Starting from the Planetary Governor

Yet, apart from these external factors, there was a core reason that drove him to deploy more forces, and that was... the enemy didn't seem strong enough.

Or rather, the soldiers of the Governor's Special Warfare Brigade were simply too strong.

With all aerospace fire support blocked by the energy shield, they were essentially fighting alone, yet they stood their ground.

Initially, they did lose over a dozen warriors upon the sudden attack, but their counter-attack was quite sharp.

Not only did they kill many lizard-like creatures that emerged from the surroundings with their laser guns, but they also took advantage of this opportunity to quickly exit their hatch and used the Wind Falcon's enormous body as a shield, constructing a defensive front in a "品" formation.

As the situation stabilized slightly, the enemy became somewhat anxious. Some biochemical shells were launched, and their corrosive effects even damaged the surface of the grounded Wind Falcon.

But at that moment, the special force warriors quickly responded.

They pulled out several rocket launchers and fired towards the direction of the incoming biochemical shells.

The rockets, with their trailing flames, had a formidable effect, at least temporarily preventing any new biochemical shells from coming in.

Later, they even spontaneously organized a combat team of five and, under the cover of their comrades, launched an assault inside a building, aiming to clear out the enemies and establish a secondary defensive position to expand their survival space.

If these special warfare squad members on the ground could create such a favorable situation, then what reason did Matins, as the commander, have to forsake them?

In his channel, there was also a clamor for battle from the soldiers of the 10th Brigade. Among them, that individual known as Lacroix, the Mortal Combat Hero, was particularly eager to join the fight as part of the second wave, to provide ground support for the combat and to rescue and cover his comrades so they could withdraw.

Matins let a hint of a smile touch his lips:

"I'll allow you to go down, but your objective isn't solely to cover your comrades. I want you to clear out the six indoor buildings surrounding the landing site, creating an opportunity for our subsequent forces to land!"

Upon hearing this request, Lacroix was startled at first but then responded resolutely, "Guaranteed to complete the mission!"

Subsequently, a formation of three craft rapidly descended in altitude.

The leader was none other than the ace pilot of the Allied Air Force, Lieutenant Kuchi.

He and his wingmen, carrying more than forty special warfare elite including Lacroix, approached the energy shield after descending to a certain altitude.

This was the most hazardous phase.

Being too fast was unacceptable. The energy shield was only about eighty meters above the ground, and if they were too fast, they would be repelled. Moreover, a high speed would not allow enough time to decelerate for the landing within the eighty-meter height, leading to a disastrous crash.

But it was at this time that the enemy's anti-air firepower showed its strength.

It appeared the enemy had set up anti-aircraft guns, and there were biochemical shells being fired into the sky as well. Explore stories at empire

With a slower speed, naturally, the enemy's hit rate increased substantially.

Fortunately, the Wind Falcon was not a fragile aircraft but a rapid assault craft, cloaked in sturdy armor that offered protection slightly better than that of an armored vehicle.

Bravely facing the enemy's anti-air fire, they successfully penetrated the energy shield's barrier.

Once inside the energy shield, they did not hold back against those enemies.

Outside the energy shield, they couldn't hit them; but once inside, they could confidently release their firepower.

The three Wind Falcons, while descending, unleashed the six air-to-ground missiles they carried, engulfing the enemy in a sea of flames. Soon after, their autocannons began to roar, sweeping in all directions, not only attacking the enemy's anti-aircraft firepower to silence it but also providing some fire support and assistance to the special warfare elites who were still fighting on the ground.

With the enemy's fire suppressed to a degree, the three Wind Falcons could take this opportunity to start their ascent.

However, one of them seemed to have a problem and couldn't fly up anymore.

But the other two that successfully took off launched all their mounted missiles before they left the eighty-meter height of the energy shield.

At this moment, the three newly arrived Wind Falcons had already begun offloading troops.

Actually, they hadn't yet touched down, hovering about ten meters above the ground.

But at this height, as soon as the hatch opened, the special forces elite began to jump out one after another.

They didn't even bother with rappelling, just jumped straight down.

To the average person, a fall from ten-plus meters could be fatal, but for the elite warriors led by Lacroix, it was an acceptable drop. Soldiers of level T3 and above were already at, or even slightly beyond the physical limits of humankind, not to mention they were equipped with exoskeleton suits that could buffer their landing.

Lieutenant Kuchi, who had guts to match his skills, once he had dropped off the troops in the cabin, didn't leave like the other aircraft. Instead, he chose to maneuver at a low altitude of 80 meters, assisting the ground forces with his autocannon, providing crucial heavy firepower support.

In the confined space, he piloted the Wind Falcon, dodging and weaving. Although he couldn't get up to speed, afraid of crashing into something, he pushed the Wind Falcon's agility to the limit. The unpredictable flight trajectory was exactly how he avoided many attacks while also managing to launch bursts of cannon fire at the ground below, achieving some combat results.

With the precious air support, Lacroix's team successfully landed and regrouped with the elite forces on the ground, beginning the task of clearing out the six buildings surrounding the landing area, as previously assigned by Matins.

This sea platform was an irregular rectangle, roughly two kilometers long and one kilometer wide. In the center, at its core, stood a conical tower about thirty meters tall, narrower at the top than at the bottom; surrounded by densely packed buildings, mostly circular storages or towers interconnected by a network of pipes.

A significant portion of the platform stretched below sea level. It was faintly visible that a considerable part of the central and largest conical tower extended underwater. Giant columns and pipes upheld the bottom of the platform, anchored from the seafloor, supporting the entire structure.

The landing area chosen by the Allied Special Forces was near the southern edge, where the ground seemed relatively larger and flatter, suitable for the Wind Falcons to land.

Once Lacroix had cleared the six buildings around the landing area, the pressure on the site was greatly reduced.

Soon after, the third wave, also comprising three Wind Falcons carrying more than forty elite warriors, descended.

This time, they had also cleared to the south, effectively dealing with enemies from one side.

Following that, Lacroix personally led the team towards the central hub of the almost town-sized sea platform, advancing, and establishing defensive positions along the way with two or three soldiers guarding key points.

They quickly breached the Central Spire, clearing the enemies inside.

There, they made two significant discoveries.

Firstly, they found a route leading down from the Central Spire. The iron door was tightly shut, not easy to enter, but under a thermite bomb, it would be no different than paper.

Secondly, when they opened several storage containers on the sea platform, they witnessed a scene that would haunt them forever.

They had expected the container-like storage might hold a variety of things.

But they could never have imagined that they were filled with people.

Crowded together, densely packed, the dead yet still living.

The soldiers who opened the storage containers from above saw countless eyes looking up at them; faces and bodies covered in festering sores, crammed together, almost floating in pus.

They were still alive, still squirming, an abominable power sustaining their existence. Conscious and enduring endless agony.

Itching, excruciating pain, maggots crawling all over, a despair of wanting death but not finding it seemed almost tangible. As soon as the storage doors were opened, along with the thick stench, a kind of Spiritual Energy was formed.

The special forces warrior who opened the door, even though wearing a fully covered tactical helmet with some protection against toxins, still felt he smelled the terrible odor. The despair and suffering invaded along with the smell, causing dizziness and vertigo. If it weren't for the help of a comrade, he might have fallen from above.

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Sorry, the update today is a bit late.

Beginning the journey on a business trip...