90: Chapter 90 The Voice of Ice Thorns! Lv.4 The Main City Appears Behind the City-State

That voice echoed across all frequency bands.

The speaker of the old military radio emitted a distorted hum, pushed by the high-power signal.

Every corner of the Polaris's cabin was filled with that voice.

“Let me introduce myself! My name is Ice Thorn! Some call me Boss, others call me a madman. I prefer the latter.”

The person's tone was unnaturally cheerful, as if hosting an entertainment program.

“What was your City Lord's name again? Lin Xiao? Loudmouth Lin Xiao? I've heard your 'No Retreat' speech. It was well said! Quite inspiring!”

“But, speeches are speeches, and war is war.”

Ice Thorn paused for half a beat, his voice rising an octave.

“Those one hundred and twenty cannons of yours are quite intimidating, but I brought one hundred and eighty cannons today. Guess who has more?”

Laughter came through the frequency band.

It was sharp and short, sounding like the ear-piercing screech of metal scraping glass.

“I'll give you two choices! First, open the gates, everyone come out and line up, put your weapons on the ground. I promise to only take things and not kill anyone! Mostly not kill!”

“Second, don't open the gates, and I'll open them myself!”

Ice Thorn's voice suddenly dropped low, then bounced back up.

“My Ice Thorn Lv.4 Main City is equipped with a City-Piercing Ram loaded with six tons of explosives. One strike can smash your armored gates into scrap metal! Guess if I'll use it?”

“I'll give you fifteen minutes to consider! After fifteen minutes, I don't care if you've finished considering or not, I'm going to start smashing!”

The broadcast cut off.

Only the ear-piercing hum of electric current remained on the frequency band.

Lu Chen sat motionless in the driver's seat, his hands resting on the steering wheel.

“City Lord,” Lin Wan's voice came from the planting area, trembling, “is what that person said true?”

“Uncertain.”

“A Lv.4 Main City plus two Lv.3s, the entire military force of the North Ice Group.” Lu Chen's speaking speed was steady. “If it's true, Black Rock City-State is being attacked from both front and back.”

“Then what about my brother?”

“Your brother has one hundred and twenty cannons and thirty thousand men. He can hold out.”

The communicator lit up; it was Lin Xiao's frequency.

“Brother Lu Chen, did you hear that?”

“I heard it. Ice Thorn has come in person.”

“I've never heard anyone talk like that in my life,” Lin Xiao's voice was even lower than before. “This guy is a madman.”

“How many assets does the madman have?”

“Zhou Yuan is verifying.”

Zhou Yuan's voice cut into the communicator.

“City Lord Lu Chen, preliminary verification: a Lv.4 heat source signal and two Lv.3 heat source signals have been confirmed forty kilometers to the southwest. The volume of the Lv.4 is comparable to Black Rock City-State, and the two Lv.3s are one size larger than the iron wall.”

“Why didn't the radar detect them earlier?”

“The radar's coverage range is one hundred kilometers.” Zhou Yuan's voice was very tense. “Forty kilometers is within the coverage range, but the signals only appeared three minutes ago.”

“Three minutes ago, there were no abnormal signals within a hundred-kilometer radius?”

“None. The heat source signals went from zero to full within a single second.”

Lu Chen's fingers tapped twice on the steering wheel.

From zero to full within a second.

There was no trajectory of a slow approach.

Appeared out of thin air.

Two hypotheses.

First: The North Ice Group's Mobile Cities possess some kind of heat source cloaking or radar jamming capability.

Second: They used some means to transfer from another location to forty kilometers away in an extremely short time.

Regardless of which it is, the conclusion is the same.

Ice Thorn possesses technology that neither Black Rock City-State nor the Polaris has mastered.

The reason for the Snow Shard Gang's abnormal expansion is unknown.

Ice Thorn's identity is extremely mysterious.

Three years of intelligence gathering have all failed.

These blanks that repeatedly appeared in the files were partially explained today.

“City Lord Lin Xiao, I need to confirm one thing.”

“Can your one hundred and twenty cannons plus the city walls hold off the North Ice Group for fifteen minutes?”

“Fifteen minutes?”

“I need fifteen minutes to wrap up the front battlefield.”

Lin Xiao's side was quiet for two seconds.

In the distance, the low mechanical sound of gun turrets rotating on the walls of Black Rock City-State could be heard; one hundred and twenty cannons were turning from the northeast to the southwest.

“Fifteen minutes.” Lin Xiao's voice regained its usual toughness. “This City-State of mine can hold for an hour.”

“Fifteen minutes is enough.”

“Hurry up then.”

The communicator switched to Battalion Commander Zhao's frequency.

“Battalion Commander Zhao, the situation has changed.”

“I heard Ice Thorn's broadcast.” Battalion Commander Zhao's gruff voice was laced with a rare anxiety. “The North Ice Group has appeared behind The City-State?”

“Forty kilometers away.”

“Should I take the iron wall back?”

“No rush. Finish off these eight in front first.”

“Still fighting the eight? The most important thing to do now is to return for defense, right?”

“It takes three minutes to degrade the wrecks of eight vehicles. Adding the three wrecks on the flank that we didn't have time to process, it will take five to eight minutes in total.” Lu Chen's tone was completely flat. “Returning for defense and processing the wrecks both must be done. Complete it all within five minutes.”

Zhao Tiezhu was silent for a second.

“Are you fighting, or am I?”

“Your Patrol Cars block those eight in front and don't let them scatter. I'll cut in from the back and wrap it up in five minutes.”

“Fine.”

The communicator cut off.

Lu Chen pushed the engine control lever to the bottom.

The diesel engine and the boiler were pulled to full power simultaneously.

The supercharger snapped open.

The Polaris let out a low roar, and its speed soared from sixty to eighty-five.

Two kilometers ahead, fire light flickered at the iron wall's position.

Zhao Tiezhu's ten 105mm guns and seventeen Patrol Cars were exchanging fire with the last eight Ice-Rift Swarm chariots.

The eight chariots split into two groups and were still charging forward.

One of the vehicles had a golden skull pattern painted on its body, different from the others.

White Bone.

His gaze locked onto that vehicle.