260: Chapter 260 Iron Hoof Annihilation! Lu Chen Crushes the Crusher

The loading countdown ticked down second by second in the Cockpit.

The crusher was still crawling forward.

5.6 kilometers away, its speed had dropped to 8.

Its port side was burning; black smoke billowed out from the torn armor breach, condensing into a gray-white trail in the minus sixty-degree air.

But its engines were still turning, and its secondary guns were still firing.

The third salvo, 103 rounds. 17 fewer than the previous two rounds, indicating that some secondary guns had been disabled by internal explosions.

Phalanx CIWS interception: 9 rounds leaked through, neutralized by Reactive Explosive Armor, zero penetration.

Phalanx CIWS reserves: 2,568.

Loading countdown: 00.

"Fire."

The sixth round, 2.3 seconds.

[Hit confirmed.]

"The third round poured into the same breach." Cheng Zheng's voice was trembling. "Chain explosions are occurring inside the crusher. The entire port side has split open from front to back, and flames are spraying out from the gap. Speed has dropped to 3 kilometers per hour."

3 kilometers per hour, the speed of a person walking.

The 2,200-meter-long steel behemoth was crawling forward at a walking pace, dragging a body of flames.

"Why doesn't it stop?" Lin Wan's voice came from behind, carrying an indescribable tone.

"Because Iron Crown knows that stopping means death." Lu Chen stared at the huge, decelerating light spot on the panel. "As long as it's still moving, there's a sliver of a chance for a comeback. Stopping makes it a sitting duck."

Loading: 52 seconds.

The crusher was 5.4 kilometers away, speed 2 kilometers per hour; it was about to stop.

"City Lord." Zhou Yuan spoke up suddenly. "The crusher's main turret is turning."

Lu Chen stared at the panel.

"300mm main gun." Zhou Yuan interpreted the signal characteristics. "The turret is rotating; the azimuth is pointing directly at Polaris."

300mm main gun, range 25 kilometers; current distance 5.4 kilometers, within range.

"It's going to fire its main gun."

"Can Phalanx CIWS intercept 300mm shells?" Zhao Tiezhu asked.

"It can't." Lu Chen shook his head. "The mass and velocity of a 300mm armor-piercing shell far exceed those of 180mm shells; the Phalanx CIWS projectiles cannot shatter it in mid-air. We have to rely on our armor to take the hit."

"What is the 300mm penetration depth?"

"Over 1,000 millimeters." Lu Chen stated the worst-case scenario. "Reactive Explosive Armor reduces it by 60%, resulting in an actual penetration of 400 millimeters. Polaris's outer armor is equivalent to 300 millimeters. 400 versus 300."

"It'll penetrate." Zhao Tiezhu's face tightened.

"It will." Lu Chen nodded. "But only one layer. Polaris has angled anti-ballistic outer armor; the 300mm shell will produce a ricochet effect upon contact, and the actual penetration angle will be deflected. Coupled with the Radiation-proof Lead-lined Inner Shell as a final barrier, even if the outer armor is penetrated, the damage to the internal core cabin will be limited."

"How limited is 'limited'?"

"Not fatal." Lu Chen drew the bottom line. "But it will hurt."

On the panel, the crusher's main turret rotated into position.

"It's going to fire." Zhou Yuan's voice was stretched to the limit.

"Everyone hold on." Lu Chen grabbed the edge of the console.

A second later, a huge signal source shot out from the crusher's position on the panel, moving at extreme speed.

The Phalanx CIWS did not fire; the system determined it was impossible to intercept.

Less than a second later, an unprecedented loud noise erupted, and the entire Polaris felt like it had been shoved hard by a giant hand.

Lu Chen's body was thrown to the left by inertia, his shoulder hitting the edge of the console. Lin Wan fell to the ground, her notebook flying far away. Master Wu Bingde slid off his low stool, the back of his head knocking against the wall.

The lights in the Cockpit flickered twice but didn't go out.

The vibration of the vehicle body lasted for three seconds before subsiding.

"Damage report." Lu Chen steadied himself against the console, his voice hoarse.

Zhao Tiezhu crawled back to the Fire Control Console and scanned the panel rapidly.

"Mid-section of the starboard side was hit; Reactive Explosive Armor triggered. Outer armor was penetrated, penetration depth is about 30 centimeters; Radiation-proof Lead-lined Inner Shell is intact, no damage to the internal structure."

