This Game Is Too Real
Chapter 438: Flames Burning on the Riverbank

Chapter 438: Chapter 438: Flames Burning on the Riverbank

"In the name of God—"

"For His Majesty!"

"For the Kingdom!"

"Hold on at all costs!"

The riverbank, shrouded in dense smoke, was ablaze with flames burning over blood and corpses.

Bathed in blood, the Thousands of leaders let out a hoarse and exhausting shout, waving his military saber to hurry the soldiers forward, filling the blurred line of defense made of flesh and blood.

Even though his legs had been blown off, he still did not stop shouting.

Because the fortress beneath him was known as the City of Abundance.

It was not only the granary in the central part of the Lion Kingdom, blessed by the gods to the Kingdom, but also the last barrier on the Falcon’s way to the Royal City of the Lion Kingdom!

Time rolled back to several hours earlier.

The Falcon Kingdom’s second Ten thousand troops had finally completed their fortifications and, to everyone’s surprise, had launched a fierce attack on the City of Abundance’s defenders from both the west and north sides.

Of course, the Lion Kingdom would not be captured without a fight.

Under the leadership of Prince Wenter, the Beetle Corps, stationed here along with the militia, immediately put up a fierce resistance.

Whether it was cast iron Artillery, old-fashioned mortars, or makeshift howitzers, all had been dragged to the frontline.

Just to stop the enemy’s advance—

Even if it only delayed them for two seconds!

The propellers of the fighter planes in the sky roared as they rained down torrents of death on the riverbank, yet they couldn’t stop the guns on the riverbank from continuing to pour fierce fire outside the bunkers.

The defenders in the fortress, by the thousand, filled in one team after another.

The Siege Troops outside the fortress did the same.

Even with absolute air superiority.

Even with the artillery in the rear firing non-stop.

Even though the defenders on the riverbank were wiped out round after round.

They still failed to cross that metal dam.

The battle situation had become a stalemate.

Both sides, eyes bloodshot, cast aside humanity and faith, fighting in the most primal, most brutal manner, just to send more scorching metal shrapnel into the heads and chests of those who were once comrades.

The once impenetrable riverbank had turned into a churning meat grinder.

The flying shards and blast waves spread in circles, rolling waves of blood over the golden wheat fields.

Sitting in the cockpit of the fighter plane, Akant couldn’t help but be taken aback as he looked out.

Not because of the horrific battle, but because of the expanses of golden yellow.

In his homeland—beside the riverbank that was about to dry up—he had never seen such a vast and magnificent wheat field.

If they could capture this place, his fathers, mothers, brothers, sisters, and even his future descendants... surely would no longer have to endure hunger.

Although this meant that the residents of the occupied territory would struggle to live in poverty and misery, although this meant that those people would become slaves, he didn’t think there was anything wrong with it.

This world was a jungle of survival of the fittest; natural selection was a law of nature.

Prince William had once said, the oases of the Falcon Kingdom were declining; they bore the curse from the Great Desert on behalf of the kings of the sands, yet the kings of the sands turned a blind eye to their suffering, preferring to pour away milk and bread rather than share a bit of the gods’ bounty with them.

The corrupt kings had betrayed their oaths and faith and were unworthy of the Spirit of the Sand Sea’s blessings.

If the Falcon’s children wanted to survive in this world, they must fight on, keep fighting—

Until the end of their lives!

Akant gripped the control stick, skillfully elevating the aircraft’s altitude, ready to dive again at the artillery bunkers on the riverbank with the 10mm machine gun attached.

However, in that moment, the corner of his eye suddenly caught a string of black dots through the sunlight at his side.

That direction—

Is it from the east?

The backlight made it difficult for him to see what those black dots actually were, and at one point he even doubted whether his eyes were playing tricks on him.

However, instincts honed in numerous battles compelled him to make an immediate judgment, halting his next dive and continuing to climb towards the clouds.

Time would prove his decision correct, allowing him to dodge the first round of strafing.

But his teammates weren’t so lucky.

In just a few breaths’ time, those strings of black dots had flown closer, revealing shark, tiger, and devil-painted noses under the sunlight as they spewed long streams of flame towards them.

