This Game Is Too Real
Chapter 457: I, Pangolin, will definitely not let you down!

Chapter 457: Chapter 457: I, Pangolin, will definitely not let you down!

Oasis No. 3.

The atmosphere in the frontline command post was heavy.

A group of officers surrounded a strategic map filled with marked lines, silent, their faces unanimously etched with solemnity.

A week ago, under the command of General Griffin and the desperate cover of the first and second Ten Thousand Troops of the Falcon Kingdom, they had successfully retreated to Oasis No. 3 before the Alliance’s armor units could cut off their retreat.

Though their reassembled forces held an absolute numerical advantage, the situation before them was still far from optimistic.

General Griffin’s face was grave as he stared at the map for a long time before he suddenly spoke.

"How long until reinforcements from west of the Great Desert will arrive?"

Upon hearing General Griffin’s voice, the aide-de-camp standing aside hurriedly responded.

"At least forty-five days!"

Forty-five days...

Griffin furrowed his brow, and the officers beside him exchanged looks, sharing the gravity in one another’s expressions, yet no one spoke.

Because they too could not think of a solution.

The current deployment of over one hundred thousand Clone Troops on the frontline was the reinforcement that had set off from the west of the Great Desert two months ago. They’d barely arrived in the Falcon Kingdom and were rushed to the frontline before being reorganized.

In fact, this was not Griffin’s initial plan, but instead a strategy adopted out of necessity to deter the Alliance and prevent the Allied forces from continuing their assault.

Originally, according to his plan, these ten Ten Thousand Troops were prepared to rotate out the Falcon Kingdom’s Attendant Army.

After taking down the Lion Kingdom, the Falcon Kingdom’s Attendant Army would transition swiftly from an offensive to a defensive posture, maintain order in the occupied territories while resting on the spot, and the task of offense would be shifted to the Clone Group.

This would not only consolidate the Legion’s war achievements in Luo Xia Province but also ensure the continuous operation of the war machine, giving no breathing room to the desert residents. Before they could finish mobilizing, he planned to sweep through the entire Luo Xia Province at the fastest speed.

By then, even if the Company and the Grand Canyon wished to interfere, they would not have the ability to change the fait accompli of Luo Xia Province being under the Legion’s control.

Seeing the war achievements, the Eastern Legion’s Legion Leader would also provide them with more military and political support.

All of Griffin’s military deployments in Luo Xia Province revolved around this "blitzkrieg" strategy.

If they could knock down the opponent before they could react, they would not encounter much resistance.

Therefore, to ensure that the rotational reinforcements could arrive on time, he adopted a fairly aggressive reinforcement strategy, letting one hundred thousand march light and set off before the supplies, to be resupplied on the spot after arriving at the Falcon Kingdom.

Thus, these ten Ten Thousand Troops only carried the ammunition amount of one standard unit.

In truth, if the "Thunder Operation" had progressed smoothly, this one standard unit of ammunition would have been absolutely sufficient.

However, the problem was that the plan not only did not go as smoothly as expected but far exceeded everyone’s predictions.

They had not only failed to take the City of Abundance within the expected time but had lost nearly half of the occupied territory of Oasis No. 9, as well as almost all the ammunition depots transferred to the occupied areas.

Furthermore, with the supply line to the north being cut off, their supply situation was exacerbated; one hundred thousand arrived at the frontline holding rifles, but apart from the magazines in their backpacks, they hadn’t seen a single bullet.

In the end, their vassals were just an agricultural country. Even after undergoing military reform, they couldn’t change the fact that their pillar industry was agriculture.

Even if the clever craftsmen there worked the punch presses to the point of smoking, there was no way to solve the ammunition shortfall for these tens of Ten Thousand Troops in a short time.

Relying on only one standard unit of ammunition, no matter how sparingly used, would at most suffice for the consumption of two battles.

By the third battle, they might have to share a rifle between two or even three people.

Clones are only fearless, not immortal, and you can’t possibly expect them to charge with bayonets at the Alliance’s machine gun emplacements.

Let alone one hundred thousand.

As long as the Alliance’s logistics continue uninterrupted, even a million more wouldn’t be enough!

At this moment, the only realistic method left was to wait for the ammunition to be delivered from the rear.

Staring at the map, lost in thought for a long time, General Griffin slowly began to speak.

"...The commander on the other side isn’t a fool—we’ll have a hard time deceiving them for long. That ultimatum, at most, could buy us thirty days, and that’s the optimistic scenario. If things aren’t looking up, I’m afraid even three weeks might be pushing it."

The officers murmured among themselves.

