First Battlefield Commander! - Chapter 208
Chapter 208: Alliance
Before Lian Sheng's vision went dark, several black shadows flashed before her eyes.
She instinctively tried to check the time on her optical computer, but then lost consciousness completely.
Cornell held an optical computer in his hand, sitting in the back seat of a car. He tilted his head to look at the scenery flying past outside the window.
The car finally fell silent, with no more conversation. Only then did Cornell reach out to end the communication and put away his optical computer.
"Thank you very much for your cooperation, Mr. Cornell," the man beside him said. "I hope we can work together happily. And... welcome back."
Cornell blinked but didn't respond.
The car circled around before finally stopping in front of a building.
Cornell got out of the car and saw Harry standing awkwardly before him.
"Cornell," Harry called out.
Cornell walked over to him and gently patted the back of his head.
"Is this really okay?" Harry asked.
"You won't change your mind either. I know you. I wouldn't let you come here alone," Cornell said. "I watched you grow up."
"..." Harry corrected him, "We grew up together."
Cornell said, "Two people are fine too. Believe in your path and keep walking."
Cornell didn't know what the future held—no one did. But he also felt that this might be right.
Maxwell had said something accurate. People like them were the most steadfast yet also the most easily swayed. They were willing to advance without hesitation for their goals, yet could also switch sides without hesitation.
They wouldn't let go of even the slightest hope.
"Please come in," Maxwell stepped aside and said. "Welcome to Gelen. Hero."
The several people who had been drugged with anesthesia gradually woke up groggily, finding someone slapping their faces.
Zhao Zhuoluo was the first to wake up, but his mind was still foggy, and his limbs felt weak. He sat on the ground, trying to regain his senses.
Several people from the Alliance who had come to retrieve them woke them up, letting them sniff stimulants.
Lian Sheng sat up, feeling dizzy. The first thing she did was check the time on her optical computer.
13:15.
When they had arrived, it was around 12:15. Maxwell had been taken around 12:20. And their agreed rendezvous time...
Was 12:30.
Lian Sheng lowered her head, raised a hand to her forehead, then abruptly slapped her own face hard.
The person beside her was startled and asked, "Are you okay?"
Fang Jianchen punched the ground fiercely and cursed, "Damn it!"
"Harry?" Ji Ban looked around and shouted, "Harry!"
Lian Sheng struggled to her feet, breathing heavily, and said, "Let's go."
Zhou Shirui abruptly looked up at her.
Ji Ban: "Huh? But they're still—"
Lu Mingyuan reached for his optical computer, urgently saying, "We should contact the Alliance first and ask about their next steps. If we leave now..."
"Go!" Lian Sheng, at the edge of her patience, said, "Just listen to me this once."
The rescue team said, "We don't have time. We must leave the port by the designated time. Please board the aircraft quickly."
Ji Ban pressed his lips together, reluctantly nodding.
The rescue team didn't ask too many questions, silently helping them toward the aircraft.
Their flight first went to the 14th District, where someone picked them up and took them to the Alliance.
The entire journey was quiet. Only the sound of their heavy breathing filled the space.
Ji Ban still couldn't believe it. Zhao Zhuoluo and the others sat in the back, trying to search for the latest news about the port, forcibly suppressing the urge to turn back immediately to search for their missing comrades.
Zhou Shirui looked at his optical computer, hesitating before speaking: "Lian Sheng..."
Lian Sheng leaned back in her seat, rubbing her knuckles with her right hand: "I don't know. Don't ask me."
None of them rested during the journey, keeping their eyes open and staying alert.
They ran through dozens of rescue plans in their minds, considering the worst outcomes, only to dismiss them one by one.
It was just unnecessary worry—completely useless.
Hundred Meter Flying Dagger—they desperately wanted to see Hundred Meter Flying Dagger. He would definitely have a solution.
It was too chaotic. Their minds were a mess.
When they arrived at the Alliance's 29th District, it was late at night. The people sent to pick them up took them directly to the military base.
The base was brightly lit.
As they stepped onto the ground and walked forward, it still felt unreal.
They were back. This was the Alliance.
But not all of them had returned.
"Welcome back," Hundred Meter Flying Dagger came out to greet them. "Rest first. You're all exhausted."
Fang Jianchen stepped forward, moving closer to him, and quickly said, "Maxwell—no, Cornell and the others..."
Hundred Meter Flying Dagger interrupted him, placing a hand on his shoulder: "Rest first. We'll talk about everything else later. Okay?"
