The scouts chosen by WangXia located the possible bug traps, such as hollow undergrounds. Xuan assigned WangXia to carry out this task using the troopers.
Though since this was on the Arachnid's planet and the scout's team only had a little more than a dozen people, WangXia had to rely on Lan's scan to avoid the bugs' ambushes. That in turn raised his prestige among the scouts. Before long, he had gained complete trust among the scouts.
Kampa experienced the same situation in the gunner team. He and WangXia's trainings were hellish compared to what these troopers went through, which made them elites in this high tech era.
Xuan controlled the whole army's positioning and movements. WangXia led the scouts in the front and Kampa covered the back. They became an irreplaceable part of this army. Zheng and the others had not much use aside from Lan. She was in a way, a human communication device.
"It might be the case. I know there are a lot of bonus missions in this world but..." Zheng said with a bitter smile. "Don't you feel that we are attracting too much attention? The whole army almost see us as saviors. The movie didn't mention how they escaped but there was also no such saviors. Wouldn't this make the other team notice us?"
Xuan replied calmly. "It has to be done due to the situation we are in. Our first priority is to survive and in order to do so we have to join the mobile infantry and head back to the starships together, which is what we are doing. Based on the movie, this group is the most likely to return alive. We have no reason to continue hiding before we reach safety. And commanding this whole army to fight guarantees our safety."
Zheng sighed. "I know. I know what you mean due to the mistakes we made in the beginning. This army is no match for for the bugs so our plan of following the plot to go back with them without doing anything else only leads to death. Yet if we take actions by ourselves, another round of hoppers will be able to kill us. God had changed the plot so the only thing we can do is make use of all the potentials of our talents and powers. Always such precise calculations by God. We never get to go through a movie or two at ease even after becoming stronger. A change of plot can threaten us easily. So are we going to face the other team once we head back?"
Xuan smiled slyly. "Not quite. There are benefits to what we are doing. We are the strongest of the three teams after all. When we reveal four of our members, they will hesitate to attack instead. A team has at least seven people. So where are the other three? How strong are they? What are their enhancements and abilities? They have no idea. When we reveal ourselves without fear, they will be hesitant before confirming every member in our team."
"In the meantime, we can use use the achievements in this battle to join the higher ups of the military, which will give us advantage in any following plans. Maybe even find the other team through traces. When we assimilate into the crowd, neither sides can be distinguish players from natives unless someone diverge from the plot. After we head back to space and before the second battle begins, is a battle of wits between us and the other team. The first to find out the other team wins!"
(If it's a battle of wits, does that mean we won already?)
"To conclude it, the battle of wits begins after they come back from Klendathu. The first to find out the other team wins!"
A huge fleet was traveling in space. This fleet were the rescue ships sent from Earth. In the resting area for officers of one of the larger starships, nine men and women sat on the sofa, chair, floor, or bed. A blonde man said as he took a bite of chocolate. He snapped the chocolate in half. His eyes shining with ferociousness.
The others looked at each other then smiled leisurely. A middle age man slapped on the sofa and said. "Well Neos, doesn't a battle of wits mean we won? Haha."
Neos gave a cold smile. He grabbed another chocolate bar from the desk, tore off the wrapping and took a bite. "Things aren't so simple. We have only confirmed these four members belong to team China. Where is the other team? Southern Flame should be near South Africa judging by its name. As the weakest team, where is their location? Looking from analysis..."
"The third team might be inside the bugs. If that's so, then things are getting interesting. In the movie, there's another battlefield, Planet P. How is the third team going to get from one planet to another? God won't allow a team to stay out of a team battle. There's only one possibility, transport bugs. Then my previous conclusion is confirmed."
"We will be attacked by transport bugs. Time unknown. But the result is definitely a battle to death between the three teams. God still hasn't given us the real mission. Just surviving? That's simple by staying on Earth. However, it violates the rule of danger equals rewards. God will likely change the plot to attack us with meteorites if we stayed."
"Let's wait. The real mission is going to appear soon, along with the ambush by the bugs!"
"That's basically it." Xuan was as calm as always. It seemed as though he didn't care about anything. "Based on previous conclusions, the bugs have a species that can travel in space, and likely to have powerful attacks. Once the bugs begin their attack, the real mission of this movie will appear!"
