On the holographic display, the attacking forces appeared densely encircled from all directions. Yet, from the perspective of each individual soldier, the spacing between them felt remarkably loose.
The troops at the forefront advanced under the onslaught from the defensive positions, while forces from other directions battled against the sudden assault of enemies who had just teleported in. The commander of the recently warned Twentieth Regiment dared not show the slightest hint of complacency; he relentlessly shouted threats at his soldiers, warning them that if they dared display any cowardice in the face of the enemy's advance, he would not wait for the foe to slay them—he would take matters into his own hands.
To enhance the efficacy of his intimidation, the commander procured a lumberjack rifle and indiscriminately sprayed fire at his retreating subordinates. However, such threats were ineffective against the more terrifying assaults they faced. Shells periodically exploded nearby, sending dozens of men skyward.
The opposing soldiers, clad in powered armor, launched a fierce assault under the protection of tanks, moving swiftly and with agility. Meanwhile, the enemy's Leman Russ tanks rolled forward at a sluggish pace, firing their cannons, allowing the allied live ammunition to strike only when they opened fire.
In such dire circumstances, it was a challenge for the commander to maintain morale among his troops; even he found it difficult to endure. The situation was further exacerbated by the relentless advance of their own forces, while the Twentieth Regiment faced attacks from directly behind. They had to fight while retreating, all the while ensuring they projected an image of strength, never allowing themselves to waver or show fear.
This demand was indeed exceedingly high for an infantry regiment of the Tyrone II planetary defense force.
"Hey, you! Come here," the commander beckoned to a nearby soldier.
The soldier rushed over, prepared to obey.
"I need you to charge forward with a thermite bomb and destroy their tanks," the commander ordered.
"Me?" The soldier's face turned pale.
"Will you go or not?" The commander drew his laser pistol and aimed it at the soldier's head. "If you refuse, I'll execute you myself."
The soldier hesitated, glancing between the fierce enemy assault and his commander. Ultimately, he attempted to appeal to emotion. "I've followed you for so long..."
Before he could finish, the commander pulled the trigger, and the laser pierced through the soldier's skull.
"Hey, you! Come here," the commander called to another soldier. "For the Lord of Wisdom, I command you to destroy their tanks."
"For the Lord of Wisdom!" The second soldier, evidently more easily deceived, donned the bomb with determination and sprinted toward the enemy's tanks.
"Cover him! Cover him!"
The commander shouted orders, and all soldiers within earshot provided cover for the bomb-carrying soldier. They fought valiantly against the barrage of exploding shells and beams, striving to ensure the soldier's survival, lest they be the next to carry a bomb.
"For the Lord of Wisdom!" the soldier roared as he charged onto the battlefield, distancing himself from his comrades.
As he sprinted, he suddenly noticed that the attacks around him were sparse. An enemy officer, half-exposed from a tank, evidently noticed him but did not issue the order to attack.
The incoming forces continued their advance, launching a fierce onslaught, entirely ignoring the frantic soldier carrying the bomb.
"Praise the Lord of Wisdom!" the soldier felt blessed, convinced that he was under divine favor, able to run forward undetected beneath the enemies' noses.
As the two sides closed in on each other, the soldier prepared for a glorious death.
It was only when he neared a hovering drone at the frontlines that he spotted the holographic warning it projected: Do Not Approach.
Yet, the soldier felt neither fear nor hesitation; he believed the Lord of Wisdom would still look kindly upon him, allowing him to make a glorious sacrifice.
As he gradually approached the warning sign, his feet slipped, causing him to lean backward. His legs crossed into the warning zone and were instantly crushed like they were under an industrial hammer, shattering in an instant and leaving a gory mess.
Now, the soldier understood the purpose of the warning beneath the drone and why the enemy had ignored him entirely. The searing pain ignited his survival instinct, and he instinctively tried to move backward.
But the drone advanced, faster than he could retreat.
As the gravitational shield crushed him, all he could hear was laughter.
"What a fool," the commander inside the Leman Russ tank scoffed, casting a derisive glance at the soldier being pulverized by the gravitational shield. He then manipulated the drone controlling the shield, accelerating its flight forward.
The drone sped onward.
Witnessing their comrade crushed, the remaining soldiers knew the impending consequences of the drone's approach; they immediately took cover and opened fire on it.
The tiny drone was difficult to hit, and without its protection, the enemy's live fire weapons had a higher chance of scoring hits.
When a soldier's powered armor was struck by a lumberjack rifle, the commander inside the tank quickly summoned the drone back.
Meanwhile, their persistent assault finally bore fruit.
---
**New Carto.**
Inside the command room, Creed sharply observed a regiment on the enemy line performing poorly, with most of its soldiers hastily seeking cover during the brief engagement.
Thanks to the holographic display that vividly illustrated the battlefield, Creed noted this anomaly and promptly pointed at the position on the display: "I recommend we deploy a regiment with strong breaching capabilities to launch a fierce attack here."
"I concur," Qin Mo replied, picking up the communicator to relay the command. "Gray, prepare to teleport with Anrietta and Yao En, and initiate the assault once the teleportation concludes."
At that moment, Gray, stationed in New Carto, received the order. He immediately glanced at Anrietta and Yao En, who were seated in their guardians' powered armor, nodding in acknowledgment.
The three then stood side by side, preparing for the teleportation.
Qin Mo commanded the main control intelligence to calculate the teleportation for the trio.
Given the enemy's use of knights during this conflict, Qin Mo did not send Gray and the others into immediate combat.
Upon hearing that Qin Mo intended to dispatch only three individuals for the breach, Creed expressed confusion, "Why just three? Can they manage it?"
"They can," Qin Mo replied with firm assurance.
The guardian powered armor was designed to endow individual soldiers with formidable combat capabilities, making this an opportune moment to mobilize them.
Qin Mo then added an instruction to Gray: "Be cautious of that knight. It's best not to engage it head-on; wait for my arrival."
"Yes," Gray immediately responded.
Qin Mo set down the communicator and turned to Creed. "I'll leave things here in your hands for now."
"Wait, doesn't the teleportation device need to charge?" Klein quickly inquired.
"Since the onset of this battle, we've only teleported less than twice. It's not like before, when all forces could teleport multiple times in a second. We don't need to charge it at the moment," Qin Mo replied, turning to leave the operations room. "As for subsequent pursuit operations... I will return to charge it."