Huaxiong City, Headquarters of the Garrison.
Upon receiving the police's request for assistance, Commander Shen Bingyan's brow furrowed, and he asked in a deep voice, "Which is the nearest unit?"
"Reporting, it's the armored truck led by Staff Officer Huang."
Shen Bingyan's brow furrowed even deeper, but he didn't hesitate. "Connect me... Huang He? This is Shen Bingyan."
"Commander, I am Huang He!" Major Huang showed no joy at being noticed by a superior; he only felt unresolved worry and trepidation.
"Huang He, there are several sea monsters discovered in Metro Station No. 47 in front of you. According to police intelligence, a group of civilians is trapped in the metro station. The police have already sacrificed two teams of special police. Now, I order you to resolve the problem immediately."
"Yes!" Huang He agreed crisply, but then his tone dropped an octave. "What about my previous mission?"
"Nothing. It's just that. They are both soldiers. Now the lives and safety of the people are threatened. Do you understand?"
"Understood!" Huang He responded loudly and immediately stood up and walked toward the carriage. "Gentlemen, did you both hear that? The escort mission is temporarily suspended. I must excuse myself."
Ou Zhanpeng understood that Commander Shen had no other intentions and could also understand the commander's actions, but he still felt a slight discomfort.
Ling Xiao asked curiously, "Yuan Liming, right? What is this vehicle carrying? How can Staff Officer Huang solve the problem alone?"
Yuan Liming hesitated, torn between speaking and not speaking, but thinking that Huang He would come out soon, he explained, "This is a transport vehicle for new-generation powered armor..."
He only spoke half the sentence before Ou and Ling instantly understood.
Powered armor was standard equipment in space forces, but for other branches of service, it was undeniably high-end equipment, with only a very small number of special forces equipped with it in limited quantities.
In contrast, exoskeletons were far more widely equipped than powered armor in terms of both quantity and scope.
The reason was simple: no matter how powerful powered armor was, it only enhanced individual combat capability, and the armor's own thickness was limited. Under a modern military system, any form of long-range strike could bring powered armor to its knees.
Even the one-meter-thick frontal armor of a tank could be penetrated. What was three to five centimeters of powered armor worth? In terms of cost-effectiveness, it was a joke.
Take the recent beach incident, for example. A squad of armored vehicles, coupled with reasonable tactical arrangements, gained complete control of the battlefield with little effort. If it had been a squad of powered armor, could they have achieved the same results?
Therefore, the military was not enthusiastic about these expensive toys. The space forces had to equip them in large numbers due to environmental conditions.
The reason Huang He followed the troops to the beach was likely because he wanted to see if there was an opportunity to use them. Unexpectedly, the garrison received a request for assistance from the space base, needing a vehicle to transport Ou and Ling back, so they pressed the armored truck into service.
Armored truck meant not just a truck with added armor, but also a transport vehicle for powered armor.
No wonder Huang He had a constipated expression all the way. The root of the problem lay here!
At this moment, a familiar sound came from inside the carriage – the sound of various locking mechanisms of armor engaging. Even though they had heard it countless times before, at this moment, the series of sounds was still like heavenly music.
The two men immediately rushed into the carriage and saw Huang He already wearing a set of armor, with several mechanical arms retracting into the wall.
"I'll be back soon," Huang He said.
With this thing, solving a few sea monsters would be a piece of cake, wouldn't it?
Ou Zhanpeng glanced around, certain that such a large vehicle must carry more than one set of armor. "Do you need any help? We usually wear space-grade suits."
Huang He was startled for a moment, then broke into a smile. "That would be great." He then stepped aside.
Ou Zhanpeng and Ling Xiao stood in the designated positions. The vehicle's equipment scanned the personal terminal for identity information, and the cabin door opened smoothly – not just anyone could use powered armor; one had to be trained and qualified to wear it in combat.
If one did not have the qualification to pilot it, the cabin door would not open. Therefore, Huang He had no worries about Ou Zhanpeng bragging.
Ou and Ling quickly took off their outer clothes, and the mechanical arms immediately brought out brand-new powered armor and fixed it onto them one by one.
While putting on the armor, Ling Xiao complained, "If you had said there was powered armor earlier, would we have been so frustrated?"
With the last part secured, the two selected their weapons and prepared for battle.
Huang He reminded them with concern, "The space-grade suits are purely electric. These are the latest hybrid versions. Be careful!"
"There's no difference," Ling Xiao said.
"Then I won't waste any more words. I will be in command. Any objections?"
"I have none," Ling Xiao said.
"Nor do I," Ou Zhanpeng said.
"Alright, let's go!"
The rear gate opened, and three powered armors, armed to the teeth, jumped out of the vehicle one after another. Their feet landed with a distinctive clanging sound.
The three men formed a line and, with the mechanical whirring, quickly charged into the metro station.
The surrounding civilians were stunned at first, then someone, it was unclear who, started cheering. Soon, the cheers became a chorus.
Ordinary civilians didn't know that powered armor was no match for tanks and armored vehicles. They only knew that this was the military's latest equipment, which, in a sense, represented the military's attention.
Unaware of the label attached to them, the three entered the metro station in a standard combat formation.
The police officers at the entrance saluted and watched their figures disappear into the passage.
Protected by powered armor, they were much safer than those two teams of police officers. They knew the danger but charged into the metro station with only rudimentary equipment. They were the true warriors.
The passage was brightly lit yet empty, filled with colorful wrappers everywhere. An opened bottle of mineral water lay on the ground, its clear water soaking a patch of the floor.
Huang He received data from the command center and marked two locations on the electronic map: "Position 1 is the trapped civilians, numbers unknown. Position 2 is the platform where police encountered sea monsters, details unknown!"
Ou Zhanpeng followed closely behind Huang He. "Ling Xiao, deploy the drone!"
"I don't have one here!" Ling Xiao said.
Ou Zhanpeng was surprised. "Staff Officer Huang, what about you?"
"I don't have one either... Am I not the commander?"
Ou Zhanpeng showed no apology. "Sorry, it's a habit."
Huang He sighed. "Provide covering fire and advance!"
With that, he quickly moved out and stopped in a suitable position.
Ou and Ling quickly followed. Although it was just a simple advance, it was also a good opportunity for both sides to observe each other and foster understanding.
Despite being very simple tactical movements, the three men were alert to different directions, maneuvering flexibly and cooperating seamlessly. Although it was their first time working together, the same training quickly dispelled the slightest unfamiliarity between them, as if they had trained together thousands of times.