Chapter 68: The Final Battle Against the Black Hand (1/2)

"Black fog?"

Lin Lan's unease grew as he listened to Mainz and recalled the words of the Liuzhou elder. He turned to the Liuzhou people living in the inner district and said:

"You should go to the outer district to find a safe place. It's not safe here, and staying might lead to accidental injury."

Having heard Mainz's words, the Liuzhou people quickly understood what the incoming mechs intended to do. Even though it had started to rain heavily, they said their goodbyes and left in the downpour.

Now, only Lin Lan and the four Iron Blood shipgirls—Ulrich, Mainz, Nimi, and Z46—remained in the empty factory.

The metal roof above rattled with the pounding of large raindrops, and the abandoned factory seemed on the verge of collapsing under the storm.

Although it was only around six o'clock, the sky was thick with dark clouds, casting an almost nighttime darkness.

Lin Lan glanced around at the girls who stood by his side.

Nimi and Z46, the two cute little shipgirls who had been quiet throughout, looked up at him.

Mainz stood upright with her sword, her silver hair shining with a heroic grace.

Ulrich remained almost imperceptible, arms crossed and silent, staring out at the rain as if deep in thought.

The gusts of wind carrying the scent of rain hit Lin Lan's face.

In such harsh weather, having the company of the girls around him brought a sense of warmth to Lin Lan's heart.

"Don't hold back against these mechs. The pilots are nothing but lackeys for the consortium."

Lin Lan spoke firmly and then addressed Mainz:

"Inform Weser to use bombers for unrestricted attacks on the mechs. Keep an eye on the inner district and report any unusual activity immediately."

Mainz nodded and conveyed Lin Lan's orders to Weser.

"Today, I want to see just how capable this so-called Tian'ou Group agent really is."

Lin Lan pondered the descriptions of the culprit given by the Liuzhou people.

In his impression, the Tian'ou Group was a major consortium driven solely by profit.

The Tian'ou Group controlled the civilian shipping routes across the Orlan United Nations and had large reserves of oil.

Logically, a consortium focused on profit should not engage in actions that contradict their development philosophy.

The Tian'ou Group was known for its tolerance towards detained civilians within the Orlan United Nations.

After all, they had operated shipping routes across various countries, treating all races equally as business partners.

Even with the Saint Lothar nation, which had nearly gone to war with Orlan due to differing technological paths, the Tian'ou Group was its only trusted partner.

Liuzhou was no different. Before the Siren disaster, the large-scale migration and employment of Liuzhou people was proof that the Tian'ou Group had a good reputation in Liuzhou.

Many Liuzhou people had even risen to important positions within the Tian'ou Group after years of hard work.

Setting aside the pre-Siren disaster history, currently, Liuzhou's detained civilians were among the Tian'ou Group's most significant clients.

Every winter, Liuzhou people from Orlan's eastern and western continents had a custom of returning home for the New Year.

Even though they could no longer return to Liuzhou, the migration between Orlan's continents still brought significant profits to the Tian'ou Group.

Lin Lan found it hard to understand why the Tian'ou Group's reputation with the Liuzhou people would deteriorate so much.

As for the Battle Axe Military Industrial, which has been at odds with the Tian'ou Group for the past two years...

Although its predecessor was primarily involved in the military industry, it also needed a large amount of cheap labor.

So, the persecution of the Liuzhou people was likely carried out privately by the Tian'ou Group agent in Lihu County using his own power.

But why does he hate the Liuzhou people so much?

Two years ago, when this guy arrived, he not only took over the county's naval office but also managed to drive out several commanders of the nearby port area, leaving it abandoned.

How powerful is this guy?

Or rather, could everything in Lihu County really be the work of just a mere consortium agent?

Adding to this, the black fog that even Weser's carrier aircraft could not defeat...

Lin Lan was at a loss.

He could only conclude that Zhang Wei, the Tian'ou Group agent, was indeed not an ordinary person.

But he couldn't believe that this guy could be more powerful than the +13 460mm main gun.

The consequence of this rumor was the loss of hundreds of Liuzhou lives, which made Lin Lan's expression even colder and his resolve stronger. He would not let this person go.

Even if it meant tearing apart his relationship with the Tian'ou Group, the fully upgraded Iron Blood shipgirls around him were more than capable of handling it.

At that moment, the sound of explosions faintly reached the factory through the heavy rain.

Lin Lan looked towards the factory's entrance, knowing that Weser had likely begun bombing the ten mechs.

Sure enough, Mainz soon brought good news.

The ten mechs had been completely annihilated by Weser, and the carrier aircraft were unharmed.

Lin Lan nodded slightly. Seeing that the rain outside seemed to be easing, he prepared to head to the inner district.

He had overestimated the mechs.

He had expected the battle to spread here, but it seemed he had been overly concerned.

The three extremely fast mechs he had seen at Dongyun City's dock were indeed just experimental models by the Battle Axe Military Industrial and had not been widely deployed.

Moreover, even if the performance of these experimental mechs had improved and they could fight five against one, Weser's ability to eliminate ten mechs unscathed proved that his shipgirls could deliver a decisive blow to Orlan's military.

This wasn't something that could be countered by sheer numbers.

Just as Lin Lan was about to set off when the rain subsided, a thin figure silently appeared outside the factory in the storm.

"Who's there?"

Mainz, Z23, and Z46 immediately went on high alert, watching the newcomer.

Lin Lan also turned his attention to the man emerging from the rain.

He was an Orlaner wearing sunglasses and a high-quality blue suit.

Walking as if on a casual stroll, he moved steadily through the storm and slowly entered the factory door.

At that moment, Lin Lan was alarmed to notice something strange.

The man with the sunglasses was completely dry, as if the rain had not touched him at all!

Ulrich, dressed in a black sweater and knee-length pleated skirt, stood silently in front of Lin Lan, her expression grave, protecting him.

"If you had stayed in the port area, waiting to be driven away by the Sirens, nothing would have happened, young commander."

"Why did you choose to come here and face death?"

With the man's voice, lightning flashed outside the factory, momentarily illuminating the scene as if it were daytime.

Then came a deafening thunderclap that reverberated across Lihu County.

Hearing the man's sinister, malicious voice, Lin Lan felt an intense disgust.

But he also guessed the man's identity.

"Zhang Wei."

Lin Lan said coldly.

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