As they made their way back to the city center, the militia and soldiers clustered around Qin Mo. Upon reaching a church, those seeking refuge within emerged. Most were wounded, with only two exceptions: a middle-aged man adorned with the insignia of a legion commander and a female officer from the capital's judicial department.
"Commander Laun of the logistics division, and Intelligence Officer Riley from the Judicial Department," the officer who had previously fought alongside Qin Mo introduced.
Qin Mo was not surprised to encounter a legion commander here, as Laun belonged to the planetary defense forces. However, the presence of Officer Riley was perplexing—was it possible that the Judicial Department of Talon City was so diligent that it extended its reach even to the underbelly?
"Are you soldiers of the Marshal?" Laun raised an eyebrow, scrutinizing the unfamiliar armor that Qin Mo wore. "I haven't seen this model before."
"We are not the Marshal's soldiers," Qin Mo replied, shaking his head.
"You arrived too late, soldier," Laun complained, furrowing his brow. "By the Emperor's grace, we've been entrenched in this urban warfare for nearly a week. Why did it take you so long to arrive?"
"By the Emperor's grace! Had you not suddenly appeared, I would have assumed the highest-ranking officer here was the commander!" Gray interjected sarcastically. While everyone else had been battling the insurgents, Laun and Riley had sheltered in the church, hiding alongside the wounded.
They hadn't been discussing battle plans or strategies; in fact, they had not received a single command during the entire encounter, leaving everyone to fend for themselves.
Laun frowned but, noticing the solemn expressions around him, refrained from reprimanding them. Instead, he shifted the topic, "Are there any higher-ranking officers still alive?"
"None, sir," Qin Mo replied indifferently.
Gray turned to Qin Mo, astonished. From the moment he encountered Laun, Qin Mo had acted entirely at ease, as if he were prepared to relinquish his command without a second thought. Referring to Laun as "sir" was particularly striking.
"Though you arrived a bit late, I must commend you on your performance, soldier," Laun said, patting Qin Mo's arm with a satisfied smile.
Seeing Qin Mo's submissive demeanor emboldened Laun further: "From now on, you will obey my commands. Do you understand?"
"Yes," Qin Mo nodded.
"Now, take me to a safe location. The lady from the Judicial Department and I require shelter." Laun glanced at Riley.
Riley smiled and nodded at Qin Mo.
"Understood," Qin Mo affirmed again, then gestured to Gray to summon an unmanned transport drone.
Gray had many things he wanted to say. He even felt a surge of anger wanting to slap Qin Mo and demand, "Do you know what you're doing? You're handing over the army you painstakingly unified!"
Yet, Gray ultimately held his tongue, choosing to comply and promptly summoned the drone.
---
Night fell at the 47th Regiment's base.
"Commander!"
"Hello."
Klein waved to the soldiers lining the corridor, signaling them not to salute, then entered the room where Qin Mo was situated.
Turning at the sound of the door opening, Qin Mo met Klein's gaze. Klein raised his hand, motioning for Qin Mo to remain silent, and approached him urgently. "Do you know what the person you brought back is doing?"
"What is he doing?" Qin Mo surmised Klein was referring to Laun.
"He's barking orders at my soldiers, demanding we clear out the largest room and find him the finest bed, or even have one custom-made." Klein regarded Qin Mo with an amused smile. "What were you thinking when you brought them back?"
"Is this guy really so foolish as to request a custom bed from your soldiers?" Qin Mo chuckled.
"He is a noble from the upper echelons, and not a single one of them is dimwitted. They can conspire to kill you without your knowledge. To them, asking for a bed is entirely reasonable." Klein's demeanor turned grave.
Previously, Klein had never questioned Qin Mo, but this time was different; he truly could not tolerate it. Seeing Qin Mo's cheerful expression, Klein warned, "Do you understand what will happen next? Your command will be stripped from you, your identity as a soldier will be exposed, and the defense line you worked so hard to consolidate will become someone else's. You'll merely remain a soldier, perhaps even of a lower rank than mine."
"Why is that?" Qin Mo inquired.
Klein hesitated, momentarily at a loss for words. "Why would the defense line I've consolidated become his?" Qin Mo continued, "He can unleash flames and lightning to obliterate a horde of enemies. He can produce formidable weaponry and possesses a cunning intellect that allows him to manipulate the insurgent commanders."
Klein pondered these questions deeply. Given that it was wartime, Qin Mo had amassed significant prestige through the consolidation of the defense line. Everyone along the line had either witnessed his prowess in battle or heard tales of it. Moreover, nearly every soldier believed they had been betrayed by their superiors and that the offensive plan was a ruse.
In this context, Laun's scheming would be futile unless he could provide superior military support or safely extract everyone from the underbelly.
Having reached a conclusion, Klein scratched the back of his head, frowning as he asked, "But… if you are not afraid of him seizing your command and cannot kill him, why did you bring him here instead of leaving him in the city?"
"I have a contingency plan that came to mind when I saw Laun," Qin Mo said, glancing at the door of the room, which Klein had closed upon entering, then continued with confidence.
"My contingency plan is to begin excavating the collapsed tunnels, striving to establish a route to the lower city."
"Then we will utilize Laun, along with anyone else we can find like him, to negotiate with the upper echelon and secure permission to return to the lower city."
Upon hearing the entire plan, Klein's pupils widened, and Qin Mo appeared unfamiliar to him.
"Are you suggesting we flee? I cannot believe you would think this way," Klein exclaimed.
"I do not wish to escape; this is merely a backup plan. I must consider all potential outcomes, both good and bad," Qin Mo replied seriously. "I will pursue any possibility to defeat the insurgents at all costs. However, if we truly cannot achieve that, I must devise another method rather than await our demise."
"You are quite rational," Klein said, nodding in agreement as he grasped Qin Mo's mindset. "Should I capture Laun or something?"
"You can keep him close and try to glean information from him, such as where his family is. This could prove useful when we eventually have to retreat after the tunnels are cleared," Qin Mo suggested.
"Alright." Klein promptly departed.
Qin Mo turned and began to contemplate.
Everything he had discussed with Klein was merely a facade. If the offensive plan was indeed a ruse, then Laun, caught in the conspiracy, would not be allowed to escape due to his noble status when the time came to withdraw from the underbelly.
Qin Mo aimed to eliminate Laun; he just could not execute a legion commander in front of others.
"I must devise a plan…" Qin Mo murmured to himself.