hotmtlnovel Chapter 8 Prologue
Chapter 8 Prologue
As winter passed, the year 2276 arrived.
At this moment, Huo Yuhao was squatting behind a pile of rocks, checking whether the shotgun in his hand could be pulled properly. Then he took out the bullets from the ammunition pouch and loaded them into the magazine one by one, waiting for the next order.
The fierce wind outside whipped up dust, blurring the distant buildings. However, this time there was no patrol mission, no clearing out gangs or bandits, or the lair of mutated creatures, but a real war.
The target of this war is the Helios 1, a pre-war factory that relies on solar power.
Although Huo Yuhao did not understand the principle of generating electricity from the sun, he was still impressed by the technology before the war.
However, these things were not important for the battles that followed. In fact, after the New California Republic took control of the Hoover Dam in the Mojave area, it was not so short of electricity.
The Helios 1 had not initially attracted much attention from New California, but the Brotherhood of Steel began its operation to seize it after entering the site.
Huo Yuhao had heard of the Brotherhood of Steel; many of them wore power armor, carried laser weapons, and were terrifying individuals obsessed with recovering pre-war technology.
This organization is not like the bandits in the wasteland who live solely by robbery and plunder.
The Brotherhood of Steel generally doesn't appear in the wasteland or attack villages randomly, provided you don't have pre-war technology. Even if you do, you have to hand it over to them.
They had previously worked with New California to combat the Enclave, a continuation of the pre-war government, and the barriers to joining them were extremely high, with very few outsiders joining.
Therefore, the Brotherhood of Steel itself is not very large, and it cannot be compared with a government like the New California Republic in terms of size.
However, as the conflict and differences between the two sides grew, the Brotherhood of Steel blew up the vault in New California and then hid in a bunker.
In the past, the Mojave were mostly known for their legends, but now they have reappeared on this land.
The boy didn't have any particular feelings about the Brotherhood of Steel. He felt that they were somewhat like a tribe with high-tech weapons, except that in the wasteland, such an organization was not a great villain, but it was not a great hero either.
Of course, Huo Yuhao also hoped that there was a way to return to the Iron Brotherhood, but for now, he still had to face the problem at hand.
After learning that the Brotherhood of Steel had gone to Apollo 1, the New California forces in the Mojave region began to gather in the vicinity, and his squad was among them.
Regarding this war that may break out at any moment, I can only try to maintain a calm and composed attitude.
After all, we can't control the course of a war with our current abilities. We should do what John told us: try to survive on the battlefield.
As the bolt was pulled back, he subconsciously looked around. The rest of the squad were also there, checking their weapons.
Throughout this process, Thane kept complaining that the quality of the guns being issued to the troops was getting worse and worse, and they were not as good as those from the arms dealers.
Upon hearing Thane's words, everyone around them burst into laughter. This wasn't mockery, but rather a helpless expression of their inability to refute the reality they were facing.
Rand was smoking again, one cigarette after another, to calm himself down, as were the others, while John held the radio, confirming the team's mission for the last time.
She took out a piece of candy and put it in her mouth. The sweetness spread in her mouth, distracting her from her anxiety.
Although we are not the main attacking force, as part of the feint attack, we face considerable pressure.
Looking at the other friendly forces in the distance, he could only wait for the time to attack.
Time passed slowly, but the gale didn't subside much. The sand and dust kept slapping against our faces, and the Helios 1 satellite still stood there in the distance.
Looking through binoculars, we could only see some blurry shadows. We were used to the sound of the strong wind, and everything began to quiet down.
The watch on John's wrist was ticking, the tiny sound of its metal gears turning mirroring the constant clicking of our anxious hearts.
As the pointer reached the designated spot, the operation began.
John gestured to the people around him, and then they began to crawl forward, using the sandstorm as cover.
This distance is destined to be long, and no one can say for sure whether the other side will discover us or when they will open fire.
Just when we thought we could crawl to attack range like this...
The next second, a red laser shot out from the other side and hit a crawling soldier directly. Even with the protection of the helmet, the soldier immediately slumped down and lay limply on the ground without uttering a painful cry.
Upon seeing this, everyone realized they had been exposed. Without hesitation, John immediately shouted, "Smoke grenades! Everyone take cover! Prepare to attack!"
With that roar, several smoke grenades were thrown, and black smoke quickly spread with the wind. Everyone immediately got up and ran to any place where they could find cover.
However, we weren't the only ones taking action; the Brotherhood of Steel's attack came this way the moment the smoke appeared.
Bullets and lasers pierced through the black smoke and hurtled towards us.
In an instant, several people collapsed to the ground before they could even stand up, while others were pierced by lasers and bullets as soon as they stood up, their bodies falling backward.
The whooshing sound of lasers and the rattling of guns instantly echoed throughout the area.
Feeling the rain of bullets raining down on him, the boy truly realized that this war was fundamentally different from the battles he had experienced before.
The attack from the other side forced him to stay hidden in the cover, barely peeking out with his gun and firing wildly without aiming.
This situation makes it impossible to hit the opponent, but if there is no counterattack, then the purpose of the feint attack will not be achieved.
Meanwhile, the others, hiding in other cover, were also firing wildly at the other side, occasionally throwing out grenades and homemade explosives. The explosions provoked an even fiercer counterattack from the enemy.
At this moment, just by listening to the sounds, the battle had already reached an extremely intense level.
Before the smoke had even cleared and the Brotherhood of Steel's attention was drawn to this spot, the main attacking force in the distance immediately sprang into action.
