Chapter 133

Under the azure sky of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, two 'Kunpeng' transport aircraft soared like twin steel eagles, one ahead of the other, maintaining a tight formation.

The cabin of the lead aircraft is relatively 'refined'; this is the exclusive ride of the Dragon Chant team.

Feng Yan, Li Yang, Chen Guang, Wang Hao, Zhao Kaiyuan, along with necessary technical maintenance personnel and members of the Dragon Chant internal guard, are all aboard.

Everyone wears a personally customized version of the Iron Wolf exoskeleton, which has undergone extensive personalization from the base model.

Rather than standard gear, they are more like mobile personal labs and workshops.

Feng Yan did not sit in the command seat but stood in the cabin's center, his gaze sweeping over his team.

Wang Hao leaned over an opened weapons crate, inside which rows of finely crafted 'Peregrine Shock Rounds' were fixed.

He had an energy bar stuck in his mouth, mumbling indistinctly:

"Hmm, the redundant wiring of the third activation module still needs a thorough check—can't afford a hiccup at a critical moment…"

Chen Guang stared intently at several floating holographic screens before him, where complex data and code streamed.

He was making final fine-tuning to the Torch Dragon AI's battlefield intervention protocol while monitoring each node of the soon-to-be-deployed laser defense system.

Before Zhao Kaiyuan lay a massive holographic map of energy flow distribution, representing the impending power shield network.

He tapped virtually, adjusting parameters of several key nodes to ensure the shield remained stable.

Li Yang, meanwhile, seemed somewhat… restless.

He wasn't focusing on equipment like the others; instead, he kept moving his fingers encased in the exoskeleton.

His eyes burned as he stared at the real-time battlefield overhead feed; his expression was like that of an internet-addicted teen seeing the countdown to the launch of a new holographic game.

"Hey Old Li, can you settle down? You're making me dizzy." Wang Hao couldn't help but complain.

"You don't understand anything!" Li Yang retorted without turning.

"These are three actual Bixian-1 units! Though not my personal ride, watching them sortie feels even more exhilarating than piloting my own Iron Wolf!"

"Too bad—Commander Lei surely brought Dragon Rider mech pilots; otherwise I'd really like to volunteer to go up and get some hands‑on practice!"

Zhao Kaiyuan picked up the thread: "The energy shield system is running smoothly; I've adjusted it according to the river valley terrain and the possible firepower we might face."

"I've set three shield deployment modes: regular advance, point defense, and a "Fortress" mode to counter saturated attacks."

"That should be enough for them to mess around down there."

Feng Yan said nothing, merely nodding, with no doubt about his team's professional competence.

He called up a holographic tactical map, making the river valley's terrain and the disposition of friend and foe clearly visible.

"Commander Lei's Dragon Rider unit handles outer‑area sweeping and suppression, ensuring freedom of action for the Bixian and special‑operations units."

"Our core mission consists of three steps." Feng Yan's finger traced the tactical map, outlining the attack route.

"First step, "Shocking Entrance." His fingertip tapped the relatively flat open ground at the valley's center.

"The Bixian will employ a "Thunderbolt Drop" mode, slamming straight into their heartland."

"The primary objective is to destroy their command nodes and heavy equipment, causing maximum psychological and formation chaos and deterrence."

Chen Guang's mouth twitched slightly, obviously very pleased with this simple, brutal entrance method.

"Second step, "Wolf Pack Assault." Feng Yan gestured outward.

"After Wang Hao's Peregrine conducts area suppression, all Iron Wolf units (Dragon Chant personnel each have one Iron Wolf, simultaneously protecting these key individuals, and the numbers do not conflict with the military‑issued Dragon Rider version of the Iron Wolf used by the armed forces for national combat)."

"Coordinating with the Dragon Rider unit, they will swiftly infiltrate from the east and west flanks to split and encircle the remaining enemy forces."

"Remember, prioritize capture; only resort to lethal force when faced with a deadly threat, otherwise prefer non‑lethal weapons."

"Understood!" the squad leaders of the Iron Wolf teams tasked with guarding the Dragon Chant Research Institute replied in unison.

"Third step, "Information Asphyxiation." Feng Yan's gaze turned to Chen Guang and Zhao Kaiyuan.

"From the very first second of the operation, Torch Dragon must seize control of battlefield information."

"Suppress their communications, blind their sensors—I want them to become deaf and blind, unaware of who defeated them until they are disarmed."

"Don't worry, Torch Dragon is already ravenous." Chen Guang rare‑ly uttered a line of cold humor.

"All right, the tactical briefing is over." Feng Yan closed the holographic map.

"Last five minutes—each check your gear and relax."

The order was given, and the cabin fell back into a busy hum of low‑voiced chatter and equipment self‑check alerts.

Wang Hao slipped out of the cockpit, pulled a compressed chocolate bar from his pocket, broke off half, and handed it to a nearby technician who looked a bit nervous:

"Hey, why the long face?"

"Relax—think of it as a wilderness outing, with the side benefit of smashing a few disobedient robot toys."

The young team member took the chocolate, gave an embarrassed smile: "Chief Wang, I… I'm just… this is the real deal…"

"The real deal?" Wang Hao bit into the chocolate, speaking indistinctly.

"That's them! We call this 'tech poverty relief'—we're here to show them what future warfare looks like!"

"You'll follow behind me later, Big Brother Hao, and watch how I use the Peregrine to lay things out crystal clear for them!"

"I guarantee it'll be more exciting than when you used boiling water to flood ant nests as a kid!"

His spiel of twisted logic somehow made several nearby crew members burst out laughing, easing tension considerably.

Meanwhile, Chen Guang and Zhao Kaiyuan were conducting a final technical check.

"Old Zhao, when the Bixian lands, the impact could momentarily overload the shield generator—your regulator circuit's all right, right?"

"In theory it's fine; I added triple buffering." Zhao Kaiyuan stared at the data stream.

Feng Yan watched his team members each doing their job—some joking to relieve pressure, others meticulously checking details—and felt at ease.

This is his team, a bunch of genius 'freaks'.

He walked to the porthole and looked down through the thick glass.

The magnificent mountains and rivers of the Qinghai‑Tibet Plateau peeked through gaps in the clouds, like a slumbering dragon.