Above the clear sky, a W-2 Mosquito attack aircraft was clinging to the edge of the clouds, heading towards Ruigu City.
In the airspace about 30 kilometers behind it, followed a "Dragonfly" transport aircraft carrying a "hydrogen balloon" communication system.
Tai Wei's guess was indeed correct. Of course, the respected manager would not leave his little player alone and generously sent a second set of communication equipment.
However, generosity is generosity.
This kind of "high technology density" equipment is also not cheap for the alliance.
Before throwing down the second airdrop box, Chu Guang needs to figure out what happened to the last communication base station that crashed, so as to avoid the same mistake with the new communication base station.
Sending the army there is too slow. Without a road network, it is impossible to race. Even if all members of the Storm Legion are equipped with the most basic exoskeletons, the march distance will only be 30 kilometers in one day.
Although the combat effectiveness of the player's corps is very strong and has the aura of "morale lock", its discipline will plummet due to "boring", and it is unrealistic to expect a forced march of more than 100 kilometers.
therefore--
We can only trouble the Air Force.
"This is Luo Yu...it's close to the target airspace and is searching for ground signals."
Glancing at the VM tied to his thigh and looking at the approaching Ruigu City, Luo Yu pressed down the joystick in his hand and controlled his car to emerge from the clouds.
According to the mission requirements, he needs to get in touch with players on the ground, learn from them what happened to the communication base station, report the news to the "Dragonfly" transport aircraft behind, and take some photos to take back.
This task is easy.
It even made him couldn't help but yawn.
However, just when he was about to get in touch with the players on the ground, a dark shadow on the horizon in the distance attracted his attention.
"Fuck..."
“What the hell??”
The majestic steel airship is like a Kunpeng spreading its wings.
What is shocking is not only the pure metal shell, but also the dazzling array of weapons all over its body.
It's hard to imagine how such a huge thing could be suspended in mid-air.
What's even more unimaginable is that what provides him with driving force is actually a long row of parallel propellers.
The two completely different concepts of primitiveness and advancedness are miraculously compatible.
Luo Yu's eyes widened, his face was full of surprise, he couldn't believe his eyes.
Soon, all the shock turned into intense excitement and shock in an instant.
It’s so awesome!
but--
It seems to be in some trouble.
Luo Yu could vaguely see that one of the propellers on one wing of the airship was flashing with little flames.
It seemed to be set on fire.
Just when he was about to fly closer and take a closer look, he suddenly discovered that a thick and long gun barrel on the top of the airship was slowly turning its angle and pointed straight at him.
That caliber.
Needless to say, there is also a 100mm!
The moment his eyes met the cannon barrel, Luo Yu's expression changed instantly.
"Holy shit!"
There was no time to hesitate.
He immediately punched the control stick and tried to fly under the airship.
At the same time, he switched the communication channel to the "Dragonfly" transport plane 30 kilometers behind him, and reported the situation on the front line to the rear.
"Airship! An unidentified armed airship was found over Ruigu City, suspected to be——"
Before he could finish the last few words, a streak of orange flame cut off his thoughts.
He didn't even hear the sound of the cannon, and the blue pop-up window of [Disconnected] was projected into the bottomless darkness.
He slowly took off his helmet.
Luo Yu, who was sitting on the bed in his bedroom, looked around in confusion, and it took him a long time to come back to his senses.
Damn it!
He opened fire without even saying hello.
There is simply no sense of martial ethics!
…
"airship?!"
"Wait, what is it suspicious of?"
"Hello? Brother, are you still alive?"
Above the clear sky.
Sitting in the cabin, I was unprofessional and fussy, repeatedly checking the situation in front of Luo Yu.
However, the cut off voice never answered.
Listening to the noise coming from the communication channel, Unprofessional Fanman gradually realized that the situation might be more serious than he thought.
Thinking of this, he no longer hesitated. While pulling back the switch, he tilted the joystick to the left, controlling the plane to draw an arc in the air and return to the airport in the north of Shuguang City.
A three-engine transport aircraft made of A3 aluminum alloy and equipped with a full set of instruments is much more expensive than the W-2 that cuts corners.
Sitting in the rear cabin, Brother Bing and Huozi shouted.
"...Why did we turn a corner? Aren't we going to Ruigu?"
"The situation has changed... Luo Yu said he saw the airship."
"airship?!"
Brother Bing and Huozi was a little confused.
What's there to be afraid of, that kind of old antique that was almost eliminated during the First World War?
It's a pity that the 37mm gun is installed on another "Dragonfly".
If you didn't give him an angle, he would even have the confidence to use the gunship to take that thing down.
"I don't know... I feel like it's not a simple airship that can shoot down Luo Yu the moment he notices it. Most likely he has noticed it a long time ago."
"You mean there's a radar on that airship?" Brother Ice and Fire asked in surprise.
Unprofessional, I thought for a while and said.
"There should be. Radar is not a difficult thing. There are even airships. It can't be a predator... However, I estimate that 80% of them don't have guided weapons, but anti-aircraft guns or other things."
After all, if there were missiles, they would probably be shot down by the opponent before they entered visual range.
