Chapter 143 - 139: Qing Lake New Trench Defense Line

West of Jiang City, outside the Third Ring Road.There is a place called Qing Lake New Trench.

As one of the key invasion points of the monster wave, it is a crucial area for Celestial Net’s deployment.

Qing Lake New Trench has a long enough defense line, with six defense points set along the line. Each defense point has several teams of warriors stationed to ensure monsters are kept at bay.

An auto parts factory has been set as the core frontline position. The factory was abandoned after the Spirit Realm’s descent, and now its walls have been reinforced, serving as a cover for defense.

Beyond is the suburbs of Jiang City.

The abandoned farmlands are vast and flat.

Spirit Realm plants grow densely and taller than people.

This single factory is guarded by four to five hundred Celestial Net warriors armed to the teeth.

In addition, heavy machine guns, mortars, grenade launchers, rocket launchers, and flamethrowers are deployed, but there’s no way to transport heavy equipment like planes or tanks here.

The monsters number at most two hundred thousand.

They are generally at levels 3 to 5.

With a population of ten million, Jiang City should not be under threat from this number, but war isn’t something you can sum up with simple numbers.

The monsters aren’t many but are ferocious, highly aggressive, and possess various abilities.

Though humans are numerous, they are generally at levels 1 or 2, lack combat experience and cannot be mobilized quickly.

While two hundred thousand monsters aren’t enough to cause an extinction-level threat, they are enough to put significant pressure on Jiang City’s defense. Once any line is broken, severe civilian casualties are inevitable.

Jiang City’s lack of manpower is also a major shortcoming.

As it is known, the country is divided into seven major war zones: Yanjing War Zone, Fengtian War Zone, Jicheng War Zone, Jinling War Zone, Hua City War Zone, Rongcheng War Zone, and Jincheng War Zone.

The seven war zones operate independently and do not interfere with each other.

Each war zone has a force of 200,000 to 300,000 warriors, with a national total military strength of over two million across sea, land, and air.

If Yanjing or Jinling were attacked, nearby garrisons could quickly reinforce.

Jiang City belongs to the Hua City Military District, but most of Hua City War Zone’s forces are stationed in the Guangdong Province area. Distant waters can’t extinguish nearby fires, and only limited personnel can be mobilized from the provincial forces.

But the problem is.

The Spirit Realm invasion is not limited to one city or region.

This is happening nationwide and even globally.

The situation is similar across three hundred prefecture-level cities nationwide.

Conditions are dire everywhere, military strength is extremely limited, and Jiang City cannot obtain significant reinforcements.

Jiang City’s Celestial Net members mainly come from four sources: first, directly transferred from provincial forces, second, local special police, fire, and public security departments, third, college students from military and police higher education institutions, and fourth, selected from public service departments.

Celestial Net has also begun expanding recruitment from the civilian population.

But within such a short time, there’s no time for personnel training.

Currently, there is a shortage of both manpower and equipment. When facing relatively large-scale challenges, it’s inevitable to be stretched thin, having to collaborate with civil organizations like the Spirit Relief Association.

They are even forced to call upon Jiang City citizens to join in the defense battle.

...

The command center of Qing Lake New Trench’s defense line.

A man in his thirties, with a straight posture, resolute face, and eagle-like eyes, is discussing deployment strategies with his subordinates. This man is none other than Luo Yuanzheng, the commander of the defense line and the captain of Celestial Net’s First Battalion.

Jiang City’s Celestial Net consists of three battalions, with each battalion at full capacity having a thousand members, two squadron leaders, and ten team leaders. Additionally, there are two to three thousand reserve members; this is the full strength of Jiang City’s Celestial Net.

Although the large-scale invasion is somewhat challenging, compared to other civilian forces, Celestial Net has a clear advantage in scale, as it is backed by official resources.

"Captain Luo." Squadron Leader Huang Yan approached and said quietly, "The Spirit Relief Association’s people have arrived."

Luo Yuanzheng stepped out of the command room.

Several buses were parked outside the factory.

The gathered warriors of the Spirit Relief Association gathered in the open space.

About eighty to ninety people in total, led by a beautiful woman.

