The arrival of war is often more sudden and cruel than the most pessimistic prophecies.
When ominous flashes of energy lit up the edges of the Chi Wu Star System, and the first wave of small Taotie assault ships, trailing plasma exhaust like sharks smelling blood, broke through the thin orbital defenses of Earth and dived into the atmosphere, the illusion of peace was torn to shreds by the piercing sound of air raid sirens.
Tianhe City, this bustling eastern metropolis, bore the brunt of the attack.
The shrill alarm pierced the sky, instantly drowning out the noise of the city.
The crowd on the streets woke up from their initial daze and was immediately engulfed in panic.
Cries, screams, and the screeching of car brakes and collisions mixed together.
People ran blindly, pushing and shoving, looking for a direction they thought was safe, not knowing that on the scale of interstellar warfare, a jungle of reinforced concrete is no different from a wall made of paper.
The reaction of the Chinese Military was swift.
The air defense artillery, which had long been in a state of combat readiness, roared at the first opportunity.
Dense anti-aircraft missiles rose into the sky dragging white smoke, and anti-aircraft guns spat out angry tongues of fire, attempting to weave a net of fire to intercept death.
Heroic ground troops tried to establish defensive lines in the chaos and evacuate the masses.
The Super Soldiers of the Black Armor Company also assembled under the emergency order of Du Kao, preparing to join the battle.
However, the disparity was desperate.
Although the Taotie assault ships were only the vanguard, their energy shields, armor, and firepower far exceeded Earth's conventional weapons.
When anti-aircraft missiles hit their targets, they could often only stir up a ripple on the light blue energy shields before being blown up in mid-air.
The barrage of anti-aircraft guns was like scratching an itch.
Every time the small energy cannons mounted on the Taotie ships flashed, they caused explosions and flames on the ground, easily tearing tanks, armored vehicles, and even entire buildings to shreds.
Retreating step by step.
This was the truest portrayal.
The courage of soldiers could not make up for the technological gap, and flesh and blood were quickly vaporized under the burning of energy weapons.
The city was burning, streets turned into ruins, and the number of civilian casualties climbed at an alarming rate.
Despair spread like a plague.
However, in this burning purgatory, there existed a strange "pure land."
Juxia City, the Angel International Building, and the surrounding area of about ten square kilometers.
Air raid sirens also echoed here, and one could see the palpitations of energy flashes and explosions in the sky.
But unlike the chaos and destruction elsewhere in Tianhe City, this area presented a dead-like "order."
The building itself still stood tall, its special material curtain wall shimmering with a faint, seemingly self-operating glow under the reflection of the explosions in the distance.
And with the building as the center, the circular boundary with a radius of ten kilometers seemed to be separated by an invisible wall.
Outside the boundary were fleeing, crying, explosions, and death; inside the boundary, it was a chilling silence.
Long before the Taotie fleet entered the solar system and the clouds of war gathered, all Earthlings of Angel International, including senior management, employees, and even their immediate family members, had received a top-priority encrypted notification from "Headquarters" and were "advised" to carry necessary items and move into the designated safe zone centered on the Angel International Building within a specified time.
The notification did not explain the reason, but the generous "emergency evacuation allowance" and the implicit, unquestionable tone made the vast majority of people choose to obey.
At this moment, these people who had moved in early huddled in the reinforced shelters on the ground floor of the Angel International Building, or in several nearby auxiliary buildings that were also included in some kind of force field protection.
Through limited windows, they looked in horror at the apocalyptic scene outside, and at the same time felt a palpitations and confusion about having survived after the disaster for arriving at this "isolated island" in advance.
They did not know how long this "safety" would last, nor did they know where the fate of their compatriots outside would lead.
And the existence of this "isolated island" naturally attracted the attention of the Taotie vanguard troops raging over Tianhe City.
After destroying several nearby air defense positions, a few assault ships cast their greedy and cruel eyes on this area that was unusually "tidy" in the war, especially the building that towered into the clouds as if provoking them.
