Counterfeit Hero

Chapter 1288: Chapter 8, Volume 8: Hero

There were no words to accurately describe that moment in the Chuckna Republic.

Some were laughing, some were crying, some were gritting their teeth, forcefully holding themselves together, while others had already begun waving the Chuckna flag, running wildly in the streets. In the taverns, young men who had just been at each other’s throats were now embracing; on quiet high-speed trains, in planes soaring in the sky, in the offices of tall buildings, people suddenly thrust their fists into the air, cheering and clapping, a scene of utter commotion.

This moment belonged to Chuckna.

Blame and sorrow had been cast away to the heavens. Humiliation had transformed into pride and glory. They saw the old man, regarded by all Chuckna people as a father, and through Felix’s lens, they learned about the army that had followed the Old Marshal across great distances, fighting tenaciously amid relentless pursuit and heavy encirclement, driving the Jiepeng people to madness.

Look at the Captain named Nash, at his torn and smoke-scarred uniform, his shoes worn beyond recognition, and the scarred Mecha beside him... Then, take a look at the smiling faces of him and the warriors, at their calm and confident eyes!

The familiar image of the Chuckna soldiers had returned. Hundreds, thousands of years ago, at every critical moment of life and death for Chuckna, it was soldiers like these who protected this nation!

Felix wouldn’t lie, though this famous talk show host had lost his usual calm and objectivity, appearing instead like a young, impulsive, slightly incoherent hothead, everyone could understand. This portrayal did not harm Felix’s image; on the contrary, people liked him this way, the old man’s face shone with such genuine joy that it made countless people feel a lump in their throats.

And there was the girl named Su Fei.

In her thirties, at the age where all men find her enchanting. But in the eyes of many Chuckna people, she was still a young girl, just beginning the most beautiful journey of her life.

Seeing her with Felix, without hesitation, fall from the skies, seeing her hold back tears while sitting in the mud, listening to the distant sounds of artillery, chatting with soldiers, even forgetting her work, dropping the camera, rushing to the stretcher of a wounded soldier just brought back from the front, everyone fell in love with her.

She was not a professional host, but she was a representative of the Military Department. Her image, in that moment, completely turned people’s distrust around. When someone who could have stayed behind lines, a young woman, showed such courage and strength, what reason is there to doubt the warriors fighting for their lives on the front?

The men were roaring, embracing, running wildly in the streets, while the women quietly leaned against their husbands, held their children tightly, covered their mouths, their eyes brimming with tears, smiling, with tears streaming down as they laughed.

All rumors, all doubts, all opposition vanished.

In the Presidential Office, the President of Chuckna, Jeff Hill, sat quietly alone in his hexagonal office, watching the television screen on the wall. Tears shimmered in his eyes. After a long while, he stood up, slowly walked to the large floor-to-ceiling window, separated by curtains, listening to the cheering from the square outside the presidential office in this quiet world.

Outside the door, the sound of knocking and the voice of the confidential secretary came: ”Mr. President, Mr. Wald, the National Security Advisor, requests to see you immediately.”

”Let him in.” Hill wiped his eyes with his hand, did not turn around, and spoke in a low voice.

Almost as soon as Hill answered, the door was pushed open, and a tall, burly, blond middle-aged man strode into the office, urgently speaking in his loud voice: ”Mr. President, you need to address the nation on television immediately. The public sentiment outside is very unstable, such gatherings can easily lead to unrest, their emotions need guidance! The situation at the front is still unclear, in case any bad news comes back, it will immediately cause...”

”Enough!” Hill suddenly turned around, his voice sternly reproaching.

Like being hit over the head, Security Advisor Wald opened his mouth wide, staring blankly at this slender, elegant president who always kept his emotions in check. He suddenly realized that he didn’t seem to know this leader of Chuckna at all.

”Take your things and go home.” Hill strode towards the office door, and as he passed by the secretary, he said in a deep voice: ”Prepare the car, contact Congress, I need to convene an emergency meeting immediately. Also, call my generals, tell them...”

Hill paused and fiercely said: ”...they did a damn good job!”

He strode out, his posture straight.

This country had taken too many wrong turns. His term had only one year left.

Too many calculations of gains and losses, too many complex constraints, had clouded his vision. Only today, when the Old Marshal appeared on the screen, when the people’s cheers erupted like thunder, did he suddenly realize what the people of this country truly wanted!

In this chaotic era, in this disaster sweeping all of humanity, wanting to protect Chuckna, wanting Chuckna to achieve ultimate victory, required more than just politics!

The war had reached the most critical moment.

