Counterfeit Hero

Chapter 491: Volume 6 Chapter 2 Gunshot

The silver metallic walls made the elliptical corridor’s lighting appear extraordinarily bright. A cleaning robot finished its work and turned into an automatic door on the side of the corridor along the magnetic line.

The floating elevator silently reached the end of the corridor. As the indicator light turned on, the ultra-thin metal doors quickly vanished into the side walls.

Sobel stepped out of the elevator.

This commander of both the land and air forces of the Binart Empire, the general most likely to become the first Imperial Marshal in two hundred years, now wore a sullen expression. He walked through the corridor alone, entering a room where no one else in the Military Department dared to go besides himself.

The Empire’s Space Fleet was still in a standoff with the Feiyang Republic in the Karsdon Star River. Both sides were cautiously probing each other locally. Without absolute assurance, neither would easily commit their main forces to seek a decisive battle. This war concerned the future of the Binart Empire. It was a choice between survival and destruction, a high-stakes gamble betting on the nation’s destiny and existence.

This war was destined decades ago. The Empire must defeat the Feiyang Republic, to completely bring down this rampant superpower in the universe! Otherwise, if things continued to decline, the Binart Empire, under the complete oppression of the Feiyang Republic, would become a second-rate nation, ripe for the taking!

Though both were superpowers, each knew their respective situations. Binart’s dwindling resources and domestic economic conditions had forced the Imperial Family and the Military Department onto this path of no return. Sobel did not believe there was any other way out for the Binart Empire than to fight wholeheartedly for national rejuvenation.

In this matter, Sobel’s view was fully aligned with the ambitious young Emperor. It was also the unanimous voice within the Imperial Military Department.

The Feiyang Republic rose because of a war and would fall because of a war. Moreover, for Sobel, this was his only chance to defeat the aging Feiyang Military God. If Hastings died, the Empire and the Sobel family would forever bear the shame of defeat.

Sobel quietly sat in the wide chair, staring at the massive central computer in the room. This wasn’t Sobel’s office; it was merely a computer host room, one that no one but Sobel and the Emperor could enter.

A simulated battle report appeared on the huge virtual screen.

The report repeatedly simulated battles, and Sobel watched it expressionlessly, unmoving like a statue.

The opening of the war was very smooth. The Federation countries, comprehensively lagging behind the Western Alliance in war preparedness, were utterly incapable of resisting the coordinated major offensive of the Western Alliance countries.

While their Senate and House of Representatives were still bickering over increasing military budgets, passing procurement lists, or drafting wartime laws, their armies had already lost control of critical interstellar channels. In just a few months, the Western Alliance had gained control of dozens of jump point star systems.

Even the jump point from the Chuckna Republic to the Saleria Federation was seized by the Suss Empire in a lightning invasion.

What a perfect start. If the Gazalin Empire could defeat the Leray Federation, or if the Desic Empire could act more like a major power and less cowardly, the Leray Channel would already be in the hands of the Western Alliance! At that time, Feiyang, Ryan, and Chuckna would be thoroughly blockaded. And the small countries in the southeastern Fei Alliance could only tremble one by one under the combined military might of the Binart, Naga, Jiepeng, Suss, and Desic Western Alliance powers.

Surrender or perish.

The Binart Empire allocated special funds for this purpose, first to the Gazalin Empire, then to the Desic Empire. Yet, despite repeated campaigns, they ultimately lost even Gazalin!

This couldn’t help but make Sobel extremely angry!

If war were a game of chess, the lightning invasion and comprehensive cutting off of interstellar jump routes was Sobel’s winning first move. But in the long-planned second move regarding the southeastern interstellar channel, he was utterly defeated by Hastings. And compared to the first move, Hastings’ skill was even more evident in the second!

A United Expeditionary Army, which had silently traveled through the interstellar space since the beginning of the war, appeared at Little Pyrenees at the most critical moment, just before the Binart Empire Fleet could arrive and before Desic’s fifth reinforcement. Not only did it regain control of the Galileo Star System for the Leray Federation, but it also simply occupied Little Pyrenees!

Could Hastings have reached the level of foresight and prophecy already?

Suddenly, the virtual screen displayed the image of a chubby man in a Leray military uniform.

Sobel frowned slightly.

A voice echoed in the empty room: ”I think you should check this person’s profile.” The voice was calm and monotonous, seemingly not very respectful in its tone towards Sobel.

”What’s noteworthy about him?” Sobel’s tone towards the voice wasn’t resistant, nor did he seem angry about the sudden switch from the engrossing battle report.

He simply looked at the chubby man’s profile and slightly furrowed his brows. The man’s profile had in fact been placed on his desk long ago during the coup in Gazalin. However, Sobel did not think a chubby man who could fight and retreat only under someone else’s control was worth his attention.