Chapter 865 - Absurd!
The 23 generals heard the announcement, but no one spoke. It was just silent.
The Third Marshal knocked the pipe in his hand and smiled coldly. "Since you all dared to vote against the military's decision and force the three of us to appear on behalf of the military, say something then."
Ling Xiao raised his eyebrows slightly. 'Is that sentence directed at me?'
The First Marshal narrowed his eyes. 'This old fogey never forgets to suppress my men, even at a time like this.'
The Second Marshal felt that the silence must be broken so he said, "The generals have voted against the military because they are worried about their men. We can understand your concerns. However, just like what Marshal Yang said, since we decided to have a conference, please speak your mind. If not, this conference will just be a waste of time."
The First Marshal and Third Marshal exchanged glances with each other. The Song family had people on Planet Haijiao so this old bastard's attitude was exceptionally good today.
"The military promised that they would be able to get a hold of the situation in Planet Haijiao within a week. However, we didn't receive any news of that yet…" The General of the 7th division suddenly said, "With this, how can I not suspect the intentions of the military?"
The Third Marshal replied, "We have already sent the nearest fleet over to Planet Haijiao. However, you all should know that the Hailiyan army attacked them furiously, completely stopping them from reaching Planet Haijiao. This is why we were unable to follow up with our original plan."
"We can't keep getting stopped by Haliya. One week has already passed since they first attacked, and we still don't know anything about the situation on Planet Haijiao. Our soldiers there are currently fighting for their lives, hoping and waiting for us to help them. So, we will like to request for the military to send in more reinforcements to clear the path towards Planet Haijiao," the General of the 4th division said righteously.
Ling Xiao looked at the General of the 4th division. He might have received an order from the Li family to do that. Ling Xiao knew Li Shiyu and Li Yingjie were two of the top three candidates for the succession of the Li family. The Li family, of course, couldn't let these two outstanding successors be killed.
"We have decided to send in a hundred fleets…" The First Marshal informed the generals about the decision of the military.
No general had any qualms about this decision. A hundred fleet was enough to take over a small planet.
At this moment, the General of the 5th division opened his mouth, "If we sent the fleets to Planet Haijiao, they will need at least half a month to reach there. If the Hailiyan army sent people to stop them, they will take even longer. Do you think that our soldiers would be able to withstand the attacks from Hailiya for a month without any reinforcements?"
His words revealed a problem no one wanted to face. They were agitated because none of them were confident that their mecha clans would be able to survive for one month without any reinforcements or supplies. Everyone turned quiet again.
The Third Marshal sighed. He said, " I've received the latest piece of intel from the intelligence bureau just now. We were going to hold the conference soon so I didn't inform you all. Now, you all can take a look at it." The Third Marshal asked his assistant to pass the intel to the generals.
The First Marshal and the Second Marshal's faces turned dark when they heard this. They knew about this piece of intel. The First Marshal couldn't help but look at Ling Xiao. He hoped that Ling Xiao was able to withstand this impact.
All the generals started looking through the information on their communicators. Their expressions turned serious. Ling Xiao was serious too. He didn't show any other expressions. The First Marshal felt consoled. 'My general is a strong-willed person. He will not let his personal affairs affect the big picture.'
The reporters started talking among themselves when they saw this scene. They were guessing what this piece of intel was about.
"Is this reliable?" The General of the 6th division let out a long sigh. He could already feel the bitter taste in his mouth. If this was true, the reinforcements they sent would be useless.
"In order to send this piece of news to us, our spy in the higher ranks of Hailiya lost his life." The Third Marshal seemed to be grieving, proving that the intel was true.
"Hailiya used one week to destroy almost all of our bases, leaving only a few scattered bases still resisting…" The General of the 15th division slammed the table furiously. "This is all because of Hailiya. How can they violate the Human United Agreement and send out imperial operators…"
"I didn't expect them to violate the rules and activate the God-Killers!" The General of the 7th division was furious.
The God-Killers was like the Flying Dragon Special Forces of the Huaxia Federation. All the mecha operators inside were monsters. They were at least an imperial operator. This could explain why the bases of the Federation were destroyed by Haliya within a week.
"The moment our reinforcements reach there, Hailiya might have already claim Planet Haijiao. By then, we will be at a disadvantage. We might be considered invaders and suffer the attacks from the Hailiyan army. The Intergalactic United Nations will also stand on Hailiya's side and condemn us." The Third Marshal voiced out his major concern. This was something that was most likely going to happen too.
The war on Planet Haijiao was a controversial war. The Federation and Hailiya occupied half of the planet each so no one was able to determine who Planet Haijiao belonged to. Thus, the Intergalactic United Nations couldn't interfere with this war. However, once Hailiya stuck their flag on the part of the planet previously ruled by the Federation, the planet would then belong to them. Based on the Human United Agreement, the Federation must admit that Planet Haijiao belonged to Hailiya. The fleets that the Federation sent to reinforce their soldiers would be regarded as invaders. With that, Hailiya had the right to send imperial operators or even god-class operators to attack them.
Imperial operators and god-class operators were forbidden to fight in wars that were controversial. Once a country confirmed that they were being invaded, this rule would not hold.
"Because of this possibility, I don't agree to send the hundred battleships to reinforce Planet Haijiao. The lives of the 280 million soldiers are our responsibility but we are also responsible for the other lives of millions of soldiers on the ships. I can't watch them die like this," the Third Marshal said seriously.
The generals turned silent. They couldn't bear to give up the 280 million soldiers on Planet Haijiao but if what the Third Marshal said was true… they were also unable to bear the lives of 500 million soldiers. The Second Marshal, who always refuted the Third Marshal's decision, didn't have the courage to open his mouth now.
The First Marshal didn't say anything. All the three marshals knew that Ling Xiao's son was on Planet Haijiao. They also knew that the forgettable grandson of the Second Marshal and Qi Yaoyang's youngest son was there too. However, in the face of such a situation, they were unable to sacrifice millions of soldiers to save their family members.
The Third Marshal looked at Qi Yaoyang. He wanted to see what Qi Yaoyang's attitude was. The fact that Qi Yaoyang's youngest son broke ties with his father in order to join Ling Xiao's division was a thorn in his heart. If he didn't have enough strong officers under him, he wouldn't have let Qi Yaoyang become the General of the 13th division, but no matter what, Qi Yaoyang was his men. He was better than the people under the Second Marshal.
Qi Yaoyang's expression changed a little. However, he still gritted his teeth in the end and didn't reject the Third Marshal's suggestion. The Third Marshal was satisfied with his performance. 'This person knew his position well. He knew what to do and what not to do.'
"I suggest that we give up sending reinforcements and hand this matter over to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. We will condemn Haliya…" The Third Marshal finally said his suggestion.
Abandoning the 280 million soldiers and then using their sacrifice to gain the moral high ground for the Federation to gain benefits politically. All the generals turned silent again. This seemed like a heartless decision but it was the best decision.
"How can they do this…" The reporters exclaimed.
"Are we going to abandon the 280 million people on Planet Haijiao?"
"If we don't forsake them, what are we going to do? Risk the lives of 500 million more soldiers? The Third Marshal had explained everything. All the big bases on Planet Haijiao had already fallen. Not many people are left alive. After some time, Hailiya will probably announce that they had gained control of planet Haijiao."
"But everything is not confirmed yet. If we abandon them now…" Ladies were more caring than men. They weren't able to forsake lives for the greater good even if those people had no hopes of surviving.
'General Ling Xiao, you won't agree, right?' Wen Qilian clenched her fist. She stared at the calm and stern handsome face. Just like the other ladies, Wen Qilian was unable to accept Third Marshal's suggestion. She couldn't help but place her hopes on Ling Xiao. She hoped that their military idol would hear their cries and speak up for the poor 280 million soldiers on Planet Haijiao.
At this moment, the Third Marshal asked the Second Marshal, "Marshal Song, what do you think?"
The Second Marshal glared at the Third Marshal. He held his hands tightly as he replied, "I agree."
Song Yiqing was just a useless grandson. It was alright for him to die on planet Haijiao. He would gain the reputation of sacrificing for his country and the Song family would benefit from this good name. This honor would help him when he fought for the position of the First Marshal next time. The Second Marshal weighed the options in his heart and decided to give up Song Yiqing.
The Third Marshal looked at the First Marshal. The First Marshal glanced at the Ling Xiao. He said slowly, "This matter…"
Suddenly, Ling Xiao slammed his hands on the table and a deafening sound was heard.
"This suggestion is absurd!" Ling Xiao's anger finally exploded.
Chapter 866 - Miracle
"Ling Xiao!" The Third Marshal turned stern. He shouted, "Be mindful of your attitude!"
"What attitude do you want? Our soldiers have not given up hope and are fighting hard with the belief that their country will come and save them soon. However, we just sat here on our nice chairs and decided that it is not worth saving them?" Ling Xiao stood up suddenly and shouted angrily, "Marshal Yang, let me ask you, what attitude should I have when I talk to you?"
"Ling Xiao, do you think that I'm willing to abandon the lives of 280 million soldiers?" The Third Marshal slammed his table with his hands and stood up. "I'm the Third Marshal of the Huaxia Federation. I am responsible for not only for the lives of the 280 million soldiers on Planet Haijiao, but I'm also responsible for the lives of everyone in the Federation too."
The atmosphere of the conference turned tense. The viewing reporters couldn't help but hold their breaths.
The Third Marshal took the documents on the table and slammed them down. They landed on the floor with a loud thud. "Hundreds of spies sacrificed their lives in order to get into the intelligence bureau of Hailiya. They gave us the most accurate information they could on Planet Haijiao. They risked their lives to send out these pieces of intel. Why did they do it? They don't want any more soldiers to die needlessly on Planet Haijiao. Are you going to put millions of soldiers in danger just for your selfish desires?"
