After lunchtime was over, the convoy continued at an even faster speed.
Keiko noticed something unusual: the way the mechas moved differed from her expectations. In driving mode, wheels appeared on their legs as they bent, similar to how humans kneel. Their movement after switching to driving mode was even swifter and faster than a bulky armored vehicle.
At 3:50 pm, Keiko, who was sitting in the armored vehicle, received a message from the entire army. The third squadron had already appeared on the radar, and the rendezvous would happen in five minutes.
After that, she could see a lot of green punctuation on the small map, forming two green ribbons on the map, like the herringbone formation of geese, slowly moving closer.
At 3:55 pm, Keiko sensed the car stopping. They finally reunited with the main force.
The car stopped for five minutes and still did not start. Although the soldiers did not cause a commotion, they all had doubts in their hearts. After about another minute, an unfamiliar female voice came from Keiko's earphones.
"Second Lieutenant Keiko and Sergeant Antonio, please come out of the car and go to the front of the team."
Antonio got up immediately after hearing this, opened the door of the armored car, and jumped down. Keiko followed closely and heard Antonio's excited voice ringing in her earphones:
"Second lieutenant, the captain is calling us. We can finally return to our troops."
It turned out that the unfamiliar female voice just now was Amanda Hill's voice, which sounded rather cold.
Keiko rushed forward, following after Antonio, and went to the front of the line.
First, Antonio ran past the armored vehicles, and then he left the mecha team in a neat line behind him. Running all the way, winding and long, with all the army in green camouflage, like a giant steel dragon lying quietly in the virgin forest, the scene is quite spectacular.
After running for about two or three minutes, the road turned, indicating that they had run into the road where the large army was.
It didn't take long for them to see the first giant armored vehicle, equipped with advanced weapons and a flag with the logo of the Mecha Brigade on it.
Keiko knew that this was probably the vehicle of the third squadron's leading commander.
At the rear of the vehicle, there was an empty mecha whose appearance was different from that of Sieg Mk.1 and Sieg Mk.2. It looks exquisite clad in platinum silver. Those who can own such high-end mecha must not be ordinary soldiers.
'This one must've been Captain Amanda's mecha," Keiko guessed.
They met the top commander of the three squadrons, Captain Cathie Moss, in the commander's vehicle. There she saw a gorgeous woman with long blonde hair and blue eyes. She was very tall, even half a head taller than Keiko. Despite looking very young, the presence she exuded was really powerful, worthy of being the commander of the ace division.
"Second Lieutenant Keiko Lee is reporting!"
"Sergeant Antonio is reporting!"
The two saluted Captain Cathie at the same time.
"Welcome back, cadet."
Captain Cathie returned to the military salute; her voice sounded much softer than on the radio. Lieutenant Valentine and a male officer with a medium build, an Asian face, a short flat head, a firm line, and a hard jaw covered in a beard stood beside her in the car.
Keiko couldn't help but glance at him because he was her immediate boss, the squadron leader of the left-wing squadron, Lieutenant Lu Diyun.
Lu Diyun, a Chinese guy, was 35 years old this year. He had been in the army for 17 years and had never attended a military academy.
He was a soldier who had climbed from the bottom step by step, pretty much like herself.
The Third Squadron did have factions, headed by Lieutenant Valentine, and most of the officers and soldiers under her command were academy-graduated cadets called "Academy Faction". On the other hand, most of Lu Diyun's subordinates are officers and soldiers who failed to enter the academy.
Captain Hill, the boss of the third squadron, was an American and also graduated from the military academy. It is rumored that she had a very close relationship with Lieutenant Valentine.
Therefore, the academy faction was regarded as the superior force in the third squadron and was more valued. But Lu Diyun's left-wing was also nothing to scoff at.
Amanda was a smart person. She knew what checks and balances meant and handled the two factions together skillfully.
This was all the information that Keiko acquired from chatting with many soldiers during the bonfire party last night.
"Old Lu, your beloved subordinates have returned. Hurry up and take her to the team. We'll be leaving soon." Cathy turned her head to Lu Diyun.
Lu Diyun nodded and stood at attention. Immediately, he walked over to Keiko and Antonio, reached out and patted their shoulders, put on his helmet first, and opened the air pressure hatch of the commanding car.
Keiko and Antonio followed closely and got out of the lead car. When the door was closed, Keiko took a last look at the scene in the car and vaguely saw Lieutenant Valentine leaning into the ear of Captain Amanda, evoking an ambiguous feeling.
'Are these two really an item?'
While Keiko was gossiping in her heart, she followed behind Lu Diyun, who took a big stride.
Lu Diyun said without looking back, "Keiko, Antonio, you are really lucky to survive this danger. Originally, encountering massive swarms was considered bad luck, and escaping from the dead was a blessing in disguise. I feel anxious for you two."
"I've caused trouble for the lieutenant," Keiko said politely.
"No, it was my lack of command ability. The situation was chaotic at the time. It was my responsibility that you and Antonio were separated from the team." Lu Diyun said, "Your mecha was lost, so you get on the leading armor vehicle on the left-wing. It just so happens that Seol-Hyun Ae is waiting there. You should hurry up and go meet her; she hasn't eaten much in the last few days because she has been worried about you.
Surprisingly, Lieutenant Lu, who looked resolute and serious, was quite warm when he spoke. He brought the two to the vanguard of the left-wing and pointed to a female officer standing near the armored car.
Keiko looked in the direction he pointed and saw a female officer who was about the same height as her standing upright at the door of the car. The badge on the camouflage uniform indicated the rank of second lieutenant. Before getting close, the woman's excited voice came from the earphones.
"Keiko-chan! You're back! Why don't you contact me? You don't even reply when I send you a message!"
Following that, the woman rushed forward and hugged Keiko fiercely.