128: Chapter 128
The perimeter of the Capitol Building was as silent as a tomb.
Fu Haoran stood at the hatch of the valkyrie gunship, looking down at the streets below.
There was no resistance along the way.
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There were no roars from apes, no sporadic gunshots; even the sound of the wind whistling through broken glass could be heard clearly.
The roadsides were littered with abandoned US Army armored vehicles, scattered rifles, and unfinished military rations, but the people had vanished without a trace—not even a single corpse could be seen.
The Servo-skull had scouted ahead three times, and the images it sent back showed nothing but empty streets.
The global scan results showed only one thing: inside the Capitol Building, there was a life signal of off-the-charts intensity. All other scattered signals had completely disappeared.
“My Lord, something is wrong.” Ling Shuang gripped her power sword, her brow furrowed. “With over fifty thousand apes, even if they were routed, it’s impossible for there not to even be a rear guard.”
Fu Haoran nodded.
When things are abnormal, there must be a hidden evil at play.
“All hands off the ship, maintain a three-man fireteam formation.” Fu Haoran leaped down from the gunship, the hydraulic systems of his Power Armor hissing as he landed. “Servo-skull scout ahead; do not push forward unless necessary.”
The assault team members followed him down, quickly seizing advantageous positions on both sides and advancing steadily toward the Capitol Building, hugging the walls.
The closer they got to the building, the thicker the scent of blood in the air became.
It wasn't the metallic tang of human blood, but the distinct, gamey stench of ape blood, so thick it was almost palpable.
Seeing this, even a fool would know there was danger inside.
Fu Haoran didn't want to go in at all.
“To be safe, maybe I should just level this place and be done with it.”
A certain someone wanted to flip the table again, but ultimately abandoned that radical idea.
“If I really started shelling the Capitol Building indiscriminately, I'd definitely end up in a military court.”
To continue shearing the wool of the American Empire, Fu Haoran felt that he needed to learn some self-restraint.
“Let's go. Have the tanks drive to the entrance, ready to provide support at any time.”
Fu Haoran made up his mind: if there was even a hint of resistance inside, he would immediately order the cannons to fire—blast first and ask questions later.
...
The main entrance of the Capitol Building had been completely knocked off its hinges. The twisted steel door lay on the ground, covered in massive claw marks.
Fu Haoran made a gesture, and two Servo-skulls immediately floated inside, syncing infrared scanning images to everyone's tactical terminals.
The front hall was empty.
The floor was covered in dragged blood trails and the bodies of apes torn apart by brute force. Body armor and rifles were crushed to bits, with no signs of human resistance.
Jarvis's electronic voice sounded in the tactical headsets: “Sir, the blood sample analysis at the scene is complete. All of it is chimpanzee blood; no human blood detected.”
“Infighting?” Ling Shuang asked in a low voice.
Fu Haoran shook his head and stepped into the front hall.
The corpses were all Charlie's elite inner circle.
Every single one was a core member who had followed Charlie in the prison break and planned the rebellion. They had all died from single, lethal blows—either their heads were crushed or their bodies were torn in half. It was a complete, one-sided massacre.
The further they walked toward the central rotunda of the Capitol, the denser the bloodstains became and the more corpses they found.
The corridor walls were battered with craters, reinforced concrete pillars were snapped in two, and there was a drag mark over ten meters long on the floor, extending all the way behind the closed doors of the rotunda.
Reaching the doors, everyone came to a halt.
Behind the doors, dense life signals were pulsing.
Obviously, this was a trap. Only a fool would walk in.
Just then, the Capitol Building's public address system suddenly crackled to life.
“Mr. Fu Haoran, welcome to Capitol Hill.”
Charlie's voice came through the low-quality speakers—hoarse, deep, yet carrying a chilling composure. “I know you brought tanks, planes, and an army. But do you dare let your shells fall on the Capitol Building?”
Fu Haoran stopped in his tracks. He felt that an ape actually dared to question his bottom line.
Was his moral character so high that the enemy had developed a misconception?
Charlie continued on his own: “Alright, don't bother. On every floor here, I've placed gasoline barrels.”
“More importantly, hundreds of Congress members and White House staff are here.”
“If you fire even one shot here, the whole building will go up in flames. Not one of them will survive.”
Charlie's voice paused, filled with undisguised mockery: “Your hostages are safely locked away by me. If you want them to live, come in yourself. I'll be waiting.”
The broadcast cut off.
Ling Shuang's face was ashen: “My Lord, you can't go in! This is clearly a trap!”
Fu Haoran naturally knew it was a trap, but the system had inconveniently issued a mission.
[Triggered Mission: A Solo Banquet]
[Mission Description: The Chaos Spawn of Tzeentch has sent you an invitation. A real man should bravely face his fated duel. It is time to end this farce.]
