335: Shield tanking

As the artillery fire descended, Chen Wang already had his hand on the holographic interface.

The Shield system was flashing red, and prompts kept popping up on the screen: [Critical Lock-on Frequency: 58 times/second].

The vehicle body jolted violently, not because of the explosions outside, but because of an internal alarm—the rear right suspension temperature was too high, and the metal was about to give way.

He didn't look back; the iron racks behind had long since collapsed, and even the observation post was just a shadow, buried in the snow.

He swiped the screen and turned off the ecological circulation system.

The green pipe icon went out, and the sound of ventilation inside the vehicle also ceased.

Then he turned off the backup lights, unused sensors, and climate control zones; all non-essential functions were stopped.

Power was redistributed, and the Shield generator slowly lit up, its color changing from grayish-yellow to light blue.

The ice surface on the left suddenly exploded, the shockwave slammed into the vehicle body, and the dashboard shook.

The kindling system popped up a new warning: [Shield activation requires 70% energy; forced activation may cause a power outage].

Chen Wang didn't finish reading before pressing the red button next to the joystick.

“Hold on.”

System prompt: [Energy Shield activating...]

The chassis lit up first, a circle of pale blue light spreading from the edges of the wheels and climbing up along the body.

The roof, side skirts, and hood all began to glow, merging into one after a few seconds.

Just as the Shield formed, another wave of artillery fire slammed down.

The light exploded upon hitting the Shield, and blue-white ripples radiated outward in layers.

hope swayed, but it didn't flip.

The treads sank into the frozen earth, and the vehicle was as steady as if nailed to the ground.

The alarm sound changed; it was no longer that sharp, shrill noise, but a low, rhythmic thumping that made one's back go numb.

Chen Wang stared at the screen.

Energy dropped from 100% to 32% and was still falling.

Decreasing by 3.2% per second, the number kept jumping.

The front part of the Shield turned red; the front left was a bit weaker, with 7% less energy.

He didn't let go.

The main cannon reached the third charging ring, and “Xuanwu” continued to advance.

Three hundred meters, two hundred eighty meters, two hundred sixty meters... the distance closed little by little.

The opponent didn't speed up or turn; it kept hitting key locations at the original rhythm.

The water source was gone, the steam wall had frozen into crooked walls of ice; the supply point was left with only blackened residue, a few container skeletons sticking out of the snow like charred bones.

hope could not stop here.

He switched the driving mode to “Low Speed, High Torque,” and the plasma thrusters were ready.

His fingers hovered over the thruster key, waiting for the next gap in the barrage.

It was coming.

“Xuanwu’s” main cannon tilted fifteen degrees, blasting toward the bunker on the left highland.

The muzzle flashed, a beam of light streaked across the sky, leaving an arc.

At that very instant, Chen Wang pressed the propulsion key.

Two streams of white light erupted from the rear, stopping in less than a second.

The treads pressed against the frozen earth, emitting a dull thud.

hope moved forward five meters, the front left wheel rolled over a piece of concrete, and the body tilted.

The impact on the Shield lessened, and the energy began to recover.

He immediately cut the power, bringing the vehicle to a stop.

The Shield needed time to recover.

Energy dropped to 28%, and the red zone shrank a circle.

He watched the radar, confirming that “Xuanwu’s” cannon had not yet turned back.

The opponent was still clearing the perimeter, the rhythm unchanged.

Wait another seven seconds.

Second propulsion.

A short burst, advancing four meters.

This time it was steadier, the treads gripping the ground deeper.

He adjusted the direction, aiming the thickest armor toward “Xuanwu.”

The Shield also strengthened the defense on the right side accordingly.

Two straight tracks were left in the snow.

Each movement was timed between artillery shots, not too much, not too little, just enough to dodge.

He relied on his clear memory—the time of every shot fired in the past seventeen minutes, how long it rotated, how long it charged.

He knew this thing had a pattern.

Before the third propulsion, the front left of the Shield was hit three times.

Not the main cannon, but small cannons, electromagnetic guns.

Three bullets slammed into it, and the Shield's ripples flashed chaotically.

Energy dropped by 14% instantly, and the heat map turned red.

System warning: [Critical overload risk: 47%]

Chen Wang immediately canceled the propulsion, moving to the right instead, exposing the side.

This dispersed the force on the Shield.

At the same time, he manually operated the controls, shunting the remaining 8% of power to the damaged area.

