Counterfeit Hero

Chapter 19 - 19 Must Do

The Mecha’s radar and weapon locking system were jammed, and the communication system was completely cut off. The disorganized base defenders couldn’t coordinate and had to fight on their own. Surrounded and divided by the wolf-like Federal Special Reconnaissance Company, they finally couldn’t resist and were quickly annihilated.

The pretend-dead god, Tian Xingjian, had an impressive battle record. This guy, who could deceive even while lying on the ground, destroyed a total of 15 Gazalin Empire Army Mechas. The scene where he fell tragically only to rise again in flames became a classic segment in future war films. His acting was superb, his emotions sincere and lifelike. It not only effectively deceived and paralyzed the Imperial defenders but also moved many First Company soldiers to tears.

This battle was revered by the Reconnaissance Team as a classic of stealth tactics. Afterward, First Company soldiers began modifying their Mechas. From then on, the simulated armor invented by Tian Xingjian became widely used. Its realistic optical and sound simulation characteristics earned the team the highest honor of being called the ”Phoenix.” According to surviving Imperial soldiers who fought against this team, they all piloted the 7th Generation Federal Standard Mecha. Their attacks and firepower were extremely fierce. They would divide and encircle the enemy through large-scale maneuvers, eliminating them one by one with superior numbers. The most terrifying part was that some destroyed Mechas, even with sparks and smoke everywhere, would suddenly stand up again when the Imperial forces weren’t looking. Just this relentless killing intent alone struck fear into many soldiers who fought against them.

After clearing the Imperial Mechas on the base’s perimeter, the Reconnaissance Team encountered no further effective resistance. The base’s defenses had been completely destroyed.

Once the soldiers, divided into two arrow formations, quickly took over the base’s interior, they finally understood the base’s purpose. It wasn’t an air force base of the Gazalin Empire, nor was it a missile deployment site. It was a hellish Prisoner of War Camp.

Inside the camp, surrounded by electric fences, divided by barbed wire and wooden stakes, were several open-air areas. Hundreds of emaciated and ragged Federal prisoners were confined like livestock. Next to them, separated by just one fence, were piles of executed prisoners’ bodies. The ground had turned a dark red from the blood, reeking with a foul stench.

When Tian Xingjian jumped out of his Mecha and saw this scene, he vomited bile. The mangled bodies lay like discarded cargo, pale and stiff, haphazard and overlapping. At Tian Xingjian’s feet, the corpse of a Federal female soldier lay askew, with a bloody hole in her chest. Her eyes were still open, staring lifelessly at the sky.

The surviving prisoners were quickly rescued. There was no joy, no cheering. The prisoners just walked out silently, numb and dazed, complying with the soldiers’ instructions. Many stayed inside the fence, staring blankly outside, as if it was the safest place. The soldiers tried to pull them out; some obediently followed like children, while others clung stubbornly to the barbed wire, refusing to move. Some curled up in fear like they had seen the most terrifying demon, shaking their heads and crying out, unwilling to leave.

In the enemy’s rear, losing mobility meant losing life. Dozens of kilometers to the north and south were the large enemy troops besieging the Federal city. Behind them, enemy forces following the transport ship’s flight path were likely searching. In a few minutes, they could be surrounded.

So, taking these prisoners along was impossible. The only way was to contact the air force, but without provoking enemy defenses and separating from the enemy over a long distance, there was no safe place for the transport ship to land.

What to do? Could they really abandon these people here? Tian Xingjian and Hillard looked at each other.

”Fatty!” Two small figures rushed over and threw themselves into Tian Xingjian’s arms. ”Woo woo! It’s really you.” Fatty fumbled to lift the two tear-streaked faces from his chest.

”Meiduo? Nia? What are you doing here?”

Fatty was almost collapsing. Were these two women addicted to being captured?

”Woo woo...”

It was like a dam had burst. Meiduo and Nia cried uncontrollably, making the world seem dark and the sun and moon dim, unable to utter a single word.

In the end, Meiduo simply fainted. Nia’s mental state wasn’t good either. Both had visibly lost weight and looked very haggard.

In such a hellish camp, the fact that these two women could still recognize Fatty left him feeling it was a miracle. Without needing them to speak, just looking at the camp, Fatty could imagine the mental torment they suffered daily. Facing imminent execution, watching their comrades being shot and piled up as corpses, the mental pressure was unimaginable without being there.

Fatty gently laid Meiduo down, pinched her acupoints on her upper lip, and finally, Meiduo slowly woke up.

Her tear-filled eyes stared at Fatty without blinking, ”Please, take me away...”

Meiduo’s voice was so sorrowful and exhausted.

The nearby Federal soldiers couldn’t help but turn away, tears welling in their eyes.

The previously dazed and numb prisoners seemed to activate a release valve, and low sobs gradually rose, eventually turning into loud wails. The mournful cries were heartbreaking.

Tian Xingjian held Meiduo tightly in his arms. After a long while, he said, ”Don’t be afraid, no one can hurt you anymore.”

Seeing Meiduo and Nia gradually calm down, Rashid pulled Tian Xingjian aside and asked, ”What should we do? We definitely can’t leave with them.”

Looking at Meiduo in the distance still watching him, Tian Xingjian said, ”You continue as planned. I’ll stay and try to get them out.”

Rashid exclaimed in surprise, ”Are you crazy?! Do you know where we are? How can you possibly get them out all by yourself?”

Tian Xingjian smiled and said, ”You forget, I’m an escape expert. Even if I can’t escape, I won’t allow myself to abandon them. Not just Meiduo, but everyone here. They are our comrades, heroes resisting the invasion.”

”In this world...” Tian Xingjian took a deep breath: ”Some things a man must do.”