97: Chapter 97 Twenty cannons aimed at him! A Level 2 vehicle forces its way into a Level 3...

The Polaris stopped two kilometers away from the lv.3 fortress, its engine dropping to idle.

Lu Chen brought the eyepiece of the periscope sight to his eye.

Dusk had deepened, and the silhouette of the lv.3 fortress was clearly discernible two kilometers away.

The 120-meter-long steel beast moved at low speed across the grayish-brown ice. The city walls were estimated to be over thirty meters high, covered entirely in forged armor thicker than that of the iron wall.

The gun position lights along the top of the city walls were lined up in a row.

At least sixteen cannons, six more than the iron wall.

A massive blood-red skull logo was sprayed onto the front wall of the fortress—the insignia of the Snow Shard Gang, but with an additional layer of golden flame patterns compared to the skulls seen elsewhere.

The insignia of the North Ice Group, Iron Spine's troops.

On the middle section of the left wall of the fortress, Lu Chen saw the physical form of the bright spot on the radar.

A slightly lighter-colored armor plate, roughly three meters wide and two meters high.

Welding marks were visible in the twilight, the color half a shade off from the original surrounding armor.

Newly welded on, done by the Iron Hoof Legion two years ago.

The communicator lit up, but it wasn't Lin Xiao's frequency, nor was it Zhou Yuan's.

An unknown frequency, coming from the lv.3 fortress ahead.

Lu Chen pressed the receive button.

"You in the small vehicle ahead!"

A man's voice, deep and heavy, spoke at a moderate pace, each word ringing out with a metallic resonance.

"You're in my way."

He glanced at the frequency ID on the communicator.

"Who are you?"

"Iron Spine."

Commander of the Snow Shard Gang's North Ice Group, the chief of logistics, and Ice Thorn's deputy.

Iron Spine as recorded in the files: steady and prudent, skilled in defense and logistics management, and Ice Thorn's most trusted person.

"Commander Tieji, there is a repaired armor plate in the middle section of your fortress's left wall."

There was a pause on the other end of the communicator.

"How do you know that?"

"Guess."

Iron Spine remained silent.

"Are you the small vehicle that took out the Ice-Rift Swarm and the Icebreaker Swarm?"

"Yes."

"An Lv.2 camp-tier?"

"Yes."

The commander's tone shifted.

Devoid of tension, it carried a sense of condescending pity.

"Kid, I admire your guts."

He slowed his speech slightly.

"A single Lv.2 vehicle taking out over forty Lv.2 combat vehicles—that's a record that would rank high across the entire Central Ice Field."

"But what you're facing now isn't one of those Lv.2 tin boxes?"

"This is an lv.3 fortress-tier Mobile City."

"One hundred and twenty meters long, city walls thirty-five meters high, with armor three times thicker than your little car."

"Sixteen 105mm cannons."

He paused.

"Plus four 150mm heavy cannons."

Lu Chen's fingers paused on the steering wheel.

"150mm—that's another level above 105mm."

"If a 150mm armor-piercing shell hit the Polaris's angled deflection armor, how much protection would be left?"

He wasn't sure.

But one thing was certain: he absolutely could not let a 150mm shell hit him.

"Your suggestion?" Lu Chen asked.

"Move aside."

Iron Spine's tone held no threat, only the cold hardness of stating facts.

"You can't beat me. There's a generational gap between Lv.2 and Lv.3—a gap in armor, a gap in firepower, and a gap in scale."

"Your ram wouldn't even scrape the paint off my walls."

"You're insulting my ram."

"I'm stating facts."

Iron Spine paused.

"Kid, you're quite the character. Baigu died at your hands along with forty vehicles, which shows your tactical skill far exceeds that of ordinary people."

"But tactical skill cannot compensate for fundamental physical disparities."

"Drive this vehicle away, and I'll act as if I never saw you. If you stay blocked here, I can't guarantee my gunners will remember to show mercy in the end."

The communicator went silent.

Lu Chen put the thermos back into the cup holder.

"Commander Tieji, that repaired armor plate in the middle of your left wall—the welding depth is less than half that of the original armor."

"If my Harpoon Cannon hits that spot and the delayed fuse detonates inside the weld, would it be able to blow a hole open?"

There was a four-second silence on the other end.

This pause was different from before.

Previously, it was condescending pity; now, it was genuine surprise.

"You've even figured out the location of my weakness?"

"Answer my question."

"Theoretically, yes."

Iron Spine's voice dropped half a pitch.

"But you'd have to survive long enough to deliver that harpoon to my wall within a range of one hundred and fifty meters."

"One hundred and fifty meters, are you sure?"

"Positive."

Laughter came from Iron Spine's end of the communicator.

It wasn't mocking at all, but rather the scrutiny of one soldier toward another.

"Kid, if you really rush to within one hundred and fifty meters, my sixteen 105s and four 150s will fire at least thirty shells at you on your way there."

"How many can that little car of yours take?"

"Enough."

Lu Chen's finger rested on the trigger for the fragmentation grenades.

"You don't believe me?"

"I believe in your courage."

Iron Spine's voice was very low.

"Not your armor."

"Then let your gunners try."

The connection cut.

Lu Chen shifted the engine from idle to a low gear, with the diesel engine and boiler providing power simultaneously.

The Polaris moved forward five hundred meters and stopped behind the wreckage of a half-collapsed pre-civilization cooling tower.

This position was one and a half kilometers from the lv.3 fortress, within the effective range of the 105mm cannons, but the cooling tower wreckage provided cover.

"Lin Wan, things are going to get more intense than when we fought the Ice-Rift Swarm."

"I know."

"Is your position safe?"

"I'm crouched in the gap between the hydroponic racks and the cold storage."

"Good."

He glanced at the holographic panel.

"Balance: 800 points."

"Heavy Machine Gun: 500/500."

"Harpoon: 4/4."

"fragmentation grenades: Three rounds."

"Ray Cannon: 11% charge, zero shots."

"Steam Spray Gun: Full pressure."

"Mechanical Arm: Full hydraulic pressure."

"Radar: Online."

"All-Weapon Linked Salvo: Standby."

The city lord's gaze fell upon that red button.

Since unlocking the fire control center, that button had yet to be pressed.

Today was the day.

"System, reload fourth round of fragmentation grenades."

"[Consumed 50 Truth Points. fragmentation grenades: 48 pre-loaded in four rounds. Current balance: 750 points.]"},{