Chapter 450.2: There's Nothing We Can't Overcome

Mosquito chuckled sheepishly, "Heh, why not? That thing isn't expensive! I can make the decision!"

In fact, he didn't make that decision. He was merely tooting his own horn in front of Escaping Mole.

Giving the plane to the Petra Fortress Lord was not his decision but something the administrator had instructed him to do before he left.

Not only that, the administrator also told him to inform Sien that if he found the propeller plane useful, he could send an envoy to Dawn City to purchase more.

He would be able to buy a plane for 20 cows, and they would also throw in 1,000 rounds of ammunition for free. It was a massive bargain!

Not only that. The New Alliance not only sold weapons but also the technology to operate them. Sien could let the pilots come with the envoys, learn how to fly them, and then fly the planes back themselves.

The nearly 1,000 kilometer journey, although beyond the W2 Mosquito’s range, was no problem for a one-way flight. They could even pick up some local specialties along the way.

As the oldest propeller plane in service with the New Alliance, the piece of shit could mount a light machine gun for dogfighting, a heavy machine gun, or even be used to spread pesticide without its weapons. It was versatile in its applications.

It was extremely useful!

As everyone boarded, and the Orca transport plane's doors closed, two streaks of blue lights dragged behind it as it flew eastwards.

Watching that streak of blue light vanish on the horizon, Sisi squinted her eyes and looked at Escaping Mole. "What are your plans after this?"

Recalling the updated mission on his VM, Escaping Mole casually replied, "... The Army and the Falcon Kingdom's coalition forces are currently withdrawing from Oasis No.9. The administrator has ordered us to head to Oasis No.9 to reorganize and meet up with reinforcements from the rear. From there, we'll advance to Oasis No.3 and aim to liberate the Honey Badger Kingdom!"

Standing nearby, Tail’s eyes sparkled. "Oh! It seems like things are going smoothly!"

It looks like the war won't last much longer.

Escaping Mole laughed, "Hahaha, it’s all thanks to you guys! It wouldn't have been this smooth without you!"

The great victory at Lost Valley and the counteroffensive at the City of Abundance could be said to be turning points in the entire war.

Just like the Normandy landings and the Battle of Stalingrad in World War II...

Roshan rubbed the back of her head and sighed in embarrassment, "Same here... Thanks for coming over. Without your tanks, we and the Petra Fortress’ defensive forces definitely wouldn't be a match for the Army."

"Don't say that, the outcome of a battle isn't measured by combat power alone. On a battlefield of this scale, even gaining an extra second can add to our chances of victory." Escaping Mole continued with a smile, "So, what about you guys? Are you going to the front lines? We can give you a lift."

Sisi curled his lips and said.

"Springwater has given us free rein. He says we're more useful outside than in the Corps."

"GIAO! Did he really say that?!" Tail looked deeply affected by the apparent insult.

Escaping Mole laughed heartily. "Hahaha! That sounds just like that guy, the kind of thing that LYB[1] would say!"

Tail looked despondently at Sisi, who patted her head with a smile. "Don't feel sad. I think that's more like a recognition."

"Recognition?"

"Yes, it acknowledges Tail's achievements in other fields!"

Everyone had their strengths and weaknesses; rather than struggling in areas where one was weak, it was better to excel in areas where one could truly shine.

The game never specified how it had to be played.

Why didn’t Wasteland Online restrict the type of players who were given Beta access? Or to put it another way, why wasn't it specified that only players of certain professions could participate in the game?

With the technical prowess the operators had shown so far, it wouldn't be difficult to implement such a restriction technically.

But since they hadn’t done so, there must be a reason.

...

Three days later, in the early morning, the refueled Skeleton Corps set off once again.

Under the watchful eyes of the Petra Fortress guards and residents, the moving steel tide sauntered to the North.

Although three days was a short time, a lot had happened.

The news of the Army detonating a nuclear bomb where Oasis No.7 used to be spread throughout the New Alliance and even reached the neighboring Boulder Town.

The news was reported by Dori, a well-known journalist from the Survivor's Daily, and the photos were taken by Tail in super slow motion.

When it was learned that the Army had originally planned to secretly drop the nuclear bomb over Clearspring City, Boulder Town broke into an uproar, with calls to join the war from both the inner and outer cities.

The situation was unlike the Sunset Province.

The southern part of the River Valley Province housed survivors who had hot blood pumping through their veins, especially the survivors in Clearspring City.

Many people, even from the time they were still sucking on baby bottles, fell asleep to the sound of gunfire, learning to shoot as they learned to walk, with the gene for violence already infused deep in them.

In such an environment, there were no cowards. Even those who could be considered one were only relative to the rest.

If it weren't for the militia firmly in the hands of the city lord, and the city hall lacking the power to declare war, Boulder Town would probably have already marched into the desert...

Even though they were not mobilized to join the war directly, propaganda tools were not without significance.

To support the New Alliance's advantage on the battlefield, Boulder Town Bank unprecedentedly offered to provide the New Alliance with a low-interest loan that was basically free aid.

In addition to official support, civilian support was also quietly underway.

