Interstellar Survival: Invasion

Chapter 153: Operation Dawn Strike

"Li Canyue, that was too excessive! You're only a second lieutenant, while I'm at least a major. From how you spoke, one would have thought that you were a general!" raged Kelly as she rushed into the room.

"Hehe. I was just messing around," I said.

Kelly sat down while fuming, but she stopped shouting.

"Deputy Commander, we're pressed for time. The commander ordered us to set off as quickly as possible. Spacetime will arrive to reinforce us as well," said Lin Feixue, who had arrived with the reinforcements.

"Why is Commander Xingxing not here? What is she doing?" I asked.

"She seems to be trying to contact someone called Master Wind. She told us to move out first," said Lin Feixue.

Master Crystal and I both blanked out upon hearing that. We did not know why Zhang Xingxing was trying to contact Master Wind.

"We need someone who knows the barbarian territory to show the way. I'm going to look for Dulite and have him arrange a guide for us," I said to Lin Feixue.

"Don't worry. I have arranged a guide for you," said Dulite as he walked in with Anxashe.

"Will Anxashe be coming with us? Great!" said Old Du, pleased to see Anxashe.

"Yes. Anxashe once spent a year fighting in the barren lands. He is very familiar with the terrain and the situation there. He is the most suitable guide," said Dulite.

"Where are the 30,000 soldiers stationed? We need their help if we are to complete this task," I said.

"I already gave the king's letter to the ranger. When you're there, Ranger Anxashe will hand the letter to the battlefield commander, Gunda. I will also send an order to put all the soldiers in the region under Gunda's command. You can let Gunda know if you have any requests," said Dulite.

Since everything was ready, we decided to set off immediately. After leaving the lounge, I saw Dodo chatting cordially with a few combat androids. Some of them were mechanical dogs running around on the ground, while the others were mechanical birds hovering in the air.

"These are all my assistants. They will be able to help us during combat," said Anxashe, who looked visibly excited.

Looks like this fellow is also a battle maniac. The entire Wargod race seems to exist for the sake of war, I thought to myself.

A shuttle was parked outside. From its shape, it was clear it was a regular transportation ship with no defensive capabilities. It looked to be an even older model than the ones used by the commoners at Planet Eternal's trade stations.

I asked Anxashe, "Won't a shuttle like this be struck down by enemy missiles?"

"That won't happen. We Wargods will only fight face to face. We do not perform acts such as ambushing a transportation vehicle," replied Anxashe.

Since they were claiming it was safe, we could only board the outmoded shuttle. There were over a hundred of us, and we crammed the shuttle full. Even the mechanical dogs boarded the ship with us.

"Just what stupid vehicle is this? I can't see what's so incredible about this race's combat strength. The Wargods are only slightly taller than others," complained Zhang Bao'er after being squeezed into the corner of the shuttle.

After everyone boarded, the old vessel slowly soared up and then flew away.

The moment we flew out of the basin, we started hearing the rumble of the planet again. The rumbling was so loud it even felt like its sound waves alone could rip the shabby shuttle apart.

After we were squeezed in the ship for over two hours, the shuttle finally landed. The door opened, and everyone surged out. A military base surrounded by wooden fences appeared before our eyes.

The entire base was surrounded by thick wooden poles. The sound of mechanical dogs running around could be heard coming from inside the base, and mechanical birds could be seen constantly patrolling the sky above us.

Every single person here had to resist the rumble that occurred every 15 minutes. I couldn't help but feel respect for these warriors who were able to persist and battle in such a vile environment.

Suddenly, I noticed that there were soldiers climbing up the fence at every set interval before vanishing into thin air. Shortly after, there would be soldiers dropping out of thin air from the same spots.

"What is that? Where did they go? Did they teleport?" asked Zhang Bao'er in astonishment.

"Our watchtowers are invisible. The soldiers will turn invisible after climbing one meter above the walls," said Anxashe.

