Otherworld Advance Team
Chapter 1166 - 1159: Investigation Team

Chapter 1166: Chapter 1159: Investigation Team

A group of people passed through the Otherworld Gate and arrived in Lipei City, which was becoming increasingly lively. The streets were filled with fully armed soldiers on patrol, and most of them belonged to the Rapid Reaction Force from Earth.

In response to the crisis in Lipei, the Alien Affairs Office seamlessly integrated with the Army to establish a Joint Emergency Command Center, responsible for addressing any possible enemy incursions that might occur at any moment.

The Mobile Troop was also dispatched to relocate the local population from the outskirts back into safer areas to prevent them from potential enemy attacks. But besides evacuating civilians, they had another purpose, which was to set up decoy targets in some villages to lure the enemy into attacking, facilitating the Joint Emergency Command Center to eliminate enemy combatants.

The strategy of Headquarters was clarified in the previous meeting, which was to annihilate the enemy combatants rather than disperse them, using repeated engagements to deter those who attempted to oppose Lipei.

With the establishment of the Joint Command Center, support from the Army also followed. In order to address the objective issues present in the Otherworld, the military engineering department developed a series of weapons and equipment specifically designed for the Otherworld.

For small arms, there was the Type 47 bullpup and various types of magic bullets designed to be used with it. In the realm of heavy weapons, the military engineering department also made significant achievements, developing an ultra-lightweight towed howitzer. It was so light that a gun crew could push it by themselves. During deployment, only one or two mules would be needed for transport and transfer.

To be honest, this type of ultra-lightweight howitzer would have no advantage on Earth, but as a weapon developed specifically for the Otherworld, its impact was considerable.

In the Second Otherworld War, the multinational force failed because their support weapons were too heavy and moved too slowly, leading to a disconnection between the vanguard and the support troops, which the Otherworld Allied Army took advantage of.

The shadow of that war still looms over every Earth soldier to this day. The once unstoppable multinational forces were routed by a medieval feudal army in the Otherworld, ending up like a bereaved dog.

Although it has been continuously emphasized that the primary reason for the war’s failure was the disordered command within the multinational forces, the objective limitations of the Otherworld also played a significant role.

Earth’s heavy weapons heavily relied on vehicle transport for mobility, but upon arrival in the Otherworld, where Earth’s technology was restrained, they were reduced to using animal or even human strength for transportation, exposing the issues of heavy weapons being too large and too heavy.

Furthermore, in terms of command, not all Otherworlders were the ignorant type who only knew how to blindly charge; their commanders were clearly aware of the issues within the multinational forces and broke through them one by one.

It’s an irony to say that if military technological levels between the two worlds were set aside, the combat proficiency of most Earth armies might even be inferior to that of the Otherworld armies; otherwise, the situation where the vanguard and rear forces became disjointed wouldn’t have happened.

The multinational force remained the same force, from the Korean War to the Otherworld War, with hardly any change in their tactics or strategy—recklessly aggressive when strong, and cowering when weak.

After deliberation, the Joint Command Center decided to position two artillery battalions in the northern part of Lipei. There was an advantage to deploying there, with rivers on two sides and a rugged mountain range to the north, making it unlikely for the enemy to attack from that direction, thus somewhat protecting the howitzers from threats.

The ultra-lightweight howitzers were quickly deployed on the battlefield. These 155mm caliber cannons with a barrel length 52 times the caliber could reach a maximum range of 70 kilometers when firing extended-range projectiles, essentially covering more than half of Lipei’s jurisdiction.

Besides the howitzer battalion, the Army also deployed a rocket artillery battalion to Lipei. These rocket launchers used a special continuous ignition method, with a maximum range exceeding 100 kilometers, compensating for the range limitation of the howitzers.

However, since basically all electronic devices were inoperable in the Otherworld, these rocket launchers couldn’t guarantee precision, and could only achieve area saturation through salvo fire.

