First Battlefield Commander! - Chapter 158
Chapter 158: Beach
Ji Ban and Feng Liang had already begun moving toward the red-marked designated location.
Lian Sheng, meanwhile, was arranging their routes based on the personnel markers on the map.
Zhao Zhuoluo sat alone in a daze nearby, his expression tinged with loneliness. His gaze was lowered, fixed on the indistinct footprints before him, unsure of what to do.
Lian Sheng tapped the control panel and asked, "Are you free?"
Zhao Zhuoluo looked up belatedly and replied, "Aren't you?"
"I'm actually very busy directing their operations," Lian Sheng said. "You could try it too."
Zhao Zhuoluo said, "I'm not familiar with them, and we haven't crossed paths."
Pointing fingers at others' combat maneuvers would only invite resentment, especially among unfamiliar faces.
—Everyone's still students, so who are you to act superior? Giving pointers? How presumptuous.
And so on.
The fifty members of the White Team were divided into twenty groups.
Lian Sheng had brought Zhao Zhuoluo along to arrange the positions of the captives. The rest maintained their distance while advancing to scout the enemy's deployment.
Though the composite island had varied terrain types, its overall area wasn't particularly large. Especially now that everyone had gradually realized they could control their speed, movement became even faster.
Lian Sheng observed that among their fifty members, a few students still couldn't handle high-speed movement. In areas with obstructed or uneven terrain, once their mechs exceeded 250 units of speed, they would crash into obstacles.
Perhaps it was due to nervousness stiffening their bodies and affecting their performance. Or perhaps it was an innate limitation—despite a month of mining training, they still hadn't mastered the correct posture. Or, worst of all, perhaps they simply weren't suited for mech operation.
It was this last possibility that unsettled them the most, to the point of avoidance. Hearing the constant stream of good news in the comms only made their movements even more uncoordinated.
As frontline soldiers, regardless of skill, this kind of temperament just wouldn't cut it.
The map displayed two distinct factions in motion.
One group was happily gathering intel. The other remained in place, still trying to master the technique.
Lian Sheng gave them time without intervening.
The urgency of real combat was something training couldn't replicate. She genuinely hoped they could achieve their goals in this match. Otherwise, in future battles, those unable to harness the new mechs' potential would become their weak link.
From the start until now, eight groups had engaged in direct confrontations or hasty retreats. Five groups had scouted enemy positions before slipping away. Over ten members had already regrouped.
Time was nearly up. In no more than five minutes, the entire map would be fully explored.
Lian Sheng could endure it, but Lu Mingyuan was growing hesitant. Time was limited—they couldn't afford to let them waste it on adjustments, could they?
Lu Mingyuan said, "They're clearly not making progress."
"Mm," Lian Sheng acknowledged. "Switch their mechs. Do you have their data on the backend?"
Lu Mingyuan: "Let me check. What mechs should we switch to?"
Lian Sheng: "Damaged mechs and sniper-type mechs. Give them three more minutes."
If such a long time hadn't been enough for them to adapt, three extra minutes wouldn't make a difference. But it was a final lifeline—a gesture of compassion for soldiers who had already given their all.
Lu Mingyuan nodded. "Got it."
Beside them, Zhao Zhuoluo suddenly shifted, leaning slightly forward. "They've engaged."
Lian Sheng looked at the control panel and saw a combat request flashing there.
Cheng Ze and Ye Buqing's team had encountered three enemy mechs in the beach area along the coast.
Lu Mingyuan said, "They're at a numerical disadvantage. I don't recommend a direct assault. We need to preserve our combat strength as much as possible."
Lian Sheng asked, "What about the enemy?"
"Two veterans and one rookie," Lu Mingyuan said. "The two veterans' team made it to the final three in last year's selection tournament. Don't underestimate them—be careful."
It sounded bad, but the prompt kept blinking. After a moment's thought, Lian Sheng said, "They seem eager to fight."
"Fight!" Ye Buqing's low voice rang out, brimming with determination. "We have to reduce the enemy's mech numbers. Otherwise, we'll be at a disadvantage in direct confrontations."
Lu Mingyuan: "If you get wiped out instead, we'll be in even worse shape. Our team doesn't have many members who can go toe-to-toe with the Red Team, let alone one-versus-two. We can't ignore the fact that some still can't adapt to the speed. Worst-case scenario, you two are indispensable."
