First Battlefield Commander! - Chapter 193
Chapter 193: Breakout
The group changed course and headed towards the armed militants' main stronghold.
At the previous few locations, most of those left behind were Kafa residents. Their weapons and equipment were simple and outdated, with very lax outer defenses. But if actual Gelen soldiers were mixed in among them, they would have to be much more cautious.
At this point, they could no longer maintain appearances. Though their words had been bold, when it came to actual action, the safety of the Alliance trainees still had to be their primary consideration.
The veteran played with his weapon beside them. The group sat quietly, waiting for the Alliance's next instructions.
Lian Sheng was genuinely a bit worried he might accidentally fire his gun inside the vehicle. That would be quite the spectacle.
The man who had been hung up on the call held the communicator, his expression slightly cracked. He turned to look at the group of bound trainees.
Several of them curled their lips, expressing their innocence.
Zhang Ce raised his chin and said, "I told you, if you got roasted, it's not our fault." His tone carried a hint of schadenfreude and even a touch of pride.
The man casually tossed aside the communicator and approached with his gun.
"I don't think you've fully grasped your current situation. This isn't something you should be happy about," the man said. "Or have we been too friendly, making you forget your position?"
Zhang Ce snorted disdainfully. "I'm always aware of my position. I just wonder if you dare say who you really are."
"What position do we hold? And what position do you hold? Strictly speaking, we don't have direct conflicting interests," Ji Fangxiao interjected calmly. His voice was steady as he analyzed the situation: "When you encountered us, we were preparing to treat severely injured civilians. Rebels—if we're being precise, we should actually be allies."
The man said, "You can shut up now."
Ji Fangxiao clenched his damp palms and continued, "Isn't friendliness your label? Isn't pursuing peace your goal? Isn't achieving harmonious coexistence between both sides your purpose? If all you want is slaughter, violence, and suppression, then are you truly rebels, or just a terrorist organization using rebellion as a pretext?"
Ji Fangxiao raised his voice. Though nervous, his thoughts were clear: "How he treats us—everyone, watch carefully and prepare yourselves. Because after achieving his goals, he'll likely treat you the same way. Don't listen to what they say; watch what they do—ah!"
A crisp cocking sound rang out as the man violently pressed the gun barrel against his cheek.
Ji Fangxiao glared at him hatefully from the corner of his eye.
"Had enough? Don't know how to shut up?" The man tapped his face with the gun. "Deterrence is necessary. Seems you're eager to sacrifice yourself for our great cause. That look in your eyes—what are you planning?"
Facing a direct death threat was less terrifying than being slowly strung along.
"Then shoot," Ji Fangxiao retorted, no longer holding back. "A Gelen spy hiding like a rat in the sewers could never destroy my Alliance's territorial integrity. Even if I die here today, Gelen will pay a far greater price in the future!"
The man stared at him for a moment, then nodded. Turning his back, he suddenly grabbed a weapon from one of his men and fired at Ji Fangxiao.
The group didn't see blood spray, but Ji Fangxiao collapsed stiffly to the ground.
Their hearts clenched as they gasped in shock: "Ji Fangxiao—!"
The civilians nearby clung to each other, letting out terrified screams. They shut their eyes, too afraid to look, their panic instantly spreading.
Ji Ban leaned closer, his body stiff, but he could still hear breathing. Relieved, he said, "It's... a tranquilizer gun."
"So noisy. A bunch of self-righteous rookie heroes," the man said, cracking his neck. "Think sacrifice is glorious? No—staying alive is the real challenge. We've lived in this environment, facing death so often it's routine. You disdain life yet cling to your own. You don't understand anything."
The man said darkly, "Don't test my limits."
Whimpers rose from the civilians around them, unable to suppress their fear. They were too terrified.
The man continued, "If you're willing to believe in us, you can gain your freedom immediately. Haven't you already despaired of Kafa?"
"If you choose to keep resisting, I'll have to throw you out, because we can't be comrades. Think carefully." He checked the time. "Honestly, your decision won't change the outcome. I'm just giving you a chance. How many people in Kafa will stand with us—don't you already know?"
A few of them glanced up at him.
Noticing their gaze, the man smiled and spread his arms. "Come. Peace welcomes you."
The Expeditionary Force squads were steadily closing in.
Lian Sheng's vehicle raced toward the target location.
