Otherworld Advance Team
Chapter 1180 - 1173: Armed to the Teeth

Chapter 1180: Chapter 1173: Armed to the Teeth

Thanks to Princess Melia’s relationship with headquarters and the full support she had obtained from it, the Joint Command Center allowed her to enter the command area. They even specially assigned someone to answer her questions and explain how these war machines operated.

For this war, the army that Princess Melia brought also underwent a reorganization. It was slightly modified on the existing basis to become a standard army infantry organization.

The days in Lipei for these soldiers were not at all bad, as logistics and supplies came entirely from Lipei, allowing them to live a good life they never imagined before, with three meals a day and meat at each one. Even when they were out on duty, they could carry canned meat to ensure they had enough physical strength.

This paradise-like life starkly contrasted with their previous existence, bearing a remarkable resemblance to the expeditionary forces during World War II.

Although most of Princess Melia’s supplies also came from headquarters, transportation was inconvenient, so they always lived rather frugally. Additionally, since the controlled area was mostly mountainous with very limited grain-producing lands, food supplies always hovered at subsistence levels.

However, with the rise of Lipei and the support garnered by Princess Melia, the quality of life for her troops was about to improve significantly.

In addition to the abundant logistics, their equipment had also been strengthened. To prepare for the impending offensive, headquarters specifically scavenged a batch of weapons and equipment from the army, including bulletproof vests and helmets.

Such equipment was basically non-existent in Melia’s army because of the high price. In the Otherworld, generally, only elite troops could afford them. The elite forces of the Otherworld mostly wore Rune Armor and looked down on bulletproof vests and helmets, thus creating a vicious cycle where lower ranks could not afford them, either.

The batch of equipment from headquarters was styled after those used by forces during the Second Otherworld War. Although slightly outdated, they were still very effective. Thanks to the continuous development of the Origin Project, the army had accumulated substantial resources over the decades, which is why they could afford to equip every soldier with helmets and bulletproof vests.

Furthermore, considering the high mobility of the Masya Mountain Division within Princess Melia’s army, the army specifically sourced reconnaissance-type bulletproof vests for these soldiers, reducing weight significantly by slightly compromising protection.

In this war, the troops brought by Princess Melia would serve as the main force, resisting enemy invasions alongside the mercenaries, to minimize loss to the Mobile Troops to the greatest extent.

Princess Melia had no qualms about using her own army as the vanguard; she even felt honored by it. If her troops could effectively master the modern combat system during this war, it would be a tremendous asset to her.

Moreover, judging by headquarters’ usual behavior, the fully equipped state of her troops provided by headquarters was unlikely to be retracted postwar, meaning she would gain a batch of high-quality protective gear to bolster her forces.

The greatest weakness of Princess Melia’s forces was the absence of Mages or magical military capabilities, a situation that was unlikely to improve in the short term. Thus, she had to settle for the next best thing and fully learn Earth’s modern combat systems to counter magic, which had a home-field advantage.

Following reorganization, Melia’s forces experienced a significant boost in firepower. They were no longer just reliant on bolt-action or semi-automatic rifles; they had become fully enhanced. Weapons were updated to the fully automatic 56 assault rifle series, with a significant increase in various light and heavy machine guns at the squad level, including 40mm rocket launchers and squad mortars.

The reorganized troops were primarily commanded by non-commissioned officers from the Mobile Troops, simultaneously enhancing their combat experience. Moreover, they could directly call for artillery strikes, significantly boosting the military force’s striking power.

Given the need for a major battle, all Otherworld defense forces tasked with passive defense were transitioning to active resistance, including Melia’s troops and the mercenaries, who were being assembled for a counterattack.

To fill the vacancies they left, upon higher approval, the army once again dispatched two infantry regiments through the Otherworld Gate to station briefly in Lipei to defend and protect the residents below Lipei City.

On the other hand, in response to Cheng Ziang’s request for major troop support for their special operations, after discussion, Wang Xu and others agreed to their demands. They diverted a portion of Melia’s mountain troops to reinforce Cheng Ziang and his team’s special operations.

Of course, another powerful force in the Lipei battles that could not be ignored was the air fleet from Ronisca. The flagship of this fleet was a supply ship, and its Captain was Reimer, who was involved in the Asirens incident a year ago.

According to the memorandum signed by both parties, the airborne fleet will provide an aerial platform for Lipei’s defense and counterattack, which includes ground reconnaissance, attack, and troop transportation, and in principle, will not participate in ground combat.

Everything was ready, just waiting for the enemy to come knocking, and the war machine was about to start running.

At the onset of war, Wang Xu returned to Earth and went to the Sheng Hua Academy’s meeting room to discuss with the headquarters’ high-ranking officials. In the meeting room, Wang Xu presented an opinion that couldn’t be ignored, "If the enemy surrenders during the interception, do we capture them or eradicate them all?"

After discussions among the senior leaders, Lin Wei provided an answer, "Try not to let the enemy surrender and strive to eradicate them before they have the chance to do so."

He then explained the reason for this approach, "Given the current situation in Lipei, the benefits brought by captives are far lower than the deterrent effect of eradication. It might even give some from the Otherworld the delusion that if they come to Lipei to kill and plunder, they can simply surrender in time, and Lipei will be unable to do anything about them. Therefore, after discussion, we decided to try our best to completely eradicate the invading enemy and use a bloody reality to tell and deter those who harbor ill intentions towards Lipei that anyone who violates Lipei’s territory will be resolutely and thoroughly eradicated."

Having received affirmative responses from the headquarters’ senior management, Wang Xu finally felt more at ease. The plan that had been long developed in his mind could now be perfectly executed, and so he returned contentedly to the Joint Command Center.

On the other side, as the attacking party, Saiye and others arranged for their army to slowly start assembling over the course of nearly a week. This included their former private soldiers as well as a large number of mercenaries eager for the sight of money, with their forces at one point reaching a total of two thousand.

To ensure a smooth attack, Saiye and others brought in an experienced mercenary leader named Fredel to command this army. The old man, now past sixty, had been a member of the Otherworld Allied Army more than thirty years ago and had participated in the campaigns against the vanguard of multiple nations’ troops, so he always boasted of being the Earthlings’ nemesis.

Besides him, there was also a stranger at the scene. At first glance, he looked similar to the Aud people, but upon closer inspection, many discrepancies could be observed.

"Fredel, who is this?" Pelas pointed at the stranger, asking warily.

"Oh, this is our military advisor," Saiye explained from the side.

"Military advisor?" Pelas looked at Saiye with a curious face.

"Yes, their organization provided us with weapons and equipment and also sent him as a military advisor for this attack," Saiye elaborated.

"Can provide weapons and equipment?" Fulanta mumbled from behind, his heart suddenly skipping a beat, "Could it be... "

"Pelas," Saiye pulled him aside and then whispered, "You know that the real rulers of Lipei are the Shani people, and to defeat them, we need external support. The Maniken are our ideal partners for this."

"You’ve got the Maniken involved?" Pelas asked, eyes wide.

"Is there a problem?" Saiye inquired.

"No, just feeling uneasy," Pelas said with a frown.

"Excuse me for interrupting, gentlemen," the stranger stepped forward, interrupting the two’s conversation, "My name is Car, a true Aud person. Please do not discuss my identity in private settings."