There were no enemy airfields nearby, so the pilots of the Falcon Kingdom had not anticipated an aerial attack and were thus caught off guard.

Caught by surprise, three "Eagle Type" propeller planes were instantly riddled with holes, their wings pocked with bullet holes, trailing black smoke as they plummeted towards the ground.

The other twenty-two planes, although they managed to evade in time, were still fiercely pursued and peppered with fire, quickly resulting in the loss of three more aircraft.

Seeing his teammates meet tragedy, Akant’s complexion changed wildly as he immediately opened the onboard communication system and roared.

"Enemy planes!"

"Halt ground assault, prepare to face the enemy!"

The remaining 19 aircraft quickly dispersed, ascending while turning to both sides, trying to evade the opponent who was doggedly pursuing them.

However, the enemy’s flying skills were also exceptional, not only well-coordinated but also well-trained.

Watching that "little chicken" performing evasive serpent maneuvers within his crosshairs, the unprofessionally angry Pig Nose snorted and stuck to the enemy’s rear hemisphere, throttling up.

"Think you can run?"

As if I’d let you escape—

Write my name backward!

Hitting the switch on the onboard communicator, he bellowed at the top of his lungs.

"Spread out and chase! One each, hit them hard!"

Responses quickly came through the communication channel.

"Got it, Bun Brother!"

"Received! Bun Brother!"

The unprofessionally angry Pig Nose almost flew off course.

"Damn it!"

"How many times have I said, my name is Pig Nose!"

Twenty-five unidentified propeller fighter planes pursued relentlessly, and five split off to outflank them from the front.

The aerial battle rapidly intensified.

Although initially caught by surprise, the pilots of the Falcon Kingdom soon rallied, relying on the excellent maneuverability of the "Eagle Type" propeller planes to engage in a horizontal dogfight with the enemy planes that had suddenly entered the battlefield.

In the absence of air-to-air missiles, the aerial combat turned into a close-quarters slaughter.

Both sides engaged in scissor maneuvering, each vying for that fleeting opportunity to fire.

The air was filled with the spray of orange-yellow bullets, like sparks flaring from an anvil struck by a hammer, forging every soul caught in the fray.

Sweat seeped from Akant’s forehead, his hands gripping the control stick tightly, his clenched teeth nearly biting into his gums.

He could feel that the enemy planes weren’t very strong, but their tactics were incredibly fierce, and their will to fight was unbelievably high.

Some extremely dangerous maneuvers made him wonder whether the enemy was ignorant of the possibility of death or simply did not care about their own lives.

Were they pilots from the Lion Kingdom?

Or from the alliance hundreds of kilometers away?

While the outcome of the aerial conflict was yet undecided, the situation on the ground had quietly changed with the arrival of the Alliance air forces.

The scales of victory had gradually begun to tip towards the attackers, but with the loss of air supremacy, the skewed balance was forcibly twisted back.

The second ten-thousand-strong Falcon Kingdom unit responsible for the siege soon found themselves in a hard fight.

In contrast, seeing the support of friendly aircraft, the soldiers on the riverbanks’ defenses were all emboldened, their cries resonant.

"It’s reinforcements!"

"Alliance reinforcements! It’s people from the Alliance!"

"Oh oh oh!"

"Spirits of the Sand Sea above! We are saved!"

Not only did the soldiers see the hope of victory, but joy also spread across the faces of the officers in the command post, clearing away the gloom that had been there just minutes before.

The Alliance reinforcements had finally arrived!

Although it was only the air force, it was a huge help!

The one thing the officers couldn’t figure out was where these planes had come from?

...

At the front-line position.

Behind the anti-cannon shelter, Prince Wenter held binoculars, looking through an observation window above the sandbag wall at the battlefield engulfed in thick, rolling smoke, his brows tightly furrowed.

Although the unexpected arrival of the Alliance’s aircraft had turned their declining situation around, their current state in the battle was still far from optimistic.

With the help of the Army, the Falcon Kingdom had prepared for this battle for over ten years, and in terms of both equipment and the quality of their soldiers, they were far superior to the Lion Kingdom.