"Penetrated the outer armor, but not the inner shell."

"Did not penetrate." Zhao Tiezhu confirmed. "The angled anti-ballistic armor deflected the angle of incidence by about 15 degrees, and combined with the reduction from the explosive armor, the projectile's kinetic energy was exhausted after penetrating the outer armor, getting stuck on the surface of the Radiation-proof Lead-lined Inner Shell."

Stuck. 300mm main gun, one round, penetrated the outer armor, but not the inner shell.

"We can take it." Lu Chen spat out two words.

Loading countdown: 22 seconds.

"What is the crusher's main gun loading time?" He asked Cheng Zheng.

"300mm heavy main gun, standard loading time is two to two and a half minutes." Cheng Zheng replied.

Two to two and a half minutes; the Railway Gun loads in 52 seconds. Before the crusher could fire its second main gun round, Lu Chen could hit it two more times.

"Zhao Tiezhu."

"Here."

"The next round, aim for its main turret."

Zhao Tiezhu's eyes lit up.

"Take out its gun."

"Take out its gun." Lu Chen clarified his intent. "The main turret is the only weapon the crusher has that can threaten Polaris. Take out the main turret, and the crusher becomes a toothless tiger."

"Target adjusted. crusher main turret. Locking on." Zhao Tiezhu carefully adjusted the aiming parameters on the Fire Control Console. "The main turret is located at the top of the middle-front part of the crusher's body, about 40 meters high. The target area is relatively small, but the distance is only 5.3 kilometers, so the locking precision is sufficient."

Loading countdown: 00.

"Fire."

The seventh round, 2.2 seconds.

[Hit confirmed.]

"Main turret hit." Cheng Zheng shouted directly. "The turret base has been penetrated, the 300mm barrel has snapped off at the base, and the entire turret has tilted about 30 degrees to the left and jammed. Main gun disabled."

The crusher's 300mm main gun was scrapped.

"It only has secondary guns left now." Zhou Yuan confirmed. "The 180mm secondary guns pose no threat to Polaris."

"Keep firing." Lu Chen had no intention of stopping. "Fire until it completely stops."

Loading: 52 seconds.

The crusher was barely moving, speed less than 1 kilometer per hour. The entire 2,200-meter-long behemoth was covered in fire, its port side split open, the main turret crooked, and the secondary gun batteries firing sporadically but no longer posing a threat.

It was dying, but it wasn't dead yet.

"City Lord." Cheng Zheng's communication cut in. "Forge's Furnace has entered range. The 300mm Siege Cannon is aimed at the crusher. Requesting permission to fire."

"Fire." Lu Chen said only one word.

To the south, Furnace's 300mm Siege Cannon fired. 25-kilometer range, current distance less than 10 kilometers; the shell flew in from the south, smashing into the crusher's already riddled starboard side.

Meanwhile, Lu Chen's eighth Railway Gun round finished loading.

"Fire."

The eighth round poured in from the front. Furnace's 300mm shell smashed in from the side. Both shells hit the crusher simultaneously.

An earth-shattering explosion.

On the panel, the crusher's huge light spot flickered violently three times, and then the signal strength began to plummet.

"Large-scale secondary explosions are occurring inside the crusher." Cheng Zheng's voice was trembling. "The ammunition depot has been ignited. The entire city is starting to break in half from the middle."

On the panel, the huge light spot split into two, then three, and then the signal completely dissipated.

"The crusher has disintegrated." Zhou Yuan's voice sounded like it was coming from far away.

No one spoke in the Cockpit.

On the panel, the signal sources to the north were decreasing rapidly. The crusher's light spot had completely vanished. All that remained on the radar was a mess of chaotic echoes; those were the remains of the 2,200-meter-long steel behemoth scattered across the ice field after breaking apart.

"Confirmed destroyed." Cheng Zheng's voice finally stabilized. "The crusher, a wonder-class Mobile City, confirmed disintegrated. Irreparable."

Lu Chen stared at the panel for three seconds.

Then he turned his gaze to the remaining light spots in the north.

Five lv.3 fortresses were retreating north at full speed. The two previously paralyzed lv.4 fortresses remained stationary, signals weak, internal flames still burning.

"Iron Hoof vanguard remnants." He spoke. "Five lv.3 fortresses are running, two lv.4 fortresses paralyzed in place."

