Chapter 62: The Invincible Defense

The speed of a sniper bullet can reach up to 1,000 meters per second. 

In comparison, the speed of sound is only about 340 meters per second. This means that a sniper bullet travels at nearly three times the speed of sound.

In common knowledge, when a sniper pulls the trigger and doesn't miss, it means the target is as good as dead. 

However, this assumption only holds when the sniper is targeting an ordinary person.

The reaction speed of a shipgirl far exceeds that of an average human.

Almost the instant the man pulled the trigger, a transparent energy shield, resembling a nano honeycomb, appeared out of thin air in front of Lin Lan. 

The high-caliber sniper bullet, carrying a shockwave, came to an abrupt stop in mid-air, blocked by the shield.

A split second after pulling the trigger, the man on the rooftop felt several sharp killing intents locking onto him. 

He didn't bother to check on the little girl; in his mind, she was already dead. After all, no one could stop a bullet once it was fired.

He couldn't bear to look at the innocent girl he had just killed. But when he looked through the sniper scope, he saw a silver-haired shipgirl with deep blue eyes staring right at him.

Before the man could react, a deafening roar suddenly rang out beside him.

"Boom!"

With a thunderous explosion behind him, a black and red shell, tearing through the air, flew past his ear. The shell landed on a distant, empty piece of land, instantly causing a violent explosion.

This happened almost simultaneously with his shot; he hadn't even looked away from the scope yet.

It was only then that intense pain radiated from the left side of his face. He touched his left cheek and found it wet with blood.

The shell's close proximity had torn several gashes on his face with its fierce shockwave, and blood was now pouring from his face and ear.

The man's eyes widened in shock, feeling his heart skip a beat. The threat of death still loomed over him.

The sharp whine of aircraft engines filled the sky!

With a cry of despair, he threw down the sniper rifle and scrambled into the building, rolling and stumbling as he went. 

The pain on his face made him stagger, but he knew if he didn't escape quickly, the building might be reduced to rubble in the next second.

Lin Lan calmly looked at the bullet suspended in front of him, resting against the shield. 

He gently placed the bewildered Riko, who had been scared out of her wits by Mainz's secondary cannon fire, back on the ground.

The cute little cat-eared girl had no idea that she had just narrowly escaped the grim reaper's scythe.

Behind Lin Lan, Mainz's red dragon warship appeared in the void, exuding an overwhelming aura of dominance.

The beautiful silver-haired girl in a black sailor uniform stood with her hand raised, facing the energy shield.

It was her skill—Counterattack Shield.

If the incoming attack had been a bombardment capable of breaking through the Counterattack Shield, then Mainz wouldn't have fired just a secondary cannon.

Instead, she would have unleashed a barrage of main cannons, powerful enough to turn the entire building and its surroundings into a sea of flames!

Even if the attack had shattered the Counterattack Shield, Lin Lan wouldn't have been harmed at all.

That's because Z23 and Z46, the two little destroyers, had summoned their black and red warship Steel Sharks to guard Lin Lan the moment the shield appeared.

And then there was Ulrich, the most powerful battleship of Iron Blood, standing by Lin Lan's side.

If Ulrich had deployed her warship, it would have completely blocked any attack.

Ulrich's bronze eyes, cold and menacing, were locked on the spot where the sniper had been.

She had memorized every detail of the man who had fired the shot.

However, she hadn't summoned her warship during the attack, out of complete trust in her companions' reaction speed.

She didn't need to take action yet.

This was the flawless defense of Iron Blood, ensuring Lin Lan's absolute safety.

The surrounding residents were stunned into silence by the loud cannon fire and the terrifying sight of the shipgirls' warships.

The bullet frozen in mid-air was blinding in their eyes.

Many were now visibly angry. What did this bullet mean?

It meant someone had dared to assassinate a naval commander!

In Orlan, that was treason!

Not even the corporations would dare to do something so brazen!

"Looking for death."

Mainz's cold voice broke the silence.

As her words fell, the steel dragon behind her, seemingly alive, aimed its head in the direction the bullet had come from, opening its massive jaws.

The light from the main cannon began to gather.

"Hold on, don't act just yet. Have Weser use the aircraft to track and mark everyone coming out of that building. Don't let anyone escape."

Looking toward the residential area in the outer district where the shot had been fired, Lin Lan stopped Mainz from retaliating immediately. 

