"What?" He shouted back. 

"Run!" Lizeth fired her rifle at the holes in that building. She fired the rifle worse this time due to the fact that the Focus ability was in cooldown. Lizeth ran to Abdul's direction in order to save him.

Abdul noticed Lizeth who was running in his direction with a rifle on her hands. He pulled a pistol out of his pocket and closed the laptop. The shout noticed the insurgents and they shouted something in Arabic as they started engaging Lizeth. Dozen of bullets started flying from the hole of the building.

"Aaaah," a bullet found its way to Lizeth's left hand. She used his focus ability again to slow down time. There was five insurgent on the building. She flipped the 3x zoom on her scope and made a precision fire on the enemy. 

Still, one of those guys decided to bring the big guns. A PK machine gun. It gave sudden shiver down Lizeth's spine. She quickly aimed down sights at the machine gunner and killed him. Abdul was running into the car and started the engine. 

Lizeth went for the passenger seat and she pulled the window down to shoot at the insurgent. The focus was on cooldown. One of the insurgents picked up the machine gun and started raining down bullets at her. 

The bullets were raining down. Not to the car, but to Lizeth. She got shot in the torso and in the left hand. Abdul managed to drive the car away from that city block of Fallujah. Lizeth, the foreigner, was more shocked than Abdul since she only knew that IS had been destroyed.

"You said that IS had been pushed away from Fallujah," Lizeth shouted to Abdul for the bad intel.

"Yes, IS, not insurgents," Abdul tried to make a good reason, "C'mon, at least we have good intel."

"Good intel your head," Lizeth opened his IFAK and raised the sleeves of her combat shirt to treat her wounds. He opened a bandage and wrapped it around the wounds on her hands. Lucky for her, thanks to the bullet damage reduction, the wound wasn't as painful as she thought it would be. "It's better be worth it Abdul," Lizeth said.

"Don't worry. It's a dead drop that is supposed to be sent for the insurgents," Abdul said. Lizbeth just smacked her hand on her forehead.

"It's not from INIS?" Lizbeth narrowed her eyes.

"Yes. It's supposed to be an intel that will be transported to a country. We intercepted it, I will send it to Langley," Abdul said as he handed down the laptop to Lizbeth, "Could you send it for me Lynx?"

"Yeah, but could you let me see the INIS files? I need some Intel on this village on the south of Al-Qaim," Lizeth said as she grabbed the laptop and sent that file to Langley. Lizeth opened the INIS server through Abdul's laptop. It was a server with multiple files.

"Hmm, Abdul, which one is the file on Al-Qaim?" She put her hands on the keyboard as the mouse was pointed to the search bar. 

"Intelligence On The Stolen Russian's WMD," Lizeth typed that words on the search bar, and a folder appeared. It was a folder containing pictures and a PDF document. Inside the PDF document, there was a detail on the Russian WMD. The Russian suitcase bomb. The bomb was constructed during the Soviet era.

[Amar Al-Jamari Ibn Somali]

This is the mastermind behind everything that happened on [REDACTED]. Amar Al-Jamari, more known as Blast Amar, has stolen more than 200 tons of potential IED material on the town of [REDACTED]. Based on the Intel gathered, his location was still unknown. Intel suggested that Amar has another plan. Intel said that Amar has stolen a nuke from Grozny during the Chechnya war. 

The nuke was a portable suitcase nuke bomb that has the ability to level the entire city. The state of the nuke was unstable due to the experimental state of the bomb itself. It is advised to find this bomb as soon as possible. 

The bomb was last seen in the southern region of Al-Qaim. The village was located far away from Al-Qaim. It is expected that the area itself is quite inhabited. Tread carefully, the villager used to be a staging base of IS.

[END OF REPORT]

The bomb was a silver suitcase. The suitcase wasn't that conspicuous at all. The problem was finding that silver suitcase in a place as big as an entire city. It could be anywhere. Hell. It could be under your bed if the terrorist wanted to place it there.

Lizeth wondered how a nation as big as the Russian federation could get their nuke stolen by Insurgents. Especially when the nuke was an experimental one. Everything seemed to be too unreal if she wasn't a contractor. She was too busy with her laptop and she didn't notice that they had arrived at their next destination. It was the city of Hit.

"Lynx, we have arrived," Abdul parked his car on a town that had the same name as a verb on English. Lizeth switched her loadout to casual one which was her shirt with a shemagh. She grabbed the bag from the back of the car and they walked.

"Hit? Is this really the name of the town?" Lizeth asked Abdul as they walked on the street of that small town. Different than Fallujah, this town was more civilized. The citizens were walking like an ordinary person. The buildings in that town weren't expressing that the city was in a war-torn country. She saw that Abdul was greeting several people on the street by calling them Habibi or habibti. The people just smiled at both of them.

The situation of the city made her wonder, 'Why the hell the things I see in the news is only woman in burka when the reality isn't?' she smiled at a woman in her veil. Abdul and Lizeth walked to a house near the river of that city. It was a safe house.

"I know you're very tired. Here's the key to your room," Abdul said as Lizeth took that key and walked to her room. Abdul left her because he wanted to walk around the town.

When she opened the room. She felt a cold breeze hitting her face. The room was a room with a simple bed, an air conditioner, and a bathroom. It was comfortable in comparison to sleeping in the middle of the car. She put her bag on the floor and put off her shoes. She put her body on the bed. Comfy. She then fell asleep.

CIA. FSB. How can I be involved in all of this?

How can anything happen so sudden?

Is everything has a secret meaning nowadays?

Does the government always hiding something from us?

Everything went from dealing with street thugs to dealing with a conflict between the CIA and FSB. 

The clock is ticking. Got to find that nuke fast.
---------------------

This book contains a lot of technical terms.

A great mantle of darkness which light could barely penetrate consumed all that can be seen, and then a blinding flash of white, along with a furious growl, violent gusts, the relentless downpour and worst of all, the mud...

Each on their own wasn't something anyone should be worried or concerned about, but all occurring at once, it was another thing akin to being a hindrance, and to some a nuisance.

Especially to these soldiers who are only able to stay dry thanks to the weather covering of their ill equipped truck transport.

They were being sent to the front lines through this dense rain forest.

"Hey have you heard?"

One corporal asked the private who was his buddy.

Both soldiers were sitting inside the truck along with their other squad members, swaying and shaking as the truck hit bumps on the road on this dark, rainy day.

"What?"

"Gelo is being sent back home."

"Lucky, ugly bastard."

"That 'lucky, ugly bastard' lost his leg and three of his fingers."

"Well screw him, he's still ugly… and just straight cocky and a dick, good fucking riddance."

"I know how you feel about the guy being a prick and all, but still, those IED's man, the teams and dogs still aren't enough. The guy was fine and breathing one day, but now he is quite pitiful and useless." [Improvised Explosive Device]

"He was already like that even before blowing himself up!"

"I know right?"

Both men and their squad mates chuckled at the banter.

"Tch… You guys are one to talk though."

His thoroughly polished black combat boots were anxiously tapping on the truck's floor, fingers on his hands met each other while covering his mouth with his thumbs supporting his chin as he was leaning forward; there was no question that he was in deep thought.

The uniform he so properly wore was that of the Philippine Army's standard battledress for vehicle crews which had a camouflage pattern with tints of green, from dark to less darker ones, and brown through beige.

His long lashes moved as his eyelids flickered, it covered a pair of glamorous russet colored gems that glimmered what little light was present at the time.

He was wearing a black military beret with the Mechanized Division's insignia.

With the aura he was giving off, no one can tell what he was thinking at that moment, and only he himself heard what he just said.

"WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY?"

That was what he thought.

–––Shit, he actually heard.

Well, rather he was actually thinking out loud.

–––I better make something up so this doesn't go too deep.

"You heard what I said."

He answered back with an provoking tone and a stare that was in no way ever going to diffuse the situation.

–––What the hell am I doing?

"You asshole–"

The angry private was about to stand up and give it to him.

A banging from the front of the truck prevented things from going even sour.

"What's going on back there?"

The assistant driver asked.

"If you guys are going to make a ruckus, we'll let your CO's know, SO SIT DOWN AND SHUT YOUR SHITS BACK THERE!"

His threat was enough to put a halt to their fighting.

