Liu Weijia's "Candlelight Ridge" may not quite meet the plot you need, but it is definitely a classic, touching and exciting!
Candlelight Ridge
Liu Weijia
Kelly thinks she won’t like the dusk of Widbus Star because the planet’s dusk light is too close Bright red. Even if there was no imminent war, this red color would easily be associated with blood, the blood flowing from the bodies of humans...or Zerg warriors. Kelly took this as an ominous sign, as if the stars in the galaxy were warning her of the inevitable end.
But I don’t know why, every evening at dusk, Kelly can’t help but walk out of her underground command post like the tomb of an ancient emperor, stroll in the cool evening breeze, and feel herself Become part of this blood-stained world. This has been the case every day since she led her troops to be stationed at Highland 397K.
Major Kelly was wearing a short-sleeved camouflage military uniform, and her long blond hair was casually tied around her shoulders by a red ribbon. She left her armed belt and self-defense pistol in the command post. She didn't want anything to hinder her leisurely stroll. Looking at her figure stretched by the setting sun, Kelly was a little surprised to find that the figure that had been baptized by blood and fire was still graceful. She stopped and stared at the shadow until the shadow of her girlhood vaguely emerged before she stepped away.
Kelly is surrounded by busy people and machines, and she now commands the largest force she has ever commanded since joining the military. At this moment, this force is covered in the air, ground and underground of the 397K Highland. Kelly wandered freely among her troops, ignoring the men who interrupted their work to give her a hasty salute. The subordinates could not see any expression from the black sunglasses on her face and could only use their imaginations. Her eyes hidden behind the lenses were actually full of confusion. The SCV engineers who were constantly building airports and bunkers, and the marines wearing helmets and carrying heavy machine guns were not in her sight at the moment. Her vision traveled through time and space, and she saw an ancient and lonely ordinary town. Kelly seemed to be strolling on a road in a small town, bathing in the sunset.
Hometown... How many years have you not thought of this word? She had never dreamed of this place for a long, long time. She couldn't even remember how many years she had been away from the earth. Over the years, she traveled to dozens of planets and fought endlessly. She had no time to look back on the past, but she felt nostalgic on the planet Vidbus at this moment. Yes, the environment here is very similar to the Earth, and it is indeed worthy of the federal government to invest a large number of troops to fight the Zerg tribe for its sake, but Kelly does not believe that she will be moved by this. In today's era when the starry sky is stained red with blood, the hearts of those who can carry the major's epaulette on their shoulders have already become as hard as that badge.
Although her heart was ruthless and ruthless, Kelly could not help but feel a trace of pity in her chest as she looked around at the busy recruits and old troops throughout the highlands. Through her sunglasses, everyone in her eyes was surrounded by darkness. It seemed that what she was seeing at this moment was the scene in the near future when these people... were in hell.
Pity is pity, there is nothing Kelly can do about the bleak future, the fate of the bait has always been like this. Recalling the scene when she received the mission, as soon as she saw the stiff smile on the face of the combat staff, she knew that what was about to happen to her was definitely not good luck.
"Major Kelly, I think you should know the serious situation we are facing now." The staff officer's voice was quite pleasant, and his words were accurate and pronounced, but Kelly was distracted. No one in the headquarters criticized Kelly's unbridled behavior of holding a cigarette in her mouth and wearing sunglasses on her nose. A general who has truly led an army knows that he should tolerate some of his men's dissolute behavior. These experienced and valuable officers have been through life and death many times and have a contemptuous attitude towards death and life. How can they take military discipline and rules to heart?
"The scope of the unknown area is now expanding. Although the speed is not very fast, the Turks Mountains are no longer under our control." Everyone in the army knows that the so-called unknown area actually refers to Areas controlled by the Zerg. "All the satellite detection devices that tried to fly over it were destroyed by suicide bats, and the reconnaissance troops sent also suffered heavy losses, but very little information was obtained.
”
Kelly’s heart tightened for a moment, thinking that her troops would unfortunately be sent to perform a disastrous reconnaissance mission, but soon she realized that she was too optimistic.
"Major, you know that we are on the strategic flank of the Federation, and the headquarters will not allocate a large number of troops to support us. In fact, it is extremely generous for them to transfer the elite 323rd Air Assault Division and the 9th Marine Division here. You must know that the decisive battle situation in the Ramada Galaxy is becoming more and more obvious. "As the staff officer narrated, the laser holographic projection in the center of the headquarters showed a vivid animation demonstration, casting weird light and shadow into the dark air of the headquarters.
