127: Smoke of gunpowder

The alarm was still blaring.

Red light shone onto the cockpit of the vehicle model.

Chen Wang did not move the steering wheel, his hand resting beside the emergency button. He could hear his own breathing, short and heavy.

"Get down," he said. "Divert all power to the front Shield."

No one spoke. Su Wan's hand was already pressed against the medical panel, energy flowing from the rear of the vehicle to the front. The numbers on the kindling system were dropping: 38%, 31%, 21%. The Shield was nearly gone, but it could still hold.

A sound came from above.

It wasn't the sound of artillery, but a vibration. Chen Wang looked into the rearview mirror and saw black shadows sliding down from above, one after another. Ice blocks crashed down, one after another. The rumbling drowned out the alarm; the entire valley was shaking.

Snow and smoke rushed toward the vehicle body, and the windshield instantly turned white. Lin Wei turned on the scanner, and a structural diagram appeared on the screen: "There's a crack on the right that can shelter us from the tremors, but it won't hold for more than three minutes."

"Then three minutes it is," Chen Wang said. "That's enough."

He released the brake and gently pressed the accelerator, moving the vehicle half a meter forward to dodge a falling boulder. The tracks crushed the broken ice, making a harsh, grating sound. By the time the vehicle came to a steady stop, the rear was already blocked off, and fifty meters ahead was a modified T-9 heavy tank, its muzzle still glowing with red light.

Derek stood on the armored vehicle, holding a loudspeaker in his hand. He glanced down at his terminal, the corner of his mouth twitching.

"That was just a warning," his voice came through the loudspeaker. "The next shot is a resonance armor-piercing shell. That armor of yours will shatter like glass."

No one in the vehicle spoke.

Lin Wei looked up, her fingers tapping quickly on the screen to search for information. She entered the keywords, and a line of text popped up: 【Resonance frequency matching shockwaves, can destroy molecular structures, used for high-density targets】.

Her expression changed.

"We can't take it head-on!" she shouted. "This type of shell will tear the vehicle frame apart itself! We must interfere with their targeting system, otherwise, one shot and we're finished!"

No sooner had she finished speaking than the enemy cannon began to charge. Blue light flickered at the muzzle, and rings of energy were forming. The kindling system popped up a notification: 【High-frequency oscillation source detected, threat level: extremely high】.

Chen Wang stared at that ball of blue light. He knew they couldn't move now; moving would make them a target. He also knew that if they used the EMP trap, their position would be exposed, and there were two more vehicles waiting to surround them from behind.

He could only stall for time.

"Lin Wei, what else can you find?" he asked.

"They're looking for our main frame frequency," Lin Wei said, her fingers never stopping. "Calibration is complete; they can fire within three seconds."

"Su Ling," Chen Wang looked toward the sniper position. "Where can you hit?"

Su Ling had been leaning against the cabin wall, watching outside. She used the reflection off the ice wall to observe the enemy vehicle's structure without blinking. At this moment, she said: "Above the right rear track, the main power supply pipe is exposed. If I shoot through it, their power will be disabled for at least ten minutes."

"What are the odds?" Chen Wang asked.

"One chance," she said. "If I miss, it's all over."

Amy Chen immediately connected to the thermal imaging system. The calculator in her hand lit up, numbers scrolling.

"Wind speed is seven degrees to the left, ballistic delay is 0.3 seconds," she reported. "There is only a two-second window at the end, before the charging finishes."

Su Ling nodded. She set up the rifle, pressed the stock against her shoulder, and slowed her breathing. In the scope, the power supply pipe was very clear, its metal casing gleaming.

She didn't disengage the safety.

Firing now would be equivalent to a counterattack, and the enemy would immediately change tactics. But she couldn't wait too long either; once the resonance shell was fired, they wouldn't even have time to react.

Derek spoke again.

"You mechanics know parts best," he said. "I know you're hiding something. Hand it over, and I might leave your bodies intact."

No one responded.

Chen Wang's hands were on the steering wheel, his knuckles white. He didn't look at the kindling system, nor did he look at the energy bar. He was waiting—waiting for a change in the opponent's tone, a pause in their movements, any slight opening.

Lin Wei was still watching the charging progress. The blue light was growing stronger; there were already two energy rings at the muzzle, and a third was forming. She whispered: "67% charged, it will be finished in eight seconds."

Su Wan was guarding the medical system, the light on her glove flashing green. She watched everyone's physiological data without saying a word. Su Ling's heart rate was 72 beats per minute, even lower than before.

Amy Chen stared at the calculator, her finger hovering over the communication cutoff key. As soon as Su Ling fired, she would have to immediately cut off all signals to prevent being tracked.

Derek raised his right hand.

This wasn't a countdown; it was an order.

The final energy ring closed.

Lin Wei shouted: "Charging complete! Prepare to fire!"

Chen Wang slammed the button.

"Su Ling—!"

The gun didn't fire.

Su Ling's finger stopped before the trigger. She saw a change—the enemy's targeting sight moved slightly, as if confirming a lock. At that very instant, she changed her mind.

She didn't fire.

She pressed the muzzle down by two millimeters.

Hitting the targeting sight was too risky; if she missed, there would be no second chance. She had to wait for a more precise moment, for that power supply pipe to be fully exposed.

The blue light at the muzzle flared up.

The resonance armor-piercing shell was about to be fired.

Chen Wang shouted: "Lin Wei, deploy interference waves!"

Lin Wei pressed the command. A fake signal was emitted from the antenna under the vehicle, straight toward the enemy's radar. The kindling system immediately generated three fake targets, scattered at different locations in the canyon.

The enemy cannon paused.

The charging was interrupted.

Derek frowned, looking down at the console. A few seconds later he looked up, his eyes colder.

"Little tricks," he said. "Switch to manual targeting."

He walked to the cannon control panel and put on tactical gloves. The screen switched to manual mode, the crosshairs moving slowly, realigning with the Wuling cockpit.

Lin Wei gritted her teeth: "They switched to manual! The interference is useless!"

"How much longer until it's charged?" Chen Wang asked.

"Thirty seconds," she said. "It won't be interrupted this time."

Su Ling held her breath. She saw the enemy's power supply pipe lift slightly due to the power adjustment, revealing more of a gap. This was the only chance.

She disengaged the safety.

Her finger pressed against the trigger.

Amy Chen calculated the latest trajectory: "Wind speed unchanged, delay 0.3 seconds, fire now, hit probability 81%."

Su Wan saw Su Ling's blood pressure rise, but it was within the normal range. She said nothing, only connecting the backup power supply to the sniper rifle.

Derek's finger rested on the firing button.

He looked in the direction of the Wuling, his lips moving slightly.

"This is the last time," he said. "Hand it over."

Chen Wang didn't answer.

He looked at Su Ling.

Su Ling looked through the scope.

The crosshairs were steadily fixed on that power supply pipe.

Her finger began to apply pressure.

The blue light at the enemy muzzle gathered once more.

The resonance armor-piercing shell entered the final charging stage.

The Wuling Shield value was stuck at 21%, unable to withstand another attack.

Su Ling's muzzle didn't move an inch.

Derek's finger pressed down on the firing button.