However, his eyes were filled with killing intent.

It seemed that blood would need to be shed today.

"Nimi, Leonie, take Riko and go with the others to rescue the detained people. If anyone dares to resist, warn them once, and if they continue, kill them."

"Ulrich, Mainz, you're coming with me to see who has the guts to do this."

Lin Lan issued a series of cold orders.

His mind was crystal clear at that moment.

He stopped Mainz, not to spare the sniper, but because he wanted to capture him alive.

This sudden assassination attempt had ignited an uncontrollable fury within Lin Lan. He would not let the person who tried to kill him in the shadows get away.

But there was no need for unnecessary killing.

He trusted that Ulrich, Mainz, and Weser had gotten a clear look at the sniper.

Since that was the case, he planned to root out the force behind the sniper completely.

If he didn't eliminate the power behind this sniper, then even if he killed this one, there would be a second, and a third.

After giving his orders, Lin Lan, along with Mainz, who had retracted her warship, and the silent Ulrich, headed in the direction of the sniper.

Z23 and Z46 also retracted their warships, took Riko by the hand, and followed the residents of Lihu County to another part of the outer district.

The clouds in the sky over Lihu County had thickened, and the air was heavy with a sense of foreboding.

It seemed that a great storm was brewing, one that would soon engulf this small county on the eastern continent of Orlan.

As Lin Lan walked down the empty streets of Lihu County, he inhaled the stifling, sticky air. Suddenly, as if sensing something, he looked up at the sky.

He couldn't shake the feeling that in this small county, there was a hidden mastermind plotting an earth-shattering conspiracy.

And this mastermind might not necessarily be the Zhu Hai Commercial Association.

—

In a dilapidated old building in the outer district of Lihu County, a dozen men wearing dirt-colored vests were gathered on the first floor.

Some had scars on their faces, others had eyes filled with weariness, but each one held a variety of weapons.

There were submachine guns, pistols, electric batons, and even knives.

The five men who had previously gone to Linlan Port to capture Riko were also standing there.

Everyone remained silent, watching as two men at the front argued.

"Bro, those Liao Province people really are the cause of the Siren attacks! People from the Inner District Commerce Association told me that themselves! Those guys should all be executed to avenge our fellow citizens who died at the hands of the Sirens!"

A young man in his early twenties, with a head of yellow hair and a youthful face, waved his fists, his eyes filled with grief.

He shouted bitterly at the burly man in front of him, who was wearing a black leather jacket.

"Absurd! Absolutely absurd!"

The burly man looked at his younger brother, who had gone astray, and spoke with a tone of fury:

"I've been working at Tian'ou Group for only a few years to earn money to rebuild the Outer District. Look at what you've turned our brothers into!"

"If I hadn't come back today, would you have slaughtered all those unarmed and innocent Liao Province people? Tell me, how could you believe such idiotic rumors? Have you all lost your minds?"

"Have you forgotten the oath you swore when I left?"

The burly man swept his angry gaze across the men around him, causing all the yellow-vested men to lower their heads in guilt, unable to meet his eyes.

"Brother... do you know how many people in the county have been blown to pieces by the Siren attacks since you left?"

The yellow-haired young man's voice trembled with sorrow, his eyes bloodshot, and tears streaming down his face.

"And do you know how many port district commanders, one after another, mysteriously fled with their shipgirls, abandoning hundreds of our fellow citizens in Lihu County, leaving us to live in constant fear of the Sirens?"

"We don't dare fish in the river, and we can't even rebuild along the shore."

"It's all because of those damned Sirens, those irresponsible commanders, and their shipgirls!"

"We're just trying to survive! What's wrong with killing these sources of the Siren disaster?"

Seeing his brother's ignorant expression, the burly man in the black leather jacket clenched his fists and gritted his teeth as he spoke:

"That's your reason for turning your guns and knives on innocent people?"

"These Liao Province people aren't the cause of the Siren attacks." 

"If the Sirens were targeting this place because of them, why haven't they attacked Dongyun City, where there are even more Liao Province people?"

"That's... that's because…"

Just as the two brothers were locked in their argument, a man covered in blood stumbled into the room.

"Brother Long, Brother Hu! A commander and shipgirls have arrived at the port, but... but they brought a child from the Siren disaster!"

"What did you say?"

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