Chapter 795.2: KS

By the time Favri came back to his senses, all that remained in front of him was the lamb’s rump. His eyebrows twitched several times. Just as he was about to make some sarcastic remark, the flap of the tent was suddenly lifted again, and another communications runner jogged inside. “Report! Reconnaissance units have sent word that flashes from explosions were spotted 100 kilometers southeast of our main force! It appears to be an air strike launched by the New Alliance’s coastal forces!”

Hearing him, the officers immediately stopped tearing into their food and looked toward the entrance of the command tent.

“100 kilometers southeast?” Cowley frowned slightly. He stared at the map for a moment and located the position.

That was the ruins of North Sea City. The distance from there to Vast Plains City was about the same as the distance to the coastline. It was roughly 100 kilometers. However, reaching the coast from there would clearly be more difficult. The tunnels built during the Prosperity Era had all collapsed, which meant crossing mountains and ridges instead.

One of the officers, clearly noticing the same problem, frowned thoughtfully. “The New Alliance landing force is advancing that quickly?”

Another officer beside him also fell into thought before speaking after a long pause. “I heard they only just took Shelter 182, and now they’ve immediately changed direction and launched an air strike against somewhere another 100 kilometers away... What exactly are they trying to do?”

“I don’t think it’s that simple.” Favri stared at the map for a while, narrowing his eyes. “The terrain between the New Alliance’s landing site and the area they’re bombing is rough, and at least a third of it is hilly country. If their goal were to link up with their main force, there would be no reason to take the risk of moving in this direction.” He paused, glanced around at the other officers gathered around the command table, and continued. “There’s only one other explanation. Something extremely valuable is hidden in the area they’re striking, and they don’t want it falling into our hands. That’s why they intend to get there before us. I would even go so far as to say tonight’s operation is definitely more than an air strike. There must be airborne troops following up as well!”

The officers around the command table began murmuring among themselves and exchanging opinions. Most seemed to agree that his analysis made sense.

Battlefield Cheerleader lowered his head and took a sip of water, pretending he had choked while eating, though inwardly he was sweating for the brothers of the Burning Corps.

The other officers present might not know, but he knew the situation perfectly well. The Burning Corps really did have an operation underway there, and the big fish they were trying to catch was no small fry. That place might even be the Torch Church’s main headquarters for the entire Ocean Edge Province!

To avoid attracting the Army’s attention, they had deliberately limited the density of the firepower they deployed, and yet they had still managed to alert these people.

He quickly glanced at Cowley’s expression and saw that the man had clearly been persuaded by Favri’s argument. A thoughtful expression had appeared on his face.

Battlefield Cheerleader cursed silently.

Even if the Wislanders discovered what was going on, they probably wouldn’t dare openly seize the place by force. But it would still become a dispute once the matter reached a Mutant Slime Mold Research Committee meeting.

They had been careless this time...

Just as he was inwardly clawing at his head in anxiety, Cowley suddenly looked at him and asked, “I’d like to hear your opinion, Commander Pangolin.”

Battlefield Cheerleader smiled bitterly to himself.

My opinion, huh... What the fuck am I supposed to say right now?

Seeing the other officers also turn toward him, especially Favri, who had always looked down on him because of his background, Battlefield Cheerleader noticed a mocking gleam in the man’s eyes. He looked as though he was already eagerly waiting for Pangolin to embarrass himself.

“My view is the same as Commander Favri’s, General.” Although he was unwilling a thousand times over, Battlefield Cheerleader still maintained his honest and straightforward persona.

Favri, who had been hoping to watch him make a fool of himself, was clearly dissatisfied with that answer.

Before General Cowley could speak, Favri said sarcastically, “I thought we might hear a different perspective. I didn’t expect our mighty Commander Pangolin to do nothing but repeat what others have already said once the discussion reached his supposed area of expertise.”

A few officers from traditional military-noble backgrounds could not help snickering. Even those who did not laugh openly curled their lips in amusement. Most of them had only heard rumors about this Pangolin and had never actually seen what he could do on a battlefield. So far, the only notable trait they had seen from him was that he could eat.

But what use was a huge appetite? The big fellows in the Purge squads were all bottomless pits too.

At the end of the day, all of them were still just bottomless pits.

Battlefield Cheerleader ignored their mockery, mainly because he did not care what NPCs thought of him. However, while he himself did not mind, Cowley shot Favri a displeased look. “Commander Favri, a person should be a little more objective. If there’s a problem, point it out. If there isn’t, then keep your mouth shut. Don’t stay silent when there really is a problem, and don’t oppose something merely for the sake of opposing it. What do you think?”

Seeing his commanding officer looking at him with obvious displeasure, Favri restrained the mocking expression on his face somewhat. “I think... you’re right, sir.”

Cowley stared at him without blinking. “I hope you sincerely mean that. On this point, you really ought to learn from Commander Pangolin. He has never opposed every one of your opinions merely because you dislike him.”

“Yes...” Under that burning stare, Favri could only grit his teeth and nod.

But Cowley was not satisfied with the answer and he pressed, “That’s all you have to say?”

Favri took a deep breath, turned toward Pangolin standing across the command table, and said, “My apologies, Commander Pangolin. I, Favri... sincerely apologize to you.”

Battlefield Cheerleader could tell that less than a tenth of those words were sincere, but he had no interest in making things difficult for the man. “I accept your apology.”

