Counterfeit Hero

Chapter 58: Chapter 18 Hidden Intentions

Admiral Blatt’s report was quickly forwarded to the Gallipalan frontline command. Upon seeing this report, Bernadotte convened an urgent meeting to discuss the battle situation while sending the report to the Combat Room with orders for each research room to come up with simulations and action plans.

Every staff officer in the Combat Room was deep in thought, occasionally sketching on the simulated map, trying to predict the mindset of Russell, the notable general of the Empire.

Some staff members were discussing softly, and as disagreements widened, some even started shouting at each other, each holding their own views and refusing to back down.

The calmest one was Tian Xingjian, responsible for calculations in the 6th Room, which did not need to perform simulations or plans.

Tian Xingjian was in a daze... staring blankly at Russell’s data.

He muttered through gritted teeth, ”This guy isn’t human at all, he’s simply a war machine!”

The intelligence department’s investigation of this Imperial general was very thorough. The amount of data stored in the computer was almost twice that of other Imperial generals, covering all aspects of Russell’s life.

Russell, now forty-two years old, was an orphan who grew up in an orphanage with an unknown background. Due to his appearance being similar to the Vibo Clan, he was sent to the Imperial Military Academy at six years old and remained there until he officially joined the Gazalin Empire Army as a lieutenant at twenty years old, being the most outstanding military genius among his peers.

Except for taking a month-long vacation upon graduation, he basically never left the military academy. His self-discipline was at an unbelievable level.

In his youth, he hardly exhibited any adolescent restlessness. After becoming an adult, he was stable, resilient, and excelled in hard battles while leading troops at the grassroots level. His calm and flexible mind could accurately judge the situation and often lead soldiers to the enemy’s weakest points. His tactics were sophisticated and cunning, often setting traps that were hard to detect.

Ever since Tian Xingjian learned from frontline intelligence that the pinpoint airdrop plan on Katos Canyon was done by Russell, he had always been fearful of him. Russell, still in the Galileo Star System, had set such a trap based on the Federation’s offensive posture. It was executed effortlessly like a master painter, casually sketching on the battlefield, embedding hidden dangers within the chaos, and by the time the full picture unfolded before the enemy, it was already irreversible.

Relying only on a peculiar simulation technique combined with some coincidental suspicions about the Mythical Army, Tian Xingjian made his judgment. Even so, Russell easily neutralized the Federation’s advantage using a backdoor in the simulation technique. The plan failed yet he remained so formidable. Now, with Russell personally commanding on Miloke Star, what could Tian Xingjian achieve with his pale skills?

Fatty was very frustrated, feeling utterly powerless watching the enemy act rampantly.

Incessantly, he thought, ”If we absolutely can’t resist, I could be a prisoner. But since I ruined their plan and caused the Gazalin Empire’s Royal Family to lose face, how will they settle the score? If they know, wouldn’t it be over for me?”

The Combat Department’s staff delivered the calculated battle plans. Fatty scrutinized each one carefully, finding them mostly reactive deployments. This was disappointing. When the enemy revealed their true intentions, it would be too late.

Knowing full well the opponent had other plans but being unable to figure them out was maddening. Hence, Fatty could only stare at Russell’s photo, grinding his teeth, fantasizing about eliminating him once and for all.

***********

The Leray Federation’s 201st Mechanized Infantry Division had gone berserk. The division’s two attached artillery regiments had been destroyed an hour ago by enemy counterfire. If not for the command post’s artillery suppression, the entire 201st Division would have perished.

The Gazalin Empire infantry, spread out like a tide at the foot of the hill, formed a charging line under the cover of Mechas, launching yet another fearless charge. This was already the 46th time since the 201st Division had fully taken over the defensive position.

In previous charges, several times the Imperial Army had breached the position, only to be driven back by the desperate Federation soldiers with close combat and Fusion Hand Grenades hurled into the enemy’s midst. The Infantry Division’s only Mecha Battalion had been reduced to just one Mecha Company after several countercharges. If the enemy attacked the position again, who knew if they could be repelled.

How long had it been since such a war occurred?

Infantry melee combat seemed like something from ancient Earth’s distant past. In the present multidimensional warfare with long-range strikes, both sides had resorted to close combat, making the intensity of the battle almost unimaginable.

The command and coordination systems that could be destroyed by electronic warfare were entirely annihilated. The losses of self-propelled artillery were even greater; after frantic bombardment for a few minutes, they would be destroyed by even more intense enemy artillery fire. This cycle continued until neither side had much firepower support left. Missiles targeting Mechas, without SkyNet’s coordination, flew blindly over both sides’ positions. No infantry dared to provide laser guidance in such dense fire, which was akin to suicide.

The aerial battle was even more brutal. At the start of the war, thousands of aircraft from both sides launched surface-to-air missiles, plowing the entire position. Then came mutual targeting and attacks. Within a few hours, over a thousand aircraft were shot down or exploded in mid-air over Jialuo Mountain.

The remaining aircraft continued to engage in fierce combat. Electronic attacks forced them to fight in a primitive manner without long-range radar lock or infrared tracking, leaving only the roar of energy machine guns and missiles launched at close range by instinct. They fought like a swarm of vultures in the darkened sky, tearing at each other savagely without rest.

”Damn it! Fire at will!” Upon seeing the enemy infantry charging into firing range again, the 201st Division’s 3rd Group Commander, Gutierrez, roared out the order. This two-meter-tall giant with knotted muscles lifted a heavy energy machine gun, which typically required two men to operate, and opened fire fiercely, shouting loudly as he shot.

The high-pitched battle cries were accompanied by deafening gunfire, enveloping the entire position in smoke. The Federation infantry stationed on the position opened fire with their mixed weapons and energy weapons, their dense firepower knocking the advancing Gazalin Empire soldiers off their feet.

The Gazalin attacking force’s momentum was abruptly checked. The undulating lines of skirmishers were buried like harvested wheat. Soon, as the Imperial Mechas strode forward, the Gazalin infantry, accustomed to charging through a hail of bullets, got up again and followed the Mechas toward the Federation’s defensive line.

At this moment, the soldiers of the Federation heard a piercing whistle from the sky, signaling incoming enemy mixed cannon shells. The seasoned soldiers immediately took cover in the hastily dug trenches. With a series of loud explosions, these makeshift trenches were turned into countless craters.

”Damn, this pit is great!” Two Federation soldiers who survived a nearby explosion cheerfully jumped into a newly created crater. They didn’t need to dig defenses anymore; this crater could hold out for a while. They seemed unfazed by the nearby exploding shells. One soldier took advantage of the brief shelter to pull out a pack of cigarettes, handed one to the other, and they lit up, taking a deep drag and feeling elated as if they were not on the battlefield but in paradise.