Three weeks!

Even if the supplies were delivered right now, it would take at least forty-five days to get them into the hands of the soldiers at the front lines!

There simply wasn’t enough time!

"If they discover our bluff, they will certainly probe our defenses. And once they find that our supplies are indeed compromised, our situation could become even worse than it was a week ago."

Once Oasis No. 3 fell.

All they would have left in Luo Xia Province were the strongholds of the Falcon Kingdom.

And, what was worse, once the survivors gained confidence, once the Golden Lizard and the Hump realized they were only strong on the outside, their armies would inevitably not sit still at the border. Instead, they would come up to take advantage, looking for a share of the loot.

General Griffin paused for a moment, then continued with emphasis:

"Thirty days! In thirty days, our first line of defense needs to hold out for at least fifteen more days and then gradually withdraw to the central part of Oasis No. 3..."

"At the most conservative estimate, by that time, we should have a remaining force of over seventy thousand. But as long as we can hold out until then, once our main forces have re-supplied, their thrust into our territory will turn into mincemeat in the pie!"

Saying this, a fierce look flashed across General Griffin’s face as he clenched his fists resting on the command table.

"I will make them spit out everything they’ve gobbled up!"

As for the Steel Heart, he didn’t mention it specifically.

It wasn’t something regular weapons could handle; planning was useless no matter what, and the airship wouldn’t come down to seize ground facilities anyway. Just dig the trenches and let it bomb away; the greatest advantage of the Clone Group was that they were expendable.

General McCllen did know how to deal with that thing, but it was a pity that he had died in a nuclear blast.

But it didn’t matter.

He had already reported the loss of the airship, and the weapons to deal with that thing, along with the ammunition required for the Clone Group, would be delivered from the rear.

One airship couldn’t change the entire battle. As long as his Clone Army was re-supplied, everything would start looking up!

After hearing General Griffin’s plan, the officers exchanged glances, whispering and discussing softly among themselves.

At that moment, an officer suddenly spoke up.

"General, what if that ultimatum doesn’t even buy us thirty days... not even three weeks?"

The tent fell silent.

The silence persisted for a full five minutes.

It wasn’t until General Griffin spoke again that the suffocating atmosphere was shattered.

"This is the worst-case scenario."

"If we can’t even secure three weeks, we’ll have to give up Oasis No. 3 and pull our front back to Oasis No. 2."

But if it really came to that, he would destroy everything that could be destroyed in Oasis No. 3 before evacuating, leaving a mess for those people to worry about.

Hundreds of thousands of starving citizens should be enough to slow down the Alliance’s advance.

Only having one less share of the spoils in the end...

...

Griffin’s battle conference ended, followed by meetings of various departments and formations, conveying strategic deployment to mid and high-level officers of their respective combat units.

After the meeting dispersed.

Coleway left the conference room without staying outside for too long and headed straight back to his own tent.

Originally, his military rank and level did not qualify him to attend such a meeting; however, a series of recent events had changed the situation.

First, General McCullen died. As one of McCullen’s men, he and other officers were taken in by Griffin. Furthermore, there was a shortage of junior officers recently, and he, who was serving a training mission in the rear, quickly received an exceptional promotion.

The tent flap was lifted, revealing Pangolin busily stuffing his face at the table.

The Awakeners had a larger than average appetite, and this guy’s was even more excessive than the average Awakener. He ate with abandon, capable of swallowing nearly half a calf in one meal.

Fortunately, what the legion was short on was not food but ammunition, otherwise this guy’s appetite alone would be enough to make people resent him.

"I envy your appetite; I haven’t been able to eat a bit these past few days."

Tossing his officer’s cap casually onto the coat rack, Coleway sat down across the table, glancing at the pile of bones on the plate and couldn’t help but cluck his tongue.

Quite a feast.

At least twenty kilograms of meat.

Old Soldier burped satisfyingly and said nonchalantly with a smile.

"Problems on the battlefield ultimately need to be resolved on the battlefield, so why frown over matters outside of it?"

You guys can’t win anyway.

Better to be happy.

Having already understood the battle plan discussed by Brother Quanshui and Mole, he had no doubts about it.

However, Coleway didn’t catch the deeper meaning behind the latter half of the remark and simply envied him, saying somewhat emotionally.

"I wish I could be half as optimistic as you."

Old Soldier casually asked.

"Anything bothering you?"

Coleway replied.

"It’s still the supply issue, we’re short of everything at the front except food... I probably shouldn’t say this, but it doesn’t matter, it’s not a secret."

Old Soldier shrugged his shoulders.

It indeed wasn’t a secret.