"Bah… I don't even need to deal with this worm anyway. You goddamn recruit won't even last a day out here!"

–––At least know when you're talking to an officer, you idiot!

His insignia remained unnoticed.

"Halt!"

The trucks abruptly stopped at the command of the lead truck.

"What is it?"

Their truck's assistant driver radioed the lead.

"There's something out there."

Out in front of them about a hundred meters away, at the center of the road within the rainforest, with visibility being very low due to the storm was some smoke.

It was a wreck of something, a vehicle–two vehicles, both of them being light utility vehicles.

One of them was armed with a machine gun, but the other wasn't.

"What the hell…"

They were surprised upon visual confirmation.

"By god… what should we do?"

"I'll have these boys dismount and investigate, have yours on standby in case anything happens."

The lead truck replied.

"Roger."

"O-oy, what's going on? Why did we stop?"

One of the curious soldiers finally asked.

"Some poor bastards've been attacked, so you boys stay frosty."

The truck's middle aged driver replied to the younger soldier through the slits.

"What–hey, do you see what's out there?"

Another soldier asked one his buddy who was standing peeking outside the truck.

"Yeah, looks like they're completely wrecked; the vehicles are still smoking!"

The convoy went halfway closer, then the first truck started dismounting its squad.

Everyone appeared completely on edge, even him, it was his first day in service.

"Any survivors?"

The lead truck asked the soldiers out in the rain through the radio.

"No, I don't see anyone… Wait…"

He saw something from the second Utility Vehicle.

"He-heeelp…"

Among the wreckage and several dead bodies lying around, a faint voice struggled through the noise of the wind and rain.

"We got a live one!"

"Great work!"

The soldiers from the second truck rejoiced  hearing the good news.

But he wasn't happy at all, contrary to the other soldiers' reaction, he just became more on edge.

"You three help me out! We might be able to carry him."

All four of them came closer to the wrecked utility vehicle, a badly wounded man was lying on his back at the back of the CMC Cruiser light truck.

"Hang on! You're okay, we got you! We're going to get you home!"

He told the wounded soldier.

"I-I, am…"

With all the strength he mustered, the wounded soldier did his best to speak up.

"He's trying to say something."

"What? What is it? Maybe he's telling us who attacked them?"

"I… am… home…"

"What?"

He looked at the badly wounded man and realized that while he was wearing a soldiers uniform, his appearance such as his face and a non-military pants, weren't necessarily that of a typical fellow soldier they were all familiar with.

His eyes widened, he gasped for breath as he knew right then what was going on.

"ALLĀHU AKBAAAR!"

The man screamed on the top of his lungs, holding in his hand a trigger mechanism.

"WHAT. THE. FU–"

A loud explosion drowned his voice and engulfed the rest of them, with shrapnels viciously obliterating the man along with the four soldiers who made the mistake of even trying to help him.

"What the fuck was that!"

One of the soldiers in the truck asked.

"Holy shit, they're all dead!"

From concealed positions in the flanks, a volley of automatic fire soon opened up on the soldiers who have dismounted from the first truck, making them the next casualties.

"It's a fucking ambush!"

"DISMOUNT! DISMOUNT!"

The assistant driver yelled at them from the front seat.

"GET INTO FORMATION!"

One by one the soldiers hastily went out of the truck, then it was his turn.

He was at the opening of the truck when all of a sudden, a familiar projectile came flying towards them.

"RPG! GET THE FUCK DOW–"

The rocket came from the flank and hit the truck's cab where the driver and the assistant were.

Needless to say they were no more and the truck sustained enough shock to make it shake and lift from the ground, which threw the crewman off the truck and onto the watery and muddy ground.

It was indeed an ambush, and while the achievement of complete strategic surprise was a success for the insurgents hailing from the southern, chaotic parts of the country, the opposite was true for the soldiers of the army–it was a disaster.

Feeling heavily disoriented by the explosion and being thrown off the truck forcibly, he picked himself back up, and ran for cover within a crater.

One of the surviving soldiers at the front was dragging another wounded back to their lines, the rest of the soldiers at the front were pinned behind cover by the assailants.

"Give them some covering fire!"

The corporal told his squad mates.

The second squad from the truck had reorganized and were now serving as a firing team for their allies who were in the thick of the ambush.

"AAARGH!"

The soldier dragging his wounded buddy got hit on his right shoulder blade with the bullet heavily impacting it, he fell on the ground and was in pain.

But despite that, he mustered all he can to recover and continued dragging his incapacitated friend, only to be shot further on his body armor which did not penetrate, but his luck ran out when he was hit in the neck and then the forehead from an accurate burst of shots.

"HEEEELP MEEEE!"

The wounded soldier was now left alone, calling out to anyone who might be able to help him in the middle of the road.

It was then that an insurgent used his grenade launcher to finally finish him off, his carcass flew nearly a meter off the ground, the other soldiers helplessly watched their comrade die in all the chaos.

"THE SONS OF BITCHES!"

The private yelled to the other soldiers.

"GIVE IT TO THEM! NO MERCY!"

"H-how are they able to attack us here? We're still a few miles away from the front!"

One soldier asked while he was in a state of panic.

–––They must've infiltrated from somewhere… that or they've been hiding and were undetected all this time.

He thought about it as well.

–––I have to calm down… I-I can't die… not here, not now, not this way! Anybody here can die first before I do. I'll kill or use any of them if I have to.

As he fearfully and selfishly thought about his own survival whatever the means, they were being heavily overwhelmed by the enemy's small arms fire, so much that they aren't even able to maintain fire superiority, and all the soldiers pinned at the front were already wiped out.

"WATCH OUT!"

One soldier from the craters yelled.

"GRENAAADE!"

A grenade that was cooked beforehand was thrown into the crater, near everyone else who was fighting with him, it killed the three soldiers including the corporal, and wounded a few others.

Meanwhile their squad mates from the right flank were distracted and got flanked, they then were mercilessly killed.

With his allies mitigating the blast, he was left unscathed as his alertness made him hit the dirt just in time.

The disorientation from the blast rendered him unable to hear for a duration, but that might have been a good thing, otherwise he would have clearly heard the screams of pain and agony of the incapacitated soldiers as they were brutally executed by their assailants when they still tried to fight back.

"Allāhu Akbar! Allāhu Akbar! Allāhu Akbar!"

The insurgents have won the battle and proceeded to yell over and over again.

"Is this all of them?"

Asked the insurgent who appeared to be a superior.

"Yes, just four of them."

His subordinate answered as the surviving soldiers knelt on the ground as they were rounded up near the road, including him.

On that gloomy, rainy day, the scent of smokeless powder, mud and blood can be easily smelled as they kept washing off from the cadavers of the deceased army soldiers.

The leader of the militants then loaded his assault rifle.

"Your blood will help fuel our cause."

"N-no, please! We surrendered! Don't shoot! Don't–"

He executed a recruit with his AK-47.

"Don't kill me! Please, I have kids–"

And another.

"I-I can help you! I'll sell out our allies, just spare me! NO!"

And another, each time, the bullets entered their heads or chest, crushing the skull or any bone it collided with, while blood and flesh were forced out of the exit wound, taking away the defenseless and defeated soldiers' very own lives and leaving their dead bodies barely recognizable.

"What's the matter,"

He asked the lone crewman before him.

"Aren't you afraid of dying?"

"Tch, fuck you… Go to hell."

"Unfortunately for you."

–––I guess this is it…

"That's where you're going."

He pointed his assault rifle towards the crewman's head.

–––I never would have thought it was going to end just like this.

Then an explosion burst, not from the firing of the gun, but from the bunched up insurgents who were caught off guard, the explosion killed multiple hostiles in one blow.

Automatic fire started raining down on the surprised enemies, and in mere seconds several of them were killed and incapacitated.

It was then his only chance, it didn't matter who was responsible for it, he simply had to take it.

And take that chance he did.

He lunged at his enemy from the ground, the ones who could attack him as he was strangling the insurgent was torn to shreds by accurate, automatic fire, the rest of the insurgents were now engaging the unknown threat.

Aki Pola was on his first day serving in the army and was being transported to the front lines.

His country was currently in the middle of a crisis–an armed conflict between the government forces and militants who have pledged allegiance to ISIL.

