204: Blood Ultimatum

The snow was still falling. The type 100 tank was hiding behind a rocky ridge, its hull covered in a layer of ice.

On the camera, one could see a modified motorcycle parked in an open space fifty meters away, towing a sled behind it.

The rider removed his mask, and his voice came from outside: "I am an envoy from the Northern Empire, here to deliver an official document."

Chen Wang stood in front of the driver's seat, his hand resting on the start button of the kindling system.

He didn't speak, only staring at the heat source signal on the main screen.

Lin Wei whispered: "There's no ground vibration, and no one is lying in ambush nearby. The signal is clean; it's not a trap."

"Tell him to put the item down," Chen Wang said.

The other party didn't move. He took a metal tag from his chest, flicked his wrist, and threw it over.

The tag carved a mark in the snow before coming to a stop. There were dark red stains on it, and the edges were severely worn. The number "XH-07" was engraved in the top right corner.

"This is the relic of the seventh Maverick," he said. "Three days ago, he refused to surrender, and now his corpse is hanging outside the empire's city gate. Those who don't listen will all end up like this tag."

No one in the vehicle spoke.

Su Ling had already drawn her crossbow, the arrowhead aimed at the tag. She released her hand, and the arrow flew out, pinning a corner of the tag. The arrow shaft was still quivering.

"One more step forward, and the next arrow won't be pinning a tag," she said.

The envoy didn't retreat. Instead, he laughed, revealing a mouthful of yellow teeth: "Do you think you can survive by hiding here? The Head of State has never failed to get what he wants. Surrender the war vehicle, and you might still be able to keep your bodies intact."

Chen Wang raised his hand and pressed it on Su Ling's shoulder. She didn't move, nor did she fire a second arrow.

He pressed the intercom button, his voice steady: "Tell Yan Shiduo that in three days, I will bring the fragments of his ultimatum to visit him at his Head of States Residence."

The smile on the envoy's face froze.

He stared at the tank as if trying to see the people inside clearly. After five seconds, he put his mask back on and started the motorcycle. The sled was dragged away, crushing the original footprints. The headlights went out, leaving only a black shadow disappearing into the snowstorm.

After the radar confirmed the heat source had left, Chen Wang finally let go.

"Go pick up the tag," he said.

Su Ling jumped out of the vehicle, wearing cold-weather gear with tactical straps on the outside. She pulled out the arrow, wrapped the metal tag in a cloth, and put it into a sealed bag. Returning to the vehicle, she handed the bag to Lin Wei: "Take a picture and archive it, mark it as 'XH-07'."

Lin Wei took it and placed it on the analysis table. The scan showed it was a high-density magnetized alloy, the same as the material from the imperial weapons captured previously. There was a faint magnetic field inside.

"This isn't an ordinary tag," she said. "It might be standard issue."

"Keep it," Chen Wang said. "It'll be useful later."

Amy Chen pulled out the energy meter and calculated the fuel consumption and distance. "This person came from the northwest; the motorcycle can run for at most two hundred kilometers. The imperial outpost should be within one hundred eighty kilometers. The fact that they knew we changed our route means they have a way to track us."

"It's not a signal," Lin Wei shook her head. "I turned off all emission sources. It might be some other method."

"No matter what it is," Chen Wang walked to the main control console, "they want to scare us. But we aren't afraid."

Su Wan stood at the corridor entrance, holding a vital signs monitor. "Everyone's heart rate was fast just now. Su Ling's was the fastest, reaching 142. It has already come down now. I suggest drinking some warm water; don't let your bodies get too tense."

No one responded.

Chen Wang looked at the kindling system interface. 372 survival points remained, and he was 88 points short of unlocking a new Shield. He opened the map and replanned the route. The original plan was to go through the Ice Fissure Valley, but now they had to avoid the empire's area of activity.

"We can't go in a straight line," he said. "We'll detour to the cliffs in the south. The terrain there is complex, and it won't be easy for them to follow."

"Fuel consumption will increase by thirty-five percent," Amy Chen reminded him.

"Save power wherever you can," Chen Wang said. "The flight module is only to be used in critical moments."

Lin Wei began to adjust the power distribution. She reduced the Shield charging to 40%, turned off unnecessary lights, and even switched the backup screens to intermittent operation. System prompt: [Low power mode activated]

Su Ling returned to the turret station and checked the cooling pipes of the electromagnetic cannon. She removed the old pipe and replaced it with a new one, her movements skillful. After installing it, she tapped the casing to confirm there were no issues.

"The next ones to come won't be here to deliver letters," she said.

"I know," Chen Wang said, "so we have to be faster."

Su Wan returned to the medical pod and opened the medicine cabinet. She placed several epinephrine pens in the outer layer and checked the expiration date of the hemostatic gel. After doing this, she wrote in her notebook: "Emergency supplies ready."

Amy Chen updated the energy meter. She set one-third of the reserve power as "assault use only" and it could not be used casually. Then she wrote down the previous conversation point by point and saved it with encryption.

Lin Wei upgraded the anti-tracking system. She added a layer of interference programs to make external scans see false frequencies. She tested it once, and the system was normal.

Chen Wang stood in front of the driver's seat, looking at the new route on the map. The blue line bypassed the northwest and pointed toward the supply point in the southeast. He touched the burn scar on his left arm and pressed the confirm button.

Route locked.

"Everyone," he said, "get ready to depart."

The war vehicle hadn't moved yet.

The snowstorm outside hadn't stopped. The ice on the armor was getting thicker and thicker. The screen showed the temperature was eighty-four degrees below zero, and the wind speed was twenty-three meters per second.

Su Ling took one last look at the monitor. The arrow hole in the snow was about to be covered by snow. She turned off the camera and sat back in her seat.

Lin Wei unplugged the data cable and put it into her toolbox. She glanced at the metal tag on the table and covered it with a cloth.

Amy Chen closed the energy meter and stuffed it into her pocket. She took a sip of water and let out a breath.

Su Wan stood at the entrance of the medical pod and said softly: "Everyone is doing okay."

Chen Wang didn't turn around. He looked ahead, his hand resting on the throttle lever.

The engine noise was very low.

The type 100 tank slowly started, crushing the ice crust underneath. The tracks rotated, leaving the first mark. The front of the vehicle turned to the southeast, left the rocky ridge, and drove into the snowstorm.

On the main screen, three red dots suddenly appeared in the northwest direction.

Distance: Twelve kilometers.

Speed: Approaching rapidly.

Type identification in progress...

Chen Wang's hand gripped the control lever tightly.