"My selfish desires? If it is up to my selfish desires, I would rather be fighting in wars instead of sitting in this high position. I'll rather be a passionate soldier with emotions rather than sit here and play with the soldiers' life as though they are chess pieces or just numbers. I'm not willing to be a cold-blooded politician!" Ling Xiao looked at the Third Marshal angrily and refuted, showing no signs of backing out. This was his true thoughts. Even if Ling Lan wasn't on Planet Haijiao, he still would not agree with this suggestion. There was no such thing as giving up in his dictionary.
When he said this, the young and hot-blooded reporters in the conference hall clapped enthusiastically in response to Ling Xiao's speech. If what the Third Marshal said was true, his decision would be saving the lives of millions of soldiers. But, deep down inside their hearts, they still had some hope. They knew that there were still soldiers fighting hard on Planet Haijiao now so they wished that a miracle would occur. If they gave up on the 280 million soldiers before everything was settled, it would be just too cold-blooded.
"Ling Xiao!" The Third Marshal pointed at Ling Xiao angrily. He almost fainted from his anger. Ling Xiao just wanted to save his son but he made it sound so righteous. He pretended to be a good man while picturing them as villains. How despicable of him.
"Marshal Yang, just like what was written on the document, 99% of the bases on Planet Haijiao had fallen. However, there are still 1% of the bases fighting. They are still waiting for reinforcements from the Federation. We mustn't give up on them even if there is only a little hope left. We can't betray those soldiers that are fighting hard for the Federation," Ling Xiao said.
"Ling Xiao, wake up!" The Third Marshal slammed his hands on the table and shouted in anger, "Do you think that those broken bases will be able to resist our Hailiya's attack for at least three months? If Hailiya took over the ownership of Planet Haijiao before our reinforcements arrive, our reinforcements will be regarded as invaders. Hailiya will then have the right to use their ultimate weapons like their god-class operators to literally massacre our reinforcements. You are a god-class operator, so you should know how powerful god-class operators are. Once such people appear on the opposite side of us, all our 100 fleets will be destroyed. Even if we send 50 times more manpower over, they will still be killed like chicken."
"My heart aches for the 280 million soldiers on Planet Haijiao too. However, we can't be emotional now. We need to analyze the situation logically. If we send in reinforcements when we know what the result will be a month later, that is not hot-blooded. That is just plain stupid!" The Third Marshal's expression turned cold as he said, "Ling Xiao, you must learn to get use to your position. You are not longer a mecha operator that fight in these battles. You are a general now. Your decisions will decide the lives of every single soldier in your division. Your decision doesn't just concern only you now, and acting rashly like this won't help with anything."
After he finished speaking, the Third Marshal disregarded Ling Xiao entirely and looked at the First Marshal. As long as the First Marshal accepted his suggestion, Ling Xiao's refusal wouldn't affect anything.
The First Marshal noticed the gaze coming from the Third Marshal but he didn't say anything. Instead, he looked at Ling Xiao. He wanted to hear what Ling Xiao had to say. When the Third Marshal saw him staying silent, he cursed him silently in his head.
The Third Marshal's words dampen the spirit of all the reporters. They were just feeling excited after Ling Xiao's speech but the Third Marshal's reply was like pouring a bucket of iced water over them. Dreams are beautiful but the reality is cruel. There were only a few bases left on Planet Haijiao. Would they really be able to resist against an enemy that had an army that was ten or maybe a hundred times bigger than them? Plus, the bases also wouldn't have any constant supply of resources and weapons. How could they be able to resist attacks for three weeks? Based on their willpower? It seemed unreasonable.
After calming down, they all felt that the Third Marshal was right. His decision was a heartless and cruel one, but they had to be responsible for the lives of the other soldiers too. They couldn't let them die like this.
But… but… but… damn it! They still couldn't accept this! The reporters couldn't help but look at the stern-looking Ling Xiao. Even if the Third Marshal scolded Ling Xiao for being too rash and for him to not have the bearings of a general, they still hoped that General Ling Xiao would be able to persuade the marshals to send reinforcements to Planet Haijiao.
As expected, General Ling Xiao opened his mouth. "Emotional? Analyze the situation logically? Well then, can the Third Marshal analyze these battles for me?" Ling Xiao asked He Xuyang to pass the records he had prepared to the other generals and the three marshals.
"Star calendar year 179, the battle on Planet Aisuo. We had only two bases left on the planet but they still managed to resist for one month before the arrival of our reinforcements."
"Star calendar year 764, the Battle of Yamei. Our army forced themselves to resist against the attack of their opponents who had ten times the numbers than them for three weeks."
"Star calendar year 1016, the Battle of Rimoluo. Our army lasted for two months with only one base left."
"Star calendar year 1597, during the land clearing mission on Planet Haimo, we used one mecha clan to resist against the attack of a few million citizens on Planet Haimo."
As more and more past records of miraculous battles flashed on the screen, everyone saw the common factor between these battles were soldiers who didn't give up and they all managed to wait until reinforcements arrived.
The Third Marshal's face turned dark. Some people hated Ling Xiao for being so insistent. These battles were all unique and had some coincidence. The weapons during that era were not so powerful, so many miracles were created then. However, as technology improved, there were lesser and lesser miracles. No such cases had appeared for the past 1000 years. However, these examples wavered the hearts of those indecisive generals, including the Second Marshal who had decided to give up on his grandson.
"Data is just data. They have no emotions. Hence, there won't be any changes in them. However, our soldiers are not just data. They are humans with feelings. They are soldiers who can create miracles. Since history proved that miracles could be created, why can't we believe that our soldiers can create a miracle too?"
"Marshal Yang, how can you be sure that based on your data, the soldiers on Planet Haijiao are unable to resist for more than three weeks?" Ling Xiao questioned the Third Marshal, "In that case, I'll like to say my judgment on the matter too. I believe that the soldiers on Planet Haijiao will definitely be able to resist until our reinforcements arrive!"
"Ling Xiao, you are being ignorant!" The Third Marshal's face turned red in anger when he heard Ling Xiao's irresponsible speech.
"Ignorant? What a joke! I dare to make this judgment because I never treated the soldiers on Planet Haijiao as just numbers on a piece of paper. They are humans. They have a family too. They have desires to continue living. As long as they never give up, they can create miracles!" Ling Xiao said firmly.
"Miracles are just miracles. Looking back in history, not many people are able to create miracles on the battlefield. I will not risk the lives of millions of soldiers for a slim chance of a miracle!" The Third Marshal sprung up and shouted.
"Marshal Yang, why do you think that we shouldn't bet on it?" Ling Xiao stood up too and question the Third Marshal fiercely. With his status as one of the ten great generals and a god-class operator, Ling Xiao was not afraid of the Third Marshal at all.
None of them was willing to take a step back. The atmosphere of the conference turned tense. Just as Ling Xiao and the Third Marshal were about to kill each other with their gaze, the First Marshal coughed and started clearing up the situation. "We are all worried for our soldiers. No one is right or wrong. Ling Xiao, you are young and hot-tempered. How can you be so disrespectful towards Marshal Yang?" The First Marshal started reprimanding Ling Xiao. Many generals under the First Marshal laughed secretly. Ling Xiao was hot-tempered? This excuse was too insincere. Even some of the generals belonging to the Second Marshal's faction smiled. The Third Marshal's face turned green with anger. This sly old fox was outwardly helping Ling Xiao. Damn it.
"I'm sorry. I was too emotional just now. Please forgive me." Ling Xiao heard this and immediately saluted at the Third Marshal to show his 'respect'.
"Old Yang, Ling Xiao is still young so he acts rashly sometimes. Old people like us should forgive him and not be at the same level as him." The First Marshal spoke to the Third Marshal again. On the surface, he seemed to be reprimanding Ling Xiao for being insensible. However, he was hinting that the Third Marshal was not lenient enough and didn't have the bearing of a marshal. The Third Marshal's face turned hideous when he heard this.
Since Ling Xiao had already apologized, the Third Marshal had to reply to him. He said with frustration, "It's fine. He is making those mistakes because he is too concerned. Why would I be angry at him for that?"
The unhappy Third Marshal took this opportunity to blemish Ling Xiao's reputation again. He wanted everyone to know that he was just concerned about his son and not the other soldiers like what he had mentioned.
"I'm sure everyone has heard what Marshal Yang and Ling Xiao said. What is everyone's opinion on the matter?" The First Marshal scanned the generals on the screen and asked indifferently.
The Third Marshal looked at one of the generals in his faction. The general said, "What General Ling Xiao said is just a beautiful dream. However, reality is not a dream. To prevent more sacrifices, I agree with what Marshal Yang has said."
The other generals from the Third Marshal's faction agreed with this general. The Second Marshal closed his eyes and kept silent, so the other generals in his faction kept silent too.
The general of the 7th division looked at the other generals who didn't want to make a decision. He got furious. He said, "I admit that what Marshal Yang said is the most likely outcome. However, what General Ling Xiao said makes sense too. The most likely outcome is not 100% certain. As a general, I can't give up on my soldiers. I agree with sending reinforcements."
It was obvious that the General of the 7th division was supporting Ling Xiao. A few generals from the First Marshal's faction who had a good relationship with Ling Xiao supported Ling Xiao too. However, since the First Marshal didn't say anything yet, those generals that didn't have much interaction with Ling Xiao remained quiet. This caused the number of people who supported Ling Xiao to be lower than the number of people who supported the Third Marshal.
Qi Yaoyang wanted to say something in support of Ling Xiao but he saw Ling Xiao signalling him to remain silent, so he had no choice but to control himself.
The Second Marshal moved his finger and one of the generals under him finally opened his mouth, "I would like to ask General Ling Xiao a question."
Ling Xiao raised his eyebrows slightly. He nodded and said, "General Lu, please continue." He wondered what the Second Marshal's faction was trying to do. Ling Xiao was not so naive as to believe that the Second Marshal would side with him.
