Chapter 495.1: Reunion After A Century And A Half

In the open wilderness stood a fortress that could be described as nearly impregnable.

A total of 15.7 kilometers of tunnels, reinforced concrete bunkers, and trenches were interconnected, complete with dome-shaped rotating armored turrets, anti-aircraft batteries, anti-tank guns, and heavy machine gun nests.

That was Horn Fortress, the largest military base in Oasis No.2, built by General Klaas, the once supreme commander of the Army stationed in the Sunset Province.

It was said to be capable of housing an army of a million. To meet the enormous logistical needs of the fortress, General Klaas not only had a canal constructed to divert water from a nearby riverbank to the fortress but also built six-lane highways on all four sides. Supplies bound for Horn Fortress could arrive by water, land, or even air via planes and airships.

And if the Oasis No.2 ever faced invasion, the troops stationed at the fortress, along with the stockpiled supplies, could be quickly dispatched to the frontlines via the highway network.

But now, this once-connected fortress had been completely cut off.

The New Alliance's Skeleton Corps did not storm the fortress by force. Instead, they watched the enemy retreat into it, then severed the water supply canal.

Normally, a fortress of such a scale would stockpile enough supplies to sustain a million troops for at least three years. However, Griffin’s original plan had never intended for the base to serve as a defensive stronghold.

On top of that, the urgent needs at the front lines meant most of the supplies had already been sent out. And domestic production within the Falcon Kingdom simply wasn’t enough to fully stock the massive fortress.

As a result, the 50,000 troops that had retreated into Horn Fortress had less than two months’ worth of food, and their freshwater supply was also critically low.

But that wasn’t the most fatal issue. The real killer was the shortage of ammunition.

The nearest William Industrial Zone already been taken by the New Alliance forces and the supplies from Triumphant City probably wouldn’t reach them in time.

Other than Griffin and those Clones whose brains weren’t too good, any Wislander could tell that they were on the edge of a cliff.

“I heard the Adjudicator is here.”

“Why the Adjudicator? Shouldn’t they send another offensive-class airship?”

“I heard that lord Marshal didn’t have plans to attack the desert. The land across the sea for us, the extreme north, and the wasteland in the south is much more important than the desert tens of thousands of miles away. The attack last time was dictated by General Klaas all alone...”

“How could it be?”

“It’s no wonder we haven’t gotten reinforcements...”

Whispers broke out in the camps.

Sitting outside, Battlefield Cheerleader, who was happily eating, noted everything he heard, ready to post them on the forums later.

His job in recent days had been really simple. All he had to do was to send key locations over and wait for the bombs to fall. After that, he would deliver the results to the Skeleton Corps outside.

Wanting to lock down specific warehouses wasn't easy, especially with supplies running low. Everything critical had been dispersed and stored separately. Anyone approaching suspicious areas would immediately be stopped and interrogated.

It wasn’t something anyone could explain away with a casual ‘Oops, wrong turn’.

As a non-Wislander, Battlefield Cheerleader knew better than to do anything that would attract attention. He understood his limits well.

Besides, there was no need to.

If you couldn’t find a supply warehouse, locating a mess hall or mobile kitchen was still easy enough.

Just toss a 100 kilogram bomb nearby while the Wislanders were eating, and it would be enough to blow up the pots, pans, and everyone in line.

As for assessing the results of the bombing? It was even easier.

He didn’t even need to go over to count the bodies personally. All he had to do was to hear the yells that came from over there.

Also... Thanks to them, his accent was becoming more and more like the West Coasters.

However, sending locations of mobile kitchens and mess halls was getting more and more difficult recently. With the accuracy of those bombs fired by the New Alliance, the Wislanders were starting to suspect there were drones watching their every move. They would fire random signal disrupters into the air from time to time, and food would be delivered to each camp by drone.

No one knew which genius came up with the idea, but even Battlefield cheerleader wanted to give him a medal.

Penny, who had been sitting beside Battlefield Cheerleader had a deep frown etched on her face. Staring at her meal, she stayed silent for a long time before mumbling, “There was an assassination attempt on Griffin.”

Nearly choking, Battlefield Cheerleader only managed to force himself to maintain his ruthless and silent persona in front of Penny after some time. Only after he managed to compose himself did he mutter, “Assassination attempt?”