They had already discussed it several rounds on the forum yesterday, Brother Quanshui and a bunch of military enthusiasts were debating how many battles the ten thousand-troop teams could fight with the ammunition they had.

But no matter how much it was, everyone agreed that it would not last more than five battles.

The only thing to be cautious of was that they might concentrate the ammunition of several ten-thousand-troop teams into one and pull personnel back to wait for resupply, feigning a full supply.

"Let’s talk about something cheerful. General Griffin promoted me to a one-star Thousands of Leaders."

Old Soldier looked at him in surprise, then said with a smile.

"Congratulations!"

Coleway smiled.

"Congratulations to you too."

"Me?"

"Yes," Coleway nodded and continued, "It’s not just me who got promoted. From now on, you’re a Centurion."

Old Soldier was taken aback.

"Wasn’t I Thousands of leaders before?"

Why did my rank drop?

As if seeing the confusion on his face, Coleway explained with a smile.

"When I say Centurion, I mean the regular army Centurion."

"The position of Thousands of leaders in the Retinue Army is just a job, not a rank, and in the legion, it’s even less significant than the regular army Centurion. Normally, only Weilante People can serve as officers in the regular army, and it’s unprecedented for someone to go from Retinue Army Thousands of leaders to regular army Centurion... but circumstances are dire now, and we no longer have time to fuss over these details."

The Clone Group lacked not just ammunition but also a large number of junior and middle-level officers.

To solve this problem, Griffin had no choice but to draw a group of young officers, trained by the legion, from the reserve of officers from the Falcon Kingdom and incorporate them into the regular army to fill this gap.

Coleway didn’t tell Pangolin that he had initially been allocated the rank of Centurion, but had used his own honor as a guarantee to give him a special promotion to the position of Centurion.

Such opportunities for exceptional promotion were rare.

Perhaps only once or twice in a lifetime.

His loyalty and bravery deserved this position, and such talent should not be wasted in an attendant role all his life; Coleway believed he wouldn’t misjudge him.

A moment of blankness flitted across Old Soldier’s face, followed by an involuntary gape, taking a good while to snap back to reality.

Holy shit!

I’m in the structure now?!

Becoming a Centurion meant entering into the legion’s middle ranks!

Watching Coleway, who was smiling at him, Old Soldier’s face was filled with surprise and excitement. He pushed the chair away and stood up, saluted sharply, and made a vow with a stuttering yet solemn voice.

"I, Pangolin, will not fail your expectations!"

"I believe you won’t disappoint me."

Coleway nodded with a smile, sharing Pangolin’s joy, but soon his smile faded.

"Nevertheless, our good days are about to come to an end, for we need to report to the frontline first thing tomorrow morning."

To avenge General McCullen!

And redeem our honor!

Coleway’s heart burned with a strong desire for battle, but he didn’t let it cloud his judgment.

He had already paid the price for carelessness once.

The survivors in the Southern River Province were not easy to deal with; those people weren’t the primitives he’d imagined, wielding lances and iron pipe rifles in warfare. They warranted extreme caution.

However, unlike Coleway’s caution, Old Soldier laughed out loud when he heard this news.

Is the chance for glory finally coming?

For that power armor, he’d been undercover far too long!

Waiting any longer, she might as well become a Thousands of leaders.

"How could it stop here?"

"Good brother, our good days have clearly just begun!"

...

City of Dawn.

Highway Town Inn.

Carrying a basket of clothes, Lisa paused at the corridor window, looking out at the bright moonlight, and suddenly let out a soft sigh.

Although those people hadn’t told her exactly what the Pangolin did, from their behavior, she could vaguely guess a little.

He was one of the Alliance people.

And he was on a very, very dangerous mission.

She hoped he would come back safe and sound...

Just coming up from the stairs, Li Shuyue happened to see the young girl standing by the window.

"Lisa? Is something the matter?"

Hearing Li Shuyue’s voice, Lisa, holding the wooden basket, quickly turned around with a shy smile on her face.

"Ah, you’re back... Your clothes are dry now, I’ve folded them for you and was just about to deliver them."

In the Alliance, dryers were not popular; most clothes and bedding were naturally sun-dried. At first, Li Shuyue was a bit unaccustomed to this, but eventually, she got used to it and even began to like this "energy-saving and environmentally friendly" way of life.

Clothes dried by the sun had a pleasant smell, and wearing them made you feel as if you were surrounded by warm sunlight, lifting your spirits.

"Thank you."

Taking the wooden basket filled with clothes from Lisa’s hands, Li Shuyue saw the worry hidden in those eyes and could not help but express her concern.