"You mentioned that you believe our soldiers can resist for more than three weeks until the arrival of our reinforcements. Can you provide any evidence to prove this point? A miracle… is not enough to make us believe in you." The general of the 8th division, General Lu, suddenly said.
The Third Marshal's eyes lit up. He was afraid that the Second Marshal would stand on Ling Xiao's side because of his grandson. But from the looks of it, that might not be the case.
Chapter 867 - Surpassed!
This question instantly caught everyone's attention, including the First Marshal. He also wanted to know whether Ling Xiao actually had a reason to insist on sending reinforcements or perhaps he was just doing all this to save his own son. If that was the case, for the countless soldiers, he couldn't support Ling Xiao.
Ling Xiao looked at General Lu with a half-smile. How could he not know that the Second Marshal was planning on letting him take on the responsibility of sending the reinforcements? Although the Second Marshal wanted to save his grandson, he still didn't want to take on the reputation of being selfish and not caring about the lives of his soldiers…
However, Ling Xiao didn't think that it was wrong for him to think about saving Ling Lan. If he was going to heartlessly abandon his own flesh and blood, he would be considered a terrible father! He would be worse than a beast if that was the case.
Ling Xiao nodded at He Xuyang.Then, He Xuyang immediately sent the list of names of 250 Ace Mecha Clan to all of the communicator of each general and the hard drive of the mainframe.
Soon, the large screen in front of them showed all the names of the mecha operators in 250 Ace Mecha Clan, along with their mecha operating level, military rank, position, merits…
The reporters began to gasp in surprise as they continued looking through the list of mecha operator names on the large screen. They noticed that there were many well-known veteran mecha operators in the clan. Some older reporters had even once had the chance to interview some of them who had made massive contributions in previous wars. However after a few years of their rise to fame, these mecha operators who made countless contributions to the Federation for some reason had disappeared from the public eye, never to be seen or heard for the past few years. These reporters weren't aware that they had all gathered in General Ling Xiao's 23rd Division.
It was probably because of General Ling Xiao's position in the hearts of many. After establishing the 23rd Division, his public image was boosted significantly, causing all kinds of strong mecha operators to actively join in… These ace operators probably didn't even care that they would just enter a standard ace mecha clan, and with all that, they still wanted to follow in General Ling Xiao's footsteps.
All of the reporters looked towards Ling Xiao with passionate gazes. His expression became even more heated and honest as he continued to argue back. Back then, the Third Marshal had purposely put Ling Xiao up as an idol in front of the public and soldiers to anger the people of the Federation for his loss. After 20 years of building this idol figure, they had some lost control over him…
Ling Xiao's cold voice rang once again, "For this mission, my 23rd Division sent 250 Ace Mecha Clan to Planet Haijiao to be stationed at Base 013. The background of the members of 250 Ace Mecha Clan has already been shown on the big screen… These mecha operators are all outstanding and top-level individuals from all division. Many of them are even mecha operators who have already reached the halfway point of entering the imperial level. They have also acquired military merits and gained achievements for the Federation in the past. In the countless battles they had participated in, they never lost once. In terms of merits, we can clearly see that it is not the first time that they are fighting a battle with less military strength!"
After Ling Xiao said all this, he looked at all the other generals with a half-smile. "Generals, you're all probably very familiar with the top performers who had worked under you for all these years without losing a single battle, right? I, Ling Xiao, am very grateful that each general has helped me greatly by sending such outstanding and excellent ace mecha operators to my aid."
Ling Xiao said those words laced deep with sarcasm which made all the general break out in cold sweat. Back then, they had indeed used the name of helping 23rd Division to send those useless mecha operators to Ling Xiao, who had no clue of the truth of the condition those mecha operators. This series of dumping their burdens onto Ling Xiao forced him to create 250 Ace Mecha Clan which wasted the already limited resources they had to support those useless mecha operators.
Now, those useless mecha operators were once again brought out into the light by Ling Xiao in this setting. This made the generals feel like they were stepping on their own foot. After all, on paper, those mecha operators were indeed the best of the best ace mecha operators in the Federation. If they didn't send reinforcements, the billions of citizens of the Federation would definitely be angry at their ruthless decision. The soldiers in the military currently might also lose their morale to improve themselves if they see their own superiors abandoning soldiers who had more merits than them. What did they get in return for fighting to protect the safety of their country with their lives? As soon as something unfavorable happens, the soldiers on the front-lines would be heartlessly abandoned by the military…
Ling Xiao's move was without a doubt a disgusting move. Those mecha operators were clearly useless individuals with not much military strength. Thus, they shouldn't have the capabilities to hold on for three more weeks. However at that moment, they couldn't tell that truth to the public… The Third Marshal was regretting it somewhat. 'Why did I agree to have reporters join the conference? Now, I have no way of rebutting Ling Xiao's lie. Even if I was to speak the truth about those mecha operators, the reporters outside will definitely not believe me. They would only think that the military is refusing the rescue and is deliberately trying to make Ling Xiao look bad.'
Compared to the Third Marshal's worked up frustration, the Second Marshal, although knowing that Ling Xiao was lying, wasn't fixated on that. Instead, the Second Marshal wanted to know who could take the blame if things were to go wrong. As for the First Marshal, he instantly frowned when Ling Xiao used the members of 250 Ace Mecha Clan as his reasons. He could understand that Ling Xiao wanted to save his own son, but did not like the fact that Ling Xiao would lie and hide the truth for his own selfish gains. He believed that Ling Xiao wasn't the kind of person who wouldn't care about the lives of millions of members in the reinforcement group…
"Ling Xiao, although the mecha operators from 250 Ace Mecha Clan are quite strong, their numbers still just amount to a number for a large battalion. Thus, they don't have the strength to endure constant attacks from both the enemy and the God-Killers for more than three weeks." The First Marshal said calmly. "Do you have any other reasons to back up your suggestion?"
If Ling Xiao didn't have enough reasons to persuade him, he would not agree to send reinforcements even if he was to hurt Ling Xiao's feelings.
Hearing this, the Third Marshal smirked. He was willing to agree with the First Marshal because the First Marshal usually stood on the side of justice. He would definitely not blindly agree to someone even if they were of his own faction. Of course, this way of doing things was also the reason why the First Marshal could sit on the throne for all this time. He placated both the Third and Second Marshal at the same time.
The First Marshal's unexpected words stunned all the reporters. 'Does this mean that even the First Marshal doesn't support the idea of sending reinforcements?' The reporters all knew that General Ling Xiao was in the First Marshal's faction…
"Must all 280 million citizens from Planet Haijiao be abandoned? General Ling Xiao, you must persuade the First Marshal!" All of the reporters clenched their fists because of the anxiousness. They placed all of their hopes on Ling Xiao. These reporters knew very well that the only general that actually supported the idea of sending reinforcements was Ling Xiao and no one else.
The First Marshal's words made Ling Xiao's eyes flicker. He slowly stood up and put his hands on the table. He leaned forward with his eyes gleaming with concentration.
"Do I have any other reasons?" Ling Xiao smiled proudly, "Of course, I do. My main reason for sending reinforcements is because the regiment commander who is leading them, Ling Lan, is an imperial operator! He was just 21 years old when he entered the imperial level and he is also an imperial operator who surpassed my existence.
Chapter 868 - Ling Xiao's Son!
"That is not possible!" exclaimed the Third Marshal.
The First Marshal and Second Marshal both had huge changes on their facial expressions. Ling Xiao giving them such news had stunned them greatly. Privately, in the Flying Dragon Special Forces, there were also 21-year-old operators who had entered imperial level. However, this result was gained through combining all the resources of the Federation and using a lot of secret techniques to nurture these people. However, doing this would leave them with a lot of post traumatic stress and would also deplete their potential as mecha operators at an early age, with no possibility of reaching any higher levels.
However, Ling Xiao was clearly not talking about those types of individuals. Someone who had surpassed his existence meant that Ling Xiao believed his son had a high chance of becoming a god-class operator. If that was the case, no matter how many people the Federation's military was to sacrifice, they still have to pay the price to save this future god-class operator. After all, the three marshals knew what an additional god-class operator meant for the Federation.
"Wait, I remember the research department had come up with a theory. They said that the son of a god-class operator could never advance to the imperial level…" The Third Marshal finally spoke out what he was thinking about.
At that moment, the reporters watching in the conference room were still surprised by Ling Xiao's public announcement that there was a 21 year-old imperial operator on Planet Haijiao. Now, they were all dumbfounded by the Third Marshal's new statement.
"Did the Third Marshal just say the son of a god-class operator?" Wen Qilian grabbed a reporter she didn't know and shouted excitedly.
"Yeah…" That reporter also excitedly nodded as his body began to tremble uncontrollably.
"Ling Xiao's son!" Every reporter had an answer in their minds. This was news that was enough to shake the entire Federation. If Ling Lan was to actually advance into god-level, then they would create a new record for the human race for being the first father and son god-class operators…
On the large screen, faced with the Third Marshal's questioning, Ling Xiao said proudly, "It wasn't possible in the past doesn't mean it's not possible now, and it also doesn't mean that it will not be possible in the future!"
"My son Ling Lan could advance to imperial operator proves that the supposed research results are false. Then, how could we confirm that the results of Planet Haijiao's battle and future prospects are true?! Using only one piece of intel to determine the lives of 280 million soldiers. I, Ling Xiao, do not agree!" Faced with the Third Marshal's pressing questions, Ling Xiao actively counterattacked him instead.
Ling Xiao's words had proved Ling Lan's identity. He was surprisingly Ling Xiao's son! All the female reporters excitedly covered their mouths and giggled uncontrollably. 'It turns out the son of the handsome man is also a handsome man!' Ling Xiao's statement of disagreement also ignited the hearts of the male reporters, so the entire conference room instantly erupted with noise everywhere.