Tasked with meeting up with his new crew members on a dark, stormy day, his convoy was ambushed by ruthless militants behind friendly territory, which resulted to the army troops being brutally wiped out.

Just right before he was about to be executed, an explosion erupted and several militants were killed, automatic gunfire then ensued, mercilessly killing more of them, prompting Aki to take his chance and fight back against his executioner.

He soon wakes up under the shade of a tree, only remembering what happened so far, but not how he survived, and what’s more, there was something very different about the place he has awoken to.

Go out? 
This is impossible, Metternich is not stupid, at this time the enemy is waiting for him to go out? 
Don't try to explain, it is more likely that he just came forward and someone rushed to his death and caused the established facts. 
This kind of thing happened not only together in history, but most of it was brought by Spring and Autumn. Maybe it was hacked again and killed by angry people. 
If the explanation is useful, the political struggle is not so complicated. 
"Honour Prime Minister, order the demonstrators to be evicted, or the situation will soon get out of control!" It 
was Oppenheimer, director of the Vienna Police Department, who spoke of such a great incident, and he was under the greatest pressure. Many people in the government think that Metternich is gone, and at this time are preparing for the road. 
It's a pity that others can leave, he can't run away as a police chief. Once Metternich falls, he will follow suit, or he will be liquidated. 
Metternich wandered a few steps, and finally made up his mind: "Order the city defense forces to disperse the crowd!" 
Until his order came out, the situation outside was out of control. The revolutionaries in the crowd spotted the opportunity and fired a shot at the soldiers who were intercepted. Following the habitual reflection, the soldiers also pulled the trigger. 
"The army has killed!" 
After a loud shout, the crowd soon ran into chaos and fled. 
There is no need to disperse the crowd this time, everyone has dispersed. 
It's just that the aftermath is very serious. Except for a small number of people, most of them know that the army has shot and killed people. 
The revolutionary party that provoked disputes was naturally covered up. 
The angry people, at this time are being flickered to launch a revolution. The capitalists have found a way to raise some weapons, and at this time they also sent them over.
Some passionate youth were selected, the revolutionary armed forces were established, and the rebels attacked the police branch that night. Already turned to the revolutionary party's city government in Vienna, this time facilitated the rebels. 
When the revolutionary gunfire sounded, the situation in Vienna soon went out of control, and the mud could not help the wall. 
The remaining city defense forces deserved the name of their waste. After a brief exchange of fire, the timid aristocratic officer actually flinched and did not suppress the rebellion in the first place. 
The police in Vienna, because of the city's defeat, became blindly obedient and temporarily neutral. 
To a certain extent, this uprising was also a palace coup, and some of the nobles who were trapped in the economic crisis, at this time abandoned their class stance and stood on the side of the Revolutionary Party. 
They tried to reorganize the regime through revolutionary means, by the way, revolutionized the bankers and got rid of the debt crisis. 
History changed, the insurgents seized the bank and burned the debits as soon as possible, and the Austrian financial conglomerate fell bloody. 
Facing the chaotic situation, Prime Minister Metternich panicked, the nobles panicked, the Regent Committee panicked, and the Vienna court panicked. 
The February Revolution in France has just passed. They are still watching French jokes. They did not expect that the crisis would spread to Vienna so quickly. 
This is the second great revolution of the French. The previous time has severely damaged the aristocratic class. Serfdom has long been abolished and the privileges of the aristocracy no longer exist.
This is just the beginning in Austria. The aristocracy still has a lot of privileges and a lot of benefits. This revolution is clearly directed at them. 
According to French practice, they may be sent to the gallows, or they may be killed by random soldiers. Prime Minister Metternich has long been calm, and at this time he has nothing to do. 
As a qualified pan-knight, Metternich is the most abominable person in the eyes of the people. Once he falls into the hands of the rebels, it is how to die. 
A man in a tuxedo said anxiously: "Master Duke, the carriage is ready, let's go, it's too late!" 
Metternich was engaged in a fierce struggle in his heart. He knew that at this time he had become With the target, staying in Vienna is very dangerous. 
However, as a nobleman, he also had his own pride and did not want to be a deserter. As early as this morning, he sent away his family and left alone to deal with the situation at hand. 
"Hold, I ..." 
Without waiting for Metternich to speak, Hold responded, and gave full play to the role of a good housekeeper, commanding: "You guys, please take away the Lord Duke!" 
These The guards were all the ministers of Prime Minister Metternich, and the loyalty was not asked at all. At this time, everyone couldn't care less. 
Ignoring the struggle of Prime Minister Metternich, he was forced to stay in an old wagon and hurriedly left Vienna. At the same time, someone drove to the palace with his most commonly used carriage. 
Seeing loyalty in times of trouble, it is time for the noblemen's family members to make full use of it. Not only Prime Minister Metternich, but also many aristocrats chose to flee Vienna at this time. 
Now the only safe place in Vienna is the Royal Palace. Most of the soldiers in the insurgent army are still in awe of the emperor. They refuse to attack the palace and the Revolutionaries are powerless. 
Even within the Revolutionary Party, many people did not have a good plan to overthrow the Habsburgs. Most of them were actually reformists and joined the Revolutionary Party after despair of reform.
At this time, there were a lot of messy revolutionary armed forces, and they could not even establish a unified leadership organization, and they fought on their own. 
Most of the insurgents did not even have guns, and the weapons in their hands were as varied as if time went back to the Middle Ages. 
Many ordinary people have no interest in revolution. In fact, there is no market for revolutionary ideas in Austria. Many people dispersed after venting their anger. 
In order to strengthen its own ranks and to suppress the growing working-class armed forces, the Revolutionary Party desperately sought to pull people together. The insurgent army that had just started had undergone qualitative changes, and had become good and bad. 
For example, in the name of liberating political prisoners, all prisoners in Vienna prisons were released, and many of the most wicked criminals were transformed into members of the Revolutionary Party. 
Gangsters and insurgents also came out at this time to rob, kill, set fire, rob, and **** various flower-style crimes, which were continuously staged in Vienna. 
It was not the aristocracy that was hit first, but ordinary Viennese citizens, small businessmen, and the middle class. 
The dark night covered endless sin, and Vienna, an international metropolis, sank into the ocean of sin that night.

An Austrian revival road, a history of the habsburg family !! neither sacred nor roman nor the empire's holy roman empire has revived

O'Neil Andrew Morisette was born into the Divine Empire of Titan with a silver, no, golden spoon in his mouth. Having been sent to prison at the young age of 5 for being the perpetrator of the biggest scandal of Titan Imperialty, he launched his political career after his release. He could be the Emperor's favorite minister, the Princess's husband, a Prince of the Divine Empire of Titan, or a marshal with tens of thousands of soldiers, but which persona will he choose to identify with?

This is a story of choices, of intrigue, of love. Will O'Neil Andrew Morisette bow to his fate, or will he entangle himself in romance? Where does his destiny lead, and what changes will he bring to the strongest empire in Westland?

Earlier in the middle of July, I have been suddenly summoned from my family's humble cottage in Remoiville by the Ministry of War to join the fray— the Great War, I mean— and I have also suddenly departed despite the protests of my dear parents. It wasn't something a country boy like I could will, really. I still keep the calendar page of the day I left in my pocket-watch, the thirteenth of July. After a brief week of training and a brief show-off of my typical country boy's riding skills, I was given a cavalry uniform— coat, kepi and all— and a position as a general's adjutant.

I had to check it once more or twice to be sure I didn't just hear things and I didn't just write nonsenses above. It all seemed like a dream, or a joke, really; a country boy got assigned to be adjutant for a general on his first day! It would be more believable if my higher-up was a major or someone around that rank, but a general? Why would anyone even choose a fresh chevalier to be the adjutant of a general, who had that mental idea? Yet, it all made sense later, when I finally met my assignment.

On a beautiful morning at the end of July, we the fresh batch of chevalier went on our first march to the battlefield. Because we were told that our commander had some business to finish at the moment, as his adjutant, I got to ride at the lead. To be frank, I haven't even known who was the person at the command, just the name and rank, and I reckoned I heard both wrong myself; I believed our commander was some general of the cavalry named Antoine de Beaudelaire, who was later confirmed to... not exist, but still, I was close. It turned out that everyone around mistook our commander for that fictional general, because it was, oddly enough, sounded more sensible than the actual person our commander was.

