Chapter 488.2: This Is Our Response To Your Ultimatum!

Bist Town.

Staring at the row of corpses hanging beneath a power pole, Elf Wang wore a complicated expression. After a long pause, he muttered,

“They’re really brutal to their own kind...”

Irene’s expression was just as strange. “Not surprising at all.”

Even the Wislanders probably weren’t Griffin’s own people, let alone these subordinates barely ranked above cannon fodder.

Brief victories had papered over deep inequalities. Conquering the Honey Badger and Lion Kingdoms had given the enslaved a fleeting illusion of superiority.

But when the victories stopped, the buried contradictions erupted like festering boils.

This kingdom was mad, from the king down to the common folk. Fortunately, that was the last gasp of madness.

At the east gate of Bist Town, trucks were rolling in, transporting building materials from Oasis No.3.

According to the administrator’s orders, Bist Town was to be reinforced, transformed from a supply hub into a full offensive stronghold. At least 100 155mm howitzers would be deployed along a 5 kilometer front, putting the Falcon Kingdom’s border within shelling range.

Engineering equipment imported from Ideal City. Excavators, steamrollers, and more, had arrived.

The New Alliance planned not only to build a highway from Oasis No.3 to Bist Town, but also an airfield to the east of the fortress.

At the entrance to the military camp, Wiedler approached Escaping Mole and respectfully handed him a notebook. “Sir, here’s what you asked for.”

Inside were detailed records of every unit that had passed through, including designations, personnel, supplies, and destinations.

He had spent an entire morning racking his brain to compile the notebook.

Escaping Mole glanced through it briefly and compared it with intelligence he had gathered earlier from Wiedler’s adjutant.

After confirming there were no issues, he nodded. “Not bad. You’re free now.”

Wiedler didn’t move.

In the end, Escaping Mole raised an eyebrow and asked, “Didn’t you hear what I said?”

Wiedler quickly explained, “No, no, sir... I just... I want to stay and serve under your command.”

“Serve me?” Escaping Mole looked at him with curiosity, not sure what act the man was pulling this time.

Meeting the commander's gaze, Wiedler nodded eagerly and declared with righteous conviction, “Yes, sir! The Wislanders have kidnapped our king and taken control of our nation. They’ve committed atrocities in this desert that cry out to the heavens... Though I am but a humble baron, I wish to stand on the side of justice and conscience, and serve the New Alliance.”

He wasn’t stupid. The Falcon Kingdom was finished.

As a low-level Baron with no influential relatives in other kingdoms, he had nowhere to run. It was better to stick close to the New Alliance and find a way to survive.

Escaping Mole didn’t much like opportunists like him and was about to turn him down, but then reconsidered. Having a compliant local guide might actually be useful.

Even though the Skeleton Corps’ next phase was mostly diversionary and feint-based actions, and the New Alliance had no intention of occupying Oasis No.2 due to strategic concerns, Bist Town would remain as a thorn lodged in the Oasis’s side. And after the war, the region might see waves of refugees pass through...

Thinking about the implications, he nodded. “Fine, you can stay.”

Wiedler beamed with joy. If he hadn’t figured out that this odd-tempered commander disliked kneeling, he would’ve dropped to his knees right then in gratitude.

But his adjutant wasn’t as sharp. Without thinking, he dropped to his knees with a thud. “I too wish to follow the New Alliance and serve the great administrator with all I have, ”

“Get up,” Escaping Mole sighed with exasperation, “Stop kneeling. That doesn’t work on us.”

Before the adjutant could react, Wiedler kicked him hard in the backside. “Didn’t you hear?! Get up!”

That kick definitely carried some personal grudge. He hadn’t forgotten how those bastards stripped his shirt to use as a surrender flag.

“Y-yes, sir!” The adjutant looked wronged.

Wasn’t I just following your lead?

However, he dared not speak, and quietly stood up.

Fully embracing his new identity, Wiedler cozied up beside Escaping Mole and eagerly asked, “Sir, when are we heading out to teach those big-noses a lesson? I’ve had enough of them!”

Escaping Mole replied impatiently, “We’ve got our own plans. If you’re in such a rush, go grab a rifle and charge at them yourself.”

The enthusiasm on Wiedler’s face was instantly doused. He laughed awkwardly and shut up.

Though Wiedler was practically groveling at his feet, Escaping Mole didn’t fully trust that man.

After reporting to the administrator, he assigned this bootlicker a foreman position and sent him off to a construction site on the east side of Bist Town.

He couldn’t stand seeing that face every day.

As much as he wished all enemies were spineless like this, it was warriors like Richie that he truly respected.

Unlike Escaping Mole, Wiedler was quite satisfied with his new job, so much so that he was deeply moved.

Being a labor foreman was certainly better than getting blown to pieces on the front line.

It seemed the New Alliance really did treat prisoners well, just as the rumors said.

If only he were Marshal William himself, he’d have surrendered the entire Falcon army and ended the stupid, hopeless war long ago.

On the third day of the construction assignment, as another convoy of trucks passed through the nearby checkpoint, Wiedler’s adjutant muttered, “Is the New Alliance planning to stay here forever?”

Truck after truck kept arriving, and more aircraft landed each day. The supplies offloaded were enough to equip several Divisions.

Despite that many equipment arriving, the New Alliance forces hadn’t advanced at all.

The laborers had all guessed the New Alliance would mount a surprise assault on the Army, but nothing of the sort happened.

