Interstellar Survival: Invasion

Chapter 154: Barren Lands

As per my command, all combat personnel gathered in a few minutes.

"Great hero, what plan do you have now?" asked Kelly loudly.

"I intend to gather all our soldiers and act together. When Zhang Xingxing arrives, I plan to not work with Gunda," I started explaining my plan.

"Where do you want to go with our gathered soldiers?" asked Kelly.

"If you were Maley, where would you hide your ambush party?" I asked.

Kelly stared at the map on the wall. After a while, she pointed at a route.

"You believe Maley will pick this place?" I asked.

"Like what you're doing, by concentrating manpower into a strike force, the barbarians can defeat the group led by the Wargod commander. With the commander defeated, the other groups would lose their leadership and turn into headless chickens. When that happens, the barbarians can take them out one by one," replied Kelly.

"I disagree. Your words seem to make sense, but look at the main group and these two groups. They are only 20 minutes away from each other. Reinforcements can arrive at any time. If the barbarians attack the main group, they will risk getting surrounded," I said.

"If so, then this would be the group that they would most likely attack," said Kelly as he pointed at the group farthest from others.

"Yes. I think this group is one of the potential targets," I said with a nod.

"Canyue, I have a question. How would the barbarians know the exact location of each group?" asked Zhang Bao'er doubtfully.

"Since the Wargods have their rangers, the barbarians will definitely have some too. Even this base is probably surrounded by countless rangers that are paying constant attention to us. Any movement will be detected by them immediately," I said.

"Exactly. The rangers are specialized scouts. Apart from their individual scouting abilities, their mechanical birds and dogs can also assist with their tasks," said Anxashe in agreement.

"In that case, why don't we go where this group is going to first and set up our own ambush? When the enemy army appears, we can surround them," said Lin Feixue.

"I have a brazen idea," I added. "I believe Maley will grab this chance to split his army and attack the base while it's relatively empty. Dondon, you need to contact Commander Zhang Xingxing immediately and have her keep watch over the base and wait for the enemy to bite the bait."

"Roger." Dondon immediately carried out the order.

A few minutes later, Dondon notified me that Zhang Xingxing would arrive in 20 minutes with the fleet.

"Excellent. How long is it until daybreak?" I asked Anxashe.

"We're four and a half hours away," said Anxashe.

"Everyone, we only have four and a half hours to reach the ambush spot. The main offensive will begin at that time. The enemies will notice the movements of the Wargod soldiers and move accordingly. Therefore, we must reach the ambush spot before then," I said.

"But this place is surrounded by scouts. How can we keep our own movements hidden? They will notice us immediately," asked Old Du doubtfully.

"Spacetime will arrive shortly. We will use the ship's invisibility to move us from the base. Dondon, notify Spacetime to only land after turning invisible," I ordered.

With the plan set, everyone grew excited. After all, we were going to fight a race known as the Wargods soon. We were both excited and nervous at the same time. I heard a loud rumble 20 minutes later. I knew that Spacetime had arrived.

We ran out of the building and saw that a faintly discernible silhouette of Spacetime had appeared on an empty spot in the base. A figure ran out of the invisible silhouette. Zhang Xingxing was the first person to rush out of the ship.

"Canyue, the battle will start soon. Dondon has already told me your plan. You only have 100 soldiers with you. Will that be enough?"

"Yes. The purpose of my ambush is not their destruction. I am merely aiming to sow chaos and disrupt their plan. We will retreat the moment we achieve our strategic goal. Having too many people will only make our withdrawal difficult," I said.

"Fine. I'll have Spacetime transport you over. Fearless is still on standby in the sky. Do you want Fearless to help you at your ambush site?" asked Zhang Xingxing.

"No. This base is a clear target for the enemy. We need more manpower to defend the base here. The ambush is merely a short operation, whereas you will need to defend this place for a prolonged period of time. Fearless needs to be here to back you up," I refused firmly.

"Fine. Dodo will send you there while I stay behind to take a look at the base and the terrain here," said Zhang Xingxing.

"Roger. Princes, Principal Sosse, Dodo, Sarje, Titan, Amethyst, Wuzhou, and Baobao, stay here and help the commander in defending the base. Everyone else, you too, Anxashe, come with me to the ambush site. Dodo will drive us there on Spacetime before returning," I made a series of orders in accordance with Zhang Xingxing's plan.

Everyone started moving. The existing members on the ship were replaced by those participating in the ambush. Then, Spacetime, still invisible, soared into the air and left the military base.

"Canyue, will we anger Gunda with what we're doing?" asked Baron Sisse.

"Don't worry. I believe the princes and Zhang Xingxing will keep things under control. Gunda has been looking down on us anyway. They will definitely continue moving without us," I replied.

"Canyue, you forgot to ask Zhang Xingxing why she was trying to contact Master Wind earlier," Master Crystal reminded.

I suddenly remembered the important question that I had forgotten. I could only wait until the battle was over before asking her.

In its invisible form, Spacetime managed to avoid the enemy scouts and reach a high altitude before moving swiftly toward our destination. In a short while, we arrived above our ambush spot.