Somewhere between Le Cateau and the Belgian borders, we were stopping for a little break, letting the horses graze and brewing some coffee; I took a few moments here to jot a few words down this journal. As inexperienced as we are, somehow we managed to get close to one of the frontiers in Mons. Our commander, as we've heard, was not someone who should be active on the battlefield; he was more like a military advisor rather than a military commander, but still, there's the brigadier of the cavalry in the name. Amidst the brief silence of the northern countryside, hurried gallops from afar stirs our peaceful morning break. Whoever that is stops right at the lead of our resting formation, rests their steed and sits down amongst us for coffee. They wear the cavalry uniform like all of us, but replaced the blue kepi for a black fedora and also don a trench-coat to mitigate the chilly weather of Northern France's autumn.

"One more coffee for the newcomer please, Monsieur Adjutant."

At the moment I have no idea if my ears were hallucinating or not, because this person's voice sounds distinctly feminine, albeit it has gone a little raspy with age. Somehow, a middle-aged woman was able to join this cavalry brigade and no one has anything to say yet. I just can't imagine what our commander will scream into our ears if he learns of this. I hear chatters around, plotting to remove this unfitting chevalier from our ranks in order to avoid rumours and additional suspicions. Personally, I care not; the commander can see into this once he catches up with us.

"Apologies for arriving a little bit late, gentlemen, I had some business to finish in Reims. Not a military business, I would say, it was more like a personal affair. Well, please tolerate my eccentricity because I reckon you gentlemen would hear more confessions from me as we follow each other throughout the Western Front till the end of the war..."

The beldame then takes her fedora off to dust the dirt and gunpowder collecting on the fabric from whatever her last journey was. She did not cut her hair short when she joined the cavalry, but tied it into a loose bun which she tucks under her hat, and it falls gracefully down to rest against the nape of her neck as she takes down the dusty fedora. Almost all men around are aghast because a woman is sitting amongst us, wearing our uniform no less! However, few dare to vocally express it for we've just noticed her rank insignia on her coat.

This beldame is a brigadier general.

I gingerly put the pen and the journal down and pour her some coffee as requested, innerly worrying if I did anything wrong. The others are probably sweating themselves dry as a cactus, because we most certainly have just done something wrong. To be frank, we've been getting everything wrong since the beginning, or, since I received the assignment. 

And thus, the beldame goes with us to Mons, Belgium and stays with us for the night. It means literally what I describe, she doesn't come to the general's quarters, but dozes off on one of the couches we have in our barracks. Next morning, we see her again; this time with proper greetings.

The beldame greets us just before we depart to the frontline, carrying our cavalry brigade's standard and commander's sabre. She personally walks to the lead of the formation once all men have mounted, looks at each and everyone of them in the eyes and offers them a good morning. At the first encounter, we've known this is the commander we will come to love and be allegiant to. How often does anyone see a cavalryman regards his general like his own mum, let alone a whole brigade feeling the same thing!

"Brigadière Annatoire de Beaudelaire of the cavalry here, and I shall be your commander on the battlefield. Our duties prioritise reconnaissance, thus I request you to not initiate skirmishes, unless the Germans attack first, and remember to put the civilians' life before your own should we get involved in combat."

If there is something I must ingrain deeply within my mind thenceforth, it should be these words. A general amidst a war ordering her men to not offend, but defend, what a jewel! And before I realised it, we have become notorious as cavalrymen who would willingly sacrifice our lives not to the good of France, but for the sake of our commander. I believe it is the least we could do as chevaliers in this brigade, and as repayment to fate for having bestowed upon us such an one-of-a-kind brigadière.

Hopes, dreams, beliefs and loves, treasures of a mortal man all were crushed since that fateful day. Heeding the call of Marianne, one day I left behind my weeping mother, my distraught father, my dear cottage and my darling sweetheart, embarking into this so-called Great War as a chevalier. Tears, blood and bitter rains made those four years an arduous eternity. In this journal contained the entirety of the most earnest soul and heart of a young cavalryman, who at many occasions since that fateful day had nothing but one wish: to live long enough that he may be able to read these hastily scribed tales of a time long passed to his children.
 And he did.
 In honour of the Seventh Cavalry Brigade’s standard-bearing and wine-smuggling commander, whose sacrifices made the survival of this journal and its writer possible.

As the sharp and terrifying fiery battle qi flashed across the air with rain in the courtyard, the first batch of over 10 dare-to-die fighters was shattered into flesh. 
In the clanks, those dare-to-die fighters' sabers and swords fell onto the ground. In the rain, the entire courtyard was paved with a scarlet carpet as a dense bloody smell started to suffuse in the courtyard. 
With a faint, contemptuous smile, Elder Brother Huang drew back his hands as he said, "Fireflies dare scramble for brilliance with the moons. I'm really moved by these allegiant dogs of Zhang Taixuan!"
After throwing a glance at that colorful spiritual butterfly flying above his hand as he faintly frowned, "Zhang Taixuan has been here; however, he's already left. It seems that he's returned to Youzhou Province, will we..."
"Let him go. We will catch him sooner or later!" Elder Brother Huang said with a flash of cruel look, "Now that Zhang Taixuan came to such a hidden place stealthily, there must be something important here. Let's search for it!"
After hearing his words, the other two people nodded as they all entered the chateau for an investigation.
With the guidance of that mutated soul-chasing spiritual butterfly, the three people soon found the tunnel leading to the underground space. After that, they killed all the dare-to-die fighters on the way in an overwhelming way. 
Zhang Tie had not seen the three people before. Now that they followed closely after Zhang Taixuan here, they must be here for Zhang Taixuan. 'That's weird!'
However, as Zhang Tie was not sure whether the three knights were enemies or friends, even though he continued to pretend to be in a coma, Zhang Tie would not do that with his original body. When the three arrivers started to kill people in the tunnel, Zhang Tie had already started to move.
Zhang Tie opened his eyes at once. He then sat up and pointed at his forehead with his finger. Closely after that, a light shot out of his forehead as he had triggered his body separation secret skill. Another Zhang Tie almost appeared in front of him in a split second. The new one was still a shadow at the beginning. Gradually, it lengthened with wind and turned into another living Zhang Tie immediately. 
After the battle above Weishui River, although Zhang Tie was severely injured and couldn't run his spiritual energy, he had already hoarded Yan Feiqing's spiritual energy with the excuse of using her spiritual energy to look into his injuries after waking up in Xuanyuan Hill. Zhang Tie had long produced an immortal rune of master-level mirror body separation and could call out another substitute at any time. This substitute could save Zhang Tie's live at the critical moment, which was even more useful than a heavenly demon knight. Therefore, Zhang Tie dared leave Iron-Dragon Sect to inspect those refugees and bid farewell to his three senior sister apprentices.
This trump card was a secret. By contrast, if Zhang Tie took some knights as his bodyguards at any time, it meant that he had not fully recovered. A divine dominator didn't need any help at all.
Zhang Taixuan knew that Zhang Tie had not fully recovered; therefore, he set a trap. Nevertheless, Zhang Tie had so many amazing secret methods. As long as Zhang Tie woke up and recovered his awareness, Zhang Taixuan's means would be meaningless for him.
Zhang Tie's substitute also carried his awareness. The substitute was naked all over. Watching Zhang Tie, it shook his head as he sighed, saying, "What a pity!". After saying that, the substitute gazed at the Dragon Binding Shackle as it put its hand on the shackle and drew a bizarre rune. When that rune covered the Dragon Binding Shackle, the substitute activated its ability as a divine dominator. As a result, the Dragon Binding Shackle was opened quietly in less than 1 second as Zhang Tie's substitute was also in the realm of an immortal craftsman.
Zhang Tie had his substitute put on his clothes in a split second. After that, his substitute put on the Dragon Binding Shackle itself before lying on the ground and pretending to be in a coma while Zhang Tie's original body returned to Castle of Black Iron.
The entire process was completed in a few seconds.
After Zhang Tie finished doing all this for almost half a minute, that iron gate above the underground space was pushed open again from outside.
That middle-aged fighter showed up once again with a pale face in a flurried way. After pushing open the iron gate, he didn't go downstairs; instead, he directly jumped off and strode forward to Zhang Tie's side. Closely after that, he lifted Zhang Tie up from the ground and put Zhang Tie in front of him. Then, he waved his arm while a pineapple-sized alchemist's bomb appeared in his hand. He then put the bomb close to Zhang Tie and his own head as he roared towards the iron gate, "If anyone of you dares move, I will press down the switch at once. As long as I lose my hand, this alchemist's bomb would be detonated at once. I will die together with you..."
Two people of the three abruptly widened their eyes when they saw Zhang Tie.
"Immortal Qianji..."
"Zhang Tie..."
The two shadow knights exchanged a glance with each other full of shock as neither of them had imagined that they could see Zhang Tie here.
At the sight of the Dragon Binding Shackle, the two people had known what happened. However, being abducted by a person below knight with eyes closed, Zhang Tie didn't appear good.
The two people exchanged a glance with each other before walking downstairs slowly.
"Leave here, leave here..." that dare-to-die fighter roared out of mind as his eyes turned bloody, "As long as any one of you dare touch the ground, I will die with Zhang Tie..."
The two shadow knights stopped on the last step.
"No need to be that radical!" the shadow knight surnamed Huang persuaded him calmly.
When that shadow knight surnamed Huang spoke, a semi-transparent finger-nail-sized spider climbed out of the sleeve of the Immortal White Bone behind him and jumped into a shadowy area over 7 m away as fast as a lightning bolt.
"Cut the crap. Leave out of here, leave out of here..." that middle-aged fighter kept roaring.
"Put down the bomb. We would pay you 10 times more than that Zhang Taixuan could..."


