First Battlefield Commander! - Chapter 98

Chapter 98: Opening

Liliana's tone clearly angered Xia Yanfeng's fans.

"Damn, who's this old hag? So passive-aggressive."

"Who this old hag is doesn't matter. Compared to her, Xia Yanfeng is a piece of dogshit."

"What the hell do you mean by that? Then what are you? A brainless paramecium?"

"With this level of manners, where did these vagrants come from?"

"Who started cursing first? Does Liliana specialize in raising dogs that bite randomly?"

"Honestly speaking, the military isn't lacking in pretty faces who can't back it up, and there are quite a few. But none are as bold as your 'Feng' to dare diss Liliana—at least the others have some self-awareness."

"I refute the above. The Expeditionary Force's reputation is supported by actual combat achievements. Even if they didn't personally earn all those merits, at least they've been on the battlefield. What does Xia Yanfeng have? Sanyao points? I'm dying of laughter."

"The biggest joke in military circles—Xia Yanfeng. Outsiders hype her up so happily, I wonder what insiders think?"

"Which unit or legion's insiders? Someone who's not even a proper soldier getting all worked up here. My Feng at least goes around promoting and advocating to influence trends—is that hype or fact?"

"What trends has Xia Yanfeng brought about? Evil winds? Comparing fan numbers to Liliana's combat achievements and contributions? Truly eye-opening."

Involving both sides' idols, the crowd tore into each other fiercely. But clearly, Xia Yanfeng's fans had touched a sore spot.

Most people still had sense. Idols were idols, the Alliance was the Alliance. They could drag any celebrity, student, or even politician, but figures like these from the military—they preferred to stay silent. Not just Liliana, but any soldier—they wished to remain mute.

On such topics, venting through words would only bring Xia Yanfeng more hate.

Moreover, even within the Expeditionary Force, there were multiple legions.

Women were few in the military, but many served as external representatives. As long as they were slightly outstanding, they could climb higher and faster to ensure the military's gender balance in public perception. After all, "beautiful female soldiers" sounded much better than ordinary male ones.

Thus, some people's capabilities weren't entirely genuine.

Representatives were still representatives—an unspoken understanding. And even those women who were all reputation without substance couldn't shirk their duties as soldiers. No matter how much they were criticized, their professional standards and actual contributions far surpassed Xia Yanfeng's. Not to mention those with real capability among them.

Liliana's combat achievements weren't handed to her—she earned them herself. Xia Yanfeng herself wouldn't dare tear face with her, yet her fans were stepping up for her. Anti-fans, definitely anti-fans.

The fanbase split internally, and the scene became chaotic.

"It seems today's match..." Stroke of Brilliance said awkwardly, "will be very intense."

Liliana pretended not to see the comments below, maintaining her state of not answering unless asked, with her responses strictly formulaic.

Stroke of Brilliance felt immense pressure. He didn't dare hope his partner would banter with him—his goal was to restrain himself from cursing throughout the match. That would be a grand success.

He struggled through two hours until Sanyao began assigning soldiers. Then both commanders stepped forward to select the map.

Lian Sheng said, "Since you initiated the challenge, shouldn't I have priority?"

Xia Yanfeng: "Be my guest."

The system pulled up twenty maps, and Hundred Meter Flying Dagger scanned through them.

"Let me make a suggestion," Hundred Meter Flying Dagger said. "Our initial forces might be at a disadvantage, so we should avoid wasting troops as much as possible. The participants are a mixed bag—we can't expect them to pilot mechs well. And mech combat isn't your forte—you're more adept at sniping. To ensure our side performs at its best, first eliminate all mech battlefields."

Lian Sheng nodded: "Ancient battlefields are too slow for killing, and the weapons aren't advanced enough. It's hard for a small force to overcome larger numbers."

"After excluding ancient battlefields, our options are modern infantry combat." Hundred Meter Flying Dagger said, "Choose this assault map."

Lian Sheng said, "But mech battlefields are meaningful too. Opportunities for large-scale battles are rare—this would be good practice."

The air fell silent. Everyone stared at her.

Bright Bulb: "Are you okay?"

Super Bright Bulb: "What are you saying?"

Hundred Meter Flying Dagger exclaimed, "Who wants to train you? Am I that kind of person?!"

Lian Sheng: "..."

"Wake up. I'm your boss, not your teacher." Hundred Meter Flying Dagger said. "Nothing attracts me more than victory right now. We're paid consultants—do you know how much I'm charging? Those who haven't paid tuition can't be my students."

