Stewart seemed to be a person who could not stay idle. Seeing Fatty not saying anything, he turned over and started chatting with another commando with a voice so loud that the entire transport ship could hear him.
“O’Neal, what is your current ranking in Fire of War [1]?”
The moment Fatty heard the three words “Fire of War”, he immediately understood that this bunch of people surely spent most of their time mixing around in the virtual battle web, so he perked his ears up and was ready to hear what O’Neal had to say.
O’Neal said, “Don’t mention it. Those who are ranked after 10,000 and before 100,000 have a standard that is considered as average. The majority of those in our battalion is ranked at about 80,000 and right now, I’m the highest amongst them at around 15,000!”
Stewart laughed in jest: “This father is stronger than you. I’m reaching 12,000 soon!” Seeing O’Neal’s expression turning ugly, Stewart consoled him hypocritically, “It’s not that bad since there’s already more than 100 million people participating in the game internationally. For you to rank at about 10,000 proves clearly that our Fierce Tiger’s techniques are quite good.”
First Lieutenant Company Commander O’Neal did not seem like he really respected this monster-like Battalion Commander as he snorted disdainfully, “What good is that? There are still so many experts who have yet to come, and there’s not a single one from Leray with a ranking in the top 1,000! It’s such a pity that SM01314 has disappeared after a single fight; otherwise, I estimate this chap would most likely be ranked in the top 1,000.”
Fatty fell in a daze as he thought, “Why did he mention me? Have I battled against this chap?”
The moment SM01314 was mentioned, the entire transport ship immediately exploded as the commands began to discuss in high spirits, with some scolding and the others praising. Those who were scolding him used words that were truly sharp and unkind, causing the entire body of Fatty to tremble; those who were praising him, however, were truly passionate as those words came like a tide, causing Fatty to feel his brows and eyes curving in happiness.
Stewart, who had most likely suffered before SM01314, voiced out indignantly, “That brat isn’t human. Damn, last time when this father fought with him, he had used an engineered bomb to blast apart part of a mountain, causing the debris to fall down and burying this father alive! Up to this point is still fine, but after entering the international web, that chap has, at the very least, snatched 12 of my parts. F*** this! Even after investigating for such a long time, I’ve yet to discover who he is. When I get my hands on him… Heh heh…”
Feeling alarmed as he watched the figure of this monster, Tian Xing Jian turned that fleshy face of his around. Indeed, enemies always appear on a narrow road.
Under the protection of the fighter aircraft, the transport ship continued flying towards its destination. The current cabin was so bustling and noisy that it felt like a market. Tian Xing Jian looked at these boastful Fierce Tiger Commandos, and for a moment, he wondered how these people, who had yet to go on the battlefield, would have such high enthusiasm as if they were merely sight-seeing; he had never seen them being nervous at all. This was their first time entering the battlefield, and yet, they were so bullish. Indeed, the Fierce Tiger Commandos lived up to their reputation.
After an hour or so, the transport ship’s system broadcast emitted the voice from the captain of the ship—the transport ship will be entering the region of their destination 20 minutes later, and 30 minutes later, they will be dropping from the air, so everyone, please make your last preparation.
The cabin turned quiet within moments. Seeing the chaps, who had apathetic expressions, going to the toilet one after another or just sitting there feeling at ease, Fatty chuckled in his heart, ‘This father still thinks that all your mental states are made of iron while your bladders are made of alloy. So, it turns out that all of you were actually just acting like heroes.’
Ten minutes later, everyone started entering their own Battle Mecha and waited for the airdrop. These few minutes were truly the most arduous, as time itself felt as if it stopped. Everyone in the cabin started hearing the sounds of cannon fire, as several Federation teams had long breached the external perimeter of the Lower Ridge Forest and were currently battling with the Gyaca Woods Imperial Army; the sounds of explosions came up and down, and the fiery brightness shone on the cabin windows, turning them red.
