Chapter 990: Chapter 990

"South City? Reinforcements?"

Above the massive land fortress, the bearded man turned his head, looking at the military officer beside him, "What does that mean?"

"We only received this word, the message ends there."

Beside them, a man wearing glasses, apparently a technical officer, replied slowly, "Could he be advising us to be wary of reinforcements from South City?"

"Is this a message sent by our insider in the city?"

The bearded man slightly furrowed his brows, continuing to inquire, "Sent via what?"

"This principle might be a bit complex to explain,"

The technical officer lifted his head, looking forward at the silent towering wall ahead, observing the lights illuminating below on the wall,

"These military-grade lights on the wall have high technical specifications, allowing brightness to be adjusted to extreme extents, the smallest brightness adjustments are not even perceivable by the naked eye, but our collecting devices can detect them.

"Based on this feature, we can transmit messages by controlling slight flickers in the lights, for example, high brightness represents ’1’, low brightness represents ’0’, forming complex codes that can be translated. Of course, the actual brightness levels aren’t just two settings, the algorithm is somewhat more intricate.

"The communication device in the hands of that insider fundamentally operates on this principle,

"This device can connect to the internal network of the City Defense System, interfering with the flickers of the lights, using the flickers to transmit intelligence to us. Since it’s not connected to the core communication equipment, it’s also less likely to be detected by the City Defense System’s AI or software engineers, ensuring clandestine communication."

"So, he can send us messages through the lights, right?"

The bearded man looked up at the lights on the tall wall, "But why did he only send this one word?"

The technical officer shook his head, "Ideally, he should have sent more complete intelligence,"

Then he paused, speaking with some concern, "The worst-case scenario is that he was detected while transmitting or even possibly captured, that’s why no further intelligence came through."

"Can you try to contact him?"

The bearded man gazed at the silent wall, asking again.

The technical officer quickly replied, "We’ve been constantly sweeping those sensitive photoreceptors on the lights with searchlights ever since we approached the wall; we’ve just adjusted the frequency of the searchlight, sending inquiry messages through those receptors to the communication device..."

The bearded man raised his hand, impatiently interrupting the technical officer, "Just tell me, can you make contact?"

"Contact was made, but he didn’t respond."

The technical officer paused, speaking quickly.

"If he was captured, could our communication devices be compromised?"

The bearded man turned to look at the technical officer.

"Impossible, unless they know our coding rules,"

The technical officer shook his head, "If they try to force a crack, it would require tremendous computing power and a lot of time, something the City Defense’s hardware simply isn’t capable of."

"Has Scott sent any messages?"

The bearded man continued to ask.

The technical officer shook his head, "According to the plan he previously agreed with us, he would mobilize troops to attack and seize Yilan City’s White Jasmine Palace, kill the Mayor, declare himself ruler, and then send us a signal; right now he might already be fighting the Mayor’s army at the White Jasmine Palace."

"Scott is double-dealing and untrustworthy,"

The bearded man lowered his head, looking at the control panel in front of him, then he seemed to remember something, asking quickly, "Can we contact anyone inside the city? Any spy, bureaucratic official from the Consortium, or even Scott, anyone will do."

The technical officer shook his head, "The tall wall acts as a natural signal blocker; establishing a connection across the wall between the wilderness and the city is basically impossible, and the network between cities is connected through super optical cables deeply buried underground; we can’t dig up the super optical cables in time now."

"So you’re saying, we’re receiving no messages from inside the city? We don’t know anything that’s happening there?"

The bearded man looked straight ahead, watching the convoy moving through the night.

The technical officer nodded slightly.

"Okay, I understand, you may go now."

The bearded man lowered his head, gazing at the control console before him.

The technical officer nodded, walked to the edge of the land fortress, and jumped to the roof of the neighboring vehicle moving parallel to the fortress.

At this time, the bearded man had already flipped a switch in front of him, "Has the reconnaissance squad outside South City of Yilan reported back any information?"

"Not yet, Captain. Their last message was half an hour ago. The siege by Evis Space System Mercenary Corps was going smoothly,"

A young man’s voice rose from the control console, "They’re a bit far from us, needing to go around most of the city. If there’s been any major change, it will take some time for the news to reach us."

"Send out a few more reconnaissance squads,"

The bearded man spoke calmly, "Establish stable channels along the high walls to ensure efficient information transmission."

There was a response from the other side of the communicator.

The bearded man also cut off the communication at the same time.

He turned his head to look to the right, where at the end of the endless stretch of army lights, several glimmering lights rose quickly, flying toward the end of the night.

He withdrew his gaze and looked forward at the grandiose high wall.

Everything was so silent, with no bombardment, no counterattack; all sent messages fell into oblivion.

That silent high wall was so quiet, as if an indifferent pair of eyes from above coldly watched the endless army below.