“Yeah... Someone placed a bomb under his chair. If not for the fact that he came a minutes late, the assassin from the New Alliance and Enterprise would have succeeded.”

Battlefield Cheerleader wanted to tell her that the New Alliance wasn’t behind it. After all, the administrator didn’t give him a mission to assassinate the higher-ups of the Army. However, he managed to suppress his emotions yet again.

“Did they catch the assassin?”

“Nope...” Penny sighed as she combed her fingers through her hair. She started to pray under her breath, “I hope nothing happens...”

She wasn’t afraid that Griffin would die. Rather, she was concerned about the direction of the battle.

Because the Falcon Kingdom fell too quickly, she made no preparations. She didn’t even have time to leave the frontlines! She could only retreat with the main troops to the fortress.

She hoped she wouldn’t be captured by the New Alliance.

After all, the frontlines were inherently violent places, especially when the battle was so close to them. As a reporter for Triumphant Reports, she knew exactly what the Wislanders had done to other survivors and wasn’t surprised that their enemies hated them so deeply.

Captured Wislanders rarely met a good end. She had seen photos from colleagues, brutal was an understatement.

Just thinking about it sent chills down her spine.

Battlefield Cheerleader wanted to comfort her with a few words, something say the New Alliance being more disciplined when dealing with their prisoners, but he quickly remembered he was a super spy. Praising the enemy out loud didn’t seem quite right.

Regardless... The New Alliance didn’t kill anyone. They didn’t even commit any atrocities!

He hadn’t even dared to touch the few slaves brought to his tent before, worried he would violate the no forced intimacy rule in the Player Handbook.

In the end, he quickly changed his words, “It’s fine. I’ve got you.”

Hearing those unexpected words, her cheeks flushed slightly. A soft smile unconsciously crept onto Penny’s lips.

That guy usually acted like a block of wood, but he always managed to blurt out something that made her blush and her heart race.

She had heard countless such lines before, some even more poetic, but those men usually only sweettalked her. The moment they finished swearing eternal love, they would crawl into the tents of caged foreign women.

Instead of feeling secure, it just made her sick.

The non-Wislander, Pangolin, gave her a completely different feeling.

He was stronger than most Wislanders, yet lacked their arrogance, brutality, and all the other bad habits. His name, rustic and full of wild flavor, suited his personality.

He was pure-hearted like the snow on a mountaintop. His life was defined by loyalty to the Marshal, obedience to his superiors, and the honor of being a soldier.

Even as others grew disheartened and lost faith in the future, there was never a hint of despair on his face. Even at this critical moment, with defeat looming, he could still calmly say things like that.

Only when he said it did those words carry a genuine warmth.

“... Thank you. I’m glad you said that. But your sword belongs to the Marshal. You don’t need to hesitate because of me.”

She flicked her deep brown hair and proudly declared, “Wislanders are born warriors, whether men or women. I can take care of myself.”

General Griffin was somewhat well-known in Triumphant City.

No matter how bad things got, she figured it wouldn’t go too far. Maybe she was just overthinking it.

Battlefield Cheerleader didn’t say much, he simply nodded, quietly digesting the massive piece of news.

Griffin was almost assassinated?!

What the hell is going on?

At that moment, two figures approached.

One was Cowley and the other was Cowley’s direct superior and commanding officer in the Fifth Division. He was General Willick.

Reaching the two, Willick looked at Penny, who was sitting on the steps, and spoke politely, “Apologies, miss. I need to discuss something with Pangolin. May I borrow him for a moment?”

Penny stood up and smiled politely. “No problem. Go ahead.”

Maybe she sensed the importance of the discussion, so she didn’t linger and walked off considerately.

Willick glanced at her retreating figure, then looked around to confirm no one else was nearby before turning to Cowley. “You explain it.”

“Yes, sir.” Cowley nodded with a complicated expression, then glanced at Battlefield Cheerleader who had stood up.

He hesitated before mumbling, “Let’s talk inside.”

Battlefield Cheerleader nodded and followed the two into the tent. He wasn’t sure why a centurion and a general would need to find a low-ranking fellow like him, but judging from Cowley’s face, something big was about to happen.

And it most likely involved him.

“What is it?” Seeing Cowley hesitating for a long time without speaking, Battlefield Cheerleader took the initiative to ask.

“This morning, General Griffin was attacked during the morning meeting.”