After the Catastrophe, every rule in the world was rewritten.
In the Age of Black Iron, steel, iron, steam engines and fighting force became the crux in which human beings depended on to survive.
A commoner boy by the name Zhang Tie was selected by the gods of fortune and was gifted a small tree which could constantly produce various marvelous fruits. At the same time, Zhang Tie was thrown into the flames of war, a three-hundred-year war between humans and demons on the vacant continent. Using crystals to tap into the potentials of the human body, one must cultivate to become stronger.
The thrilling legends of mysterious clans, secrets of Oriental fantasies, numerous treasures and legacies in the underground world — All in the Castle of Black Iron!
Written by Drunk Tiger, this novel is a prime example of fantasy steampunk. Let us journey through the world of limitless possibilities and inventions together!
------
**Warning: This novel contains mature content**


Year 2039, Day 16, September. 

20 miles east of Allogny, France. A squad of 10 highly trained soldiers of the French Special Forces,  equipped with modern techs, slowly moved through the forest. Each of them had a Heckler & Koch XM8 advanced on their hands and Night Vision Goggles on their eyes as it was night time. They moved very quietly and each step they took was carefully proceeded.

12 hours earlier, the French Union received an information about an insurgent group intruded into their country from the CIA. Even though the information couldn't be accurate, it wouldn't hurt to check it, so they sent one of their best team as the information said that these guys are not your regular terrorists! They are highly skilled and equipped with advanced weaponry and techs, or so the CIA said. 

The team of French Special Force or FSF, lead by first lieutenant, Gabriel Adams, was deployed for the mission. His team was known to be one of the best in the FSF. They never miss their mark and dished out a lot of guys who planned to attack their country.

His instincts told him that this raid is rigged as the information was clearly not sufficient, but he still took the job as if it was true, then there is a chance of a possible terrorists attack! They couldn't let that happen.

They were staying low while moving forward. "lieutenant, don't you think this is weird?" one of the men asked. Gabriel said, "Think so? This could be a trap for all we know!". Another one asked, 'Why think that way LT?". He bitterly smiled and said, "There is an 80% chance that we won't be going home, that's why".

His men were shocked. Till now, they have fought many times, even with other countries forces and their Lieutenant, who is an iron hearted man, never worried about anything! But now, he's saying that they won't leave here alive, that's preposterous!

Another one of their men suddenly said with a serious voice, "Do you not trust us LT?". Gabriel smiled again as he said, "Its not that I don't trust you, its that this whole mission seems rigged". 

The men were confused so they looked at each other as they stopped their advance and looked at him. Gabriel knew that he had to disclose what he know or it might get them into trouble without getting prepared for what's going to come. He stopped and said, "Don't you all think its all just.....strange?". The men just looked at each other, then looked at him, waiting for his answer.

He then said, "CIA is such an informed intelligence organization and yet they didn't provided us with sufficient information like, which organization these insurgents were from or how many of them are there or what type of weaponry they posses, but they gave us their location, this is actual Connerie¹!".

They now realized the fact behind it. This is more like a setup! They gave the location of the insurgents, they said they were armed and skilled, yet they didn't provide anymore information and disclosed that they couldn't find anything about their number or which organization they are from. Now all the piece are coming together. This raid is f*cking rigged!

They are about to decide weather or not to move forward, the comm sounded, "Lieutenant, what happened? Why are you not proceedings forward?" it was their Colonel.

Back at the base, Colonel Luigi was standing before the monitor screen and was waiting anxiously for the reply from Lieutenant Gabriel. Ever since he heard that there were insurgents, who sneakily intruded their country even though they had a tight security, still managed to pass through with no problem. He was racking his brain that all of his brain juice would flow out through his ears and nose. To pass through that tight security means these guys must be skilled as the information from CIA said or the security must be sleeping! There is no other way for them to get into France! Even if they came through the border, the border patrol force would shoot them at sight and then ask questions.

France is a strong nation that can stand on its own. Even though they suffered heavily in the two world wars against the Germans, they are still a nation with strong military to defend themselves well. If any come through the border without permission, they are considered as a threat and immediately shot at sight. So such a county actually let insurgents into their territory means a great insult to them.

So when the CIA told them this, they immediately sent one of their best teams to dish out the insurgents, but now, they are not moving and was talking to each other with no care at all! When they get back, they will have a earful of words from him! 

He was waiting for a reply and it came immediately without delay, "This is Lieutenant Gabriel, Sir! This raid doesn't seem right to us, this is probably rigged" Gabriel said. Luigi raised his eyebrow as he did not expect such answer. The technicians on the control looked at him. He know that if he is saying that this raid is a trap, then there's is a 90% chance it is.

He wants to cancel this very much so, but what if those insurgent group attack one of their cities? What if they bomb one of their attraction centers and kill hundreds? These questions were playing over and over inside his head. All he can do is trust his men and trust, that they can take these guys down. He said to them on the mic, "This could be one as you suspect, but we can't leave if there were really a insurgent group and they plan on attacking us? What will we do when hundreds of innocent lives die just because we thought that one single mission was rigged? Now I want to cancel this more than you guys but, I don't want to think about the result of it! Its your call Lieutenant, do what you feel is right and I'll respect it".

On the other side of the comm, inside the forest, all the ten of them heard the Colonel. They know that this is a heavy decision to make. One they turn back and risk the chance of getting attacked. Second, they proceed forward and there is a chance of them never going home again or going home with a win and make sure the safety of those innocents. They all looked at Gabriel, he is their Lieutenant, their leader! They will accept whatever he says cause they had been through life and death situations together and came back alive. If this is the first time they are gonna lose or win at the cost of something, they will take it down or take it down with them!

Gabriel stayed silent, he want to make sure that the innocent people are safe and at the same time he wants his men, who were willing to follow him to death! He know it is a hard choice, but he want both. He finally spoke, "My mama once said..."Son, if you are going for it, then go high or go home" I'm not going home! I'm going high!" the men all smiled and so did the Colonel at the base. Gabriel then said to the comm, "Sir, the mission will proceed as planned! We will take down those Baiseurs de mère² or go down with them! Gabriel out!" he then cut off the comms. Gabriel looked at his men.

They all looked serious and their resolve was strong. They will follow their leader even if its death, if they could ensure the safety of innocent lives and the safety of their country, its worth it.

He put on the Night Vision Goggles(NVG) and the rest of them did the same. He said, "Longue vie à la France³!". The others also said the same in unison, "Longue vie à la France!". They then proceeded forward towards their target.

