Codegease: Air and Land Warfare 1946

"Is there anyone else inside? You go and rescue him, I'll take care of this one."

"well."

……

……

The sergeant immediately called over a fellow lad who had gotten out of the jeep with him and asked him to lend a hand.

"What a stroke of luck, sir," the sergeant joked as he carried Mr. Harry on his back. "Did you go wrestling with that puppet in your tank?"

"Ah, you could say that." The man's voice remained unchanged despite his injuries. "But this lackey's legs are too long; it tripped over me before I even put any effort into it! Haha!"

"I reckon we won't be able to bring the armored vehicles back." The sergeant's question seemed to hit the nail on the head.

"Let's see if the children on the tank have any tethers," the man said, turning back for a long, reluctant look.

"Well, if there really aren't any other options, then I'll have to say goodbye to my dear little one forever. But..."

……

……

"Lieutenant Aruger! Report the situation!"

……

Now let's turn our attention to Sunderland's cockpit.

Apart from the crackling of electrical sparks, the cockpit was deathly silent, except for the communication interface and a small white screen that was transmitting some words over radio waves while displaying "Sound Only".

I don't know why, but it's getting hotter and hotter in here...

"Can you hear me, Lieutenant?!"

A lifeless body lay before the screen's glow, its eyes staring blankly into the distance. Several streaks of pale blood ran down its brow, with scattered fragments dotting its skin.

There was actually another display screen that was still lit up, pressed under his chest—it was a status diagram of the mecha, and all four limbs except the right arm had lost contact.

Below the status graph, a string of numbers is rapidly increasing, emitting a dazzling red light.

An information panel suddenly popped up, blocking the mech's status image.

"Warning! The power system temperature has reached the critical value!"

……

"In that case, is there anything else you want to do before you get on the train?" Jonathan had just asked Mr. Harry.

Just as the man was about to answer, a thunderous explosion suddenly came from behind him!

The sergeant was so frightened that he quickly turned around and saw that the steel giant on the ground, which had been engulfed in flames, suddenly transformed from a burning haystack into a bundle of exploding fireworks!

"Get down!" The soldiers had already scattered and fallen to the ground. A dazzling shockwave spewed out a series of meteors that shot into the sky and slammed against the walls of the surrounding buildings. The rolling thunder roared and kicked up the dust on the ground, throwing it around like silk.

The sparks fell back to the ground. The flames that had been clinging to the armor had turned from orange-red to a pure white tinged with pink, their dazzling light, like that of a welding torch, making them even harder to look at. The black smoke that the flames had carelessly tossed out of the doll's shell had now seeped into every crevice, rising up like a clear spring from every crack, sending the creatures that inhabited them to heaven.

……

"Haha! Yeah!—"

The blast of air swept over his back, and Jonathan was startled by the strange cry. He turned around and saw Mr. Harry standing right in front of them, clenching his fists and roaring to the sky!

"This is what you wanted, you bastard! To become a pile of scrap metal and then go home and cry to your mother! Hahahahahahahaha!"

Section 44, Chapter 30: The Last Ten Minutes of Defense

The deserted city of Berlin had just shuddered after a deafening explosion in the south of the city.

……

……

"Lieutenant Colonel, Lieutenant Aruger's communications have been completely cut off..."

Silence fell over the command center of the Capitol.

……

……

"Lieutenant Colonel Caronville?"

……

"Huff..." The lieutenant colonel looked up and gasped, staring at the ceiling. "That's it..."

"Scouts report! They've confirmed that the south is the train station used by the American troops for their retreat!" a communications soldier shouted.

"Tell Lancer Squadron to keep advancing. If they can destroy one carriage, that's one carriage."

“Sir,” Colonel Kari interjected, “the train station will likely be heavily guarded. The few tanks from Lancer Squadron alone probably won’t be enough, even with Harlan and the others…”

"There is no other choice, sir."

……

"Sir!" another communications soldier suddenly shouted. "A call from the 11th District City Hall!"

"Connect."

……

"Lieutenant Colonel Tarcus Caronville." The greeting over the radio waves carried an air of arrogance. "Did you stay safely inside your mech last night, begging for the Imperial army to arrive quickly?"

"How many generals will Maren..." The lieutenant colonel frowned, his mind racing with anxious calculations.

"Well." The major general didn't seem to care at all. "At 9 o'clock, which is an hour from now, I will officially take over your defense work. I hope you can do your job well before then. I don't want the real warriors to come here and see a bunch of undisciplined good-for-nothings. It's not just your face that will be lost."

"Unnecessary worry. Oh, by the way, the colonel isn't in the body bag as you expected. Would you like to say a few words to him?"

"Ha, then let me ask a few questions. Kari, are all those portals safe?"

"everything is normal."