Ling Xiao's provocation made the Third Marshal's face turned pale. A general in his faction quickly tried to chime into the conversation. "Even if Ling Lan is an imperial operator, how could one imperial operator and a few hundred top-level operators hold on for more than three weeks?"
After those words were spoken, all of the reporters in the conference room became livid. It was just as General Ling Xiao had said. They also couldn't prove that Ling Lan's group couldn't do it. What would happen if a miracle actually did happen and they actually held on for more than three weeks?
Hearing this, Ling Xiao instantly straighten his posture with confident expression on his face. He said without hesitation, "Just from the fact that he is my son. He can definitely perform a miracle."
"Haha, Ling Xiao, you're too naive. You're going to take the risk of sacrificing the lives of millions of soldiers just on the grounds of him being your son? How are you going to take responsibility if your son can't hold on for more than three weeks and in turn making us sacrifice millions of soldiers on Planet Haijiao for no reason?" Asked a general under the same faction as the Third Marshal who was of the same rank with Ling Xiao. Using the fact that he was an old fart to mock Ling Xiao needlessly.
"If I dared to say it, then I will also take full responsibility. If my son, Ling Lan, cannot hold on for more than three weeks. Then I, Ling Xiao, will automatically resign from my position as general!" Ling Xiao angrily said as he smashed his hand on the table.
"Ling Xiao!" The First Marshal shouted, "Don't be impulsive!"
"Marshal! When you appointed me as the General of the 23rd Division, I was anxious and asked you the question on how to be a qualified general. Back then, you only said one sentence, and that was to care for soldiers as if they were my own flesh and blood," Ling Xiao said with reddened eyes. "I have always done everything in that philosophy. Ling Lan is my son and at the same time, also my subordinate. If I abandoned my own son, then the idea of caring for the soldiers as if they were my own flesh and blood would be considered a joke, wouldn't it…"
"Thus, as long as there is a sliver of hope, I, Ling Xiao, will not give up on any soldier in our military. For that, even if I have to risk everything, I will not regret it!"
"General Ling Xiao really is a warm-hearted person. He doesn't hide his emotional side. I believe that he can definitely love his soldiers like he would his own flesh and blood." Wen Qilian, who was usually strong-willed, had tears dripping down her eyes uncontrollably. After seeing the generals heartlessly sacrifice a portion of their soldiers for a so-called victory, Ling Xiao's words had warmed the hearts of all the reporters. Ling Xiao wasn't logical, calm and wasn't like most generals that they knew, but they felt that it was a great thing that Ling Xiao had become a general.
Ling Xiao's words made the other generals go silent. Back then, when they became generals, they had also said the same statement. However, when did they forget it? Or perhaps they had never taken it into their hearts in the first place?
At that moment, Qi Yaoyang, who was silent, coughed loudly. He first looked at the Third Marshal with an apologetic expression and then said, "Just now I kept telling myself to look at the whole picture and not put my own feelings into it. However, General Ling Xiao's words have moved me. My unfilial son would rather fight with me and follow the leader he followed from his childhood to the 23rd Division. Although this made me very angry, no matter how unfilial he was, he is still my son. This time, he and his leader, Ling Lan, are both stuck on Planet Haijiao… As his father, I can't abandon him. I also want to be a general who loves his soldiers like his own flesh and blood."
Hearing this, Ling Xiao snorted coldly, "Lieutenant General Qi, what's wrong with him joining my 23rd Division?"
Qi Yaoyang also snorted coldly with a look of disdain on his face, "Then, why don't you let your son join my 13th Division?" Ling Xiao took his son and still had something to say about it?
The two of them stared at each other, and a slight killing intent was sensed in the air. In the end, they both snorted coldly and stopped their quarrel. After all, at that moment, they were on the same team. They must set aside their differences and cooperate with each other for once.
Ling Xiao's words made the First Marshal have a change of heart. He turned around and looked towards the Second Marshal and asked, "Brother Song, what do you think?"
Chapter 869 - Flying Dragon Special Forces Move Out!
"The situation on Planet Haijiao is just as Brother Yang has said if we continue to be passive like this our defeat is inevitable. However, what Ling Xiao has said isn't completely wrong. We shouldn't say that Planet Haijiao is done for, just because logic says it isn't possible," the Second Marshal said slowly. Since Ling Xiao was willing to take on the responsibility of sending reinforcements, then he could just go with the flow.
The Second Marshal sudden change of heart made the Third Marshal livid on the inside. In the end, it was still because of selfishness. He knew that if a situation concerned their family members, these people would take this risk and put everyone else's lives on the line just for their selfishness.
Ling Xiao seemed to have been waiting for those words and replied immediately, "I've thought about the main crux of the problem. Marshals are just worried that if by any chance the remaining bases will lose on Planet Haijiao before reinforcements were to get there, turning Planet Haijiao into Hailiya's territory, changing the identity of the reinforcements into invaders, and would then face the assault of Hailiya's full military force, especially since it would give Hailiya a reason to have their god-class operator move out. If that's the case, I'm willing to take on the commander role in this rescue mission to ensure the safety of the reinforcements," Ling Xiao requested automatically.
"No way!" The First and Second Marshal almost simultaneously shouted.
The two marshal looked at each other. The Second Marshal made a sign to the First Marshal for him to explain first since Ling Xiao was his subordinate. Seeing the sign, the First Marshal promptly explained, "Ling Xiao, don't be impulsive. Going to Hailiya would require entering public sectors, and god-class operators are not allowed to leave the sectors of their own country. If you were to be discovered, we would be definitely be pressured by the Intergalactic United Nations. It might even cause a chain reaction in the neighbouring countries…" If god-class operators were so easy to deploy, would they still worry about the safety of their reinforcements?
"If god-class operators cannot be deployed, it doesn't mean that imperial operators cannot be deployed, especially since Hailiya was the first to deploy them." Ling Xiao already knew that his proposal would not be accepted. Every god-class operator from each country was under the watchful eyes of the secret service of each country. They couldn't just switch out and have someone pretending to be them, unless they leave behind their mechas and put on a disguise, similar to the latest land clearing mission… However, a land clearing mission was only a land clearing mission so it didn't concern the other countries. Thus, the secret services were relaxed which allowed him to find a time window to get out. However, now was not the same as back then. Not only was Hailiya putting tabs on god-class operators, other enemy nations were also doing the same.
The reason he brought up this proposal was to remind the three marshals and the generals that the issue they were worried about actually had a way to be resolved.
"You're saying the God-Killers?" The First Marshal's gaze instantly sharpened.
"That's right. Since we have proof that Hailiya sent out God-Killers, then if we send out the Flying Dragon Special Forces, it would only be appropriate. It would also conform to the promise that us humans had made in the very beginning." Ling Xiao's voice completely calm.
The promise was after one side invaded, the other side would be allowed to send out similar level operators. For example, if god-class operators were sent out, the opponent would also be able to send out god-class operators. This was why Ling Xiao couldn't move out. Once Ling Xiao was deployed, Hailiya would move and send out their god-class operators. This would turn this small war into a large scale war where it would only end when either side gets destroyed.
Ling Xiao's words made the three marshals think deeply for a moment. Giving up the 280 million citizens and soldiers on Planet Haijiao was not something they wanted. It was just that in such a volatile situation, they couldn't help but really consider that… However, if there was actually a way to get around it, they, of course, was not going to give up those people.
"I agree to send out the Flying Dragon Special Forces. It doesn't matter if they can't hold on until reinforcements arrive. We cannot just let the God-Killers do as they please." Other general agreed to deploy the Flying Dragon Special Forces to fight Hailiya.
The First Marshal thought for a moment and asked, "Does everyone still remember the first oath we made when we became a soldier of the Federation?"
Everyone's expression instantly became serious and they all stood up simultaneously. They placed their fists onto their chest and shouted uniformly, "Those who defy our country must be punished no matter where they are!"
"I still remember the oath from back then like it was yesterday. Hailiya's actions has clearly defied our country so they must be punished no matter where they are!" The First Marshal said without hesitation, "I agree to deploying the Flying Dragon Special Forces!"
"I agree!" The Second Marshal said.
"I agree!" The Third Marshal was also angry about the issue with the God-Killers.
"I agree!" All of the generals all agreed with this decision.
"That's amazing!" The reporters saw this scene and all clapped their hands. 'Those who defy our country must be punished no matter where they are.' was a statement that had already seeped into the bones of all the citizens of the Federation since the creation of it. Hailiya's actions had already angered all of the citizens and soldiers of the Federation. They were definitely not going to let Hailiya get away with it.
"As for sending reinforcements…" When the First Marshal spoke, all of the generals sat upright. As for the reporters in the conference room, they all had their hearts hanging high up in the air, as what the First Marshal was going to say next was the most important issue of this meeting.
"Agree, agree…" Many reporters shouted softly, hoping that the First Marshal would support General Ling Xiao.
The First Marshal's gaze suddenly turned to Qi Yaoyang, "I suggest that we use the 13th Division as the main force for the reinforcement. Other divisions should send starship teams and ace operators to fill in and let Lieutenant General Qi Yaoyang take command." Qi Yaoyang, who was halfway towards god-class, was the strongest mecha operator after the Federation's god-class operators. He had always been considered the 14th god-class operator of the Federation by enemy nations. With him in command, even if the situation was dire, he would still be able to protect most of the reinforcements and safely retreat.
"I agree!" The Second Marshal decisively raised his hand, as Qi Yaoyang was perfect choice to be the commander. As expected, the older one was, the wiser one gets. Everything that the First Marshal decided was definitely foolproof.