Zheng laughed. "Don't worry. No use thinking so far ahead. Let's discuss a more practical problem. What do you think we should do after finding them out in the battle of wits? Kill them for points and rewards or exchange information. I think..."
Xuan didn't say anything for a while. Then he expressed a sense of resignation via the soul link and said. "It is unwise to consider events after victory. Don't underestimate anyone. Anticipate every possible situation so you will have the mindset for every difficulty. If the other team came up with the plan to obtain a high position in the military at the beginning, they should have decent ability to react."
Zheng continued laughing and interrupted Xuan. "It's reasonable to worry about everything else but if it's a battle of wits, we will definitely win. I never doubt it. But you are right. We will consider the next step after finding them. Every team experiences many different movies. Aside from team China's special circumstance, they should have gone through many movies before reaching team battles. We might be able to get information about the movies out of them."
Xuan said in agreement. "Correct. In comparison to the points and rewards from killing them, information about the rules of magic or quest items can be more valuable. The road to the top of the mountain is in view."
Zheng looked ahead. Far away, a road leading up the mountain was visible in front of him.
Chapter 9-2
The march until they reached the top of the mountain killed over 800 troopers and 300 more injured. This was the result of Xuan, WangXia and Kampa's cooperation along with Lan's psyche scan. Otherwise, the number of casualties would have doubled.
"This is a great result. The numbers are better than expected. Looks like these troopers gone through rigorous training, although there are issues with their training. They lack actual combat experience. These surviving troopers will become the bone of the federal armed forces. They will be the only army who lived through actual combat since the third world war." Xuan sat on a rock and said to the others around him.
The army went up the mountain. Xuan ordered the troopers to use tactical nukes on the thousands of bugs chasing after them. The tactical nukes had a range of 5km, a weapon that the federation never gave up.
The environment at the top of the mountain wasn't great. The wind on this planet was strong, and its temperature over ten degrees lower than Earth. There were snow accumulated on the top. The sharp wind made them shiver.
Though the federation was quite capable in areas outside the military. The troopers' uniforms contained mini portable air conditioners that could adjust temperature to one comfortable for the human body. This enabled them to continue fighting in freezing conditions.
A type of black rock scattered over the mountain top and in the ground. This type of rock had similar toughness to granite. There was only one road leading up the mountain. The troopers cheered and the officers led them to sit or lie down for rests. They had been fighting for hours already. They heated up simple military ration and water. A delicious scent filled the mountain top. Those guarding by the road turned their heads around to look as they drooled. Though their past training kept them guarding the place. Xuan had told everyone that each rotation was twenty minutes with one and half hour of rests. They just needed to persevere for twenty minutes and steaming food and water was waiting for them.
"Take a good rest. Our priority is to raise morale. The current result is decent. These people at least have hope. Adequate food and resting will recover 80% of strength for those who aren't injured. But that's not enough. We won't last six hours with this." Xuan was writing on a piece of paper and explained.
Zheng asked in confusion. "What other problem? The wind is strong here. Those hopper bugs wouldn't be able to fly up here. There's only one road and with the black rocks on the ground, this place should be safe."
Kampa and WangXia smiled bitterly. WangXia replied. "You have learned to grasp the situation through life and death situations so your arrangements are timely and on point in combat involving small groups. However, it isn't so simple for an army. We don't have enough ammunition."
"Ammunition?"
Xuan raised his head. The paper was filled with numbers and formulas. He continued. "Correct. We don't have much ammunition remaining. The ideal arrangement to guarding the road is with a thousand people. That can push back even the tanker bugs. But that's not viable. We only have forty two tactical nukes left, 13,000 magazines. Dividing them among the whole army only leaves each person with two to three magazines. So unless there aren't many bugs or they only come in few waves..."
Zheng also fell in silence. The scan showed that the bugs had surrounded the foot of the mountain and their numbers extended up to tens of kilometers away. That was only the surface. Countless bugs were moving under the ground. The total was well over millions. Aside from tanker bugs, there was a type with thick exoskeleton and two large pincers. Their numbers were less than the tanker bugs and they weren't among the list God had noted. It seemed like this type of bugs belonged to a hidden level and extremely threatening.
