Otherworld Advance Team
Chapter 667 - 660: Battlefield Search

Chapter 667: Chapter 660: Battlefield Search

As the ground ceased to tremble, as explosions ceased to roar, the first onslaught of aerial firepower came to an end.

Of course, this wasn’t due to the request of the Advance Team to cease fire support, but because the air fleet had exhausted a baseline of ammunition and were now making adjustments. Standardization was something the Ronisca air force had learned from Earth. After all, when it came to modern combat tactics, the Otherworld had to acknowledge Earth as its mentor.

"Put on your protective masks, check your weapons and ammo, we are moving out!" Luoer patted the dust off his head, and then loudly addressed his team. Worried that there could be virus samples present in the anti-aircraft position—and that they might have leaked in the bombing—they took the precaution of donning their masks.

"Should I wear one too?" Feng asked Luoer.

"You..." Luoer looked at her. He hesitated but eventually nodded and said, "Yes, you should."

After all, while Feng could not be infected by viruses, she could still expel spore viruses taken in, which would easily make her a moving source of infection.

"Okay!" Hearing Luoer’s words, Feng nodded. Then she clumsily took out her protective mask and tried to put it on herself.

"I’ll help you..." Seeing her clumsy attempt, Luoer helplessly shook his head and took the mask from her.

Luoer, Yue’er says the target is confirmed destroyed. You can march out. The snipers will soon move to the next position. Please complete the search mission and get to the next position as soon as possible," Fulajie’er’s voice suddenly rang out next to Luoer, but because it was a repetition, she stuttered somewhat.

"Roger that, search team is moving!" Luoer nodded and, rifle in hand, was the first to climb out of the reverse slope, leading the search team towards the destroyed position in the north.

The dust and smoke had begun to dissipate by this point. The leaves and stems of the trees and shrubs in the woods were dust-covered, and Luoer’s team was quickly coated in a layer of the stuff as they passed through the growth.

When they arrived at the position, it no longer resembled what it had been. The ground was littered with craters of varying sizes, all round and deep. The wafting scent of gunpowder filled the air from the upturned earth.

As the shells from the air fleet were fired top-down, they virtually entered the ground at almost a perfect vertical angle. This was why the craters were so noticeably round.

"Spread out and search, two things," Luoer began without turning his head. He then raised two fingers and continued, "First, check for any traces of virus samples in the position. Second, look for any survivors."

As he spoke, he turned to look at Feng, who was behind him. He told her, "Feng, take the lead. Be careful, remember, we need survivors!"

"Mm!" Stepping onto the battlefield, Feng’s expression immediately became serious. Her eyes, though obscured by the protective mask, became impressively sharp.

Luoer still wanted to use Feng’s superior perception ability to search for possible survivors, after all, the main mission of the Advance Team was to recapture the virus, not to exact revenge.

Feng drew her long sword. Holding the sheath in her left hand and the sword in the right hand, she took the lead. She appeared to be very relaxed. Her long sword hung low, scraping a groove into the soft soil.

For her, keeping someone alive was too difficult. Her strikes were almost invariably lethal or severely injurious. The last time Luoer asked her to spare someone, the result was that Feng’s sword swipe severed both of the victim’s legs.

The search team spread out into a line formation, dispersing to search the vicinity while maintaining a distance of less than twenty meters from each other. Right as Luoer was focusing on the search, gun in hand, Feng—who was at the forefront—suddenly began calling him.

"What is it?" Hearing Feng’s call, Luoer turned to look at her.

"There’s movement!" Feng signaled, then walked towards a small hill formed of piled dirt.

Upon reaching the small hill, she took a moment to sense, then started kicking away the loose dirt. Swiftly, a nearly unconscious person lying on the ground appeared before her. Feng tapped his face with the tip of her sword to make sure his skin was still elastic, confirming her suspicion.

Luoer walked over. The person seemed to sense someone approaching and slowly lifted his head. His face was covered in mud and grime, traces of blood visible on his ears and nose.

Seeing Luoer approach, he instinctively raised his hand, trying to ask for his help. Luoer, from his higher position, gave him a look and shook his head.

"He’s beyond saving, probably bombed into idiocy, no value as a prisoner." Luoer sighed.

"Should we kill him?" Feng stood at the side, tilting her head to look at him and asked emotionlessly.

"I’ll do it..." Luoer instinctively glanced at the long sword in her hand upon hearing her words, then raised his rifle, aimed at the man’s temple, and fired a single shot, ending his life.

Luoer genuinely disliked executing unarmed people, but with the circumstances, it was highly unlikely they could save him. So, he killed him directly to spare him from suffering a painful death.

As for why he did not let Feng do it, it was mainly because her methods were too bloody. It was hard to watch even for the Advance Team inured to fighting and killing.

After conducting a search, the Advance Team found nothing. The bombing had been too severe, leaving hardly a soul alive on the battlefield. The landscape, too, was completely transformed by the explosions.

Luoer originally intended to continue the search but soon heard rumbling cannon fire from the sky. Guided by the sniper team, the air fleet started a fresh round of firepower strikes. Seeing this, Luoer can only declare the retreat and move to the next position to continue the search procedure.

Since the ground enemies are bound to flee their positions in panic once they ascertain they cannot defeat the air fleet, the farther they go, the fewer enemies they will find. Thus, they must hasten their pace, lest they arrive only to find the enemy has already fled.

Upon Luoer’s command, the Advance Team gathered and rushed towards the next position. Once this position is shattered by firepower, they will continue the search, trying to find any possible survivors.

When Luoer’s team rushed to the periphery of the second position, the firepower support had already finished. After a short respite, Fulajie’er again informed Luoer that they could initiate the search, hence the four once again moved in a search formation towards the position.

The anti-aircraft position, which poses a significant threat to Transport Planes and Reconnaissance Aircraft, was helpless against the overwhelming firepower of the air fleet. The 20mm anti-aircraft guns proved useless against the durable bottom armor, only managing to leave a few indentations.

Meanwhile, the firepower of the air fleet was devastating on the ground targets. A single shot stirred up all the dirt in the position, leaving numerous small and large bomb craters, overturned soil loosely piled up, emitting wafts of smoke.

The explosion even ignited a forest around the position, leading to a spreading fire. However, there was no need to worry as the air was quite humid. It would rain soon enough, and the fire would be quickly extinguished.

Luoer and his team continued to search the second destroyed position, but the results were still disappointing. They had not found any surviving prisoners.

Without a doubt, this was primarily because the firepower of the air fleet was too fierce. With the barrage of ammunitions, not only people but even flies would be torn to shreds in the explosion.

Luoer used to think that Feng’s methods were too brutal, attacking to either kill or maim, leading to rivers of blood. But the firepower representing the spirit of the army was even more terrifying.

At least Feng left recognizable corpses, not cutting people into pieces. But the artillery was different. Once a person was hit, they would be pulverized, their remnants hard to find. Although there was no visible blood, there were also no intact bodies to be found.