"Stop talking, my mistake." Lian Sheng said with a pained heart, quickly selecting the map he indicated.

For team assignments, they chose random distribution.

Everyone retreated to the preparation scene.

"Some might not be familiar with Sanyao or this map, so let me explain the rules." Hundred Meter Flying Dagger announced in the public channel. "This is an assault map. Both sides have a signal station at their base on opposite ends. The match ends when one side's signal station is destroyed or their numbers drop below five hundred."

"There's only one weapon—the energy gun you're equipped with. Its advantages are speed, quiet operation, no recoil, high lethality, ease of use, and low detectability after firing. The sight on top is highly precise and auto-adjusting—just align the crosshairs to hit. The downside is the shot path can't curve, and it can't fire continuously."

Hundred Meter Flying Dagger patted the gun and warned, "Firing more than six times in one minute will cause it to overheat and explode. Be careful."

Hundred Meter Flying Dagger continued, "This is an urban map, so a reminder: According to the peace treaty, threatening civilian safety, seizing private property, or using high-destructiveness weapons in city zones is prohibited. However, you might face attacks from civilians. Some NPCs will ambush indiscriminately from hiding. This city is dangerous everywhere—stay alert."

Zhou Shirui switched the channel back to their twelve-person team, as only they were absolutely safe for now.

This map was special—it was complete.

Before the match even started, the entire map's details were fully marked. But they still needed to scout it.

Soldiers would lose contact with command if they moved more than ten kilometers from the signal station. Signal relays had to be placed at certain points to ensure order transmission. This became the scouts' new task.

Zhou Shirui had already marked the optimal relay positions for her. Lian Sheng stared at the map, running final simulations.

Five minutes later, the countdown ended, and the match officially began. All players were randomly divided into squads and teleported to different map locations.

It was an urban setting.

The streets were empty, with a few scattered cars. All shops and doors were shut, but the city's infrastructure and utilities were still running. The bustling districts still played outdated news.

Lian Sheng switched to the public channel and ordered loudly, "Everyone, assemble at the center! Move quickly, start running!"

Some soldiers hesitated, standing still. Those who started running stopped when they saw this, confused.

Some weren't professionals—complete novices—mixed with an unknown number of spies deliberately delaying progress. The first order's execution, viewed from the map, was disastrous.

"Move, move, move! Faster!" Several squad leaders urged from behind, herding them toward the center. "Head for the green markers on the map, follow the main force! Don't you understand? Those in front go first—don't worry about formation!"

Lian Sheng watched the green dots on the map and shook her head. She said bluntly, "I only gave an assembly order. If any soldiers still dawdle, squad leaders, raise your guns. I don't expect these people—who either have brain problems, hearing problems, or loyalty problems—to contribute to this battle. Those deliberately delaying will face internal discipline first. Consider yourselves warned."

The troops finally moved.

After much wasted time, the soldiers reached the assembly point.

There was no large square for formation—they lined up along the streets. Lian Sheng told them not to crowd too much, leaving at least two-thirds of the road clear.

Lian Sheng said, "Now, everyone mix around randomly, swap positions, and scatter the formation."

Zhou Shirui removed the special color markers for officers on the map, and they swapped uniforms with nearby soldiers.

As they repositioned, Lian Sheng addressed them in the channel: "Let me remind you all—I know some of you are admirers of Ms. Xia Yanfeng and might relay our intel to her. That's fine. If you want to do it, go ahead. For those willing to join my team and fight with us, you're sincerely welcome. As long as you follow orders, I won't suspect any soldier."

Lian Sheng continued, "But Sanyao doesn't condone such behavior. If you're too obvious—killing teammates without orders, disrupting our ranks—I'll report you for cheating, requesting invalid kills. Even accidental friendly fire exceeding two incidents will lead to internal execution. Be prepared."

Lian Sheng scoffed, "Though, acting so shamelessly before Colonel Liliana and the audience—what's the point of such a victory?"

Zhou Shirui signaled that they were ready.

Lian Sheng barked, "Listen up! Everyone check your maps—you've been reassigned based on positions, marked by numbers. Now head to your designated spots and standby!"

Lian Sheng: "Those who swapped into officer uniforms, step out now. Come to the rear to collect signal relays, then follow your squads."

The soldiers were truly baffled now.

No squad leaders, everyone looked the same in standard gear. With bulletproof vests and swapped clothes, they couldn't tell who the original leaders were. This unsettled them.