The blue light flickered once and stabilized.

He caught his breath, wiped his forehead with his sleeve, getting a bit of dust on it.

The burn on his left arm kept tingling, as if needles were pricking inside.

He didn't touch it, just put his hand back on the joystick, fingers pressed against the metal edge.

Outside, the wind and snow mixed with the smell of smoke, seeping in through the gaps.

There was a layer of dust on the windshield, which was then obscured by water vapor.

He raised his hand to wipe it, and could see a bit more clearly.

“Xuanwu” was getting closer and closer.

Two hundred meters.

It moved steadily, treads crushing through broken ice and steel bars as if they were mud.

The turret turned slowly, preparing for the next round of attacks.

The main cannon's fourth ring lit up, charging to 63%.

Chen Wang knew it wouldn't shoot far next time.

He had to move forward again.

Fourth propulsion.

Plasma thrusters for 0.8 seconds, the vehicle moved forward six meters.

The rear right wheel suddenly got stuck in a crack in the ice, the vehicle body sank, and the Shield shook violently.

System prompt: [Local structural stress exceeded].

He immediately applied force in the opposite direction, activating the hub motors to help.

Two seconds later, the wheels regained their grip on the ground.

hope continued to move forward, finally stopping more than twenty meters away from where it had been.

Now, they were one hundred seventy meters apart.

The Shield was yellow overall, with an orange tint in the front, but it hadn't reached the danger threshold yet.

Energy was at 21% and still slowly dropping.

He glanced at the clock: 3:21.

Four minutes had passed.

Enough.

He recalled what Lin Wei had said: “The Shield isn't a wall; it's for buffering. You have to let it absorb, don't just take the hits head-on.”

At the time, he had replied: “There's no need for such fuss; as long as it can block it, that's enough.”

Now he understood.

Every short propulsion was to save time.

Every adjustment of the angle was to consume less power.

He wasn't running away, nor was he fighting recklessly; he was inching closer.

“Xuanwu” finally sensed something was wrong.

The main cannon stopped charging and the muzzle pressed downward.

The lock-on frequency rose to 61 times/second, and the red dot on the radar locked onto hope.

System prompt: [High-energy target locked, estimated strike window: 12 seconds]

Chen Wang didn't move.

He looked at that massive machine, at the scratches on its body, at the frozen earth and debris in the crevices of its treads.

It was like a metal box, and also like a coffin.

He slowly opened the safety cover in front of the joystick, revealing a black knob.

This was the emergency power switch; turning it on would drain power from the life support system.

It would get cold inside the vehicle, the air would get worse, but he didn't care.

As long as the vehicle could move, as long as the Shield didn't break.

He turned the knob two-thirds of the way; energy briefly rose to 23%, and the Shield strengthened by 5%.

He let go and waited for the next opportunity.

“Xuanwu” opened fire.

Not the main cannon, but the small cannons on both sides firing together.

Eight beams of light swept over, covering a large area.

The Shield vibrated violently, blue light flashing wildly, the heat map turning completely red.

The system kept sounding alarms: [Energy fluctuation exceeded] [Structural resonance risk rising]

hope was pushed back half a meter, the treads scraping the ground and making a piercing sound.

A few panels inside the vehicle fell off, smashing behind the seat.

Chen Wang gripped the joystick tightly with both hands, bracing his shoulders against the backrest, forcing the vehicle to stabilize.

The light dissipated, and the Shield was still there.

He immediately began the fifth propulsion.

Plasma thrusters, advancing five meters.

This time he didn't stop, maintaining the slowest speed to crawl forward.

Every meter he moved, the Shield was shaken once, but he kept controlling the energy, prioritizing the protection of the front.

One hundred fifty meters.

He could see the cooling vents under “Xuanwu’s” turret, could see those neatly arranged metal plates.

That was the weak point, but not now.

Now there was only one thing: get closer.

Energy was at 19%.

The Shield was still working.

The vehicle was still moving.

In the wind and snow, hope was like a silent beast, wrapped in blue light, slowly advancing.

The wheel tracks dug deep into the ice field; behind it was ruin, and in front was the killer machine getting closer and closer.

Chen Wang sat in the driver's seat, not even blinking.

His hands were on the joystick, ready for the next propulsion at any moment.

His left arm hurt more and more, but he couldn't feel it anymore.

He knew that as long as he got a little closer, another ten meters, it would be enough.