First Battlefield Commander! - Chapter 166
Chapter 166: Cursing
Lian Sheng and the others followed the crowd to the nearest bomb shelter. A long line of people snaked downward, and in the distance, they could see the stacked entrance.
"...My god—!"
Fang Jianchen's mouth hung open as he couldn't help but exclaim.
Standing behind him, Lian Sheng also felt somewhat dazed.
Due to network issues, the government had yet to issue warnings about evacuation or the outbreak of war. Public vehicles still operated on the roads, though their routes had been adjusted to transport people from various parts of the city to the safety of bomb shelters.
A few aircraft streaked across the sky. The crowd continued to move toward the shelter.
Nearby was a school, where students stood in small groups, scanning the area for their families.
Military personnel maintained order, so while the area was crowded, it wasn't chaotic.
However, those opening the bomb shelter and admitting residents of the 36th District, checking their credentials, weren't Alliance officials—they were soldiers of the Gelen United Army.
Had the 36th District been occupied without a single drop of blood spilled?
And why were the residents of the 36th District so docile, showing no resistance at all?
This was clearly Alliance territory!
There was none of the tension expected before a major conflict, not even the slightest sense of impending confrontation. For a moment, Lian Sheng wondered if she was in the wrong place or hallucinating. Countless questions and doubts tangled in her mind.
Someone behind them, impatient with their hesitation, snapped, "Hey, are you going in or not? Move forward already!"
Lian Sheng snapped back to attention. She studied the men in black military uniforms adorned with embroidered insignias, then after a brief pause, pushed Ji Ban forward into the arms of a middle-aged man.
The man instinctively caught him.
Ji Ban turned back in confusion.
Pointing at the man, Lian Sheng said, "Call him 'Dad.'"
"??" Ji Ban was baffled. "Huh?"
The middle-aged man tensed, wary. "What are you trying to pull? You said you just needed a guide! Don't think you can pull a Liu Bei and dump your kid on me."
Lian Sheng ignored him—the man was all bark and no bite. She waved a hand and said, "Ji Ban, go with him first. Too many people are entering, and they don't have resident records here. They probably won't verify identities one by one. You'll be safer with him."
Ji Ban knew his mobility issues made him a liability in emergencies. Stubbornly sticking with the group would only burden them, so he didn't argue.
"What about you?" he asked. "They might recognize you. The list of students sent to the 36th District was public."
"Exactly. That's why you shouldn't be with us. Your photo isn't in the academic system yet—they won't know you. You're safe." Lian Sheng patted his shoulder. "Don't talk to us or even look at us. Just keep moving forward. Adapt as needed."
Ji Ban had participated in the selection trials, which had stirred some buzz, but only his name was known. He'd been a last-minute addition. Later, the First Military Academy took him in and transferred all his records. Since he wasn't being trained as a regular student, none of his details were made public.
Even if the enemy had done their homework on the military students, they shouldn't know who Ji Ban was—let alone that he had a leg disability.
Lian Sheng's insistence on separating him meant the danger was real.
The tense atmosphere made Ji Ban uneasy.
"Relax, we're not important figures—just freshmen," Cheng Ze reassured him. "They've got bigger fish to fry after taking over an entire district. Why would they bother with small fry like us? It's just that a group of us with military builds would stand out too much. We don't want to drag you down."
Military students had a distinct presence among civilians—posture, physique, even facial features differed due to their environment.
They simply didn't look like they belonged in the 36th District.
The middle-aged man hesitated, fidgeting.
Lian Sheng asked, "What's the matter?"
After an internal struggle, the man sighed in resignation when his son tugged his sleeve. "If he wants to come with me, he has to take off the device on his leg. Prosthetics and maintenance here in the 36th District are expensive—I definitely can't afford them."
Ji Ban's running aid was hidden under his pants. Normally, it wasn't noticeable—just a slight oddity in his gait. But during their earlier sprint, he'd increased the assist to keep up, making it more obvious.
Hearing this, Ji Ban wavered. "If I take it off, I won't have legs."
He hadn't been without his aid in over a decade. It compensated for his disability—his dignity and resolve. The thought of being unable to walk was unbearable.
"It's fine, nothing will happen. Just sit tight inside, and we'll come get you when it's safe," Lian Sheng soothed. "We don't know the situation at the base, but given how things look, we have to prepare for the worst. You're the only one here who can pilot a mech, Ji Ban. You need to stay safe."
Ji Ban's lips trembled, but he nodded.
They slipped away from the crowd, found a secluded spot, and removed Ji Ban's device.
Zhao Zhuoluo and the others marked a tree as a reference point, burying the device to retrieve later.
Then Ji Ban and the middle-aged man went ahead while Lian Sheng's group followed at a distance.
Ji Ban had to be carried on the man's back, head bowed, looking dejected.
"I don't know why I'm helping them..." the man muttered as he walked. "We're all innocent."
The soldiers up front were speaking into comms, their words indistinct.
Lian Sheng checked her optical computer again—still no signal.
The two groups entered the shelter one after the other. The middle-aged man, carrying Ji Ban and holding his son's hand, found an open spot to rest.
