Otherworld Advance Team
Chapter 126 - 122: Reconnaissance Mission

Chapter 126: Chapter 122: Reconnaissance Mission

The next day, as the advance team had barely left their tents, a courier brought a command from Corps Commander Rodney, instructing them to receive their assignment. The men exchanged glances, feeling that something was off.

It was the heart of winter, and the frontline troops and the rebels had entered a period of rest and reorganization. Logically, there should be no military actions. So, why was Rodney in such a hurry to call them over? What was he planning to do?

Following the courier, the group arrived at the Corps Commander’s encampment. Several pots of charcoal burned inside, making the whole tent uncomfortably warm. Seeing this, Hu Daoke had ten thousand snarky remarks welling up inside him.

Rodney sat at the center of the tent, wearing a satisfied grin. An unusual scent permeated the air; as men, Luo’er and the others immediately recognized what it was.

"Captain Luo’er, you’re here," Rodney said, his grin broadening even further at their arrival. However, his gaze involuntarily shifted back to the two girls.

"Do you have any assignments for us, sir?" Luo’er once again stood protectively in front of the two girls.

"Well, the recent bad weather has led us into a temporary ceasefire with the rebels. The Crown Prince plans a counteroffensive in the spring, pushing the front line forward a hundred kilometers," Rodney said, unfazed by Luo’er’s protectiveness, and launched into a discussion of their war.

Influenced by Earth, many metric units in Otherworld had been assimilated. After all, it made more sense to absorb concepts from an advanced civilization like Earth, rather than clinging to their own traditional system.

Upon hearing Rodney’s words, Luo’er fell into deep thought. It appeared that the Crown Prince intended to prove his strength with a war campaign at the first bloom of spring, hoping to win the favor of other lords. This likely explained King Valen’s decision to hand over all the troops sent by Odelanqi to the frontline corps.

Clearly, King Valen also hoped that the Crown Prince could secure a victory, giving his future political career a boost.

"To further the Crown Prince’s great cause, we plan on sending scout troops deep into rebel territory to search for their main force, in preparation for our spring offensive. Being Princess Melia’s selections, we can’t expect you to join the common soldiers at the front lines. So, I intend to assign you to reconnaissance in the occupied territories. If you find enemy forces, report back to us immediately. We will dispatch the front-line troops to crush them at the earliest opportunity. How does that sound?" Rodney asked.

"Just a simple reconnaissance mission, then?" Luo’er asked.

"Indeed. Considering you were selected by Princess Melia, I believe in your abilities and loyalty. This mission should not be difficult for you," said Rodney, smiling.

"Of course. As per the Corps Commander’s orders, it is our duty to follow." Luo’er nodded, accepting the request.

Heading into rebel territory wasn’t an attractive assignment, but Luo’er preferred it above lingering anxiously in the barracks.

"Then get ready to set out." As Luo’er stepped aside, Rodney’s gaze was drawn back to the two girls. Regret flickered in his eyes.

Though they did not know what Rodney was scheming, Luo’er felt they should be on high alert. Who knew if Rodney would place an ambush somewhere to silence them?

They mounted their horses, donning white cloaks, which blended perfectly into the snowy background, making them an excellent disguise. This attire was a standard uniform for winter scout troops.

Just before departure, the corps members handed them a pigeon cage. Unlike the pigeons used by Princess Melia, these carrier pigeons could only fly back to the camp. It was the only means of communication between the scout troops and the corps. Typically, a scout team was given several cages to ensure the continuity of reconnaissance tasks. However, they only received one, meaning they could return as soon as they found some useful intelligence.

As they were about to leave, they passed by a station. Luo’er, ever observant, noticed something unusual. The Masya frontline corps possessed large caliber artillery.

The station seemed to be an artillery position. Luo’er quickly counted eighteen guns, which were standard for an Earth-based artillery battalion. These were not just any primitive Otherworld real bullet artillery, but genuine modern towed artillery, the type found only on Earth.

Seeing these guns, Luo’er abruptly remembered something Wang Xu had mentioned before. Masya had attempted to purchase 155mm caliber artillery shells from the United Nations, almost causing an uproar in the Security Council due to accusations of selling large caliber artillery to Otherworld.

It seemed that Masya’s purchase of shells from Earth was not meant to stir up any trouble. Instead, they genuinely had large-caliber artillery. But who sold these weapons to them?

