Chapter 419

Chapter 419: Paralysis

"This…" Number two, Wang Xuejun, hesitated, wanting to say something but holding back. He had only released air-to-ground missiles from his fighter jet and provided laser guidance while engaging in aerial combat with foreign pilots high up in the sky for several rounds.

Now, in the unexpected situation at the training center, having fighter jets would not help them if they needed to take action.

They had to quickly identify a leader; otherwise, these elite candidates from across the country, future astronauts, would likely become a group of headless dragons in case of an emergency, potentially resulting in unnecessary casualties.

"I’ll take charge! I have ground combat experience!"

Wang Xuejun’s and Wei Yuni’s concerns didn’t seem like a big deal to the Dragon Knights who were used to battle.

"You?! Forget it!"

Wang Xuejun rolled his eyes, a look of disbelief on his face.

What had number one become? Did he really think he was an all-rounder?

"You?"

Wei Yuni’s expression was incredulous; she confirmed that number one was indeed a genuine fighter pilot and not just a special soldier.

On the battlefield, a pilot’s job was either to maneuver their aircraft in combat or to save their own lives, regardless of how fierce the battle was.

On the ground, fleeing is the top survival principle for pilots, and it’s not shameful in any way.

"That’s right! I trust the boss! The boss is the strongest!"

Meng Yinan’s admiration and faith in Lin Mo reached a blind level. Not only had Lin Mo once led him on ground attack missions, but he had also trained him in air combat; Lin Mo’s impressive performance at the training center had nearly won him over completely.

If Meng Yinan weren’t male, he might have already pledged himself to Lin Mo; well, his cousin seemed unmarried and was quite beautiful, and they were about the same age.

Not wanting to waste a good catch, he thought it would be nice to introduce them someday.

While Meng Yinan was lost in these thoughts, Lin Mo continued, "Everyone, don’t worry. The enemies I’ve taken down number no less than ten."

"Hmph!" Wang Xuejun snorted disdainfully and said, "Do you really think you’re a king of soldiers?"

"Kings of soldiers" was a special term circulated among the military, representing an extraordinary legend—an elite among the elite.

Given Lin Mo’s tone, one might think he was talking about ordinary soldiers.

"Exactly, king of soldiers!"

Lin Mo glanced at the young man who never seemed to accept his superiority, as if he would never be satisfied unless he was ahead of him.

"Night" was the lair of the kings of soldiers, a place where only they could survive. Even a medic mixing there could become comparable to a special soldier in such an environment of "near vermilion, one becomes red; near ink, one becomes black."

Otherwise, how could a large unit defend such a vast country’s final defense system?

Even sending an entire division to attack the "Night" would be futile.

"The boss is a king of soldiers!" Meng Yinan, having heard some rumors, absolutely believed Lin Mo’s words. After all, if he could command thousands in advisory fees, what else could he be but a king of soldiers?

The "Tabby Cat" clearly thought otherwise.

Even kings of soldiers had to stay cautious around Dragon Knights; this had already been proven.

"Alright then, number one, you take the lead!"

Number four, Wei Yuni, was the first to express her support. Others, seeing no better options, also agreed to follow Lin Mo’s commands.

Noticing that Wang Xuejun was still hesitant, Wei Yuni frowned and urged him, "What are you hesitating for? Either act alone or stop holding us back."

Wei Yuni’s lack of maturity in bringing personal emotions into such an urgent situation was simply too immature.

"I obey number one’s orders," Wang Xuejun gritted his teeth and, out of necessity, nodded to confirm Lin Mo’s command like the others.

"Alright, now I will make arrangements," Lin Mo scanned the twenty people in front of him. They were in a hall where no one else had rushed in; it seemed the passageways were all blocked.

The training center did not direct them to escape through emergency exits, indicating that the threat came from outside, making it safer to stay put.

Thus, the training center had only blocked the passages within the building, keeping them protected in the hall.

In the blink of an eye, a complete plan flashed through Lin Mo’s mind, and with everyone looking at him expectantly, he made his decision.

"Number four, take four people and move nearby tables, chairs, and any large heavy objects. Build a barrier at least tall enough to cover a crouching person, placing it near the columns where the building structure is stronger and less likely to collapse."

