The Ristels base, at this moment, was plunged into extreme chaos.

A large number of soldiers rushed out of the barracks in panic and gathered in the open field, looking around blankly along with the junior officers who led them. On the tarmac, the mechs that started one after another made the sound of metal grinding as the machinery stretched. However, they were also not instructed. A fighter plane that scrambled into the air from a concealed ejection hatch circled in the air. The pilots listened to the chaotic communications, looked at the empty radar, and were at a loss.

There was no big invasion of the enemy. Nothing. Is this just a drill?

Everything seems so weird.

Stephen's body had been carried into the small building.

The Duke stood quietly in front of the window of the small building, with his back to his nephew's corpse, looking at the chaos of the base outside the window, as if he had suddenly aged ten years.

He couldn't believe that someone had assassinated Stephen at this moment! Nor could he believe that the situation would deteriorate so quickly. Everything was like a dream. How he wished that time could go back to before Stephen walked out of the small building.

Who ordered the alarm to be sounded? Twenty-one high-ranking generals, in addition to the absolute descendants of the seven Howard families in front of him, where did the other fourteen go?

The Duke's mind fluttered. You have to hold your hands very the windowsill to keep your body balanced. He understands very well that the so-called tree falls and scatters. Which of these nobles with their own ghosts is not a character who picks his eyebrows and rolls in the conspiracy and change. Seeing Stephen being sniped in broad daylight, they naturally made their choice as quickly as possible.

Add the wrong one. Something has changed, right? Have the front-line factions, lined up with local troops, already received orders from their own sons to begin passive operations to preserve their strength? At this time, who is willing to use the force in their hands without reservation?

In order to add to the problem of the wrong use of troops in defensive warfare, it is not a day or two that the major nobles are secretly turbulent. With Stephen here, coupled with Howard's forces, he can play with the balance of left and right, and he can put the troops in the hands of these nobles little by little.

Although the hearts of these nobles were dripping with blood, they were helpless!

As the only apparent heir to the Morton family. Stephen was the banner of the entire old system of power in Gachalin. It is the only link that holds this disunited group together. He represents the entire ruling class!

The royal family ruled over Gacharin for hundreds of years, and has been trying to unite this predominantly Vibo and ultra-nationalist strata around them by various means. Be it educational, economic, political, military. Almost all policies are firmly in the service of the interests of this class and the position of the royal family.

Every Gachalin ruler understood that without the basis of his rule, he could not hold absolute power without the support of his stakeholders. Therefore, the aristocratic class of Gacharin controlled more than 60% of the wealth of the country, and the Gacharin Vibo clan. Riding on top of many races, they enjoy special rights.

It is this stratum that underpins Gacharin's traditional ruling power. Let the Morton family stand tall for hundreds of years, let the rebellion be suppressed again and again, so that the traditional forces of Gacharin, after a coup d'état, defeat, and the capture of the emperor, can still gather into the largest armed group, and still hold the economic and military pulse of the country.

Especially the youth of this class, who are determined to do so. They had no choice, and the education and rights they had received had already tied them to the chariot of the Morton family. It is impossible for them to make this country democratic and let other peoples lead themselves.

But now, Stephen is dead. In front of everyone, half of the skull was knocked off with a single shot. The Vibo people, loyal to the royal family of Gacharin, at this moment. Lost the object of their allegiance. Stephen died. In the minds of these people. It is tantamount to the collapse of the last pillar of the entire empire.

Without Stephen, without the remnants of the royal family that had ruled the country for hundreds of years. No matter how much the nobles toss. The disintegration of this class is also imminent. Although the Howard family is married to the royal family, they are not royalty after all. And such families, in Gacharin, there are six!

At this time, if the nobles do not think about the interests of their families, do not reserve their strength for the future, and do not leave themselves a little capital to join other forces, they will not be Gacharin nobles.

They may sacrifice for the royal family, but they will never sacrifice for the Howard family! Educated since childhood, the undercurrents in the aristocratic circle have long taught these nobles how to survive in this world that is noble and civilized on the outside but bloody on the inside. What aristocratic family exists and grows without politely stepping on the bones of others?

"Father." Stephen's cousin, the Duke's eldest son, Ritter, walked in with the latest battle report in his hand: "As you expected, with the wrong front, the 132nd Infantry Division was the first to retreat, throwing the pressure of defense on the 49th Division. The troops of several other families also had similar actions. ”

"Who the hell is ......" The Duke slowly turned his head, his voice calm and cold, "Kill Stephen." Betrayed us? ”

Looking at the sharp gaze in the duke's slender eyes, all the generals present were shocked in their hearts! The duke's words have a deep meaning. The Howard family was able to call the wind and rain in Gachalin, and the terrifying wrist of this old man was the main reason.

This sentence represents a reason. A reason to settle accounts after the autumn and clear dissent! This old man doesn't seem to see the current crisis in his eyes, and his vision has fallen on the future.

"Did the sniper catch it?" The Duke walked slowly over to Stephen and stared at the pale face.

"Two infantry regiments have been dispatched to conduct a dragnet search." Ritter said: "The suspicious location determined by the sniper has also sent a mecha to pursue him, and he can't escape!" ”

The Duke nodded, sighed, and said, "Now, everyone's eyes are on our Howard family. The battle ...... We can't afford to lose. The dead are gone, but we are still alive after all. The Howards will never just fall. He turned to face the generals: "Since they are all looking at us, yes."

