"I'm relieved to hear you say that," Qin Mo nodded with satisfaction, preparing to lead Gray and the others toward other positions.
"Wait a moment," a soldier suddenly stepped forward to halt Qin Mo.
Qin Mo slowly turned his head. "What is it?"
"It's useful for us to hold our ground here, isn't it?" the soldier inquired.
As soon as he spoke, everyone present turned their gaze toward Qin Mo, eagerly awaiting his response.
This was a question that many had contemplated but few dared to voice, now articulated by an impetuous youth.
After all, the offensive plan had been utterly foiled, and the reason the soldiers still held their positions was not out of bravery or loyalty but rather because there was no other path available to them.
"Of course, it is useful," Qin Mo affirmed. "If you can hold out a little longer, I will have more time to assess the situation at the other positions. Then I will gather all the surviving soldiers, and together, we shall cleanse the rebel stronghold and emerge victorious."
At first glance, this plan seemed plausible, but Qin Mo's subsequent remarks were overly optimistic; the gathered soldiers were unconvinced that they could truly escape the stronghold alive.
Yet, akin to the reasons that compelled them to maintain their defense, they had no other option available—this was their only lifeline.
"Why have we fallen to such depths..."
"Oh Emperor, please enlighten me."
"Who devised the offensive plan? Have we become ensnared in the machinations of the nobility from the upper levels and the Spire?"
Some soldiers began to murmur their grievances.
Seeing the tide of discontent rise, the officers prepared to draw their weapons to execute a few individuals. However, Qin Mo intervened just as they reached for their guns.
Qin Mo coldly regarded the soldiers lamenting and weeping; he knew that the psychological endurance of carbon-based life forms was limited. These individuals were nearly on the brink of collapse, and any forced suppression would only backfire.
They were not opposing the continuation of their defense but merely voicing their dissatisfaction with the offensive plan, denouncing the foolishness of certain individuals in the stronghold, merely venting their frustrations.
Once the soldiers' complaints subsided, Qin Mo spoke, "Are you done lamenting? Now, let us take our positions in the fortress. Even if our chances of breaking out of the stronghold and giving the governor a good thrashing are less than one in a thousand, we must at least try."
At his words, the soldiers wearily rose and made their way into the fortress.
Everyone appeared despondent, but they were unwilling to await death; the hope of surviving to settle accounts later became their source of strength.
The officers cast grateful glances at Qin Mo before also heading toward the fortress.
Qin Mo then proceeded with Gray and the others toward their next target position.
...
In the deep of night.
Fifty kilometers west of the fortress occupied by the 47th regiment.
Amidst a cluster of abandoned buildings, a group of individuals huddled in a relatively intact cottage, resting.
Qin Mo was not resting; instead, he was using flames to recharge the batteries, while Gray remained vigilant, deploying drones to scout the nearby positions.
"Are you sure the military map indicates there's a position here?"
"Why else would I say so?"
"I haven't detected anything," Gray replied, bewildered. He had employed the drone's life-scan function numerous times, changing locations each time but still unable to locate the position marked on the map.
The darkness within the stronghold was unyielding, making it impossible to discern anything using the drone's camera.
"Can't detect anything?" Qin Mo paused his actions and looked at Gray. "Then switch to thermal imaging."
"How do I switch?"
"Use your voice, of course. I designed the audio system for the powered armor so that even someone like you can operate it without difficulty."
"Alright, alright, I got it. Thermal imaging mode activated."
After the drone circled around in thermal imaging mode, Gray finally identified the position's location.
This area had once served as a gathering point for the stronghold's gangs and maniacs before the war, and the position lay at the very center of that district.
"Just as expected, guarded by four regiments," Gray noted, observing from his perspective that a considerable number of personnel were active at the position. They were not engaged in combat with the rebels but were busily fortifying their defenses.
"Let's move out." Qin Mo stood up and began walking toward the position.
"Shouldn't we call them?" Gray asked.
Qin Mo remained silent, continuing forward. Gray glanced back at his resting comrades, then at the sentinel drones on watch, confirming their safety before following Qin Mo.
After all, since there was no active combat at that position, it was merely a matter of running over for a meeting, watching Qin Mo showcase his creative prowess, and then proceeding with whatever needed to be done.
In Gray's estimation, this would be the easiest mission yet.
...
The position was situated within a plaza surrounded by towering buildings, once a black market for smuggling operations by the gangs within the stronghold. Now, it was solely inhabited by the soldiers of the planetary defense force.
All were quietly reinforcing their defenses until two flames appeared in the dark sky above, causing them to look up.
Boom! Boom!
Qin Mo and Gray landed simultaneously.
Upon seeing two individuals clad in powered armor, the soldiers at the position ceased their wandering gazes and resumed their tasks.
There were even civilians present.
These civilians could not engage in combat, but they assisted the planetary defense forces in constructing fortifications or transporting heavy weapons.
Among these heavy weapons, there were only a few lumber guns; the majority were energy weapons.
"Look…" Gray tugged at Qin Mo's arm, urging him to glance to the left.
Two soldiers were caring for a civilian who had lost his legs, one holding a bowl while the other carried water.
It was a scene of orderly cooperation; this was the impression that Qin Mo and Gray had of the position.
"So many people, so many weapons... It seems your plan is sure to succeed!" Gray exclaimed with excitement.
"Indeed," Qin Mo nodded.
His aloof demeanor surprised Gray, who queried, "What's wrong?"
Qin Mo offered no response; he himself did not know what was troubling him, merely experiencing an inexplicable discomfort.
A physical unease.
It felt akin to a germaphobe stepping into a public restroom.
Qin Mo could not articulate the reason for this feeling—only that it was a bizarre sense of revulsion, an instinctive loathing.
"I want to create an enormous incendiary bomb," Qin Mo gritted his teeth, "to blow this cesspool to smithereens."
Upon hearing this outburst of irrational hatred, Gray suddenly thought of the danger of a psion going rogue: "Are you sure you're not a psion...?"
"I am not a psion!" Qin Mo vehemently denied.
"Alright then, but I actually think that's rather good," Gray replied, taking a step forward as they continued on their way.
Ahead of them, a female officer approached them at a brisk pace, stopping short as her eyes widened with joy upon spotting Qin Mo and Gray, her voice brimming with uncontainable excitement. "You… are you members of the Marshal's guard?"
"No, we are merely ordinary soldiers, not part of the Marshal's guard," Gray confessed.
"I thought the Marshal's guard had arrived, and that we might be saved…" The officer's face fell, disappointment evident. "Are you here seeking refuge? Regardless, we are currently short-handed and welcome you to join us."
Gray turned to Qin Mo, awaiting an explanation.
Yet Qin Mo offered no reply, bowing his head as his powered armor trembled.
"What's wrong with you?" Gray rushed forward to support Qin Mo.
Slowly, Qin Mo lifted his head, and Gray noticed that his visor had turned a deep red, with the surface rapidly developing holes of various sizes, fiery flames spilling forth from them.
Gray was taken aback, suddenly realizing that Qin Mo was about to unleash his power; he would soon emit flames that would incinerate everyone here, just as he had reduced their enemies to ash in previous battles.
"This place… has fallen…" Qin Mo spoke, flames erupting from his mouth as he uttered each word, "She... she is... she is a rebel psion!"