"Number eighteen, take five people. Find as many containers as possible and fill them with clean water. Pile them up at the barrier. Also, distribute one dry towel and one wet towel to each person. Use the dry towel to wrap wounds and the wet towel to block out gas. Everyone should dress properly to reduce exposure and avoid flammable substances; even a little exterior defense is necessary."

"Number two, I need you to take two others to scout the surroundings. See if you can contact the higher-ups. I want to confirm whether this is a real accident or an exercise to test us. Remember, regardless of whether it’s an accident or an exercise, our attitude and response will not change until this crisis passes."

Lin Mo’s words startled Wang Xuejun, and the others’ expressions relaxed slightly.

Yes, perhaps this was a surprise assessment from the training center to evaluate their crisis response ability.

"Alright!" Wang Xuejun was also eagerly curious about this matter and accepted the task without hesitation.

Lin Mo addressed the remaining six people, saying, "The rest of you, spread out and check for any weapons or useful modified tools for attack and defense."

Though they were unarmed, Lin Mo’s mastery of close combat made his orders clear and organized.

"Yes!"

Everyone responded in unison, quickly dispersing to take action.

Boom! Boom!

It sounded like a small-scale war was happening outside the building, with explosions and gunfire erupting intermittently.

The hall occupied by the twenty-one candidates spanned three floors and had nearly a dozen passageways leading to it. Even though the automatic doors had shut, it did not mean they were safe.

Wang Xuejun took numbers thirty-three and thirty-nine, and the three of them collected wooden boards taken from a small table to shield against stray bullets. Although it may not be of much help, it was better than nothing.

"Be careful; several passageways have been blocked to prevent anyone from sneaking in. We need to set up a few traps on the doors," Wang Xuejun used his wits to avoid someone quietly opening the closed automatic doors. He stacked some junk on the door, ensuring that any attempt to open it would disturb its balance and create noise, alerting them of an intruder.

They searched several places for communication devices, all of which seemed to have gone silent, only producing static.

Could the lines have been damaged?

This situation wasn’t looking good.

As they approached an automatic isolation door, they suddenly heard a loud boom, as though an explosion had occurred on the other side, shaking the multi-layer steel door violently.

An explosion?

Perhaps fighting was ongoing on the other side. The entire building was likely built with high-grade special cement and reinforced steel, remaining sturdy despite the explosions.

The special steel composite multi-layer automatic isolation door emitted crackling noises as if rain was hitting it, along with occasional loud bangs.

Damn! Wang Xuejun felt a growing sense of dread. Even if it were a test, would they really destroy their own building for this? This was a strategic area for the country; how could astronaut selection be conducted this way? Money shouldn’t be wasted like this.

"Quick, bring materials over and block this! We can’t let the outside attack come through."

Wang Xuejun urged numbers thirty-three and thirty-nine urgently, realizing that if combat entered the hall, the candidates who hadn’t finished setting up their temporary defenses would be in grave danger.

And they were unarmed!

In their frantic search for heavy objects, the three managed to barricade the isolation door. While it might do little against formidable attacks, it provided some comfort; every second counted.

"What’s the situation now?"

Watching technicians busy at work, Major General Sun Huabin still remained in the control center of the simulated space module, alongside other staff and aerospace experts from the training center.

This area was very secure and had enough defensive measures, serving as a communication command point.

On the other side of the tempered glass wall in the control center was a vast underground space comparable to seven floors. A gigantic simulated space module was suspended in the air, slowly rotating. The several tons of weight was countered by repulsive forces from surrounding like-polar magnetic nodes, adjusting its position to settle back down onto its supports.

Utilizing the repulsion of like poles and the attraction of opposite poles, this colossal machine was manipulated effortlessly; the principles involved were not complex, despite the high-tech components.

"Report: the computer center is under a DDoS flood attack. Someone is quietly invading our system from multiple attack nodes. Experts are organizing a defense, but the monitoring system is currently overloaded and semi-paralyzed. We’ll need five more minutes to recover. The outside security troops can only report that unidentified objects have intruded. Their wireless devices are heavily interfered with, so we can only maintain contact with the outside through fiber optics. The only thing we can confirm is that the security forces have begun to eliminate intruders outside."