Chapter 736.1: Watch Carefully, I'll Only Do This Once

At that very moment, the Pathfinder known as the Beast King had no idea that his opponents were indeed carefully considering what card to play next.

It was just that the card they intended to play was somewhat different from what he had imagined...

Outside the tavern, looking at the smoky, chaotic atmosphere inside, and at the red-faced card addicts arguing passionately over their matches, Spring Water Commander stood there dumbfounded.

It took him quite a while to recover.

"What the fuck is this...?"

They had finally found the reason why the Enterprise's combat effectiveness was so terrible. Those idiots were all sitting in the rear playing cards!

Kakarot craned his neck and scanned the crowd. Before long, he spotted the familiar culprit and immediately put on an expression of complete unsurprise.

"Heh, I knew it had to be that asshole."

Darkest "Spy! This is clearly a spy sent by the enemy to wear us down!"

Ten Punch Man quickly yelled, "Calling the Burning Corps' tin cans to catch this spy!"

Ghostbuster seconded it quickly. "Drag this corrupter of military discipline out back and execute him!"

As the group chattered noisily at the entrance, Mosquito had just finished selling another batch of cards and happened to slip out from the center of the crowd.

He immediately spotted them.

"Spring Water?!" His eyes lit up. Grinning from ear to ear, he walked over and slapped Spring Water Commander on the arm. "What brings you here? Weren't you still waiting for deployment in the rear?"

Those people were his real customers. Compared to them, selling cards was merely pocket money.

"Well, I was waiting for deployment," Spring Water Commander laughed. "But now the deployment order's finally arrived. The administrator plans to come to the front lines, so they transferred us here too."

"HUH?! The administrator's here?" Mosquito nearly jumped out of his skin. Without hesitation, he tossed the sack containing his remaining card packs to a nearby NPC. Clearly, he knew full well he hadn't been doing anything particularly commendable and instantly distanced himself from the business.

The young man beside him understood immediately. He smoothly caught the sack and pretended not to know Mosquito at all.

The fellow didn't look like he was from the River Valley Province. His slightly curly hair, shorter stature, and bright black eyes made him resemble one of the Ratfolk from the Poro Province.

"He hasn't arrived yet. Stop looking." Seeing Mosquito craning his neck toward the door, Spring Water Commander made a helpless expression. Then he glanced at the tavern's chaotic scene and couldn't resist teasing him. "Everyone's saying you're the reason our allies lost their fighting spirit. How are you planning to explain yourself when the administrator gets here?"

Mosquito immediately cried out in protest. "Holy shit, what does that have to do with me?! It's not my fault they can't make it up the mountain!"

Touching his heart, he could honestly say that those people had been like that before he arrived. Unfortunately, nobody was interested in listening. The crowd immediately started piling on.

Kakarot roared, "And you're saying it wasn't you? Look at them! Do they look like soldiers?"

Darkest yelled, "Exactly! They're way too weak!"

Broken Leg Kevin also shook his head. "At this rate, you'll still be stuck at the foot of this mountain next year."

"How is that my fault?" Mosquito said with a laugh. "If you're so amazing, then you guys go do it!"

"What a coincidence." Spring Water Commander grinned and patted him on the shoulder. "That's exactly what we're planning. Just wait for it. When the administrator arrives tomorrow, I'll show you how a real battle is fought."

...

To be fair, Enterprise wasn't actually slacking off.

The average elevation of where they were exceeded 1,000 meters, and some of the taller peaks rose 2,000 to 3,000 meters above sea level. The terrain was unimaginably treacherous. It couldn't even be compared to the small hills most people imagined.

A more accurate comparison would be the Hengduan Mountains of the real world.

Places like Broken Blade Peak offered very little tactical advantage as only 300 or so soldiers could advance at a time. Anyone behind them would literally have to climb over the corpses of those who fell before them.

On top of that, the enemy had transformed the mountain into a fortress through extensive defensive fortifications. Even an army of 100,000 troops would find itself unable to fully utilize its numbers.

Over the course of two days and one night, the Enterprise launched three separate offensives. During the final assault, they even deployed two bunker-buster missiles fresh from the laboratory, each carrying a 500 kilogram warhead, yet they still failed to plant their flag on the summit.

Mercenary casualties had already surpassed the 300 mark and that was more non-clone losses than the Army had suffered taking Black Cloud Mountain.

Considering they would still need those mercenaries for future operations, the commander of the 100th Mechanized Mountain Division could only turn his attention toward their battle-hardened allies, the New Alliance.

Back in Dawn City, Spring Water Commander had volunteered the Storm Corps for the mission. However, neither Spring Water Commander nor Enterprise's commanders had anticipated what happened next. While they were still planning their next assault, the Wislanders stationed on Black Cloud Mountain had already grown impatient and decided to make their move...

On the third night, on Black Cloud Peak.

After watching General Modlin put on his night-vision goggles and observe the distant positions, the adjutant beside him finally spoke. "Isn't this a little reckless?"

The Enterprise's poor performance at the front lines had certainly been disappointing. Even so, he didn't recommend taking the mountain-assault mission away from them. Not only would it consume their own strength, but it was also a perfect opportunity to gauge Ideal City's military capabilities.

The mercenaries had already assaulted the mountain three times without achieving meaningful results. The adjutant believed that with a little more pressure, Enterprise might eventually commit its regular forces. Then they could finally observe the combat effectiveness of that fully mechanized army firsthand.

At the end of the day, the Enterprise was their true competitor. Both were heirs to the old world.

As for the Torch Church... It was merely one particularly annoying grasshopper among many.

General Modlin clearly disagreed.

"You've noticed it too, haven't you? The first few peaks were relatively easy to take. The later positions become increasingly difficult."

"So?" asked the adjutant.

Modlin narrowed his eyes. "The sooner we complete our objectives, the more advantageous it is for us. According to our prewar agreement, we're required to assault at least two peaks. Since we've already taken Black Cloud Peak, we only need one more. After that, we can sit back and watch the show."

All the hardest positions could then be left for the rest of the coalition to crack.

And if anyone wanted the Army’s assistance afterward, they would have to offer concessions at the negotiating table of the Mutant Slime Mold Research Committee.

Completing their assigned objectives ahead of schedule was itself a valuable bargaining chip.

Liam apparently agreed. Otherwise, he wouldn't have authorized the operation that night.

Turning toward his adjutant, Modlin continued calmly, "Notify General Mikael. Our troops are already in position and his troops may begin advancing."

Before committing Wislander troops, he intended to send the clone cannon fodder first to exhaust the Mutant Humans' stamina and ammunition.

The adjutant instantly understood. His expression hardened as he saluted. "Yes, sir!"

...

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