The unceasing sound of distant artillery fire served as the best proof.

Those people had not retreated because of the loss of air support; instead, their attacking onslaught had become even more fierce.

His own Beetle Corps of ten thousand had already reduced its numbers by twenty percent, and the local militia and conscripted soldiers had suffered even heavier casualties.

Blood had nearly painted the riverbank red and had started to flow into the irrigation channels below...

"...If we continue to drain our strength like this, even if we manage to hold this fortress, I’m afraid we will be greatly weakened," said a noble serving as a staff officer next to Prince Wenter, with a grave expression.

Another officer clenched his fist and cursed.

"These beasts... they’re like endless hordes!"

"We must hold this place at all costs. This is the kingdom’s last line of defense; we have no other choice."

Holding the binoculars, Prince Wenter paused, then continued with an expressionless face,

"Since they’re so determined to take this fortress, let them bleed dry on the riverbank!"

At that moment, a swelling cloud of dust suddenly arose from the northwest side of the fortress, and with it came an unstoppable tide of steel!

About 50 Conqueror No. 10 heavy tanks had suddenly entered the battlefield.

When both the attacking and defending forces first noticed this unexpected force, neither side knew how to react.

Not until those tanks had moved closer and unexpectedly opened fire on the attacking forces outside the fortress, did the soldiers on the riverbank realize it was a reinforcing force!

The tanks bore flags on their turrets, emblazoned with the crest of the Honey Badger Kingdom.

The officer commanding the battle at the front line was overjoyed and shouted excitedly.

"It’s the Restorative Army of the Honey Badger Kingdom!"

"They came to help us!!!"

As friendly forces continued to arrive at the battlefield, the morale of the soldiers of the Lion Kingdom reached its peak, and their pace quickened, whether it was pulling the bolt-action on their rifles or loading artillery shells.

The badly battered thousand team surprisingly produced the firepower density of a full thousand-man unit.

Facing the armored units’ flank attack combined with the sudden increase in frontal firepower, the 2nd ten thousand troop of the Falcon Kingdom that was leading the assault suffered heavy casualties in an instant.

Meanwhile, the aerial battle had also been decided.

Apart from a few planes retreating westward, almost the entire air squadron of the Falcon Kingdom was wiped out.

The balance of victory, which had previously been level, now tilted completely in favor of the defenders.

The grand riverbank still stood immovable amidst the wheat fields and the rolling smoke of gunfire.

Seeing that the tide had turned, even though they were extremely reluctant, the frontline commander of the Falcon Kingdom had no choice but to order a retreat.

Any hesitation or lingering in the fight at this point could result in the decimation of the entire ten-thousand-strong force...

...

Thirty kilometers away, at the Falcon Kingdom’s military camp.

The entire camp was almost inundated with wounded soldiers.

Looking at the stretchers spread across the ground and the soldiers lying on the stretchers wailing in pain, Prince William’s eyes brimmed with rage, and he clenched his fists uncontrollably.

He could not understand why the Army had ordered the attack.

Wasn’t it agreed that nuclear bombs would be used to flatten that fortress?

Why then were his people sent to fill a front line that was clearly impossible to close?

He did not mind the citizens of the Falcon Kingdom sacrificing themselves for the expansion of the royal lands, but these casualties could have been avoided!

They were entirely unnecessary!

As he saw an Army officer approaching, he restrained his anger, stepped forward, and asked in a low voice.

"Where are the nuclear bombs? What about your bombs?"

Looking at William’s heaving chest, the officer simply gestured for silence, tapping his index finger on his lips, signaling him to keep quiet.

Upon seeing the gesture to remain silent, Prince William knew it was not the time to vent his anger. He took a deep breath, calmed his emotions, and spoke in a more relaxed tone.

"We need that device, I had already mentally prepared myself... I don’t understand what you’re hesitating about!"

"If you’re worried about inciting hatred from the residents of Luo Xia Province, I can bear their wrath for you and help you suppress those vermin—"

The officer raised his right hand and interrupted his endless chatter, looking at him seriously and said.