In the background of their comms, the sounds of bombardment suggested the fight had already begun.
After all, the enemy wouldn't give them time to discuss. The two were already fighting while explaining.
Ye Buqing said, "Our current position is at the outermost edge of the island map. Even if we try to retreat toward the center now, we're more likely to run into enemy reinforcements along the way. That would be the worst outcome. Besides, Cheng Ze and I are piloting a heavy armor and a recon mech, respectively. Even if we die, the loss won't be significant. It's easier to adjust."
Cheng Ze: "Yeah, Dad's in a heavy armor—where the hell am I supposed to run? There are three enemies here. Either we fight or we die. Might as well go all in."
Ye Buqing added, "At worst, we can trade two for two."
Cheng Ze said, "I think we can afford to be optimistic. If we focus on that rookie, take him out first, then you run. Don't worry about me."
From the first time Lian Sheng saw them, something had felt off. The brawny Ye Buqing piloted a recon mech, while the more agile-looking Cheng Ze was in a sluggish heavy armor.
It was the fastest and slowest combination, their styles clashing with their personalities—as if they'd swapped equipment by mistake.
Ye Buqing analyzed calmly: "Recon mechs have far less lethality in combat than heavy armors. If you want to disengage, maybe I can cover you."
Cheng Ze: "Dad knows you can't bear to part with me, but Dad doesn't need your cover."
Zhao Zhuoluo: "Why don't you two put on a show first?"
Lian Sheng said, "How about killing one first?"
"Kill, kill, kill!" Cheng Ze, now with clear instructions, focused on the assault. "We're going in!"
The Red Team was already sharing intel. Compared to the loosely organized White Team, their opinions were more varied, and information flowed more freely. But when it came to decisions, only one voice mattered.
Hearing that three of their mechs had encountered two of the White Team's key players on the beach, they couldn't help but rejoice.
"Big fat sheep! Should we send reinforcements? We need to secure them this time."
"Quick, make up for the loss from the manual operation side. That one missing headcount is unbearable."
The surviving brother shouted, "Damn it, don't remind me! Your brother's suffering enough as it is."
One of the mech pilots on the beach said, "No need to come. It's under control. You focus on locating the captives and head straight there."
"But the enemy seems scattered. No sign of their main force."
"Then where are they hiding the captives? Do we have to search every spot? I hate this kind of thing."
"Or we could skip the search and wipe them all out."
"Don't let your guard down. Celebrate after the match."
"Commander, commander, what do you think?"
The Red Team commander pondered carefully, sorting through the situation.
The deployments of the Red and White Teams were similar. Split into pairs or trios, they advanced from the starting point in all directions to scout the enemy's positions across the map.
But it was precisely because they were similar that it felt strange. After all, the rescue mission meant their objectives differed.
The Red Team needed to locate the captives, so they had to spread out and search within White Team territory while closely monitoring their movements to prevent them from hiding the captives elsewhere.
Normally, the White Team should gather their forces to guard the captives against rescue attempts.
But Lian Sheng hadn't done that.
From his perspective, the White Team's soldiers were genuinely scattered—not as a feint, but truly dispersed.
On this map, the Red Team's usual method for locating captives was to track the White Team's main force. Since Lian Sheng hadn't concentrated her troops, there were only two possibilities.
First, Lian Sheng was confident their hidden captives would never be found, so no defense was needed. In this case, once the location was exposed, the match would be decided instantly. Of course, even if the captives weren't found, it wouldn't matter. As long as one side was completely eliminated, the outcome would still be clear.
Second, it was a diversion. Lian Sheng had taken the captives to a hiding spot alone while scattering her team to confuse the enemy. Once the Red Team was thoroughly disoriented, she would regroup her forces to guard the hideout.
In this scenario, her regrouping would be gradual, conducted stealthily in the latter half. But the Red Team couldn't afford to let their members infiltrate deep into White Team territory—that would be far too dangerous.
Wasn't this the perfect time?
The commander said, "Tell the brothers to press the attack. See where the White Team is moving. Stay alert."
Outside the arena, the instructors silently observed their strategies, sensing the tactical interplay between them.
One spoke up: "What do you think is the White Team's biggest weakness?"