"Are you running into any trouble?"

Li Shuyue quite liked this well-behaved, sensible, and capable girl, especially after hearing about her past as a Legion Slave, and she felt a compassionate pity for her.

Those beasts were simply unworthy of being human!

If she could wipe them off this planet, she would even be willing to donate a nuclear bomb herself!

If that wasn’t possible, at the very least, she wanted to help those she could see.

Looking at Ms. Li Shuyue who was gazing at her with concern, Lisa gently shook her head and spoke in a soft voice.

"It’s nothing, Miss. I haven’t encountered any trouble, I’m just... a little worried about him."

Li Shuyue: "That Pangolin?"

Her cheeks blushing, Lisa nodded gently.

Seeing that rosy face, Li Shuyue didn’t know how to comfort the young girl before her.

Gently touching that soft, fluffy hair, she remained silent for a while before suddenly speaking up.

"The business I came here to handle is finished."

Lisa’s eyes widened in surprise.

"Do you plan to return to Ideal City?"

Li Shuyue nodded her head.

"Yes."

The research report was complete, and the cooperation schemes with several companies in the Alliance were finalized; she needed to go back as soon as possible to implement the plans.

It included hiring staff for the joint venture, personnel arrangements, sourcing, and setting sales strategies, among many other things waiting for her to address.

Lisa showed a lonely expression but still managed to smile and said,

"I hope I can see you again in the future, you are welcome back anytime."

Li Shuyue fell silent for a moment, then finally made up her mind and said,

"Have you considered living somewhere else?"

Not expecting this question, Lisa paused a little.

"Another place?"

Li Shuyue nodded.

"Yes, I know this might sound sudden, but I just happen to need a life assistant, and I’m quite satisfied with your work attitude and ability... If you’re interested, I can help you apply for a work visa, and you can come with me to Ideal City. I can offer you a salary of 5,000 Cr per month, excluding bonuses and holiday allowances. Of course, it will increase later on."

Lisa looked at her in amazement.

Although she had never been to Ideal City, she’d heard from travelers that 1 Cr could be exchanged for 3 Silver coins.

Fifteen thousand Silver coins...

This was nearly forty or fifty times the monthly salary of a regular position!

She didn’t know why Ms. Li Shuyue was offering her such a high salary, but after hesitating for a moment, she eventually shook her head gently.

"Thank you for your kindness, but... I don’t want to leave here."

Surprised by this unexpected answer, Li Shuyue stared at the young girl, puzzled.

"You don’t want to... Are you sure? Wait, do you know what Ideal City is like?"

Lisa nodded gently, smiling as she replied,

"I’ve heard about it, yes, and it’s a very beautiful place. The guests drinking downstairs always say it would be nice to see it once in their lifetime."

Li Shuyue watched her in silence.

"So... you don’t want to go?"

Lisa shook her head.

"I want to wait here for him to come back... There are things I want to tell him personally."

Li Shuyue looked at her, a mix of amusement and disbelief on her face,

"If he knew you were turning down such a great opportunity, he might not be happy... Besides, once you get your work visa and fulfill the required working hours, you’ll be eligible for residency. At that point, you could bring him over too—"

Lisa suddenly interrupted her reverie,

"Miss, have you seen him?"

Li Shuyue hesitated, then shook her head.

"No... What’s your point?"

"Then why do you believe he would definitely want to live in your hometown?" Lisa looked at her and blinked.

Li Shuyue fell silent for a while.

"Um, I’m really not sure... I’m just inferring from the general situation, nobody wouldn’t want to go there."

"Is that right? You’re also guessing, but maybe not everyone thinks the way you do," Lisa’s face revealed a gentle smile, looking out at the moonlight through the window, "Actually, it’s not just about waiting for him... I’m already very happy just being here."

Li Shuyue looked at her earnestly and said,

"You’ve thought it through, then. That place is the only pure land on this planet."

Lisa gently shook her head.

"To me, this is it."

It was these people who had saved her from hell and told her that there was another kind of life in the world.

As for the Ideal City.

Maybe it really was wonderful.

But what did it have to do with her?

Li Shuyue didn’t try to persuade her further, but she couldn’t quite describe the mix of feelings inside her.

She couldn’t understand, nor could she imagine why someone would refuse such generous conditions, and she had been rejected twice in a row now.

If it was that guy named Fang Chang, who refused because of his status as a resident of the refuge, she could somewhat understand.

After all, each refuge had its own plans, and maybe he saw something more important than a comfortable life.

But Lisa...

Wasn’t she just an ordinary Wasteland Wanderer?