"Mr. William, what we’re currently facing is an opponent whose performance has far exceeded our expectations. They will adjust their tactics according to ours, and we will do the same. The battlefield situation changes every moment, why would you think plans can always keep up with changes?"

Prince William was stunned for a moment, then narrowed his eyes.

"What do you mean?"

"It means nothing."

The officer did not want to explain anything to this nominal marshal and walked past him towards a nearby tent.

However, when he reached the entrance of the tent, he stopped in his tracks and turned his face slightly.

"Never try to guess Mr. Griffin’s thoughts; he naturally has his strategies."

"Just do what you need to do, and we will naturally help you conquer the entire desert."

After dropping these words, he opened the tent flap and walked in, approaching a radio set, putting on the headset hanging from the radio, and reported the front line situation.

"The first flight squadron encountered an enemy air force interception; we lost 21 planes..."

"The defense forces of the City of Abundance resisted beyond expectation, the lost armored units from Camp 530 appeared on the northern side of our offensive spearhead, causing heavy casualties in the 2nd ten-thousand troop responsible for breaching; today’s offensive was forced to end prematurely..."

Even though the report was all bad news, there was calm at the other end of the radio.

As if it was not a surprise at all.

After a pause, the officer continued with respect and admiration in his tone.

"Additionally, the big fish has taken the bait, they really couldn’t restrain themselves after all, everything is as you predicted..."

...

On the other side, within the chaotic City of Abundance, a grand levee opened a gate, allowing the tank battalion that had supported them earlier to enter.

Soldiers lined up on either side of the road watched nervously as these tanks, which bore marks belonging to the Army, their eyes filled with caution.

Even though the tanks flew the Honey Badger Kingdom’s flags, the fear etched in their memories instinctively made them wary.

And moreover—

Not everyone welcomed these "Honey Badger People" who brought trouble to them.

Prince Wenter stood in the middle of the road, personally leading a group of bodyguards and officers to welcome this pivotal support that appeared at a critical moment.

The lead tank’s turret hatch opened, and a man with a thick beard stood up, signaling his troops to halt with a wave of his hand.

Observing Yard dismounting from the tank, Prince Wenter’s impassive face couldn’t help but show a faint stir of emotion.

"You actually came?"

"Yes, I’m here."

Walking up to Prince Wenter, Yard extended his hand and grasped his firmly, his gaze sweeping over the multitude of military officers behind him.

Some averted their gazes, while others looked at him with expressionless faces... grateful faces made up only about half.

This was normal.

Even now, many in the Lion Kingdom’s court still believed that if they handed over the members of the Honey Badger Royal Family, the Falcon Kingdom would return the territories they had occupied.

Even without such naive illusions, many believed that the war calamity came with them. Had they not taken them in, the Falcon Kingdom might have settled down for negotiations after conquering Oasis No.3, rather than continue eastward.

Yard was well aware that the Battle at the 530 campsite had problems with its intelligence because someone among this group had sabotaged it. If it hadn’t been for the ally arriving in time, he probably would have died on that dune.

Though he was dying to find the culprit and give them a beating, he knew now was not the time to pursue the matter.

The greater good was what mattered.

Discreetly shifting his gaze, Yard naturally looked to Prince Wenter in front of him.

"What’s the situation with those planes?"

"They are Alliance planes."

"Do they have an airport here?" A hint of confusion crossed Yard’s face; clearly, his daring trip was not under Alliance orders, but rather based on his own assessment of the battlefield.

Prince Wenter shook his head.

"I don’t know; those planes just appeared. We owe our lives to them; otherwise, we couldn’t have held out until your arrival..."

As he spoke, his face etched with complexity.

When the Honey Badger Royal Family first sought refuge here, he was strongly against the Royal Family taking them in, but he had never imagined that these people would one day save his life.

His Adam’s apple bobbed as Prince Wenter continued.

"... Thank you for extending a helping hand. Though I can’t speak for my kingdom, from today onward, every person standing here owes you a favor."

Yard grinned and patted the old man’s arm.

"No need for that kind of talk; we are allies on the same front..."