This strategic situation is well known... Kelly thought to herself, so she did not remind the staff officer who was talented as an announcer to pay attention to another well-known fact: precisely because Vidbus Star is on the strategic flank of the Federation, its fall may put the main force of the Ramada System at a disadvantage. status, it is by no means an insignificant stone, and the battle that is about to take place here will most likely be the prelude to the decisive battle in the Ramada galaxy. Moreover, it is a rare earth-like planet with a very suitable environment for both parties. There is bound to be a fierce battle.
“I don’t think there is much to say about the Zerg expansion speed. If we don’t defeat the Zerg forces on this planet as soon as possible, the planet Vidbus will be gone soon. Belongs to us... However, in addition to the two regular divisions transferred from the headquarters, we only have some small independent combat units and local garrison troops, and the mobile forces are too few. We don’t know much about the situation of the Zerg forces, but there are signs that they do not want to let go of the Vidbus planet. The troops they have invested obviously exceed our troops here. The situation is difficult to be optimistic... Therefore, we must not To easily carry out a large-scale attack, strategy must be used to make up for the lack of troops. "At this point, the staff officer stopped, as if he wanted Kelly to have time to enjoy the joy of wisdom.
Now Kelly is looking at her clone subordinates. These alone have simple stress response capabilities. With their dull-witted subordinates, it may be difficult for God to lead them to a beautiful victory.
In the distance, behind the support point defense line composed of metal bunkers, several "Titan" mecha giants showed off their might. They walked back and forth on the ground, and the sunlight bounced off them like water. In front of the defense line, the agile and agile Vulture Chariot was laying powerful smart mines... 397K Highland seemed to have become an indestructible steel fortress. However, Kelly still felt in her heart. It's hard to be optimistic. The ones who control these majestic technological weapons are still clone warriors - B-class clone warriors. They are smarter than robots, but they are still not on the same level as natural human warriors, and we cannot expect to use them in an integrated three-dimensional system with close coordination. Offensive operations. Once they are asked to carry out complex offensive operations, these simple-minded guys will go into chaos. Kelly only hopes that the defensive combat capabilities of these advanced clone warriors are as amazing as the staff boasted.
An anti-aircraft missile tower slowly stood up under the assembly of the mechanical engineering troops; two siege tanks that had just been unloaded from the transport plane were driving huge steel nails into the ground, and raised a giant cannon to threaten the distance. . All the technical weapons issued to the clone warriors are not the latest, and quite a few are even old goods and battle-damaged repairs from other troops, and their combat effectiveness will inevitably be more or less compromised. What is tolerated is that a considerable number of technical weapons are not real. Like many buildings on the upper level of the mountain, they are just the fruits of the labor of deceiving the enemy troops. These "scarecrows" once made Major Kelly lose her temper, but she knew in her heart that the bait was after all. It's just a bait, there's no reason to really prepare a sumptuous dinner for the prey.
The soldiers manned their equipment tirelessly, and the infantry soldiers who had nothing to do were not idle. Patrolling back and forth vigilantly with guns in hand, these artificial warriors are extremely dedicated, unlike natural warriors, who can be lazy and show cowardice when fighting, but their faces are changeable: some are happy, some are sad; The faces of the warriors are the same, but one thing is the same for both sides, that is, they will all turn into corpses sooner or later.
"A kiss." Paxton said it naturally.
Kelly couldn't help but laugh loudly. She stretched out her right hand and patted Paxton's face gently: "Little boy...please promise to come back alive first."
"There is no doubt about it. I just hope that... Then I can get the reward I deserve," Paxton said, looking into Kelly's eyes.
"Okay, if you want this thing so badly, you will get it. It's nothing..." Kelly waved to them, "Okay, I should go back... Do your best and hope to see you again." Then he turned and left. She noticed the disappointment in Paxton's eyes. I thought you were smart... Kelly thought to herself, you don't have to despair at all, in this day and age, it's so simple and easy to get a kiss or more from a woman. Everyone's lives are at stake, and no one has time to play the game of chase and hide in the past... But it is impossible to get a promise, because no one can promise anything now.
This weak candlelight in the long night,
is the song of the angel guiding you.
In the underground command post, Kelly's adjutant Francis was as busy as ever. Sensing the major's return, Francis stopped what he was doing and solemnly reported: "Major, the command network has been established, and you can smoothly command every combat unit and even every soldier." Francis is thin, honest-looking, and always has an expression on his face. Alert and calm.