Lian Sheng waited, keeping a few hundred meters between them, then sat down as well.
The shelter was brightly lit and surprisingly clean, not as damp as they'd imagined.
It was packed, with soldiers stationed at every corner to prevent internal conflicts and chaos.
They discreetly scanned their surroundings.
"This feels so surreal," Fang Jianchen whispered, hugging his knees. "Are we sure this isn't a drill?"
Lian Sheng: "What kind of drill would involve the entire 36th District? If the Expeditionary Force had that kind of pull, the government would've been groveling at their feet long ago instead of screwing us over."
"You can't say that. If it came to a real fight, the Expeditionary Force would still be the boss. It's just that this involves too much money—neither side can afford an all-out war." Fang Jianchen said, "Choosing to make money together peacefully is much better, isn't it?"
Cheng Ze gritted his teeth. "So freaking great it's making my balls ache!"
Lian Sheng rubbed her fingers absently, staring into the distance without speaking.
More people streamed in. Perhaps because this was near the city center, the flow was especially dense. The patrolling soldiers, deciding the crowd was becoming unmanageable, reported to their superiors, and the shelter doors closed.
The shelter's soundproofing and shock absorption were excellent. Inside, they'd have no idea what was happening outside.
But if the Gelen United Army had already taken the city, why herd people into shelters? Were they still fighting? Was it necessary?
Meanwhile, at the military base—
Doctor Lin and the students were confined in a spacious training room, guarded by seven or eight soldiers.
Doctor Lin lay on the floor, bound but still able to speak. Through the window, he could see the sky and hear the distant roar of gunfire. The battle outside showed no signs of stopping.
"You," he suddenly said.
The soldiers turned to him.
Doctor Lin lifted his head slightly. "You breached the defenses before being detected. How many insiders do you have in the 36th District? How did you infiltrate the entire security network?"
The 36th District's defenses had always been solid. As Alliance territory, the cradle of Expeditionary Force training, a vital mineral resource zone, and a strategically sensitive location, its security was top-notch.
The Expeditionary Force stationed here wasn't large, and personnel rotated annually, but defensive systems and surveillance were comprehensive. Border troops were always at full strength and regularly tested.
Normally, capturing the 36th District would require breaking through layer after layer of defenses. With no technology to bypass them, by the time an invading force reached the city, the district would have already sounded the alarm and called for reinforcements from border garrisons. Success was nearly impossible.
Yet they'd somehow slipped into the heart of the 36th District undetected, seizing core security data before anyone noticed.
An external assault had turned into an internal takeover.
The local government was useless—the 36th District's defenders were likely overwhelmed. Early setbacks, shaken morale, severed communications cutting off calls for help—it was only a matter of time before the district fell.
The 36th District was already theirs.
The soldiers didn't answer. They remained at attention along the walls.
Doctor Lin gasped sharply. "Enough! The Alliance won't abandon the 36th District. Are you trying to turn it into another warzone?"
Still, no response.
They knew exactly what a warzone was.
Doctor Lin's expression darkened. To him, it was the most terrifying place—a lawless land of unchecked slaughter. Something to be avoided at all costs.
They'd worked so hard to restore peace, and now these people were undoing it all?
One of the bound students thrashed violently, face contorted, eyes bloodshot and glaring.
His breathing grew ragged, his condition clearly deteriorating. After several glances, a soldier finally stepped forward and removed his gag. "What?"
The student's saliva dribbled out. He turned his head, furious. "I'm about to piss myself, you bastard! You think I'm crying for fun? Damn you! @#$%..."
When the body couldn't expel liquid one way, it found another.
The soldier paused, unfazed by the tirade. He pressed his lips together and moved to—
"Hey hey hey, what are you doing?!" The student's eyes bulged as he flailed like a fish, asserting his defiance. "You think I'm scared of you? My name's Sun Hao! Screw you!"
His thrashing worked—he wriggled free from the soldier's grip, flopped to the floor, and rolled into a corner.
"Oh, you think you can outmaneuver me?" The soldier smirked and nodded to a comrade. "Give me a hand."
Two soldiers grabbed his arms and hauled him out.
Sun Hao's furious shouts echoed down the hall: "Let go of me! Bring it on, you spineless cowards!"
His vigorous protests proved the soldiers weren't roughing him up.
Then, as if a switch had been flipped, silence.
But his silence ignited the others.
They stared at the door, gagged but writhing, inching toward it like frenzied inchworms.
The remaining soldiers chuckled, shutting the door. "Roll all you want," one taunted. "Let's see you make it out."
Their smirks were infuriating. The students longed to leap up and sink their teeth into their throats.
Eyes reddening, some began hyperventilating, banging their heads on the floor until comrades nudged them to stop.
Just as tensions peaked, the door reopened.
Sun Hao was dragged back in, unharmed, face serene.
The soldier returning him flicked water at the nearest students. "Anyone else need to go? Don't blame us if your junk falls off from holding it in."
The students: "..."
The black-clad soldier finally cracked. "You guys are hilarious."
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