Chapter 730.1: WHERE'S MY MEN???? THEY WERE JUST HERE

Northern Front

High above the endless clear skies, a colossal steel airship burst through the clouds, revealing the bridge suspended beneath its bow.

Looking down at the sunken wasteland and the layers of mountain ranges below, General Liam sat in the bridge with the corners of his mouth slightly curled upward. He tossed his ice cream stick to the attendant beside him, pushed himself up from his chair, and walked to the floor-to-ceiling window overlooking the mountains.

Squinting at the Ten Peaks Mountain now close at hand, he snorted to himself.

40 kilometer long White Bone Road?

How ridiculous.

Back in their territory, opponents of that caliber were dealt with by nothing more than a round of bombardment followed by a simple charge.

And if that wasn't enough, they would simply repeat the process.

It might not work particularly well against endlessly multiplying Mutant Slime Mold, but it was more than sufficient for dealing with Mutant Humans.

"... They’re too damn slow. If these snails keep advancing inch by inch, this war might drag on until next year. I would rather skip Ten Peaks Mountain entirely and wipe out the enemy’s headquarters in one strike."

Hearing his superior's remarks, the adjutant standing behind him coughed lightly and hurriedly reminded him. "General, it would be best not to separate ourselves from the main force."

Liam chuckled, "With just these Mutant Humans? You think they can bring down our airship?"

Actually, he wasn’t being overconfident. No matter what advanced technology the Torch Church possessed, the Mutant Humans in those mountains still needed food and ammunition.

Those supplies had to come from the Ocean Edge Province. As long as their logistics line could be severed, starvation alone would wipe out half of those Mutant Humans.

The adjutant understood his reasoning, but still cautiously added, "The New Alliance previously encountered a group of flying Mutant Humans around Brocade Lake Municipality. They called them Batwings.

"Even with aircraft support, those Batwings managed to board their airships and nearly overwhelmed them."

"Heh. Those idiots don't know how to switch on their radar?" Liam curled his lip dismissively.

Though he looked unconcerned, a trace of caution surfaced in his mind and he no longer mentioned flying directly over Ten Peaks Mountain.

Obviously, he knew the New Alliance certainly used their radar to detect the threat. He was merely mocking them out of principle.

But wherever there was a spear, there was a shield. There were many ways to detect one’s target, and there were equally as many ways to counter the detection from a radar.

The Torch Church originated from Shelter 117 and had been developing for a long time. They specialized in biotechnology, but biotechnology wasn't all they knew.

Returning to his seat, Liam looked toward his adjutant and gave an order. "Notify General Modlin of the Army of Glory. Tell him we've arrived and have his men assemble at the gondola."

The adjutant straightened immediately and saluted. "Yes, sir!"

...

North of Guardian Manor Military Base that had been built by the New Alliance, the anchor chain dropped from the Loyalty crashed heavily onto the ground, kicking up clouds of dust.

Moments later, a transport lift descended from the ship's belly like a giant swing, slowly lowering until it settled onto the ground.

Roughly 100 tall Wislander soldiers with prominent noses marched out in perfect formation from the gondola, which was roughly the size of a heavy truck.

They wore matching gray-black uniforms and matte steel helmets. Automatic weapons hung from their backs and ballistic plates covered their chests.

The machine gunners carrying ammunition boxes and heavy weapons were even equipped with fully enclosed exoskeletons.

Compared to the Wislanders the players had encountered in the desert before, those disembarking the Loyalty were unquestionably the elites.

Nearby, Eye Owe Money and Construction Boy watched them from afar. When Construction Boy noticed the exoskeletons, his eyes widened in surprise. "The Wislanders have exoskeletons too?"

Eye Owe Money was equally surprised, but didn't want to appear as shocked as the strength type fool beside him, so he offered a more rational analysis. "Nothing strange about that. Boulder Town has them too, and they even produce their own cybernetic implants. The Army is one of the three major powers in the wasteland. It'd be weird if they couldn't make exoskeletons."

Construction Boy scratched his head and asked out loud, "I'm just wondering... why didn't we see any before?"

Eye Owe Money shrugged. "Maybe they used them all up fighting the Great Rift Valley?"

Of course, faction support and local logistics were factors too. Back then, the Army's Eastern Army was already on its last legs. Most frontline fighting had been handed off to auxiliary troops and clone forces. They were even running short on ammunition.

Exoskeletons were considered luxury equipment. If not for their logistical difficulties, they wouldn't have been so desperate to seize River Valley Province and secure settlements like Boulder Town to support their supply chains.

Of course, the more realistic explanation was that most players had only just left the newbie zone back then. Dumping dozens of airships and fully-equipped elite soldiers onto them at that stage would have been excessively cruel game design.

While Eye Owe Money and Construction Boy observed the legendary regular forces of the Army, another train approached from the north.

That train consisted of 32 carriages and it held a highly unusual mix of passengers.

There were personnel from the Academy, the Enterprise, and even expeditionary troops from the Xilande Empire.

The Xilande Empire’s forces actually made up the largest contingent. 30 of the train's 32 carriages were packed with them.

Not long ago, the Xilande Empire had practically gone to war with the New Alliance without a formal declaration, and even now, no ceasefire agreement had been signed.

Yet as a member of the Mutant Slime Mold Research Committee, the emperor generously dispatched 30,000 troops with a wave of his hand.