As soon as the order to attack was given, large numbers of soldiers began to rush toward the Brotherhood of Steel.
Although the feint attack drew some of the enemy's attention, causing some firepower to be diverted from the main attacking force, the Brotherhood of Steel's superior equipment immediately became apparent.
Upon seeing the soldiers approaching, several paladins clad in power armor immediately picked up rotary machine guns and stood at the front.
The next moment, the flames spewed from the rotary machine gun swept forward.
Instantly, a large number of soldiers fell to the ground, and a strong smell of blood filled the air. The remaining soldiers immediately ran to cover and returned fire.
However, when the rifles in the soldiers' hands hit the metal shell of the power armor, they were only destined to be deflected.
As the main attacking force began its assault, some of the Brotherhood of Steel members who were originally tasked with dealing with Huo Yuhao immediately went to provide support, which instantly reduced the pressure on Huo Yuhao and his group.
Meanwhile, the troops on the main attack route faced even fiercer attacks.
However, New California did not only make arrangements for the attack from two directions against Helios 1.
Just as the Brotherhood of Steel's reinforcements arrived at the front line, the snipers of the First Reconnaissance Battalion, who had come to the western hillside, immediately used the rocks as cover and began firing from their elevated position.
Against powered armor, ordinary sniper rifles can hardly cause any real damage, except by targeting the weak points where the armor connects.
However, those Brotherhood of Steel warriors who were not equipped with power armor immediately became targets for snipers.
As dozens of gunshots rang out, bullets struck the Brotherhood of Steel warriors hiding behind their power armor from the side.
Upon sensing this situation, the paladins wearing power armor reacted immediately. Two or three paladins used the jetpacks on the back of their power armor to rush towards the hillside to distract the First Reconnaissance Battalion's attack.
Just as the Brotherhood of Steel was stabilizing these three lines of defense, its most fatal weakness was exposed. Faced with a numerical advantage of several times that of New California and unfavorable terrain, the Brotherhood of Steel began to struggle to cope with the changing situation.
Meanwhile, New California's heavy firepower also began to be deployed to the front lines, with rocket launchers and anti-materiel sniper rifles and their ammunition being delivered to frontline soldiers.
Relying on their rockets and armor-piercing rounds fired from anti-materiel sniper rifles, their attacks on the power armor, along with the death charges launched by soldiers wearing extra metal armor, caused the Brotherhood of Steel's frontal defenses to begin to shrink continuously.
Meanwhile, Huo Yuhao, sensing the sudden decrease in the opponent's attack, immediately began to counterattack.
As the trigger was pulled, a bullet shot out of the barrel and flew straight toward a Brotherhood of Steel soldier carrying a flamethrower.
The bullet didn't hit the person's body directly, but instead struck the gas canister in their back.
Instantly, an explosion occurred, affecting other Brotherhood of Steel warriors in the vicinity, with flames burning around them.
Faced with this situation, John immediately organized an attack, throwing dozens of grenades directly into the enemy's defenses while they were in disarray.
The next moment, the grenade exploded inside the defensive line, and then the soldiers began to rush towards the defensive line.
Although the mission in this direction is to feint and contain, the only way to achieve the objective is to break through the enemy's defenses at this time.
At that moment, Huo Yuhao was holding a gun and scanning the defensive line ahead. Just as he was providing fire support for the other soldiers, a black figure appeared in his line of sight.
Upon seeing the iron guard robot, which was taller than a person, both John and Huo Yuhao immediately ordered the surrounding soldiers to hide.
When facing such a killing machine, a head-on confrontation is definitely not a good approach.
As the Iron Guard began to move, the rocket launchers on their backs were aimed forward, and several rockets flew towards that direction.
Upon seeing this, Huo Yuhao immediately hid behind cover and pulled over a soldier who hadn't yet reacted.
The next moment, a rocket landed nearby, the huge explosion blowing him away. The terrifying impact made him feel as if his internal organs were shattered, his ears were ringing, and his vision was blurred.
If it weren't for the soul power within his body still flowing unconsciously, reducing the impact considerably, Huo Yuhao's internal organs would probably have been shattered by now.
Just as he was blown to the ground, another rocket landed nearby, and along with the blast wave came friendly soldiers who had been reduced to a bloody mess.
At that moment, I felt chunks of flesh and sand hitting my face, and the air was filled with the smell of burning and blood, which made me feel nauseous.
The gun in his hand was not blown away, but the other ally he had been holding onto now only had an arm left in his hand.
The intense tremor caused a wave of dizziness, followed by complete darkness before my eyes.
A leisurely song came into view, bringing her back to her senses. When she opened her eyes again, she saw Cole sitting next to her with a bandage on his arm, listening to music on the radio.
Upon realizing he was awake, he turned off the radio.
"Looks like your luck hasn't run out yet. You were just knocked unconscious the whole time..." Cole said to himself with a smile.
Hearing this, he shook his head and then asked Cole, "What time is it now? Where is everyone?"
In response, Cole pointed to the side and said, "It's night now, the fighting on the outskirts is over."
Then, in the direction he pointed, he saw Thane and Rand, who were still smoking and drinking despite being bandaged.
When they saw that he was awake, they gestured for him to have a drink, but he declined.
Then came Captain John, who had sustained some minor injuries to his face. After seeing that he had woken up, he glanced at the others, then grinned and said, "Looks like our team is really lucky; we're all still alive..."