To solve this problem, the madly inventive military engineering department equipped the rocket artillery with cloud explosion bomb warheads, which essentially made a volley of fire similar to launching a tactical nuclear weapon. Although the precision significantly reduced, the area covered by firepower increased. Offsetting the positives against the negatives, the accuracy effectively remained unchanged.

The Otherworld Office had always been an Army-controlled department, and now that its main leaders were Army personnel, it was less of a joint operation and more like a return to the past.

Walking through the extraordinarily bustling streets, the group went straight to the Office’s station. Security was tight, and multiple ID checks were necessary for entrance. The Olavia Sisters were directly advised to turn back home.

Upon reaching the Office, Cheng Ziang and Hu Daoke entered the office. Many people from the Office had been assigned to the Joint Command, so only Wang Xu was in charge of the daily affairs in the office.

"Instructor!" Cheng Ziang called out softly as he entered the office.

"Are you here to avenge Luo’er?" Wang Xu didn’t even ask the reason for their visit, as he had guessed it long ago.

"Yes," Cheng Ziang nodded.

"Do you have any plans?" Wang Xu inquired.

"Is the assassin who killed Luo’er dead?" Cheng Ziang asked.

"He’s not dead, he’s locked up," Wang Xu replied.

"I think we can start the investigation with him. We’re quite skilled in this area. The first thing we did when we first arrived in Otherworld was to trace the vine to the melon," Cheng Ziang said.

"Can you guarantee success?" Wang Xu asked.

"I can’t guarantee it, but if you give me some people, I think I should be able to clear things up," Cheng Ziang said confidently.

"Alright, you can handle this case. You can choose whoever you need for the team. We still have to be responsible for the defense of Lipei, so I’ll leave it to you to chase down the mastermind behind the attack," Wang Xu nodded and said.

"Yes, we will complete the mission with absolute resolve," Cheng Ziang nodded vigorously.

"Don’t go overboard, though; we still need him," Wang Xu warned after a moment’s pause.

"Yes, we know what to do," Cheng Ziang answered.

"Go, then. Go and avenge your captain," Wang Xu said as he closed his eyes and nodded.

"Yes, we’re heading out now," Cheng Ziang nodded again and then left the office with Hu Daoke.

Wang Xu was also restless all along. He was supposed to be at the Joint Command dealing with official business, but because he was preoccupied with concern for Luo’er, he hadn’t been able to attend to those matters and had to send someone else instead.

"Old Cheng, have you thought about what to do?" walking along, Hu Daoke grabbed Cheng Ziang and asked.

"You go find Feng. Let’s form an investigative team specifically for this case," Cheng Ziang said.

"Eh, I’m on it," Hu Daoke nodded earnestly, eager to follow Cheng Ziang’s orders in this time of crisis.

"Hold on," Cheng Ziange grabbed his arm, and after a moment of contemplation, he said, "Let’s not let your sister and Yue’er know about this for now; it could get messy."

"I know, you can count on me. My lips are sealed; I definitely won’t blab this time," Hu Daoke promised as he covered his mouth and nodded.

Cheng Ziang stood deep in thought in the street when a squad of Mobile Troop members saw him and approached to ask with concern, "Cheng, what are you doing here?"

"Are you guys busy with something?" Cheng Ziang looked up at them. They were five mixed-race Aud people, fully armed and patrolling the street.

"Eh, no big deal, we just saw you standing here spacing out, so we..." the five men said as they exchanged glances.

"I’m asking if you have any assignments," Cheng Ziang continued.

"Oh, we’re on patrol, getting ready to switch shifts with some folks outside," the leader among them said.

"No need to switch. I’ve set up an investigative team. The five of you are under my command now. Come with me to work on the case," Cheng Ziang instructed.

"Work on a case? Which case?" the five exchanged glances once again.

"The case of Luo’er’s attack," Cheng Ziang stated.

"We have to join then. We’re willing to join, Brother Cheng," they responded excitedly upon hearing this.

"Good, once everyone has arrived, we’ll head out. I’ll report to your superiors when the time comes. Don’t worry about leaving your posts without permission," Cheng Ziang nodded and said.