[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-cyberpunk-cross-dimensional-science-and-engineer":3,"chapter-cyberpunk-cross-dimensional-science-and-engineer-cyberpunk-cross-dimensional-science-and-engineer-chapter-824":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"english","Cyberpunk: Cross-dimensional Science and Engineering",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":20,"prevChapterSlug":21,"totalChapters":22,"novelImage":23},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":16,"volume":17,"translator":18,"content_hash":19},1152715,1495,"Chapter 818 - 97: Flames of War (Part 5)","cyberpunk-cross-dimensional-science-and-engineer-chapter-824",824,"\u003Cp>The drones are Latovia’s most loyal reconnaissance soldiers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thanks to the ultra-high precision craftsmanship enabled by prosthetics, Latovia can now manufacture Peregrine II drones, designed by the Atlas Group and already proven effective on the African battlefield.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The excellent aerodynamic design allows this fixed-wing drone to cruise at high speeds at high altitudes, and its powerful vision processing system enables the AI processor to automatically identify anomalies and carry out continuous observation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Through the efforts of the local Latovian research team under Christopher, these fixed-wing drones now have a bird-like appearance, with special stealth coatings and design making most radars and military identification systems recognize them as birds.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Peregrine circles the Latovian skies, bringing Lille the latest updates on border activities:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"...Eastern Pact military forces are about to cross the border.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For Latovians, the concept of a border is almost akin to basic modern scientific knowledge, which was almost non-existent in their minds in the past.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Latovia’s land area does not exceed 100,000 square kilometers, of which only 28,000 square kilometers are inhabited and suitable living plains and highlands, with the rest being mountains, forests, and other uninhabitable areas.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Most local people spend their lives in flight, occasionally using livestock to carry goods, mostly migrating on foot...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hardly anyone ever reaches the border of this country, and those who truly cross the border enter another extreme—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The region in Eastern Europe is not considered stable, and instability means they have neither the interest nor the capability to welcome a group of uneducated illegal immigrants, especially since these places are inherently xenophobic.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Guarding borders and homeland?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This is downright absurd. Latovians don’t even have a concept of homeland: land belongs to the lord, not them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Clatter, clatter, clatter...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Enhanced prosthetic-equipped horses move swiftly through mountain paths, tireless, unstoppable, stealthy yet fast.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Name: Steel Bone Warhorse]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Description: Limbs, spine, and parts of the head have been replaced with prosthetics. The horse is also equipped with a horse-specific exoskeleton, enhancing durability, load capacity, impact resistance, and can adapt to rough terrain via electromagnetic cushioning devices.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[On flat terrain, the warhorse’s sprint speed can reach 80 km\u002Fh, with particularly excellent individuals capable of exceeding 100 km\u002Fh, and maintaining an average speed of 35-50 km\u002Fh even on complex terrains.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[The maximum load capacity can reach 300-350 kilograms, using a synthetic digestive system to draw energy from biomass, and equipped with high-energy graphene batteries for power storage.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Durability control is managed through micro-infusion, cooling gel, horse stimulants, and internal environment regulation systems to relieve muscle pressure and ensure vitality and endurance, allowing for continuous running for more than 3 days in extreme cases, varying by individual.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Without a comprehensive industrial system, manufacturing cars is extremely difficult for Latovia, and civilian vehicles from Europe hardly meet the demands of such complex terrain operations.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Steel Bone Warhorse is a creation born from Christopher utilizing the current circumstances, successfully applying his knowledge and the equipment at hand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The performance of these warhorses is almost equivalent to normal mechanized vehicles, with more flexibility, and more importantly, it aligns better with the local people’s understanding:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Teaching them to drive cars would require starting from scratch, but let them ride horses...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To them, horses are like high-performance cars to engine enthusiasts in modern society. They might not have them, but once they do, their learning ability exponentially increases.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The first generation of Steel Bone Warhorses performs excellently, though the second generation will be superior: they will begin prosthetic acclimatization and tactical training from the time they are foals, making them better suited to advanced prosthetics.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the future, cross-species gene technology might even be applied to them...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Steel may be better, but when this first batch of warriors defeat the enemy, the Steel Bone Warhorse will no longer just be a makeshift solution due to lack of resources; it will have purpose.