“Thank you.” Favri inclined his head slightly without looking at him.

“Good.” Seeing the two men at least nominally restore friendly relations, Cowley nodded in approval. After a brief pause, he continued, “Now, back to the matter we were discussing. The New Alliance has made a move along our route of advance. Whatever they’ve found there, we need to go take a look and recover what belongs to us... Conveniently enough, the battle in Vast Plains City is already over.”

Cowley looked toward Favri again. “Commander Favri.”

“Sir!” Favri snapped to attention and stood straight, waiting for orders.

“I need you to lead your men southeast and reach the ruins of North Sea City before dawn. The New Alliance has already arrived ahead of us. Before they find whatever they’re looking for, we need to expand our area of control as much as possible. Remember this! Avoid direct military friction with the New Alliance at all costs unless they fire first.”

“Yes!” Favri saluted, his eyes gleaming.

Cowley nodded, then turned toward Pangolin. “Commander Pangolin, you’ll go with Favri. Your task is to knock him unconscious and drag him back here if he gets carried away. Your men don’t need to come with you.”

“Yes, General.” Battlefield Cheerleader nodded and accepted the order, though hesitation still showed on his face.

He wanted to make one more effort and do something for his old friends, but there really wasn’t much he could do.

Seeing Pangolin look as though he had something to say but was unsure whether he should say it, Cowley revealed a kind smile. “If you have something to say, say it. Don’t keep it bottled up.”

Battlefield Cheerleader nodded. His mind raced, and suddenly an idea surfaced. “I was thinking... even taking the fastest route, it’ll still take us seven or eight hours to get there. By the time we arrive, it’ll probably already be too late.”

“My view is exactly the opposite of yours.” Favri glanced at him, this time without making any sarcastic remarks, merely chuckling. “By the time the New Alliance and the Torch Church have worn each other down, we’ll arrive on the battlefield as reinforcements at just the right moment. Not only will we relieve their urgent crisis, we’ll also be able to naturally claim a share of the spoils from them. They won’t have any reason to blame us. They might even have to thank us.”

“Hahaha, that’s exactly what I was thinking too.” Looking at the dumbfounded Pangolin, Cowley laughed. “By then, there probably won’t be many New Alliance paratroopers left either. Even if they want to send more troops to secure the territory they’ve taken, that will take time. We can use that window to establish some facts on the ground.”

Fuck!

Dirty!

These NPCs are too fucking dirty!

Battlefield Cheerleader cursed them repeatedly in his heart, yet still had to put on a look of admiration. “So that’s how it is. My understanding was too shallow...”

“No need to belittle yourself. I’ve seen what you can do. Sitting in a tent giving orders was never your specialty anyway.” Cowley smiled reassuringly before continuing, “Then it’s settled. You two should get going immediately.”

“Yes!”

The two responded, saluted, and then left the command tent.

Standing at the entrance, Favri lightly adjusted his collar and glanced sideways at Pangolin beside him, speaking with a half-smile. “It’s a shame the General has seen what you’re capable of while I haven’t. I hope I get the chance to see you show off some of your skills.”

By then, Battlefield Cheerleader was getting genuinely annoyed with the man. He looked at Favri with complete sincerity and spoke, “The General ordered me to make a move if you get carried away. Are you sure you want me to demonstrate my skills?”

“...”

Favri’s brow twitched. In the end, he suppressed the urge to lose his temper, glared fiercely at the man, snorted coldly, and strode away.

Battlefield Cheerleader followed behind him while silently praying that his old friends to the south would move faster.

He really had done everything he could...

...

After marching through the entire night and encountering more than a dozen clashes, large and small, with monsters inside the Kingdom of Heaven’s domain, Favri’s unit finally reached the outskirts of North Sea City at dawn after suffering a dozen or so casualties.

There was barely any gunfire left across the ruins.

Except for Battlefield Cheerleader, who deliberately dragged his feet, everyone else unconsciously quickened their pace and hurried toward the direction where the explosions had occurred.

At last, near a stretch of abandoned concrete wreckage, the Army’s battalion linked up with the New Alliance troops that had landed from the Death Coast.

Their meeting was probably the first between the the Northern Front and Southern Front, even though neither side had wanted to see the other this early.

However, when the players saw that one of the people leading the Army force was actually Battlefield Cheerleader, quite a few of them widened their eyes in surprise.

“Holy shit!”

“HOT DAMN...”

“Battlefield?!”

Seeing all these blue moles staring fixedly at Pangolin beside him while completely ignoring him, the actual commander, Favri could not help feeling irritated. “What are these people muttering about?”

While frantically signaling with his eyes for these bastards not to screw around, Battlefield Cheerleader lied with a completely straight face. “Back in Sunset Province, I killed quite a few of them. They’re probably cursing my family.”

Both statements were technically true. Put together, however, they were complete bullshit.

Favri had no idea and actually froze for a moment after hearing it. Then, as though remembering some interview he had once read in the Triumphant Reports, he thought for a moment and nodded in understanding. “I see...”

But then his eyes suddenly shifted, and a meaningful smile appeared on his face. “In that case, you can negotiate with them and have them obediently hand over the land beneath their feet.”

Battlefield Cheerleader’s eyes widened in shock. “???”

What the fuck? Is this guy so sleep-deprived that he’s dreaming in broad daylight?!

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