"Such a high level of technology!" exclaimed Zhang Bao'er, incredulous.

"The barbarians have powerful archery. If the towers aren't hidden, they can be destroyed easily," explained Anxashe.

"Looks like the barbarians won't be an easy opponent," muttered Old Du.

The people in the base seemed to have been informed of our arrival beforehand. A warrior exchanged a few words with Anxashe before bringing us to our temporary resting lounge in the base. Then, Anxashe notified the two princes, Principal Sosse, Kelly, Old Du, and me to head to Gunda's command center.

The tall thatch building in the middle of the base was Gunda's command center. Everyone entered the building together. There was a big chair in the middle of the command center. A burly ox-headed commander was sitting in it, and a massive hammer was beside him. There were also four sturdy Wargod soldiers standing at his sides.

"Pleased to meet you, Commander Gunda. I am Ranger Anxashe, here with a letter containing Official Dulite's orders," said Anxashe as he stepped forth and handed the letter over respectfully.

"I have already been informed of your arrival. These people look so weak and tiny," Gunda complained while opening the letter. "Is Dulite sending them here to play house or something?"

Suddenly, Gunda sat up and asked, "Which of you is Prince Toruse?"

Prince Toruse stepped forth and answered, "General, I am Toruse."

"So you're Toruse. Let me introduce an acquaintance of yours," said Gunda.

A soldier left the building. Shortly after, a familiar bulky figure walked in.

"Violent Steel, come meet your old friend," said Gunda.

"Oh, it's the prince? How have you been?" said Violent Steel with a smile.

"You had nearly killed me previously. I was wishing that I would never see you again," said Prince Toruse.

"I had no choice either. I didn't want to work at the power plant. Not long after, an Akko helped me escape to Kenante's trade station. From there, I applied to earn my freedom through military service. The royal court finally agreed to let me return. Sighnowhere is better than home," said Violent Steel with a sigh.

"An Akko on Lidu? What's his name?" asked Prince Toruse as his eyes lit up.

"His name is Fanin. He has been helping those who have fallen to hard times on Lidu," said Violent Steel.

"Fanin! It's really him! He's still alive!" Prince Toruse became visibly emotional upon learning that Fanin was still alive.

"Yes, he's alive. But I don't know what happened to him after war broke out on Lidu," said Violent Steel.

"Alright. You can stop reminiscing. Violent Steel is in charge of night patrol. Tell these messiahs about the recent situation of the barbarians," said Gunda.

"Yes, superior," replied Violent Steel respectfully.

Just as Violent Steel was about to start talking, some noise erupted outside the building.

Gunda was about to send a soldier outside when Zhang Bao'er and Domo rushed into the room.

"This is an insult! There are over a hundred of us, and we were all arranged to sleep under a cow stable. There are thousands of cows walking all over above us. How are we supposed to stay at a place like that?" complained Zhang Bao'er loudly.

"Bao'er, have you gone crazy? We're here to fight a war. We're not on a holiday," said Old Du as he dragged Zhang Bao'er back.

"Even if we're here for war, this treatment is too poor for an allied army. Not only are we made to stay beneath a stable, but we're even fed grass. And I mean the grass they pluck straight from the ground. They are basically insulting our high-tier army!" said Domo as he fanned the flames.

"What is wrong with these idiots? This is a military base. If they are unwilling to participate, they can leave. If you continue making a ruckus, don't blame me for being rude," said Gunda.

"What is it? What are you going to do when you're being rude?" countered the chubby and short duo.

"Shut up, both of you!" I berated them when I saw Gunda reach for his hammer.

"We're in the middle of an important military discussion. Please understand, sirs. If you have any issues, you can bring it up after the meeting," said Prince Arude.

Perhaps it was because someone was addressing him as sir that Junior Sergeant Domo felt extremely pleased and accepted the suggestion to leave first. Meanwhile, Old Du kept Zhang Bao'er under control, returning peace to the room.