Due to channel settings, they couldn't provide feedback.

Lian Sheng anticipated this: "Don't worry about who your squad leaders are. From now on, I'm your direct commander. Everyone follows my orders. Move out now!"

The team's start seemed less than ideal. Lian Sheng's arrangements were fraught with risks—whether cutting losses wisely or gaining little at great cost remained to be seen.

In contrast, Xia Yanfeng had already organized her troops neatly, placing signal relays.

The commentator couldn't help but critique.

"Piaoqi Great General's orders could sow panic in the ranks. Spies might not exist, and even if they do, they'd be few. Her overly cautious approach harms unity." Stroke of Brilliance said. "Moreover, they didn't reorganize properly—just scattered the squads, meaning their cohesion and combat strength are weak, like irregulars. Most critically, they wasted precious opening time without clear purpose."

Stroke of Brilliance disagreed entirely: "Having the commander directly deploy five thousand troops seems unreasonable. This battlefield requires multiple attack routes and missions—how can one person manage it all?"

After a pause, he cautiously asked, "Colonel Liliana, what do you think?"

Liliana said, "If you can't identify spies in your ranks, even the most perfect, meticulous plans will fail due to intel leaks. That would demoralize troops more."

Liliana: "In the map, if officer positions are exposed, they lose their greatest advantage."

Stroke of Brilliance asked, "So you approve of their method?"

"Right or wrong, only results prove it. Not every commander suits the same tactics. What matters is her follow-up after this step." Liliana said. "I can't predict the match's outcome within five minutes."

Stroke of Brilliance: "Uh..."

The live chat lamented.

"This commentator's no good."

"I sense the colonel's disdain."

"If Xia Yanfeng didn't plant spies, this'd be hilarious."

"As someone who's watched her matches, that's impossible."

"If officers are exposed with enemy spies behind them, wouldn't that be disgusting to fight?"

"That's war. Know Sun Tzu's Art of War Chapter 13—'The Use of Spies'?"

"My military academy never plays such dirty tricks."

"Sanyao's full of these stunts. This is why I avoid random teams. Military academy matches are bliss by comparison."

As expected, Lian Sheng's every move was reported to Xia Yanfeng's team. They dispatched several squads to ambush a relay placement point.

Take out some heads first, disrupt their rhythm. Victory favors those with more information.

The vice commander said lightly, "No worries. No matter how they prepare, it's useless. If we don't know who the officers are, kill the grunts. Large battles are ultimately decided by the little guys."

Xia Yanfeng wasn't concerned about spies in her own ranks. Not because she trusted her charm, but because she believed these military students wouldn't stoop so low before Liliana.

Hundred Meter Flying Dagger and Piaoqi Great General had fans too—Xia Yanfeng's team included academy members.

They weren't in leadership and couldn't see command communications, but their teammates' confident rush to a specific point early on, combined with knowledge of their tactics, hinted at foul play.

After much deliberation, they messaged Lian Sheng.

"Great General, they're cheating. Your deployment might be exposed."

A male student asked subtly, "Need our help?"

In Alliance large-scale battles, cheating to relay intel had two methods: reporting in person or private messaging friends.

Private messages between enemies were allowed. Since large battles took time, disabling friend systems might prevent urgent real-life contact—a risk Sanyao wouldn't take.

Thus, this became a loophole players exploited.

Players claimed Sanyao left it intentionally to encourage creative play.

Sanyao weakly protested: No, it didn't.

"Ah, as expected. They never disappoint. We have enemy spies—our positions are exposed." Lian Sheng said. "But upright and clever as we are, we won't stoop so low. What do you think, boss?"

Hundred Meter Flying Dagger: "Boss thinks fighting dirty with dirty is fine—playing fair against cheats puts us at a disadvantage. What do you think, excellent vice commander?"

"..." Zhou Shirui said, "I think the commander's right. What do you think, Liang-ge?"

Bright Bulb: "I don't mind underhanded tactics—I am a bulb, after all."

Lian Sheng called out, "Yo, Liang-ge."

"But I hate shameless cheating." Bright Bulb said. "Underhanded is one thing, but outright black is too much."

Cheng Ze: "...You all seem a bit... off."

Lian Sheng nodded: "Good. I believe everyone's prepared to fail."

Fang Jianchen nearly spat, but Lian Sheng continued, "But you probably haven't accepted failure yet. In that case, victory must be ours."

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