Kelly nodded with satisfaction. Francis rarely disappoints her. This advanced electronic android works very efficiently, handles things calmly and meticulously, and can handle even the most trivial matters in an orderly manner. He is a rare and good assistant to the commander. Their artificial brain combines the precise calculation memory of a computer with the fuzzy judgment function of the human brain, ensuring that tasks can be done well. It's a pity that they are not human after all. Artificial brains cannot be compared with human brains on an overall level, so they can only act as assistants. They can neither command tasks independently nor integrate into human life.
Kelly walked to her seat and sat down, frowning slightly. The many screens in front of her were like a battlefield, waiting for her review. Review the defense system on the highlands, look for possible areas of oversight, adjust defense arrangements, and check communications with headquarters. Her nimble fingers ran across the command menu, and her consciousness quickly focused on the details of the tactical arrangement.
It was late at night, and Kelly ordered all lighting facilities to be turned on. Soon, the entire highland became brightly lit, which looked extremely dazzling in this dark land. This violation of combat doctrine has its own reasons. The scent of the bait must be as strong as possible.
Kelly is extremely tired. She can't compare with the clone warriors who are always energetic. "Francis, it's time for me to rest. Notify all sentry posts and strengthen vigilance."
Francis nodded in agreement.
"Francis, won't you take a break?" Even for an electronic android, working continuously for more than 70 hours is worrying.
"Thank you, Major, I'm fine." Francis replied without raising his head, continuing to be immersed in the routine work at hand.
Kelly lay down on the small bed like a closet in the sitting area. She wondered how many more days she would be able to sleep soundly? During her sleep, Kelly rarely dreamed of her parents - even though they were just two vague figures. She also dreamed of the ruins of the colonial village that had been razed to the ground, and heard her own cry...
Then she dreamed of a small town where she had lived on earth for more than ten years. The setting sun was like blood, the singing was loud, and groups of young professional soldiers entered the starry sky without hesitation. There were lovers everywhere holding hands and looking at each other with tears in their eyes. A blond girl cried particularly pitifully, but her lover remained unmoved. The girl held the boy's hand tightly and said, if you really love me, you will not leave.
But the boy pulled back his hand and said, no, I love you, but I have to go, this is my responsibility!
Kelly woke up suddenly, her face wet with sweat or tears. How could she dream of karst? Star Shakt is already one of the main bases of the Zerg tribe. Are the bones of Karst and his comrades who died there in peace today?
Dreaming about these is by no means a good sign. Memories will make soldiers miss their lives, which will inevitably reduce their chances of survival. You must know that striking first is the best. On the battlefield, only by killing the enemy can you survive the difficulties, but by trying to survive, you will definitely be doomed. Kelly wiped her face and walked out of the rest area. Francis reported that Paxton had set off with his men an hour earlier.
As if hearing the sound of blood flow accelerating, Kelly's heart beat faster, just like when Karst left... How could she care about that frivolous playboy? This abnormal phenomenon may be due to the nervousness on the eve of the war. Her passion has been wiped out by the war, and it is impossible for her to be tempted by that boy. Kelly looked at the time, it was time to go on patrol again.
The mountains in the morning light are filled with murderous secrets, and right there, Paxton is leading his men on the edge of the blade. Can they return safely? A fleet of falcon-like ghost fighter jets roared past Kelly's head and rushed high into the sky, seeming to pierce the atmosphere. They will be tasked with fighting for air superiority and support in the next move.
Continuing to adjust her deployment and waiting for Paxton’s information, Kelly spent the rest of the day even a little bored. It was almost dinner time and the first batch of information was finally sent back. Kelly hurriedly chewed a few mouthfuls of military biscuits and devoted herself to intelligence analysis, her expression becoming more and more solemn.
If the situation is as bad as the headquarters said, the Turks Mountains have almost completely turned into the nest of the Zerg tribe: there are hatching centers everywhere in the valleys and cliffs; Swarms shuttled across the steep slopes of the ridges; suicide bats flew freely over the mountains, threatening any foreign aircraft in the starry sky; hydralisks, which relied on spraying corrosive fluid to kill enemies, formed groups to guard the entrances and exits of various valleys, occasionally letting out ferocious and hoarse roars. There are no native creatures of Vidbus in the image. This is the case for the Zerg race. The innate greed and cruelty of parasites drive them to madly devour all living things in the universe, ingesting each other's DNA to create efficient killers that serve their own ambitions. They have no restraint, and their goal is to bring all living creatures in the universe under their control.
The situation is very serious, and there is only one feasible option now - attack! And it must be done quickly. If the Zerg race here is allowed to develop, I am afraid that they can only be eliminated by using thousands of super nuclear bombs, but doing so would be equivalent to erasing the star of Vidbus from the star map.
