Starting from the Planetary Governor
Chapter 19: River Valley Manor

Manban River Valley Manor was indeed one of the few beautiful places in this wasteland world.

At least, in terms of scenery, it was.

A narrow river gently flowed through.

The unpolluted water nourished the surrounding land, creating a swath of greenery.

Stone-built walls encircled the lush greenery.

Several buildings dotted the landscape, and the crops in the fields were growing robustly, swaying in the wind as if boasting of the coming harvest.

It was near dusk, and the river’s surface reflected the sun’s rays, glistening like a mirror, making the surrounding scenery even more beautiful.

The sky slowly turned a light orange as the sunset’s afterglow faded, replaced by a brilliant starry sky—Fury Owl had no natural satellites, no moon.

At this time, the farm in the river bend was half bathed in the sunset’s afterglow and half illuminated by starlight, presenting a beautiful and peaceful scene.

“Truly beautiful,” Yan Fangxu sighed.

“It’s been a long time since I’ve seen such a scene. For a long time, either I’ve been on a starship, or after landing on Fury Owl, all I’ve seen is devastation. The last time I saw something like this was many years ago.”

“I don’t want to ruin it either,” Gu Hang replied nonchalantly.

“But I don’t want my supplies just sitting here either, used by that man named Wohan to raise grain prices and exploit the people. Such a beautiful manor and farm—if it’s meant to be, we’ll make it even better.”

An hour ago, Gu Hang and his troops had already arrived and dealt with the perimeter sentries.

Then, they began to rest nearby.

The manor became tense due to the sentries’ disappearance, but Gu Hang didn’t care. His men had surrounded the area.

People could try to escape, but dragging a large number of supplies away was impossible.

The soldiers rested, Gu Hang enjoyed the scenery, and the people inside the manor trembled in fear.

As the sun set, it was time for the scheduled attack.

He turned to Yan Fangxu and said, “Begin.”

Scattered soldiers began their assault, and four black armored vehicles emerged from the sparse forest, their engines roaring through the valley.

Leading the charge, the mechanical soldiers, armed with ‘Assault Rifles’, rushed towards the River Valley Manor’s defense line, their bullets tearing through the air with a piercing whistle.

At the same time, mortars began shelling the manor, explosions booming like the roars of hell, smoke enveloping the area.

Where the shells landed, everything was scorched, the ground shattered, sparks and debris hitting the manor’s stone walls and rooftops with loud bangs.

The raiders immediately fought back, using the buildings and stone walls for cover, firing outwards.

Gunfire crisscrossed, making it impossible to tell who was shooting.

All one could see were bullets flying through the air, kicking up dust and debris.

These raiders were putting up a fierce resistance, probably numbering around a hundred or two.

Despite the mortar bombardment, the gunfire, and the casualties, they still dared to stand their ground and fight back vigorously.

Their equipment and combat spirit were far superior to the ‘Prisoner’ bandits they had encountered before.

The ‘Prisoner’ bandits used makeshift iron pipe rifles, which had terrible accuracy and weak power, barely penetrating the plastic steel armor of the mechanical soldiers.

The casualties in that battle were mainly caused by mutated green-skinned beasts.

These mercenary groups active around Revival City had much better equipment.

They had automatic rifles, significantly stronger firepower, more powerful bullets, and higher accuracy.

They even had machine guns.

Using cover, they had the advantage in hitting the advancing mechanical soldiers, and mechanical soldiers occasionally fell under their fire.

The fallen soldiers weren’t necessarily dead; their bulletproof vests and helmets were made of alloyed plastic steel, lightweight but high-performance, capable of saving lives.

Most of the fallen were hit in the legs, and many could return to duty after recovery.

But overall, the attack was visibly not going well.

The closer the soldiers got to the manor, the tougher it became.

The closer they got, the more accurate and fierce the enemy’s firepower would become, leading to heavier casualties among the soldiers.

From a distance, the enemy found it hard to penetrate the soldiers’ vests, but up close, there was a higher chance of hitting unprotected areas like the face, neck, and limbs.

Normally, if Gu Hang wanted to quickly take the manor, there would be inevitable casualties.

A hard fight might cost half a company.

To avoid heavy losses, they would have to prepare for a prolonged siege.

Digging trenches, engaging in long-term standoffs and firefights, and continuous mortar bombardment to wear down the enemy’s manpower and ammunition before a final assault would keep casualties low.

However, Gu Hang wasn’t planning on suffering heavy losses or dragging out a prolonged conflict with these mercenaries.

He had a decisive weapon in hand.

Actually, two.

First, there were the four Stroller V armored vehicles.

As they closed in, their mounted machine guns roared in rapid fire.

The twin 45mm cannons fired rapidly, spraying out shells that obliterated a section of the stone wall.

Each oversized bullet carried immense destructive power, sending stones flying and leaving the wall in ruins.

The mercenaries hiding behind the wall couldn’t withstand such a fierce attack.

The four Strollers advanced, mercilessly sweeping the area.

The shells tore through the wall and many mercenaries, creating a gruesome scene that terrified those nearby.

After the Stroller Vs opened fire, the mercenaries’ resistance was visibly suppressed.

With the mechanical infantry pinned down, the Waste Cave infantry, accompanied by the Strollers, launched a second wave of attacks.

Even the mortar positions advanced with the Strollers, increasing their accuracy and destructive power as they closed in.

At this moment, a mercenary suddenly emerged from the side, carrying a tube-like weapon.

It looked rudimentary but was undoubtedly a rocket launcher.

This guy, whether by instinct or extraordinary skill, scored a direct hit.

Aimed, fired, and the rocket, trailing a long tail of flame, struck a firing armored vehicle directly.

The mercenary smiled, immediately discarding the launcher and looking for new cover.

But as he ducked behind the wall, he felt it shatter beside him, and he was violently thrown to the ground, engulfed in a mist of blood.

He saw his hand fly off and his lower body not far away.

He realized with despair: he had been hit by a large-caliber machine gun, severing him in half.

The wall he had relied on for cover had not helped, crumbling to pieces.

But what shocked him the most was that he was killed by the very armored vehicle he had hit with the rocket.

His last sight was the armored vehicle emerging from the smoke, unscathed.

Why?

He died in agony and confusion.