First Battlefield Commander! - Chapter 222
Chapter 222: Finale: Assassination
Barite's armed forces had withdrawn from the area, and the Alliance troops also needed to evacuate urgently.
Leaving the mess to Maxwell's subordinates, everyone packed up and headed directly toward the First and Second Districts.
However, they had already stayed in this border region of Gelen for over a month. After spreading out their belongings, packing up wasn't convenient.
Especially since Hundred Meter Flying Dagger insisted on not leaving even a needle or thread for Gelen's people—everything belonging to the Alliance must be taken away, and anything that could be conveniently taken should be taken too.
The so-called "plucking feathers from a passing goose and squeezing every advantage" was probably Brother Dao's true nature.
Due to insufficient personnel dispatched, this evacuation was brief. Logistics personnel needed to supervise the site while combat personnel urgently rushed to the next war zone. Thus, everyone was mobilized to assist with the evacuation.
Lian Sheng and others remained at the site, helping to move the packed boxes and machines into the main fleet.
Fang Jianchen was over there inventorying goods. As he counted, he wanted to emulate Brother Dao's skills and take some for himself. After all, no one would hold them accountable for missing a little here and there.
He said with great heartache: "Actually, my biggest loss from coming here is who-knows-how-many pairs of shoes and who-knows-how-many pairs of pants."
Because after getting soaked, they were hard to dry and started smelling and shrinking, so he threw them away.
Especially the shoes.
He hated it!
He rummaged through the supplies for a long time but ultimately gave up, settling for stuffing a few candies into his pocket.
Others waited for the household robots to free up before helping with transportation and inventory.
Ye Buqing and Zhao Zhuoluo lazily leaned on the boxes. Blame it on their overly upright appearances that got them ordered around everywhere. They simply stood at the entrance pretending to be dead.
The two leaned against each other for a long time, still panting heavily.
When Hundred Meter Flying Dagger passed by for the third time, he couldn't take it anymore. He stopped and said: "This is too much. Outstanding, I never thought you'd be this kind of outstanding!"
Zhao Zhuoluo turned to look at him and asked: "Then what about you? What are you doing?"
Hundred Meter Flying Dagger puffed out his chest and shamelessly declared: "Do you know there's a job called supervision? I'm supervising you all to work."
Zhao Zhuoluo: "..."
Zhao Zhuoluo: "..."
He had always respected his superiors. Hundred Meter Flying Dagger... well, that was another matter.
Fang Jianchen walked over and interjected: "Then do you know there's a profession called cheerleader?"
Hundred Meter Flying Dagger: "I'm also serving as the captain of that. Not recruiting new members, thanks."
The three unanimously turned their heads toward the vast mountainous terrain outside.
Hundred Meter Flying Dagger's eyes lit up as he pointed ahead and said: "Look at Lian Sheng! Even a delicate girl like her is working so hard. Don't you big men feel ashamed?"
The three shifted their gaze together.
They saw Lian Sheng calmly pulling a row of wooden boxes as tall as herself with one hand. Sensing their gazes, she raised a hand in greeting before continuing to stroll inward as if taking a walk.
Fang Jianchen and Ye Buqing: "..."
Fang Jianchen: "...I feel like she's unlocked some kind of alternate dimension switch."
Lian Sheng's arm had clearly adapted very well—or perhaps too well. It almost felt like she'd activated some cheat. If sensor mechs could capture signals from mechanical arms, it might literally be cheating.
Their evacuation took a full week.
Lian Sheng feared that by the time they reached the First and Second Districts, Maxwell wouldn't last until their rescue arrived. In past wars, withdrawal meant packing up and leaving that very night—unlike now, where they had to clean the battlefield, survey the terrain, inspect equipment, and recover rare metals for repairs.
Delays in various aspects stretched the timeline. A week for evacuation was already pushing it at breakneck speed. Lian Sheng ached in sympathy for these oddballs.
Hundred Meter Flying Dagger said: "Maxwell's own forces are concentrated in the First and Second Districts. He's not as weak as you think—his short-term survival skills are strong. He just can't spare extra people to resist Barite. Besides, if he were truly that incompetent, the Alliance wouldn't have chosen to cooperate with him."
They temporarily withdrew from Gelen's border region back to Alliance territory to refuel and resupply the main fleet. At the same time, they replaced damaged mechs for maintenance and redistributed new ones. Personnel and squads unable to continue fighting were swapped out, and a new batch of soldiers was recruited, preparing to advance into Gelen's heartland with greater strength.