The instructor turned to the students behind him. "You tell me."
The students blinked, bewildered. After a hesitant pause, they answered in hushed tones:
"Combat experience?"
"Familiarity with mech operation?"
"Individual skill."
"Lack of communication between teammates."
"The commander's too lax!"
"...What else is there to say?"
The instructors listened, thinking this team was utterly pitiful—almost devoid of redeeming qualities. One instructor, feeling mischievous, asked, "Then what are their strengths?"
The students fell silent.
A student from Alliance University raised his hand without hesitation. "Lian Sheng! Just seeing her nonsense makes me think she's going to win!"
"Just seeing her as commander makes me think she'll win."
"...You're just blowing smoke. The opponents' skill levels are different, okay?"
"See a girl and start spouting nonsense. Where did you pick up this habit?"
After a few exchanges, they didn't dare argue further and quieted down, turning their attention back to the screen behind the glass, waiting for the instructor to speak.
The instructor said, "I think the White Team's biggest weakness isn't any of those. It's that they don't even know their own strength."
Their training plans differed. The veterans trained daily with sensors—they'd already moved past correcting their postures and knew exactly what their maximum speed was, which terrain models suited them best, and the effective range of their attacks.
The White Team, however, hadn't touched Sanyao's sensors in nearly a month. They hadn't had time to test their training results before being thrust onto the battlefield.
The students were clueless, and presumably, so was their commander.
"That's why I agree with her decision to scatter the team at the start. When you don't know your own strength, clustering together in a confined space can lead to chaos in emergencies. In large groups, they can't fully utilize their abilities. Splitting up lets them scout the enemy's strategy while giving them space to understand themselves." The instructor scratched his head. "Huh, so was it a fluke, or did she plan it all along?"
"Hmm..."
They glanced at Lian Sheng.
Given her current demeanor, she didn't seem to have considered it beforehand. But her nonchalant attitude also made it seem like she had everything under control.
It was... complicated.
At that moment, Lian Sheng and Zhao Zhuoluo were intently watching the five-way brawl on the beach.
Ye Buqing's Fengyi was too fast for the enemy to hit, so he wasn't a concern. The real worry was Cheng Ze's heavy armor.
Even with its thick shell, it couldn't withstand endless bombardment.
Zhao Zhuoluo said into the comms, "Watch your front. And your back. Oh, now it's your left, front, back. Look, pay attention to all directions. Move—you're too slow."
Cheng Ze couldn't take it anymore. "Commander, he's distracting me!"
Lian Sheng: "Mm. The commander told him to distract you."
Cheng Ze: "..." This was unbearable!
The three enemy mechs were a Pojun, a Leibao, and a support/capture-type mech: Balian.
The rookie was piloting the support mech.
In the past, melee mechs all used broadswords—only Balian was different, with chains on its back.
Capture mechs were designed primarily to counter melee types, aiming to restrict their movement. Due to their strong support nature and high operational difficulty, few piloted them.
Their function was to extend special chains that could bind opponents into a tangled mess upon close contact. For melee mechs, this was a significant threat, but for ranged mechs, it was utterly useless.
Moreover, Balian's chains had many limitations.
Balian's unique weapon had freely movable joints that lashed out with force when deployed. But the direction of the chains could be altered by enemy artillery fire, meaning attacks could be intercepted mid-flight.
Not only that, but it also required highly skilled chain-handling techniques. Not just anyone could control the floppy arcs of Balian's chains. Mishandling could tangle them irreversibly.
In short, Balian topped Sanyao's list of worst teammates. If you got paired with one in a match, just pretend they're dead and move on.
It was neither suited for solo nor team battles and rarely appeared—until now.
Because of Balian's presence, Cheng Ze didn't dare get too close. If he got caught, those chains would be impossible to break free from.
He cautiously approached, testing the rookie's skill level first.
The enemy made no attempt to hide it, immediately deploying the weapon from his back. The octopus-like chains lashed toward Cheng Ze with precision. When they missed, a second chain followed from another angle.
With each motion, the bundled chains on his back remained neatly aligned.
The arcs of the chains revealed the pilot's mastery over force and direction. Every retrieval was flawless, with none of the expected chaos—clearly, he was in complete control.
It was certain: he was highly proficient with this weapon.
