17: Catching a turtle in a jar

Inside the grizzly tank, Wei He watched the footage of Riquan City on the red alert system. The tragic scene made cold sweat pour down his face, and his trembling hands clutched helplessly at his collar. He never expected a High-level Magician to be so terrifying; one person could truly destroy a city. Coming from the Blue Star, Wei He found it almost impossible to believe.

"Hahaha! This is the fate of traitors, hahaha!" Looking down at the living hell below, Carlos's furrowed brows slowly relaxed. "Son, I have finally avenged you!"

Before his voice could fade, a rumbling sound echoed from not far away. It was the sound of anti-air tracked vehicles crushing the ground. Carlos couldn't help but ask curiously, "What is this now? Where are all these strange things coming from?"

Curious, he flew directly above the anti-air tracked vehicles. Looking down at the massive muzzles, Carlos's eyes darted around as he guessed their purpose, yet he remained suspended in the air, motionless and imposing.

"System, don't wait for the multifunctional infantry vehicles. Have the anti-air tracked vehicles fire immediately and kill him!" Wei He felt uncertain, but with a glimmer of hope, he issued the order to the system.

"Understood, Commander. Initiating attack on the enemy now!" the system's voice rang out.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!..." The long, thick barrels atop the vehicles, capable of 360-degree rotation, spat tongues of fire, launching flak shells into the sky. This spectacular scene of ten thousand guns firing at once restored a bit of confidence in Wei He's heart.

The flak shells exploded around Carlos, releasing black gas that shrouded the sky. Carlos shook his white-haired head, the corners of his mouth turning up slightly. "Is this all you've got? Hmph!"

"Heavenly Thunder Descent — Thunder Arrows!" A ring of blue Magic Arrays appeared around Carlos, and countless blue arrows formed from lightning burst forth, crashing toward the ground.

The anti-air muzzles on the ground continued to spit fire, but a massive volume of arrows instantly slammed into the earth, hitting everything. One after another, the anti-air tracked vehicles were struck and blown apart, sending flames soaring into the sky. The fire ignited the nearby trees, and the arrows falling into the forest caused a massive blaze. In just over ten minutes, all the anti-air tracked vehicles were completely destroyed.

The fire gradually spread, igniting all the trees from Riquan City to the Sentry Bridge.

Soldiers wearing steel helmets and brownish-tan military uniforms with distinctive wide belts and black boots, equipped with shoulder-mounted individual anti-air cannons, had just marched to this location when they were surrounded and ruthlessly consumed by the flames.

For a time, screams and explosions were incessant. Burning figures fled in agony, rolling on the ground until they finally stopped moving, their breath ceasing as they were charred to cinders by the fire.

Wei He, who had just gained a bit of confidence, now had legs that shook so much he wished his tank could grow wings so he could flee back to the Harsh Forest immediately.

"I shouldn't have been in a tank. If there's a next time, I must have a night hawk helicopter ready!" Wei He muttered to himself while giving the system a new command: "Withdraw the anti-air units. Don't let them make any more pointless sacrifices!"

"Understood, Commander. I am withdrawing the multifunctional infantry vehicles to the base now!" the system replied.

"I sent out four anti-air units, and only this one is left! Argh!" Wei He cried out in distress.

It was only now that Wei He realized that even with the red alert system, he was still too weak in this perilous and strange world where one wrong move could cost him his life.

Carlos looked down at the sea of fire and remarked, "These strange-shaped things are quite powerful. It's just a pity they encountered me. Hmph!"

As soon as he finished speaking, dozens of people dressed in magician robes emerged from the direction of Wick Village, galloping toward them on swift horses.

"The Grand General is truly decisive and swift; your speed is something we can never hope to match!" said a man with a sharp chin, sunken cheeks, and a mole on his face. His words carried a double meaning, noting both Carlos's early arrival at Riquan City and how quickly he had ended the battle.

The dozens of people behind him nodded one after another. Seeing the tragic state of the road to Riquan City, they couldn't help but marvel at how terrifying a High-level Magician truly was.

"You've arrived at the right time. Follow me to attack Sentry Mountain, wipe out the bandits, and reclaim the lost territory!" Carlos said in a tone that brooked no argument.

"Yes!" everyone echoed in unison. No one raised an objection; instead, they felt it was a supreme honor to fight alongside the Grand General.

Carlos flew over the fire zone and headed straight for Sentry Mountain. As the others looked at the fire on the road, one of them rode forward and cast a spell: "May the power of the Water God descend upon me; in the name of the contract, reveal the power of a god — Water Mist Extinction Kill!"

A white Magic Array appeared before the man, and a spray of water mist burst from it. The flames in front of the array were instantly extinguished. The Magic Array moved forward gently, flying along the path and dousing the fires as it went.

The group galloped along this water-cleared path. Looking at the flames on either side, it was actually quite a unique sight.

Wei He, now sitting in the base control room, asked tremblingly, "System, is there any way we can defeat him?"

"Based on the current situation, a Superweapon could be used to eliminate him. However, destroying him would also destroy the base. Please proceed with caution, Commander!" The system's voice was like a wake-up call to Wei He. He had been so intimidated by Carlos's power that he had momentarily forgotten red alert also possessed powerful offensive capabilities. The main issue was that there had been many civilians earlier, and he couldn't bring himself to kill the innocent.

Carlos was currently in the air, looking down at the strange iron-clad buildings. He didn't know when these structures had sprung up; his scouts had been completely unaware.

"System, have all anti-air units concentrate their fire to stall him!" Wei He felt like he was having a breakdown seeing Carlos directly above the base; he really couldn't use a Superweapon now.

"Understood, Commander. I have also detected enemies entering Sentry Mountain. Shall I send reinforcements?" The system thoughtfully brought up the footage of Sentry Mountain. Dozens of magicians had arrived and were currently using Magic Arrays to attack the light laser towers.

"Sentry Mountain is some distance from the base, so the Superweapon won't affect it. Use a nuclear missile to wipe them out!" Wei He clenched his fists, staring fixedly at the screen as if he wanted to swallow them alive.

"Understood, Commander. Launching nuclear missile now. I suggest you board a night hawk helicopter and leave the base immediately; the anti-air units won't hold out for long!" the system's mechanical voice rang out.

"I'll be shot down the moment I take off. I'm like a turtle caught in a jar now!" Wei He was also wondering how Carlos knew he had fled back to the base.

"Commander, you can use the Iron Curtain to protect the night hawk helicopter. That way, he won't be able to shoot it down. As long as you're fast enough, you can lose him!" The system was indeed much smarter than a novice like Wei He.

"Fine, let's do that!" Seeing a glimmer of hope, Wei He's furrowed brows finally relaxed.

As the nuclear missile from the nuclear silo left the base, the magicians on Sentry Mountain were still attacking the light laser towers. The Imperial magicians were also trembling with fear; they had never seen such strange buildings. As soon as the dozens of magicians ascended Sentry Mountain, the two in front were struck in their vitals by lasers from the light laser towers. They bled profusely and died instantly. The magicians behind them immediately activated Magic Shields to defend themselves while striking back at the light laser towers.

The dozens of magicians cast various attack beams from dozens of Magic Arrays of different attributes, colors, and sizes.

There were fire attacks, lightning, freezing... it was a diverse and spectacular display. But in the heat of the battle, everyone's expressions tightened. They simultaneously felt a change in the elemental composition of the air, and a sense of unease rose in their hearts. They didn't know what other dangerous things were hidden in Sentry Mountain.