At this moment, no one should place any restrictions on this country’s army, including himself! Only support, exerting all abilities, from now on, unreserved support!

Compared with freedom, dignity, with the cheers of the people outside the window, with the uncontrollable boiling of blood inside himself at that moment, political intrigues were so insignificant!

History will remember greatness, not petty calculations!

The presidential secretary was stunned by the sudden outburst of vulgar words from the President, but he quickly regained his composure and eagerly chased after the President.

Upon reaching the corner of the corridor, the secretary glanced back at the silent presidential office and spat heavily! Although this spit was invisible, it was the most satisfying one in his lifetime!

While the Military Department carried the burden of all responsibilities and consequences, determinedly pushing everyone onto the path of their journey; while the septuagenarian Old Marshal still led the young Chuckna individuals in battling amidst the encirclement by the Jiepeng people on all fronts, this security advisor was still preoccupied with guiding public sentiment and eyed the blood-soaked battling army with distrust!

Letting him roll up his blanket and get out is too light!

”Pah!”

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After a night of fierce battle, the Jiepeng 231st Division finally collapsed when Chuckna’s vanguard mecha group joined the fight.

This unit, from the start, had fallen into Fatty’s trap. As they tailed after the wildly fleeing 3rd echelon, crossing through the hill-covered area with numerous blockade points until reaching 60 kilometers east of the Flyns Agricultural District, the entire unit was completely intoxicated with excitement brought by being bitten by the Chuckna people’s main force.

They were oblivious to it. Facing the first echelon dispersed over the hilly temporary blockade positions, the three Jiepeng Armored Groups targeting from different directions simultaneously had unknowingly become three pieces of disjointed meat, isolated from each other.

And in less than two hours, the first and second echelons, maneuvering from the Flyns Agricultural District, completed a lateral insertion, cooperating with the 3rd echelon’s frontal blockades, forming a pocket to trap them tightly inside!

Faced with Chuckna people’s continuous segmentation and encirclement, especially against the seemingly unbeatable White Mecha, the 231st Division was plunged into chaos under the cover of night. Initially, they attempted to contract and form a stable defensive circle, expecting reinforcements. However, they were unaware that the unit originally parallel to them, the 221st Division, had already been annihilated.

The three groups still couldn’t converge. The Chuckna Army launched multiple attacks along the 15-kilometer front, using armored camps for strong piercing and segmentation, followed by infantry who pressed forward with fierce strikes. When their communication command was suddenly entirely cut off by powerful interference sources, the Jiepeng Armored Forces dispersed throughout the combat zone fell into disarray.

The addition of Chuckna’s mecha group became the last straw that broke the camel’s back.

Aircraft might not be the reigning monarch of ground warfare in this world, but when the Jiepeng people heard the cheers erupting from the ground Chuckna people upon those aircraft joining the battle, when they heard the gunfire that was ten times more intense, and saw within the almost near cockpit of the mecha, the nearly fanatical face of the Chuckna Mechanic, they understood that this battle was irrevocable.

Within the hidden command center, Felix and Su Fei jointly witnessed a complete and vigorous victory.

”I must introduce you to a colleague from Leray,” Pei Litong stood officially in front of Su Fei, looking at the camera and said, ”His arrival allowed our unit to persist as long as it did. You could say he and his mech knights are the real heroes. Leray has fought a homeland defense war for four years, and their resilience, their courage, has continued here....”

Pei Litong’s words hadn’t even finished when a howl erupted from the nearby command mecha.

”No, even if you beat me to death, I’m not going!”

Su Fei turned the camera in surprise. The door of the command mecha was ajar, and the voice of Old Marshal Li Cunxin could be heard: ”You must go, it’s an order! It’s a tactical necessity.”

”Save it, Master Fatty says I’m not going, then I’m not going. Old man, if you keep nagging, don’t blame me for turning against you!” That voice brashly clamored.

Su Fei and Felix exchanged a glance, only feeling that the world had turned upside down, spinning dizzily.

In this world, someone actually dared to call Marshal Li Cunxin ’old man’ and refer to himself as ’Master Fatty’?!

”When I get to Chuckna, can I receive protection equivalent to presidential treatment?” the voice said: ”Rather than being dealt with after being out on the streets, I’d rather defy your BS command now!”

Su Fei, in a daze, pointed the camera at the embarrassed Pei Litong.

Is this the hero from Leray? Unyielding indeed, this courage....

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. First, ease up with three thousand words, surprise, wahahaha!

. (To be continued, for more updates, please visit www.qidian.com, more Chapters to support the author and enjoy authentic reading!)