However, the path from Gelen's border region to its central heartland was already mostly occupied by Barite's forces. They couldn't directly strike at the core, inevitably encountering interceptions and attacks along the way.
The main fleet and its forces were forced to stall, awaiting further instructions.
The military was contacting Maxwell for his opinion, but he didn't seem to be doing well either. Communications were frequently cut off, and he remained indecisive.
The Alliance could only remain in place, constantly on standby.
Lian Sheng woke up in the middle of the night to pitch darkness outside. Checking her optical computer, she saw it was 3:00 AM Alliance time.
During military marches, time zones changed drastically, and with indistinct daylight, their sleep schedules became chaotic and hard to adjust.
Finding herself not sleepy, Lian Sheng quietly got up and tiptoed out. Space on the main fleet was limited, so she shared a room with six other female logistics personnel.
The corridor was still brightly lit. The night shift personnel saw her come out and nodded at her.
Standing by the glass window, she could vaguely see flickering red lights below, along with numerous flying weapons maintaining distance and conducting patrols.
That was Gelen's outer defense line.
In areas controlled by Barite, the security switches were naturally in Barite's hands. If the Alliance forces rashly approached, the other side would attack.
Aerial combat was not advantageous for the Alliance forces who had come from afar to assist. The main fleet, carrying many mechs, couldn't afford such risks. Even though it was equipped with sufficient weapons, a head-on confrontation remained the worst strategy.
Hundred Meter Flying Dagger came out to stretch his legs and saw someone pressed against the window, trying to peer further down. He approached and said: "Yo, not sleeping?"
Lian Sheng glanced at him before stepping back and asking: "How many days has it been?"
"Six," Hundred Meter Flying Dagger checked the time. "If counting by dates, it's seven."
Lian Sheng sighed: "Time is so easy to waste. Even stalling can last six days. But don't you think it's strange? It's been almost half a month since news broke of Barite attacking the First and Second Districts."
That Maxwell would choose to stall in such an urgent situation was something Lian Sheng hadn't anticipated.
Her imagined scenario was Maxwell desperately grabbing the Alliance leader's collar, furiously urging the Alliance to attack aggressively, while the Alliance dawdled and advanced slowly to ensure their fleet's safety.
Reality was the opposite.
Truly, the emperor wasn't anxious, but the eunuch was. And she'd become the eunuch.
Hundred Meter Flying Dagger shrugged and sat down on the spot, saying: "Strange or not, the Alliance is technically just hired help for Maxwell. If the employer has no special requests, of course we'll follow his lead."
Lian Sheng sat down too and said: "I don't think Maxwell is that kind of person. From my limited interactions with him, he's ambitious and far-sighted. He might not seem aggressive on the surface, but underneath, he's a beast constantly sharpening its claws."
In a Gelen where Barite dominated alone, he could create today's situation and openly challenge him. He was definitely not a coward.
Or rather, he was very bold.
Stirring public sentiment, resisting Barite—every step he took was perilous yet resolute. Even when cornered and hanging by a thread, he remained calm enough to direct everything and create opportunities to escape.
At the same time, he was suspicious and cautious, tightly controlling his relationship with the Alliance. Even as comrades-in-arms now, he wouldn't leak unnecessary information.
This was a man who did great things.
Hundred Meter Flying Dagger patted his leg and said: "I think a decision will be made soon. Either a forced landing or an attack."
"Forced landing?!"
The commander-in-chief pressed his forehead and looked at the projection ahead: "Mr. Maxwell, are you certain?"
"Yes, a temporary forced landing. If fighting breaks out here, Gelen can't bear the losses," Maxwell said. "Please land temporarily in the 16th District and await my message."
The commander's mouth twitched.
Though the cost of constructing outer defenses was high, the Alliance's main fleet was clearly more expensive.
The commander said: "Mr. Maxwell, though the Alliance is in a cooperative relationship with your side, we must express our doubts. Can you understand?"
Maxwell sat across from him, a pile of confidential paper documents stacked in front. He said: "I understand, sir. I have confidential matters in progress here. Please station in the 16th District for now. I'll notify you of further actions later."
The commander lowered his gaze in thought before saying: "Since you've put it that way, the Alliance will cooperate."
Maxwell: "Thank you."
Maxwell: "Thank you."
The 16th District was behind the main fleet's current position. After making the decision, the Alliance turned around and headed toward the 16th District.