Everyone looked towards the Third Marshal. Seeing this, the Third Marshal couldn't help but also raise his hand and agree. His worries and concerns seemed to be not so important anymore after Qi Yaoyang was chosen to be the commander of the reinforcements. Although Hailiya was careful enough to not cause the Federation's god-class operators to move out, they still managed to accidentally let the god-like Qi Yaoyang off his leash.
Finally, the rescue of Planet Haijiao was approved. Included in the reinforcements was the commander, Qi Yaoyang, who was the strongest imperial level individual. After recording all of the news, the reporters finally satisfyingly returned to their news stations. Right as they were thinking about letting citizens know about these news, they received an order from the military. They were told to lock-down all information regarding Ling Xiao's son, Ling Lan.
When they received this order, the reporters could only regret that they couldn't share such inspiring information with the citizens of the Federation, but they knew that keeping it a secret was best for Ling Lan's safety. When General Ling Xiao became a god-class operator, he still couldn't escape from the plots of the enemy nations. If enemy nations were to know that there was a second generation 'Ling Xiao' in the Federation, they would definitely plan assassinations. Thus, this lock-down order should definitely be follow through. In reality, the reporters who participated in the conference all understood this. From when they heard this information, they knew that they would have to take it with them to their graves.
Chapter 870 - Going Home Together!
Inside the secret base of the Flying Dragon Special Forces, those with the qualifications to watch the live broadcast of the conference meeting were able to know first hand of the decision that the Flying Dragon Special Forces will move out to Planet Haijiao.
"Any thoughts?" The commander of the Flying Dragon Special Forces asked the 10 team leaders in the meeting room.
Brain One smiled, "I was just getting bored and restless. Going to Planet Haijiao to stretch doesn't seem too bad." The other team leaders all agreed with that statement. Truth be told, they did not agree with giving up on rescue in the beginning but luckily, General Ling Xiao knew the hearts of the people and spoke out the words in their hearts.
The commanding officer turned around and looked towards a corner. In the group of people over at the corner, two of the youngest members of the Flying Dragon Special Forces were sitting there, "What about you guys?"
Tang Ningyu thought for a moment and said, "I want to go see this Ling Lan." He wanted to see just how impressive this person was. General Ling Xiao had said that his son was an existence that surpassed him. However, him saying that was not enough to convince Tang Ningyu.
Mu Chaoran on the other hand just stretched and yawned with a sly look on his face as he smirked, "Ling Xiao's son. A real divine child. I think he is definitely interesting."
"If that's the case, then you two should follow everyone to Planet Haijiao," said the commanding officer decisively.
Not long after, all the leaders left to go pick their team members. Although Flying Dragon Special Forces was allowed to move out, they still wouldn't take everyone with them. They still had to leave enough people to handle emergency situations.
Brain One was the only leader who stayed behind in the meeting room, but no one asked him any questions, as everyone was already used to his behavior. Normally, Brain One would be the one to plan the plan of attack with the commanding officer. This time, he ,of course, would do the same thing.
After everyone had left, Brain One asked his commanding officer in a confused tone, "Chief, didn't you always protect Little Tang and Little Mu? Why are you sending them both out this time?"
The commanding officer said in dismay, "Look at how Ling Xiao treats his own son… If I keep protecting them, then they may be overtaken by Ling Xiao's son, leaving me no chance to ever pass Ling Xiao in this lifetime."
"Haven't you been left in the dust by Ling Xiao already…?" Brain One thought to himself.
"Ling Xiao only has one son, and yet he isn't afraid of sending his son to somewhere as dangerous as Planet Haijiao, so how could I lose to him?" The commanding officer was born in the same generation as Ling Xiao, and thus his limelight was overshadowed by Ling Xiao's shadow. So of course, he didn't want to lose to Ling Xiao in terms of a successor too. "Plus, Ling Xiao's son made those breakthroughs when he was in predicaments. It seems that difficult situations indeed could let someone break through their shell. I was too careful in the past."
He was somewhat weak in terms of heart. This was because he was depressed after a classmate of his died during a mission on Planet Azure. Compared to the Ling Xiao, he couldn't help but hate himself for not pushing to rescue his friend.
"All in all, I'm putting their safety in your hands…" Although the commanding officer made the difficult decision, he still asked Brain One to protect the leaders of the younger generation.
"Understood, chief." Brain One accepted the order given to him, and then he began to discuss the plans of the rescue on Planet Haijiao with the commanding officer.
Planet Haijiao had already lost communication with the Federation for more than three weeks.
In a dense jungle, a team of broken down miniature sized mechas were carefully moving through it.
"Regiment commander, is there really still a base on the east side?" They were a mecha clan from the middle sector who managed to get out with their lives. Now, there were less than 10% of their forces remaining with just a few dozen getting away with their lives.
"I heard the broadcast. It should right." The regiment commander still remembered that when he entered the east sector, the short radio wave channel suddenly started making some sounds, and after fidgeting it for a few minutes, he could clearly hear the broadcast about a base still holding strong on the east side.
"I'm just worried. What if it's Hailiya's plan to bait us into getting caught?" One mecha operator, who was following the regiment commander closely, became more suspicious as they got closer to Base 013. They were like birds frightened by the sounds of anything on their entire way to this location.
"It's possible, but do we have any other choice?" The regiment commander looked towards the staff officer who was kept alive by medicinal agents. In their mechas, there were also two heavily injured comrades. If they wanted to save their lives, they must go to the base for them to get surgery, so even if it was bait, they still had to go.
"The broadcast has been telling that they are fighting with Hailiya's forces using guerrilla warfare. As long as we endure for one more week, the Federation's reinforcements should be able to arrive… If you think about it, if it was Hailiya's trap, they wouldn't say something like this. However, it doesn't rule out the possibility that this is all a massive trap," said the regiment commander bitterly. "Now, we can only risk it all and try."
The mecha operators saw the location of Base 013 on their maps and were all in agony. Currently, not only did they lack medicinal agents, weapons and supplies, even their food was just raw vegetation and bugs. They had already reached the point of no return, so even if it was Hailiya's trap, they could only try their luck.
Similarly, on a narrow barren path, a Federation soldier with a tattered uniform was carrying a severely injured soldier on his back as he walked straight ahead.
"Brother Yu, I think I can see our regiment commander coming to welcome us," the severely injured soldier hung on his companion's shoulder and said softly.
"Nonsense. You're just tired, just close your eyes and rest, and as soon as you wake up we will be at Base 013." Although he was tired, he still didn't think about abandoning his comrades. When he heard his comrade talk about nonsense such as seeing their dead regiment commander, he immediately told him to stop.
"Brother Yu, you've already carried me while walking for three straight days with no rest. Thank you for being me, but… I can't keep dragging you down with me." Taking him like this would kill his only friend left in this world, as only the two of them had managed to stay alive from their mecha clan. If it was possible, he wanted to stand alongside with Brother Yu again, but he really couldn't hold on any longer.
"Our regiment commander has said before that there are no cowards who gives up in our Ten Commandments Mecha Clan. You can't let him down. Now, don't say anything else. You should be resting." Brother Yu was trying his best to give his comrade the strength to continue living while holding the tears in his eyes.
"Thank you, Brother Yu. I'm very happy that I could become a member of the Ten Commandments. I'm happy that I had met you. Now, please take us with you and return the Federation. Let's all go home together…" The voice of the soldier, who leaned on Brother Yu's body, became softer and softer. There was already a short dagger in his left abdomen. He smirked slightly, seemingly with no regrets… In order to give his comrade a larger chance to survive, he made the decision to no longer drag him down.
Seeing this, Brother Yu's dry eyes became red instantly. Within these past three weeks, he had mourned for one comrade after another. In the end, he still couldn't protect his last comrade. He was now the only one left from the Ten Commandments Mecha Clan… He lifted his trembling hand as he ripped off the serial number tag from the severely injured soldier's uniform. He opened the bag on his belt and a bunch of tags were inside it. It was a thick pile. There wasn't a thousand, but definitely had a few hundred… Brother Yu carefully placed the new tag with the other ones and put it back into the bag on his belt.
He was going to take his comrades with him to Base 013. They will wait for reinforcements together. Return to the Federation together. Return to the home that had given them birth and nurtured them!
There were similar scenes happening around Base 013. The soldiers who continued to live brought the hopes of their dying comrades. They continued to move towards the hope in their hearts…
Chapter 871 - Predicament!
"Chief, here is the list of all the refugees who has entered the base!" A second lieutenant from the logistics department gave a folder to Lin Zhong-qing.
Lin Zhong-qing took it and looked it over. He then frowned, "Did they pass the identity check of the mainframe?"
"These are the ones who have passed. Those that didn't pass has already been injected with restricting agents by the punishment squad," replied the second lieutenant.
Lin Zhong-qing couldn't help but be happy that Base 013's mainframe luckily had all of the information regarding all of the Hailiyan mecha operator on Planet Haijiao. This made sure that Hailiya's spies couldn't blend in with the refugees, making sure that Base 013 was safe from the watchful eyes of Hailiya.
Little Four was very pleased with himself, as this information was gathered from when he was still connected to the Federation's bases while he was scouting around the bases of Hailiya. It should be said that even the Federation's mainframe didn't have information as detailed he had stolen… acquired.
However, what Lin Zhong-qing was more worried about was not the spies. Instead, he was more worried about…
Lin Zhong-qing picked up the folders beside him once again. Inside it was the data that showed the amount of supplies and resources available in the base being in the red. The data estimated that these supplies and resources were only enough for two days. The energy, weapons and equipment could still be salvaged for a longer time, so they were fine on that end, but the food and water situation was dire.
Lin Zhong-qing picked up the folders and walked briskly towards the command center. When he entered, he saw that it was full of people speed walking around as if they were in a racewalking competition.
The command center was originally filled with staff from each department of the base. However now, only the regiment commanders of all the clans and the other higher-ups of the base were allowed to be there.