Wiedler was confused too. But he was an honest man. He knew better than to meddle in things he shouldn’t understand.

𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎

He kicked his adjutant and scolded him in a low voice, “Quit gawking! Get back to work!”

The adjutant fell silent at once, glared at him, then obediently went to dig trenches.

But Wiedler and his fellow laborers weren’t the only ones puzzled by the New Alliance’s actions.

So was General Griffin, the Army's highest commander in the Sunset Province.

With a furrowed brow, he stared at the map on the table, his face full of visible confusion.

Just as expected, the New Alliance had taken Bist Town.

What baffled him was that the New Alliance armored units, after cracking open the gates of Oasis No.2, didn’t push forward. They simply stopped.

Worse still, reports from frontline scouts indicated that large quantities of trucks and engineering equipment were pouring into Bist Town, apparently to reinforce the infrastructure.

Their actions left Griffin completely bewildered.

He had regrouped and was ready for a decisive battle with the New Alliance. Even he had prepared to die gloriously.

Yet the New Alliance, which had seemed ready for a blitzkrieg days earlier, suddenly... stopped attacking.

It made him feel like a tightly drawn bow with nowhere to shoot.

What are they planning?

“... Frontline scouts report frequent aircraft landings near Bist Town lately,” one of his staff officers, who knew nothing of Griffin’s inner strategy, reported with a grave expression.

“Are they Orcas?” Griffin asked.

“Not just them. There are a lot of propeller planes too.”

Griffin frowned. “Does Bist Town have an airfield?”

Maybe they’d built one recently. Propeller planes didn’t need much runway... Didn’t they retrofit the Heart of Steel with a flight deck?

Why build another airfield right at the front...?

This sudden caution gave him an ominous feeling. Especially the reports of mass aircraft landings, it gnawed at him.

He didn’t care what tricks the New Alliance played. As long as he completed that plan before month’s end, it didn’t matter. Still, the uneasy feeling wouldn’t go away.

Just then, a messenger burst in. “Report! News from the capital! The New Alliance has airdropped leaflets over the royal city, announcing they will bomb Falcon City on the final day of this week!”

The final day of the week... That was the day after tomorrow.

Griffin’s pupils contracted. A sudden realization struck. He snapped his head toward the map, then looked sharply at his aide. “Which unit is closest to Falcon City?”

The aide hesitated a moment, then replied, “The Falcon Kingdom’s Second Division. They are currently resting after retreat... They’re about two days away.”

For the coming decisive battle against the New Alliance, all Army forces had been drawn to the border of Oasis No.2. Only scattered remnants and crippled support units remained in the rear.

Griffin’s heart clenched. He quickly ordered, “Send them to Falcon City immediately! They must arrive in two days!”

“To Falcon City?” The surrounding officers were stunned.

It was at least 300 to 400 kilometers from the front.

They knew the New Alliance paratroopers were strong. General Swofte of the Fourth Division had fallen to the Burning Corps.

But they couldn’t be planning an airdrop assault on a fortified city... right?

Falcon City’s garrison and royal guard totaled at least 5,000 to 6,000 men. Additionally, the Levee offered protection.

Capturing such a fortress would take an absurd number of aircraft.

Not to mention the logistics. Paratroopers couldn’t sustain operations so far from reinforcements or supply lines. It would be suicide.

But seeing Griffin’s grim expression, the aide didn’t dare question him and stood at attention. “Yes, sir.”

Griffin turned back to the map. His fists clenched, then slowly loosened, his face shifting between something of anger and resignation.

The New Alliance had built a temporary airfield at the front and massed aircraft from the rear...

They clearly weren’t planning to bomb targets within a mere 10 kilometers.

The message was practically written in bold.

He didn’t understand why the New Alliance was forgoing the optimal plan in favor of a high-risk operation. But his years of military instinct told him that when the enemy started behaving strangely while doing the unexpected, it often meant they obtained intelligence they shouldn’t have.

“... Falcon City,” he repeated the words softly while staring at the map. “What are you trying to do?”

...

At the same time, in the desert southeast of Oasis No.2,

The Heart of Steel, after traversing hundreds of kilometers of barren land, finally emerged from the storm of wind and sand.

On the bridge, General McClennan stared coldly at the man in the exoframe. His eyes burned with hatred, but he dared not speak.

He never imagined he would return to this airship in such a fashion. The shame resurfaced in his memory...

Finod stood in the corner, avoiding eye contact with the general. He stared at the floor to distract himself. Luckily, McClennan wasn’t paying him any attention. All he saw was the man before him.

“Why did you bring me here?” McClennan finally snapped, seething with hatred.

Unfazed, Chu Guang replied casually, “To invite you to watch the final act.”

“Final act?” McClennan blinked, then sneered, “Isn’t it a little early for such big talk?”

Watching his forced composure, Chu Guang chuckled, “Cheer up. You’ll be reunited with your old friends soon.”

“The Army will never surrender.” McClennan stared him down. “Never.”

“Oh really?” Chu Guang smiled faintly but didn’t respond. He turned to look out the observation window.

Beyond the golden haze of dust, the green outline of Falcon City slowly emerged on the horizon.

From the chaos of the Bonechewer Clan in the River Valley Province... To the flames the Sunset Province...

Judgment day had finally come.

After that battle, the New Alliance would usher in a long-awaited peace.

As a dedicated game designer, Chu Guang knew he’d need time to plan the next update.

But first...

“It’s time to end this war.”