"Abnormal energy readings detected... low, but stable. Special building structure... suspected non-Earth civilization creation."
A hoarse voice sounded in the rough communication channel of the Taotie fleet.
"Forget what it is! Destroy it! Let these lower life forms know that under the wrath of the Taotie, nowhere is safe!"
The Commander of another warship let out a bloodthirsty roar.
Three slender, black barracuda-like Taotie assault ships adjusted their direction, the main guns at the bow began to charge, dangerous red light flickered, and the target was pointed directly at the Angel International Building!
They wanted to use the destruction of the landmark building to completely crush the remaining will to resist in this city.
However, at the very moment the three warships entered the optimal range and the main gun charging was about to reach its peak.
Angel International Building, top-floor observation deck.
Artoria stood there quietly, still in her silver-gray outfit convenient for action, with "star dome" at her waist.
Minerva stood by her side.
The entire Zhuifeng Squad was on high alert, scattered at key positions on the top floor, their eyes coldly locking onto the three Taotie warships that didn't know whether to live or die.
Angel Yan was not here; she had other tasks.
Artoria's gaze calmly swept over the three murderous black warships outside the window, over the thick smoke and flames rising into the sky in the distance, and over the tiny fleeing figures in the city below.
There was no expression on her face, neither anger nor pity, only a bottomless calm, as if everything in front of her had nothing to do with her, and as if everything was under control.
Just one second before the red light of the Taotie warship's main guns flashed sharply and was about to fire.
Artoria raised her right hand, her thumb and middle finger snapped together, and she made a crisp snapping sound.
"Snap."
The sound was very light, almost inaudible against the backdrop of explosions and sirens.
But with this snap, several special armor plates near the edge of the top floor of the Angel International Building slid silently to both sides, revealing the ferocious gun muzzles that had long been fully charged and were emitting a dangerous hum!
That was not an Earth weapon, not even entirely standard Angel equipment.
The gun body was flowing with complex silver-white and light-gold patterns, and a heart-palpitating, highly compressed purple-gold energy core was condensing at the muzzle, emitting energy fluctuations far exceeding the Taotie main guns!
This was a land-based simplified version of the "regional denial/strategic deterrence" type naval gun array that Artoria had added to her "temporary stronghold" by using the early resources of "Hyperion" and combining her own mechanic technology and some Angel energy technology!
Although its power was far less than that experimental naval gun on the "shadow shuttle," it was more than enough to deal with Taotie assault ships of this level.
"Clear."
Artoria's red lips parted slightly, spitting out two cold words.
Hum— Boom!!!
Several purple-gold energy beams as thick as buckets shot out from the gun muzzles on the top floor of the Angel International Building!
The speed was extreme, and almost the moment they were fired, they crossed a distance of several kilometers and accurately hit the three Taotie assault ships that were charging!
There was no intense explosion, no scattered debris.
There was only a cleaner, more thorough destruction.
The energy shields of the hit Taotie warships shattered silently like soap bubbles under the sun, and the thick alloy armor was easily pierced, melted, and vaporized in front of the purple-gold light beam like butter!
Wherever the light beam passed, the structure of the warship was torn and disintegrated from the molecular level!
In just one second, three huge Taotie assault ships that could cause huge threats to the Earth's army disappeared completely in that brilliant and deadly purple-gold light, without leaving a single residue, as if they had never existed.
The sky was cleared.
Only the remaining energy glow that had not completely dissipated and the hot and dangerous atmosphere in the air proved the unequal erasure that had just happened in that instant.
This shocking scene not only caused the offensive of other Taotie warships in the distance to stagnate, but also caused countless Earth soldiers and civilians on the ground who were fleeing, hiding, or watching this scene through monitoring equipment that could still work, to fall into a short, unbelievable silence.
One hit... evaporated three main assault ships?
What kind of weapon is that?