Due to the distance, Luo’er couldn’t identify the specific model of the artillery. He planned to secretly investigate this mysterious matter after fulfilling his mission.

While riding through the snow-covered mountains, Luo’er felt that their mobility was highly restricted. The horses walked heavily through the snow, burdened with a passenger. They had been traveling for almost five hours, yet they had barely moved ten kilometers away from the frontline battalion.

Given their speed, an entire day would be needed to complete an intelligence task. No wonder the battalion gave them a pigeon cage.

They had barely moved thirty kilometers from their base by the time the sun set. According to Otherworld’s combat system, they had already penetrated deep into the enemy’s rear.

With the setting sun descending, Luo’er and his men felt desperate. The temperature would drop even further at night, and they couldn’t light a campfire since they were deep in enemy territory. Apparently, they were in for a lonely and frigid night.

Fortunately, they found a cave at the foot of a mountain just as the visibility was decreasing. It was about three or four meters high and dry inside. After a preliminary inspection, they found that it had only one entrance and a curve about five or six meters deep, which could be used as a campsite. It seemed that this spot had been used before.

Despite the unfortunate circumstances, they found an oasis in the desert. They took their horses into the cave to shelter. Burton was afraid of the cold and brought some firewood back. With a fire spell from Tangmo, they lit a fire inside the cave, warming the narrow space.

The curve in the cave blocked the firelight, adding a layer of safety. The smoke rose up through holes in the cave ceiling, escaping somewhere else but not accumulating inside the cave. Luo’er thought that if he were ever stranded on a deserted island, such a cave would be his first choice for a home.

At this point, it was late, and the moon was half full. It cast a chilling light over the snowfield. The moon of Otherworld was much bigger than Earth’s, making the snow-covered plain almost as bright as day.

Burton and Baiyue volunteered to hunt after the fire was lit. They couldn’t find any game, however, despite their efforts. Thus, they ate the compressed dry food they carried instead.

As always, they assigned night duty. Luo’er yawned, held his rifle, and fell into a deep sleep by the fire. Tangmo was on guard for the night, which meant Luo’er was able to sleep soundly without worrying about being attacked.

The night in Masya was quiet. There were no insects chirping or birds singing, only the crackling sound of the fire. Luo’er wasn’t worried about Tangmo feeling scared because the visibility outside was better than inside the cave. Their decision not to travel at night was solely due to the cold weather.

The horses were led together to block the entrance of the cave. It was more comfortable hiding inside the cave than outside. However, they still couldn’t find feed for the horses. They would have to wait until daylight to dig out some grass under the snow to fill the horses’ stomachs. It was difficult to travel in heavy snow, not only for people but also for horses.

When his shift came in the second half of the night, Luo’er could clearly feel Tangmo’s deep resentment. She didn’t even want to talk to him and went straight to sleep by the fire, leaving Luo’er helpless.

But nothing happened during the night. Luo’er watched the snowfield grow brighter until the sun rose, illuminating the snowy landscape once more.

Walking in the snow, the biggest danger on a boundless snowfield was snow blindness. Fortunately, Luo’er and his team were well-prepared. Each of them pulled out their dark sunglasses provided by the Headquarters and put them on. These were among the few Earth products they had. There were similar products on Masya from Earth, but it would inevitably raise suspicion if they openly used these items.

Early in the morning, Burton dug up some grass to feed the horses. They melted some snow in a pot and used it to replenish their water supply.

By the time they had finished preparing, it was midday. The not-so-warm sunlight hitting them did provide a touch of warmth.

The Advance Team continued wandering in the enemy’s occupied area. Compared to the Kingdom’s army, the rebels were much lazier. By the afternoon, they hadn’t found any traces of the rebels, not even footprints. The vast snowfield was inhabited only by their team.

Luo’er still remembered the time, over a month ago, when they had encountered rebel attacks on a convoy. The rebels were much more energetic back then. They never gave up attacking the rigid formation of knights. But why was it so hard to find any traces of the rebels now, especially on the frontlines?

After wandering for several more hours, Luo’er was ready to head back to the cave to warm up when a sudden gunshot broke the silence of the snowfield. Startled, they looked at each other and moved in the direction of the gunshot, albeit with difficulty.

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