Of course, the unit that was attacked was not the main force of the General Headquarters, but merely an Explore unit of less than two hundred people.
It was primarily composed of New Seville’s garrison, and its personnel quality and equipment level were naturally typical of a garrison.
However, even a so-called ordinary garrison unit, it was a combat force of over two hundred people, equipped with multi-terrain walking vehicles, fire platforms, and armored airships.
Now, to be routed by wild beasts would truly provide a year's worth of laughter for All-Galaxy military observers and media.
Thus, when the intelligence from the Captain leading the unit reached Brigadier General Luben, who was having lunch, he immediately overturned the table.
Fine red wine, fish and lobster sent from New Seville, roasted ribs, fresh fruits, vegetables, and bread—an entire table of dishes crashed to the floor, making the nearby orderly's eyelids twitch.
The orderly, not yet twenty years old this year, felt that a high-ranking officer like the General might be less sensible than his own 3-year-old nephew.
That child might be mischievous, but at least he wouldn't waste food.
The orderly silently squatted down and began to clean up the messy floor.
He wasn't afraid at all.
If Brigadier General Luben had lost his temper like this for the first time, he might have trembled, but the General had been like this so often lately, so the young orderly had naturally gotten used to it.
Brigadier General Luben had always tried to project the image of a refined and astute scholar-general, but unfortunately, there had been too many frustrating realities lately.
The persona he had spent decades building naturally could not be maintained.
During this time, he was indeed very unlucky.
Transport convoys were attacked by Lumina Rebels; reconnaissance teams were ambushed.
He sent people to contact the major Lumina tribes, asking them to send people to assist in the war, but after more than two weeks, only one-third of the planned number had arrived.
The General Headquarters located outside the Sero Great Forest was also occasionally harassed by beast hordes, and sentries frequently suffered casualties.
But this defeat, in particular, infuriated him.
“Immediately order them to retreat! Yes, have Captain Suk and Captain Beta lead their men to rendezvous!
Besides that, all units cancel rest and enter full combat readiness! No automatic attacks, maintain existing positions!” Although furious, he still had to make subsequent arrangements, which made him even angrier.
This was the self-cultivation of a Commander.
Colonel Sahe, who was sitting at the same table, wanted to laugh, but he held it back.
In the Present situation, everyone should cooperate sincerely, so he said: “At least we have confirmed that the various large beasts in the jungle are indeed abnormal.
They have developed a certain level of organization and possess extremely strong aggression and hostility.
The strategic objective has been achieved, so this cannot be considered a failure.”
“Yes! We use our garrison men to scout and die, while your Marine Corps hide and watch, then come in to collect heads and military merits, right?” Brigadier General Luben glanced at him, truly wanting to retort, but he also knew that now was not the time to fall out.
He could only nod with a gloomy face: “...I just hope that Central Special Envoy can accept our explanation.
Is he still in Maple City?”
The Marine Corps Colonel nodded, a strange expression on his face.
“Why is that cursed place so desolate, like a tomb, now?”
Brigadier General Luben also found it truly incomprehensible.
Indeed, Captain Yu Lian's actions were too puzzling.
If it was because he didn't want to stay in the barracks with a bunch of smelly soldiers, that would be understandable.
After all, a considerable portion of the “elite bureaucratic group” had this kind of temperament, not to mention that Moon People were known as the “elite among elites.”
But if that were the case, he could have just stayed in New Seville!
Wouldn't it be great to eat seafood and look at the sea every day?
To make the Central Special Envoy happy, Brigadier General Luben had truly racked his brains, providing drivers, bodyguards, assistants, and guides!
He even used the flower in the garrison Command HQ that he himself hadn't had a chance to touch, truly bleeding money.
When Yu Lian suddenly shook off the people Brigadier General Luben had arranged and went to Lumina alone, it truly scared the latter quite a bit.
However, the Central Special Envoy went directly to Red Maple Factory, not only not showing up at the General Headquarters, but not even making a phone call.
“This, perhaps, is giving us a way out.
You know, our combat experiences with the Lumina Rebels over the Past few years don't really stand up to scrutiny.”
“Seriously, those mantises, why couldn’t they just be like before?”
“Yes! Why couldn’t they just honestly be our benefactors, providing us with food and supplies?
Why get involved with the Wanling Sect?”
“Those Wanling Sect guys are even more disgusting!
Why couldn’t they just honestly sell lucky rabbit feet and give alms to lonely and eager ladies of high status?
Why cause so much trouble, it's such a nuisance!
They don't consider the hard work of us civil servants at all!”