After submitting the request to the relevant parties, the 16th District opened its outer defenses and let them in.
By evening the next day, the Alliance made a short-term landing in the 16th District.
All personnel were under surveillance as relevant staff came to receive them. Since the Alliance carried a large number of offensive weapons and mechs, to ensure Gelen's safety and avoid panic, everyone was assigned an activity zone and forbidden from moving around freely during the stay.
Cheng Ze stomped his feet: "Finally standing on solid ground."
Before them was a large cleared area. In the distance, they could see a bustling city, though unfortunately, that area wasn't open to them.
"Just a chance to walk around—not much different," Lu Mingyuan said as he followed out. "Oh, but there are shops here. We can eat freely without relying on Alliance rations."
Ji Ban bolted off like a wild horse, charging straight for the airport terminal, waving his arms and shouting: "Beef jerky—beeeeef jerky!"
The others belatedly realized and, with a collective shudder, swiftly chased after him.
Hundred Meter Flying Dagger was so angry he wanted to throw his shoes at them, yelling: "Get back here! I haven't finished the briefing!"
The comrades, long deprived of snacks, paid him no mind. In the blink of an eye, they'd vanished into the entrance.
Hundred Meter Flying Dagger laughed helplessly: "Damn, if they could perform like this during fitness tests, the Alliance military would lead the world, wouldn't it?"
After finishing discussions with the Alliance, Maxwell continued sitting in his administrative building, endlessly flipping through stacks of documents.
Work was never-ending. Every day, all sorts of matters arose and were shelved, and their manpower was limited.
The more Maxwell read, the heavier his responsibilities felt. A crushing weight pressed on his shoulders, with external enemies and internal affairs adding more boulders to drag him down.
Only he knew how difficult every decision he made now was.
Gelen, a vast nation passed down from Edwin to today, had grown stronger while its problems became increasingly prominent. It fed on its own blood to grow—what a sick way to develop.
Maxwell wasn't sleeping. He didn't dare sleep now. Closing his eyes brought replays of thousands pinning their hopes on him, making him imagine failure.
He feared failure and couldn't afford it. Gelen's reforms had only this one chance. He had to lead this place to a fresh start and new prosperity.
Otherwise, it was over.
This once gentlemanly man now looked exhausted, with unshaven stubble on his chin.
A knock came at the door. Maxwell looked up, recognized the visitor, and eagerly asked: "Did you find it?"
The man before him saluted, then handed over a paper envelope. Maxwell hurriedly opened it and scanned from the top.
It was an investigative report—on Barite.
Meticulously detailed, from Barite's current location, daily wake-up time, activities, meetings, breakfast—everything was clearly recorded.
Maxwell read this seemingly useless report extremely carefully, not missing a single word, as if that alone could give him enough security to verify its authenticity.
Only after finishing did he set it down. Resting his chin on his hand, he sank into the same deep thought as before.
The man before him didn't interrupt. He knew Maxwell was making a decision that could affect all of Gelen.
Then, he heard the hoarse voice say: "Go, contact him. Dispatch elite forces to the Third District. Ensure they complete the mission."
The Third District was Barite's location in the report.
The "him" referred to the person who provided the report—one of Barite's confidants, a blood relative, and Maxwell's old classmate.
After the war began, Maxwell ultimately chose—to assassinate Barite.
Even knowing the decision was made, the man hesitated: "Sir, do you truly trust him?"
"Isn't this the best method? If it's true, we'll avoid so many losses... so many losses. No one likes war, Belial. It means destruction and loss." Maxwell closed his eyes. "Back in school, we debated all kinds of issues. If I was naive, I believe he was too. I thought I'd grow up and shed those laughable ideas, but now it seems those ideas, though laughable, were so beautiful."
Maxwell looked up: "Belial, do you think naive people united can change the world?"
The man remained silent.
Trust was a topic he didn't know how to judge.
Maxwell took out a stack of card-like papers from his drawer and slid them across the table.
"The Alliance is currently in the 16th District. If the assassination fails, have them swiftly attack the central district. These are my signed authorizations. You'll notify the Alliance then and lift all possible security measures to help them enter." Maxwell sighed heavily. "Let's see if we can pull ourselves from the swamp or... ultimately sell our souls to the devil."
The man's expression shifted: "But... isn't this something the council should decide?"
Maxwell stared intently: "Belial."
After a pause, the man took the authorization cards. Carefully tucking them into his inner pocket, he saluted and turned to leave.
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