Of course, that had nothing to do with humanity's shared destiny. It was entirely out of respect for the Wislanders. After all, sacrificing some insignificant lower-class citizens was far less important than preserving eternal friendship.

...

In the final carriage of the train, the front half was occupied by a group clad in exoskeletons, tactical helmets, and gas masks.

A cold aura radiated from them as they sat perfectly still.

The rear half housed the Enterprise's 7th Air Squadron.

Originally, their carriage had been farther forward. They had been pushed all the way back by the Poro Province’s expeditionary troops.

For some reason, the commanding officer of the Xilande Expeditionary Force had insisted on cramming 200 men into a carriage rated for only 118 passengers, thus the current arrangement where the forces of the Academy were squeezed into the same carriage as those from the Enterprise.

Chewing gum, a member of the 7th Air Squadron seated near the back glanced at his comrade and whispered, "I bet they're androids, and not particularly smart ones."

Everyone knew the Academy's androids were among the most boring beings in the wasteland, much like the researchers who built them.

His comrade chuckled, about to make a joke, when their commanding officer, who had been resting with his eyes closed, opened them to glance at those who were speaking.

Closing his eyes again, he spoke calmly. "They are the Academy’s Alpha Mobile Task Force. They aren't androids. They're genuine special forces, hunters from the Wandering Swamp. The Academy has installed nearly every cybernetic augmentation imaginable into them and their average augmentation rate exceeds 30%. Also... almost all of them are awakeners."

He paused before adding, "Drug-induced awakeners, admittedly, but don't underestimate them."

The pilots looked surprised. It wasn’t because of the cybernetics implants, or because of the special forces designation.

Instead, it was because of something else.

"Drug-induced Awakening?"

"Who would willingly use that stuff?"

In Ideal City, becoming an awakener was not considered desirable. If anything, it meant losing many of life's pleasures.

Random expression of non-coding genes could cause hereditary disorders and more importantly, it reduced reproductive capability.

Most residents of Ideal City weren't particularly interested in having children, but wanting to and being able to were two different things.

Life only happened once and awakening was irreversible. Most people weren't willing to gamble with their future If they wanted power, cybernetics and exoskeletons were more than enough. There was no need to push the biological body to its limits.

Opening his eyes, the officer folded his arms and glanced at the rows of heads in front of him and his expression grew complicated.

"The Scientific Committee is a completely different place from Ideal City. They've proven that advanced technology doesn't necessarily lead to a high standard of living. And that with proper management, a society can maintain a relatively low quality of life for most citizens while still building starships and allocating resources where they matter most." He paused briefly before speaking again. "For ordinary people who can't become researchers or surveyors, joining the Alpha Mobile Task Force is another path. At least the equipment and enhancement drugs are free. There, they can improve their family's situation."

A member of the Air Squadron clicked his tongue. He couldn't imagine such a life. At least he had joined the 7th Air Squadron because he genuinely loved flying. "What a terrifying bunch..."

The officer closed his eyes once more. Truthfully, he had little experience conducting bombing and transport operations in mountainous terrain. Even though the airbase near the Heavenly Water Municipality was itself located in the mountains. But compared to concerns for his own safety, he worried more about the 100th Mechanized Mountain Division.

From what he knew, those young men were also arriving on that day.

At the very least, his pilots had fighter aircrafts and would be flying in the skies to provide support. Many soldiers in the Mechanized Mountain Division would be seeing combat for the first time.

Would they really be alright?

...

What the Enterprise’s members of the Air Squadron didn't know was that the gas-masked soldiers weren't stupid at all. They had simply shut down unnecessary cybernetic modules during transit to conserve energy.

Some cybernetic systems required biological electrical signals for activation and operating them also imposed computational burdens on both the brain and implanted processors.

Wastelanders lacking proper control often suffered blackouts or insanity from excessive neural load.

The Alpha Mobile Task Force experienced no such problems. When unnecessary, they could reduce themselves to the bare minimum, maintaining only essential bodily functions and communications modules. When that happened metabolism and neural activity were minimized.

While the Enterprise pointed and whispered behind their backs, the soldiers were silently listening to their commander's briefing through their communication network.

"Behind you sits the Enterprise's 7th Air Squadron. They are not awakeners, but they have undergone rigorous training and selection. They are elites chosen from among millions." The commander's voice continued, "Since the dissolution of the Post-War Reconstruction Committee, Ideal City has fallen under the control of consortiums led by Ideal Group. Ordinary people must constantly refine their skills just to survive."

"The hardship they endure is no less than digging potatoes in the Wandering Swamp. They are hardened veterans, just like you. Do not underestimate them and remain vigilant." His powerful voice echoed through the silent network.

The gas-masked soldiers sat perfectly upright and inside their minds came a unified response.

"Yes, sir!"

...

At the same time that the forces of the Army, Enterprise, and Academy arrived at the frontline, the fighting on Ten Peaks Mountain was reaching a fever pitch.

Before dawn, a goblin force had secretly infiltrated the defenses of Manor Peak and launched a surprise attack on the sleeping players.

If that had happened during the game's earliest days, the tactic might actually have worked. Back then, many players treated the game as a side hobby and still had jobs to attend during the day.

Times had changed.

Not just the Death Corps. Even many solo players had shifted their focus heavily toward the game. Their phones and helmets practically never left their sides.

The moment an "@Everyone" notification appeared, players immediately threw on their helmets and logged back in.

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