Chapter 205 - 127: Storm

Chapter 205: Chapter 127: Storm

The announcement played on a loop, every word clear as it hammered into the hearts of every Jiang City resident.

Xu Mo walked into the courtyard and looked up at the sky. The roaring grew more and more frequent. He could see formations of fighter jets, covered by even higher escort groups, streaking resolutely toward the Red Star Industrial Zone like arrows loosed from a bow. Some of the massive bombers appeared to have their bellies fully loaded with unknown "gifts."

A small commotion broke out on the streets. Many people, just like Xu Mo, came out of their homes to gaze up at the sky, their faces a mixture of shock, worry, curiosity, and a complex look that seemed to say, ’So, they’re finally making their move.’

A buzz of discussion arose.

"Are they really going to fight?"

"Can we even win? There are so many of those birds!"

"They should’ve done this ages ago! What’s going to happen to the wheat otherwise?"

"What if this brings the birds over here? The broadcast even said it was possible..."

"What’s there to be afraid of? We’ve got tons of anti-aircraft firepower!"

Xu Mo didn’t join the discussion. He calmly observed the situation on the street, noting that security patrol vehicles had already begun their rounds, using loudspeakers to urge people to return home. He turned around, went back inside, and climbed onto his roof. The view from there was relatively open, allowing him to observe both the sky and a part of the street.

Lying on the roof, Xu Mo began to silently count the waves of aircraft and their general types. This wasn’t just out of curiosity, but also a direct way of assessing the level of air power Jiang City was committing to the operation.

The shriek of the fighter jets and the heavy roar of the bombers intertwined, gradually fading away before disappearing over the distant horizon.

Time ticked by, second by second. The roof grew hot under the sun, and the air was thick with the stagnant feeling of a great battle about to begin.

The streets were now virtually empty of pedestrians, and shops had closed one after another. It was as if someone had hit the mute button on the entire city; only the broadcast continued to tirelessly repeat the alert.

「Nearly two hours passed.」

First, a dull, continuous roar drifted from the far-off horizon. It sounded like distant summer thunder, but was more rhythmic and powerful. A moment later, Xu Mo felt an extremely faint, almost imperceptible tremor through the roof beneath him. The vibration soon became slightly more pronounced, like a sigh from deep within the earth.

The strike had begun!

Xu Mo held his breath, straining to see into the distance. Although he couldn’t see the actual scene, he could easily imagine it. ’Tons of precision-guided bombs or cluster munitions are falling like the Grim Reaper’s scythe upon those hideous nests built high up in the ruins. Flames and smoke are soaring into the sky, hurling shattered feathers, bones, and architectural debris into the air. The terrified flocks are letting out earth-shattering shrieks, exploding outward like a disturbed hornet’s nest in a dense, black mass...’

Before long, the silhouettes of returning squadrons began to appear on the horizon. They were no longer flying in their neat formations, appearing somewhat scattered. The fuselages of some planes seemed to bear the stains of smoke and soot. ’Are there fewer of them than when they left?’ Xu Mo couldn’t be sure. The distance was too great.

Almost at the exact moment the first returning aircraft came into view, the city-wide broadcast alarm suddenly became sharp and urgent. It was no longer the looping announcement, but a top-level emergency broadcast:

"Warning! Warning! A massive flock of mutated birds has been detected moving in the direction of Jiang City. All personnel, get indoors immediately! I repeat, get indoors immediately! Air defense systems are about to activate! This is not a drill! Get indoors immediately!"

The piercing alarm blared through every corner of the city.

Xu Mo saw the last few people lingering on the street corners below, their faces instantly turning ashen as they scrambled back into the nearest buildings. The patrolling soldiers and security personnel also sprinted toward their designated shelters or air defense positions.

The streets were utterly deserted.

The city, now a vast jungle of steel, seemed to tremble under the approach of an ever-clearer, surging tide of flapping wings and shrill cries.

Back inside, the piercing air-raid siren continued to shriek outside the window.

Xu Mo didn’t hide in a nearby basement or reinforced shelter. He stood in the center of the living room, the vital energy within him circulating smoothly and powerfully. His gaze fell upon the radio in the corner, which was still on. The broadcast had now switched to a channel for situation reports and emergency guidance.

A man’s voice, calmer and more clinically detached than a typical announcer’s, was delivering the report. His speech was rapid yet clear, indicating he was a trained professional:

"All residents, please remain calm. Find the nearest sturdy shelter and stay away from all windows. I repeat, this is not a drill. We will now report the preliminary results of Operation ’Ruined Burnt Nest’ and provide a technical explanation to help everyone understand the current situation."

"This morning, Jiang City’s aerial strike force successfully executed a precision strike, codenamed ’Ruined Burnt Nest,’ against the primary nests of a massive mutated bird flock entrenched in the heart of the Red Star Industrial Zone."

"This operation utilized a simplified, combat-ready variant of a special fuel-air bomb. Its fundamental principle involves two stages. First, our bomber groups, flying at a predetermined altitude over the target, dispersed a large quantity of a specially treated, volatile, high-energy fuel mixture. This was primarily a mixed cloud of aluminum-magnesium thermite powder and highly-atomized gasoline. These substances rapidly diffused and suspended in the air, mixing thoroughly with oxygen to form an enormous, highly combustible aerosol fuel cloud over the target area and within the nest structures themselves."

"Immediately following, a time-delay fuse triggers the second stage: the fuel-air explosion. Multiple small detonators are triggered at the center of the fuel cloud or at other key locations. This explosion is not intended for direct destruction; instead, it acts as an ’ignition source,’ instantly combusting the entire fuel cloud."