It should be explained that in the past two weeks, Base 012, 014 and 015 around Base 013 could no longer defend against Hailiya's military force that was 10 times more in numbers. They had no choice but to abandon the bases and retreat to the center location between all of them, Base 013. In other words, Base 013 had actually become a lone city in the middle of nowhere.
At that moment, many lieutenant colonels and senior colonels were standing around the virtual screens to coordinate their future. They were the people that were supposed to be on a break today. However, how could they rest easy in their quarters? So, they all went to the command center and helped in predicting Hailiya's movements, attacks and how to deal with those attacks.
The person in command today was Han Jijyun. In the past few days, he and Li Lanfeng switched with each other for the task of coordinating practice battles and discussing with the regiment commanders of all the clans. Although he and Li Lanfeng switched everyday, his face was still showing signs of fatigue. After the forces from the other three bases retreated to Base 013, the pressure on him and Li Lanfeng reached to the point where he almost could not bear with it anymore. This made Han Jijyun, who was a newbie strategist that had only come into contact with war for a short amount of time, have the illusion of not being able to breathe from the immense pressure. He felt he had already reached his limit. However, when he saw that Li Lanfeng still had fight in him, his own heart began to burn with determination…
This feeling of being unable to compare to someone else made Han Jijyun feel frustrated. It made him want to work even harder and better. However, the more he did this, the more he felt he couldn't compare to Li Lanfeng. With this mindset, even if they changed shifts, he still wouldn't be able to rest well…
Han Jijyun turned to look at Lin Zhong-qing. Lin Zhong-qing just pointed towards Ling Lan's office and asked Han Jijyun, "Is Boss inside?"
During this time, Boss was always running between the mecha hold and command center to give orders. Inside the base, all mecha operators who were elite ace or above and didn't have shifts would stand guard in the mecha hold, prepared for battle at any second. It was also these brave individuals who fended off Hailiya's probing attacks one after the other, not allowing Base 013 to fall into enemy hands.
Han Jijyun nodded towards Lin Zhong-qing, gesturing that Ling Lan was in her office. He then surreptitiously put up three fingers. Lin Zhong-qing knew that with the signal that there were three outsiders in Boss's office.
Lin Zhong-qing walked into Ling Lan's office and saw four people sitting in the living room area of the office. Other than Boss, the other three were the commanding officers of the Base 012, 014 and 015. The three of them were all smoking with very depressing expressions on their faces. They looked as though they weren't confident that they would be able to endure this final week.
Lin Zhong-qing saluted them and then walked in front of Ling Lan. He handed the folder to Ling Lan and said, "Regiment commander, please take a look at this."
Ling Lan opened it and scanned through it. She saw the numbers of the food and water supply and immediately understood the situation they were in.
She handed the folder back to Lin Zhong-qing and coldly said, "It seems that our prediction is right. Hailiya indeed wants to use those refugees to come to us to deplete our food and water supply."
"To be honest, in the second week when they crazily attacked our logistics supply convoy that was retreating, blocking off us from bringing supplies into Base 013, I had already though it would become like this." The commanding officer of Base 012 smiled bitterly.
"Plus, it is even clearer what they are planning when they would stop their chase when those refugees enter Base 013's territory," the commanding officer from Base 015 took a huge whiff of his cigarette and said. However, even though they knew about the enemy's plans, they couldn't just not accept the refugee soldiers. They were still not cold-blooded enough to abandon their own comrades.
"This Major Lin has probably sent over the data regarding the supplies in the logistics department. The situation is really bad, right? How many days can we hold out for?" The commanding officer of Base 014 looked towards Lin Zhong-qing. Lin Zhong-qing often reported to Ling Lan regarding the internal workings in the logistics department. Thus, these commanding officers had already remembered him by name.
"Optimistically, two days," Ling Lan said plainly.
"I had also predicted that there was only a few days left. Three days ago, when the food that was handed out began to decrease, I knew that the base couldn't hold out for much longer," said the commanding officer of Base 014. "In the past few days, the soldiers of the Federation who retreated into Base 013 have begun to increase in numbers. Thus, the pressure on the logistics department is becoming heavier and heavier… We have reached the predicament where we must go out to find food, and as luck would have it, the enemy is all around us… Now, if a group was to go out, they would probably get jumped on by multiple groups. The enemy plans on letting us rot in Base 013. No wonder in the past few days, there were only small assaults. Their intentions were to test us, not to attack us." If the enemy had used the same amount of military force that was used against Base 014, Base 013 may not be able to hold on for more than two or three days.
Ling Lan said calmly, "Not only that, Hailiya still wants to use Base 013 to catch more fish…"
The three commanding officers looked towards Ling Lan with confused expressions. They couldn't understand what Ling Lan was saying.
"If these soldiers from the Federation were to do guerrilla warfare around their area continuously, they would constantly be harassed and disturbed. Thus, it would be better for them to let them go and retreat into Base 013 for two reasons. One, it would deplete our resources and supplies much quicker. Two, they would be able to destroy all of us at once!" Ling Lan knew very well that if these refugee soldiers from the Federation were to actually hide in the corners around Planet Haijiao, it would be impossible for Hailiya to completely annihilate them without a few years of battle.
Chapter 872 - One Last Attack!
Ling Lan had another bolder thought. 'What if Hailiya is even more ambitious? Maybe they are trying to use Base 013 as a bait to lure the reinforcements of the Federation. Do they want to destroy the reinforcements too?'
No matter what, their decision allowed Base 013 to have some time to breathe. As for the problem of food and water… a cold light flashed passed Ling Lan's eyes. She must solve this problem. If not, her base would just internal collapse, turning them into helpless lambs for the wolves stalking them outside of the base to gobble up.
"Killing two birds with one stone." The commanding officer of Base 012 gave a bitter smile. The other party knew all their actions and schemed against them. However, there was nothing they could do. They could only accept it.
"If we want to continue resisting, we need to have ample food and water. These are two big problems that we must solve." Ling Lan's expression turned serious.
"But the enemy is all around us. Where are we supposed to find more food and water?" The commanding officer of Base 014 sighed.
The commanding officer of Base 015 suddenly thought of something. He narrowed his eyes as he asked, "Regiment Commander Ling, are you planning to snatch resources from our enemy's bases?" This was an impossible task as their enemy's bases were constantly heavily guarded. They wouldn't be able to sneak in.
"Why not?" Ling Lan replied calmly. Where else would they able to get food and water? Ling Lan knew that this plan was absurd but she must do this, even if she had to suffer heavy consequences, she must do it.
She was not someone who would wait for death. In order to gain the slimmest chance to survive, she would attempt the impossible even if she had to risk her life!
"If I had to choose between waiting for death and attempting one last stand, I'll always choose to fight one last time!" Ling Lan spoke her thoughts out firmly.
The three other commanding officers just stared at the ceiling while they smoked silently. Smoke filled up the room. Ling Lan's cold face appeared hazy among all the smoke. However, the determination in her eyes was like a gleaming light in the haze.
"Just like what Regiment Commander Ling has said, if we don't do it, we can only wait for death. I'll take the risk." The commanding officer of Base 014 extinguished his cigarette on the ashtray as though he was extinguishing his hesitation.
"I also agree!"
"Me too!"
The commanding officers of the other two bases finally made their decisions too. They knew that this decision might cause the death of thousands of soldiers but this was the only way more soldiers were able to survive and last till the reinforcements came. They must do this.
Ling Lan smiled slightly when she heard the other commanding officers agreeing with her. With the strength of her own base, she was unable to snatch enough supplies to feed 500,000 soldiers, so she had to collaborate with the other three bases. Since this was supplies for all the four bases, Ling Lan hoped that the people in the four bases would all participate and not let her base take all the risk. In this aspect, she was selfish.
After an intense discussion, every base decided to bring two mecha clans to participate in this mission. 250 Ace Mecha Clan sent three teams, team 02, team 03, and team 08 to participate in this attack.
The person-in-charge of this mission was the team leader of team 02, Liu Furong. The team leader of team 08, Han Jijyun, would be the adviser of this mission while the team leader of team 03, Qi Long, was in charge of guarding and being alert of their surroundings. At first, Ling Lan wanted to ask Li Lanfeng and his team to go for this mission. However, Han Jijyun volunteered instead and his attitude to go was resolute so Ling Lan decided to let him go.
These people break into different teams and quietly left the base through different paths. Base 013 had been sending numerous mecha operators out to patrol the surroundings so such actions didn't catch the attention of Hailiya.
After one day, all the mecha operators that participated in this mission left their bases.
At the command center, Zhao Jun looked at the cold-looking Li Lanfeng and said with regret, "Unfortunately, we can't go."
Li Lanfeng glanced at him and replied indifferently, "If you want to go, why didn't you volunteer like Han Jijyun? Why are you regretting now? You deserve it."
Zhao Jun pouted. 'Look, you are feeling angry because Han Jijyun snatched your mission, right? Why are you being so blunt? You look calm but in your heart, you must be fuming.'
" I want to but I don't dare to speak when I saw Boss's cold face." Zhao Jun felt wronged. Their situation was getting worse. The force of presence from their Boss grew stronger. He wanted to ask but after speaking with her for a while, he swallowed his words back. He really didn't dare to do it. Zhao Jun respected Han Jijyun. At least, he had the courage to voice out his opinion.
Li Lanfeng scoffed, "Look at you. You are muscular and bulky but deep inside, you are a coward. Useless."
"I'm useless. What about you? Why didn't you talk to Boss?" Zhao Jun was angry. Since Li Lanfeng's mission got taken away, why didn't he reject Han Jijyun when he had the chance to?
Li Lanfeng pursed his lips. Would he admit that he got stunned by Han Jijyun's intimidating gaze? If he knew that this was going to happen, he wouldn't have pressured Han Jijyun when they were discussing at that time. Isn't he just creating trouble for himself? After being suppressed by him for a long time, Han Jijyun finally exploded in anger and snatched his mission. It didn't matter that Han Jijyun snatched his mission but he missed a chance to fight alongside Ling Lan because of this!