Inside that same forest, 200 meters away from the FSF team in the direction they are headed, two figures are staying low and watching the movements of the FSF team. Both of them were wearing black and black outfit that blends really well in the night. They have the high tech equipments that is enough to put the FSF unit's equipment to shame. One of them was holding a AWR-17 sniper rifle which had a silencer attached to it with a movement detect/thermal detect type-2 times 8 CQBSS scope on top of the rifle. The other one was looking at them with a M830r 8x30r binoculars with thermal/night vision. He had a AUG A5 on his back, which is the now advanced version of AUG A3.

The one with the sniper said, "Aww, will you look at that? Ain't that sweet? Now I feel like not-shooting these guys, what do you say, Tom?" and turns out the one with the sniper rifle is a girl. Her voice was cute, only if she wasn't holding a sniper rifle, she would be a normal High schooler type.

Her teammate named Tom said while observing their "targets" and without even looking at her, "Stop whining and snipe them, shoot when we get the go". She said with a smile, "Yeah yeah, roger that, even though you got a beauty at your side and you don't even bat an eye..... oh! Could it be your into men?" a fist hammered down on her head, "Ouch!" she whined. "Jerry, could you please focus? These guys or not the regular strike force, they are FSF and one of the best teams in it! So concentrate! There, 180 meters and closing" he went back to looking on the binoculars.

180 meters away, the team was closing in. They were looking in every known direction for signs of movement, but it was dead quiet, which scared them even more! There was not even a single sound! Not even the sounds of insects or owls, just the night breeze.

Suddenly, all their comms sounded at the same time, "FSF team "Riots" of France, you are kindly asked to stop where you are and turn back, we do not want to harm you or anyone, but we will take you down if you don't take us for granted and move one step forward, please think before you act as we do not want to spill any blood and end this in a peaceful way" the transmission ended. One of them shouted, "Gabby! What the heck was that!? How did they talk to us!? They couldn't possibly have our frequency channel! Then how!?". The one called Gabby sat down and was scrambling on his Weblink, a bracelet type computer which could be taken anywhere, anytime, with eaze like taking a bracelet, mostly used by the military. His eyes were wide in shock and surprise. He said, "They..... Hacked the whole network just go speak to us...".

Now it was their turn to be shocked and surprised. Even if they don't know about it to the level of Gabby, they knew it is very hard to break into their network and it would take at least a day to break in. Yet these guys did that within like 12 hours or maybe even less! These guys techies are scary.

Aside from the techie part, they still got the warning to consider. It could be a prank to make them go away so they won't have to fight, or it could be real. But what's more surprising is that they gave a them a warning when they could have possibly taken them out. These guys are hard to understand.

He then said, "This doesn't change anything, we will move forward and look out for snipers, we are basically ducks for them to shoot".

180 meters away from them, Tom kept two fingers on his ears like he was hearing something. "Affirmative" he said. He then said to Jerry, "Bling Bling, we have a go! The moment anyone takes more than two steps forward, put them down" he started his bird watching again.

Jerry smirked as she said, "Solid copy" she cocked her gun and aimed at one of them. 

*Pew* 

179 meters away, Gabby got shot right in middle of his head and fell down. The medic and others rushed towards him, "GABBY!!!!!!!". The medic checked his pulse and started to cry, "Gabby is.... No longer with us". The rest also couldn't take it and tears dripped from their eyes. Everyone of them were always together whenever they did something. Happy times, sad times and funny times they had together all flashed in their eyes. Gabby was with them in every moment they shared! He was like a geek little brother to them and now, he's gone. Rage filled within them and they lost all reasoning as they took their guns and started to fire in the direction they were going.

Tom lay down on the ground due to their suppressive fire. Jerry was aiming at them one by one like tagging them, but didn't shoot them.

Colonel Luigi was more and more anxious. Their whole military network got hacked for a few seconds and the hackers just let them go after a few seconds without even taking a peek at their top secret files. They were more suspicious about this confusing action of the hackers, but nonetheless, they were happy that their files were safe. They were trying to see if they really didn't look at their files or just pretended to not look at them. He then went near the mic and said as he stood while supporting himself by keeping his hands on the control panel, "Lieutenant, you guy got anything?".

Gabriel immediately said, "Sir, Gabby is down! I repeat! Gabby is down! We are now laying down some suppressive fire on the enemy sniper!" He fired even though he can't see where the target is.

Colonel Luigi hit the panel and asked, "How many snipers are there!? Is there anyone else beside the sniper!? Talk to me son! What the f*ck is going on there!?" he shouted. Gabriel replied, "There is only one enemy sniper! Sir! But we couldn't pin their location!" he layer down some more fire.

Colonel Luigi was going crazy. Even if its just one sniper, without knowing their precise location, they are just sitting ducks. Luigi was about to say something but the comms have been terminated once again. He punched the control panel in anger.

Back at the forest, Gabriel didn't know that their communication was terminated and focused on shooting. 

On the other side, Jerry was very patience. She had her finger on the trigger and was jumping from one target to the other without firing. Tom kept quiet and let her do her job. 

She then finally stopped jumping around targets and aimed at Gabriel. She breathed in and let it out. 

*Pew*

Just like that, Gabriel fell down with a hole on his forehead. She didn't give the rest time to greave for their Lieutenant and shot down another one. She just jumped from one target to the other, each shot put down one and all of them were at the center of the head. Within 18 seconds of her firing, nine best soldiers of the FSF, lay dead.

Tom then said as he kept two fingers on his ear like before, "Tangos down, Perimeter is secure! Returning to FOB⁴!". He then took his hands off and said, "Good job, your a great shot as ever". Jerry just smiled and didn't say anything. She knows she's a great shot! She's one of the top ten snipers in the whole damn world. 

Colonel Luigi was waiting anxiously for the connection to get back. His anxiousness grew more and more for every second. The connection was finally back and there was a video sent to them, not the comm channel to Lieutenant Gabriel. He nodded his head and the operator on the seat played it. 

There is only black screen and a voice said, "Mr Colonel Luigi Papres, your men did not take our warning so we had to take them out, for that we are extremely sorry, we did not come here to bomb people or kill innocent lives or pry into your national secrets, our mission is something else which we are not authorized to disclose with you and once again, we are extremely sorry for what happened and we don't want the same thing to happen again" the voice ended and the black screen played the video of FSF team being wiped out. 

Luigi was running cold sweat, 'That kind of sniping skills could rank in top ten of the world' he thought. The video screen went black and the mysterious voice said once again, "We know that you are probably thinking and thinking hard like who are we? As an apology, we will tell you our identity, we are GHOSTS" the video ended and deleted itself. 

Five seconds later, the whole server crashed.





1. "Connerie" mean "Bullsh*t" in French. 

2. "Baiseurs de mère" means "Mother F*ckers" in French. 

3. "Longue vie à la France" means "Long Live France" in French. 

4. For those who don't know, "FOB" means "Forward Operating base" in military terms. 


Peace out ✌.

Year 2039

The world is getting more and more advanced through the passage of time! There's a lot of things such as the medical field, the educational field, the resources field, the science field, the economical field and at last, The Military field! 

Every country wants to be the top on the Whole Wide World! But there is always someone stronger or someone sneaky! 

During this new age of Modern world, a new division of Armed forces was created by every country, The "Under SOLS meaning "Under SOLDIERS"! 

Teenagers of age 15 - 17 get trained to be the elites of the country's military and be send to the front line or co-ops. 

Madagascar United or MGU for short, is one of the sneaky ones who developed and gathered their power to rival even the super powers! 

This story will be about a small country being the monster that others will come to acknowledge of. 

(Please enjoy and comment anything you want! Give me PS and support me more!) 