Flight technology from the First World War era, fire control system from the Second World War... What kind of industrial waste is this?
However, even industrial waste is not something their broken transport machine can handle.
At any rate, give him a "Jiaojiao Six".
There is no need to hang AA ammunition, two 7.62 aviation machine guns are enough...as long as there are no accidents.
Without any hesitation, he unprofessionally pushed the switch to the maximum, and decisively gave full power to the engine...
…
Heart of Steel.
Inside the bridge.
Looking at the pile of dark black waste on the table, McClun was briefly stunned, and then a trace of anger quickly appeared in his eyes.
"What the hell is this?"
"General, this thing is entangled in our propeller. It is hanging under the balloon. It should be a thread..."
Standing in front of General McClung, the engineer wearing high-altitude work clothes lowered his head, swallowed nervously, and spoke quickly.
The technical officer accompanying the army took half a step forward, picked up a handful with his index finger and thumb, and stared at it for a long time.
"...It contains carbon and silicon components, a bit like optical fiber."
This kind of thing is very common in the wasteland and can be seen in almost every concrete building.
It is said that in the distant and prosperous era, man was an animal that would die if he did not speak. Everyone was covered with speakers, and every wall was covered with radio stations or similar things.
This kind of optical fiber made of silicon carbide composite material is as thin as a hair and crawls around every corner of the city like capillaries, forming a huge and complex information matrix.
Although this technology has been systematically lost, those "ropes" as thin as a hair have survived like those concrete garbage.
Its characteristics are that it is light enough and tougher than ordinary ropes, but its strength is lower than that of metal wires, and it is not resistant to high temperatures, so ordinary scavengers will not deliberately collect this stuff.
Of course, this is not so absolute.
Some survivor colonies use it to deliver messages, although this is uncommon.
"... Someone must have tied this fiber to the hydrogen balloon, and it happened to be sucked in by our propeller."
"A short circuit caused the hydrogen gas connected to the engine to explode, igniting the oil on the drive shaft."
The navigator made his judgment based on his own experience.
However, the adjutant standing aside was not satisfied with his statement.
"A coincidence? I don't think it's a coincidence. Who would release a balloon into the sky without any trouble? This is obviously a deliberate and vicious trap!"
"I think so too, it should be an air defense balloon..." the staff officer said thoughtfully, "We have encountered similar things before in the survivor settlement in the west."
However, the air-proof balloons they had seen were much larger than the one they encountered just now, and the balloons were connected by stronger steel wires.
Presumably for this reason, their radar and observers did not notice the balloon at all.
"Are there any similar things nearby?" McClung looked at the navigator and asked with a straight face.
The navigator quickly shook his head and said.
"No more. I asked the observer to confirm carefully. This is the only one in the entire airspace nearby!"
Hearing these words, McClun couldn't help but look a little ugly.
There was only one balloon nearby, and it accidentally collided with the engine of my airship.
He didn't know for a moment whether he should complain about the accuracy of the balloon's release or whether he should complain about his own airship's ability to pick it up.
"In any case, this trap appeared on our route. The person who set this trap not only knew that we were coming, but also predicted our route..."
Putting his index finger on his chin, the staff officer had a solemn expression on his face and continued speaking at a gentle pace.
"Although the trap itself is not clever, they can use this low-cost trick to cause us so much trouble...the strength of these people should not be underestimated."
McClun asked in a deep voice.
"Who do you think could have done it?"
The staff officer thought for a moment and said.
"The Great Rift Valley is too far from here. The Bugla Free State has our eyes... The only force nearby that has the ability to do this is Boulder City. But I can't make a conclusion. After all, the company's reinforcements have also arrived here.
Those people nearby may have done it."
As for the survivor forces in Luoxia Province, he completely ignored them.
Although the residents in the desert disagreed with them, most of them dared to be angry and dare not speak out.
There are few people who dare to resist them, and they are simply incapable of doing such a thing.
After all, analyzing the route is too mysterious.
To constantly monitor their position in real time, they also have to monitor atmospheric airflow, and even so, they can only predict a few possible routes.
In fact, rather than planning it for a long time, he also suspected that it might be a coincidence.
However, if it is explained as a coincidence, it simply cannot explain why such a string of hydrogen balloons of unknown significance appeared on a barren mountain.
"Boulder City... I remember it was a remnant of a previous civilization."
The adjutant took out a notebook from his arms, flipped through two pages in his hand, and continued muttering.
"According to reliable intelligence records, the Post-War Reconstruction Committee helped them build a wall and gave them some weapons to fight the 'wave'... It is said that there are tens of thousands of people living there, maybe hundreds of thousands. Their
The settlement is not far from here, only 150 kilometers away...but why do they want to deal with us?"
"Maybe they want to warn us to stay away from them? But the probability is very small."
The staff officer put forward an idea, although he himself thought it was unlikely.
This stupid behavior is more like a provocation than a warning.
It does nothing but waste their time.
It will only anger them.
"These rats only dare to hide in the gutter."
McClun let out a cold snort.
"Whoever did this, better pray not to be discovered by me...I swear, I will make that guy regret being born into this world."