After this round of complaints, Brigadier General Luben and Colonel Sahe suddenly felt that life was too difficult, and they inexplicably developed a sense of mutual understanding.
As for the young orderly who was still on the floor cleaning up the mess, he felt that if he listened any longer, he would probably have to prepare for his own funeral prematurely, so he quickly stood up, holding the trash can, and said: “I, I’ll go prepare another dinner for the officers, you two wait a moment…”
The young orderly fled in a hurry, and the two officers said nothing.
Since they dared to say these things in front of him, they naturally weren't worried about him leaking secrets.
To put it bluntly, the Lumina Rebels being the source of food and supplies for the garrison and Marine Corps had long been a consensus among all the soldiers.
“Captain Yu Lian said he came to rectify Red Maple Factory, is that true?” Brigadier General Luben began to ponder.
“Red Maple Factory, isn't it a military enterprise?” Colonel Sahe had not been in Lumina for many years and didn't know much about this enterprise, which had almost witnessed decades of Lumina's history.
“It seems they said it was reformed, and the operating rights have been handed over to private entities.
Of course, the government and military both have oversight… sigh, what does that have to do with us?
It’s all the big shots on Earth’s messy business!” Brigadier General Luben shifted his small eyes, staring at Sahe, and said in a strange tone: “No matter what, Captain Yu Lian is also a Central Special Envoy.
Whether it's Red Maple Factory or our army, they are all within his supervisory authority.
If he suddenly gets a whim and comes here to stroll around, asking us about our battle situation and achievements… are we supposed to tell him that we were routed by a horde of beasts?”
Brigadier General Luben's tone was as if he was telling a ghost story, but to the Colonel, it sounded pretty much like a ghost story.
“If he’s not satisfied, and sends a dispatch to Earth, your and my future… ah no, we might have to retire early now.”
“Early retirement” was truly miserable.
No special promotions, no medals, not even being able to hold one's head high at veteran reunions, and finding work and re-employment would be very difficult.
What, do you think those major companies rehiring retired politicians and military officers don't check their resumes?
Colonel Sahe shook his head vigorously, indicating that he absolutely could not retire early.
“So, Commander, what is your opinion?”
“Your Marine Corps hasn't suffered much damage lately, and you've been resting and preparing for battle, so you must be in the best condition now, right?
How about we abandon the plan of encircling by crossing the Sero Great Forest and try an aerial insertion, directly landing in Sero Ancient City to decapitate the enemy! How about it?”
Colonel Sahe looked at the other party expressionlessly, completely failing to understand at once why the other party was insulting his intelligence like this.
“Of course, your Marine Corps will be the main force for the surprise airborne assault!
The garrison will also conduct an outer aerial assault on Sero by airship, cooperating with your operation!”
“Yes! And the greatest possibility is that we get surrounded, and you get beaten so badly you can't even see the outskirts of Sero Ancient City.”
The Colonel quickly realized that he absolutely had to refuse.
But once he refused, the other party could at least shift the blame for “fear of the enemy.”
“The main thing is, since a rampant beast horde has appeared here, it’s very unscientific!
Do you understand what I mean?”
The Brigadier General paused slightly, then nodded in understanding.
Since it’s unscientific, then of course it’s very spiritual energy user-like.
This is the law of this universe spirit!
“We need to apply to the Far Shore Defense Fleet for spiritual energy users!”
“If not, how about asking the City Autonomous Committee?”
The Distant Shore Defense Fleet certainly had spiritual energy users.
Their chief Navigator, their first assault Captain, their flagship medical officer, were all extraordinary individuals.
After all, they were on the front line directly facing the Imperial defense, so such a configuration was very normal.
New Seville also had spiritual energy users, but they were civilians and only received a subsidy from the city government in their residential area, so they were naturally not subject to military control.
In short, the regular troops of this star system, the garrison and Marine Corps, did not have any, which was a sad story.
“So, should we make an application to the Distant Shore Defense Fleet?” Sahe asked.
Brigadier General Luben fell silent, and Colonel Sahe naturally could only be silent, for a moment speechless.
Leaving aside whether the Fleet would grant this favor, if they really agreed, would only spiritual energy users come?
If they won in the end, whose credit would it be?
More importantly, from the perspective of the high-ranking officials in Earth’s military Command HQ, wouldn't it just look like they had made a big fuss locally, spent a lot of money, suffered heavy losses, achieved nothing, and still needed to request Fleet support?
Not to mention credit, they might even have to retire early again.
