In the mist, the battle had already begun. The espers had all revealed their most brutal sides. As soon as the two sides met, a fight would erupt immediately, with the intention of killing the other party, leaving no room for tenderness.
As a result, the casualties of espers on both sides instantly increased, especially among many of Shen Feng's disciples.
Many of Shen Feng's disciples were very simple. They only knew that their master had raised them, so they should repay their master. Thus, they fought with utter disregard for their own lives, casting their lives aside. The result was that their reckless charging and fighting methods led to an increase in their casualties.
Guo Pinming said to Jin Ziju beside him, "Old Jin, I can't just watch these children fight alone while I observe from above. I must also go into battle. From now on, you protect the City Lord. Also, please tell the City Lord that if my daughter is rescued, please raise her for a lifetime out of respect for me. Now I will repay his kindness for recognizing my talent. Speaking of which, in the past, because of my unauthorized actions, I disrupted one of the City Lord's plans. Many years have passed, and he should have forgotten. Now I must repay his forgiveness with my life!"
Afterward, Guo Pinming also unleashed his esper abilities. Countless pieces of steel appeared around him. These steels gathered together, eventually forming thick armor on his body. It seemed as if many steel-like tentacles had also grown from his body. These steel-like tentacles extended outwards, possessing great power, and propelled him instantly away from the mountain, moving towards the direction of the sea. He continuously attacked the espers who were approaching the mist.
For a time, the outside espers were unable to enter the mist. This was because no matter how many people entered, they would be killed immediately. The people inside seemed to disregard their own lives, even resorting to mutual destruction to block them. Consequently, the espers charging at the forefront suddenly decreased.
"We can't continue this brute force approach. If we continue to charge, they have the advantage of higher ground, and we won't have any advantage!" Andorf realized something was wrong. His side lacked the advantage of vision because the entire mountain was shrouded in mist, and they had no idea of the enemy's deployment. Moreover, his side was attacking from the sea towards the ice mountain, which was an uphill battle and lacked any advantage! The terrain was not on their side, nor was the timing. If they charged forward, they would not achieve victory.
As early as thousands of years ago in China, Sun Tzu's Art of War had clearly explained this principle: one should not attack carelessly when not possessing the advantage of terrain, especially when attacking uphill, as casualties would be extremely heavy.
Therefore, Tom followed up by saying, "Since that's the case, let's focus on containment. As long as we hold out for one day, the fleet from the military base near the Arctic Ocean will arrive. By then, no matter how strong Shen Feng is, he cannot contend with existing human technology."
At that moment, the espers from Europe and America changed their strategy. Previously, they had intended to obtain the meteorite in one go. However, when they realized that a frontal assault was impossible, they chose a strategy of containment. This way, they could avoid excessive casualties on their side.
However, at this moment, Shen Bowen was worried about his father, unsure if he could survive this crisis. He was currently on the opposing side and could not defect at this time, so he could do nothing. He felt uneasy all the time. Not only could he not help his father fight, but he was now standing against his father. If his father saw this, he would be extremely disappointed.
"Their offensive has changed, and the pressure on defense is finally not so great. It's just a pity that the children have suffered such heavy losses!" Yu Renshu said with heartache.
A group of young people were fighting in a foreign land, knowing full well that the odds were against them, yet they still fought. They had all grown up in the apocalypse and had essentially never enjoyed any comfort. Yet, in the end, they had to face this cruel world. Thinking about it carefully, the world was truly unfair to them.
Xu Xing heard this and shook her head, saying nothing, because it was impossible to change. As long as there was a battle, there would be casualties. Either others would die, or their own people would die. This was the only outcome they could accept.
So, she couldn't help but start chanting: "All conditioned phenomena are like a dream, an illusion, a bubble, a shadow, like dew or lightning; thus they should be contemplated."
Facing the deaths of a group of students, she could only use Buddhist scriptures to calm herself. She could only convince herself that she should be indifferent to people's lives and deaths, as human life in the entire universe was truly like a dream, disappearing in the blink of an eye.
Mu Ying thought carefully and found Chang Haojie, saying, "At this time, we need to have several aspects of response. One is to remind Yuzhou to be careful of missile attacks. The other is to build a strong defense here. Most importantly, we need to wake Shen Feng up. I can use my esper abilities to build defensive facilities, but other aspects will require your hard work!"
Chang Haojie said, "I understand. I will contact Yuzhou and have my sister get ready!"
Then, Mu Ying also unleashed her esper abilities. She could control the ice around her, and the air in the Arctic Ocean was extremely cold at this time. The ice here was perfect for her to display her abilities. Thus, thick fortresses made entirely of ice and snow were quickly formed around them. People inside these fortresses could still ensure ventilation and even light fires to keep warm.
Moreover, Yu Renshu also helped at this time. She made countless streams of water filled with radioactive elements flow around the nearby mountains, forming a moat. It was not easy for ordinary people to cross this river; once they fell in, they would be harmed by the radioactive elements.
When both sides had calmed down, the offensive had slowed down, and the defensive strength had been enhanced. Thus, both sides entered a stalemate, unable to overwhelm the other.
Therefore, on the side of Europe and America, they continuously sent small forces to harass the people on the ice mountain. They also discovered that the other side had built an ice and snow castle, clearly preparing to stay there for some time. Even the defensive facilities had been completed, and they were no longer in a hurry, because the fleet was already on its way. All their fleets were now heading towards this area. As soon as they arrived, they would unleash powerful combat capabilities.
"Why did Shen Feng stop here? I really don't understand what he's thinking. Does he think he's truly invincible?" Tom thought to himself.
"Contact the fleet quickly and make sure they arrive as soon as possible. Use icebreakers to clear the way and don't be blocked by floating ice or icebergs at sea!" Andorf also said to Tom.