The headquarters immediately approved Kelly’s application for harassment and assault.
A quarter of an hour later, four heavy siege tanks took off on two transport planes, taking advantage of the darkness to pounce on the target chosen by Kelly. The Zerg creatures in the target area have not yet discovered the ghost warriors who are monitoring them in a cloaked state. The Zerg tribe expanded too fast, and the defense system had many loopholes. The noisy transport plane did not attract the attention of the Zerg creatures. Four siege tanks took the opportunity to airborne and occupied a cliff near the incubation center.
Without any hesitation, the siege tank unfolded its seat plank and raised its main gun. With a thunderclap, it threw a large ball of fire towards the Zerg worker bees who were immersed in collecting crystal mines. Amidst the sound of exploding cannonballs, a group of worker bees instantly turned into flesh and blood.
The worker bees immediately scattered and quickly fled to a safe area and burrowed underground. At the same time, more than ten velociraptors hiding underground and not discovered by the ghost warriors jumped out of the surface and rushed towards the location of the tank at high speed.
Kelly's heart sank. The Cerebrate commanding the Zerg creatures here is a guy who knows how to fight. Can her plan successfully lure it into taking the bait?
The furious beasts rushed towards the tank under the stimulation of high concentration of adrenaline. But after they rushed to the bottom of the cliff, they were unable to do anything. The cliff was so steep that even the nimble and agile ones were helpless. They could only raise their heads and scream angrily, wielding their swords and claws to gouge the stone wall into pieces. splash.
Kelly sneered and immediately ordered the tanks to concentrate their firepower to destroy the incubation center as soon as possible. So the four tanks immediately locked the target and started shooting rapidly. The incubation center exploded, turning into a shower of blood and debris.
Kelly ordered the tanks to retreat quickly, and ordered the team of ghost fighters cruising in low-Earth orbit to activate their stealth devices to assist the transport aircraft in retreating.
As expected by Kelly, the team of ghost fighters stopped the suicide bats that swarmed in to chase the transport plane. A row of powerful fighting missiles immediately hit the group of suicide bats at the front and exploded in the air, causing fine pieces of flesh and blood to fall.
Kelly took the lead in the first round and was far ahead in points. But Kelly couldn't smile. This victory was of little significance in the face of the Zerg's huge reproductive ability. Now she must take immediate measures to prevent Zerg's revenge.
The brain worm here was really experienced. It immediately divided the large number of hydralisks into many small teams, each team was assigned a lord, and conducted search and patrols across the mountains and plains. The Lord is the nemesis of all invisible troops. This huge octopus-shaped creature suspended in the air has powerful mental abilities and can sense the presence of ghost warriors at a long distance.
While Kelly instructed Francis to help all ghost warriors achieve coordinated information sharing operations, she also asked the command to allow a small amount of nuclear missiles to be activated. Facing an experienced opponent, Kelly believes that it is unwise to conduct a sneak attack. Now only the apocalypse-class nuclear bomb is the only thing that can give the Zerg a deep understanding of the 397K Highlands.
However, superiors believe that it is not appropriate to expose the ultimate weapon too early, so as not to alert the enemy. Kelly had nothing to say. Her superiors might have a point, but she couldn't risk her own troops. In the coming defensive battle, every man and every gun counts. Kelly forwarded all the audio and video signals sent back by Paxton to the headquarters, perhaps so that her superiors could have a personal experience.
Although Paxton and the others tried their best to hide and Francis tried his best to cooperate, they still lost the signal of their two companions overnight. A group of ghost fighters that carried out a death hunt for the Zerg Lords were also corroded by the Hydralisk acid and were covered with bruises, almost losing their combat effectiveness. By dawn, the headquarters finally relented and approved the use of two nuclear bombs.
This time Paxton took action personally. On the way, he heard the dying scream of one of his subordinates. His face turned pale but his pace was not affected. He selected an incubation center with a large number of mining worker bees. Due to the large number of patrols dispatched, there was only one lord here, and the search was not thorough. Paxton vigilantly placed the guidance laser projection in the rock crevices of the crystal mine, waiting for the nuclear missile to fall from the sky.
The unique biological carpet tissue of the Zerg tribe felt like muscles when stepped on, and a slight squirming came from Paxton's feet, making him nervous. A hydralisk inadvertently swam close to Paxton. The distance between the two sides was so close that Paxton could clearly see the bullet scars on its hard carapace. Perhaps this was a souvenir left to it by the reconnaissance team not long ago... Paxton had just had this thought when the hydralisk suddenly shook its huge head uneasily, as if it smelled something in the air. Paxton was sweating profusely, closing his eyes and resigned to his fate.
