Chapter 444.2: NOWHERE TO GO NOW

And even those not directly hit, those who were sliced by shrapnel from the high-explosive shells or had their organs shattered by the blast wave, were countless.

A nearly full-strength 1,000-man army was annihilated by half in just one volley.

The caliber of those shells was clearly more than 100 mm, probably upwards of 150 mm.

With no defensive fortifications or cover to hide behind, against the king of ground warfare, the infantry could only await a one-sided slaughter.

In the distance, only the main cannons were firing. Once they got within effective range of the coaxial machine guns, what awaited them was a crossing fire of machine gun rounds and 155 mm shells.

Climbing out of an overturned motorcycle, Wester looked towards the distant steel torrent. His resolute pupils first showed confusion, then sank into unfathomable despair.

"It's over."

Everything was over...

...

The battle outside Lost Valley had ended.

With the arrival of the New Alliance's tanks, General McClennan had completely given up hope of escape.

It was too late anyway.

Nothing, except an aircraft, could escape 100 kilometers within an hour.

"General... What should we do?" The officer sitting in the jeep's driver's seat whispered, looking at General McClennan beside him.

He didn't even know where to run.

General McClennan sighed, but he couldn't squeeze out a word.

He didn't consider himself a failed commander. He had deployed each unit where it should be and made the correct strategic decisions.

But he couldn't magically create a 10,000-man battalion or have a non-existent unit launch an attack.

What about Griffin's tanks?

Even if Camp 530 fell, they'd only lose a third of their tanks at most.

That guy couldn't have failed to consider that if the New Alliance guessed their plan, they might send a mobile unit to strike the airfield.

But where were the Conqueror tanks?

What happened to the Wanderer the Army had been so proud of?

Why could he only see tanks of the New Alliance?

And how did the garrison of Petra Fortress suddenly emerge from their tortoise shells?

Hadn't the nobles of the Falcon Kingdom sworn that even if their heads were broken, those people wouldn't come out?

What exactly went wrong? He couldn't understand what was going on.

But... It was pointless to talk about it now.

In the face of a megaton nuclear bomb, all struggles were in vain.

General McClennan silently drew his pistol, trembling as he aimed it under his chin and flicked off the safety.

He closed his eyes, but his trembling index finger, as if leaden, shook for a while and couldn't pull the trigger.

With a look of humiliation, he lowered the gun and looked up at the sky, now tinged with night.

It was just a different way to die.

The sounds of cannon fire from the northeast grew closer, and to the south, the sounds of horse hooves and battle cries filled the air.

The officer suddenly started the jeep and floored the accelerator.

Pressed back against the seat, General McClennan didn't get angry. Instead, he asked with a wry smile, "Where do you plan to go?"

"To the valley! If we can hide in the valley, we might have a chance to survive!" The officer's eyes were bloodshot as his boot welded to the accelerator.

In theory, maybe.

Whether it was the cavalry, the infantry, or those tanks, they would all be turned to ashes in the nuclear blast...

The jeep's trunk was stocked with protection suits and other survival gear; if they hid in the valley, they might actually make it.

Hope for survival reignited in General McClennan's heart.

But just then, he suddenly noticed a truck speeding out from a distant valley towards the airfield.

What is that vehicle doing?

General McClennan frowned slightly.

He had a bad premonition, just like the ominous feeling he had a few days ago...

...

On the truck.

Gripping the steering wheel, Sisi glanced at the rearview mirror, then looked ahead at the burning plane, touching her headset and speaking, "Tail, have you made up your mind?"

"Yeah! I've decided!" The short-haired Tail nodded solemnly, a rare serious expression on her face.

"When Teddy died, I thought about it... Maybe everyone is really alive."

Surprise crossed Sisi's face. Even Sesame Paste who was sitting in the passenger seat, and Roshan in the back couldn’t help but stare at her silently.

"... Digital life? Or something similar...”

“... I don't really understand. Including other NPCs, I always feel they're not just side characters or task-givers."

"They cry, they laugh, they have dislikes and likes. They manage their own lives, not just repeating some pre-set actions. They seem to be real beings, just like us in the real world."

As she spoke, she looked troubled, unsure how to describe her feelings.

Sisi looked in the rearview mirror, lost in thought.

"Hmm, but if you think about it, those enemies we've killed..."

Tail said confidently, "They are also alive."

"Then..." Sesame Paste opened her mouth in shock.

Tail didn't hesitate. "But even so, when it's time to shoot, I'll still shoot! No matter what, robbery and murder are bad, and if the bad guys refuse to surrender, more people will die! If they don't plan to surrender, it's better to kill them all."

Sisi was surprised and looked in the rearview mirror at Tail, who was squinting against the wind.

But she didn't say anything else.

Actually, she had thought about the question a long time ago, but her ability to empathize was quite flexible.

Even an Oscar-winning screenwriter couldn’t make every plot and character liked by everyone, let alone just an ordinary game.

She chose to immerse herself in what interests her. Everything else was up to fate.

They couldn’t kill people in reality. But if it was in game... If the bad guys were killed, they were killed.

"I say... Do you guys know how to disarm a nuclear bomb?" Looking at the burning plane, Roshan, clinging to the truck bed, called out nervously.

"Huh?! Of course not!"

Roshan said with a mix of laughter and helplessness. "So what use are we going there for?"

"There's always something we can do..." Sesame Paste comforted Roshan, although she didn't really know what to do herself. After all, she was just a teacher.

Tail nodded suddenly. "Right! We can send the bomb into the valley..."

Roshan paused. "But if we do, that relic..."

"That’s right. Do we save the storyline, or do we protect those outside? Actually, it’s a multiple choice question." Sisi casually said, "So... Let’s let Tail think it through and make the decision."

Roshan frowned. "What if we drive the truck as far away as possible?"