328: Disrupting formation

The treads crunched over ice blocks, making a cracking sound.

Chen Wang's hand rested on the joystick; he wasn't gripping it tightly, just laying it there lightly.

He could feel the vibrations coming through the metal.

It was snowing outside, and in the distance, three large armored vehicles were slowly driving forward, their turrets rotating as they scanned the high ground on both sides.

There were also engineering vehicles drilling holes in the rock face, the firelight reflecting red against the ice.

The screen in front displayed some data: Shield at 38%, the right front wheel was still overheating, and fuel was at 54%.

The radar showed that the enemy had already surrounded the ice cave in the middle; there were many red dots advancing into the valley.

No one was speaking on the communication channel; only an encrypted signal between the main vehicle and the ice cave remained connected, while all others were cut off.

He didn't wait for orders, nor did he wait for the wind.

His right thumb pressed the emergency propulsion button, while his left hand turned off the environmental control, remote relay, and lighting systems.

The interior lights went out instantly, leaving only a faint glow from the screen.

The engine revved faster, but the sound was very faint.

The treads turned slowly, and the vehicle slid out along the edge of the ice slope, moving closely along the broken ice cliff.

An infrared scan swept over the previous position, but found nothing.

Two hundred meters away, the first large armored vehicle turned its turret, preparing to strike the remaining sniper points to the south.

At this moment, hope suddenly accelerated, charging out in a zigzag pattern, driving straight into the middle of the enemy formation.

The vehicle body was less than two meters wide, just enough to pass through the gap between an engineering vehicle and a fire-support vehicle; its treads scraped against the opponent's armor, sending out a spray of sparks.

The turrets immediately locked onto the target.

But hope had already charged into another ice gully, using the terrain to block their line of sight.

Someone shouted on the command channel: "Small target entered Zone C! Block the road!"

Two guard armored vehicles immediately changed positions, attempting to surround hope.

Chen Wang didn't look back.

He knew the sounds behind him were getting closer—the sound of treads crushing snow was accelerating.

He stared at the map ahead, tapping his fingers on the joystick twice, as if calculating the timing.

There were six minutes left until the next strong wind, but he couldn't wait now.

Ahead was a steep slope, very steep, nearly forty-five degrees, with a layer of thin ice on top.

Ordinary vehicles couldn't climb it.

But the vehicle model was equipped with modified treads, which could increase traction.

He activated traction mode half a second early, jerked the steering, and the treads bit into the ice, the vehicle body climbing up at an angle.

The vehicle frame creaked; the right front wheel had been damaged earlier, its temperature rose again, and a red light flashed on the screen.

The two vehicles behind also tried to follow, but slipped at the bottom of the slope; one crashed into the other, and their turrets became jammed.

hope successfully broke away from the ground battle and was temporarily out of sight.

Chen Wang paused for a second at the top of the slope.

The scene below was clearly visible: soldiers were gathering, preparing to start the third wave of clearing; two engineering vehicles were stopped, responsible for clearing the road behind; and a transport convoy was slowly approaching from the rear.

He opened the pressure relief valve of the cooling system, releasing a bit of steam.

White mist sprayed from under the vehicle, quickly turning into small ice particles, making it look like the vehicle was breaking down.

The pursuers thought the target was failing, so they immediately sent a fire-support vehicle to speed up and flank it.

Just as it entered the designated area, hope suddenly reversed and slid down, the treads braking in reverse, causing the vehicle body to swing ninety degrees, facing the place where the soldiers were gathering.

The horn sounded three times, the headlights flashed rapidly, and the bright light pierced through the snow mist.

The soldiers instinctively scattered, some falling down, others firing shots indiscriminately.

The command fell into chaos instantly, and the formation was no longer orderly.

That fire-support vehicle had to turn to deal with the "attack," but it was moving too fast, skidding on the ice and overturning.

Chen Wang took the opportunity to pull back the joystick, and hope zigzagged away, dodging three preset firing points.

He didn't run far, but instead drove into an ice cave entrance that had been blasted open.

This place was originally permafrost, but after the explosion, it became a semi-enclosed space, which was extremely cold inside.

He turned off the engine, cut all power, and left only the radar running.

The vehicle's heat slowly dissipated, and its infrared signal weakened.

The sound of treads and shouting came from outside; the search team had arrived.

Thermal imaging scanned the cave entrance but found no target.

Three minutes later, the search team left.

Chen Wang restarted the engine, exited from the other side of the ice cave, and circled behind the slope on the east side of the valley.

He half-buried the vehicle in the snow, exposing only the sensors on top of the cockpit.

The screen updated the status: Shield rose to 41%, the right front wheel temperature was normal, and fuel was at 49%.

The vehicle was in low-power standby mode, with the radar continuing to monitor enemy movements.

The enemy command began to reorganize, but the formation was not as orderly as before.

The original plan was interrupted, some units' positions overlapped, and an officer in the communication channel was asking who had ordered the infantry to gather early.

The obstacle-clearing progress at the central ice cave was delayed; the engineering vehicles stopped working and diverted personnel to protect themselves against "harassment."

Chen Wang leaned back in his seat, raised his left hand, and looked at the copper pocket watch exposed outside.

The hands moved steadily, and there was a layer of frost on the surface.

He wiped it with his sleeve and continued to watch the screen.

The green dot still hadn't appeared.

But he knew that as long as the enemy's rhythm was disrupted, an opportunity would come.

He pushed the joystick to the ready position, the treads turned slightly, adjusting the vehicle's angle to aim the sensors at the direction of the main enemy force.

It was very quiet inside the vehicle, with only the system occasionally emitting faint beeps.

In the distance, a command vehicle lit up with a red light, beginning to mobilize reserve troops.

Chen Wang stared at its route, his finger resting beside the propulsion button.

The wind hadn't come yet, but the time was almost up.

He took off his gloves, tapped the screen with his fingertips, and brought up the next action route.

There were three dashed lines on the map, pointing respectively to the enemy's left supply line, the central obstacle-clearing point, and the rear transport convoy.

He didn't choose, just left them lit.

The sound of treads crushing ice came again, closer than before.