"Should we pursue?" Zhao Tiezhu asked.

"Pursue." Lu Chen did not hesitate. "The Railway Gun has a range of 38 kilometers. They can't run out of range."

He glanced at the distance of the five lv.3 fortresses. The farthest one had already run to 9 kilometers away, speed 25 kilometers per hour.

38-kilometer range; for them to run out of range, they need to reach 38 kilometers away. At 25 kilometers per hour, it would take nearly 70 minutes. Within 70 minutes, the Railway Gun could fire over 80 rounds.

"Pick them off one by one." Lu Chen ordered. "Start from the closest one. One round per fortress, fire until they stop."

"Understood." Zhao Tiezhu's fingers danced on the Fire Control Console. "Closest target, due north by five degrees east, distance 7.2 kilometers. Locked."

Loading countdown: 31 seconds.

"Cheng Zheng." Lu Chen pressed the communication button. "Forge's main formation is pushing north at full speed. Coordinate with my Railway Gun to intercept all five of those running lv.3 fortresses."

"Received." Cheng Zheng replied. "Furnace and Observer are pushing forward at full speed, and the Vanguard Formation of three lv.3 fortresses is moving north simultaneously. Six cities encircling, no survivors."

"No survivors." Lu Chen repeated.

Loading complete, fire.

The ninth Railway Gun shell tore through the air, heading straight for the lv.3 fortress fleeing 7.2 kilometers away. Three seconds later.

[Hit confirmed.]

"Target paralyzed."

"Next."

52 seconds later, the tenth round.

[Hit confirmed.]

"Target paralyzed."

"Next."

52 seconds, the eleventh round.

[Hit confirmed.]

"Target destroyed. Ammunition secondary explosion."

"Next."

52 seconds, the twelfth round.

[Hit confirmed.]

"Target paralyzed. Tracks broken, stopped."

"Last one."

The last lv.3 fortress had already run to 12 kilometers away. Speed pushed to 28 kilometers per hour, running for its life. But for a 38-kilometer range, 12 kilometers was no different from being right in front of it.

52 seconds, the thirteenth round, five seconds of flight time.

[Hit confirmed.]

"The last lv.3 fortress is paralyzed. All stopped." Zhou Yuan's voice sounded airy, like he was dreaming.

On the panel, all moving signals to the north had stopped; not a single light spot was still moving.

The crusher disintegrated. Two of the four lv.4 fortresses were paralyzed by the Railway Gun, and the other two were intercepted and destroyed on the flank by Forge's main formation. Of the dozen-plus lv.3 fortresses, one was destroyed and disintegrated by the Railway Gun, five were paralyzed by the Railway Gun, and the rest were encircled and annihilated by the Dawn formation. The Iron Hoof Legion was wiped out.

From the moment the crusher entered the 8-kilometer radar range to the last lv.3 fortress being stopped, the total time elapsed was 37 minutes. The Railway Gun consumed a total of 13 rounds, and the Phalanx CIWS consumed about 320 rounds. Polaris sustained damage: one penetration of the outer armor on the starboard side by the 300mm main gun, but the Lead-lined Inner Shell remained intact, with zero internal damage.

"City Lord." Cheng Zheng's communication cut in, his voice carrying a strange calmness.

"Speak."

"Forge asked me to convey a message."

"Say it."

"He said this gun is worth two blueprints."

Lu Chen leaned back into the iron chair.

The Cockpit was quiet for several seconds.

Then Zhao Tiezhu laughed.

Not a loud laugh, he just squeezed out a low chuckle from his chest that carried the flavor of surviving a disaster.

Zhou Yuan buried his head in his hands, his shoulders shaking. Master Wu Bingde leaned against the corner, his presbyopic eyes filled with moisture. Lin Wan stood beside the console, clutching her notebook, her fingers squeezed tight. Her lips were moving, but no sound came out.

Lu Chen looked at the empty northern sector on the panel.

37 minutes ago, there was an iron army there capable of crushing the ground. Now, only wreckage remained.

He picked up his pen and wrote a line in his notebook. Day 74, 11:14 AM, Iron Hoof Legion wiped out, crusher disintegrated, Joint Strike completed.

The pen tip paused for a moment, then he added another line. Polaris, zero casualties.

He put down the pen and pressed the communicator.

"Cheng Zheng."

"Here."

"Tell Forge the battle is over. The blueprints, deliver them now."