Li Qingyu crept up to the armored vehicle. This time, he acted with extreme caution, moving along the trench to avoid being under fire, and finally pressed his ear to the armor.
"Hey, inside!" he yelled. "Imperial Guard reporting: surrender immediately, or we'll execute everyone!"
A rustling sound came from inside, followed by the clink of a pulled pin. Instantly realizing another grenade would fly out, Li Qingyu dove back into the trench.
A roar sounded – the grenade, thrown through the firing port, exploded outside.
The rebels had long realized that enemies were inside, so they kept their distance, watching Li Qingyu from a safe distance, whispering and pointing at the armored vehicle.
When the smoke cleared, Li Qingyu poked his head out of cover again and shouted:
"Listen, you bastards! We've piled a whole bunch of brushwood around you. One spark is enough to fry you like meat in a pot!"
"I'm giving you three minutes. Come out yourselves – I guarantee your lives!"
In response, a fragmentation grenade flew. Li Qingyu cursed and rolled back into the trench again.
Parson crawled up to him and reminded him:
"Sir, you were unconscious, and we already offered them to surrender. They respond with grenades, so we decided to burn them to hell!"
Li Qingyu frowned, contemplating the situation.
"There's weapons and equipment inside. Burning it would be wasteful. We need to make them open the hatch."
And then an idea struck him – to smoke them out.
He quickly explained the plan to Parson. He nodded and ran off to give orders.
Some of the soldiers took positions behind the armored vehicle, aiming at the rear hatch. If the enemy tried to break out – shoot without warning.
Other rebels brought clay and logs, quickly building a makeshift shelter around the "Chimera," covering the armor from the sides and top.
They piled up a heap of damp firewood, set it on fire, and placed it closer to the armor to create thick, acrid smoke.
Parson even managed to find a mountain of old rubber somewhere.
The smoke, trapped by the wooden dome, didn't dissipate but seeped through the cracks, filling the vehicle.
The rebels worked quickly: they were familiar with earth and trees, and there were plenty of fallen trunks after the battle.
When the "Chimera" broke through here, it had knocked down many trees. Now they were stuck into the ground, leaning against the armor, creating an improvised sarcophagus.
They sealed the cracks with clay, threw in damp branches, and fanned the flames.
Li Qingyu, hidden in the trench, watched with a smirk as the armored vehicle was enveloped in smoke.
He doubted that the PDF equipment – those second-rate troops – was equipped with a defense system against weapons of mass destruction. This wasn't the Imperial Guard, where tanks were fitted with the best filters. Why would riot suppressors need air filtration?
And indeed – the "Chimera" had no defense. As the smoke entered, the people inside coughed, their eyes felt like they were full of sand.
The crew panicked. They opened fire from the firing ports, shooting lasguns blindly.
The beams pierced the logs, splinters flew out in fountains, and smoke billowed from the openings. Grenades followed – the explosions shook the canopy, and part of the plating fell apart.
As soon as the firing stopped, the rebels rushed forward again, patched the holes, threw on rubber and damp grass, intensifying the smoke.
The "Chimera" responded with lasers and grenades – the rebels recoiled. As soon as it fell silent, the crowd returned, repaired the shelter, and rekindled the fires.
They played this game for almost forty minutes. Many times the smoke dissipated and thickened again, until the people inside finally broke.
Their weapons couldn't destroy the structure, only create through holes, and most of the smoke still remained under the dome.
The worst part was that when the firing ports were opened, the smoke immediately rushed in under pressure.
The cabin quickly filled with a stench that made people cough until they vomited, their eyes watered, and their pupils burned. Visibility was almost gone.
Realizing they would suffocate, the crew threw open the rear hatch and bolted out.
As soon as they appeared, twenty barrels unleashed a hail of fire on them.
Only three managed to run out: the mechanic and two personal guards of the aristocrat. All fell under the bullets.
The mechanic died instantly – his light vest didn't save him from the shots to the chest.
The two guards writhed on the ground: their armor protected their torsos and heads, but their arms and legs were riddled with bullets.
Enraged rebels jumped out of the trenches and finished them off with rifle butts and kicks. When the calmer fighters pulled the crowd away, the bodies of the three had turned into a mess.
After extinguishing the fires, the rebels breached the "Chimera," pulled out the corpses, and began looting.
They found eleven lasguns, eleven laspistols, four PDF submachine guns, and eleven sets of carapace armor.
They also found over a hundred 40mm fragmentation grenades and over a thousand 20mm rounds for the heavy stabber.
Seeing the laser weapons, the fighters excitedly grabbed the rifles, but quickly put them down – they were all locked by genetic locks.
Li Qingyu searched the dead and found the lieutenant by his insignia – Winchester.
Blood was oozing from his nose and ears – the self-destruct charge had killed him with the shockwave.
Li Qingyu took an axe from a fighter and, with a few blows, severed the lieutenant's head.
He wrapped it in a rag – proof for Rudolfson.