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Unseen landscapes continually flash before the eyes of the preparatory iron riders: this is also their country, this is also their land.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Johnny: The warhorses traverse silent villages, foggy woods, and vast plains...]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Johnny: The stone monuments at the village entrance are engraved with yellowed inscriptions, dry leaves rustle under the horses’ hooves, mountains undulate in the distance; this journey seems like a dream to those who have spent a lifetime fleeing, constantly battling the land’s owners.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Johnny: The dream even makes them forget that this is a journey towards life and death, yet oddly enough, they develop a reluctant affection for this strange yet familiar land, as if every gust of air and every tree is calling out to them.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Maybe this also reminded Johnny of the past: he, too, only had the chance to see various parts of the Mei Country after his service, but unfortunately, the lands he saw were already scarred.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The scarred lands made Johnny all the more furious, furious that the world had rotted to its core, furious with the viciousness and stupidity of politicians and capitalists, even furious with the apathy of people in cities:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>While he was deceived into becoming a soldier, rolling in the mud, those people were at home watching Super Dream shooting planes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Although Lille thinks Johnny is an uncultured thug, artists indeed have something different about them; even when they don’t swear, they have a certain charm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And it’s uncertain if it’s an illusion, but this guy seems to swear less and less, or perhaps he keeps it suppressed in his mind without speaking it out loud.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"There are many enemies.\" Lille’s voice was as firm as iron, \"Multiple countries have united to launch an attack on us. This coalition includes well-trained soldiers, armored vehicles, tanks, and possibly aircraft.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Based on what the drones have seen, the first wave has 10,000 to 12,000 regular infantry, about 200 infantry fighting vehicles, and 300 armored personnel carriers aiding the assault.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"In addition, it has been confirmed that they possess long-range artillery like self-propelled howitzers and rocket launchers, implying an artillery unit: in the worst case, it’s a professional artillery unit.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Armed helicopters are visible, at least 11; the army might be equipped with unmanned attack drones, and in the worst case, fighter jets and bombers might join the battle.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You’ve had professional virtual training, now tell me, how much chance do you think we have?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lille posed a harsh question.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What are the odds for 344 preparatory iron riders against tens of thousands of an armored force?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The preparatory iron riders have a vast knowledge base and have experienced dozens of battles in the virtual world...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But now, they could only deceive themselves internally: it was virtual after all.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seemingly capturing the soldiers’ mindset from their hesitation, Lille added:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The first lesson of real combat: don’t deceive yourself, don’t ignore your judgments.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Don’t forget this is just the first wave; in the worst-case scenario, they’ll continuously transport more troops using Sokovia, Bolmark, and Santaka as front-line bases.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The difficult answer was inevitable:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Latovia’s regular army, fully counted, barely numbers ten thousand, but they might not have jets, tanks, and armored vehicles!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This is almost an unwinnable war.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A difficult answer, painful to voice, but they must learn to face reality and not be blinded by temporary victories.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The communication channel collectively gave the answer: nearly impossible.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The atmosphere turned heavy, yet no one fell into despair...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The iron riders would not despair, even if they were not yet true iron riders, they still had the King—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Their homeland lay behind them; they could not lose.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Now let’s talk about the good news: for them to completely destroy our nation, the air force and army need to coordinate operations.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The border terrain naturally slows their march, and our Peregrine drones and Iron Beetle drones have already been deployed to suitable locations; as soon as air units are detected, they will perform kamikaze attacks.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"We have five days before the army crosses the mountains and rivers...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"We have five days to capture the enemy’s command center.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Under normal circumstances, this is a war that can’t be won...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, excellent intelligence work might give Lille a glimmer of hope.\u003C\u002Fp>",1347,"2026-06-03T12:33:36.383Z","2026-06-03T12:33:42.158Z",1,"novelbin.me","14a3a97ab5f6845957fbb988100bfc933113b7aedaf93b995d4e890e95822c2f","cyberpunk-cross-dimensional-science-and-engineer-chapter-825","cyberpunk-cross-dimensional-science-and-engineer-chapter-823",1068,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fcyberpunk-cross-dimensional-science-and-engineer-cover.jpg"]