(My other work : The General)

A wide river ran through the valley, then merged into a lake. A city was built beside the lake, its boundaries arranged in the shape of a crown. A giant bridge cut across the lake, with many boats bustling along under it.
Emerald-hued mountains and meadows could be seen all around the city. The rolling mountains showcased layer upon layer of vast forest. It was a green land, and this city by the lake was like the glimmering pearl in the heart of the forest.
Eva carried the luggage behind Lu Zhiyu, as they stood on a hillside. A breeze rustled the green hillside, lifting the edge of Eva's cloak. Even her hat was blown off by a strong gust.
Lu Zhiyu reached out qucikly to grab the hat. Then, Lu Zhiyu gently adjusted Eva's silver hair, while setting her hat back on her head.
As he did so, he chided her, "How do you always lose everything? This is not a good habit."
Eva put her hands on her knees and bowed. "Sorry, Master!"
Lu Zhiyu looked at Eva in surprise. "Master? Where did you learn such a strange term?"
Eva immediately replied, "I know assume that I am your possession. Therefore, you are my master."
Lu Zhiyu frowned, uneasy with this term. "Just call me Anthony!"
Eva gave Lu Zhiyu a serious look. "That would defy the definition, Master!"
Lu Zhiyu put a hand to his forehead, feeling a headache developing. "Why are you always so earnest about such a strange things?"
Eva put her hands on her knees and bowed again. "Sorry, Master!"
Lu Zhiyu didn't want to speak to Eva anymore, so he turned around and looked at the city below. "Wow, it's beautiful. No wonder everyone else calls Babus the Gem of the Forest. It does seem like a fitting name."
They were descending along the grassy hillside now. The view was unexpectedly wondrous.
Walking across the bridge, the wide river could be seen underneath it. The boats were constantly sailing past them and entering the city through the various tributaries. Many of these small tributaries flowed straight through the city itself.
The rows of ships that were cruising along the river formed the distinctive cityscape of Babus. Shouts would ring out from time to time, as large ships from afar arrived to the port. The unloading process of each was always intense and lively!
The Babus Bridge had been built a hundred years ago, but a large renovation was conducted on it about thirty years ago.
Currently, there were an endless number of carts being used to unload the ships. They then were driven towards the city by alpacoids. Among those transporting goods were businessmen and farmers from surrounding villages, as well as dock workers and local craftsmen.
Lu Zhiyu followed the waves of people into the city. The Kingdom of Mara was located in the forest and had many swampy areas. Although it had a lot of land, its population was comparatively low.
Most of its territories were ruled by autonomous lords. The status of the King of Mara Kingdom was basically equivalent to that of a lord of a large territory. Other than Babus, the other territories were only nominally allegiant to the king.
As such, the strength of the Kingdom of Mara was on a completely different scale versus countries like the Crete Empire and the Kingdom of Rosa d'Oro. Even if they fought with a small duchy, like the Duchy of Gracchus Principality, it was likely that they would be defeated in a war.
But, once the kingdom reached a state of crisis, the nobles would unite together to fight the foreign threat. As such, even the Kingdom of Rosa d'Oro would not dare to fight the entire Kingdom of Mara.
Babus was the largest city in the Kingdom of Mara, and was also its trading capital and commercial port. As such, a large amount of wealth flowed into the city of Babus, making its ruling family, the Monar family, the richest within the kingdom. Thus, they also became the royal family of the Kingdom of Mara, as their ties to trade supported and maintained their rule over the country.
"Move aside, move aside! Don't block the path."
"Step aside!"
A group of knights, who were guarding a carriage, were passing through the Babus Bridge. These knights were fully armored and wore silver helmets. They were the elite force, and as they passed by, a path was immediately cleared for them. Then, the luxurious carriage entered the city under their watch.
"Who is it?"
"Didn't you see the insignia? It's the royal family, the Monar family!"
"It was probably a prince or princess!"
"Which Royal Highness has returned this time? The king is still quite healthy. Why did they come back? Isn't that the equivalent to giving up their inheritances?"
"Shhh, don't gossip lightly about the royal family!"
Ever since the previous generation came to rule, the Monar royal family would send all of its heirs away to govern their own areas. Regardless of his or her gender, only the most capable heir would gain the throne.
Rumors said that the Monar family had created the system while it was faltering. At that time, King Charisse hoped to stabilize the situation by encouraging his descendants to continue to expand the influence of the royal family, so that, eventually, all of the kingdom would truly be under the rule of the Monars.
The current king was quite old. Although he was still in excellent health, the battle for the succession of the throne had already begun. Lu Zhiyu looked at the carriage and felt an unusual shift within the atmosphere.
"A ghoul? How interesting!"
Lu Zhiyu could sense that the carriage was holding a woman in her twenties. Her outer appearance was normal, and she was clearly breathing, which showed proof of life. Yet, Lu Zhiyu could not feel her consciousness.
Others may be confused over such an odd occurrence, yet the ghoul was originally created by Lu Zhiyu. As such, Lu Zhiyu immediately discerned what had happened to the woman. She was obviously a ghoul!
He hadn't expected anyone to transplant the bloodline of the ghoul, as this bloodline had a higher rejection rate, when compared to ordinary magical beast bloodlines. Moreover, even if the transplant succeeded, it had huge side effects!
First of all, the transplant recipient would slowly become a corpse, as they gradually lost all kinds of sensations that a normal human should have. These losses ranged from the senses of taste and touch to the ability to procreate, even various desires were gradually lost.
As such, Lu Zhiyu had not expected that any wizard would actually attempt it. Yet, he thought that this kind of decision was also somewhat reasonable. For wizards, the exploration of strength and knowledge was the most important thing. Everything else was secondary for them.
He took a boat through the city. After docking, Lu Zhiyu entered a hotel. After booking a room, he asked the boss, "When is the next ship sailing to the Crete Empire?"
The chubby innkeeper, who was also responsible for the shipping business, hurried to look at the schedule. "Well, there will be a boat leaving for the Crete Empire in two weeks, but it may be two days late. Do you want to book a ticket? In the meantime, you can enjoy your time in Babus. It is truly a paradise, as there are all kinds of..."


By accident, Lu Zhiyu found the entrance to a low-dimensional world, and thus began a totally different journey!

Free to control everything in the low-dimensional game, Lu Zhiyu felt like a gamemaster, and even God.


