Atlas of Heaven and Earth
Chapter 431: Iron Demon

Half an hour later, Chen Chuan and Yuan Qiu Yuan, along with Qin Qing Que, boarded the train together. Accompanying them was a twenty-two-person tactical squad assigned to them.

These personnel were responsible for coordinating attacks and undertaking logistical, communication, transportation, and other related support tasks.

Also accompanying them was Advisor Rao, who was familiar with the situation. Ding Mou had arranged for him to help them develop tactical plans, considering they had just arrived and were not yet familiar with the surrounding circumstances.

Because this trip was somewhat rushed, Advisor Rao didn't begin to brief them on the mission details until after the train had started moving.

"Iron Demon, this is our target for this operation," he placed a roll of data in front of the three, and upon opening it, the first thing they saw was a large color photograph.

Chen Chuan looked at it. The so-called "Iron Demon" was a person wearing a scarlet, menacing iron mask and old-fashioned armor and helmet, holding a spear adorned with white tassel feathers, riding a black horse with blood-spotted markings.

This horse was also equipped with old-fashioned armor. Its eyes were blood-red. Based on the reference objects next to the photo, the horse's shoulder height was at least two meters. Its muscles and bones were incredibly strong, yet it also felt swift and agile.

Advisor Rao said, "We received information from the front lines that this person is leading a fifty-person squad, preparing to take advantage of the fact that most of our personnel have been transferred to the front lines to harass and sabotage our rear."

Yuan Qiu Yuan looked back and forth. He touched his chin and said, "I originally thought this was a monster from the Convergence Zone, but listening to you, Advisor Rao, and looking at this guy's appearance, doesn't he just look like a person? And he's harassing us? Is he from some hostile faction?"

Advisor Rao said, "He is indeed from the Convergence Zone."

He raised his head, "But you should know that in the past, when two worlds approached, there were many periods of upheaval. When two worlds get close, contact, exchange, and even collision are inevitable.

So, in old times, the Convergence Zone already existed.

In the past, the understanding of the Convergence Zone was not deep, and the fissures between the two worlds were scattered in various places. Therefore, many people fled to this place, and it was once regarded as a place for exiled and demoted officials and political failures.

And most recently, after the major empires of the world were overthrown, many Imperial Family members and old aristocratic officials fled here, establishing independent dynasties. They are very hostile to us.

And through some secret fissures and connections previously controlled by the Imperial Family, they have been in communication with our world, cooperating with the Company, and also mastering some relics. Therefore, they are not backward in technology, and because they have been in the Convergence Zone for a long time, they have also absorbed some unique methods.

Currently, apart from those existences behind the World Ring, these remnants of the old dynasties are our main enemies here."

Chen Chuan asked him another question and then understood that the stronghold they had established was on the border self-defined by the old dynasties.

As the military fortress expands, it will naturally gradually compress their space. In their view, this is clearly to eliminate them again, which has led to very intense conflicts between the two sides.

Advisor Rao pointed to the photo, "This leading "Iron Demon' is a devoted elite warrior of an Old Imperial Family, with a group of Mounted Warriors under his command. These people often take advantage of our tense front-line defense tasks to come and harass us."

Chen Chuan picked up the accompanying data. Warrior was actually the term for Martial Artist in the past, but Imperial Retainer Warrior is different. The so-called devotion means being devoted to the Imperial Family and receiving a title. A Martial Artist who can be granted a title by the Imperial Family must have reached the Third Limit.

The data introduced that, because the Convergence Zone is vast and sparsely populated, these Imperial Retainer Warriors all have their own land or fiefdoms, which are basically in the form of fortified manor houses, and each Imperial Retainer Warrior will lead a group of Mounted Warriors for them to drive and conquer.

He turned his thoughts. This is a relatively ancient system, but it seems quite suitable for this place.

Advisor Rao continued, "This "Iron Demon' has repeatedly sabotaged railways in the past, demolished and damaged our communication stations, attacked patrol teams everywhere, and even has records of attacking bases.

They use vehicles, but usually ride specially bred Dragon Nose Horses, and some have also undergone Implant modifications, like the one he is riding in the photo.

These horses are strong, brave, and fearless, with extremely high endurance and load-bearing capacity. When wandering in the wild, they can run at about the same speed as an off-road vehicle at a normal trot, and can run for a whole day without eating.

Thanks to these horses, their harassment has a wide range of movement, is swift and sudden, and once we mobilize a large force, they will quickly withdraw and move to other places."