Tian Xing Jian was the last person to board his Battle Mecha. As the airdrop signal lighted green, the soldiers from the Fierce Tiger Commando Battalion catapulted out like dumplings. The amber sky had seemingly been sprinkled suddenly with beans as hundreds of Battle Mechas, with heights of a few meters, densely whistled down onto the surface. Afterwards, the assistance system started operating, and amidst the rumbles, the Federation Battle Mechas in the sky gathered at the landing point as if they were divine lights that had been sucked in by deities. After they landed, they, one after another, dispersed as they started securing and forming a defense line.
‘Their movements are fast, and everyone knows their duty. The Fierce Tiger Commandos have been trained quite strictly.’ Tian Xing Jian looked at how these Federation commandos who had been deployed here due to the waning Federation military strength acted, allowing his heart to have a bottom line in terms of their skill levels.
As Tian Xing Jian was the final one to land, the Fierce Tiger Battalion Commander, Stewart, commandeered the over 400 warrior class leaders to switch on their stealth mode. Two companies worth of Battle Mechas were sweeping towards the front, and to the left and right, there was a company each expanding to a kilometer out as they remained on high alert. The Fierce Tiger Commando Battalion rapidly started their silent and fast movement towards their destination.
Tian Xing Jian anxiously looked at the map on his Battle Mecha computer. This journey would pierce through the forest over at the flank of Lower Ridge Forest before following along the mountain ridges into a mountain basin in the deepest parts of the forest. According to intelligence, Lieutenant Colonel Johan was absolutely certain the enemy’s front line forward command post was hidden over in that particular region. This mountain basin covered a huge area, the actual size of which was undetermined. Only via the search done by the commandos in the rear line could they find out how large it was.
Fatty smacked his lips. Saying is easy, but if not for the current situation in the front lines attracting the Imperial Army’s attention… If not for the current control over the air space being in the hands of the Federation… If not for the activation of a group of intelligence agents… Wanting to know the approximate location of the other party’s forward command was extremely difficult, especially when it was the forward command post of a general of the Empire!
Even still, these temporary, hidden forward command posts would usually be concealed underground, and there would be countless of other fake forward command posts dispersed around that location, increasing the difficulty of searching for them. If by then, they meet a Myth Legion that came over from Garo Mountain to carry out a house arrest, then it would be truly lively.
The team had very quickly penetrated through the forest at the landing point and moved up the slope. Lower Ridge Forest was considered a region full of hills that were totally different from the Higher Ridge Forest, which had gigantic mountains. Here, the hills were akin to many big steamed buns, with only the central location having several higher altitude mountain ridges.
Reaching the ridge, the murky forest concealed the movement of the team as mecha after mecha moved in stealth mode. Suddenly, a huge explosion came from the distance, and soon after, gunshots and cannon fire could be heard. Fatty looked to his left—beyond the horizon, over at the main battlefield, the entire place was filled with soaring fire and light. The blanket of night had long covered the entire place as the clouds in the sky appeared at times during the flashes from the explosions.
The Federation soldiers that were all over the place went ahead with someone leading them and a plan in mind, isolating and separating the Imperial Army’s main forces that were dispersed over the entire area of more than a hundred thousand kilometers. The entire Miracolo Planet was currently blowing with the bugle horn of the counter-attack of the Federation Army. In the rear enemy lines, several cities that were surrounded had simultaneously started their attack. The Imperial Army that was already spent could no longer continue with their scheme in attacking, as the magician’s secret had been revealed to the world. Right now, without an overall commander and without the logistics providing them with information, the Imperial Army could only struggle like trapped beasts in the battle.
In the night, a bean-sized rain droplet fell onto the Battle Mecha, letting out a clear sound. Following that, more and more droplets came striving to be the first as they fell down. In a few minutes, the world in Tian Xing Jian’s eyes became a world of water as the pouring rain fell from the skies. The tree leaves were hit by the heavy rain, causing sounds of pitter patter. As for the ground, mud started forming from the rain.
[1] Referring to the online game.