Leland's warning proved prophetic. The New Ylvaine Dynasty was one of the most notorious terrorist groups in the Protectorate. Under the leadership of their insane incarnation of Prophet Ylvaine, they didn't hesitate to kill their fellow Ylvainans in order to further their cause!
Right now, the Grand Church of the Grey Martyr lost its peace and serenity in the most awful way possible! A lot of locals already died due to the suicide attacks, and many more perished due to the subsequent stampede!
The worst part about it was that once the Ylvainans passed through the enormous main doors, they instantly became swept up by a battle between giants.
The True Believers hid numerous mechs throughout Krent and deployed them at the same time!
Even though the Protectors of the Faith maintained a strong guard presence around the grand church, a fifth of them suddenly turned against their comrades!
The treacherous Protectors stabbed their unsuspecting comrades in the back, disabling a substantial number of guard mechs right at the start!
This sneak attack not only affected the mechs, but also the footsoldiers! Random Protectors wearing combat armor or exoskeleton armor began to mow down both the masses and their fellow Protectors!
Total chaos ensued as Protectors fought against Protectors! While the traitors numbered fewer in number, they blended in so well that the loyalists constantly hesitated whether they should fire on their own!
As confusion and slaughter ensued around the grand church, the Avatars of Myth parked outside the church immediately adopted a defensive posture.
Commander Melkor tried to make sense of the confused situation. With Protectors fighting against Protectors, they were faltering in their attempts to fend off the mechs pouring in from the periphery!
With Ves and the others stuck inside the church, Melkor quickly knew what he had to do. He immediately issued his orders to Rhode Larkinson and the other Avatars in his squad.
"Leave the Protectors of the Faith alone as best as you can! Try not to fire back at them unless they focus their fire upon us! Our armor can take the potshots!"
"What should we do then, commander?!" An Avatar who piloted a Blackbeak asked.
"I want a Blackbeak in the rear to cover any attacks from rogue Protectors. As for the rest, take out the approaching unknown mechs! Make sure to check their transponder IDs first before you attack! They might be our reinforcements instead!"
Although the Avatars of Myth lacked combat experience, the quality of their mechs more than made up for it! The Ylvaine Protectorate wasn't as prosperous as the Bright Republic. The Protectors of the Faith simply couldn't afford to equip all of their rear garrisons with expensive mechs!
Therefore, the combat performance of the Avatars of Myth immediately overshadowed that of the surrounding Protectors!
With Melkor in the lead, the Crystal Lords fired continuous lasers at the approaching mob of insurgent mechs. The ramshackle mechs all stumbled from the ferocious barrage of lasers!
"This is easy!" A Crystal Lord pilot boasted. "The enemy mechs are all crap!"
"Pipe down and check your fire!" Melkor immediately rebuked the fellow. "Even if the enemy mechs are garbage, there are more than a hundred of them converging on the grand church! Don't attack them carelessly! Aim high or low and make sure that you don't hit anything but the ground or air if you miss! We can't afford to inflict any collateral damage!"
The awful part about this chaotic attack was that it took place in the middle of Krent! The capital city of Kesseling VIII housed millions of citizens, and Melkor couldn't imagine how many people in or around the church already got caught up in the fighting!
With so many mechs pulled into battle, the collateral damage was already ruining the exterior of the grand church as well as the rest of the densely-populated city district! The energy screens installed in the vicinity were barely active for a dozen seconds before they all broke due to the sheer amount of firepower thrown in their way!
Nowhere was safe! Many underground evacuation tunnels collapsed and any shuttle or aircar that attempted to fly away was shot down by one of the many insurgent mechs!
While the mechs deployed by the True Believers assaulted the grand church, they weren't shy about sowing as many deaths as possible along the way! Their trigger discipline was nonexistent and their aim frequently strayed towards office buildings, residential apartments, schools and other places filled with terrified Ylvainans!
The True Believers deliberately inflicted as much collateral damage as possible!
"Crazies!" Rhode Larkinson cursed. "How can they be so heartless as to slaughter their fellow Ylvainans?!"
"You're a fool if you expect any compassion from terrorists." Melkor replied while he carefully aimed the compact laser rifle of his Crystal Lord. "Watch your aim and don't descend to their level. If we accidentally kill even one innocent Ylvainan, we'll never hear the end of it! We can't bring any further trouble to Ves!"
Ever since the first sign of trouble erupted, he attempted to hail Ves, only to fail due to all of the jamming in the way. The True Believers prepared their attack well!
However, after numerous attempts, Melkor finally managed to open a weak connection! The Sparous Vize worn by Ves was an exceptionally expensive suit of combat armor and possessed a strong communication system!
"What's going on outside, Melkor?"
"It's bad! Some of the mechs of the Protectors of the Faith have turned traitor! We're getting swamped by a hundred enemy mechs!"
"Are you able to hold out?"
"The enemy mechs are numerous but weak." Melkor stated. "However, there's so many of them that it will take a lot of time to repel them. I don't advise you to step outside!"
"Damn! The underground evacuation tunnels have all been collapsed as well! There's no other way out!"
Both of them concluded that Ves had no choice but to hole up in the church and pray it didn't collapse over his head!
While a destructive mech battle raged on the streets, the interior of the church descended into hell! With the security and monitoring systems offline, it was impossible to pacify the panicking crowd of Ylvainans!
To their credit, none of the security guards turned traitor. However, they all had their hands full when random crazies popped out among the crowds and began to fire their weapons at the guards regardless of how many innocents were in the way!
Bodies dropped to the floor by the hundreds as a surprising amount of True Believers opened fire!
While most of the fanatics wielded basic weapons that barely dented the armor of the church guard, a small number of them employed heavier weapons that posed a serious threat!
The preoccupation of the church guard meant that they didn't have the manpower to spare to protect the bystanders caught up in the fighting. The reluctance of the guards to hurt the innocent hampered their attempts to take out the terrorists quickly!
During this time, Ves, Ketis and Lucky all entered battle mode. As the previous outbursts had already suggested, the main target of this large-scale attack happened to be them! Shortly after they found out that the emergency exits had been collapsed, a large mob of fanatics wielding an assortment of weapons barged in and began to fire their weapons wildly at Ves!
The Protectors of the Faith dispatched by Madame Cecily did their jobs and protected Ves and his companions from the attacks. They surrounded them and deployed mobile cover on the ground which unfolded thin, protective alloy barriers.
While they couldn't withstand a lot of heavy firepower, they nonetheless resisted the majority of the light caliber weapons wielded by the mob. For the moment, Gavin and Leon should be safe despite their lack of armor. Both of them huddled down to the floor and covered their ears against the noise of weapon discharges.
As for Ves and Ketis, both of them stood confidently in their respective combat armor.
"Just like old times, eh?" Ketis remarked in their private comm channel.
""Trouble always seems to find a way to haunt me." He sighed. "Don't move for now. There's nowhere else to go and our guard detail is doing a good job in repelling the mob."
Just as he said that, a large number of frantic fanatics pulled out grenades from their coats and threw them at his guard detail!
The combat armor worn by the Protectors of the Faith all activated their interception systems. Small laser mounts embedded into their armor bombarded the grenades with lasers.
While this function destroyed the vast majority of grenades before they arrived close to the defenders, a handful still slipped through and managed to detonate against the mobile barriers!
The ferocious explosions not only cracked some mobile barriers, but also injured the Protectors of the Faith huddling behind them! The grenades succeeded in creating some openings in the defensive envelope!
The crazy fanatics quickly fired their weapons through the gaps. Some of the shots even impacted the surface of the Sparous Vize and the Rising Red Dragon!
"Mr. Larkinson, get down!"
Ves casually waved his armored hand. "Weapons of this caliber won't pose a threat to me. You should worry about your own lives."
"Shall we test out our weapons?" Ketis asked with bloodthirsty eagerness. "I haven't killed someone in more than a year. I've missed this sensation!"
He glanced at her imposing armored form. "Don't shoot unless something dangerous comes up. I don't think this is the extent of the attack. The mob is barely even capable of killing heavily-armored Protectors of the Guard. If the True Believers truly wanted to kill me, they should know better than to throw some worthless bodies in my direction."
The True Believers sacrificed a lot of manpower and assets to launch a large-scale attack. Perhaps they spent a decade's worth of accumulation on Kesseling VIII to gather so many mechs and fearless fanatics!
Therefore, Ves, Ketis and Lucky each remained alert as they waited for the next shoe to drop.
They didn't wait long. As the mob of fanatics ran closer to makeshift defensive position, the thick and solid wall behind them suddenly collapsed!
A breach had been formed in a direction that every Protectors of the Faith assumed was safe!
As the dust and debris began to settle, a large group of fanatics armed with better weapons began to fire through the newly-opened gap!
A lot of Protectors of the Faith instantly fell into trouble as they became caught in a crossfire of attacks from multiple directions!
What was worse was that Ves and Ketis both became exposed to the attacks from the rear!
Ves and Ketis both came to the same decision and knelt to the ground. "Fight!"
Ves took careful aim and fired his Peaceful Repose through the gap. Currently, he loaded his custom ballistic pistol with a magazine filled with inferior Exil rounds. Each pull of the trigger expended 100,000 credits.
The expensive rounds left a blazing trail in their near-instant passage through the air. The powerful Exil rounds punched through the combat armor worn by the better armed and better equipped True Believers like butter!
Five True Believers fell from the first round alone as it passed through multiple bodies at once! As the Exil round lost almost all of its kinetic energy, it exploded in the body of its fifth victim, blasting the deluded fanatic's body into chunks of meat that were barely contained in his suit of combat armor!
While Ves carefully paced his shots in order to conserve his ammunition, Ketis shot her Udor with abandon!
The large, oversized laser pistol that looked like it belonged to a space barbarian barked out powerful laser beams that sliced through armored fanatics with ease! Ketis patched in her Udor into her Rising Red Dragon's targeting system, causing her to exhibit perfect accuracy!
Just as the attackers on the other side of the breach were almost wiped out, the stone ceiling above their heads suddenly collapsed!
"Ketis, cover Leon!" Ves yelled. "I'll cover Benny!"
Both of them threw their armored forms over their unarmored companions just as the rocks crushed down upon them all!


Humanity has conquered half the galaxy and the Age of Mechs reigns supreme!

Ves Larkinson lacked the genetic aptitude to become a famed mech pilot. Fighting against his fate, he studied mech design in order to express his love for mechs as a builder instead of a soldier.

When Ves graduated from college, he returned to a new but empty boutique. Left with a small, newly founded mech workshop that his father painstakingly built with a mountain of debt, Ves somehow needs to make ends meet with the bank breathing down his neck.

In the midst of his despair, he found salvation from another legacy his father had left.

"Welcome to the Mech Designer System. Please design your new mech."

--Join The Mech Touch's unofficial Discord server: https://discord.gg/APB5KCU

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