Whenever critical battles occurred, the East and West would unite. And when the West united, they would become even more cohesive, because, in a strict sense, the regions of Europe and America were of the same origin. As for the people of the East, due to their various thoughts, it was not easy for them to unite even if they wanted to.
Currently, China was facing other forces. Although they had temporarily united, their fleet could not reach the Arctic Ocean for the current battle. They could only rely on espers to fight.
The situation was at a standstill for a while. However, after two days, a large amount of electromagnetic waves suddenly appeared in the nearby sea. This phenomenon was immediately detected by Lu Kaiyang, who quickly said, "It's bad! We've been surrounded. There are many electromagnetic waves appearing around us, and many fleets have surrounded us. We should run quickly!"
Chang Haojie said, "We can't run! Brother-in-law hasn't woken up yet, and he can't move now. We can only hold on!"
Yu Renshu took a moment to ask, "Ajie, does your sister know that missiles are targeting Yuzhou? They are in the South Korean region. Does she have any countermeasures?"
Chang Haojie said, "My sister said that she has now gained control of China's missiles and can launch missiles to intercept them, but she may not be able to intercept all of them. Of course, we can also attack. If the other party really launches missiles, she will retaliate without hesitation!"
Yu Renshu thought for a moment and said, "If it comes to a critical moment, we can only split into two groups. I will lead some people to fight and block the arrival of those fleets, while you take Shen Feng away from here. Just make sure he doesn't leave the meteorite's range. In any case, escape back first!"
Upon hearing this, Chang Haojie immediately declared, "No, if we are to intercept, I should lead the people. We are all new forces from Yuzhou. It would be too unfair to send you to the battlefield at this time!"
Wang Xiqiang and Qu Zhaoqian also said, "We are the three heroes of Yuzhou. We three represent the youth of Yuzhou. You are all old now. Leave the fighting to us. No matter what happens, we will go and intercept. Moreover, we only need to fly into the sky to gain air superiority, which will make fighting more convenient. It is more suitable for you to hide in the water and take the City Lord away!"
Yu Renshu wanted to say something more, but Chang Haojie had already made up his mind and said, "Fourth Sister, you only have one arm now. If you die here, Hong Xiu will definitely not be able to accept it. It's decided. My authority is the greatest now, and you all have to listen to me!"
As dusk approached, many dark shadows suddenly appeared in the distance. These dark shadows were approaching this sea area in a pincer formation. The espers from Europe and America quickly returned to the fleet in small boats, merging with the main force, and vaguely surrounding the mist-shrouded ice mountain.
Although it was already night, there were radars to detect the aerial situation and sonar to predict the situation underwater. Therefore, there was no problem with the battle in this situation. Many fleets immediately launched short-range missiles. These missiles could fly tens of kilometers and hit their targets directly, and they were very accurate. Thus, missiles were launched at that moment and flew towards the ice mountain.
"Boom boom..." After the missiles landed on the fortress made of ice and snow, explosions occurred. The fortress made of ice and snow began to collapse. Fortunately, Mu Ying could quickly repair the fortress in a short time, preventing the missiles' attack from reaching the interior. Although these missiles were powerful, they were not suitable for siege warfare. As long as there was solid defense, they could still avoid missile attacks.
Mu Ying's expression was somewhat grim, and she said, "These fleets are now using their long-range advantage to attack us. If we cannot get close to these fleets, we will be constantly bombarded by their firepower, and we will only be depleted of our strength."
Chang Haojie stood up and said directly, "All those who are not afraid of death, follow me! Let's go to the grassroots of these fleets and let these people know our strength. Even though we don't have a single ship now, they can't just attack us!"
The principle that the best defense is offense is understood by many, and they were now preparing to implement it. Thus, Chang Haojie began to gather people. Taking advantage of the cover of night, they approached these fleets and launched surprise attacks. Sinking just a few warships would make these warships hesitant to attack casually.
Therefore, many of Shen Feng's disciples stood up at that moment, as they had all reached a state of facing death without fear. When they left Yuzhou, they had already realized that they might die. Now, facing fierce battles, they were unwilling to be cowards.
Qin Kewei also stood up at this time and said, "Since that's the case, I'll join you too. Don't worry, I can still fight. We are all fighting for China now, so we naturally won't stand by and do nothing."
Jin Ziju and Guo Pinming exchanged glances and stood up, saying, "Soldiers are raised for a thousand days and used for a moment. Now we must also join this battle!"
Xu Xing also stood up.
These people who stood up were basically all from Yuzhou. The Chinese espers who joined Shen Feng's faction later basically did not stand up. Li Xiankang was still defending himself, saying, "Shen Feng's safety is the most important thing at this time. After all, he is the Lord of China, and as the foremost person in China, we naturally must do our utmost to protect him. At this time, we must bear this important responsibility. Don't worry, we will protect Shen Feng!"
Yu Renshu thought for a moment and said to Chang Haojie, "Don't worry, go. I, Mu Ying, and also Lu Kaiyang and Lin Yue will stay here."
Her words contained many hidden meanings, implying that even if Chang Haojie left, she was confident that others would not rebel, and even if they did rebel, she would be able to defend against them.
Chang Haojie nodded, mounted the clouds, and led his men away. There were more than 30 of them, directly stepping on the clouds and flying high into the sky towards the south.
Missiles were still being launched in the distance. These missiles appeared very bright in the sky because of their long tail smoke. They flew at supersonic speeds, which ordinary people could not react to. They could only hide in defensive measures. These missiles continuously bombarded the ice mountain, but fortunately, there were fortresses on the ice mountain for defense, and all these missiles were blocked.