That's right, their regiment commander, Ling Lan, sneaked out of the base too. No one knew that Ling Lan had left the base to participate in this mission.
Base Ailan of Hailiya was not the closest base to Base 013. It used to be on the second line of defense on Hailiya's side. Of course, now, it was no longer a second line of defense base. Most of the mecha clans had moved to the bases in front of them. Hence, this base became a half-defense and half-logistician base.
It was understandable that this base became like this. There were only a few bases resisting against them now, and these few bases were still able to survive because Hailiya let them. Many frontline soldiers didn't understand why their superiors made this decision but they still followed the order.
After looking at the map of the bases of Hailiya, she chose to attack this base.
Ling Lan knew that the bases around Base 013 would be heavily armed to ensure that they would be able to attack them anytime. To support these bases, they must get supplies from the bases behind them. That was why she laid her eyes on the bases on the second line of defense. She also asked Little Four about the conditions of the bases before the satellites were destroyed. Little Four told her that there was a natural ice cave below Base Ailan. This was a perfect location to keep all the food and water supplies.
This prediction was risky. If she was wrong, they would return empty-handed. Then, Hailiya would be on their guard after this so they wouldn't give her another chance to snatch food supplies. The survival of their bases depended on this mission.
Chapter 873 - Let's Be Crazy Once!
"Regiment commander, there is movement."
"Hide!" The instant the order was given, the bunch of mechas flying quickly in the air instantly disappeared from the air. They seemed to have practice this many times.
A group of patrolling mechas from the Hailiyan army could be seen flying towards their direction from afar, but since the mechas from the Federation hid well, nothing suspicious was discovered by the patrolling mechas. The patrolling mechas just did a routine search around the area and left.
When the patrolling mechas disappeared, a relieved voice sounded on the team channel. "Mecha operators in 250 Ace Mecha Clan have amazing battle skills and their equipment is impressive too. Their radar's range is wider than any special radar system made by the Federation. Furthermore, due to the signal interference on the radar, we were able to discover our enemy but they couldn't detect us."
Song Yiqing felt complicated. He didn't know how he should feel towards 250 Ace Mecha Clan and their regiment commander. He should hate them but…
Song Yiqing remembered what had happened yesterday night.
Just like any normal day on Planet Haijiao for the past few weeks, he was calculating the number of casualties in his clan for the day. As the battle got harder, even young masters like him were also sent to the battlefield by Ling Lan to help distract their opponents.
Song Yiqing finally understood what his grandfather meant when he said that he would truly grow up after experiencing the battlefield. He thought that during the past year of him being on the battlefield, he had already experienced everything he could on the battlefield. Now, he knew that what he experienced in the past didn't amount to anything at all. It was all because Du Mingyi was not as bold as Ling Lan. Ling Lan was willing to send Song Yiqing to the most dangerous place while Du Mingyi only let them out to clean the stage after they won a battle. They were essentially there to be the janitors of the battlefield, there to just kill some half-dead bugs to claim some merits.
After days and days of the war, Song Yiqing's thoughts of fighting for power diminished slowly. He finally comprehended the responsibility of being a regiment commander. It was not to win nor to gain honor. It was to ensure that his team members had the highest chance of staying alive.
Song Yiqing looked at the number of casualties today, his heart felt bitter. Although the people in his mecha clan were all people with special backgrounds who were timid, like to hide, and always ran away after firing one shot, he had been living with them for many years. He didn't feel too good when he saw the people he was familiar with leaving him one by one.
Suddenly, he felt the air turning cold in the office. He looked up immediately and saw a person with a cold aura sitting on the sofa in his office. The person was crossing his arms and was looking at Song Yiqing coldly.
"Regiment Commander Ling!" Song Yiqing gritted his teeth. 'He is a domain realm master so he always likes to appear so suddenly to scare him. This is infuriating.'
"Regiment Commander Song, are you done with your work for the day?"Ling Lan put her feet down and stood up calmly.
Song Yiqing threw the pen in his hand on the table and leaned back in his chair. He said angrily, "Regiment Commander Ling, why did you come to visit my 224 Mecha Clan?" He had a grudge against Ling Lan, so they usually wouldn't interact with each other unless they had something to discuss. Hence, Ling Lan must have something important to tell him when she visited him in the middle of the night.
"There is no food and water left in the base." Ling Lan went straight to the point.
"I know. Everyone's water supply is reduced recently and the amount of food distributed is also halved. Something must have happened." Song Yiqing was not stupid. When the amount of food and water supply changed, he knew that the situation in the base was getting worse.
"So, we must snatch food and water from our enemy's base," Ling Lan told him her decision.
"Are you crazy!" Song Yiqing was dumbstruck. He sprung up. 'Damn it, does this person thinks that the enemy's bases belong to him? Does he think that he can just walk in and take whatever he wants?'
"If I don't become crazy, we will all die." Ling Lan replied indifferently, "And I don't want to die. Thus, I decided to be crazy."
Song Yiqing's expression changed. He couldn't help but ask, "Have the commanding officers from the other three bases agreed?"
"They don't want to die too." Ling Lan's gaze turned sharp, seemingly able to slice through the air in front of her.
Song Yiqing got enlightened. If the other three commanding officers didn't agree, Ling Lan would have used some vicious method to force them to agree.
He dabbed his face uncontrollably with a small napkin and helplessly said, "Since you want to become crazy, do it then. Why bother telling me…" Song Yiqing suddenly realized something. His face turned pale. He pointed at Ling Lan then pointed at himself while he stammered, "You… you… want me…"
"That's right! I want you to go crazy with me!" Ling Lan calmly announced Song Yiqing's 'death sentence'.
"I'm not going. That's the same as seeking for death!" Song Yiqing shouted angrily.
"Not going?" Ling Lan glanced at Song Yiqing. 'This fellow always like to avert from risk.'
The growing malicious intent in Ling Lan's eyes made Song Yiqing's heart drop. 'Will this God of Death kill him if he didn't agree?'
"Ling Lan, the Second Marshal is my grandfather," Song Yiqing shouted, trying to remind Ling Lan that his grandfather would not let him off if he killed him.
"Stop shouting. No one can hear you. Have you forgotten that you are in my domain?" Ling Lan was speechless as she looked at Song Yiqing. 'She isn't planning to do anything to him. Does he have to look like a lady that was being bullied by a hooligan? Why is he so frightened?'
'If I want you to die, I won't leave any traces behind! You'll die quietly!' That was what Song Yiqing thought Ling Lan meant by her words. Song Yiqing suddenly felt a chill down his spine, ever since he met this bastard, Ling Lan, his image of this world had collapsed around him.
"What do you want me to do?" Song Yiqing finally knew that he had no choice but to do Ling Lan orders him to do. He slapped his face and forced himself to regain his composure.
"Help transport food and water." These people were bad at fighting but they were very good at running away and hiding. If that wasn't the case, Ling Lan wouldn't have chosen them.
Ling Lan didn't like to use a single criterion to determine whether a soldier was good or not. She always felt that as long as a person performed to his advantage well, he would be an outstanding soldier even if he didn't have many merits. She used this mindset when assigning work to her logisticians. Now, she was doing the same to 224 Mecha Clan.
224 Mecha Clan were not good at fighting. But, snatching supplies required good hiding skills and the instinct to know when one should run away. This mecha clan was the most suitable mecha clan for this mission.
"You are taking us away from the battlefield?" Song Yiqing stood up straight.
Ling Lan just scoffed at his outburst. Song Yiqing's face turned red. 'Fine, my mecha clan was not good at fighting. They would be a burden to other people.'
"After we attacked the base, you'll be in charge of moving the supplies. After that, don't care about anything behind you and rush back to the base. The other mecha clans will stop the enemies for you." Since she planned to let Song Yiqing bring his mecha clan out, she must tell him about her plans to clear him of his worries.
Chapter 874 - Create A Murder!
"Just stopping the enemies?" Song Yiqing noticed what Ling Lan said.
"Do you still want us to protect you all the way back to the base?" Ling Lan raised one of her eyebrows. "Merits are not so easy to get. However, this is your only chance to use your own effort to gain some merits."
After she finished speaking, Ling Lan moved instantly to Song Yiqing's side. She patted his shoulder and said softly, "Opportunities don't come often. You don't want to go back with shame, right?"
Before Song Yiqing could reply, Ling Lan started to disappear slowly in front of him. Then, she was gone. It was as though her arrival was just Song Yiqing's illusion.
Song Yiqing almost fainted from anger. 'This bastard just threw me a sentence that perked up my interest and then left without waiting for my response. I had never seen such an irresponsible commanding officer before.'
However, he was right. He didn't want to go home in shame. He wanted to stand proudly in front of his grandfather, his father, and those siblings who looked down on him.
Song Yiqing clicked his tongue. Just like this, he was lured into this crazy mission. Fortunately, that bastard still had some conscience. Ling Lan gave each of his team members a radar system so that they were able to hide from all of Hailiya's patrols. The journey was frightening but they managed to reach the first line of defense safely.
"Regiment commander, what should we do now?" They had arrived at their destination, but the person in front didn't know what he should do now.
"What should we do now? Settle down here and have a rest. We'll wait for Commander Ling's orders," Song Yiqing replied to the person angrily. They finally managed to sneak into their enemy's territory. Now, they had to wait for the news from Ling Lan's side. 'Are they able to take down one of their enemy's bases?'
As one of the regiment commanders participating in this mission, Song Yiqing didn't know which base Ling Lan was planning to attack. Actually, it should be said that all the regiment commanders didn't know which base they were attacking, only Ling Lan knew.