Despite being prepared to let things slide temporarily, he couldn’t resist emphasizing the words "the same front" heavily; the subtle insinuation was unmistakable.

Several officers wore uncomfortable expressions, subtly shifting their gazes away.

They knew all too well that their previous actions had been less than honorable.

Whether it was messing up the intelligence or withdrawing the Guerrilla Team up north, leaving the responsibility of covering for their allies to the Honey Badger’s restoration army.

As for Prince Wenter, the wrinkled old face remained unchanged, only responding with a faint smile.

"You’re right, we are allies on the same front, but I will remember this favor."

As he spoke, a thought seemed to strike him, and he pulled a letter from within his coat, handing it to Yard.

"...Oh, and here’s a letter, written by your siblings. They’re now in the Alliance’s City of Dawn; our envoy happened to be there as well, so they brought it along."

Hearing news of his brother and sister, a trace of surprise appeared in Yard’s eyes. He grinned, tearing open the letter handed to him by Prince Wenter.

There were two letters in the envelope.

One was from his brother — the acting king — and the other from his sister, Princess Afni.

Save the best for last, so he opened his brother’s letter first.

Skipping the formalities at the beginning, he went straight to the midsection of the letter.

[...I hope you are well; there’s no need to worry about our safety. The Alliance Manager is an enlightened leader. Though our paths differ, he respects our beliefs and choices.]

[After the war ends, the citizens of the Honey Badger Kingdom will have the freedom to choose their future way of living, as long as we promise to treat the descendants of the survivors with kindness and stand forever on the side of the masses. I may not fully understand every word he says, but I believe I have gotten what I wanted, and the price is not too hard to accept.]

[We agree that a peaceful development is the only way to end chaos. With this common understanding, we will become partners.]

Yard smirked.

This rascal’s writing was still so flowery. A simple assurance of safety would suffice; why beat around the bush, hiding the important points amid a mound of gibberish?

"Heh, I never acknowledged you as king."

However, the matter of the throne could be discussed later.

What needed to be done now was to drive away the invaders.

To drive out the invaders who had occupied the Honey Badger Kingdom, to drive out the invaders who had breached Luo Xia Province.

He unfolded his sister’s letter.

Unlike his annoying brother, Afni’s letter was much more pleasant to read.

Not only was the handwriting graceful and the tone polite, but it also wasn’t tainted with the bad habits of those civil officials and nobles. She simply reported her well-being in a familial tone and then shared some recent happenings with him.

Including her life in the City of Dawn, including her recent work organizing books, including a new friend she had made—a girl named Frost Snow.

A smile appeared on Yard’s face as his calloused index finger rubbed his thick beard.

At first, when that guy Sommer had suggested marrying their lovely sister to a heretic, and one who would be taken far beyond Luo Xia Province, he, as her elder brother, had been strongly opposed.

Beyond the oasis lay wastelands, so what more could be said of those barbaric lands bereft of the Spirit of the Sand Sea’s protection?

He heard that the people there were starving and poorly clothed, resorting to eating each other’s children to survive, and some Looters even held barbaric beliefs, tossing captives into pots to cook, more savage than wild beasts.

Although merchants from the east depicted City of Dawn as a streak of clarity amidst the darkness, it was still situated on barbarian soil.

Even if there were differences, how significant could they be?

Yard didn’t believe in that fairytale-like depiction at all. It was only after he heard that the Alliance had defeated the Chewing Bone Tribe, which was also supported by an Army, that he grudgingly agreed to Sommer’s proposal.

And this filled his heart with guilt.

After all, in his view, this was undoubtedly using his sister as a sacrifice.

A victory gained through a family member, although won, made him feel dishonorable.

However, seeing how happy his sister seemed in the letter, some of his unease also began to smooth over.

At least the contents of the letter suggested that life there wasn’t as bad as he had imagined.

To be able to manage a territory so orderly, the Manager’s son must at least be a person worthy of trust.

Yet as he read on, a subtle change came over Yard’s expression.

Like the letter from his brother, the latter half of the letter focused entirely on the subject of the Alliance Managers.

