Chapter 438.3: Chess...

In his view, they were undoubtedly using his sister as a sacrifice. Success obtained through family sacrifice, even if victorious, felt dishonorable to him.

But seeing his sister so happy made him feel a lot less uneasy.

At least from the content of the letter, life there wasn't as bad as he had imagined.

Being able to manage the territory so orderly, that administrator's son had to at least be a man worthy of trust. However, as he read on, Yard's expression gradually became peculiar.

Like his brother's letter, the latter half was entirely about the New Alliance's administrator.

He indeed was a figure worth mentioning, considering their future relationship, they needed to understand the man ruling half a province.

But there was no need to keep talking about him, right?

Not to mention, he hoped she would at least mention her fiance, so he, as her older brother, could know whether that guy was a good person.

But the letter didn't mention the administrator’s son she was supposed to marry at all.

Moreover, from some point on, the tone of the letter became strange.

[... The Alliance's administrator is deeply loved by the local residents, and I can feel that this affection comes from the heart, not blind obedience or submission to power.]

[I can see unquestionable loyalty in the eyes of the young man who serves as the captain of his guard, I can see desire-free admiration in the eyes of a girl working in the guild... doesn’t that make you envious? Although I admit, it makes me a bit jealous.]

Noticing Yard's troubled expression, Prince Wint paused slightly and asked with concern, "Are you feeling alright?"

"It's nothing." Yard muttered simply and tucked the two letters into his pocket.

He felt it necessary to have a talk with his sister... And his damned, foolish brother Somer. He could tell that the guy was involved in something extremely dangerous.

Of course, that would have to wait until after the invaders were driven out.

However, more than tension and restraint, his mind was filled with complex emotions that even he didn't fully understand.

And all of that was triggered by the last line of the letter before Afrni’s signature.

[I might have fallen in love with him.]

...

Above the cloudless azure sky.

The majestic Heart of Steel, spreading its wings wide along with the propellers aligned along it.

Not far behind it, a series of planes slowly caught up and successively landed on the hundreds of meters long steel deck.

The entire airship was like a floating aircraft carrier in the sky.

Turning the Heart of Steel into an airship carrier was Mosquito's brainchild, but it wasn't Goblin Technology that completed the task. Rather, it was the Enterprise’s Ideal Corporation and the New Alliance's Steel Plant 81.

While airship carriers were a failed invention in Earth's history, with the Akron and Macon serving as bloody proofs, it was a different story in the wasteland.

The Heart of Steel wasn't floating because of ammonia or hydrogen but by an anti-gravity system from the core of an escort starship that counteracted gravity, thus avoiding issues like air turbulence causing violent collisions or wings tearing the gas bags...

That was indeed the case.

The Heart of Steel flying was incredibly stable while flying through the air.

Moreover, the armor along the airship's central axis was as flat as the ground, and since it was directly above the airship's keel, no anti-aircraft guns and other obstacles were installed, removing the need to clear the runway of anti-aircraft artillery.

All they had to do was to avoid crashing into the 400mm main cannon mounted on the front of the airship.

The hundreds of meters long runway was sufficient for propeller planes to land, and the airship itself could provide some initial speed to the carrier-based aircraft, allowing them to take off from a shorter runway.

It posed a test to the pilots' driving skills and psychological quality, but the New Alliance could still muster up a couple of dozen ace pilots.

Emerging from a plane, a man with a pig's head supported himself on the wing, his face full of emotion. "Ah... It's more thrilling to fly big planes. It's been a while since I flew these little ones."

It was a pity that the little sparrow got away. However, winning was all that mattered.

His regular partner in the gunner's seat, Ice and Fire, chuckled and asked, "How many did you shoot down?"

Unprofessional Retort shook his big ears and chuckled in embarrassment, "Heh, let's not talk about that, no need to mention it..."

Nearby, next to a W2 attack plane. Little Wind heaved a sigh as she climbed out of the cockpit.

She took off her pilot's cap that had been scratched by shrapnel, and vigorously shook out her hair that had turned into a mess by the wind.

Bullet holes on the cockpit allowed air streams that nearly numbed the left side of her face. It took her a moment to recover.