The driver was the steadiest Lian Sheng had ever seen, but now he was living his best life speeding.
The veteran listened to the updates from the communicator, tapping his fingers. "Gelen forces are lurking at Kafa's outskirts, looking for an opening. The Alliance is confronting them. Though the situation isn't clear yet, we need to prepare for full-scale combat. If anything unexpected happens, prioritize evacuating civilians. Plans can change at any moment—follow orders."
The group was startled. Had things escalated this badly?
"Will the Alliance really go to full-scale war with Gelen? With Kafa as the battlefield?" Fang Jianchen asked. "Using their own territory as the main warzone—what about supply lines? Resources?"
The veteran shook his head. "Tsk, discipline. Didn't I say not to panic? What's with the reactions? Before surgery, doesn't the doctor explain the risks? We're just presenting one possibility. You're all too inexperienced, so we're giving you a heads-up."
The veteran turned and nudged Lian Sheng. "Right, morale booster?"
Lian Sheng crossed her arms, frowning. "Did they get enough signatures?"
"Not all, but they're close. Even with enough signatures, Kafa's 12th District is still Alliance territory by name. With Alliance forces already stationed at the perimeter, the other side has no right to interfere. If they dare act, they're not planning to follow protocol. 'Justice for the people' and all that."
Lian Sheng: "If they don't need the signatures, why are they stalling here?"
"It's not that they don't need them—they just allow for some margin of error. In wartime, population counts fluctuate wildly and are hard to track. After the fact, they just need to report and explain based on wartime conditions, providing sufficient justification to validate their procedures." The veteran said, "So the more chaotic things get, the better for them—they'll find loopholes. We absolutely must not harm civilians. Ideally, we can directly sever their interests."
The group nodded.
Soon, the vehicle stopped.
The soldier in front said, "Disembark. We're taking Route Six."
They geared up and began advancing cautiously.
"Slowly, slowly. Stay behind us, watch the flanks," the veteran said, looking back. "Follow our lead, adapt to the situation."
If the Expeditionary Force had already located this place, it meant the enemy had spotted them too—so there was no more need for stealth. The armed group's main gathering point was now blatantly visible.
Outside the large activity center, rows of civilians blocked every possible entrance, packed tightly together as if drawing courage from each other.
They held weapons, watching their surroundings fearfully.
The group peeked out, then quickly ducked back.
With numbers this dense, sneaking in was impossible. A frontal assault wasn't feasible either.
The male students looked uneasy. "How are there so many? Are they trying to block us? How do we even get in?"
They couldn't just fight their way through, could they? They'd just agreed to prioritize civilian safety—but with this many people, how could they enter the building without casualties on either side?
One asked, "No matter how we act, the commotion will be huge. Won't that alert the people inside? Could it provoke them into harming Ji Ban and the others?"
That would inevitably escalate tensions between Gelen and the Alliance.
Gelen wasn't afraid of war—in fact, they welcomed it.
Both sides were enjoying this charade. Though tacitly aware of each other's true identities, neither had concrete proof.
The ones who killed the trainees were Kafa rebels—an internal Alliance management issue. Yet the Alliance would blame Gelen. Look at these unreasonable people.
Why wouldn't Gelen defend itself? It was a slander to their reputation and a massive blow to their citizens' assets.
The veteran hummed noncommittally, checking the map for squad positions.
Lian Sheng said, "Seems we're at the main entrance."
The veteran: "At times like these, any hole can be a door. But walking in through the front just looks cooler."
Lian Sheng: "The map? The interior one."
"Click, zoom in, zoom in more, select detailed view, parameter settings." The veteran leaned in, instructing her. "Here, flatten it, then choose smart scaling mode. Pick a viewpoint for planar data measurement display..."
Lian Sheng: "...We're missing a vice commander."
Fang Jianchen: "The vice commander's inside."
The veteran: "Our vice commander's in the command room."
Lian Sheng decided to skip this topic.
"The basic issues are obvious." Lian Sheng counted on her fingers: "How many Gelen soldiers are inside? Are there any explosives we need to watch out for nearby? How far along are they with the signatures? Then, we decide our strategy."
Fang Jianchen: "Actually, none of that matters. We only have one question—what do we do?"
Lian Sheng paused. "First, buy time. Send people to investigate the perimeter, eliminate weapon threats. Ensure civilian safety."
