Chapter 112: Successful Completion of the Second Phase of the Operation

The eastern main gate was breached, but the First Armored Division did not pour in. Instead, they left five tanks to serve as a barricade, sealing off the entrance.

The enemy within the city reacted swiftly, with large numbers of knights rushing toward the breach. The enemy’s strength exceeded the command headquarters' predictions; clearly, they had not fallen for the "lure the tiger from the mountain" strategy, having kept a massive force of knights in reserve.

The extraordinary knights formed into squads of a hundred, utilizing the power of their battle formations to charge at the Xuanlü army at the gate. They hoped to plug the gap and hold out until reinforcements from Hekou City arrived.

The army commanded by Will had become the last shred of hope for everyone in the city. Alas, their expectations were doomed to fail. Two mechanized infantry battalions dispatched by Xuanlü had long since laid an ambush in the forests and along the main traffic arteries near Hekou City.

The following infantry, shielded by the tanks, set up heavy machine guns. The firepower of the Xuanlü forces surged instantly, with tens of thousands of bullets pouring out like raindrops.

On the other side, the armored unit that had breached the eastern gate did not pause. Instead, they circled around in a wide arc and launched a fierce assault on the southern gate.

Because the eastern wall had been breached, the other three gates had diverted part of their garrisons to support, leaving the other sectors weakly defended.

Boom!

Accompanied by a deafening roar, the southern gate collapsed in just over ten minutes; it had fallen completely.

In less than half an hour, Xuanlü had formed another pincer movement within Hekou City. Large numbers of troops poured in from the southeast. With its weak defenses, combined with the fierce artillery fire of the armored units and their impenetrable heavy plating, the southern gate offered no resistance and crumbled entirely.

The armored unit from the southern wall quickly cut through the city, circled back from within, and slammed into the eastern gate, catching the knights there in a pincer attack between them and the mechanized infantry battalion.

A dead end!

The deputy commander in charge of the defense felt his heart sink, his spirit filled with despair.

These were monsters. Their methods of attack were unheard of, and they had them completely cornered. From the moment the battle began, the knights had only been able to passively defend or merely endure the enemy's onslaught.

It felt just like his days at the knight academy, sparring with the instructors—nothing but a one-sided beating with no chance to fight back.

Under the slaughter of the armored units and the mechanized infantry, the extraordinary knights held out for only ten minutes before they completely collapsed.

They left behind a landscape of ruins and corpses scattered across the ground.

A red flag slowly rose to the highest point of the fortress. The battle ended in victory for Xuanlü.

There were no cheers, only devastation and the dead. And, amidst the ruins, the sound of incessant sobbing.

...

At night, on a hillside a few kilometers outside of Will City.

A sturdy white horse galloped through the sparse trees, carrying two figures: a teenager of sixteen or seventeen and a child of five or six.

The youth held the reins in one hand and clutched the boy with the other.

Little Kake looked up, his bright, large eyes flickering as he asked, "Big Brother Harvey, I miss Father. When will I be able to see him?"

Faced with Kake's question, Harvey gritted his teeth. A fire seemed to be burning in his heart, and a trace of hatred flashed in his azure eyes.

"Hey, hey, Big Brother Harvey." Seeing that Harvey did not answer, little Kake tugged lightly on his clothes.

"Harvey, why are you ignoring me? Did I make you angry? Please don't be angry, okay? I won't ask anymore."

There was a hint of fear in Kake's large eyes, and tears began to shimmer, ready to fall like golden beans.

Harvey regained his senses and forced a strained smile. "Little Kake, be good. Brother isn't angry, just a bit tired. We're going to Will City to have fun now. Uncle Kake will be there in a few days. During this time, we can play however we want and eat all the delicious food we like."

Upon hearing about playing and eating good food, little Kake immediately dried his tears and asked happily, "Big Brother Harvey, Big Brother Harvey, is Will City that huge, huge city where there are so many, many people, and the walls are this big!"

Little Kake tried his best to stretch out his small hands, attempting to describe the size of Will City.

"That's right, it's the place Uncle Kake took you to last year." Harvey maintained the forced smile, his heart aching more with every word of comfort.

His father was dead. Little Kake would never see his father again, just as he wouldn't. But little Kake clearly had no concept of death yet.

Kake's chubby face filled with smiles, and he nodded vigorously. "That's great! Big Brother Harvey, you have to keep your promise; you can't trick Kake. You can't be like Father, always tricking me all day long. Otherwise, I'll cry—no, wait, Kake is grown up now, I can't cry."

Father had taken him to Will City once before. It was a very, very big place, with many things that the other towns didn't have, and the food was exceptionally delicious.

"Okay," Harvey promised, then continued on his way.

Three hours later, the sky began to brighten. The sun barely peeked over the horizon, the first rays of light dispelling the darkness.

The environment shifted from sparse woods to a vast plain. The white horse, having run through the night, grew weary.

"What is this?" Harvey suddenly noticed rectangular marks appearing on the plains.

Looking at these tracks, Harvey suddenly felt an ominous premonition.

"Big Brother Harvey! Look, the big city is here!" Kake pointed into the distance, his face filled with excitement.

Following his finger, one could see a towering city wall and a shattered gate.

Harvey’s pupils constricted. He quickly pulled on the reins, turning the horse’s head to charge into a small grove nearby.

Once inside the woods, Harvey carried Kake down from the horse and tethered it to a tree trunk.

"Big Brother Harvey, what are you doing?" Kake asked, puzzled.

"Shh, don't make a sound yet. Brother is going to check what's going on." Harvey set Kake down, then moved softly behind a large tree that concealed his figure.

He peeked out to look at Will City in the distance.

Shattered walls, scorched earth, and a red flag.

On the ramparts, there were no longer knights clad in heavy armor, but a group of black-haired humans wearing strange clothes.

Harvey’s expression froze completely; he stared blankly at Will City.

Thud!

His body seemed to lose all its strength, and his knees hit the ground hard.

Will City had also been breached.

Father, what should I do?

Will City was the hope that had sustained him this far, and now even that last scrap of hope was gone.

"Big Brother Harvey, when are we going into the city? I'm hungry," little Kake urged again.