#467 - Chapter 467: No Winner on the Surface
“Land-based mecha, draw their fire! Flying mecha, retreat and then flank towards Budapest!” Dai Zheng ordered.
“Rumble, clank clank clank…”
Many tanks and mecha also appeared on the ground as the enemy's ground forces arrived.
The special operations soldiers piloting the flying mecha quickly took off and retreated.
The enemy fighters, thinking they were trying to escape, detached a portion to pursue them.
“Ta ta ta ta…”
They fired as they chased.
Fortunately, in flight mode, the mecha were on fully automatic pilot. The special operations soldiers didn't need to constantly worry about dodging bullets; the system had automatic evasion capabilities.
“Bang bang bang…”
While constantly adjusting their flight attitude, the special operations soldiers also seized opportunities to retaliate.
The armor-piercing rounds were simply too powerful. Any enemy fighter that took a hit would plummet to the ground.
“We’ll split up. You guys flank from the north, we'll go south,” one soldier shouted through the bone mic.
The special operations soldiers quickly divided their forces. All the flying mecha suddenly ascended rapidly, then some turned north while others flew south.
The pursuing fighters also quickly split into two groups, relentlessly giving chase.
Meanwhile, Dai Zheng was still leading the remaining land-based mecha in guerrilla warfare on the vast plains.
“Brothers, don’t engage in direct confrontation. Fight and retreat!” Dai Zheng shouted.
The soldiers broke into smaller units, evading, retreating, and returning fire as they went.
At present, breaking through the enemy's encirclement to reach Budapest was extremely difficult.
Therefore, Dai Zheng decisively adjusted the plan, using the land-based mecha to draw the fire, feigning defeat and retreating. At the same time, the flying mecha used retreat as a form of advance, circling in the sky.
The enemy didn't know what the special operations soldiers' target was, which was key to the plan's successful implementation.
“Team leader, I think it’s about time. Shall we begin?” a special operations soldier asked.
“Alright! You three provide cover from the rear!” the team leader ordered.
“Yes!”
Of the four flying mecha in this squad, three suddenly ascended and turned around, while only the one piloted by the team leader continued flying forward.
As a result, most of the pursuing fighters followed and turned around, with only a small portion continuing forward.
“Bang bang bang…”
It turned out that the three flying mecha that had turned around earlier had circled around and flown behind this small group of fighters.
“Boom boom boom…”
This small group of fighters was quickly wiped out.
“Team leader, go ahead, we’ll handle the rest,” a soldier shouted.
“Be careful!” The team leader didn't hesitate. After giving the instruction, he accelerated west.
The distance to Budapest was still about 120 kilometers. If the team leader piloted the mecha at full speed, he could arrive in just over half an hour.
To be on the safe side, the squadron flanking north also arranged for fighters to fly towards Budapest.
Thus, as they approached Budapest, three soldiers converged.
Budapest wouldn't be considered a very large city in China. Before the virus outbreak, the city's total population was only about 1.8 million. Many third- and fourth-tier cities in China could reach that size.
But in Europe, it was one of the top-ranked important cities.
The three soldiers circled over the city and finally landed in Budapest's Central Square on the east bank of the Danube River.
“Shall we deploy it here?” the team leader asked, looking at the other two soldiers.
They weren't from the same squad, so he used a consultative tone.
“Okay!”
The two soldiers said in unison.
They had deployed this thing so many times that they were very familiar with it.
Although they didn't know what this detector was for, deploying it was really very simple.
No specific location, no specific method, no requirements, no precautions.
Wherever the commander said to put it, they just put it there.
“Reporting, Captain, the detector has been deployed to the designated location!” the team leader reported after placing the detector.
“Withdraw immediately!” Dai Zheng ordered.
“Yes!”
The three soldiers took off directly after putting down the box and rendezvoused with the other soldiers.
After learning that the mission was completed, the soldiers didn't linger and began a full-scale retreat.
Originally, they were only about 100 kilometers away from the border, and they all withdrew in about two hours.
The soldiers waiting outside the border were already prepared.
All nine aircraft took off and launched indiscriminate attacks on the incoming fighters.
The Aydis's tanks, mecha, and warships stopped at the border, not daring to advance for a while.
After the special operations soldiers withdrew, the warships retreated at full speed, flying towards the neutral zone of Wulan.
On the surface, this battle had no winner.
The soldiers from the neutral zone of Wulan entered the territory of the Austro-Hungarian Federation without achieving any results, and the Austro-Hungarian side also failed to keep those soldiers, so neither side gained any advantage.
Only Dongfang Chen himself knew that this operation could be considered a success.