Using a spaceship was much more efficient than traveling on foot. The ship slowly descended. Thanks to the white light of Alnitak Aa that a different planet in the system was reflecting to the planet, we were able to get a clear look at the terrain around us.

The green that we had associated this planet with was nowhere to be seen. Rather, the terrain below us was dominated by black ashy soil with sparse vegetation. The few plants that did exist looked sickly and yellow. And combined with the loud rumble from the core, this made for an extremely harsh environment. It was understandable why this place was known as the barren lands. Alongside a small trail through the landscape, we saw two small mountains.

"Canyue, look, that is a natural ambush spot," said Baron Sisse as he pointed at the two mountains.

"Yes, I saw it. But that might also be the place the barbarians will pick to ambush the Wargods. We can't use it," I replied.

"Then where should we hide?" asked Baron Sisse.

"We'll hide there," I pointed at a distant bare mountain.

"There? Sure, we can use the altitude to conceal ourselves, but there is no path leading down the mountain. How are we supposed to descend and attack?" asked Baron Sisse in astonishment.

"Lin Feixue, provide all combatants with morph-capable gear. When the battle starts, everyone shall turn on the morph-capable shield and leap off the mountain to ambush our enemies," I ordered.

"Dondon, provide camouflage cloaks for all combatants. That way, even their air surveillance won't be able to detect us," Kelly added.

Following my command, Baron Sisse put on a morph-capable suit as well. Additionally, each of us was wearing a cloak with the exact same color as the barren terrain around us. While we were getting ready, Spacetime slowly descended to the mountain peak we had chosen. After all the soldiers leaped off the ship, the transportation was completed. Dodo immediately flew the ship back to Zhang Xingxing.

"We have the high ground with a clear field of view over our surroundings. This is indeed a good ambush spot," said Old Du after lying down and observing our surroundings.

"We'll see if Canyue's guess is right. Will the enemy set up an ambush here?" said Kelly.

"At times, luck is a part of war. This is the most suitable position for an ambush. The only unknown factor is whether the barbarians will also expect us to lie in ambush for them," I said confidently.

Everyone else seemed full of confidence. We patiently lay in wait.

"Anxashe, why is the sky turning dark? I thought this planet gets its illumination from its own core?" asked Old Du curiously while listening to the core's rumble.

"For an unknown reason, the light from the core will only glow upon fusing with Alnitak Aa's light," said Anxashe.

We chatted as we waited for our ambush targets.

"This battle will be the decisive factor of our mission. Either we succeed or we fail like a dog," rambled Domo when he started feeling bored.

"What are you talking about? Those who disrupt the army morale before a battle are liable for execution," said Zhang Bao'er, not letting go of the chance to step on Domo.

"I was making an analysis. Was I wrong?" argued Domo.

"Canyue, these two soldiers of yours do not seem to get along well," remarked Baron Sisse.

"You're the soldier!" both Zhang Bao'er and Domo scolded at the same time.

"Silence. The sky is turning bright soon. From now on, nobody will make a sound. Those who disobey will be subjected to military law. Anxashe, have all your mechanical companions hide. The mechanical birds should stay clear of the sky," I said sternly.

Seeing that I had turned serious, everyone stopped the empty chatter. Silence descended. Just like that, we waited silently for dawn to arrive. While waiting, Zhang Bao'er actually fell asleep. Domo took the chance to give him a heavy kick. Zhang Bao'er woke up dazed without knowing who the culprit was, so he could only swallow the loss.

And thus, under the slightly comical atmosphere, a blue celestial body the size of a table tennis ball slowly rose from the horizon in the west. The light from the rising sun slowly arrived. We were aware that we were actually looking at a sight from 0.3 lightyears ago, but it did not feel like that to our naked eyes. When the first rays of light reached the ground, it was as though the barren lands had been ignited. The entire area brightened.

"Canyue, the attacking Wargod soldiers have set off. The commander had convinced Gunda to allow her to guard the base with the fleet. She does not have to participate in the offensive," reported Dondon after a call with Zhang Xingxing.

I nodded as we continued waiting in silence. Slowly, Alnitak Aa rose into the sky. The star looked exceptionally beautiful with its faint blue glow. Alas, the star was unaware that beneath its beautiful radiance, a bloody battle was about to unfold. Time continued passing while our surroundings remained empty. Not to mention a soldier, not even a bug was in sight.

When I checked the time, I noted that the Wargod army would be here in four hours. It had been half an hour since they left the base. The barbarians were probably already aware of the military operation.

We continued staying silent, not daring to even breathe loudly. The ash-gray cloaks remained on our bodies, preventing us from being discovered by mechanical birds. After two and a half hours, we still saw nothing. We were now only half an hour away from the Wargod soldiers' arrival. As time passed, I grew more and more nervous. Domo's joke of failing like a dog seemed to have transformed into a massive mountain pressing down on my heart.

Was I wrong? Did the enemy not select this place as their ambush site? I started thinking to myself.

Suddenly, a shrill whistle rang out in the air.