Chapter 429: The Completely Surrounded Star Gate!
The complete annihilation of the first batch of Advance Personnel made the Atmosphere inside the Otherworld Strategy Committee very oppressive and heavy.
It wasn't that Lieutenant General Kong Ming and others were particularly pained by the loss of those Cipher Pol Members and Researchers, but rather that it was confirmed the Civilization on the other side of the Star Gate was already prepared for their invasion.
In other words, that Star Gate, only two meters in width and length, was already targeted by a large amount of Heavy Firepower.
[Knock knock knock.]
"Come in."
"Chairman, this is the Weapons Research Institute's assessment Report on the enemy's Firepower."
A young Official knocked three times and walked in. Showing no discomfort towards the smoke-filled Meeting Room, he naturally placed a Document on the table in front of Chairman Fernandez.
"Mm, you may leave."
"Yes!"
After the Official exited the Room, Fernandez finished reading the brief dozen or so sentences in the Report, then immediately handed it to Lieutenant General Kong Ming beside him.
"Take a look."
"Okay."
Lieutenant General Kong Ming took it and looked, his Eyes widening in surprise. He said, "High-Explosive Landmines? Heavy Howitzers?"
The Report indicated that the first four Cipher Pol Members who went ahead to Explore were not hit by Bombardment, but might have stepped on powerful Landmines or composite multi-Landmines.
Because there was no Whistling Sound of Cannonballs incoming in the Footage, and the Gunfire Flash erupted from the bottom up.
As for the six people near the Star Gate, it was confirmed they were subjected to Bombardment from Heavy Cannons. By pausing the Explosion Footage of the first Cannonball, it was estimated to be a Heavy Howitzer with a Caliber of over a hundred millimeters.
To be honest.
This Evaluation result made Lieutenant General Kong Ming feel a sense of relief. After all, whether it was Landmines or Howitzers, they were Gunpowder Weapons, and their Power didn't seem overly outrageous.
But this didn't mean they could completely relax their guard. No one knew if the enemy had even stronger Weapon Means.
The most crucial point was that those four Cipher Pol actually stepped on Landmines?
Did they walk into a large-scale minefield, or did the enemy perform precise placement beforehand? It's important to know that the enemy possesses a very strong Future Sight Ability.
If it's the latter, then that's a huge problem!
It's possible they're adapting their approach based on the opponent. The reason they used Landmines and Howitzers might simply be because they felt this level of Weaponry was sufficient to deal with those few Cipher Pol.
"We should dispatch more people to obtain more Intelligence. If it's confirmed that the enemy's Means are truly only at the level of Heavy Howitzers, we can consider deploying Admiral Level Combat Power!" Lieutenant General Kong Ming said in a deep voice to Chairman Fernandez, while handing the Document to another Vice Chairman.
"Should we continue to dispatch Cipher Pol, or the Army?"
"Cipher Pol. After all, they are the Professional ones for Exploration like this. However, this time there should be more people, and they must be able to use Haki, preferably also able to fly. At the very least, they need to ascertain the enemy's Military Strength and Cannons. But just in case, do not dispatch Combat Power above Vice Admiral, otherwise, if the enemy uses stronger Means, the losses will be too great."
In Kong Ming's view, those above Vice Admiral are considered rare Combat Power, while those below are essentially expendable.
"Alright, does anyone else have any Opinions?" Chairman Fernandez was very confident in Lieutenant General Kong Ming's Military Acumen and had no intention of interfering.
To put it plainly, his role as Chief of Staff of the Supreme Executive Committee, coming to be the Chairman of the Otherworld Strategy Committee, was purely to support this Department.
Seeing the other Vice Chairmen shake their heads in indication, he immediately said, "Then that's settled. This Old Man will immediately notify CIPHER POL Headquarters. Let's Adjourn the Meeting."
After speaking, he was the first to Stand Up and leave the Meeting Room.
The next day.
Twenty CP Members in Suits and Sunglasses assembled in front of the Electric Gate at the Biochemical Safety Station. Upon closer inspection, among them were CP7 Pulan and Bellock, who had previously taken 'BIG MOM' on a tour of Kabaneri World.