He admitted that it was a person worth mentioning and, considering future relations, it was necessary to understand the man who ruled half the province.

But was there really a need to dwell on him incessantly?

Not to mention any other things, at the very least, he hoped she would mention her fiancé a couple of times so that he, as her elder brother, could know whether that man was good or not.

However, there wasn’t a single word about it in the letter.

And from some point on, the tone of the letter grew odd.

[...The Alliance’s Manager is deeply loved by the local residents, and I can feel that their affection comes from the heart and is not blind obedience or submission to power.]

[I can see genuine loyalty in the eyes of the young man who serves as the Chief Guard by his side, and I can see in the eyes of a girl working at the Guild an aspiration without any trace of ulterior motive... Isn’t that enviable? Although I admit, it makes me a little jealous.]

Noticing something off about Yard’s expression, Prince Wenter paused and asked with concern.

"Do you feel unwell?"

"Nothing’s the matter."

Yard muttered complexly and tucked both letters into his pocket.

He felt it was necessary to have a talk with his sister... And that damn and foolish brother Sommer.

That guy was involved in an extremely dangerous matter.

Of course, that was to wait until after they had driven away the invaders.

But compared to the emotions of tension and wariness, and so on, his chaotic mind was now filled with more complex emotions that even he did not fully understand.

And the main culprit for all this was the last line before the closing of that letter—

[I might have fallen in love with him.]

...

Above the clear, cloudless azure sky.

The towering Steel Heart, with its wings flexing majestically as well as the propellers linked in tandem upon them.

Not far behind its tail, planes gently caught up and, one after another, landed on the hundreds of meters long steel deck.

The entire airship was like an aircraft carrier floating in the sky.

Turning the Steel Heart into an airborne aircraft carrier was Mosquito’s brainchild, but ultimately, it wasn’t Goblin Technology that completed the work, it was the Ideal Group in collaboration with the Alliance’s No. 81 Steel Plant.

Although in Earth’s history, airship carriers were a failed invention, with the Akron and the Macon as bloody ironclad evidence, this wasn’t necessarily the case in the "Game".

The Steel Heart didn’t rely on helium or hydrogen for buoyancy but was supported by an anti-gravity system from the escort ship’s core against gravity, thus eliminating concerns such as "violent collisions caused by air turbulence" or "wings tearing through the gasbags".

And indeed, this was the case.

The Steel Heart in the sky was stable as could be.

Furthermore, the armor along the airship’s central axis was as flat as level ground and, because it was directly above the airship’s keel, there were no obstacles like anti-aircraft cannons installed, avoiding the need to dismantle them for runway clearance.

You just had to avoid crashing into that 400mm howitzer at the front of the airship.

The hundreds of meters long runway was ample for propeller planes to land, and the airship itself could provide an initial velocity for carrier-based aircraft, allowing them to take off on a shorter runway.

Although this posed a test to the pilots’ flying skills and mental fortitude, a mere twenty or thirty "ace pilots" were still something the Alliance could muster.

Emerging from the aircraft, Brother Right Hand, with his pig-head, leaned on the wing, expressing his feelings.

"Ah... It’s really enjoyable to fly a big plane; it’s been a while since I’ve flown these little guys."

It was a pity that he still let that "little sparrow" get away.

But it didn’t matter since they won anyway.

Ice and Fire Brother, who often partnered with him as a gunner, chuckled and asked.

"How many did you shoot down?"

Not keenly reflecting on it, he shook his flaggy ears and smiled sheepishly.

"Heh heh, better not to mention it, better not to mention it..."

Elsewhere, beside a W-2 Attack Aircraft.

Feng Qing grunted as she hopped down supporting herself against the cockpit.

Taking off her flight cap scratched by shrapnel, she shook her hair, which had been tousled into a bird’s nest.

The string of bullet holes imprinted on the cockpit had let in so much airflow that it nearly numbed the left side of her face; it took quite a while of dodging and gasping before she recovered.

Also just disembarking from a plane.

Gui Gui curiously approached, circling around her aircraft’s canopy.

"What are you looking for?" Feng Qing blinked curiously at her.