North City Command Center

"The Nolanka Group’s Mercenary Corps just happened to be escorting food here and came upon the Evis Space System’s siege, so they righteously intervened, ambushing with the South City Defense Army both from inside and outside, and now they’ve broken through Evis Space System’s formation, gaining a tactical advantage?"

The young officer, wide-eyed, watched Commander Mid who had just hung up the phone. He tapped his forehead, "Wait, my head is a bit cluttered."

He spoke somewhat bewilderedly, "But what does the Nolanka Group want? There are other trading groups that might come to our vicinity recently, and we’ve lost contact with those groups. Could it be that the Nolanka Group is really abiding by Federation laws? Acting heroically?"

"Probably not as simple as acting heroically,"

Mid shook his head; he looked down, displaying a map of the area outside South City, "Although the Evis Space System only brought one mercenary corps, they also brought a complete air force and are equipped with the most advanced weapons.

"Even with the simultaneous attack inside and outside the South City Defense Army, to gain an advantage, Nolanka Group had to deploy their entire mercenary corps. Normally, escorting a trading group wouldn’t justify deploying the full force."

"Are you saying, they did it on purpose?"

The young officer seemed to grasp the idea, "So they were ’reinforcements’ but under the guise of acting heroically to enter the war? But who called for these reinforcements..."

At this point, he paused suddenly, realizing something, his eyes lifting slightly, "Is this what Mr. Lin En was waiting for?!"

Mid nodded, "Calculating the distance from Kaye City to South City of Yilan, the Nolanka Group’s mercenaries might have set off right before or simultaneously as the Evis Space System’s forces arrived."

"If we have the help of the Nolanka Group, we should be able to hold off Kopis Mercenary Corps’ advance."

The surprise on the young officer’s face eased slightly.

"We won’t be able to hold off,"

Mid shook his head; he reached out to shut off the map in front of him, then slowly stood up and lit a cigarette,

"Even if crossing the city in a straight line, it will take at least an hour or two for the army from South City to North City. We can only hold up against Kopace Mining’s attack for half an hour at most. If Scott’s army arrives, our holding time will be even shorter. Now we have quite a few turncoats in our ranks, and under absolute disadvantage, they might surrender to Scott."

"And now South City hasn’t fully won yet; by the time the fighting there ends, North City might have mostly fallen."

Listening to Mid’s words, the young officer seemed to have come to a realization as well, his expression gradually becoming grim.

"The Nolanka Group indeed brings fresh tactics, but they are too far, and that doesn’t quench our immediate thirst."

Mid took a drag on his cigarette, sighing lightly.

"Since Mr. Lin En managed to contact the Nolanka Group, is there a chance of contacting other consortia?"

The young officer pondered, "Or even... the Central Army?"

Mid shook his head, looking at the burning cigarette butt, "If we manage to, it would be great, and we might still have a chance to turn things around. If not..."

Just then, a figure burst into the office, the broad-faced officer who had just been with the young officer.

He went straight to Mid’s desk, pressing his hands against the edge, and looked up at Mid, "The main force of the Kopis Mercenary Corps has entered the siege area, let the brothers fire the cannons, the brothers might be able to kill a few more enemies."

"Didn’t you hear the military orders?"

Mid frowned, staring at the broad-faced officer, "What is your duty as a soldier?"

"Vigilance, waiting,"

The broad-faced officer looked at Mid angrily, "We’ve already waited until the enemy is at our doorstep, should we still wait?!"

"If you’re so capable, go fire the cannons now,"

Mid raised his hand and looked at him calmly, "Can you defend this city?"

The officer’s face turned red, and finally, he deflated, "At least we could kill a few more enemies."

"Kill, kill, kill, we only have half a city’s worth of imperfect troops here, the enemy’s forces are four to five times ours, and they have more advanced equipment,"

Mid took a drag of his cigarette, "Can you exterminate all of them?"

He stood up, giving up the stool from under him, "If you can, you take over, sit here and be the commander if you think you can."

The broad-faced officer’s face became even redder, his mouth opened, but he was at a loss for words.

"I, I, I? Weren’t you very capable of talking just now?"

Mid, with a cigarette in his mouth, sat back down, "Why do you stutter when it’s your turn to show competence?"

He took the cigarette from his mouth, looking at the broad-faced officer, "Military orders are absolute; whatever the higher-ups tell you, you do exactly that. If they tell you to wait, you fucking weld your ass to the chair and wait!"

"So what if the Mercenary Corps attacks the city area? Even if they fucking get to the city gates and pry them open, if you are told to wait, you keep waiting!"

"They’re about to pry open the city gates."

The broad-faced officer muttered reluctantly.

"If they really pry open the gates, I’ll be the first one with a gun at the front lines."

Mid slammed his hand on the table, looking at the broad-faced officer.

"That’s not what I mean,"

The officer, startled, quickly said, "Commander..."

"That’s exactly what you mean,"

Mid raised his hand holding the cigarette, "Also, call me Deputy Commander, now get out."

