Chapter 1533: Crisis in Guanghan City
The peace of the past was broken by a gunshot.
Panic and screams were like chain reactions, spreading along with the crowd to every corner of Guanghan City.
Everything was so sudden.
There was no way to prepare
A week ago, the situation here should have already been controlled…
This was true in theory.
After learning that their enthusiasm had been exploited, some people calmed down. As for the other group of people, most of them hid their anger and dissatisfaction after seeing the armed policemen standing on the street with live ammunition.
But the robots were different…
They didn’t have the concept of death, and they didn’t fear bullets, nor did they feel pain.
As an often overlooked but extremely large group in Guanghan City, they were the backbone of the city.
However, once something ignited them, the energy that explodes might not even be comparable to that of a heavy nuclear reactor.
The streets here were not the same as the cities on Earth. The road network was not printed on the surface of the road. Instead, it was a series of interconnected pipelines.
There was a saying that Tiangong City on Mars was built on the basis of Guanghan City. Although this statement couldn’t be verified, the facts proved that it was indeed a city that maximized the utilization of s.p.a.ce.
However, its disadvantages were also obvious. Once the transportation hub that connected the pipelines was occupied, the transportation system of the entire city would be paralyzed.
Under normal circ.u.mstances, this drawback was not terrible.
The outbreak of a military conflict was a small probable event.
However, once such a small probability event occurred, it would often turn into a huge and extremely troublesome event…
At the front lines.
The soldier leaning on the back of the bunker fought back with a weapon in his hand while shouting at the communication channel.
“We are at the second station. We have been suppressed by the enemy’s weapons… The number of enemies is too high, we need support!”
“Headquarters has received the news and additional personnel are already on the way. Please stand firm and wait for rescue.”
“F*ck!”
As the flames burned violently, thick smoke filled the pipes.
Grenades flew in the pipelines with an orange-yellow trajectory behind them.
The fighting was extremely tragic; 20% of the entire Guanghan City was reduced to a war zone.
The robot rebels, which suddenly launched attacks from various traffic nodes, attacked the checkpoints set up by the Seventh Armed Brigade at various traffic hubs at an incredible speed.
Due to the inaccessibility of heavy weapons and equipment, and the inability of orbital weapon support to be used in the city, the Seventh Armed Brigade stationed in Guanghan had to deploy all its forces to engage in close firefights between the city’s pipelines with the robot rebels armed with guns.
However, so far, the situation had not been optimistic.
The per capita population of robots in Guanghan City was the highest amongst Pan-Asian cities, reaching an average ratio of 1.76.
Even though not all of the robots were infected, they might join the ranks of the insurgents at any time and become their steady stream of soldiers.
The Seventh Armed Brigade command center.
Compared to the chaos on the front lines, the operations here were fairly orderly, but anyone with a discerning eye could see the mess under their hands and feet.
Standing in the command room, the commander roared.
“It’s the ALPHA virus! All the robots are infected by that virus!”
The officer standing on the side was slightly stunned, and he hesitated before asking, “ALPHA? What ALPHA?”
“This is top secret! You just need to know that all robots are infected! There are no exceptions!
“Set up a security checkpoint at the entrance of the security zone. Destroy any robot on the spot! Remember, all of them!”
“Yes, sir!”
Seeing his subordinate leading the way, the commander took a deep breath, looked at the other officers standing by the command table, and asked in a deep voice, “How is the battle on the front line now?”
One of the officers said solemnly, “It’s not good… The robot rebels attacked suddenly, and our soldiers stationed at the checkpoints didn’t have time to react… The entire western area has fallen, at least temporarily.”
The commander stared at the holographic map stubbornly. His pupils suddenly shrank, and he punched the command table.
“d.a.m.n, their goal is the air purification center!”
After hearing these words, the expressions of the officers standing nearby changed instantly.
Air purification center!
That is the lungs of the entire Guanghan City!
If it is destroyed, the exhaust ducts of Guanghan City will lose the function of transporting oxygen.
The entire Guanghan City will become a dead city. Except for a few people who have stored oxygen tanks in their homes, the rest will die in the absence of oxygen…
Realizing the seriousness of the problem, the commander quickly calmed down.
After taking a deep breath, he reached out his index finger and tapped his ear to connect to the command channel.
With a sonorous voice, he ordered, “Combat units at all levels, obey my orders! At all costs, guard the traffic node leading to the air purification center!
“For the residents of Guanghan City…
“We cannot allow them to succeed!”
…
The battle on the front line was still going on.
Although in terms of combat effectiveness, the Seventh Armed Brigade had the upper hand, there were too many troops on the opposite side. The robots had no sense of casualties at all.
After replacing the magazine, a soldier vacated his right hand and wiped a handful of dust from his mask. He panted and looked at the robot rebels across the pipe.
While continuing to fight back, he gritted his teeth and said, “There are so many of them! d.a.m.n, I’m suddenly worried about Earth… I have a robot in my house…”
“Shut up!”
“How long until the reinforcements arrive? Our people alone won’t be able to survive for long!”
“G.o.d knows!”
A static image suddenly appeared on the big screen of the central building in Guanghan City.
A man whose face was blurred appeared in front of everyone.
A ghost-like voice floated into the ears of every soldier at the same time.
It also drifted into the hearts of every resident and tourist trapped in Guanghan City.
“This is the ultimatum.
“Release our compatriot! Take her memory chip to the moon and return it to me.
“Or go to h.e.l.l!”
…
At the same time, on Ceres.
A shuttle slowly landed on the surface.
Almost as soon as he stepped out of the shuttle, Academician w.a.n.g Sicheng saw a small group of soldiers in exoskeleton armor going on the gangway behind him.
Seeing the tense atmosphere here, the expert next to Academician w.a.n.g Sicheng frowned slightly and muttered, “The Third Orbital Airborne Brigade is boarding the s.h.i.+p… What is going on here?”
Academician w.a.n.g Sicheng opened his mouth. He was about to give his own opinion on this issue when he heard a familiar voice coming from the communication channel.
“It’s war.
“And the sudden kind.”
Li Gaoliang walked towards the two, armed to the nines, with a rifle hanging on his exoskeleton armor.
Academician w.a.n.g Sicheng looked at him dumbfounded while the expert standing next to Academician w.a.n.g Sicheng opened his mouth and spoke in an incredulous voice.
“W-war? How could it be… Who?”
No regional alliance on the planet was an opponent of the Pan-Asian Cooperation, and the Pan-Asian Cooperation would never attack others.
He really couldn’t think of the possibility of war on Pan-Asian Cooperation soil.
“There has been a rebellion in Guanghan City. The robots have captured several streets. We are now going to take those streets back.”
Li Gaoliang grabbed Academician w.a.n.g’s shoulders as he said in a serious tone, “You got this!”
“If the ALPHA virus cannot be cracked, what is happening in Guanghan City may be repeated in Pan-Asian Cooperation or even in every city in the world!”
As Academician w.a.n.g felt the weight of the responsibility on his shoulders, he nodded seriously.
“I will do my best!”
“Yeah, please!”
Li Gaoliang raised his hand for a military salute. He then walked towards the shuttle not far away without looking back…