vrcanaries Chapter 350 The Iron Curtain Scheme
Chapter 350 The Iron Curtain Scheme
In the time that followed, the strategy room transformed into a highly efficient and ruthless combat command center.
Marcus and William temporarily set aside their usual rivalry and focused entirely on their shared goal of "hunting" Lin Tian.
They discussed each stage in detail:
Vincent's "Grey Eyes" organization is operating at full capacity, monitoring Lin Tian's movements on one hand, and focusing on infiltrating the Scarlet Moon City of Sakura Country on the other, to obtain the key time points and regional coordinates of his action plan.
Meanwhile, William's "Arcane Truth Society" began to produce and stockpile large quantities of arcane items and scrolls for battlefield surveillance, area control, anti-stealth, and movement restriction.
Marcus's "Imperial Bulwark" and Jack's "Iron Guard" began to select their most elite and loyal high-combat-power players to form a core hunting team of at least fifty people, and conducted targeted drills, focusing on tactics such as rapid assembly, multi-point encirclement, and concentrated fire to kill high magic damage squishy targets.
Utilize the regional channels and secretly disseminate information, but avoid excessive incitement to prevent Lin Tian and his allies from becoming overly vigilant or causing the situation to spiral out of control prematurely.
The core members of the hunting team dispersed but remained within a certain area, quickly eliminating the weak and accumulating points and resources while awaiting Vincent's intelligence.
Once it is confirmed that the Sakura Kingdom's forces have begun to take action against Lin Tian, or if Lin Tian appears in the designated high-risk area (where points are surging), William will activate the pre-positioned [Secret Calculation Skynet] observation points to lock onto the core of the battlefield as much as possible.
The hunting teams then began to secretly maneuver into the area from the periphery, forming a loose encirclement.
When the chaos on the battlefield reaches its peak, Lin Tian's condition clearly declines (judged through observation or intelligence), or when the Sakura Kingdom's forces show signs of defeat, Marcus will issue an attack order.
The hunting party will launch a surprise attack from a predetermined direction, with Marcus himself leading the most formidable assault team (including defenders like Jack Carnegie clearing the way, and heavy damage dealers like Catherine Morgan providing support) straight to the core.
William and Isabella provided strong support from the rear, controlled the field, and gave tactical command, while Roderick's squad was responsible for filling gaps and preventing the target from escaping.
They aimed to kill Lin Tian in the shortest possible time and at the lowest possible cost, and then clear the battlefield.
Quickly withdraw from the battle area, handle the spoils of war, and establish a unified narrative (e.g., "encountered a chaotic battle and stumbled upon the spoils" or "retaliation against the provocation of Chinese players"), and decide whether to "clean up" or "appease" the remaining Japanese forces based on the situation.
Every step was carefully considered, and multiple contingency plans were prepared.
Marcus and William demonstrated their meticulousness and ruthlessness as leaders of a powerful force.
They even discussed contingency plans in case Lin Tian proved more difficult to deal with than expected, or if other powerful forces emerged to disrupt things. These plans included temporary retreat, diverting the trouble elsewhere, and even, if necessary, "sacrificing" some non-core allies or vassal forces to gain an opportunity to fight.
"Remember," William concluded, his voice regaining its usual calm and collected tone, but the words themselves growing colder.
"No matter how strong Lin Tian is individually, he is still limited in the face of a carefully woven collective force."
We must utilize all available resources, including those "mantises" we despise.
Our goal is victory, to remove obstacles, and to ensure our interests and order. All means employed in this process, as long as they are effective, are justified.
Marcus slammed his fist heavily on the table, making a dull thud: "That's it! Let that Chinese kid know that individual heroism is worthless in the face of true strength and wisdom!!"
The secret meeting lasted for several hours until the tactical simulations on the magic map reached a satisfactory level.
When the seven men left the "strategy room," their faces all wore expressions that were a mixture of solemnity, excitement, and cruel anticipation.
The shadow of Iron Curtain City is thicker and more systematic than that of Crimson Moon City.
It is not merely an expression of personal jealousy, but a planned and organized strategic suppression, carrying the cold-blooded hegemonic thinking characteristic of the United States, disguised as rational calculation.
Emily's refusal was seen as naive and out of touch with reality; the Sakura Kingdom's schemes were seen as pawns to be used.
They confidently believed that they were on a higher level, controlling a more intricate game.
However, neither the Viper of Crimson Moon City, immersed in the illusion of professional restraint, nor the Predator of Iron Curtain City, who considered themselves chess players, truly understood that the existence of "Lin Tian," whom they were about to face, might have already exceeded the scope of all their conspiracies and calculations.
Malice and scheming, like two ever-expanding nets, spread from both ends of the continent toward the battlefield of the preliminary rounds, attempting to capture that most dazzling blazing sun.
But is the net strong enough?
The Iron Curtain of the US has fallen.
The countdown to the preliminary rounds is ticking away, second by second.
......
Thirty miles north of Shenghui City lies an area known locally as the "Pale Woodland".
The afternoon sun shines through the layers of tree branches with their eerily gray-white leaves, casting dappled shadows on the ground.
The air was filled with a pungent smell of humus mixed with the rust of some metal. Occasionally, slender, grayish-white lizard-like creatures would dart through the dead leaves, making a rustling sound.
At this moment, in a relatively open clearing deep in the woods, the aftershocks of the battle had not yet completely dissipated.
A monster over five meters long, covered entirely in dark green chitinous carapace, with forelimbs evolved into two enormous scythes.
——【Pale Blade Mantis Boss, Lv.29】——
It lay on its side among withered leaves and broken branches, dark green fluid gushing from its severed neck joint, staining a large area of the ground beneath it.
Its compound eyes had lost their luster, and its remaining right limb, a sickle, would occasionally twitch nervously.
The battle ended cleanly and decisively.
Emily stood beside the mantis leader's corpse, the [Holy Flame Judgment Hammer] in her hand pointing downwards, the golden holy light flowing across the hammer slowly receding.
She was slightly out of breath, and fine beads of sweat appeared on her forehead, sliding down her beautifully shaped chin and dripping onto the silver plate armor around her neck.
Her pale golden hair had broken free from the restraints of the hair tie during the intense struggle, with a few strands clinging to her slightly flushed cheeks.
Several fresh scratches appeared on her silver and gold plate armor, the deepest of which was on her left shoulder armor, almost penetrating the metal layer and revealing the mithril threads of the lining underneath—marks left by the mantis's scythe during its dying counterattack.