Chapter 214: That Is Definitely a Mushroom Egg

Across the valley, Jin Zhengzhe and the Sun Country officers stared at this catastrophe in stunned silence.

No one spoke; every person's face was filled with shock and fear.

"Axi ba..." a Sun Country officer finally broke the silence, his voice hoarse, "I have never seen such... such a terrifying weapon. This is no longer war; it is a massacre."

Jin Zhengzhe did not respond; his gaze passed through the valley shrouded in flames and thick smoke, landing on Li Yunlong, who was directing the pursuit.

That Long Country commander was like a god of war at this moment, calmly coordinating in the man-made hell, directing troops to pursue the remnants of the routed enemy forces.

"All troops, attack!" Li Yunlong's order spread to every unit via radio.

"The enemy has collapsed; this is a great opportunity to annihilate them completely! The First and Second Assault Teams, pursue along the road and cut off the enemy's retreat! Fire support teams, get ready to support the front line at any time!"

Long Country soldiers surged out of their positions like a tide, riding All-Terrain Tracked Vehicles, holding "Flying Dragon-1" and automatic Rifles, pursuing fiercely in the direction of the enemy's flight.

Sun Country soldiers also joined the pursuit under Jin Zhengzhe's orders; although their equipment was not as refined as the Long Country's, their morale was high at this moment, and everyone was eager to personally capture those enemy soldiers who had once been so arrogant.

Within just a few hours, the battlefield situation had completely reversed.

The once aggressive vanguard armored regiments of the enemy's three divisions were almost completely wiped out, with only a few scattered units that had luckily escaped fleeing in a panic toward the rear.

A victory that completely changed the course of the war was thus born.

……

The enemy's rear command post was in chaos.

The radio channels were filled with panic-stricken reports and distress signals, but most were fragmented and unrecognizable.

Only one term appeared repeatedly: "Mushroom Bomb," "Mushroom Cloud," "Mushroom Egg."

Frontline Commander-in-Chief General Johnson had a livid complexion, staring fixedly at the operational map on the table, as if he wanted to burn a hole through it with his gaze.

"What on earth happened?" he roared, "Why did the 7th, 9th, and 23rd Divisions suddenly collapse? This is impossible!"

The Intelligence Officer was covered in sweat, the report paper in his hand crumpled: "Sir, according to reports from survivors, the Long Country army used some kind of unprecedented weapon of mass destruction. Eyewitnesses describe that the explosion formed a Mushroom Cloud similar to a small Mushroom Egg, and the temperature was high enough to melt tank armor..."

"Absurd!" Johnson slammed the table, "The Long Country cannot have Mushroom Eggs! Only we and the Polar Bears in the entire world possess this technology!"

"It might not be a real Mushroom Egg, sir," a military expert said cautiously, "but according to the description, this weapon seems to be a new type of high-temperature incendiary device capable of producing an ultra-high-temperature combustion cloud, with an effect similar to an enhanced version of Napalm."

"A type of Napalm can wipe out the elite troops of three armored regiments?" Johnson was full of disbelief, "That's impossible!"

"Sir, we must face reality," the Chief of Staff said heavily, "Regardless of what that weapon is, it indeed destroyed our three armored regiments. Now, the Long Country army is advancing toward our defensive lines; if emergency measures are not taken, the situation may deteriorate further."

Johnson fell into deep thought, the veins on his forehead throbbing.

As an experienced general, he knew he had to respond calmly, but the shock and fear in his heart were almost impossible to suppress.

"I must contact headquarters immediately," he finally said, "At the same time, order the surrounding troops to remain vigilant, but do not act rashly. Before we figure out this weapon of the Long Country, we cannot act impulsively."

As the order was issued, the enemy's frontline troops began to enter a strange state—neither attacking nor retreating, but watching from their respective positions, waiting for further instructions.

And among the frontline soldiers, fear had begun to spread.

"Have you heard? The Long Country people used a Mushroom Egg!" an enemy soldier said to his companion in terror.

"Impossible, right? If it were a Mushroom Egg, we would have already been killed by radiation," his companion said, though he could not hide the trembling in his voice, "but some people did say they saw a Mushroom Cloud..."

"Whatever it is, everyone I've seen says it's hell," another soldier interjected, "The temperature was high enough to melt tanks, and the soldiers were burned to ashes before they could even scream..."

These sensational descriptions spread rapidly among the soldiers, becoming more exaggerated with each telling, eventually turning into a terrifying legend about the "Long Country hell weapon."

At the frontline command post, officers were also heatedly discussing this topic.

"I believe the Long Country people really do possess some kind of weapon similar to a Mushroom Egg," a Colonel insisted, "A friend of mine is in the 7th Division, and he saw the Mushroom Cloud with his own eyes!"

"But if it were a Mushroom Egg, the radiation would kill everyone within dozens of kilometers," another officer retorted, "And it would produce lasting radioactive contamination. There are no such signs at present."

"Then it is some kind of new thermal weapon, or technology we don't understand yet!" the Colonel insisted on his view, "This kind of power is definitely not something conventional weapons can achieve!"

Regardless of the truth, one indisputable fact was that the morale of the enemy army had been severely struck. Those once-confident soldiers were now all fearing for their lives, afraid that a Mushroom Cloud would rise above their heads at any moment.

The surrounding enemy divisions were also caught in a dilemma.

"Should we continue to advance to support, or stand by in place?" the 14th Division Commander asked his superior anxiously.

"Stand by in place and wait for further instructions," the order came from headquarters over the radio, "Do not act rashly, and closely monitor the movements of the Long Country army."

The 14th Division Commander put down the receiver and let out a long sigh.

His soldiers were already prepared to move, but this order was effectively telling them: headquarters didn't know what to do either.

"What kind of weapon do the Long Country people have..." he muttered to himself, looking at the battlefield in the distance shrouded in thick smoke, his heart filled with unease.

And on the border between Sun Country and the enemy country, an unprecedented panic was spreading.

Enemy soldiers began to spontaneously withdraw from the front lines, fearing they would become the victims of the next "man-made hell."

Officers tried their best to maintain order, but with little effect—when a person truly believes death is right in front of them, it is very difficult for any order to make them stay in place and wait for death.

……

Inside General Johnson's office, an emergency meeting was underway.

"What is the response from headquarters?" he asked, his voice hoarse from exhaustion.

"Headquarters... doesn't quite believe our report, sir," the Communication Officer replied cautiously, "They think we have exaggerated the power of the Long Country's weapon and are demanding conclusive evidence."