Zheng smiled bitterly. "You're right. This amount of bugs can drown us in six hours by just charging at us. Fortunately, the visibility here is low. Otherwise these troopers would lose all their confidence in staying alive."
Kampa and WangXia sighed. Kampa suddenly said. "Then just bring out our weapons. If I can use the EMP rifle in situation, I can kill all the bugs. Haha. The only problem is if they can block off the bugs while the gun overheats."
"No!" Zheng and Xuan both yelled. Xuan then said. "Can't show our weapons. The other team won't attack us since a few of our members are still hidden to them. However, if our weapons are exposed to other people, the whole federation will become our enemy. Governments are the most ruthless entity in front of interests. This is a war genre movie that takes place in space. The chances of us surviving against the government is zero!"
Kampa sighed. "So we are just going to sit around like this? How is it different than fighting outside by ourselves?"
Xuan took a look at the troopers and gave a cold smile. "Of course there is a difference. There are so many people here dying with us. We will only get into danger after they are all dead. Back to ammunition. We should have enough to last four hours under intense fires with five hundred troopers. The next hour will require other defensive methods. The first thing we can use are the rocks. The incline is steep enough. A rock with a diameter of one to two meters can killed all the bugs on the way down. It is slightly more powerful than bullets. With several thousand people digging and pushing down rocks, we can last about an hour. However, one shortcoming is its effect against larger bugs such as the tanker bugs and the ones with pincers. That's when we use the forty two tactical nukes."
Zheng, Kampa, and WangXia was planning their role in the battle as they listened to Xuan. Zheng nodded. "Then I will assign our roles. Kampa teach the troopers how to maximize ammunition efficiency and not fire aimlessly. WangXia go collect all the grenades. See if you can modify them. I need more powerful grenades. Their size isn't an issue. Xuan stay here and coordinate the army. I will stand by the road entrance and take care of the larger bugs. Zero stay connected with my mind. Use the sniper rifle from this army to snipe the eyes of the larger bugs. Their eyes are the most fragile. The army's sniper rifles have a rather short range and low power so you are the only one that can take this task."
"Lan coordinate our soul link and keep scanning, especially at the cliffs. They are steep but we should be prepared. Gando you have to protect Lan with your life. She's the most important person in this team, more so than me. If the situation gets dangerous, you have to carry her and run. If need be... Sigh. That's it. Take care of your role and defend. Six more hours left."
Chapter 9-3
Six hours is too short in a person’s life, barely a night of sleep. But to these several thousand people, these six hours determined whether they could continue their lives or not. Passed and they continue to live. Fail and they die. All the troopers became aware of it in under twenty minutes because Xuan altered some tasks for the instructors.
“You have to admit that the instructors are much more valuable than they think. The Chinese army never had a problem with morale. You just assign some people as instructors and tell them how to convince the soldiers. Let them know that fighting with their lives means live, losing to despair means death! I need an army that has no sense of fear.”
Xuan’s words were simple. He placed his orders via the communication devices while he talked to Zheng. Zheng almost felt like he was unnecessary. Though he wouldn’t be jealous. Xuan would make anyone feel inferior after all. It was like looking up to an omnipotent.
Zheng thought a bit and said. “They still haven’t begun their attack. Are they waiting for the brain bug’s order?”
Xuan replied without raising his head. “No. The brain bug probably placed the order already. However, due to the width of this road and the environmental conditions not being suitable for hopper bugs, coming up in small waves won’t threaten us. The brain bug’s order should be one all-out attack. A hundred thousand, two hundred thousand, five hundred thousand, one million. It will keep attacking until we die without regard for casualties. Lan, have you masked the mountain top yet? Expose the entrance to the road. Let the other team see us. Zheng, if our defense falls and our lives are in danger, follow Lan’s lead to subdue them with Destruction. That will be the only way for us to live!”
Zheng nodded with a serious expression. Before he got to talk, they heard gunshots coming from the road entrance. Then the troopers’ cries. Cries of fear and the desire to live coming from deep within their hearts. Those troopers were fighting for their lives. Bullets rained down the road.
Xuan immediately yelled at the communication device. “Kampa! How did you manage your group? Make them conserve ammunition! You should be aware of how much firepower is needed. If this happens again, you can get out of there!”