At this moment, Ling Lan, team 03 and team 08 of 250 Ace Mecha Clan were hiding on a leveled plain on a mountain not far away from Base Ailan. They had been here for almost two hours.
"Ailan is heavily guarded. The protective shield is also very stable. These are the observations we have noticed during these two hours. Patrol teams appear every half an hour. Each patrol team patrolled for one hour each. There are 24 mechas in one patrol team. The numbers never change and they were never late too." Han Jijyun had recorded all their observations during these two hours in the hopes of finding a chance to attack them.
"If any patrol team is late, the base might reprimand and punish them. We are unable to make use of the patrol team to sneak in." Han Jijyun frowned. He knew that the bases of Hailiya were heavily guarded but he didn't expect the security to be so tight. There was no loophole for them to make use of.
"We can forget about sneaking in." Ling Lan replied calmly.
"Regiment commander?" Everyone looked at Ling Lan in shock.
"I'll be in charge of sneaking in." Ling Lan pointed at a patrol team that just flew out of the base. "What you all have to consider is whether you all could finish these mechas off within three minutes after they moved out of the radar range of the base." They had around the same amount of people as the patrol team. It wouldn't be easy killing all of them within such a short time.
Qi Long narrowed his eyes as he started calculating the possibility of completing this mission.
Liu Furong brought his team 02 to meet the other eight mecha clans at the designated gathering spot. Only Qi Long and Han Jijyun's team moved with Ling Lan.
"Leave them to me." Qi Long clenched his fist firmly. This was a hard task but he couldn't disappoint his Boss. He must complete this mission.
"That's good. One hour later, your 24 mechas will disguise themselves, and I'll let this base's mainframe accept your entry request. Remember, there is only one chance." Ling Lan looked intently at Qi Long and Han Jijyun's team.
Ailan had become a logistician base but there were still many patrols here. There should be at least 20 mecha clans guarding this base. Once these mecha clans noticed any signs of an invasion, they wouldn't be able to get out of the base with the supplies. No matter how strong they were, they couldn't kill their way out of the base. Thus, Qi Long must succeed.
"After entering the base, kill all the enemies that see you. Do not let anyone have the chance to reveal your identity," Ling Lan said coldly. To ensure everyone's safety, they must learn to be cruel.
"I understand!" The team members of the two teams felt their hearts tightening. Their regiment commander's vicious words let them understand that they would face a brutal battle once they entered the base.
Ling Lan scanned them intently. She noticed that all of them were serious, including Qi Long and Han Jijyun. Compared to their team members, Ling Lan was more worried about Qi Long and Han Jijyun. She was afraid that they wouldn't be able to get used to this malicious style. However, they proved her wrong. She underestimated them.
Ling Lan finally felt at ease. She waved her hands and asked the two teams to carry out their mission. As they were leaving, her body disappeared slowly.
Qi Long looked at his Boss who was going to sneak into their enemy's base alone. He took a deep breath and ordered, "Let's get started!"
More than 20 shadows flew towards the back of the mountain. After some time, a group of mechas secretly moved out of the mountain and followed the patrol team from afar.
Half an hour later, the entrance of the base opened, allowing the mechas to get ejected out.
"There seemed to be mist today." One of the mecha operators felt that his windshield seems blurry today, so he complained about it.
"Isn't this normal? It's near the evening now. The light is not strong, so it's normal to have some mist. Don't forget what we have below our base." Another mecha operator wasn't concern about the mist. There was a natural ice cave under their base, so it was common for them to see mist around their base in the morning and evening.
"It has been really hot recently. I haven't seen mist in a long time though," the mecha operator said.
"Stop talking. Hurry up and complete our patrol mission so that we can go back and rest." Their team leader stopped his team members from jabbering any longer. They could get some rest between their patrolling mission but the high intensity of the mission made them tired mentally. The team leader just wanted to complete his mission perfectly. He didn't care about the useless weather conditions.
"Yes, team leader!" The team members didn't dare to talk anymore. They ended their conversation and focused on operating their mechas.
"Domains can turn invisible but traces can still be found. I'm still unable to turn completely invisible in my gaseous state." Ling Lan had realized that her gaseous state was not perfected yet. Or rather, she only managed to master her liquid state.
"Luckily, Hailiya didn't expect a domain realm masters to invade them. If they had installed energy level detectors, I'll be unable to sneak into the base so easily." Ling Lan felt relieved.
"Weird!" One of the logisticians in the mecha hold touched his head curiously.
"What happened?" Another logistician asked in puzzlement.
"Nothing. I might have seen wrong." The logistician couldn't explain his feelings too. He shook his head. He just felt that the air in the mecha hold seemed fresher today. However, when he noticed that his comrade didn't sense anything, he thought that it was his illusion.
Ling Lan moved around the mecha hold and came to the JMC office. Her body appeared slowly.
The female soldiers in the JMC office were all conversing happily. They didn't know that something bad was going to happen soon.
One of the female soldiers sensed something and turned around instantly. She saw a soldier who was not wearing the Hailiya military uniform looking at them. When the female soldier looked over, the person smiled at her.
The smile was enchanting. She thought that she saw an angel from heaven.
"Sleep." A soft and gentle voice sounded beside her and she happily fell into a deep sleep.
Ling Lan retracted her smile and the warmth emitting from body disappeared, leaving only frigid coldness. "Little Four, control the base."
"Yes, Boss!" Little Four immediately took the order and controlled the entire JMC system. Then, he controlled the mainframe of the base too.
Ling Lan looked at all the female soldiers in the room. They had smiles on their faces but in actual fact, they were killed as blood flowed out of their eyes, nose, mouth, and ears. In the past, the Federation experienced the JMC bloodbath. Now, she was recreating another JMC bloodbath. She had no choice. For the sake of the soldiers of the Federation, she had to do this.
"Let me send you all down. You come with nothing and will leave with nothing. Leave this dirty world purely." Ling Lan lifted her right hand and said softly, "Ice Blockade."
All the female soldiers turned into ice statues. Then, Ling Lan snapped her fingers. The ice statues suddenly exploded, turning into countless crystal shards that dissipated slowly as they fall to the ground.
Ling Lan looked at the clean JMC office. She turned her head firmly and left. She needed to kill more enemies within this one hour.
The massacre of Ailan was secretly in progress but the mecha clans positioned there didn't know it.
The commanding officer of the base was having a gathering with the various regiment commanders of the mecha clans. They were chatting and eating happily. To them, success was already in their hands, so it was reasonable for them to have a celebration.
"On the east side, only a few bases are still resisting fiercely against us. Unfortunately, the central command center doesn't want us to finish them off yet. If not, Planet Haijiao will already be ours." The commanding officer grabbed his wine glass and started conversing with the regiment commanders beside him.
"The commander-in-chief must have some plans that we don't know about," one of the regiment commanders said. He took a sip of his red wine and sighed. "I won't truly feel safe until Planet Haijiao became part of our country."
"Yes, we all know how tough the soldiers of the Huaxia Federation are. If we let them off like this, what if…" Another regiment commander remembered how they battled with the Huaxia Federation for so many years and felt worried.
"Stop talking nonsense." The commanding officer glared at them. They were going to achieve victory soon. If someone heard what he said, they would be in trouble.
"I'm sorry. I'm too drunk for my own good. Let's cheers for Hailiya's victory! Cheers!" The regiment commander knew his mistake so he quickly raised his cup and offered a toast to their country.
"For victory! Cheers!" Everyone raised their cups and toasted one another. The atmosphere turned lively again.
At this moment, a cold voice sounded behind them. "For my victory."
Everyone turned around in astonishment. A young soldier wearing the Federation's military uniform stood behind them. He had a smile on his face and a glass of red wine in his hand. He was raising his cup as though he wanted to offer them a toast.
"Who are you?" The commanding officer shouted in surprise. He regained his senses and shouted, "Guards, guards…"
The guards, who realized that something was amiss, rushed over. The moment they tried to reach for their beam guns, Ling Lan flicked her fingers. Then, the guards exploded and turned into a pile of blood and meat. The gruesome scene caused all the officers to turn pale in the face.
Ling Lan scoffed at the commanding officer. She said indifferently, "Stop shouting. It's useless. They can't save you."
By now, the commanding officer had realized that there were multiple thin strings around the room. There were even thin strings twirled around their bodies. He finally understood what had happened. The guards must have been turned into meat paste because of these thin strings.
The commanding officer was an experienced soldier, so he knew what all this entails. His face turned green as he said, "Domain realm master!"
'Why did a domain realm master appear on such a minor battlefield?' The existence of domain realm masters was like imperial operators. They were not allowed to enter a battlefield. However, this rule was just not written down in black and white, unlike the imperial operators and god-class operators who were forbidden to enter a battlefield based on the Human United Agreement. It was just a verbal agreement between the various countries. Of course, to prevent the invasion of domain realm masters, some more important bases had energy detectors installed. However, Base Ailan was a second-grade defense base. It was a normal base with logisticians and with supplies kept in it. Therefore, it didn't have such detectors installed. Hence, Ling Lan was able to sneak in secretly.
Actually, Ling Lan chose this base because by-passing its security was not too hard. She had to thank Little Four for this. Before the satellites were destroyed, Little Four had been looking through all the bases so Ling Lan knew the security level of each base accurately.
"Who are you? Why are you at our base?" As expected of a commanding officer. He was able to calm down quickly.
"Stop acting. Don't you know who I am?" Ling Lan sneered. She waved her left hand. The loose thin string became tighter. The officers got restricted by the strings so they couldn't move anymore. They wanted to contact their mecha clans but now, they couldn't because they couldn't even touch their communicators.
"You are really careful." The commanding officer smiled bitterly when he saw the dejected looks of the regiment commanders. He thought that the other party was young and unreliable so he attempted to keep him distracted with his words. That way, his subordinates would have the time to call for reinforcements. However, this young soldier saw through his plan.