But the hydralisk waddled away, and Paxton opened his eyes and looked up at the sky, seeing a needle-like flash of light piercing the sky. "God's punishment..." Paxton whispered to himself, turned off the laser guidance device, and evacuated at high speed with the help of the walking assistance device on the combat suit. The missile has entered the terminal inertial guidance stage and no guidance is needed.
Kelly saw the huge flash of the nuclear bomb explosion on the monitoring screen. There is currently nothing in the Zerg tribe that can withstand the blow of this ultimate weapon. The loss of worker bees will take a long time to restore the mining farm's production capacity, which is more deadly than directly killing enemy combatants.
A quarter of an hour later, the second nuclear bomb blew up another mining site under the guidance of another ghost warrior.
The Zerg tribe was hurt by the beating! The entire Turks Mountains turned into a pot of boiling water, and the Zerg warriors dug deep into the ground to search frantically for the ghost warriors. Kelly decisively ordered Paxton and the others to be recalled.
It was not easy to come back. Paxton and the others risked their lives to escape, and only broke out of the mountain pass after losing two more comrades. When they showed their true colors in front of Kelly, Kelly suddenly felt that they seemed to be ghosts returning from hell. Two people were injured, and one of them was obviously too stimulated and kept shouting: "Fuck, they are coming! They are coming! Thousands of them! We are finished, this time we are dead! They are everywhere in the mountains and plains. Yes..."
Kelly signaled the health soldier to inject the man with a sedative. Even if her men are all clone warriors, she cannot condone such behavior that shakes the morale of the military.
Paxton's expression on the side was stern, and the playfulness in his body had disappeared. Anyone who has experienced a battle in which nearly half his army was lost will be changed. In just two days, your eyes have changed. It's really good. You learn faster than me. In this way, as long as you can learn to grasp the war, you can survive successfully... Kelly feels relieved in her heart, maybe She kind of likes this boy.
Kelly waited for Paxton to ask her for the reward she promised to give, but Paxton seemed to have forgotten about it. He stared at the Turks Mountains in the distance under the blood-red sunshine for a long time, and his five subordinates. The sacrifice is there. Kelly waited again, and finally turned around and walked back to the command post. She didn't want to disturb Paxton's meditation. At this time, it was best to allow him to slowly comprehend everything he had experienced, so that he could learn as much as possible. He should have such understanding.
The Zerg have indeed gained a new understanding of the 397K Highlands. Before it got dark, their advance troops, mainly composed of hydralisks and velociraptors, appeared on the plain in front of the mountainous area. As time went by, they gathered more and more troops, covering each other and advancing steadily towards the high ground.
With the help of detection radar, Kelly believes that the enemy has taken the bait. Seeing the enemy troops approaching step by step, Kelly couldn't let them prepare smoothly. She sent out four Vulture Chariots, intending to trick the enemy into rushing into the siege tank's artillery range before the advanced troops could catch up.
Four tanks rushed to the enemy assembly area at high speed under the cover of night, fired a row of shells at the Hydralisks at the forefront and then immediately turned around. Kelly was very happy that a large number of Hydralisks were chasing after her. She commanded the Vulture Chariot to use its unparalleled high speed to fight and retreat, lure the enemy, and firmly control the initiative on the battlefield.
A group of swift beasts suddenly jumped out from behind the Vulture Chariot and intercepted the chariot. It turned out that they were the sentries of the large Zerg army. They had just let the chariot pass by quietly, and now they suddenly started to attack. . The thin armor of the vulture chariot was quickly torn to pieces by the sharp blades of the beast. The engine stalled on the spot, and the driver was dragged out and chopped into pieces. The other two chariots ran wildly at the risk of their lives, just escaping from the claws of the swift beast. The pursuing velociraptors immediately retreated when the first companion was blown to pieces by the artillery fire, and the hydralisks did not enter the range of the artillery fire.
Kelly had to admit that her enemies were cunning, they were on guard, and she couldn't expect to use some tricks to plot against them. She thought for a moment and ordered all units to take strict precautions and go on the defensive, no longer trying to take risks, and at the same time requested air support from the headquarters.
After being busy for a while, Kelly felt that she should take the time to take a nap. She was not worried about the enemy's surprise attack. With the enemy's existing force structure, she could only launch a ground charge, but in the face of intensive artillery fire, without a large number of Thunder Beasts, the hope of success was slim. Kelly slept peacefully, preparing to recuperate for the upcoming battle.