Kampa yelled back. “Yes, sir! Fuck. Don’t make me recall my past. Lots of bugs swarming over. Not going to talk anymore. I know to conserve ammunition but fuck. The number of bugs!”
5 hours 42 minutes until the rescue ships arrive, the bugs began their attack. Several hundred thousands of bugs were charging up the mountain road. The terrorizing scene made these troopers shiver. They had forgotten about their orders and fired their guns based on instincts. There was only one thing in their minds, make the bugs disappear.
Tatata! Kampa looked around in a cold expression. The barrel of his gun smoking. Several troopers lay on the ground in a pool of blood. The others looked at him in shock. He yelled with rage. “Aim and shoot as you were taught. Ten people a group. Each group is responsible for one section. Anyone who wastes their ammunition will be subject to military execution!”
The troopers were still in shock until he fired at the sky. These troopers quickly began aiming down the road. The military’s quality wasn’t high but the trooper trainings were rigorous. Every trooper was able to accomplish aimed shooting with decent accuracy in this situation. Kampa let out a sigh of relief. He held a rifle on each of his hands and sprayed down the mountain. Even though he was spraying, his accuracy still surpassed everyone here. But despair slowly creeped into him as he watched over the boundless sea of green and yellow.
“So this is a war genre world? An individual’s strength is so insignificant. No one person selected by God is perfect. We need comrades, need to combine various strength, need to cooperate to finish such missions. I will probably die without you three in this world. Haha!” Zheng laughed as he stood by the entrance.
Lan sent the result of the scans to him. In the deep underground 10km away, an area was masked. It might be the other team, or it might be the brain bug. Zheng had decided that the time the team fell into danger was the time he had to put his life on the line.
“What are those?”
Some troopers shouted. Ten tanker bugs were charging at them. These tanker bugs couldn’t move in closer than 500 meters. The federation’s guns weren’t powerful but their range was quite good. These bullets were designed for longer range.
On the back of the tanker bugs were ten tumors. The tanker bugs from before didn’t have these. So everyone focused their attention at the tumors. As soon as these tanker bugs got killed, the tumors shot out from the back.
“Shoot! Shoot those things down! We can’t let them get close!” Kampa yelled within the troopers. He sprayed with his rifles but the bullets only set off sparks as they got reflected off the tumors. These tumors crossed several hundred meters and headed to troopers.
“Down!” WangXia’s voice came from behind. People turned their heads back subconsciously and saw him fired a tactical nuke from his shoulder. The troopers yelled. “Fuck! The nuke has a one-minute timer after impact. Are you trying to kill us all?”
Just then, a brilliant light sparked in the sky. These people screamed with their hands covering their eyes. Those who got down on the ground were luckier. They only suffered some shockwave and heatwave.
People looked up to see the fireball still burning in the sky. WangXia put down the launcher and said. “I modified the timer to three seconds. Be careful.”
Two tumors were further away from the explosion. They rolled off the fireball and onto the ground. The troopers around them instantly ran away. The tumors didn’t explode but rather stretched out into spider like bugs. These spider bugs jumped into the troopers and shredded them to pieces. Their speed and strength were much higher than regular bugs. Dozens of troopers died in a few seconds. Yet, the others couldn’t open fire since they were inside the crowd.
Zheng yelled. “Kampa, organize men to continue shooting! WangXia, use up some modified grenades until new troopers take their place! Xuan, send a hundred troopers over! Zero, shoot, shoot them down!” He charged over and leaped at one of the spider bugs.
(Can’t use any strength on my right arm and I am not left handed.)
Zheng was thinking how to fight as he entered the unlocked mode. He was only a few meters away when the spider bug noticed him. It raised one of its sharp legs. Zheng leaped right into it with his stomach. The leg pierced through him. But he had already calculated his positioning to have the leg go in between his organs. It seemed terrifying but his organs were intact.
“Ah!” Zheng closed in through the leg and stabbed the army knife and his whole arm into the spider bug’s eye. He activated Red Flame on his left hand since no one would see through the bug. The bug’s brain was burned with just one attack. Its body struggled for a moment then got shredded by Zheng.
Zheng breathed heavily as he turned his head around. The other spider bug had killed so many troopers during this time. Broken limbs, organs, and blood filled the ground.