic Disease."

Si Ning grew slightly annoyed. "That costs a massive amount of energy values, you know. It's not like I don't know the time and place. At worst, let's just stay further apart."

Jiang He pulled out a black gemstone, stuffed it into his pocket, and said, "If we're going to cooperate, cooperate properly. If my mental state acts up, I'll blow you up first. From now on, the distance between us cannot exceed five meters."

Charles XIV had been driven back into the factory by a burst of random rifle fire. As soon as he stepped inside, he saw the two superiors confronting each other. David, who had come from the same academy, was at a complete loss. This squad was clearly unreliable.

Si Ning took a step back, closed the distance, deployed a new projection body to walk in front, and vanished once more.

"Wait a minute, the officer actually came back to life! This must be a Knight! Absolutely!" Charles XIV's eyes shone with excitement.

David's expression turned grave. Operating alongside a Knight increased their danger exponentially.

The four of them advanced through the ruins, hugging the shadows.

Meanwhile, a sparrow landed on Jiang He's shoulder. Wu He sent a message via the internal channel.

"There's news about the mental-resistance arcane treasure you wanted. It's called the *Ring of the Free Bird*, but you'll need to investigate its exact whereabouts carefully. Be careful down in Leyden; there are too many perspectives, I can't keep up with switching between them."

"Understood."

By noon, the four-person squad had broken out of the southern sector controlled by their own forces and entered the eastern district, which served as the combat zone.

Fighter jets roared overhead, and the bombs they dropped raised pillars of smoke and dust from the ground. Atop a three-story roof, a Prussian squad successfully locked down the street below with a Maxim heavy machine gun.

A full company of British infantry launched a suicide charge. As chains of fire swept across, the soldiers fell one by one. The commanding lieutenant was blown away by a landmine, crashing into a wall with his brains splattered everywhere. In the blink of an eye, a force of nearly two hundred was reduced by half.

A second company promptly capitalized on the gains, sustaining the ferocious offensive. Taking advantage of the brief lull while the Maxim heavy machine gun reloaded, a deputy battalion commander—a captain—personally led the charge.

Three hundred soldiers made a frantic assault on the building, seemingly on the verge of a breakthrough. However, the open ground in front of the building was sown with landmines. Terrifying explosions erupted one after another, filling the battlefield with black smoke and dust. The captain was blown to pieces, and the soldiers routed in panic, retreating entirely into the church across the street.

"I refuse to cross through here. Projection stealth won't stop a full sweep from a heavy machine gun."

A cold, crisp voice rang out from an empty space.

Jiang He hid behind a half-collapsed wall, using a monocular to observe the enemy fire position. Two black gemstone chaos bombs could handle it; these bombs were advantageous due to their small, concealed nature and ease of delivery, but this position only held six or seven men—hardly worth depleting his reserves.

"The dispatch station is in the eastern district. Let's head to the church first."

Si Ning had no objections. She had only stepped foot in Leyden to assassinate the Leopard Knight and complete the main quest. Had it not been for that, espionage warfare was what she truly excelled at. As for the two privates, they had no say in the tactical direction.

The four of them immediately set into motion.

Inside the church, wailing rose wave upon wave. The place was crowded with wounded soldiers missing hands and feet, and the stench of blood was suffocating.

With the deputy battalion commander and the main-force captain killed in action, Captain Tommy took command. His assistant was long gone from the one he had originally set out with; if measured by generations, they were already down to the seventh or eighth iteration.

"Secure the perimeter of the church!"

"Abandon the heavily wounded; save the medical supplies for those who can survive!"

"Reallocate ammunition!"

Order after order was barked out, several of which sparked dissatisfaction among the soldiers. Tommy expressionlessly executed three privates attempting to desert, thereby stabilizing the situation.

"How many are left?"

Hearing the familiar voice and question, Tommy turned to see his old comrade of many days. There was no joy of reunion on his face—after all, no one knew when death would strike.

"134 men. Just barely enough to manage one more charge."

Tommy looked out over the sea of corpses and wounded soldiers with a hint of melancholy.

Si Ning whispered quietly, "These British blokes all share the same brain-dead mentality. Previously, I was invited to observe Haig's human-wave tactics; it looked just like a military parade. On the day of the general offensive, sixty thousand casualties were sustained—you wouldn't slaughter that many pigs in a butcher shop. Real eye-opener."

Jiang He glared at her. As a Knight, Tommy also enjoyed basic attribute enhancements equivalent to two attribute points. In a situation where strength, constitution, and agility weren't particularly prominent, a Wildebeest Knight likely specialized in Spirit; at this distance, he could hear them loud and clear.

"That's why I plan to drive the Prussians across that minefield," Tommy said coldly. "The soldiers can't be squandered so casually anymore."

Jiang He was slightly surprised. "Where are you going to get Prussians?"

"Some Leyden citizens who haven't evacuated yet. They're right down in the church cellar." Tommy turned and walked away.

Jiang He remained silent. From burning passion to numbness and weariness, and finally to unmasked hatred, the war had left deep scars and profound changes upon the man.