"Haha! Great! I'll order the logistics supplies to come over right now."

"Uh... Your Excellency, this is too sudden..."

“It’s not ‘we,’ it’s ‘they.’” The major general emphasized two words. “You just stay here. As for the dispatching and everything else, that young lieutenant colonel can handle it, right?”

"Will this..."

"It's alright, I'm used to this kind of thing." The lieutenant colonel's words were somewhat complicated.

"Then please forgive my request, General, but we have troops to contact. Let's discuss other matters later, shall we?"

"No problem, but I don't want to take too long."

"Thank you."

……

……

"Calling Lancer Squadron, any news?"

"Command center, we have arrived at the lieutenant's last signal point."

……

On the other end of the radio wave, Captain Lancer was sitting on the turret hatch of an assault gun, answering questions while looking at the still-burning pile of scrap metal by the roadside.

The foul-smelling black smoke billowing from Sunderland forced soldiers, unable to bear the stench, to press their gas masks against their faces—it was truly the first time the entire street reeked of such electronic components and scorching fuel.

“Sunderland is completely destroyed. There are no signs of detachment or opening in the cockpit. We checked and confirmed that an explosion occurred here. We can confirm that Lieutenant Arugal is dead inside.”

"In addition, another group of my men arrived at the location where Sergeant Genia lost contact. Her Sunderland is missing, and there are obvious drag marks on the ground, so it is very likely that the enemy dragged it away. We are still searching for the cockpit. Please provide us with any new information as soon as possible."

"Good job, Captain. Keep going, take the highway bridge and then secure the train station, if the bridge is still intact."

"As you wish, Your Excellency."

……

"Let's go, let's go, stop looking." A sergeant walked over to a group of soldiers in black and led the crowd away.

So, what was it that this group of men in black were looking at with such interest?

……

A green armored vehicle painted with a large white five-pointed star lay overturned on the left side of the road, completely empty. A broken mechanical arm, originally belonging to Sunderland, was deliberately draped beside the armored vehicle.

A haughty red bull's head was drawn on the damaged armor plate of the robotic arm, not yet fully solidified. On the ground nearby, there was a bandage covered in blood.

Next to the bull's head, there was a string of English text...

"Home! Or next coffin!!!"

(Either you obediently go home, or you'll be the next corpse!!!)

……

……

The streets to the south were a bit noisy, and ahead lay the highway bridge that Jonathan and his group hadn't destroyed when they crossed to the north bank. Now he was back at the bridgehead with the convoy, the only difference being that this time he was sitting in the jeep at the back of the convoy.

The sergeant was in the passenger seat, the driver was someone else, and the two guys he had picked up along the way were in the back seat, chatting about something.

……

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"Didn't you hear, Sergeant?" a soldier in the back row chimed in. "Our commander just told us that the guys who covered our retreat will be back in a little while."

"Really? I didn't know."

……

"One after another, yes! Keep going!" On the other side of the bridge, a soldier was calling out to the wheeled vehicles crossing. He had a black armband on his left arm with two white English letters on it—MP, military police.

……

Once the last jeep was on the road, the military police ordered the two engineers who were crouching by the roadside, preparing to detonate the explosives, to get to work.

"Hey buddy!" The jeep driver stopped the vehicle, a cigarette dangling from his lips, and greeted him. "Got a light?"

The military policeman took out a lighter and lit it for him.

"Phew..." the driver sighed. "Do you need a ride?"

“No need, we have something to drive.” The military policeman looked toward the roadside, where two Dodge pickup trucks were parked, a bit longer than a Jeep.

"Corporal Kenrose!" Just then, two sappers on the roadside suddenly shouted at him. "The explosives seem to have malfunctioned! They can't be detonated!"

"What!" The corporal was startled, dropping the lighter he was about to put back in his pocket. "Go check right now, what are you all standing there for!"

"Corporal!" He heard another shout and looked up at the roof where the voice came from, where a soldier was waving at him.

"Enemy! The enemy is coming from the north!"

"What! Speak louder!"

"The enemy is coming from the north! About four infantrymen! And armored vehicles too!"

"Oh my God..." The corporal immediately gasped, looking somewhat bewildered.

“Alright then, Corporal.” Turning around, he heard a creaking sound, and Jonathan stood up, pulled the handbrake on the jeep, and jumped to the ground.

"Go and talk to your superiors. If they want you to stay here and blow up the bridge, then the rest of us can stay."

……

……

Corporal Ken Ross had already picked up the phone.

"Hey! Is anyone at the train station?"

"I'm Major Hammer, what can I do for you, Corporal Kenrose?"

……

One kilometer to their east, at the train station used to evacuate the American troops, only one train remained. Everything was almost done except for a busy scene around a flatbed carriage.