[Mission Requirement: Kill Charlie]
[Mission Reward: North America Hive City Reputation +3000, Free Attribute Points +5, General Points +5000, Multi-melta (Blueprints)]
“Political Commissar Ling Shuang, I'm leaving you in command here for now. I'm going in to meet that ape,” Fu Haoran said with righteous conviction.
Ling Shuang was somewhat worried: “My Lord, isn't it too risky? At least take a few more people with you.”
Fu Haoran raised his chin and said, “No need. Against a mere gorilla, I could beat him with one hand tied behind my back.”
Seeing Fu Haoran holding a Storm Shield in one hand, Tychus, who had come along, curled his lip, understanding exactly what Fu Haoran meant:
“What he means is, he'll never put down that Storm Shield, so the enemy can't possibly hurt him.”
“Besides, he has a Refractor Field; ranged fire can't touch him.”
Fu Haoran glanced at Tychus, somewhat dissatisfied with this Grey Ogryn who had a high IQ but low EQ.
Couldn't he see the big boss was trying to build a good image in front of a beautiful female employee?
Always telling the blunt truth!
What equipment didn't he have?
He had a Refractor Field for ranged defense, a Storm Shield for melee, a full set of Artificer Power Armor to soak up damage, and jump packs as a fallback. Even if a hundred apes were hiding inside, he could still charge his way out.
Could a mere monkey really turn the world upside down?
“Ahem,” Fu Haoran coughed symbolically to change the subject. “I'm just afraid the enemy will get jumpy and run away, so I'm stabilizing him first.”
“Besides, the hostages inside are indeed important to us. Saving them will earn us endless favors.”
“Conversely, if they all die, subsequent negotiations will be a mess, which isn't good for my plan to shear the sheep.”
“You guys wait outside. Move the leman russ to the entrance, aim the cannons at the hall, and be ready for fire support at any time.”
“valkyries, stay airborne on alert and lock onto all exits of the building.” Fu Haoran, looking high-spirited, raised his Storm Shield and strode toward the main doors.
Finally, he thought for a moment and added: “If things go south, fire immediately. Don't worry about anything else.”
...
Arriving at the doors of the Capitol rotunda, Fu Haoran raised his Storm Shield and took a deep breath.
Then he raised his foot and delivered a fierce kick.
The heavy solid wood doors were kicked open.
The doors crashed to the ground.
The rotunda was empty.
A massive hole had been smashed through the dome, and moonlight streamed through it, falling upon a colossal figure in the center of the hall.
Fu Haoran looked at the ten-meter-tall beast before him, and his mind went blank.
His heart filled with instant regret.
The latest chapter's plot is high-energy! Come quickly!
The largest ape he had seen before was only a little over two meters tall. This monster before him had palms larger than his entire body.
Its body was covered in metallic black fur stretched tight over bulging muscles. Forget ordinary rifles—even a bolter might not be able to pierce that!
This is a freaking King Kong!
Charlie's once-refined face had become hideous and distorted, his crimson eyes fixed intently on Fu Haoran at the door.
Charlie let out a low roar that shattered every pane of glass in the hall.
“Fu Haoran, you finally came.”
With that, he raised a hand and swiped down, accompanied by a terrifying whistle of air.
Fu Haoran had only one thought: Run!
He turned and dashed for the door, screaming into his communicator: “Fire! Everyone fire! Level this building for me!”
Ling Shuang was momentarily stunned on the channel: “My Lord, the hostages...”
“I can't worry about that anymore!” Fu Haoran burst out the doors, the Power Armor's systems pushing to the limit as he sprinted toward the plaza. “We can't handle this thing!”
But it was too late.
Charlie's massive palm slammed into the rotunda entrance. The thick walls collapsed instantly, rubble and rebar sealing the door and cutting off Fu Haoran's retreat.
“Fu Haoran, aren't you very good at fighting?” Charlie sneered, his massive palm curling into a fist and slamming down. “Didn't you ruin all my plans? Today, we'll settle everything right here.”
Fu Haoran immediately activated his Storm Shield and tried his best to dodge the punch.
But he was still half a beat slow.
The massive impact sent him flying, crashing hard into a pillar behind him. The Power Armor's alarms instantly blared at maximum volume.
Fu Haoran pushed himself off the ground, his mind set on one thing: escape.
This was not an opponent that could be dealt with in a duel.
He suddenly looked up at the massive hole in the dome and immediately activated the Power Armor's jump pack, rocketting toward the opening.
Seeing this, Charlie let out a furious roar and reached out to grab Fu Haoran in mid-air.
Fu Haoran jerked to the side in mid-air, barely dodging the claws, and forced his way out of the hole, his Power Armor scraping against the metal and throwing off a shower of sparks.
“Retreat! Everyone retreat!” Fu Haoran screamed frantically into his tactical headset.
A deafening roar came from behind him.
Charlie's massive body lunged forward, smashing through the dome and the front wall, bursting out amidst a rain of rubble and steel.
