“You’ve got some nerve, wanting to go it alone. This isn’t some virtual game; people really get hurt and die out there. Are you sure about this?”
The Captain wasn’t fond of Lin Xiaohe’s arrogance. Every cocky soldier gets taught a harsh lesson on the real battlefield.
Lin Xiaohe replied, “Sir, if you’re willing to just stamp my evaluation form right now, I’d be happy to withdraw from this operation.”
“Ha, dream on. I’d rather you prove yourself on the battlefield than ever sign off on something fake.”
With that, the Captain turned and led the group to the conference room.
In the center of the room was a holographic sand table. The Captain swiped his hand across it a few times, and a real-time map of the offensive and defensive positions of both sides on Gonggong Star materialized.
He glanced at the tense Fifth Ring students and chuckled, “Relax, the tasks assigned to you are minor. You don’t seriously think we’re counting on you to take out the main Iron Meteor battalion, do you?”
Lin Xiaohe, however, was focused on the dynamic display.
Blue represented the insurgent forces, Red was the Federal Army.
The map showed Red advancing on all fronts, with Blue falling back in defeat.
In space, the Federation had already secured control of the space jump channel.
A carrier battle group, formed by the space fleet, and ground-based air force armored fighter squadrons had carved out an aerial corridor in the atmosphere stretching over 200 kilometers wide and a thousand kilometers deep towards the west.
On the ground, the Federal Group Army had smashed through the insurgent forces defending that corridor in a single, decisive blow.
Red had deployed significant forces to encircle and besiege the capital of Gonggong Star. From the look of things, it was only a matter of time before the capital fell.
Everything seemed to be progressing smoothly; it looked like the uprising would be suppressed soon.
Lin Xiaohe thought silently, [Xin Bao, can you connect to the internal network?]
Xin Bao tried but found that the Fifth Ring Military District took information security very seriously; it was all protected by A-level firewalls.
[Sorry, Xiaohe.]
Lin Xiaohe sighed inwardly. She really needed to upgrade Xin Bao when she had the chance.
“Lieutenant Lin, see anything worth mentioning?” the Captain asked, calling her out for her distraction.
Lin Xiaohe snapped to attention. “Sir, I actually do have a question.”
The Captain raised an eyebrow. “Go ahead.”
“Are the insurgent forces taking heavy losses?”
The Captain was a bit surprised; he hadn’t expected that question.
He tilted his head, thinking for a moment, then shook his head. “According to our intel, not particularly.”
Lin Xiaohe ventured cautiously, “Don’t you think the Federation’s progress seems a little too… smooth?”
Wesley let out a snort, tilting his chin up, his eyes full of contempt. “Someone from a humble background could never grasp just how powerful the Federation truly is. The Federal troops on Moluo Star don’t represent our full military capability.”
Lin Xiaohe had no comeback; she genuinely didn’t know the extent of the Fifth Ring’s military strength.
Surprisingly, the Captain gave Lin Xiaohe an approving look.
He appreciated soldiers who used their heads, even if their guess was wrong, it deserved some encouragement.
“Lieutenant Lin, state your reasoning.”
Lin Xiaohe organized her thoughts. “If I were the insurgent commander, knowing our overall strength is inferior, I’d choose to lure the enemy in deep. Pretend we can’t win, then spring an ambush at a chosen location.”
Low laughter rippled through the conference room. Even the soldiers who had followed the Captain in were chuckling.
The Captain suppressed a smile and nodded at Lin Xiaohe. “And where, in your opinion, would be the best place for an ambush?”
Lin Xiaohe had never even been to Gonggong Star, how was she supposed to know?
She relied on what she’d read in books. “Usually, canyons or deep mountain areas are chosen.”
The laughter in the room grew louder.
The Captain patted Lin Xiaohe on the shoulder encouragingly. “You’ve got potential. Aim for a military academy, learn the art of war properly.”
He then moved on, directly assigning tasks to each team.
The examinees would be inserted behind insurgent lines to carry out harassment operations.
Before concluding the meeting, the Captain stressed, “Once you reach your designated areas, you will follow the orders of the Special Forces units. If you encounter danger, retreat without hesitation.”
“Yes, Sir!”
Lin Xiaohe dawdled, waiting until most people had left before approaching the Captain again. “Sir, have you really ruled out the possibility of an ambush?”
The Captain sighed patiently. “Lieutenant Lin, persistence is a good quality, but it easily turns into stubbornness. Gonggong Star has only one major canyon. Its ridge is home to one of our military airfields, firmly under our control. Now, go join your comrades.”
Lin Xiaohe grumbled internally. So what if they have an airfield? What if the enemy blows it up?
As soon as she stepped out of the conference room, she was blocked by a crowd.
“Well, well, if it isn’t our Lieutenant Lin. Which are you applying for, the Central Military Academy or the Command College?”
“‘Lure the enemy in deep’? ‘A canyon’? Haha, that’s hilarious! You don’t even know the basic terrain of Gonggong Star, how dare you spout such nonsense?”
“Some people just love showing off. Too bad they lack the skills to back it up, they only end up embarrassing themselves.”
Through the crowd, Lin Xiaohe’s eyes met Wesley’s.
“Hey, you, Wesley. Cat got your tongue? Why do you always need others to speak for you?”
Lin Xiaohe tilted her head, a look of mock realization on her face. “Oh, I get it! You’re definitely afraid of me, jealous of me. That’s why you don’t dare provoke me yourself and have to use others.”
Silence fell. Those who had just spoken turned to look at Wesley in horror.
Wesley’s eyes turned icy, his clear voice tight with suppressed rage. “Jealous of you? Jealous of what? Your stupidity and complete lack of self-awareness?”
Lin Xiaohe stated flatly, “I hold the rank of Second Lieutenant.”
Wesley sneered, his disdain palpable. “Thanks to that ridiculous pink Beetle of yours?”
Lin Xiaohe repeated, “I hold the rank of Second Lieutenant.”
Wesley’s veins bulged on his forehead. “So what?! If I wanted, I could have a rank too.”
Lin Xiaohe emphasized, “I hold the rank of Second Lieutenant. Earned it myself. Didn’t use connections.”
That was the last straw!
Wesley strode over, grabbed Lin Xiaohe by the collar, and glared down at her menacingly. “I hope that when we get to Gonggong Star, your mech piloting skills are as tough as your mouth!”
Lin Xiaohe calmly pried his hand away, then pressed a finger against his chest, pushing him back to arm’s length. Her voice was cold.
“Cadet Wesley. The person standing before you is a Second Lieutenant of the 5th Division’s Special Reconnaissance Battalion. Remember, next time you address me, you will start with ‘Sir’.”
Wesley’s gaze was murderous.
Lin Xiaohe’s voice was icy. “Is that clear, Cadet Wesley?”
Wesley’s jaw clenched so tight it creaked, his eyes practically spitting sparks.
He ground the words out from between his teeth. “Yes… Sir.”
Hmph. Pulling rank felt good.
Lin Xiaohe strode off, leaving them behind.
She couldn’t care less what anyone said about her now. Let them call her an armchair strategist, overconfident, arrogant. What did they know?
They had absolutely no idea how awesome the Thirty-Six Stratagems were, one of the finest crystallizations of five thousand years of civilization!
