novelraw Chapter 21 : Private’s Diary
Chapter 21 : Private’s Diary
Chapter 21: Private’s Diary
Private Zhang Qiang’s Diary
Date: August 12th, Clear
We were urgently transferred to Jiang City.
At two in the morning, while we were still asleep, the emergency assembly whistle suddenly sounded.
Within fifteen minutes, everyone was on board. We carried out a six-hour motorized march, driving straight into this unfamiliar city.
The external announcement claimed it was an “anti-terrorism exercise,” codename 【Forged Blade】.
But the atmosphere was off.
Far too off.
This was nothing like any exercise I’d ever known.
Each of us was issued the latest “Type 19 Non-Metal Kinetic Rifle.” The squad leader said its bullets were made from high-density ceramic composites, shellless, and could penetrate a meter-thick steel plate within effective range.
I secretly weighed it in my hands. It was much lighter than the old 95-type, and its design looked so futuristic it seemed pulled straight out of a movie.
The streets were filled with our men guards every three steps, sentries every five.
Armed helicopters circled low in the sky, their deafening roar making people’s heads ache.
It felt as if the entire city had turned into a massive iron cage.
At night, we held a meeting. For the first time, the instructor spoke to us about something other than “battlefield discipline.”
He told us to forget everything we’d learned about urban warfare, to forget all the tactical manuals.
He said that the enemies we were about to face might not belong to any known form of life.
When he finished speaking, the meeting room was so silent that I could hear my own heartbeat.
Even our fearless, devil-may-care squad leader had sweat pooled in his palms.
I was a little scared.
But honestly, more than that, I felt an indescribable thrill.
If the enemies did not belong to any known form of life—then what exactly were they?
……
The army’s presence seemed to be everywhere, yet for the ordinary citizens of Jiang City, life appeared to go on almost unchanged.
On the news, official media outlets were endlessly reporting about this large-scale “urban anti-terrorism joint exercise” under the codename 【Forged Blade】.
On television, experts discussed various tactical points of urban combat before the cameras, praising the army’s swift response and formidable combat capabilities.
Online, all videos and discussions about the “metal storm” had vanished, as if wiped away by an invisible hand.
In their place appeared endless “behind-the-scenes clips of the exercise” and light-hearted posts like “the soldiers are so handsome.”
Most citizens believed the official explanation, only occasionally complaining about traffic restrictions or the noise of helicopters roaring overhead.
They sensed an unprecedented tension, yet thought it was merely because this “exercise” was made too realistic.
However, for the eleven transcendent beings trapped within the city, this place had already become a slowly tightening iron cage.
Inside an abandoned textile factory.
Sun Na irritably threw her half-smoked cigarette to the ground and crushed it hard beneath her toe.
“Damn it! The officials have sealed off every road! I can’t even order takeout anymore!”
These past few days had driven her nearly insane.
Ever since the army moved in, she, Zhang Jie, and Liu Gang had been trapped inside this broken factory, unable to take a single step outside.
Armed patrols could be seen everywhere in the streets beyond.
In the sky, helicopters hovered day and night without pause.
“Stop complaining.”
Zhang Jie leaned against the wall, wiping a short spear he’d made from a steel pipe. “Go out now, and you’re a live target.”
The net woven by the army and the Skynet system left him with speed to spare but nowhere to use it.
“They’re trying to trap us here.”
Liu Gang, who had been silent, finally spoke.
He sat cross-legged on the ground. In front of him floated dozens of tiny objects made from screws, steel balls, and metal scraps.
Under his control, these metal pieces sometimes assembled into a delicate airplane model, other times into a lifelike mechanical falcon strangely beautiful.
He was doing recovery training while honing his fine control over metal at the microscopic level.
“That incident completely enraged them.”
Liu Gang opened his eyes, gaze sharp as a hawk’s. “Now they see us as enemies of war.”
“Locking down the city is only the first step. Next, they’ll start a carpet-style sweep.”
“So what do we do? Just sit here and wait to die?” Sun Na’s tone brimmed with defiance.
“Wait.”
Liu Gang uttered a single word.
“Wait?”
“Wait for them to come to us.”
A cold glint flashed in Liu Gang’s eyes. “I’ve already turned this factory into a steel fortress. If they want to come in, they’ll pay in blood.”
“Besides, we’re not the only ‘transcendent beings’ in this city.”
“The officials making such a big move those hiding in the dark won’t stay idle.”
“Whether they’re our comrades from 【Radiance】 or enemies from 【Shadow】, they’ll act sooner or later.”
“When that happens, that’s our chance to break the siege.”
At the top-floor office of the Global Center.
Lin Lan calmly gazed out the window at the low-flying helicopter. Behind her gold-rimmed glasses, her eyes betrayed no emotion.
To her, the army’s arrival brought not panic, but opportunity.
At that moment, Wu Ce’s puppet stood beside her, reporting the latest intelligence.
“Madam Lin, it’s confirmed. The military has completed the outer blockade of Jiang City.”
“They’ve disguised and installed at least three hundred new energy detectors at key points throughout the city. These can monitor abnormal energy fluctuations in real time.”
“In other words, any large-scale use of transcendent power will be immediately detected.”
“Excellent.”
Lin Lan nodded, satisfied. “The stronger the official power, the stricter the rules and the more it benefits us.”
She paused, then asked, “What about that Liu Gang, and the ones with him Sun Na and Zhang Jie?”
“The three are currently hiding in an abandoned textile factory on the outskirts. No movements so far.”
“The authorities haven’t located them yet, but large-scale searches are underway.”
“Is that so?”
A subtle, meaningful smile appeared on Lin Lan’s lips. “Seems the official ‘Skynet’ isn’t all-seeing after all.”
“Continue to monitor them.”
……
Inside Yun Ge’s apartment.
Yun Ge stared at the holographic screen showing a red net made up of soldiers, police, surveillance, and detectors tightening rapidly trapping eleven glowing dots within. His face showed a satisfied smile.
“Excellent.”
“The cage is built, and the hounds have entered.”
“The battle of the trapped beasts has only just begun.”
“So then, who will be the first to bite through the cage in desperation?”
“Or perhaps you’ll choose to tear out the throats of your companions first?”