Qin Qing Que felt a little strange and asked puzzledly, "Advisor Rao, even if they have strong mobility, we have more advanced tools, convenient communication methods, and powerful weapons, how can we not deal with them?"

This is not old times anymore. Even if Dragon Nose Horses have good maneuverability, off-road vehicles can always catch up with more fuel, and they are still operating internally, with convenient logistics and communication in all aspects, and there are airships in the sky. As long as you are determined, temporarily dispatching some capable people can still eliminate them.

Advisor Rao said, "These people are not unaware of technology, they are very clear about our advantages, and there are also their informants within us. They only move when our personnel are transferred to the front lines, and they will conduct reconnaissance before taking action to confirm that we do not have enough strength to go deep again.

And they have an advantage that we do not have, that is, the anomaly situation in the wild... Well, the instructor should not have had time to tell you, that is, to try to avoid spending the night in the wild."

His expression was very serious, "Night is when anomaly situations occur frequently, and all kinds of inexplicable situations and incredible events will occur.

Inside the fortress, there are complete fortifications and protective barriers to ensure safety, but this is not the case in the wild. We have suffered too much in this regard in the early days.

And Iron Demon and these people have mastered some method, they can also move at night, some harassment operations are often carried out at night, and during the day they will hide or simply leave the area of the attack, which makes it difficult for us to make targeted arrangements."

Chen Chuan heard him mention this, and paid attention to their respective Activity Index. Perhaps because of the outdoor activities, the two team members were fluctuating upwards, reaching about seven or eight, and as time went by, the value was still increasing. If this continued, they would have to use Breathing Technique to adjust.

After looking at it, he asked, "Since those people are active outside for a long time, how do they resist and overcome Activation?"

The advisor said, "There are currently several situations. It may be that these people have lived here for a long time, and the fittest survive. Those who can survive have a certain resistance, or they believe in some existence, which gives them a certain resistance.

Others use the same methods as us, relying on drugs and Breathing Technique to resist. Finally, there are some people..." He said solemnly, "They are already complete bodies after Activation."

Yuan Qiu Yuan couldn't help but be startled when he heard this, "These are not human anymore, how dare they use them?"

Advisor Rao said, "Although they are not human, their thinking may not be human thinking. The Old Imperial Family seems to have some way to identify and use them, so there are many such existences in this old dynasty.

We have had this situation before, after killing the enemy, their brain or a certain limb ran away, and they may take the opportunity to occupy the person responsible for the inspection. After seeing such people, be sure to completely eliminate them from beginning to end, they are a group composed of old times aristocratic warriors and Demon Ghost and monsters from the Convergence Zone!"

He reminded, "This "Iron Demon' is said to have originally been called Qu Mohu, and he likes to wear a ghost mask when he travels, so many people suspect that he is a Demon Ghost!"

Yuan Qiu Yuan pondered for a while, as if thinking of something, and asked, "By the way, Advisor Rao, you just said about faith, right? Can faith also prevent Activation?"

Advisor Rao seemed unwilling to talk about this issue. He hesitated for a moment before vaguely saying, "They may believe in some transcendent existences in the Convergence Zone.

Those existences are gathered in the first half of the Convergence Zone, and it is said that they are hostile to certain existences on the opposite side. I don’t know much about this, and we have regulations that we are not allowed to talk about these things casually, so try to mention them as little as possible in the future."

Yuan Qiu Yuan said, "Understood," he clenched his fingers, making the sound of knuckles rubbing together, "In short, this time, we are dealing with this guy called Iron Demon, right?"

Advisor Rao said, "Yes, the task assigned to us this time is to try to drive this team out, or at least keep an eye on them so that they don't cause more damage."

Chen Chuan said, "Just drive them out or keep an eye on them?"

Advisor Rao looked at them, considered his words, and then said, "Actually, it would be good to be able to do this. You are just a newly established group and do not understand the situation. Qu Mohu is not only an Imperial Retainer Warrior, but also has been awarded the title of "Prefect' by the Imperial Family."

Yuan Qiu Yuan gave a strange cry and said, "This is an old times military position, right? I heard my grandfather say that if it were in the past, he would have been awarded a title no matter what."

Advisor Rao said, "Yes, Imperial Retainer Warriors are theoretically soldiers belonging to the emperor, but they are just soldiers, but being awarded a title is different, that is, a military officer who can lead soldiers."

He emphasized, "And those who can be officially awarded a title are true elite warriors. You may not understand what I mean by saying this. To put it another way, according to the above judgment, this person is likely to be a Martial Artist who is about to polish his Spirit and body to perfection."

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