“No, absolutely no early retirement! I will stake my entire military career, and absolutely not ‘retire early!’” Colonel Sahe clenched his fists, his fighting spirit burning, and said with an impassioned tone:
“You should still send someone to Maple City to check it out, help if you can, and then… please invite Captain Yu Lian over.
This is also within his scope of duty!
With the situation in such a stalemate, everyone needs to cooperate even more closely!”
More importantly, having an extra person with connections, whether it's for communicating with the Distant Shore Defense Fleet or ultimately taking the blame, makes things easier to handle!
Although Colonel Sahe didn't say this aloud, he believed that Brigadier General Luben opposite him definitely understood his meaning.
Brigadier General Luben felt that this might be the most sensible thing Colonel Sahe had said today.
He sighed, a weary expression on his face, and said resignedly: “I just hope that Central Special Envoy is truly as benevolent as he claims.
If a promising Moon People, a spiritual energy user, can truly understand us ordinary grassroots military officers, then it would be a blessing from the universe spirit.”
However, as a Central Special Envoy, also known as a “military supervisor,” he hadn't appeared at the General Headquarters for a single day, fully expressing his trust in the front-line generals through his attitude.
The more this was the case, the more the front-line generals, after being flattered, were now left with only unpredictable moods.
“We still have to advance! Captain Yu Lian is giving us a way out, and we can’t make things difficult for him!” Brigadier General Luben said.
At this moment, a sense of mission filled his heart.
He was moved by his own righteousness, feeling that a subordinate like himself, who was so understanding and considerate of his superiors and their “military supervisor,” was truly a loyal and brave model for the Commonwealth’s front-line generals.
“Yes, we still have to fight! But I will absolutely not let my subordinates engage in any airborne operations!” Colonel Sahe said.
“Alright, if you say no airborne, then no airborne.” The Brigadier General drew out his words, in a coaxing tone like to a child: “Then this time, let’s gather more troops, no more of those fancy tricks, a frontal assault, how about it?”
Just as the Commander and Commander of the General Headquarters were engaged in a fierce discussion about the upcoming battle plan, their target, Flores Wanda, was also in the ancient stargazing tower of Sero Ancient City, beginning to discuss the next step of the plan.
Those Present were either gloomy cult leaders or ferocious Lumina Rebel leaders, but the overall atmosphere was quite lively.
They had indeed achieved another victory.
And in the Past few weeks, as the enemy's large army approached, they had indeed been continuously victorious.
Today, however, was their most glorious victory.
“The enemy is in full retreat! Now, the beast horde has surged directly out of the Sero Great Forest, presumably heading towards the enemy’s Command HQ.”
“Oh… let us observe a moment of silence for the bravery and tragedy of our little friends.
The universe spirit will watch over them, and their souls will merge with the omnipresent, mysterious ruler!”
Indeed, setting up an ambush in the jungle was one thing; directly assaulting a heavily defended large military base was another.
The person who said this was still the youngest Earth man Present.
He had always been a cautious person, so everyone was basically used to his various attempts to dampen their spirits by not reading the room.
“But everything that has happened these Past few days indeed proves that the ancient notes left behind are correct.
The ritual tools we found, and our magic arrays, are also correct!” The older Wanling Sect member retorted, then looked at Flores Wanda, who had been silent until then.
“Flores Wanda, we can continue, and wait for the auspicious time…”
“Where is that Central Special Envoy sent by Earth, the one named Captain Yu Lian?” Flores Wanda interrupted the other person, directly asking a question completely unrelated to the Present situation.
Everyone Present looked at each other, some even momentarily unable to recall who this person was.
It was the cautious Earth youth who said: “He has been in Maple City.”
“Maple City?” Flores Wanda did not deliberately conceal his confusion and fell into thought.
He naturally did not see that a Lumina youth sitting at the very bottom, completely hidden in the shadows, also showed a thoughtful expression.
After a while, Flores Wanda said: “Although that Captain is young, he is not easy to deal with, and has been inactive… there must be something fishy!”
Just as he was about to say to wait a little longer, an information ringtone suddenly floated up from the ancient stone table in front of him.
Placed in this environment and atmosphere, it naturally seemed a bit out of place.
Flores Wanda’s eyes seemed a bit stiff, but he remained expressionless, opening the information terminal with calm and natural movements.
“Flores Wanda, there’s an encrypted communication from outer space, we…”
Flores Wanda didn’t wait for the communicator to finish, stood up, left a remark: “I’ll be right back!”, and then walked away.
“Flores Wanda didn’t wait for the communicator to finish, stood up, left a remark: “I’ll be right back!”, and then walked away.”