She pointed ahead. "To move freely, we first need to quickly subdue the civilians blocking the way. How many personnel do we have available?"
A male student gulped nervously. "How do we subdue them?"
The veteran gave him a look. "Tranquilizer guns, ever heard of them?"
The student: "..."
The student: "..."
He'd been traumatized too deeply—his mind could only process life and death scenarios now.
The veteran said, "We don't have enough personnel for that, but safety checks are mandatory."
They couldn't confirm if there were bombs planted nearby. The population density here was too high—if the enemy wanted mutual destruction, the Alliance's losses would far exceed theirs.
The student asked blankly, "So? What do we do now?"
"Wait for orders," the veteran said slowly, patting his head. "Just put in the effort—stop torturing that poor little brain of yours, alright?"
They waited a long time without receiving commands. From the map, many squads had already gathered nearby, lying in ambush.
This wasn't a simple decision—the command center was likely struggling too.
The commander wasn't just deciding whether to attack now, but also how to handle the Gelen forces lurking like ticking time bombs at the perimeter.
The group waited patiently.
The veteran said grimly, "The fight's started."
They were shocked. "Gelen?"
"No, the Alliance struck first." The veteran said, "They're pissed."
The group: "Ah—"
Seeing the enemy buzz around like flies, always ready to take a bite, it was hard not to swat them.
But they hadn't expected it to escalate so quickly. In a few hours, would the battlefield shift from the outskirts to the interior, then spread from Kafa to the entire Alliance?
Witnessing the birth of a conflict firsthand, they didn't know how to describe their feelings.
A student looked up at the sky. "So what now?"
Lian Sheng said, "Curse their ancestors eighteen generations back."
The student whipped his head around. "What?"
Lian Sheng: "Since you've got nothing better to do, stop overthinking."
The student muttered, "And then?"
Lian Sheng: "Then pray!"
The student: "Pray for what? For my curses to come true? But their ancestors are already dead!"
"I don't mean literally! Pray for your own survival!" Lian Sheng said. "Don't spout nonsense in front of the gods! Stay calm, comrade!"
The group: "..."
The group: "..."
With open combat erupting outside, things inside wouldn't stay peaceful either.
The veteran pressed his communicator and gripped his weapon. "See what the enemy's planning. Be ready to storm in at any moment."
Lian Sheng said, "If most signatures are invalidated, Gelen's forces lose legitimacy and will have to withdraw. All we need to deal with are the terrorists coercing Kafa's people into signing under duress."
The veteran: "You want to go in and brainwash them first?"
"Right now, the Kafa residents signing the secession agreements are just intimidated by the enemy's firepower. They don't trust the military's strength and are compromising for their own safety." Lian Sheng tapped her chin. "Look at their mental state—I doubt they're foolish enough to truly believe this violent group's grand vision. So there are two ways to turn this around."
She held up a finger. "One: Directly subdue the armed forces. Remove the threat, and the people will trust us enough to voluntarily rescind their signatures. Two: Convince Kafa's people to stand up and deny the voluntariness of the agreements, completely crushing Gelen's scheme."
The veteran nodded. "Theoretically, yes. But with our current numbers, we can't force our way in quickly without endangering the hostages."
Lian Sheng tugged at her collar. "We need to resolve this before things worsen. Honestly, I hate how this is unfolding."
Cheng Ze: "...That's not up to personal preference."
"Let me represent the Alliance in negotiations." Lian Sheng stood. "I think I can pull off the second option."
The veteran: "...Dreaming?"
Lian Sheng: "The Gelen-affiliated people's mental state is clearly fragile. In this condition, they're easily swayed—for better or worse depends on perspective. I think it's possible."
"..." The veteran doubted, "You can do it?"
This wasn't just about courage. Bravery alone was useless—they needed boldness and intelligence. Otherwise, she'd get shot immediately upon entering, and they'd all be screwed.
Lian Sheng: "I believe he'll welcome me."
Cheng Ze recalled their earlier exchange and shook his head. "I believe he won't."
Lian Sheng paused. "Lastly."
The veteran: "There's more?"
"You break in dramatically to rescue the damsel." Lian Sheng said, "Remember—I'm the only damsel here."
The veteran: "I don't think so. Give up on this idea."
Lian Sheng urged, "Just file the request for me!"
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