First Battlefield Commander! - Chapter 104
Chapter 104: Assembly
After Liliana's explanation, everyone realized that the individual soldiers in Lian Sheng's company were anything but ordinary.
The commentators could only offer awkward chuckles at the screen while netizens unabashedly worshipped them.
"Gods, let's be friends."
"Gods, why are you named Lian Sheng?"
"Gods, when did you descend to earth? Why didn't you call us to welcome you?"
"The name Lian Sheng already tells us she's a god."
"Alright, ready to kneel."
"Are all the company commanders under Piaoqi Great General freaking monsters? Their team's level is clearly different, right?"
"Switching fandoms! What are knees worth? We'll give you our hearts too!"
"The company commanders on Xia Yanfeng's side are quite famous players too—seems like they specially invited retired soldiers."
"This is so awkward. Can't the ones above leave them some face? Hahaha!"
At the research institute's front desk, the man watching this scene snapped his fingers excitedly and shouted, "This is freaking amazing!"
The people around him turned to stare at him as if looking at a dead man.
Only then did the man remember who was sitting beside him. He immediately deflated, shrinking his head and not daring to look back.
Lin Lie asked, "Am I that scary?"
His survival instincts made him shake his head rapidly.
Sun Yan laughed. "Not that scary, just a little, right?"
The man said with a pitiful expression, "Team leader, I beg you."
"Youth is wonderful," Sun Yan sighed, then smiled at the man. "I've worked with Colonel Lin for many years. She's actually a very upright and kind person. Though she's usually stern, she's definitely the best superior. As long as you haven't done anything wrong, there's no need to be afraid."
The man nodded.
Sun Yan then turned her face and said, "Lian Sheng really is suited to be a commander—confident and smart. It seems her department transfer was indeed the right decision, don't you think?"
Lin Lie lowered her gaze.
Hundred Meter Flying Dagger, annoyed that the opposing side couldn't hear him, had the soldiers in front relay his message.
"Tell your commander-in-chief for me!" Hundred Meter Flying Dagger shouted at the people ahead. "You've underestimated our team's two outstanding members too much. Did you really think we'd just let ourselves be slaughtered? Since we agreed to your selection conditions, of course we knew your plans. The ones with the real intelligence advantage are actually us. Hahaha!"
No one would accept a challenge they were destined to lose. The real game had begun long before the match. Hundred Meter Flying Dagger dared to agree to her proposal because he had already made plans and preparations.
Complacency and overconfidence were the Xia team's biggest weaknesses—and their hope for victory. They exploited this weakness step by step, fighting this battle of attrition.
Hundred Meter Flying Dagger added, "Train for a few more years before coming out to play! Hopefully next time, she'll have grown into a commander who can win without relying on fans!"
The message was relayed forward in waves, the soldiers laughing uproariously with excitement.
Cheng Ze called out, "Hey hey, say that again—how many outstanding members?"
Hundred Meter Flying Dagger corrected himself, "All of them, all of them."
By now, Zhao Zhuoluo, Cheng Ze, and Ye Buqing's second, third, and fifth companies had arrived from above, cutting off their retreat. Bright Bulb's seventh company had also caught up from the right. They formed up, neatly encircling the Xia team's thousand-strong assault force.
The Xia team was at the end of its rope, with no room left to resist. Their numbers were rapidly dwindling, estimated to be less than two hundred now.
They were starting to panic, realizing how dire their situation was.
How could they make up for the loss of a thousand soldiers? The so-called intelligence advantage now filled them with dread, making it hard to stay objective and calm.
Once the thought of retreat took root, hope would crumble.
A few of them simply gave up, squatting in safe corners to chat idly. Suddenly, a beam of light shot across the street in the opposite direction, hitting a Lian team soldier.
The nearby soldiers froze, unsure how to react.
Lian Sheng narrowed her eyes and shouted, "I report! That soldier fired toward a direction with no enemies—no reason to attack, just to internally weaken our combat power. Cheating review!"
A minute later.
[Announcement] System: Report confirmed. Lian team soldier ID3122 disqualified from match, forcibly ejected from battlefield. Account suspended for one year.
[Announcement] System: Lian team soldier ID1139 kill certification revoked, permitted to re-enter battlefield.
Boos erupted both inside and outside the arena.
"Holy—crap!"
Only profanity could express their current feelings.
Lian team soldiers hiding behind walls yelled at the people ahead, "Damn, you guys are disgusting! Have you no shame? So this is how you've been winning all along?"
The remaining Xia team soldiers flushed and retorted, "Don't spout nonsense!"
Lian team soldiers: "Yeah, don't talk nonsense—you just didn't get caught before, but you got caught this time!"
"Can you take the match seriously?" a Lian team soldier said. "Where's the fun in this? What sense of accomplishment can you get from winning like this?"
A Xia team soldier snapped, "I am taking it seriously! Damn it! What does this have to do with me?"
His comrade added, "Less with the generalizations! What do they have to do with us? We didn't cheat!"
The Lian team soldier said, "They're your comrades-in-arms, and you're trying to wash your hands of it? Who are you fooling? You're crooked from head to toe! Can accomplices really claim innocence?"
Before the Lian team could get properly indignant, the Xia team's own people revolted.