Seeing that the situation was under control, Gunda stopped reaching for his hammer. "Violent Steel, continue."

"Recently, there has been an increase in barbarian activities. They are also carrying out bigger and bigger strikes. From ambushing solo patrols, they have started ambushing squads of patrols. A few days ago, they even assaulted the base's back door," said Violent Steel.

"How many people do the barbarians have?" asked Old Du.

"There aren't a lot of them. I heard that they have no more than 10,000 people. However, they will generally ambush us with 3 times our numbers. With them always hiding in the dark and us always in the open, we have lost over a hundred soldiers within the past 3 days alone," said Violent Steel furiously.

"You mean that they are attacking every single day?" I was shocked. "If they're attacking every day, we can just follow the convention and set up traps for them. Will that work?"

"They mostly attack from afar. They have a team of divine archers that can fire an arrow from over a kilometer away with high accuracy. Most of the time, they will have 30 archers shoot at 10 of our patrolling soldiers," said Violent Steel.

"How idiotic. Why don't you expand your search radius with your mechanical birds to ensure the safety of your patrols?" sneered Zhang Bao'er.

"Their mechanical birds are more powerful than ours. The birds we released will be quickly destroyed after leaving our protection," said Violent Steel helplessly.

"Looks like the barbarians are mainly focused on nibbling away your army, slowly emptying this base of its manpower," I analyzed.

"Yes, and this is not only happening to me. Nine other bases are in the same situation. The barbarians are moving like ants, reducing our numbers bit by bit every single day. I am sick of them. In fact, I am planning to launch a large operation to root them out tomorrow morning. Surprisingly, you arrived today. This is just nice, as you will be able to join us. When will your ship arrive?" asked Gunda.

"Our ship will probably arrive tomorrow. Commander, can you tell us more about your plan?" I asked.

"Advise your ship to arrive before the sun rises tomorrow. All nine bases will participate in this operation. We will encircle the barbaric lands' central zone and erase their main headquarters in one fell swoop," said Gunda, who was filled with fervor.

"General, how far away is this base from the barbarian headquarters? Do we have the transportation to go there?" asked Old Du.

"We are about seven hours away. Since our shuttles are not equipped with weapons, we can't take them into enemy territory. That is part of our rules. All soldiers can only advance on foot," replied Gunda.

"That won't do. Esteemed commander, from what you said, this will be a dangerous battle. The enemies will be defending on their home ground against exhausted enemies. Furthermore, our forces are scattered. Each party will have fewer than 3,000 soldiers. Our enemies can make use of their superior numbers to crush the few of us who are the most exhausted from the journey. By the time we reach their headquarters, we will no longer have the numerical superiority," analyzed Old Du.

"How will that happen? Are they going to leave their headquarters open and let us take it for free? You're too naive," said Gunda with derision.

"Sigh. Their headquarters is only a shabby village. What's the point of defending it? They can simply move their things away. Preserving the land and losing the man, one will lose both. Preserving the man and losing the land, one will gain both!" argued Old Du loudly.

"Stop nagging. We have made the arrangements for the plan. You're not here as commanders. You're merely helpers. With or without your band of motley soldiers, we will still attack. I am the one losing brothers with each passing day, not you," said Gunda, who was becoming impatient.

"Commander, you must remain calm. Perhaps this is what the enemies have been waiting for. There might even be a trap waiting for you," Old Du insisted.

Gunda merely waved his hand and left, ignoring what Old Du had to say. His soldiers also followed him out, leaving us staring at each other in the room.

"Forget it, Old Du. His entire brain is filled with hot blood. We need to think of a way to reduce their casualties," said Kelly.

"What a fool! An operation like this will only throw away the lives of his soldiers for nothing!" said Old Du, who was still furious.

"We don't have time. Bao'er, Domo, notify all our people to stop resting. Tell everyone to gather here. Have Dondon contact Xingxing and verify the ship's time of arrival. We need to draw up our next plan," I ordered rapidly.