Gui Gui scratched her head and giggled embarrassedly.

"The poem?"

Upon hearing this, Feng Qing’s face instantly turned red as a lantern, her toes gripping tightly to the soles of her shoes.

Gesturing wildly, she grabbed Gui Gui’s shoulder and pushed her away from her aircraft.

"Go away, go away. I have no idea what you’re talking about; I don’t know the person you’re looking for."

"Eh?! Don’t you remember? It’s that one—"

"Aaaaah! Stop talking about it, please!"

The noise continued from the deck all the way to the ladders leading below, where the NPCs in charge of bringing the planes into the hangar all admired the pilots with respect.

Their spirited demeanor bore no resemblance to men who had just descended from the instant of life and death on the battlefield—it was as though they had just attended a banquet.

Their fearlessness in facing death and their optimism were enough to leave them prostrate in admiration.

On the other side of the airship’s deck.

Spring Water Commander approached Mosquito, who had just gotten off a plane, and glanced around before asking.

"Where’s Falling Feather? Why don’t I see him with you?"

"Oh, him," Mosquito chuckled, "The Manager found him some other work."

Upon hearing these words, the Spring Water Commander’s expression became subtly complex.

"... It seems I won’t be able to see him for several days."

...

Meanwhile, below the airship, on the bridge deck.

Vanus, who had been following Chu Guang, furrowed his brow in deep thought before suddenly speaking out.

"I still don’t understand."

Chu Guang responded with a pleasant demeanor.

"Don’t understand what?"

Vanus looked at him and asked.

"You knew it was a trap set by Griffin, so why did you bring the airship to the front line?"

Although the deployment location and type of the nuclear strike could be basically determined, Giant Stone City might not be able to withstand that thing on its own.

Not to mention, they hadn’t reached the level of mutual trust required for sharing intelligence.

Chu Guang smiled faintly and spoke softly.

"There is a thief for a thousand days, but there is no defense against a thief for a thousand days."

Vanus paused, having never heard the saying before.

"What does that mean?"

Chu Guang answered concisely.

"It means exactly what it says."

"If the Sword of Damocles might fall at any moment, then it’s better to let it fall today."

"You could understand this as turning the tables or as bait enforcement"

The tactical clash is a collision of iron and blood.

But strategically, it is more about the unseen smoke of psychological mind games and political maneuvering.

Currently, Griffin held the initiative in this game, but that didn’t mean he was already assured of victory.

Whether he used this flaw in the Alliance to deploy the nuclear bomb according to plan at the Lost Valley airport

Or if he turned the tables and dropped the bomb directly into Lost Valley to reduce the losses of his allies,

The Alliance had already prepared for either scenario.

The Death Legion had already met with the Alliance’s envoys and were en route to the Grand Canyon. The supply lines to the north of Army would soon be cut off, while the Alliance’s own lines of supply were taking shape, with highways and railways ready.

If Griffin realized this, he would accelerate the pace of the war; otherwise, even if his vassals continued to win battles, they would ultimately lose due to the collapse of their logistics.

Therefore, he would certainly choose a more aggressive strategy and would definitely move up the timing of the decisive battle.

The Skeleton Corps had already departed from the Alliance’s western border, with 35 of the latest model tanks and 60 light and heavy trucks majestically heading toward the Lost Valley at the eastern side of Oasis No. 4, ready to take control of the airport there.

And accompanying Chu Guang to aid their allies, the Storm Corps, were already fully equipped and ready to deploy from within the airship.

Although the marine corps aboard the airship were only a thousand team in size, each was an elite soldier.

These players’ levels and individual combat prowess might not be the Alliance’s very best, but the Storm Corps’ overall abilities were definitely the most balanced.

Whether in terms of organization or fighting style, they were the closest to a regular army.

If the Burning Corps were the spear of the Alliance!

Then they were the Alliance’s shield!

Gazing at the handsome face reflected in the glass of a floor-to-ceiling window, Chu Guang took a deep breath and whispered to himself in a barely audible voice.

"... Come on."

He had finished all his preparations.

Now—

It was your turn to play.