This woman is not merely a pretty face but a very special member of the Spirit Relief Association.

Luo Yuanzheng noticed a particularly conspicuous being beside her, a hideous and large Fishman, holding a Fishbone Spear in each hand.

Fishman Hunter.

A level 3 Elite Monster.

She can actually control a level 3 elite?

None of his team leaders could probably compete.

"Hello, Captain Luo, I’m Su Yunbing of the Spirit Relief Association."

"You’ve brought too few people!" Squadron Leader Huang Yan expressed dissatisfaction, pointing out bluntly, "With just this few people, you won’t be of any help in the battle; they won’t even be enough to fill the gaps between the monster’s teeth!"

"The Spirit Relief Association is supporting several defense lines simultaneously, and manpower is already stretched. The number of people I brought may not be many, but they are top-tier and capable of reliably handling defense tasks."

Su Yunbing added, "Moreover, this is just the first batch, and more will come. This time, I’ve also brought some formidable experts who will definitely have a significant impact."

"Experts? What kind of experts does your Spirit Relief Association have!" Squadron Leader Huang Yan seemed to hold a grudge against such civilian organizations as the Spirit Relief Association, "This is the real world; in the end, guns and artillery are more useful. In my opinion, just not getting in our way would be the greatest help from you people."

Su Yunbing slightly frowned.

The Celestial Net Squadron Leader was a bit harsh.

She had her own goals and interests.

But she was still here to help Celestial Net!

Captain Luo did not restrain Huang Yan, as the relationship between Celestial Net and the Spirit Relief Association is rather delicate.

The middle and upper ranks of Celestial Net generally hold opinions against the Spirit Relief Association, which is no secret.

The Spirit Relief Association is akin to a guild-like organization, relatively loosely structured, and poses no threat to Celestial Net.

But the influence of the Spirit Relief Association among civilians is too significant.

There are some conflicting ideals with Celestial Net, which inevitably leads to some friction.

Captain Luo did not place much importance on these people since in such large-scale battles, bullets and ammunition are still more useful. However, the Spirit Relief Association can come and help a little while mostly trying to share the credit.

"Liang Dong, Liang Qiu!"

Two team leader-level figures stepped forward.

A male with a crew cut donned in armor, holding a long spear.

A female with shoulder-length short hair clad in a white robe, wielding a water-blue long staff.

"Liang Dong and Liang Qiu are the leaders of the Sixth and Seventh teams, both level 3 and close to level 4." Captain Luo said to Su Yunbing, "They are among my most capable assistants and will be responsible for assigning your people and providing communication equipment and weapons to them."

Captain Luo’s tone was somewhat cold.

However, he still extended a welcome to these people.

Allowing the two team leaders to initiate personnel screening and allocation.

But just then, a Jinbei van appeared, bumpily descending from the Ring Road, arriving at Qing Lake New Trench’s defense line and catching a few people’s attention. The car door opened, and a young man stepped out.

Captain Luo: "This is..."

Su Yunbing smiled slightly: "Speak of the devil, that’s the expert I specifically brought for the defense line."

Expert?

Are you sure?

The Celestial Net team leaders were dumbfounded.

A few people stepped out of the van.

To the left of the young man stood a burly man with a fierce expression, head shaved clean, and his head gleamed in the sunlight like a brined egg.

To the right stood a middle-aged man around forty, not as burly, yet still tall, with a menacing scar on his face, making him look intimidating.

A bald man.

A scar-faced man.

Stepped out of the van.

Exuding a thick aura of streetwise charisma!

Those unaware would think a gang fight was about to unfold!

Squadron Leader Huang Yan looked on with disdain: "Ha, this is called an expert?"

Seeing Old Feng and Bald Qiang, Su Yunbing couldn’t help but show a wry smile.

A bald thug, a scarred ruffian, both with an intense rugged air... Could Hang Yu not find people with a better appearance? Luckily, his Husky didn’t show up!

(PS: This Chapter was blocked and sealed for an entire day just for mentioning a bit of military content. After contacting the editor twice and making some adjustments, it was finally released. So, it’s not that the author is intentionally disregarding national agencies and the military, but that these things are really difficult to write about.)