A Mover who had been behind Rour since coming out of the Armoury Room, squinted at the two of them.
He pulled the hand of the comrade beside him to keep walking, and chose another car.
"I don't like that bastard at all," Sam muttered, jerking his chin at the truck where Rour was. "Always acting like he's the hardest worker. Bragging about all the trivial things. We're all busting our asses too."
Leo, another Mover who dragged along, shrugged. "This job's not for the lazy. Can't be done lightly, tho. It's natural to push hard. I do it sometimes too."
Sam shot him a sharp look.
"Why?" Leo protested at Sam's expression.
"You shouldn't defend him. I'm not the only one who dislikes him here. Most of us are rookies. While he's been a Mover for fifteen years. Of course he's good at it. He shouldn't be in the same group as us, right? It's really not worth it."
As they boarded the truck, Leo let out his sigh.
"He's stuck here because he can't get promoted. I guess he's also tired of being in this place all these years. But we need him anyway," Leo clucked his tongue. "Our unit's success rate is high because of his skills."
Tee, who was sitting next to Sam, chimed in then then hit him on the head.
"Right. All this time you've made it home alive because of him."
A sound of pain escaped Sam's mouth. And then he just stared at his own boots and said nothing more. Did not want to get into any further arguments with Tee.
Tee was the Mover who worked in their Unit the second longest after Rour. Almost ten years. His authoritative and fierce demeanor made him both respected and feared.
Heightened by rumors of his impending transfer to Sector X next year, everyone was increasingly cautious of him.
Because even though he would still be a Mover in Sector X, their tier would be different.
Other than rank, each Sector also signified a different tier for Mover, Mover Commander, and Sergeant.
The Front Sector they were currently in—the outermost region of the country—showed that they were at the lowest tier.
Rank was denoted by a diamond symbol, while tier was represented by a triangle with a hole.
They will tier up in 5 years at the earliest, depending on merit or promotion. The higher the Sector they work in, the more triangles there will be in a row. With a maximum number of seven.
One diamond and seven hollow triangles means that a Mover have reached Solith—the most prestigious region, Capital City of Neo Schao.
As for Diamonds, the higher their rank, the number of Diamonds would also increase.
However, rank advancement differs significantly from tier progression. It is influenced not only by merit but also by factors like origin and social status.
Usually, those who can get a rank higher than Mover are at least citizens who come from sector B and above.
And there were also special ranks that did not have hollow triangles. They were Captains, Eliteer's Guard, Colonels, and Generals.
Their working area no longer indicated their tier status, as they operated exclusively within Sector S.
This was not only because of their designated roles but also because they belonged to the prestigious Grand Patrioteer group.
As their truck passed through the headquarters gate, Tee's voice cut through the tense atmosphere.
"Stop gossiping about others. It's better to only focus on your own. This mission is very dangerous."
The gravity in his tone silenced them. There was seriousness in Tee's voice.
According to the news conveyed to them, when the mission order came down, were indeed worrisome.
The reports painted a grim picture—this mission was far more perilous than any they'd faced before.
No one knew how, or when, this battle would end.
The sky still held a tinge of pink when they reached Eblon.
The clock showed it was almost half past six in the morning.
Rour and the thirty-two other Movers hurriedly got out of the trucks, and settled into their respective positions.
After receiving a quick tactical briefing from Reg—Mover Commander of Squad 2 of Writhside Unit—they began to move toward the location of the other Patrioteers, who were still locked in combat. Which was about three miles from in front of their stop.
Several vehicles and medical camp, not far from the stop point of the military cars, had already been set up within a very safe distance. Medical helicopters also be seen hovered on standby behind the combat drones that fired continuously at the distant target.
The troops were all running uphill.
The fortified area in Eblon was a vast hillscape, dotted with massive rock formations scattered like nature's own barricades.
Initially, the geography seemed ideal for taking cover while firing at the monster from a safe radius. At least, that's what Rour had thought.
By the time they were halfway up, Rour could already see the battle area more clearly—including the monstrous figure causing the chaos.
Quickly and carefully, he scanned the scene as briefly as possible. While still sprinting at the same speed as the other members of his Squad.
The Patrioteers, positioned about a mile away from the monster, were hiding behind the rocks, firing through cracks or over the tops. But they were forced to constantly relocate as the monster's massive barbels lashed down. Because it triggering small quakes and cracks in the ground.
That was when Rour realized his assumption had been wrong. The terrain didn't offer nearly enough protection.
The beast towered over the battlefield. Its height probably slightly taller than a two-story house. So hiding behind those rocks wouldn't be enough to escape the piercing glow of the monster's fiery red radar-like eyes.
The rest of the Patrioteers, with fewer numbers, scattered in front and behind the Patrioteers that hiding behind the rocks.
They forming three defensive lines.
Those nearest to the creature were inside specially designed military vehicles—reinforced with super thick steel modified like sharp horns distributed evenly across their exteriors. The cars darted back and forth at breakneck speed.
Rour confirmed that they were intentionally distracting and luring the monster to chasing them and ended up only moving around the fort. To preventing it from moving further inland.
The Patrioteers who were further away, he believed they were acting as Strategists.
Conclude from how they didn't hide behind the rocks but instead standing confidently on top of it.
Unlike those in cover, who kept firing bullets relentlessly at the monster, they observed the monster carefully and intently. Firing only after calculated pauses.