327: Empire in urn

The tracks crushed the ice and snow, the sound growing closer as the ground began to tremble.

Chen Wang sat in the driver's seat, his hand resting near the control stick, fingers gripping so tightly his knuckles turned white.

The holographic screen of the kindling system was affixed to the inside of the windshield, its brightness set very low, giving it a hazy, grey appearance.

On the radar screen, three red dots merged into one, slowly approaching from the valley entrance; they weren't moving fast, but they kept advancing.

He didn't move, nor did he speak.

His ears listened to the sounds outside—it wasn't just one vehicle, but a convoy.

In the lead were heavy armored vehicles, followed by tracked engineering vehicles, and behind them were at least two units of fire-support vehicles.

The sound was dense and the intervals steady, indicating this was not a standard patrol, but a fully prepared main force.

In the distance, snow dust kicked up, stretching into a grey line in the wind.

Visibility was less than one hundred meters, but the infrared had already detected heat sources.

Static suddenly came from the observation point on the high slope ahead, followed by a loss of signal.

Chen Wang immediately switched to the backup channel; the signal light flashed twice and then went out.

The connection points on the south slope, north slope, and the east side of the ice ridge were all cut off, leaving only an encrypted shortwave link between the main vehicle and the central ice chamber.

The body of hope shuddered; it was the shock from an explosion in the distance.

The first round of shelling landed at the junction of the north and south high slopes, five high-explosive shells detonating simultaneously, sending ice fragments flying and snow layers sliding, triggering a small-scale avalanche that covered two sniper positions.

The shockwave traveled over, making the vehicle's metal body hum.

The kindling system issued an alert: "External vibration exceeds limits, recommend activating shock absorption module."

Chen Wang ignored it.

Shock absorption would consume power and emit electromagnetic signals; he couldn't afford to be exposed right now.

He stared at the radar; the enemy troops were still advancing, not deterred by the shelling, but instead accelerating.

This meant they had known about the ambush here for a long time and might even have grasped part of the defensive layout.

The second round of strikes was more accurate.

Armor-piercing incendiary shells swept across the valley depression in a fan shape, specifically targeting places where vehicles were hidden.

Three shells exploded within thirty meters of hope, the closest one shattering the ice layer, with cracks crawling like a web to the underside of the vehicle.

The Shield system overloaded, the alert turning red: "Left rear suspension damaged, structural stability decreased by 17%."

The temperature rose in the area on the right front wheel that had been burned previously, and the crack that Lin Wei had patched with solder began leaking cold air.

He immediately turned off unnecessary systems—environmental control, interior lights, and remote communication relay—leaving only radar and driving controls active.

The interior of the vehicle darkened, with only a faint light from the kindling system screen.

The oxygen circulation slowed, and the sound of breathing became distinct.

He touched his copper pocket watch; the surface was frosted, but the hands were moving steadily.

Fuel remained at 54%, 2% less than before, but it could still hold out.

The communicator suddenly sounded, the voice intermittent: "South slope... sapper team... lost contact... requesting retreat... repeat, requesting retreat..."

This was someone from the northern demolition team, with the screeching sound of twisting metal in the background.

Chen Wang pressed the talk button but did not respond.

He knew they couldn't see him, and he also knew that speaking now would expose his position.

But he had to make a decision.

The original plan was to wait for a strong wind and use the storm to trigger three blockades, trapping the enemy in the valley.

But now the enemy not only had heavy obstacle-clearing equipment but also engineering tanks specifically designed to deal with ice-rock traps, equipped with drills and thermal cutters; they were clearly prepared.

More importantly, their firepower range was much larger than expected; they clearly hadn't stumbled in by mistake, but had been prepared for a long time.

The attempt to lure the enemy had failed.

He pressed the emergency recall order, sending an evacuation signal to all still-contactable nodes using low-power pulses.

The green dots on the map began to move, converging toward the main vehicle.

The anti-Empire forces were scattering; the originally dispersed people were forced to concentrate, and large gaps appeared in the defensive line.

The enemy seized the opportunity to advance, three heavy armored vehicles having already entered the perimeter of the central ice chamber, turrets rotating to lock onto the remaining heat sources on the high ground on both sides.

hope initiated emergency propulsion, its tracks slowly turning, carving shallow trenches into the ice.

He didn't accelerate, but instead glided smoothly for thirty meters, hiding behind an ice ridge.

He couldn't see far from here, but the enemy above couldn't hit him, and he had avoided direct reconnaissance.

Just as the vehicle stopped, another round of shelling struck his previous position, completely leveling the ice crater.

On the kindling system map, the green dots representing friendly forces were dwindling.

There had been seventeen at the start, but now only five were still flashing, two of which had very weak signals and could cut out at any moment.

The enemy's red dots were like ink dissolving in water, constantly spreading, and had already occupied two-thirds of the valley.

There were no aircraft in the sky, but the ground radar showed more units approaching from behind, expected to arrive within twenty minutes.

His hands remained gripped on the control stick, his posture unchanged.

His shoulders were tense, but his breathing was steady.

He knew he couldn't move or fight now.

The vehicle model hadn't finished upgrading, the flight module was unlocked, the Shield was below 40%, and the right front wheel was unstable; any major movement could cause the system to collapse.

The enemy wasn't in a hurry to clear everyone out; they were advancing step by step, using firepower to shrink the encirclement, like surrounding a wounded animal.

Outside the ice ridge, the steel convoy continued to advance.

The tracks crushed over broken ice, emitting a muffled sound.

The engineering tanks stopped at the entrance of the ice chamber, extended their thermal drills, and began cutting into the rock wall.

This was to clear a path for the troops behind, and it was also telling everyone: they weren't afraid of traps, weren't afraid of ambushes, and they intended to take complete control of this land.

A final weak voice came through the communicator: "...Received... closing in... distance to main vehicle... eight hundred meters..."

It was the last team he could still contact.

After that, there was no more sound.

Chen Wang looked down at the kindling system.

Shield at 38%, the left rear suspension warning was still on, and the temperature of the right front wheel continued to rise.

Fuel at 54%, battery power normal.

The entire vehicle was in a critical state; it could move, but it wouldn't last long.

He gently pushed the control stick one notch, the tracks turning slightly to adjust the vehicle body, allowing the ice ridge to completely block the front.

Then he raised his left hand and glanced at the exposed copper pocket watch.

The wind was strong, and the snow pelted the roof, making a pattering sound.

The sound of artillery in the distance was constant, ice fragments flying everywhere; the valley was like a lid slowly closing.

He sat in the driver's seat, motionless, his eyes watching the steel shadows in the smoke and dust ahead.

The sound of tracks grew closer.