They just wanted to fight a proper match—it had nothing to do with who the commander was or what their goals were. But as things stood, this match would bring them no benefit regardless of victory or defeat. Their commander-in-chief kept toeing the line, exploiting gray areas to create advantages for herself, which had already left a bad taste in their mouths. Seeing their superiors grow increasingly shameless, the feelings of shame and humiliation became harder to suppress. Combined with the Xia team's obvious decline, emotions erupted.
Their earnest participation had turned into them being Xia Yanfeng's props, subjected to such disdain and mockery, humiliated like this.
They'd never fought such an infuriating battle in their lives. They were done!
Mid-match, several soldiers simply threw down their guns and logged out. The Xia team's morale plummeted.
Xia Yanfeng watched the battle unfold, growing increasingly restless. She clenched her fingers tightly and shook her head.
How could this be? This shouldn't be happening.
Simple orders came from her, while more complex analysis was tactfully suggested by her deputy. But now, even her deputy seemed at a loss. His fidgeting fingers and slightly hunched posture betrayed his unease.
Xia Yanfeng waited a long time for him to speak, but when he remained silent, her gaze hardened.
"Please, my fans, don't do this anymore. Thank you for loving me, for supporting me," Xia Yanfeng said. "Go enjoy your own matches. I shouldn't have made you go against your principles to help me. I should rely on my own strength to move forward."
"I'm sorry for disappointing you, for making you worry, for enduring others' scorn. I didn't realize it would be so painful for you," Xia Yanfeng said. "If you don't want to do it, then don't. Let's start over from now. I'll work hard to reverse the disadvantage we've lost. Please give me another chance."
Xia Yanfeng knew she wasn't cut out to be a soldier.
She didn't like competition or combat. Watching them fight and roar on the front lines didn't excite her at all. Before every match, she felt nervous and irritable. Facing setbacks made her tremble uncontrollably, yet she still had to maintain her confidence and smile.
The praise and cheers from outside only added to her pressure. She didn't like it.
She didn't like it, so she grew to resent it all more and more. She didn't like it, so she stopped caring.
But this wasn't a path she could abandon. She wanted to go further, to prove she was better than her brother. She wanted to earn her rightful place in the family, not just exist as an appendage.
So she had to keep moving forward.
She might not like it, but that didn't mean she couldn't do it.
Xia Yanfeng understood the current situation perfectly.
The enemy's tactics were unpredictable, full of deception. At this point, it was impossible to tell whether they had planted moles or were simply relying on skill to turn the tide.
But regardless, the old methods wouldn't work anymore. Even if they got another map, they'd be too paranoid to trust it. They'd waste time verifying details, only to leave themselves vulnerable.
And this absolutely couldn't be her last match. If it ended like this, everything would be over.
Even if she lost, she'd lose with dignity.
Xia Yanfeng's tearful apology finally placated her team's emotions.
Her fans, previously suppressed, now rallied passionately in support.
"We love you! Goddess, we'll always love you!"
"Goddess, don't take it to heart! We'll always support you!"
"We volunteered! We're not suffering!"
"They signed up willingly—plenty of people on Sanyao play like this. Why single out a young woman to criticize? If you've got a problem, take it up with Sanyao! Get them punished!"
"Fengfeng, don't be afraid! We're with you forever!"
The current numbers for both teams:
Lian Team (4415) : Xia Team (3612)
There were still some stragglers unaccounted for, hiding who knew where. The Lian team was mopping up the last of them.
As for their own casualties of nearly six hundred... it was baffling. Call it survival of the fittest.
The Xia team regrouped. The loss of three companies was a done deal—all they could do was adapt.
The deputy commander took a deep breath. "The Lian team still has about four companies' worth of troops ahead. Their formation has gaps now. We can concentrate our forces to surround those four companies and reclaim our lost ground."
Xia Yanfeng nodded. "Right. Their individual combat skills are high. We shouldn't probe with small squads anymore. Let's just advance with the main force."
"Got it." The deputy glanced at her serious expression, surprised. Then he nodded. "I'll send a few more scouts to recon the front lines."
They'd relied too much on ready-made intel before, leaving their scouting network lax. Now they had to tighten up.
Lian Sheng was organizing her troops to loot supplies before regrouping with the others.
They'd seized plenty of energy guns, redistributing them based on combat contributions.
Lian Sheng hugged her rifle and said, "Actually, maybe we should thank Xia Yanfeng."
"Have you lost it?" Fang Jianchen said, then seemed to grasp her angle. He shook his head. "Oh no, don't pull that cheesy crap. 'Thank your opponent for helping you grow'? Comrade Lian Sheng, leave some sincerity between people."
Lian Sheng said, "Because of Xia Yanfeng's publicity, a bunch of non-Sanyao fans flooded in. And because of Liliana's involvement, another wave came before the match. Their participation lowered the overall skill level, raising the importance of individual combat—which actually worked in our favor."
Fang Jianchen considered this and found the logic somewhat toxic.
Ji Fangxiao reported from the front: "The Xia team's regrouping, probably consolidating."
"Got it. Prepare to fall back," Lian Sheng said. "Senior Ji, I'll leave the troops on the map to your command."
Ji Fangxiao: "Understood."
Lian Sheng stood and shouted into the comms, "Everyone who can hear me, prepare to assemble! Stick to the map edges and move stealthily. Gather at the landmark clocktower on the right!"
Fang Jianchen: "Lost people shout '1'."
Lian Sheng: "...Tch."
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