Survival, the cards in your hand, it's time to play them all at once! ”

"It's L At this moment, if the Howard family still wants to preserve their strength, it's just a finished ending. The Duke saw this very clearly.

The forces in the hands of the Thirty-ninth Division and the Howard family. It's time to put in the wrong addition. After stabilizing the war, those nobles who are on the sidelines will naturally make a choice. Although the Howard family's losses will be a little greater, as long as they win this battle, there will be many opportunities in the future!

"Are all the military doctors at the base gathered?" The Duke turned to Ritter and asked.

"Yes. Father. Ritter said: "In accordance with your instructions, all the local medical personnel have been centrally supervised at the first time. Hearing such a conversation, several generals looked at each other, not knowing what reason the duke had locked up the doctors.

"How is the situation of Your Highness now?" The duke looked at the generals with blazing eyes, and suddenly asked.

The generals were stunned by this sudden and strange question, and were completely unable to understand the Duke's leaping thoughts. Glancing at each other, a reacting lieutenant general had an idea. Gong said: "The doctor is resuscitating His Highness Stephen. ”

The Duke nodded: "Announce the news of the assassination of His Royal Highness Stephen, and tell everyone that His Highness is rescuing." As long as the warriors can't be sure that His Highness is dead, we still have a chance! Remember, Your Highness is not dead! Until this battle is over, this is the truth that even you cannot question! ”

After saying that, the duke didn't look at Stephen again, turned around and strode towards the door: "Assemble the team." I want to personally address the 39th Division! ”

***************

Five soldiers of the Independence Army, bending down and galloping along the ruins on the right side of Third Avenue in the city of Gacuo. To the east, enemy energy machine guns roared non-stop. The energy bullets swept densely across the ruins, making a fluttering sound and kicking up a small cloud of dust.

"Boom!" At the intersection in the distance, an energy cannonball violently blasted a large hole in the pavement. Throwing flying concrete blocks. Falling overwhelmingly. Like hail, it hit two Feiyan mechs behind a bombed-out building. Ping-pong.

"Poof!" The leading corporal spat and stopped by a large concrete wall. With his covert gestures. One by one, the soldiers nestled behind him. A soldier slowly poked his head out to see what was going on on the other side of the wall, but was grabbed by the corporal and scolded, "Idiot, you don't want to die? ”

The soldier put his gun across his thigh, helped his protective helmet that was hanging crookedly from the wall, and crouched down against the wall. He muttered, "Sooner or later, it's a death." ”

"Less!" The corporal carefully watched the landing of the machine-gun bullets. He said angrily: "If you want to die, you have to be supported by the team!" When the time comes, you will die ten times and Lao Tzu will not stop you.

"Come up?" The soldier didn't dare to reply, but glared at the other soldier next to him with a snicker, and whispered: "A whole battalion plus three mechas, now there are only a few of us left, and when the people behind come up, I'm past the first seven!" ”

"Say what?" The corporal glanced back, listened sideways for a long time, and said in confusion: "Why is the voice on the other side getting quieter and quieter." ”

"Stephen is dead!" At the end of the line, a soldier with a communicator and a headset suddenly screamed.

"What?" Everyone, including the corporal, stared at the communications soldier in amazement.

"Stephen is dead!" The soldier's eyes stared straight at everyone, and his eyes exuded a particularly bright brilliance: "Skynet has already taken a picture, and he was shot in the head by that fat division commander of the 19th Division!" Now, this picture has been transmitted to all mechas, our group, it is the news released by the regiment commander himself! ”

"A headshot?" The corporal and several soldiers looked at each other: "One in the east and one in the west, this eight poles can't fight together!" ”

"That fat man parachuted into the southeast of Katso, sneaked through the defense line and sneaked all the way into the ground!" The soldier with the communicator on his back listened to it, and his mouth was so excited that he was incoherent: "It's so not human, one person has a gun, he ran more than two hundred kilometers, and he slaughtered Stephen when he entered!" ”

There was a dead silence. The corporal shook his head, as if desperately trying to digest the fantastical news, and suddenly, his eyes froze.

To the west and south, the infantrymen in the uniforms of the Independence Army, first in two, then in one and two, as if they were the end of a movie theater. By the end more and more. Swarming, led by dozens of mechas, rolling in this direction.

In the distance, a loud trumpet resounded through the heavens and the earth.

*************

Squad after squad of Stephen Group soldiers, at the urging of the officers, climbed every hill around the Clijsters base. They hunched over their waists, forming a straggler's line, carefully patrolling every jungle, every hillside, every bush.

Hundreds of mechs, involved in the search.

Unlike the infantry who repeatedly combed through the search area. Except for a few mech squads, which are scattered in every area of the mountainous area as planned, to carry out a fixed-point blockade. The other mecha warriors were all radial, spreading at a high speed in all directions. Use the speed of the mech to prevent the target from disengaging.

Looking down from the air, the dense infantry and the mecha that crossed the mountains and mountains were combined into an overwhelming big fishing net!

Above, a death order has been given. If you can't catch someone in a day, you will search for a day, and if you can't catch someone in a year, you will search for a year!

The soldiers were a little depressed: who was the sniper in this search, what kind of clothes were wearing, who had sneaked in from the outside, or whether he was simply one of the bases. I don't know the body shape characteristics, what will be the effect of this search on the mountain?

Everyone's mind is not on searching. There was only one question secretly passed to each other: "Stephen, are you dead?" ”