She returned to her room.

She was about to put her clothes in a suitcase when she suddenly noticed the notebook spread out on the table. Approaching, she turned on the lamp on the table.

It was an essay she had written a few days earlier, unrelated to business, purely out of curiosity about the distinct cultural landscape here, different from other survivor settlements.

Just as every Ideal City resident who had visited here described, the situation here was indeed extraordinary.

The locals had full confidence in the future prospects of the City of Dawn; they even believed it could become a world more prosperous than the Ideal City.

Because the Manager had promised so.

This was the only point that Li Shuyue scoffed at since physically speaking, this was unlikely. The birth of the Ideal City was filled with many coincidences of itself. The miracle born from the choices of countless people was not replicable.

It was a pity she hadn’t met that Manager during her trip to the Alliance this time.

Next time she came, it would be great if she had the chance to meet...

...

Official Forum.

Just after the peak time for going offline, Old Soldier popped up in the forum.

"Hahaha! My brothers! I’ve been promoted!"

As soon as the post was sent, the forum exploded.

Tail: "Woah woah woah! That’s awesome! (ﾟ∀ﾟ)"

Night Ten: "How did you get promoted again?!"

Edge Shoveling: "Awesome! Are you a Ten Thousand Leader now? (shocked)"

Battlefield Atmosphere Group: "Cough cough, not exactly... it’s a Centurion!"

Quit smoking: "What the heck, you got demoted?"

Battlefield Atmosphere Group: "What demotion! I was a temp before; now I’m on a formal contract. Do they compare?"

Night Ten: "Awesome!"

Edge Shoveling: "666!"

I Max Black: "Bro, which defense area are you complicating? Do you want me to deliver a head to you in a few days? (playful)"

Battlefield Atmosphere Group: "That’d be great! I’ll send you the coordinates later! (gritting teeth)"

Spring Water Commander: "Wait, are you on the front lines right now?! How much ammunition do you actually have? Do you have precise numbers?"

Canyon Fugitive Mole: "Right, right, what about anti-tank weapons? Do you have many? Are they all that ’Iron Fist’ or are there other guys?"

Battlefield Atmosphere Group: "What’s the rush, I won’t head to the front line until tomorrow! Relax, once I’m there, I’ll scout it out for you!"

Fang Chang: "Take it easy with the shelling on the front line, brother. Don’t blow up our Pangolins, make sure to fish for big fish with a long line. (playful)"

WC Actually Has Mosquitos: "Roger that! (smirking)"

Battlefield Atmosphere Group: "Damn, your ’roger that’ just made my butt clench... don’t mess around, okay?!"

WC Actually Has Mosquitos: "Relax! Am I that kind of person?"

Battlefield Atmosphere Group: "Please try being a human first!"

Makabazi: "Hahahahaha!"

The forum was filled with merriment.

Seeing his little players turning this cruel war into so much joy, Chu Guang was sincerely happy for them.

Earlier today, Spring Water had shown him his offensive plan. If the Army got into logistical difficulties, they could start by continuously carrying out feints to wear down the Army’s ammunition.

Once the Army showed signs of fatigue, they could concentrate all their armored units and firepower to tear a gap in the Army’s lines, inserting mechanized infantry units to penetrate to the Army’s rear, while coordinating with the frontal attack of the Kingdom’s ground forces, like pliers pulling out a tooth, removing the Army’s positions one by one.

This plan was named by Spring Water as the Number 3 Plan.

It required the investment of one hundred and twenty tanks and five "Cloud Dragonfly" Flapping Machines.

Though the Alliance couldn’t scrape together that many tanks right now, the batch of tanks captured previously at camp 530 was still in the hands of the Recapture Army of the Honey Badger Kingdom.

The frontal armor of the Conqueror No. 10 tank was hard enough to withstand hits from the Army’s own Iron Fist Rocket Launchers, feeling like mere tickling.

These tanks would be perfect for spearheading the attack.

As for the Alliance’s Type 2 tanks, they could follow behind and act as self-propelled guns, supporting with their excessive 155mm cannons.

Preparations for the attack were already underway.

The micromanagement on the battlefield didn’t need Chu Guang to worry too much; the game was full of professionals, and everyone was very active, each eager to show off in front of the others.

The only problem now was actually with the Company side.

Probably having caught wind from the "Tiger Whale" transport plane pilots, the Company’s senior executives learned about McCullen’s capture by the Alliance.

It might be a misconception.

Lately, the hints from Yi Chuan seemed to Chu Guang like these friends from the Far East wanted to call it quits while they were ahead...