Lian Sheng stood at the back of the group. When Hundred Meter Flying Dagger met her eyes, his heart sank with a thud.
Zhou Shirui had been watching Lian Sheng and followed her gaze. On Hundred Meter Flying Dagger's familiar face, he saw an unfamiliar expression.
"Rest well," Hundred Meter Flying Dagger patted the person under his hand again. "Lian Sheng, I think we need to talk."
The group all looked at Lian Sheng, puzzled.
Lian Sheng stepped forward, following Hundred Meter Flying Dagger as he led her to the end of the hallway.
Hundred Meter Flying Dagger pressed the elevator button, taking her to the top floor. Then, through the stairwell, they reached the rooftop.
It was nighttime, and a cold wind blew fiercely.
Lian Sheng was still wearing the thin jacket she'd had at the port and immediately shivered violently.
Hundred Meter Flying Dagger took off his military jacket and handed it to her. Lian Sheng simply found a spot sheltered from the wind and sat down against the wall.
Hundred Meter Flying Dagger snorted and sat down beside her.
He draped the jacket over her shoulders and asked, "What are you angry about?"
"If our agreed rendezvous time was really 12:30, then by 12:20, they should have already been there. But you didn't come until an hour later," Lian Sheng said. "You warned me. I just didn't understand."
Hundred Meter Flying Dagger nodded: "Right. I told you—I wanted to send Maxwell back."
"Not just that," Lian Sheng snapped. "It's not just because of that!"
Hundred Meter Flying Dagger met her gaze and finally relented: "As expected of Lian Sheng. I knew I couldn't fool you."
Hundred Meter Flying Dagger dropped his smile and said, "He's not an Alliance citizen. He has no identity in the Alliance. To Gelen, he's important. So he chose to stay there..."
Cornell staying in Gelen could stir up internal conflict.
The best outcome would be if Maxwell could rise to power and keep his promises—then the Alliance wouldn't need to go to war with Gelen.
The worst outcome would be if Gelen, after civil war, lacked the strength to attack—then the Alliance could still secure the greatest advantage.
If Cornell stayed in the Alliance, he'd just be a clone who could be exposed at any moment and never fully trusted.
It was a mutually beneficial transaction, each side getting what they wanted—yet it made it seem like they'd given Cornell a real "choice."
"Hundred Meter Flying Dagger! Zhou Shiren! You were the one who insisted on sending him there! What did you say to him?!" Lian Sheng shouted. "If you'd planned from the start to send Cornell back to Gelen, you should've just told him outright—and told me outright too! Why play these games behind the scenes?"
Hundred Meter Flying Dagger said, "I didn't say anything to him. I just told him that Maxwell had been injected with their internal tracking device. His personal guard had already located him and negotiated with the Alliance. The Alliance decided to leave him at the port in the end."
The plan had changed—but only he was told.
Lian Sheng abruptly stood up, the military jacket sliding to the ground. She gritted her teeth: "How subtle of you! The Alliance was going to abandon him but still wanted to use him—because you thought he'd follow your plan, that he wouldn't betray the Alliance? Shamelessness is more likable than hypocrisy."
Hundred Meter Flying Dagger looked up at her, feeling the sharpness of her words: "Calm down."
Lian Sheng took a deep breath, feeling the cold wind rush down her throat straight to her heart, dousing the anger burning there.
She sat back down and reached for the jacket on the ground.
The two sat in silence for a long time.
Lian Sheng raised a hand to rub her forehead.
Hundred Meter Flying Dagger looked up at the starry sky and said, "Selfishness is the true nature of politicians, right? I also think this method isn't honorable. The funny thing is—I still think it's right."
Lian Sheng took a moment to collect herself, then said quietly, "You're right. As an Alliance citizen, if it were me, I'd do the same. In war, you can't afford to weigh personal losses."
Hundred Meter Flying Dagger sighed in relief: "I didn't want to hide it from you, but this wasn't easy to explain, and it could've caused complications. Whether you knew or not didn't affect the mission, so the military didn't want to disclose it to you. I hope you can keep this operation confidential."
"You can blame me. Cornell... too. I'm sorry," Hundred Meter Flying Dagger said. "I'm sorry."
Lian Sheng said, "As an Alliance citizen, I can't condemn or stop what you did. But as someone who once fought beside him, I'll keep the promises I made."
Hundred Meter Flying Dagger was taken aback: "What?"
"If no one else will accept him, then when he finally has no more use, I'll bring him back," Lian Sheng said. "At that time, I hope you'll openly acknowledge him as an Alliance citizen."
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