More and more civilians, attracted by Boulder Town’s timidity, left the giant walls to join the New Alliance in the northern suburbs,

Among them were skilled workers and experienced mercenaries.

Even those who were illiterate... As long as they could carry a hoe or handle a wrench, were considered valuable assets to the New Alliance, which was in a period of both territorial and industrial expansion.

The excitement wasn't just among the people of Boulder Town, whose tails were burned by the fire. Far on the East Coast, Ideal City's multiple media outlets also reported the news, causing a stir on Endpoint Cloud.

The most direct result was that Enterprise direct aid to the New Alliance increased from the initial 300 million CR to 1 billion CR, and indirect aid increased to 2 billion CR.

In addition to expressing determination with money, five Cloudfly flapping-wing aircraft were sent over for free.

Arriving with them were 10 instructors.

They would be responsible for training the New Alliance’s pilots one-on-one, ensuring they could properly operate the next-generation aircraft.

Moreover, more advanced forward-swept wing jets were also in development.

Although mutants couldn't fly planes, and the East Coast had no use for supersonic fighters, that was in the past.

To curb the ambitions of the Army, they were even more determined to arm the New Alliance.

All those changes were happening quietly.

Compared to the overall turbulent situation, the Camel Kingdom, closest to the nuclear explosion center, seemed to be sitting out a bit.

The nuclear bomb detonated in the valley was like a brick thrown into the sea. Although it also caused some waves, it was quickly overwhelmed by bigger waves.

The king of the Camel Kingdom visited Petra Fortress, learning the situation from Sien. Along with him came the kingdom's high priest.

When the white-robed old man learned of Sesame Paste's status as a Divine Envoy, he immediately declared he would confer on her the title of Saintess.

At first, Sesame Paste was quite interested in the title. After all... No player would complain about unlocking too many titles!

However, when she learned she could only live in a palace prepared for her from then on, she quickly paled and rejected the title.

Being restricted to one place... There was no difference between that and being confined.

Even without Sisi’s teaching, she immediately improvised a prophecy in the style of a fortune teller, claiming her mission had begun, about how the Silvermoon Goddess called her back to the desert as staying would only bring disaster to the locals, and other nonsense.

The old priest at Petra Fortress naturally regretted her departure, but the high priest from the capital was not too insistent,

He seemed not too keen on having her stay there permanently. He simply made a show of reluctance before regretfully respecting the Divine Envoy's choice.

Although she didn't unlock the achievement, Sesame Paste wasn't too upset,

Traveling with her friends was the most precious treasure for her, far beyond any title!

And from another perspective, just waving goodbye and leaving behind a legend might actually be the best choice.

Someday when the game went public, there would surely be other players stepping into the land they had visited.

What would those new players make of her bizarre legend then?

The thought was quite exciting...

Watching the Skeleton Corps disappear over the horizon, Sisi glanced at the residents and nobles of Petra Fortress who had come to see them off and muttered to herself, "

Um...

It looks like we need to accelerate our plans."

Tail tilted her head to the side and mumbled, "Plans?"

Sisi nodded. "Yes, the plan to acquire Lion Coins."

In fact, since the celebratory dinner that ended the other day, people had been eyeing this business,

Even Losjin had been staring at the pie. Many nobles at Petra Fortress also began offering currency exchange services to refugees outside the city under the guise of aid.

Previously, a bag of Lion Coins couldn't trade for even a single Camel Coin. Now... Ten Lion Coins were enough!

Although it was just a small-scale exchange, it wasn't hard to see where some of the Camel Kingdom's nobles stood.

The outcome of a single battle might not determine the course of the entire war, but the myth of the Army’s invincibility had already begun to crumble in everyone's hearts. They weren’t unbeatable.

From those pairs of eyes watching the Skeleton Corps depart, she had already seen the dawn of victory...

At the same time, as the Skeleton Corps marched north, nearly 1,000 kilometers away in the capital of the Lion Kingdom, it was bustling with activity.

The epic victory the City of Abundance had completely reversed the offensive and defensive postures of the war. During the three-day counteroffensive that followed, the Heart of Steel and the Storm Corps, along with the Goblin Corps, had shown off their excellent firepower and mobility on the frontlines.

Helping the Lion Kingdom recover lost territory and completely liberating Oasis No.9 was just a matter of time

But Chu Guang was not in a hurry to continue advancing.

First, the New Alliance's expeditionary force was running low on ammunition, especially the shells for the Heart of Steel, which needed to return to Clearspring City to resupply.

Second, the Skeleton Corps had just left Oasis No.4 and needed some time to reach Oasis No.9 and join the main force.

Aside from those strategic reasons, there were also political benefits to consider.

Wars cost money. Even issuing missions and penalties cost money.

Someone had to pay for those.

The king of the Lion Kingdom was clearly aware of it and had specially prepared a grand welcome celebration in the capital for those who had come from afar.

Chu Guang planned to mention during the review of the Storm Corps the promises Prince Kariman had made to him, including a range of matters involving turning them into the New Alliance’s vassal.

1. 老阴逼 - master tactician, but still calling him a ‘sinister piece of shit’ ☜