And his movement speed surpassed Cheng Ze's. Even while swinging the chains, he didn't slow down. As the distance between them shrank, the danger grew.
Cheng Ze retreated rapidly, trying to create space, but he wasn't facing just one opponent.
The other two were bombarding him relentlessly, leaving him no escape. Every backward step was met with artillery fire. His body shook violently from the impacts, and he instinctively wanted to cover his head.
The beach terrain wasn't ideal for heavy armor. Due to its mass, movement was already restricted. With open, flat surroundings, both sides were moving at top speed—except him.
After a short distance, Cheng Ze's heavy armor was already marred with black scorch marks. Fortunately, the enemy's aim wasn't perfect, so his vital areas remained intact.
Ye Buqing darted around the periphery, using wind cannons to harass the three enemy mechs' weapons and cover Cheng Ze, preventing him from taking too much damage.
But the veterans were experienced and unfazed. Even under harassment, they persisted in targeting Cheng Ze.
Ye Buqing was only one person—he couldn't interrupt all three attacks simultaneously. Besides, the Fengyi's firepower was too weak to intimidate them. They couldn't even be bothered to dodge.
Lian Sheng: "Ye Buqing? When hitting the chains, don't aim for the tips. The tips carry the most force—aim closer to his back."
Ye Buqing fired two shots at the chains. As predicted, striking near the base caused the front sections to wobble off course.
The Fengyi didn't fire energy blasts or heavy artillery but compressed wind cannons.
At the same time, he lowered his arm to target the thrusters at the enemies' heels.
Though he couldn't damage the thrusters, the opposing winds canceled each other out, effectively disrupting their propulsion.
The trio felt their movements stutter. To avoid falling, they slowed down.
Ye Buqing said, "Focus on Balian first!"
Lian Sheng rubbed her chin. "Honestly, with three melee mechs in the lineup, the chains aren't that useful."
Besides, all mechs carried both melee and ranged weapons.
His weapon was somewhat like a soft whip.
It seemed simple—just flicking his wrist—but controlling every segment of the whip was incredibly difficult.
Whips were the most chaotic weapons to handle.
"Soft whip?" Ye Buqing exhaled. "Got it."
During their ancient weapons video shoot with Lian Sheng, they'd learned a bit about them.
Facing a whip, the instinctive safe move was to stay out of its range.
But the enemy would keep advancing. And because of the whip's flexibility, its length wasn't fixed—it could attack or defend. Retreating was too passive, making it hard to find an opening.
For long whips, the most lethal part was the tip, while the weakest point was the hand. Against whips, the key wasn't to retreat but to close in, disarm the opponent, and strike their vitals directly.
"What do you 'got'?" Cheng Ze snapped. "Do you 'got' that I'm about to die?"
Ye Buqing said, "Go for the Pojun—it's lighter. Leave Balian to me. Stay close."
Cheng Ze glared. "You want me to go one-versus-two? Where's your sense of responsibility, Old Ye?"
Even as he complained, he was already moving toward the Pojun.
"Hey? You think we'll let you pick one-on-one fights?" The enemy, baffled by their actions, said, "Don't kid around, pal. Rookie, leash him!"
Balian tentatively lashed out at Cheng Ze, but Ye Buqing intercepted with a shot at the chain's base.
The chain veered off course, retracting before it even hit the ground.
Ye Buqing circled Balian, constantly rotating to monitor his movements and prevent attacks.
The enemy asked, "Aren't you dizzy from all that flying around?"
Ye Buqing: "Nope."
The enemy: "What are you trying to do?"
Ye Buqing: "Beat the dog."
Balian: "The hell? Since when did matches allow personal attacks?"
Cheng Ze shouted, "You started it!"
"Two-on-one works too. Leibao, over here," the Pojun pilot said. "Be careful, rookie. Focus on protecting yourself."
Leibao joined Pojun, waiting for Cheng Ze to approach so they could counter together.
Cheng Ze licked his lips.
Closing in on two melee mechs wouldn't be easy, especially since they still had firearms. But their artillery had been exhausted during the chase.
Cheng Ze glanced down at his cockpit, ensuring his limbs were intact and the compartment secure. Good.
The Pojun pilot clicked his tongue. "This armor's ridiculously thick. The updated heavy mech data makes it a damn turtle shell."
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