One was a Bug-Bug Fruit Dragonfly Form Ability User, and the other was a Bird-Bird Fruit Swallow Form Ability User. They were also the only two Devil Fruit Users and users of Two Colors of Haki in the team.
To be honest, while Cipher Pol seemed quite capable, that was in the areas of Intelligence and Assassination. There really weren't many who could use Haki.
At least in terms of numbers, they were definitely far inferior compared to the Military.
Therefore, Headquarters was simply unwilling to invest too many Elite personnel in such high-risk Missions.
"Move out!"
The Captain of this Operation was Pulan. There was no other reason than his Strength being the greatest. Each of them had a Transponder Snail sitting on their Shoulder, pulling a long Black Line.
It's worth noting that the Body Surface of these Transponder Snails and the surface of the Black Lines were all wrapped in a layer of Kabaneri Heart Membrane Material.
Because it had been confirmed that the Air Composition of the World on the other side was fine, after undergoing triple disinfection, they rushed into the Arid World inside the Star Gate at the fastest Speed. Then, with Rapport, they formed pairs, one in front and one behind, turning into Afterimages scattering in all directions.
Especially Pulan and Bellock, who directly transformed into large Dragonflies and large black Swallows and flew towards High Altitude.
The requirement for this Operation was just one word: Fast!
The Researchers at the Weapons Research Institute had already calculated the Position of the Cannons based on the previous Trajectory. The Mission Target for the two of them was to find them!
At this moment, the Military and Political High Command of the World Government were all watching the Virtual Screen with varied Expressions.
Soon, with the High-Speed Movement of the twenty people, the Environment around the Star Gate became clearer and clearer. Experts from the Academy of Science specializing in Geography and Climate immediately confirmed, "It should be a Tropical Desert Climate region. The Landform is mainly Plain and Sand Dunes, and there seem to be quite a few Mountain Silhouettes to the north..."
But right at this moment.
[Roar!]
[Roar!!]
Fierce Explosion Firelight appeared on the Virtual Screen again, followed by continuous Explosions one after another, and then one Black Screen after another.
Clearly, even with the Kabaneri Heart Membrane strengthening their Defense, they couldn't withstand such powerful Explosion Attacks.
"It's confirmed, it's precise Landmine placement! They actually predicted which Position these Cipher Pol would walk to?!" Lieutenant General Kong Ming abruptly Stood Up, his Expression extremely grim, and said in a deep voice.
Because it was an Action Formation with one person in front and one behind, the latter's Viewpoint allowed them to clearly see the former being attacked on the Screen Feed. And when the latter walked two more steps forward, preparing to stop, an Explosion also occurred under their feet, and then they disappeared...
In just a few seconds, eighteen Virtual Screens had already gone Dark!
Fortunately, Pulan and Bellock's High Altitude Viewpoints were still active. Through the Footage they sent back, the World Government first noticed that this was actually a Peninsula surrounded by Great Sea on three sides.
But the following scene stunned all the staff at the Alien Strategy Committee Headquarters.
First, on the Great Sea, hundreds of Large Ironclad Battleships were anchored, all their Ship Cannons' Gun Barrels uniformly aimed at the Star Gate's Position!
Immediately after, in the only Direction leading to the Continent, on the earthy yellow Arid Land, dense Trenches crisscrossed, and countless Fortresses were scattered like stars.
Armored Trains equipped with Large Caliber Cannon Barrels moved back and forth slowly and orderly along the Railway. Tens of thousands of Heavy Howitzers were distributed across multiple Positions. Further back were endless Barracks Buildings, seemingly stretching for dozens, even hundreds of miles...
Just how much Military Strength was gathered here?
Millions?
That can only be considered a Unit of Measurement!
[Whoosh---- Whoosh----]
Suddenly, two more incredibly sharp Whistling Sounds pierced everyone's eardrums. Immediately after, Pulan and Bellock's Viewpoints also went Dark...
The last Screen Feed seen was a surge of White Mist and the two people's Screams!
(End of Chapter)