Just as she got down from the plane, Little Ghost curiously approached, searching around her plane's canopy.

"What are you looking for?" Little Wind curiously blinked at her.

Ghost scratched her head, sheepishly grinning, "The poem?"

Hearing this, Little Wind's face instantly turned as red as a lantern, her toes curling in her shoes.

She lunged forward, grabbing Little Ghost by the shoulder, and pushed her away from her own craft. "Go away, go away, I don't know what you're talking about, I don't know the person you're looking for.

"Ah?! Don't you remember? It's that one about...”

“

Ah ah ah

! Don't recite it anymore!"

Their noisy voices drifted from the deck towards the ladder leading to the lower levels, where the NPC crew responsible for storing the planes in the hangar looked on with admiration.

Their spirited demeanor hardly seemed like they had just come from a battlefield where life and death hung by a thread. It was as if they had merely attended a banquet. Their courage to face death and their optimism alone were enough to make them revered.

On the other side of the deck.

Spring Water Commander approached Mosquito, who had just jumped out from his plane, and looked around before asking, "Where's Falling Feather? Didn't see him with you yesterday?"

"He's got some other tasks assigned by the administrator," Mosquito chuckled, a statement that made Spring Water Commander's expression subtly complex.

"... Looks like it'll be a few days before I see him again."

...

Meanwhile, below in the ship's bridge.

Following beside Chu Guang, Vanus frowned in thought for a long time before suddenly speaking. "I still don't understand."

Chu Guang raised his eyebrow and asked casually, "What do you not understand?"

Vanus looked at him and asked, "Why would you bring the airship to the front line knowing it's Griffin's trap?"

Although the deployment location and type of the nuclear strike could be basically confirmed, relying solely on the Boulder Town might not be enough to withstand it.

Not to mention, they hadn't reached a level of mutual trust to share intelligence.

Chu Guang smiled faintly and spoke softly, "The saying goes... We can be a thief for 1,000 days, but no one guards against a thief for 1,000 days...”

Vanus paused, unfamiliar with the proverb. "What does that even mean?"

Chu Guang grinned. "That’s the literal meaning."

"Since the Sword of Damocles might fall at any time, why not let it fall today? You can understand this as turning the tables or perhaps call it a nice bait.”

Tactical engagements involved the clash of iron and blood.

Strategically, however, it was more about the unseen mental games and intricate schemes.

The initiative in his gamble lay in Griffin's hands, but that didn’t mean the old fox held all the cards. Whether he uses the New Alliance's slip-up to deploy the nuclear bomb at the Lost Valley airport as planned...

... Or take advantage of the situation by dropping the bomb directly into the Lost Valley to increase the New Alliance’s losses, the New Alliance was already prepared.

The Death Corps has already met with the New Alliance's delegation, and they were en route to the Great Rift Valley, with the Army's northern supply lines were soon to be cut off. The New Alliance's supply lines were taking shape, with highways and railways ready.

If Griffin realized what was going on, he would undoubtedly accelerate the war's pace. Otherwise, even if his vassals keep winning on the battlefield, they would ultimately lose due to a collapsed logistics system.

Therefore, he would definitely choose a more aggressive strategy and was bound to advance the timing of the decisive battle.

The Skeleton Corps has had departed from the New Alliance's western territories, with 35 latest-model tanks and 60 light and heavy trucks thundering toward the Lost Valley on the eastern side of Oasis No.4, ready to take over the runway.

As for the Storm Corps, they followed Chu Guang to aid their allies. They were fully equipped and waiting on the airship.

While the airship only carried 1,000 men... Each one of them was a horrifyingly powerful war machine.

The level and individual combat capability of those players may not be the top of the New Alliance, but the capabilities of the Storm Corps were definitely the most balanced.

Whether it was the strength of their strategist or combat style, they were the closest to a regular army.

If the Burning Corps was the spear of the New Alliance...

They were the shield of the New Alliance!

Watching his handsome face reflected on the floor-to-ceiling window, Chu Guang took a deep breath and murmured in a very soft voice, "... Come on."

𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝔀𝓮𝒃𝙣𝓸𝒗𝒆𝒍.𝙘𝒐𝒎

He had completed all his deployments. Now, it was time to wait for the other side to make a move.