The officer looked at Mid reluctantly, hesitated, but still bowed his head and moved toward the door.

As he was about to leave, he glanced at the young officer standing in the corner of the office, opened his mouth, but ultimately said nothing and left the office.

"I’ll go inform Mr. Lin En about the situation in South City,"

The young officer watched the broad-faced officer leave, turned back to look at Mid who was smoking behind his desk, whispered, "And then ask for further instructions?"

Mid shook his head, "These bastards didn’t come here on a whim; they were spurred on by their own officers. Those officers from the four brigades lack confidence in defending the city, in me,"

He paused, flicked some ash,

"Even though Lin En has managed to suppress them through tough measures and sheer willpower, barely uniting them,

"But ultimately, Lin En used to be a civilian official and has never demonstrated strong military competence. It’s normal for these soldiers to have their own opinions,"

Then he picked up his cigarette, took a puff, "At this moment, if I actually go and persuade Lin En to change his mind, that would really be chaos. They would feel that Lin En and I are not confident, losing complete trust in us and starting to think of switching sides. Moreover,"

He put down the cigarette butt and continued, "Lin En now has the highest authority over the North City defense system. Information sent from South City, he receives even earlier than we do. If he’s not said anything, it means the original orders stand."

"But if the real defense battle starts, and we’re being suppressed,"

The young officer whispered, "Those officers might still be harboring some ideas."

Commander Mid sighed, "Like loose sand, the Nolanka Mercenary Corps could help Corvey win, but assisting us, they might just collapse themselves."

"Do you really think,"

The young officer’s voice slightly lowered, slowly starting, "If we keep waiting, can we really expect changes in the battle situation that will allow us to survive this war?"

Then he quickly explained, "I’m not distrustful of Mr. Lin En, but what we’re facing now is an absolute dead end. I can’t think of any way out, even if we dug up the legendary military strategists of the Federation from their graves, I don’t think they could help."

"Are you chickening out?"

Commander Mid smiled as he looked at the young officer and stubbed out his cigarette.

The young officer immediately stood up straight.

"I can’t think of another way either,"

Commander Mid looked at the young man in front of him, "I can honestly tell you, I don’t know if Lin En’s strategy will work because I’ve never seen him command a war, nor do I know his military capabilities."

He laughed softly, looking at the somewhat surprised young officer, and continued, "But our situation couldn’t possibly get any worse, could it?"

Then he paused, "Moreover, we all have to admit that Lin En really is an excellent leader. Give him one more month, no, one week, and he might be able to unite North City’s scattered forces into a single force. The situation would then be completely different."

"He is the best mayor I’ve ever seen, perhaps even the one who could change everything, but God gave him too little time."

He looked at the young officer, "So I have a mission for you."

Then he continued as the young officer looked slightly bewildered,

"You are the best mecha driver of North City, and I’m going to hand over the command of the First Battalion of the Third Brigade to you,

"There are fifteen Blazing Angel mechs there. If North City falls into chaos, you must find a way to get Lin En out alive, no matter what. That stubborn old man might not listen to you, so I’m allowing you to coax or trick him as necessary."

In that moment, the young officer’s eyes widened as he looked at his superior, seeing that determined expression.

Eventually, he bowed his head and responded softly, "Yes."

Watching the young officer’s retreating figure, Commander Mid bowed his head, pulled open a drawer, and took out a pistol from it.

He stared at the somewhat old pistol, raising his head to look out the office window at the night sky.

At the edge of that night, it seemed an unending line of troops was rapidly moving through the city streets towards North City.

Wilderness outside North City

The roaring land fortress sped across the barren plains.

A bearded man placed his hand on the control panel, lifting his head to look at the wall that seemed to connect with the sky, growing ever closer to the tall structure.

Then he lowered his head to look at the map in front of him.

The mountains and plains north of Yilan City were not evenly distributed; to be precise, the mountains covered most of the area just outside the city gate.

These mountains formed a diagonal line that intersected with the towering wall at an angle, creating a triangular plain within this angle.

At that moment, a communication request sounded on the control panel, and the bearded man toggled the communicative switch.

"Captain, news just came in that our reconnaissance team sent to South City has completely lost contact,"

A somewhat anxious voice spoke through the control panel, "But we’ve received their last video message."

The bearded man looked down at the control panel and quickly commanded.

A holographic projection lit up on the control panel, displaying squads of soldiers embroiled in chaotic battle.

Flames and cannon fire nearly filled every area of the battlefield.

Soldiers wearing the uniform of Stars City and the White Jasmine Emblem uniforms of the City Defense Army were dividing the battlefield into segments, encircling and annihilating the surrounded Evis Space System soldiers within these sectors.

Above the entire battlefield, among the swiftly combating mechs and warplanes, three Sky Behemoths ablaze with roaring flames, like a collapsing firmament, plummeted from the sky.