He casually grabbed an abandoned US Army armored vehicle from the roadside and hurled it at the leman russ tanks on the plaza.
The armored vehicle exploded into a fireball in mid-air and slammed heavily into the leman russ. The tank shuddered from the impact, its cannon barrel knocked visibly askew.
Three valkyrie gunships immediately dove down, their nose-mounted heavy bolters firing frantically.
Charlie didn't even look. He casually ripped out a thick steel beam and threw it with precision, striking the wing of the lead gunship.
The engine immediately caught fire. The gunship pulled up sharply, trailing black smoke, nearly crashing.
Charlie seemed to sense danger. With a loud boom, he suddenly turned as a shell grazed past him, collapsing half of the building next to him.
The Baneblade super-heavy tank had fired.
Not to be outdone, Charlie grabbed an overturned Humvee as soon as he landed and threw it at the Baneblade.
The Baneblade tank was largely unharmed—clearly, in terms of toughness, the Baneblade had the advantage—but its cannon barrel showed a noticeable deformation.
Charlie then grabbed lamp posts and concrete blocks from the roadside, throwing them like javelins at the retreating Planetary Defense Force.
The plaza instantly fell into chaos.
The leman russ tanks were stopped at the edge of the plaza, their main guns' line of sight completely blocked by the building's ruins, unable to hit the agilely dodging Charlie.
A chimera armored personnel carrier had just charged forward when Charlie stepped on it, crushing it flat and twisting its tracks into scrap metal.
Fu Haoran landed on the plaza, his face grim as he watched the beast rampaging before him.
Conventional means were completely useless now.
Sending in infantry was just sending them to their deaths.
Just then, the whistle of attack helicopters came from the horizon.
A flight of four US Army Apache attack helicopters flew in from the direction of Andrews Air Force Base.
Two Apaches immediately dove down, trying to lock onto Charlie in the ruins.
To their surprise, Charlie turned and ran, quickly hiding among the buildings.
“Report, we've lost the target,” an Apache pilot reported.
“What? An ape that big—even a blind man could see it! How could it just disappear?”
“Keep looking!”
“Yes, sir.”
The Apaches were about to turn around when Charlie, using the shadows of the buildings as cover, moved rapidly along the structures and instantly vanished into the gaps between them.
As an Apache turned to search, a massive black shadow suddenly lunged from the side of a building. Charlie, though appearing bulky, was exceptionally agile, leaping up and swatting the Apache out of the sky with a single palm.
A classic scene reenacted.
Fu Haoran really couldn't understand who gave them such courage.
The remaining Apaches didn't dare get close anymore, only circling at high altitude, not daring to make a sound.
Having dealt with the “flies,” Charlie looked over mockingly.
Fu Haoran originally wanted to run; as long as he stalled long enough, there would be a way to wear the opponent down.
But Charlie, certain of victory, spoke: “Run, you pathetic little bug. I'll let you die in terror.”
Charlie didn't give chase. Instead, he reached into a building, grabbed a shivering human, and tossed them into his mouth like a snack, chewing.
Then, he continued to grab a handful of humans from another building and stuffed them into his bloody maw.
Charlie felt hungry again; he wanted to eat something first.
“Waah, Mommy, where are you? I want my Mommy.” The crying of a little girl caught Charlie's attention.
He looked toward a nearby half-collapsed residential building, where the little girl's heart-wrenching cries were coming from.
Charlie turned his head, his crimson eyes locking onto the tiny figure huddled in the corner through a broken window.
“The meat might be a bit little, but the texture will surely be excellent.”
Charlie reached out to grab the little girl.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
A volley of bolts struck, hitting Charlie's eyelid.
He turned in pain to see Fu Haoran firing his gun.
“Charlie, now is not the time for a meal. I haven't cut your head off yet.” Fu Haoran beckoned provocatively with his finger.
Charlie laughed: “You're not running anymore?”
“Run? You're not worthy of making me run.”
Charlie heard confidence in Fu Haoran's tone.
But he didn't understand where this confidence came from.
Tychus's voice came through the comms channel: “Boss, you were just screaming at the top of your lungs for everyone to retreat, and now you're acting tough? Don't worry, I've got the men set up with anti-tank guns on the flank. We'll cover you!”
Suddenly, above Washington, the clouds were violently torn asunder.
A steel giant descended from the sky, landing heavily on the ground.
When the “giant” stood up, it was revealed to be a thirteen-meter-tall Paladin Knight Mech.
The silver-black matte armor glinted coldly, with dark gold war-scrolls etched onto the pauldrons.
The mecha's massive steel form completely shielded Fu Haoran, its shadow covering the entire plaza.
A mountain-like pressure descended, and the entire field fell into a dead silence.
Fu Haoran finally moved.
He looked up at the giant Charlie, who was frozen atop the wreckage of the dome, and a fierce smile tugged at the corners of his mouth.
“Come get some!”