Angel... made a move?
However, before they could recover from the shock, a clear, calm, yet seemingly resounding directly in everyone's mind, emotionless female voice, with the Angel International Building as the center, like an invisible ripple, instantly covered the entire Tianhe City and even further areas:
"Announcement."
"With the Angel International Building as the center, a radius of ten kilometers is the temporary control zone of the Angel Civilization."
"Without permission, any armed unit—regardless of its affiliated civilization, faction, or race—that enters this area without authorization or launches an attack on this area will be regarded as a direct provocation and declaration of war against the Angel Civilization."
"Those who cross the line..."
The voice paused slightly, then spat out two iron-clad, murderous words:
"Executed."
No extra warnings, no complex conditions.
Only a clear, cold, unquestionable "boundary" and "prohibition."
After a brief silence, there was an even more surging wave of sound.
But this time, it was not just fear and despair.
Countless desperate Tianhe citizens, like grasping the last straw, began to rush towards the Angel International Building recklessly and crazily!
Cries, pleas, and wails converged into a torrent of despair:
"Angel! Save us!"
"Let us in! Please!"
"Child! My child is still outside!"
"We have elderly! We have wounded!"
The crowd impacted the invisible boundary, and some even tried to kneel and kowtow, worshiping in the direction of the building, praying for the "miracle" and protection that seemed to be close at hand but out of reach.
On the top floor of the building, Artoria looked down quietly at the crowd gathering and praying like ants below, looking at those faces distorted by fear and hope.
Minerva gently held her hand, feeling the slight coolness of her fingertips.
The members of the Zhuifeng Squad were expressionless; they were soldiers, only obeying orders, and had no much feeling about the scene below.
Artoria's gaze swept over those praying faces, over the city that was still burning and exploding in the distance, and also over those Taotie warships that were suspicious, temporarily afraid to approach, but still eyeing covetously in the distance.
For a long time, she spoke again.
The voice was still calm, and through some amplification or information transmission technology, it clearly echoed in the ears of everyone rushing to this "isolated island," and also echoed in the Chinese Military headquarters that was urgently discussing countermeasures, and perhaps even... echoing in the communication channels of some "allies":
"I have heard your cries."
"I have also heard your pleas."
"However,"
Her voice suddenly turned cold, with a kind of almost cruel clarity:
"Just a short time ago, your leaders, representing your civilization, personally and clearly rejected the 'protection' of the Angel Civilization."
"They chose dignity, chose independence, chose to rely on their own strength to face this disaster, and to decide the fate of Earth."
"I respect this choice."
"Therefore, this ten-kilometer radius is not a'shelter,' not a 'refugee zone'."
"This is just a'safe distance' demarcated out of the Angel Civilization's most basic respect for the form of life existence, and the minimum guarantee for the safety of its own assets and employees."
"That is all."
"The'safety' here stems from the fact that the Angel Civilization's sword is pointed at the invaders, not from 'protection' for you."
"Please remember, it was you yourselves who first rejected the umbrella that might have shielded you from the wind and rain."
"Now, the wind and rain have come."
"The path is one you chose yourselves."
"The consequences are also something you need to bear a part of yourselves."
After speaking, she ignored the crowd below who suddenly became more desperate, crying, and even starting to curse and get angry, and also ignored the attacks of the Taotie fleet in the distance that became more crazy and scattered after a brief fear.
She turned around, and her silver-gray clothes fluttered gently in the wind smelling of gunpowder smoke.
"Xiao Xiao, let's go back."
"Zhuifeng Squad, maintain the alert level."
"If there are trespassers, no warning is needed, destroy them directly."
"Yes!"
Artoria held Minerva's hand, and the two figures disappeared at the entrance of the rooftop, leaving behind the invisible boundary, isolating the desperate pleas and the burning battlefield outside.
The isolated island remained, and the boundary was clear.
And the flames of war were still burning outside the boundary, devouring life and hope.
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