When he catches that person, he will strip him naked and hang him under the airship until he freezes into a popsicle and then throws him down.
After saying these harsh words, McClun looked at the shivering engineer standing aside.
"How long will it take to fix it?"
"One week... no, three days, give me three days and it should be fine!" the engineer said, sweating profusely.
When he heard that it would take three days, McClun's face was instantly filled with a trace of impatience.
However, he knew that urging would be useless.
There is no very high airport here that can quickly help them replace damaged parts.
If you want to make repairs, you can only lower the height and throw down the anchor chain that fixes the airship.
Then, extend the bracket from the hatch, lift the engineer out of the airship like a fishing rod, carefully remove the broken parts, and replace them with new ones.
Alternatively, you can choose not to repair it and turn off the engine at a symmetrical position on the left wing.
The remaining propellers can still propel the airship, but the lack of two engines will reduce its speed by a full 20%, and its maneuverability and stability will also deteriorate.
The reduction in mobility is acceptable, after all, it is impossible for such a behemoth to avoid attacks by maneuvering.
However, sailing in bumpy waters was something McClane couldn't bear no matter what.
Especially he could imagine that if he went back with a broken propeller, the old fox Griffin would definitely laugh at him.
Even if it's not a very serious loss.
The staff officer standing aside gave suggestions softly.
"The information we have is from several years ago, so I'm afraid it's out of date."
"The engine needs to be repaired anyway. I suggest setting up camp on the spot and sending a ground force to investigate the situation in the nearby area. We will make the next decision after collecting more information."
The adjutant on the side also followed suit.
"I think so too. I suggest sending someone to arrest a few local aborigines and ask them. Maybe they can find out who did this!"
McClun had a sullen face and nodded slowly.
"That's it."
As soon as he finished speaking, the crew member sitting in front of the bridge console suddenly spoke.
"Report! A UFO has entered the identification area of our radar!"
"what?"
Having just broken a propeller, McClung was a little nervous and asked almost reflexively.
"It seems... it's a propeller plane." The crew member said hesitantly.
When he heard it was a propeller plane, McClun breathed a sigh of relief and said something casually impatiently.
"Let it roll."
"The other party didn't answer!"
"Then beat it down."
"yes!"
A crew member immediately picked up the phone on the console and reported the shooting to the operator in the weapons control room.
Soon, a cannon shot was heard overhead.
The thick and long barrel spurted out flames, and with the slight vibration of the airship, a ball of fire exploded in the distance.
"Hit the target!"
"Confirmed destruction! The target is falling!"
The crew members sitting in front of the console reported one after another that although they only shot down a propeller plane, there was nothing to celebrate.
McClung, who was holding a telescope, soon saw that under the clouds in the distance, a plane with broken wings burst into flames and plunged straight into the city below.
Although he was not sure what the relationship between the plane and the balloon was, the fire still relieved him a lot.
"Send a few people over to take a look later," McClun said expressionlessly.
The adjutant standing nearby stood at attention and saluted.
"yes!"
Then, he looked at the staff officer next to him.
"It is your responsibility to drop anchor and deploy the ground camp."
"Also, the 29th Marine Corps, which is searching for company employees, will report any information to me immediately."
Staff officer: "Understood."
Putting away the telescope, McClung turned and left the bridge.
At this moment, he didn't know that the pilot on the plane he had just ordered to shoot down had gone to another world, and was uploading photos of his "Heart of Steel" to a certain website with excitement.
The official website forum of this game.
Luo Yu: "Brothers! Look what I found!!!"
"(Picture), (Picture), (Picture)..."
He took the photo almost subconsciously just before he was shot down.
Fortunately, before the onboard communication equipment was destroyed, the data was transmitted back to the signal tower in the north of Dawn City and successfully synchronized to his photo album.
Although at this point, the vast majority of players are in the game, the enthusiasm of cloud players for discussing the new version is no less than that of European emperors who have obtained the qualification for closed beta testing.
The bottom of the post quickly refreshed the screen.
"What the hell? An expansion pack is out again?! (Surprised)"
"Steel airship! This naval gun is awesome!"
"I'm crying... Damn it, Dogecoin Project has not even launched the closed beta, yet it has released an expansion pack!"
"Brother, I don't want your beta test qualification anymore. (Funny)"
"Planning is awesome! (Broken sound)"
In less than a minute, the post was posted hundreds of times, and the entire forum was in a frenzy.
Judging from the logo on the airship and the size of the cannon, many cloud players speculate that this airship may be the work of the Legion.
As for how the iron lump floated into the air, there were many different opinions on the forum.
Some people say it is anti-gravity, others say it may be some kind of special lightweight material, and still others say it may be the same as the manager's hammer, based on some unknown technology of gas molecule manipulation.
No matter what it is, one thing is certain, it must be some kind of black technology that does not exist in reality and cannot even be seen.
Almost everyone is looking forward to this "new version of the ship" and what new work Dog Planning has done.
In addition to planning yourself...
B4 floor of the shelter.
Looking at a few photos on his laptop, Chu Guang, who was sitting on the sofa, was not happy at all. Instead, his face was full of confusion and confusion.